By Felice Stadler

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been trying every trick in the book to suspend rules that require oil and gas companies to limit pollution from their operations as they look to expand drilling across the country. His attempted delay tactics follows a cozy relationship he’s had with the worst elements of the oil and gas industry in his prior role as Attorney General of Oklahoma, where he sued to block these very rules on the behalf of his oil and gas allies.

Following a historic court decision and subsequent mandate, EPA’s New Source Performance Standards (which set first-ever national methane pollution limits for the industry) are now in effect. However, Administrator Pruitt continues to push to delay these standards with a proposed two-year suspension. The impact of this action is sweeping: Hundreds of thousands of Americans live near the 23,000 oil and gas wells that should be covered by these rules.

The senseless delays of common sense pollution standards have major implications for the health and welfare of communities living downwind of oil and gas development in the U.S. Here’s why:

There is a lot of oil and gas drilling happening.

EPA’s new pollution rules apply to all wells built or updated since September 2015. Over 1,000 wells a month (on average) have been built or updated during this period; each new drilling operation can lead to more methane pollution, more smog pollution, and more cancer-causing pollution.

They also lead to more wasted American energy since methane pollution is essentially natural gas leaking into the atmosphere. Methane leaks and other intentional releases from oil and gas operations nationwide in 2015 could have met the heating and cooking needs of over 5 million American homes.

Oil and gas drilling is happening without common sense oversight 

Oil and gas drilling is happening all across the country, with new wells dotting the landscapes of nearly two dozen states (click here to find out if you live near one of the new 23,000 wells). While some operators are complying with pollution limits set by the state – like in Colorado, which has in place statewide methane standards – the majority are operating without any methane pollution requirements, where the only thing in place are the suspended federal standards.

That’s the case in Texas, where there are over 6,500 new and modified wells, or Oklahoma with almost 2,000 new and update wells. In these states, oil and gas companies have no accountability for their methane pollution, and communities are left to bear the burden from this energy development.

As we know, however, air pollution does not respect state lines, so even Coloradans will pay the public health price for not having federal standards in place, as pollution drift can drift over from New Mexico, Utah, and other nearby states.Regulatory chaos leads to environmental uncertainty

The Trump administration, and its allies in Congress, has been sending signals to the oil and gas industry since the day after the elections that rolling back environmental protections was their top priority. The industry also knows that this decision does not just lie in the hands of the administration, but rather in the courts, which is where the fate of the oil and gas methane rules now sits.

Regulatory uncertainty often leads to industry delaying investments in new technology or practices, which only delays providing much-needed public health protections and seeds distrust in energy development.

Despite these rules being highly cost-effective to implement, few top energy operators have made public statements indicating that they will comply with the rules. Regardless of the regulatory chaos, proactively taking steps to address pollution isn’t just the right thing to do; it also manages reputational risk and positions companies for future compliance as rules tighten.

It’s unfortunate that more companies haven’t publicly come forward in staying the course for cutting methane rather than accepting the Trump free pass to pollute. The public is left to assume that communities all across the country are likely left unprotected and exposed to the release of thousands of tons of methane and toxic pollution.

Majority of Americans demand protections  

During EPA’s only public comment period on the proposed suspension of its pollution rule, only two stakeholders out of 118 supported EPA’s move including the nation’s main oil and gas lobby, the American Petroleum Institute. The other 98 percent representing public health groups, businesses, tribes, Latino communities, ranchers, and others spoke opposition to the delay, sharing their experience of what it’s like to live adjacent to or downwind of the expanding oil and gas development that’s occurring nationwide.

Citizens came from vastly different regional, political, and religious backgrounds with one shared goal: to express their frustration and concern about EPA’s latest action to undo public health protections for the nation’s largest polluters.

Members of Moms Clean Air Force ask Pruitt to cut methane pollution at recent EPA hearing

As Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee of the United Methodist Women said at the hearing: “How many more children must suffer before EPA says enough?”

EPA’s comment period for the public to weigh in on this senseless two year delay is coming to a close. The public doesn’t want more pollution and it’s important that Scott Pruitt hear that message loud and clear. Make your voice heard.

Sources for well data: Drilling Info, DI Desktop 

By Felice Stadler

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been trying every trick in the book to suspend rules that require oil and gas companies to limit pollution from their operations as they look to expand drilling across the country. His attempted delay tactics follows a cozy relationship he’s had with the worst elements of the oil and gas industry in his prior role as Attorney General of Oklahoma, where he sued to block these very rules on the behalf of his oil and gas allies.

