By Rama Zakaria, Michael Panfil Whether or not our electric grid is “resilient,” and what if anything should be done to make the grid more resilient, has been a topic of intense scrutiny in the past year. The stakes in this debate reached new dimensions last fall with a highly controversial proposal by Sec. Rick […]

The post New study answers the question, ‘What is grid resilience?’ appeared first on Energy Exchange.

By Rama Zakaria, Michael Panfil Whether or not our electric grid is “resilient,” and what if anything should be done to make the grid more resilient, has been a topic of intense scrutiny in the past year. The stakes in this debate reached new dimensions last fall with a highly controversial proposal by Sec. Rick […]

The post New study answers the question, ‘What is grid resilience?’ appeared first on Energy Exchange.

This blog was co-authored with Maricel Maffini, Ph.D., Independent Consultant, and Michelle Harvey, Senior Consultant at the Environmental Defense Fund. In May 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (CFSAN) announced it had “established a Toxic Elements Working Group whose mission in part is to develop a strategy for prioritizing […]

This blog was co-authored by Tim O'Connor and Ellison Folk, an Environmental Attorney at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger. California utilities finally have a set of plans to cut methane leakage from the state’s natural gas pipelines. This is good news, but there are still a handful of improvements that could help make the state’s gas […]

This blog was co-authored by Tim O'Connor and Ellison Folk, an Environmental Attorney at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger. California utilities finally have a set of plans to cut methane leakage from the state’s natural gas pipelines. This is good news, but there are still a handful of improvements that could help make the state’s gas […]

This blog was co-authored by Tim O'Connor and Ellison Folk, an Environmental Attorney at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger. California utilities finally have a set of plans to cut methane leakage from the state’s natural gas pipelines. This is good news, but there are still a handful of improvements that could help make the state’s gas […]

This blog was co-authored by Tim O'Connor and Ellison Folk, an Environmental Attorney at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger. California utilities finally have a set of plans to cut methane leakage from the state’s natural gas pipelines. This is good news, but there are still a handful of improvements that could help make the state’s gas […]

Written by Moms Clean Air Force

This was written by Alice Henderson. It originally posted on Climate 411:  America’s Clean Car Standards are one of our biggest success stories, yet the Trump Administration is preparing to dramatically weaken them. News reports say the Trump Administration is also taking aim at state leadership on clean...

Statement of Eric Holst, Associate Vice President of Working Lands at Environmental Defense Fund

In sunny springtime Bonn at the climate talks, discussions are intensifying about the future of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The CDM was established in 1997 by the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The Protocol set caps on the carbon pollution of more than 30 industrialized countries for the years 2008-2012, and the caps were […]

In sunny springtime Bonn at the climate talks, discussions are intensifying about the future of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The CDM was established in 1997 by the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The Protocol set caps on the carbon pollution of more than 30 industrialized countries for the years 2008-2012, and the caps were […]

Written by Moms Clean Air Force

Today is World Asthma Day — from now through Mother’s Day, we’ll be sharing the stories of moms across the country who are fighting for clean air and safe communities. This was written by Jen Lushbough, a Moms Clean Air Force volunteer: When my daughter,...

5 ways chemical safety is eroding under Trump

Editor’s note: This post was updated on May 13, 2019.

In June 2016, Congress had the rare success of passing bipartisan legislation to update our nation’s badly broken chemical safety system. It finally gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the power to strengthen health protections for American families.

Fast-forward nearly three years and the implementation of that law is in extreme jeopardy.

The Trump administration is systematically weakening the EPA and seeking to dismantle key new authorities and mandates Congress gave it under the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act. This with the goal of shifting critical policies to serve the chemical industry’s agenda instead of protecting public health.

Here are five actions Trump’s handpicked political appointees have already taken to undermine the law – potentially setting us back decades.

1. Blocking, weakening bans of 3 chemicals

In January 2017, the EPA proposed to ban high-risk uses of three dangerous chemicals: methylene chloride, N-methylpyrrolidone and trichloroethylene. Methylene chloride, for one, is responsible for more than 50 deaths in recent years from its use in paint strippers.

Less than a year later, with a new president in the White House, the EPA shelved the bans, two of them indefinitely, by moving them from active to “long-term action” status.

A delaying action on methylene chloride for over two years and only in the face of pressure from families who have lost loved ones to the chemical, the agency finally issued a severely weakened ban that leaves those Americans most at risk – workers – unprotected from the deadly chemical.

Such retrenchments go against the very spirit and goal of the 2016 chemical safety reform.