Following a historic court decision and subsequent mandate, EPA’s New Source Performance Standards (which set first-ever national methane pollution limits for the industry) are now in effect. However, Administrator Pruitt continues to push to delay these standards with a proposed two-year suspension. The impact of this action is sweeping: Hundreds of thousands of Americans live near the 23,000 oil and gas wells that should be covered by these rules.

The senseless delays of common sense pollution standards have major implications for the health and welfare of communities living downwind of oil and gas development in the U.S. Here’s why:

There is a lot of oil and gas drilling happening.

EPA’s new pollution rules apply to all wells built or updated since September 2015. Over 1,000 wells a month (on average) have been built or updated during this period; each new drilling operation can lead to more methane pollution, more smog pollution, and more cancer-causing pollution.

They also lead to more wasted American energy since methane pollution is essentially natural gas leaking into the atmosphere. Methane leaks and other intentional releases from oil and gas operations nationwide in 2015 could have met the heating and cooking needs of over 5 million American homes.

 

Oil and gas drilling is happening without common sense oversight 

Oil and gas drilling is happening all across the country, with new wells dotting the landscapes of nearly two dozen states (click here to find out if you live near one of the new 23,000 wells). While some operators are complying with pollution limits set by the state – like in Colorado, which has in place statewide methane standards – the majority are operating without any methane pollution requirements, where the only thing in place are the suspended federal standards.

That’s the case in Texas, where there are over 6,500 new and modified wells, or Oklahoma with almost 2,000 new and update wells. In these states, oil and gas companies have no accountability for their methane pollution, and communities are left to bear the burden from this energy development.

As we know, however, air pollution does not respect state lines, so even Coloradans will pay the public health price for not having federal standards in place, as pollution drift can drift over from New Mexico, Utah, and other nearby states.Regulatory chaos leads to environmental uncertainty

The Trump administration, and its allies in Congress, has been sending signals to the oil and gas industry since the day after the elections that rolling back environmental protections was their top priority. The industry also knows that this decision does not just lie in the hands of the administration, but rather in the courts, which is where the fate of the oil and gas methane rules now sits.

Regulatory uncertainty often leads to industry delaying investments in new technology or practices, which only delays providing much-needed public health protections and seeds distrust in energy development.

Despite these rules being highly cost-effective to implement, few top energy operators have made public statements indicating that they will comply with the rules. Regardless of the regulatory chaos, proactively taking steps to address pollution isn’t just the right thing to do; it also manages reputational risk and positions companies for future compliance as rules tighten.

It’s unfortunate that more companies haven’t publicly come forward in staying the course for cutting methane rather than accepting the Trump free pass to pollute. The public is left to assume that communities all across the country are likely left unprotected and exposed to the release of thousands of tons of methane and toxic pollution.

Majority of Americans demand protections  

During EPA’s only public comment period on the proposed suspension of its pollution rule, only two stakeholders out of 118 supported EPA’s move including the nation’s main oil and gas lobby, the American Petroleum Institute. The other 98 percent representing public health groups, businesses, tribes, Latino communities, ranchers, and others spoke opposition to the delay, sharing their experience of what it’s like to live adjacent to or downwind of the expanding oil and gas development that’s occurring nationwide.

Citizens came from vastly different regional, political, and religious backgrounds with one shared goal: to express their frustration and concern about EPA’s latest action to undo public health protections for the nation’s largest polluters.

Members of Moms Clean Air Force ask Pruitt to cut methane pollution at recent EPA hearing

As Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee of the United Methodist Women said at the hearing: “How many more children must suffer before EPA says enough?”

EPA’s comment period for the public to weigh in on this senseless two year delay is coming to a close. The public doesn’t want more pollution and it’s important that Scott Pruitt hear that message loud and clear. Make your voice heard.

Sources for well data: Drilling Info, DI Desktop 

By Felice Stadler

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been trying every trick in the book to suspend rules that require oil and gas companies to limit pollution from their operations as they look to expand drilling across the country. His attempted delay tactics follows a cozy relationship he’s had with the worst elements of the oil and gas industry in his prior role as Attorney General of Oklahoma, where he sued to block these very rules on the behalf of his oil and gas allies.

Following a historic court decision and subsequent mandate, EPA’s New Source Performance Standards (which set first-ever national methane pollution limits for the industry) are now in effect. However, Administrator Pruitt continues to push to delay these standards with a proposed two-year suspension. The impact of this action is sweeping: Hundreds of thousands of Americans live near the 23,000 oil and gas wells that should be covered by these rules.

The senseless delays of common sense pollution standards have major implications for the health and welfare of communities living downwind of oil and gas development in the U.S. Here’s why:

There is a lot of oil and gas drilling happening.

EPA’s new pollution rules apply to all wells built or updated since September 2015. Over 1,000 wells a month (on average) have been built or updated during this period; each new drilling operation can lead to more methane pollution, more smog pollution, and more cancer-causing pollution.

They also lead to more wasted American energy since methane pollution is essentially natural gas leaking into the atmosphere. Methane leaks and other intentional releases from oil and gas operations nationwide in 2015 could have met the heating and cooking needs of over 5 million American homes.

Oil and gas drilling is happening without common sense oversight 

Oil and gas drilling is happening all across the country, with new wells dotting the landscapes of nearly two dozen states (click here to find out if you live near one of the new 23,000 wells). While some operators are complying with pollution limits set by the state – like in Colorado, which has in place statewide methane standards – the majority are operating without any methane pollution requirements, where the only thing in place are the suspended federal standards.

That’s the case in Texas, where there are over 6,500 new and modified wells, or Oklahoma with almost 2,000 new and update wells. In these states, oil and gas companies have no accountability for their methane pollution, and communities are left to bear the burden from this energy development.

As we know, however, air pollution does not respect state lines, so even Coloradans will pay the public health price for not having federal standards in place, as pollution drift can drift over from New Mexico, Utah, and other nearby states.Regulatory chaos leads to environmental uncertainty

The Trump administration, and its allies in Congress, has been sending signals to the oil and gas industry since the day after the elections that rolling back environmental protections was their top priority. The industry also knows that this decision does not just lie in the hands of the administration, but rather in the courts, which is where the fate of the oil and gas methane rules now sits.

Regulatory uncertainty often leads to industry delaying investments in new technology or practices, which only delays providing much-needed public health protections and seeds distrust in energy development.

Despite these rules being highly cost-effective to implement, few top energy operators have made public statements indicating that they will comply with the rules. Regardless of the regulatory chaos, proactively taking steps to address pollution isn’t just the right thing to do; it also manages reputational risk and positions companies for future compliance as rules tighten.

It’s unfortunate that more companies haven’t publicly come forward in staying the course for cutting methane rather than accepting the Trump free pass to pollute. The public is left to assume that communities all across the country are likely left unprotected and exposed to the release of thousands of tons of methane and toxic pollution.

Majority of Americans demand protections  

During EPA’s only public comment period on the proposed suspension of its pollution rule, only two stakeholders out of 118 supported EPA’s move including the nation’s main oil and gas lobby, the American Petroleum Institute. The other 98 percent representing public health groups, businesses, tribes, Latino communities, ranchers, and others spoke opposition to the delay, sharing their experience of what it’s like to live adjacent to or downwind of the expanding oil and gas development that’s occurring nationwide.

Citizens came from vastly different regional, political, and religious backgrounds with one shared goal: to express their frustration and concern about EPA’s latest action to undo public health protections for the nation’s largest polluters.

Members of Moms Clean Air Force ask Pruitt to cut methane pollution at recent EPA hearing

As Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee of the United Methodist Women said at the hearing: “How many more children must suffer before EPA says enough?”

EPA’s comment period for the public to weigh in on this senseless two year delay is coming to a close. The public doesn’t want more pollution and it’s important that Scott Pruitt hear that message loud and clear. Make your voice heard.

Sources for well data: Drilling Info, DI Desktop 

By Felice Stadler

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been trying every trick in the book to suspend rules that require oil and gas companies to limit pollution from their operations as they look to expand drilling across the country. His attempted delay tactics follows a cozy relationship he’s had with the worst elements of the oil and gas industry in his prior role as Attorney General of Oklahoma, where he sued to block these very rules on the behalf of his oil and gas allies.

Following a historic court decision and subsequent mandate, EPA’s New Source Performance Standards (which set first-ever national methane pollution limits for the industry) are now in effect. However, Administrator Pruitt continues to push to delay these standards with a proposed two-year suspension. The impact of this action is sweeping: Hundreds of thousands of Americans live near the 23,000 oil and gas wells that should be covered by these rules.