2. Issued illegal rules for implementing TSCA

One of the first orders of business under the 2016 Lautenberg Act was for the EPA to issue “framework rules” governing how the reformed law should work for years to come.

The proposed rules – released at the tail end of the Obama administration – were fair and faithful to the law. But the final rules published in July 2017 did a U-turn from those that had been proposed and now reflect the wish list of the chemical industry.

They are also patently illegal, which is why we’re suing the EPA and have already racked up one victory.

3. Reversed course on chemical reviews

After the new law passed, the EPA immediately began to conduct the more robust reviews of new chemicals before they can enter the market, as the new law called for.

It also planned to conduct broad reviews of all uses of chemicals already in commerce. But in response to industry demands, the EPA reversed course to instead conduct stripped-down reviews of new and existing chemicals. This will allow the agency to avoid imposing protective measures.

These changes circumvent clear requirements in the law and essentially return America to an era where few chemicals were adequately assessed or tested for safety as a condition of entering or staying on the market. Meanwhile, the public has been kept in the dark.

4. …and two more actions setting us back

The administration’s strategy for undermining chemical safety has two more components that – while not directly related to the 2016 chemical safety law – further achieve this objective.

By sidelining the science conducted by critical EPA programs on chemicals like formaldehyde, and by stacking the agency with industry cronies, the Trump administration is crippling implementation and enforcement of environmental and public health laws.

This is sadly consistent with its overall goal of elevating industry interests over the protection of our health.

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krives May 1, 2018 - 10:16

See comments

Add #6: defunding open data initiatives that allowed scientists, within federal and regional EPA offices, as well as university and civil society organizations, to access linked open datasets. By defunding programs introduced under the prior administration, such as https://opendata.epa.gov, they are making it harder to programmatically access human and machine readable data.

The linked open data that was a year old when published in 2016 — including Facilties (toxic) Substances, Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), RCRA Handlers and CRC linked open data).

This data [was] technically made available under the new environmental data gateway on May 30, 2018, however no new linked open data [was] created by EPA’s Office of Environmental Informatio). This is a step backwards in modernizing open government data and making federally funded science and environmental data available to the public.

Bernadette May 26, 2018 at 6:04 pm

Couldn’t say it better.

G Lee June 15, 2018 at 4:21 pm

In reply to Add #6, defunding open data… by Bernadette

It's important to me and my family that the EPA and my government protect the American people from chemical companies being allowed to put out products that have proven harmful to the public's health. We need you to do your job. America has the weakest chemical laws of any industrialized nation on this plants. Put the public's best interest over profits!!!

Liinda Tift June 5, 2018 at 2:14 pm

It's unbelievable ! Never did I expect these kinds of things happening. No warnings in debates that i recall! Infuriating!!!

Paula Dollins August 4, 2018 at 4:55 pm

Trump has no regard for the safety of the people. It will take years to undo the harm he is responsible for and to get rid of those he has put in place.

Barbara Murphy August 5, 2018 at 6:32 am

In their rush to capitalize from the idiocy that is the complete public works of the Trump administration, the press overlooks the more dangerous items. When focusing on what Trump says, the press overlooks what laws and deregulations generated by his cabinet are doing to our environment. That is the real story and would get more attention if the press showed the American people what Trump is really doing to this country.

Jonathan Hodges August 9, 2018 at 4:03 pm

There are multiple international regulatory actions underway. Without US cooperation, many industries will find their products banned from importation into those countries.

Crystal McCown August 15, 2018 at 7:29 pm

Cleaning materials at Super 8 Motel, Alamosa, Colorado on Sept 30, 2018:  Woke up at 4am and I could not breathe. Went to Alamosa ER. Not much help. Now back in Boulder, Colorado, still feeling some discomfort. Trump’s EPA will kill many Americans!

Michael Lord September 30, 2018 at 2:43 pm

5 ways chemical safety is eroding under Trump

Editor’s note: This post was updated on May 13, 2019.

In June 2016, Congress had the rare success of passing bipartisan legislation to update our nation’s badly broken chemical safety system. It finally gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the power to strengthen health protections for American families.

Fast-forward nearly three years and the implementation of that law is in extreme jeopardy.

The Trump administration is systematically weakening the EPA and seeking to dismantle key new authorities and mandates Congress gave it under the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act. This with the goal of shifting critical policies to serve the chemical industry’s agenda instead of protecting public health.

Here are five actions Trump’s handpicked political appointees have already taken to undermine the law – potentially setting us back decades.