The senseless delays of common sense pollution standards have major implications for the health and welfare of communities living downwind of oil and gas development in the U.S. Here’s why:

There is a lot of oil and gas drilling happening.

EPA’s new pollution rules apply to all wells built or updated since September 2015. Over 1,000 wells a month (on average) have been built or updated during this period; each new drilling operation can lead to more methane pollution, more smog pollution, and more cancer-causing pollution.

They also lead to more wasted American energy since methane pollution is essentially natural gas leaking into the atmosphere. Methane leaks and other intentional releases from oil and gas operations nationwide in 2015 could have met the heating and cooking needs of over 5 million American homes.

Oil and gas drilling is happening without common sense oversight 

Oil and gas drilling is happening all across the country, with new wells dotting the landscapes of nearly two dozen states (click here to find out if you live near one of the new 23,000 wells). While some operators are complying with pollution limits set by the state – like in Colorado, which has in place statewide methane standards – the majority are operating without any methane pollution requirements, where the only thing in place are the suspended federal standards.

That’s the case in Texas, where there are over 6,500 new and modified wells, or Oklahoma with almost 2,000 new and update wells. In these states, oil and gas companies have no accountability for their methane pollution, and communities are left to bear the burden from this energy development.

As we know, however, air pollution does not respect state lines, so even Coloradans will pay the public health price for not having federal standards in place, as pollution drift can drift over from New Mexico, Utah, and other nearby states.Regulatory chaos leads to environmental uncertainty

The Trump administration, and its allies in Congress, has been sending signals to the oil and gas industry since the day after the elections that rolling back environmental protections was their top priority. The industry also knows that this decision does not just lie in the hands of the administration, but rather in the courts, which is where the fate of the oil and gas methane rules now sits.

Regulatory uncertainty often leads to industry delaying investments in new technology or practices, which only delays providing much-needed public health protections and seeds distrust in energy development.

Despite these rules being highly cost-effective to implement, few top energy operators have made public statements indicating that they will comply with the rules. Regardless of the regulatory chaos, proactively taking steps to address pollution isn’t just the right thing to do; it also manages reputational risk and positions companies for future compliance as rules tighten.

It’s unfortunate that more companies haven’t publicly come forward in staying the course for cutting methane rather than accepting the Trump free pass to pollute. The public is left to assume that communities all across the country are likely left unprotected and exposed to the release of thousands of tons of methane and toxic pollution.

Majority of Americans demand protections  

During EPA’s only public comment period on the proposed suspension of its pollution rule, only two stakeholders out of 118 supported EPA’s move including the nation’s main oil and gas lobby, the American Petroleum Institute. The other 98 percent representing public health groups, businesses, tribes, Latino communities, ranchers, and others spoke opposition to the delay, sharing their experience of what it’s like to live adjacent to or downwind of the expanding oil and gas development that’s occurring nationwide.

Citizens came from vastly different regional, political, and religious backgrounds with one shared goal: to express their frustration and concern about EPA’s latest action to undo public health protections for the nation’s largest polluters.

Members of Moms Clean Air Force ask Pruitt to cut methane pollution at recent EPA hearing

As Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee of the United Methodist Women said at the hearing: “How many more children must suffer before EPA says enough?”

EPA’s comment period for the public to weigh in on this senseless two year delay is coming to a close. The public doesn’t want more pollution and it’s important that Scott Pruitt hear that message loud and clear. Make your voice heard.

Sources for well data: Drilling Info, DI Desktop 

By David Wolfe

Monarch populations have declined by 90 percent in the past two decades due, in large part, to the loss of milkweed across the Midwest.

Once again, summer has brought the highly anticipated sightings of monarch butterflies across the country. An online tracker from Journey North shows the beloved orange and black butterflies fanning across the Northeast and Upper Midwest, where the eastern population is completing its northern migration. I spotted a monarch in Missouri just last week.

It’s a wonderful sight and an inspiring reminder of the monarch’s magical migration. But the opportunity to witness this natural miracle is dwindling. Over the last two decades, the monarch population has declined by 90 percent, bringing the butterfly dangerously close to extinction.

There are many factors contributing to this devastating loss, from climate change to deforestation. But a major contributor is the loss of milkweed habitat across the U.S., particularly in the Midwest where native prairies have largely been converted for agricultural use. Monarchs need milkweed to lay their eggs – eggs that turn into caterpillars that feed exclusively on the milky plants. So how do we restore this vital milkweed habitat where monarchs need it the most?

The Midwest can save the monarch butterfly. Learn how, via @GrowingReturns.https://edf.org/8hY
Click To Tweet

All hands on deck

Kyle Kasten, a researcher with the Monarch Lab at University of Minnesota, examines a monarch caterpillar at Duncanson Growers in Mapleton, Minnesota. Photo by Wendy Caldwell.

A group of researchers sought to answer this very question in a new study, Restoring monarch butterfly habitat in the Midwestern U.S.: "All hands on deck." The study presents multiple scenarios for bringing milkweed back to the Midwest, which include restoration scenarios for protected grasslands, Conservation Reserve Program lands, rights of way (powerlines, railways and roadsides), urban and suburban lands, and agricultural lands.

After considering the biological potential for each of these sectors to support milkweed restoration, in addition to the probability of necessary management practices being adopted by each sector, the researchers concluded that “scenarios without substantive agricultural participation were insufficient for attaining the population goal.”

In short, we can’t restore monarch populations without the help of farmers and ranchers.

An innovative solution

The results of this study confirm what my conservation colleagues and I assumed as we have been working diligently over the last year to launch a new conservation program for monarchs that incentivizes participation from agricultural landowners. The goal of the program – called the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange – is to effectively crowdsource conservation by deploying a new market-based platform that will significantly boost investment in restoration activities and maximize the impact of these dollars on the ground.

My colleague, Audrey Archer, using the Habitat Quantification Tool to count the number of milkweed and wildflower stems within a transect.

To do this, the Exchange uses a monarch butterfly Habitat Quantification Tool (HQT) to assess habitat value before, during and after a conservation or restoration project.

Together, the Exchange and accompanying HQT help landowners create five-star credit projects that can be sold to investors to provide the best bang for the buck, and for the butterfly.

The Exchange, dubbed an “Airbnb for butterflies,” is featured in the "all hands on deck" study as an example of how we can help create the future scenario where agricultural lands are contributing to monarch recovery.

“Innovative application of economic tools such as habitat exchanges may provide sufficient resources to tip the balance of the agro-ecological landscape toward a setting conducive to both robust agricultural production and reduced imperilment of the migratory monarch butterfly,” the authors wrote.

With the right tools in the right hands in the right places, we can meet ambitious recovery goals and effectively drive equally ambitious investments in monarch conservation at the scale and pace needed.

Related:

From testing to launch: A new program for monarchs takes flight >>

Monarchs still need milkweed, and farmers are growing it >>

How food companies can turn the pollinator emergency into a big opportunity >>

Get inside insight from EDF experts. Regional. C4.

By EDF Blogs

By Rory Christian and Larissa Koehler

Electric vehicles (EVs) don’t make much noise on the road, but they’re generating a lot of buzz about the future of this technology and what it means for business and the environment.

Cars, buses, and trucks are the second biggest source of pollution in the U.S. after electricity production. They are responsible for over 26 percent of emissions that adversely affect the health and well-being of the population, and put communities located close to highways and other major thoroughfares at risk. These communities, typically low-income, are often plagued by elevated asthma rates and other pollution-induced health conditions.

When thinking about ways to reduce pollution, EVs can make a world of difference. And, when charged using renewable energy sources, they produce no emissions and can be much cheaper to operate than traditional, internal combustion vehicles. As such, let’s take a look at the global EV market and impacts in the U.S. on the electric grid in two environmentally progressive states ‒ New York and California.

The global market – and future outlook

More and more automakers are shifting their focus to EVs, a market that is expected to grow faster every year. A few examples:

• Tesla invested $5 billion in its Nevada gigafactory – where they will make batteries for EVs – and is grabbing headlines with the roll-out of its first mass-market EV, the Model 3.
• Volvo made waves by announcing its intent to focus new vehicle production solely on electric and hybrid vehicles. The company is owned by Geely Automotive holdings, a Chinese firm, and many speculate that China’s pervasive air pollution problems and a desire to find a long-term solution were a motivating factor behind the announcement.
• Mercedes Benz is investing $740 million in a new battery factory.

These exciting developments all point to a trend where electric cars are much more than just a niche – indeed, they show that global competition is heating up quickly and that companies around the world see EVs as key to the automobile industry. These movements should not be understated, as it gives a hint of a clean energy future that can’t come fast enough.

EVs on the grid

Overall, strategic deployment of charging stations will be essential to EV growth – drivers need convenient places to charge. What’s more,

EV expansion must be paired with strategies for how best to integrate them without negatively impacting the electric grid.