1. Blocking, weakening bans of 3 chemicals

In January 2017, the EPA proposed to ban high-risk uses of three dangerous chemicals: methylene chloride, N-methylpyrrolidone and trichloroethylene. Methylene chloride, for one, is responsible for more than 50 deaths in recent years from its use in paint strippers.

Less than a year later, with a new president in the White House, the EPA shelved the bans, two of them indefinitely, by moving them from active to “long-term action” status.

A delaying action on methylene chloride for over two years and only in the face of pressure from families who have lost loved ones to the chemical, the agency finally issued a severely weakened ban that leaves those Americans most at risk – workers – unprotected from the deadly chemical.

Such retrenchments go against the very spirit and goal of the 2016 chemical safety reform.

2. Issued illegal rules for implementing TSCA

One of the first orders of business under the 2016 Lautenberg Act was for the EPA to issue “framework rules” governing how the reformed law should work for years to come.

The proposed rules – released at the tail end of the Obama administration – were fair and faithful to the law. But the final rules published in July 2017 did a U-turn from those that had been proposed and now reflect the wish list of the chemical industry.

They are also patently illegal, which is why we’re suing the EPA and have already racked up one victory.

3. Reversed course on chemical reviews

After the new law passed, the EPA immediately began to conduct the more robust reviews of new chemicals before they can enter the market, as the new law called for.

It also planned to conduct broad reviews of all uses of chemicals already in commerce. But in response to industry demands, the EPA reversed course to instead conduct stripped-down reviews of new and existing chemicals. This will allow the agency to avoid imposing protective measures.

These changes circumvent clear requirements in the law and essentially return America to an era where few chemicals were adequately assessed or tested for safety as a condition of entering or staying on the market. Meanwhile, the public has been kept in the dark.

4. …and two more actions setting us back

The administration’s strategy for undermining chemical safety has two more components that – while not directly related to the 2016 chemical safety law – further achieve this objective.

By sidelining the science conducted by critical EPA programs on chemicals like formaldehyde, and by stacking the agency with industry cronies, the Trump administration is crippling implementation and enforcement of environmental and public health laws.

This is sadly consistent with its overall goal of elevating industry interests over the protection of our health.

Get policy and political updates

Friday digests from our staff keep you up to date on the week’s events.

Thanks for subscribing to In case you missed it

krives May 1, 2018 - 10:16

See comments

Add #6: defunding open data initiatives that allowed scientists, within federal and regional EPA offices, as well as university and civil society organizations, to access linked open datasets. By defunding programs introduced under the prior administration, such as https://opendata.epa.gov, they are making it harder to programmatically access human and machine readable data.

The linked open data that was a year old when published in 2016 — including Facilties (toxic) Substances, Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), RCRA Handlers and CRC linked open data).

This data [was] technically made available under the new environmental data gateway on May 30, 2018, however no new linked open data [was] created by EPA’s Office of Environmental Informatio). This is a step backwards in modernizing open government data and making federally funded science and environmental data available to the public.

Bernadette May 26, 2018 at 6:04 pm

Couldn’t say it better.

G Lee June 15, 2018 at 4:21 pm

In reply to Add #6, defunding open data… by Bernadette

It's important to me and my family that the EPA and my government protect the American people from chemical companies being allowed to put out products that have proven harmful to the public's health. We need you to do your job. America has the weakest chemical laws of any industrialized nation on this plants. Put the public's best interest over profits!!!

Liinda Tift June 5, 2018 at 2:14 pm

It's unbelievable ! Never did I expect these kinds of things happening. No warnings in debates that i recall! Infuriating!!!

Paula Dollins August 4, 2018 at 4:55 pm

Trump has no regard for the safety of the people. It will take years to undo the harm he is responsible for and to get rid of those he has put in place.

Barbara Murphy August 5, 2018 at 6:32 am

In their rush to capitalize from the idiocy that is the complete public works of the Trump administration, the press overlooks the more dangerous items. When focusing on what Trump says, the press overlooks what laws and deregulations generated by his cabinet are doing to our environment. That is the real story and would get more attention if the press showed the American people what Trump is really doing to this country.

Jonathan Hodges August 9, 2018 at 4:03 pm

There are multiple international regulatory actions underway. Without US cooperation, many industries will find their products banned from importation into those countries.

Crystal McCown August 15, 2018 at 7:29 pm

Cleaning materials at Super 8 Motel, Alamosa, Colorado on Sept 30, 2018:  Woke up at 4am and I could not breathe. Went to Alamosa ER. Not much help. Now back in Boulder, Colorado, still feeling some discomfort. Trump’s EPA will kill many Americans!

Michael Lord September 30, 2018 at 2:43 pm