Here’s what we can do now to prepare for a clean car economy:

• Chase innovation: Testing out more nascent technologies, such as vehicle-to-grid capabilities, will ultimately help make EV charging more convenient and ensure the electric grid can cleanly and reliably handle a significant uptick in electrified transport.
• Educate consumers: Utilities must ensure their customers are well-positioned to take advantage of EV benefits by educating them about how their charging behavior can impact the grid and the integration of renewable energy. More specifically, utilities must exercise load management via well-designed rates and other means in order to ensure their customers are charging their vehicles at times when renewables (rather than fossil fuels) are abundant and when the grid can best handle it. By reaching out to their customers through multiple means and languages, utilities can better ensure the robust participation needed in order to bring success.
• Emphasize vulnerable communities: Plans must genuinely consider benefits to and impacts on communities most likely to be harmed by pollution. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) recommends a minimum percentage of charging stations be placed in these communities where applicable, and that all projects focus on enhancing transportation electrification in areas positioned to benefit them most.

New York

Earlier this year, New York State committed to the purchase of two thousand electric vehicles by 2025, more than doubling its current fleet of government automobiles.

New York is also doing its share to expand electrification to make it easier for customers to buy and use electric vehicles. The State's Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) aims to align utility needs with marketplace innovations, and is doing the following:

• Decentralizing the electric grid so customers can make and buy renewable energy, New York is working toward a future where EVs and less pollution are commonplace.
• Developing favorable electricity rates to encourage charging of EVs at times when renewable energy is readily available and affordable. This way, EV adoption will benefit the grid and the environment.

Con Edison's Smart Charge NY program, an early stage effort in New York City,  is paving the way for mainstream EV use; the results will be an example for how other cities can adopt the policies and tools necessary to seamlessly integrate EVs.

Goodbye, internal combustion! Electric Vehicles are rolling in.
Click To Tweet

California

With over 300,000 EVs and more than 12,000 charging stations, California leads the nation in clean car sales. Moreover, that number is poised to grow rapidly ‒ California EV sales rose 91 percent in the first quarter of 2017 from the same time last year.

Even in the face of threats from the current Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt to take away California’s waiver allowing the state to exceed national clean car standards, the Golden State has made clear its progress won’t be stalled anytime soon. State legislators, cities, and agencies have taken a tremendous amount of initiative on EVs, including:

• The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining stronger vehicle emissions standards.
• Volkswagen updated its plan for investing $800 million to accelerate electrified transportation in California, with input from CARB.
• Senate Bill 350 (SB 350) prioritizes widespread transportation electrification.
• In Los Angeles, half of all municipal vehicle purchases will be electric starting this year, and that share will increase to 80 percent by 2025. The city is also moving forward with a pilot EV ride share program to extend their benefits to communities with fewer car owners.

Moreover, as part of SB 350, investor-owned utilities filed applications with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for investments in light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty sectors.

The utility plans in particular represent an exciting new opportunity to accelerate electric transportation in all its forms. With planned projects from placing charging infrastructure for passenger EVs in single family homes, to providing car dealers with incentives and education to sell more EVs, to electrifying buses and ship ports – and everything in between – these plans are well-designed to clean the sector most responsible for harmful emissions.

Still, changes to the utility proposals would further strengthen them. EDF recommended to the CPUC that the plans focus more on load management as well as the other key elements listed above.

Forging ahead

Despite obvious benefits, widespread EV adoption around the U.S. faces a number of challenges. For example, some analysts believe that even California will need another 200,000 charging stations to properly serve the number of EVs expected by 2030.

The internal combustion engine has had a long run, but it's about to burn out. As we work to address domestic barriers to EV adoption, it is important to note that even if it is a global effort, this is a race the U.S. may need to catch up on. As the electric vehicle market continues to flourish, EDF will continue to advocate and make sure environmental benefits follow financial rewards.

By Rory Christian and Larissa Koehler Electric vehicles (EVs) don’t make much noise on the road, but they’re generating a lot of buzz about the future of this technology and what it means for business and the environment. Cars, buses, and trucks are the second biggest source of pollution in the U.S. after electricity production. […]

By EDF Blogs

By Rory Christian and Larissa Koehler

Electric vehicles (EVs) don’t make much noise on the road, but they’re generating a lot of buzz about the future of this technology and what it means for business and the environment.

Cars, buses, and trucks are the second biggest source of pollution in the U.S. after electricity production. They are responsible for over 26 percent of emissions that adversely affect the health and well-being of the population, and put communities located close to highways and other major thoroughfares at risk. These communities, typically low-income, are often plagued by elevated asthma rates and other pollution-induced health conditions.

When thinking about ways to reduce pollution, EVs can make a world of difference. And, when charged using renewable energy sources, they produce no emissions and can be much cheaper to operate than traditional, internal combustion vehicles. As such, let’s take a look at the global EV market and impacts in the U.S. on the electric grid in two environmentally progressive states ‒ New York and California.

The global market – and future outlook

More and more automakers are shifting their focus to EVs, a market that is expected to grow faster every year. A few examples:

• Tesla invested $5 billion in its Nevada gigafactory – where they will make batteries for EVs – and is grabbing headlines with the roll-out of its first mass-market EV, the Model 3.
• Volvo made waves by announcing its intent to focus new vehicle production solely on electric and hybrid vehicles. The company is owned by Geely Automotive holdings, a Chinese firm, and many speculate that China’s pervasive air pollution problems and a desire to find a long-term solution were a motivating factor behind the announcement.
• Mercedes Benz is investing $740 million in a new battery factory.

These exciting developments all point to a trend where electric cars are much more than just a niche – indeed, they show that global competition is heating up quickly and that companies around the world see EVs as key to the automobile industry. These movements should not be understated, as it gives a hint of a clean energy future that can’t come fast enough.

EVs on the grid

Overall, strategic deployment of charging stations will be essential to EV growth – drivers need convenient places to charge. What’s more,

EV expansion must be paired with strategies for how best to integrate them without negatively impacting the electric grid.

Here’s what we can do now to prepare for a clean car economy:

• Chase innovation: Testing out more nascent technologies, such as vehicle-to-grid capabilities, will ultimately help make EV charging more convenient and ensure the electric grid can cleanly and reliably handle a significant uptick in electrified transport.
• Educate consumers: Utilities must ensure their customers are well-positioned to take advantage of EV benefits by educating them about how their charging behavior can impact the grid and the integration of renewable energy. More specifically, utilities must exercise load management via well-designed rates and other means in order to ensure their customers are charging their vehicles at times when renewables (rather than fossil fuels) are abundant and when the grid can best handle it. By reaching out to their customers through multiple means and languages, utilities can better ensure the robust participation needed in order to bring success.
• Emphasize vulnerable communities: Plans must genuinely consider benefits to and impacts on communities most likely to be harmed by pollution. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) recommends a minimum percentage of charging stations be placed in these communities where applicable, and that all projects focus on enhancing transportation electrification in areas positioned to benefit them most.

New York

Earlier this year, New York State committed to the purchase of two thousand electric vehicles by 2025, more than doubling its current fleet of government automobiles.

New York is also doing its share to expand electrification to make it easier for customers to buy and use electric vehicles. The State's Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) aims to align utility needs with marketplace innovations, and is doing the following:

• Decentralizing the electric grid so customers can make and buy renewable energy, New York is working toward a future where EVs and less pollution are commonplace.
• Developing favorable electricity rates to encourage charging of EVs at times when renewable energy is readily available and affordable. This way, EV adoption will benefit the grid and the environment.

Con Edison's Smart Charge NY program, an early stage effort in New York City,  is paving the way for mainstream EV use; the results will be an example for how other cities can adopt the policies and tools necessary to seamlessly integrate EVs.

Goodbye, internal combustion! Electric Vehicles are rolling in.
Click To Tweet

California

With over 300,000 EVs and more than 12,000 charging stations, California leads the nation in clean car sales. Moreover, that number is poised to grow rapidly ‒ California EV sales rose 91 percent in the first quarter of 2017 from the same time last year.

Even in the face of threats from the current Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt to take away California’s waiver allowing the state to exceed national clean car standards, the Golden State has made clear its progress won’t be stalled anytime soon. State legislators, cities, and agencies have taken a tremendous amount of initiative on EVs, including:

• The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining stronger vehicle emissions standards.
• Volkswagen updated its plan for investing $800 million to accelerate electrified transportation in California, with input from CARB.
• Senate Bill 350 (SB 350) prioritizes widespread transportation electrification.
• In Los Angeles, half of all municipal vehicle purchases will be electric starting this year, and that share will increase to 80 percent by 2025. The city is also moving forward with a pilot EV ride share program to extend their benefits to communities with fewer car owners.

Moreover, as part of SB 350, investor-owned utilities filed applications with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for investments in light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty sectors.

The utility plans in particular represent an exciting new opportunity to accelerate electric transportation in all its forms. With planned projects from placing charging infrastructure for passenger EVs in single family homes, to providing car dealers with incentives and education to sell more EVs, to electrifying buses and ship ports – and everything in between – these plans are well-designed to clean the sector most responsible for harmful emissions.

Still, changes to the utility proposals would further strengthen them. EDF recommended to the CPUC that the plans focus more on load management as well as the other key elements listed above.

Forging ahead

Despite obvious benefits, widespread EV adoption around the U.S. faces a number of challenges. For example, some analysts believe that even California will need another 200,000 charging stations to properly serve the number of EVs expected by 2030.

The internal combustion engine has had a long run, but it's about to burn out. As we work to address domestic barriers to EV adoption, it is important to note that even if it is a global effort, this is a race the U.S. may need to catch up on. As the electric vehicle market continues to flourish, EDF will continue to advocate and make sure environmental benefits follow financial rewards.

By EDF Blogs

By Rory Christian and Larissa Koehler

Electric vehicles (EVs) don’t make much noise on the road, but they’re generating a lot of buzz about the future of this technology and what it means for business and the environment.

Cars, buses, and trucks are the second biggest source of pollution in the U.S. after electricity production. They are responsible for over 26 percent of emissions that adversely affect the health and well-being of the population, and put communities located close to highways and other major thoroughfares at risk. These communities, typically low-income, are often plagued by elevated asthma rates and other pollution-induced health conditions.

When thinking about ways to reduce pollution, EVs can make a world of difference. And, when charged using renewable energy sources, they produce no emissions and can be much cheaper to operate than traditional, internal combustion vehicles. As such, let’s take a look at the global EV market and impacts in the U.S. on the electric grid in two environmentally progressive states ‒ New York and California.

The global market – and future outlook

More and more automakers are shifting their focus to EVs, a market that is expected to grow faster every year. A few examples:

• Tesla invested $5 billion in its Nevada gigafactory – where they will make batteries for EVs – and is grabbing headlines with the roll-out of its first mass-market EV, the Model 3.
• Volvo made waves by announcing its intent to focus new vehicle production solely on electric and hybrid vehicles. The company is owned by Geely Automotive holdings, a Chinese firm, and many speculate that China’s pervasive air pollution problems and a desire to find a long-term solution were a motivating factor behind the announcement.
• Mercedes Benz is investing $740 million in a new battery factory.

These exciting developments all point to a trend where electric cars are much more than just a niche – indeed, they show that global competition is heating up quickly and that companies around the world see EVs as key to the automobile industry. These movements should not be understated, as it gives a hint of a clean energy future that can’t come fast enough.

EVs on the grid

Overall, strategic deployment of charging stations will be essential to EV growth – drivers need convenient places to charge. What’s more,

EV expansion must be paired with strategies for how best to integrate them without negatively impacting the electric grid.

Here’s what we can do now to prepare for a clean car economy:

• Chase innovation: Testing out more nascent technologies, such as vehicle-to-grid capabilities, will ultimately help make EV charging more convenient and ensure the electric grid can cleanly and reliably handle a significant uptick in electrified transport.
• Educate consumers: Utilities must ensure their customers are well-positioned to take advantage of EV benefits by educating them about how their charging behavior can impact the grid and the integration of renewable energy. More specifically, utilities must exercise load management via well-designed rates and other means in order to ensure their customers are charging their vehicles at times when renewables (rather than fossil fuels) are abundant and when the grid can best handle it. By reaching out to their customers through multiple means and languages, utilities can better ensure the robust participation needed in order to bring success.
• Emphasize vulnerable communities: Plans must genuinely consider benefits to and impacts on communities most likely to be harmed by pollution. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) recommends a minimum percentage of charging stations be placed in these communities where applicable, and that all projects focus on enhancing transportation electrification in areas positioned to benefit them most.

New York

Earlier this year, New York State committed to the purchase of two thousand electric vehicles by 2025, more than doubling its current fleet of government automobiles.

New York is also doing its share to expand electrification to make it easier for customers to buy and use electric vehicles. The State's Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) aims to align utility needs with marketplace innovations, and is doing the following:

• Decentralizing the electric grid so customers can make and buy renewable energy, New York is working toward a future where EVs and less pollution are commonplace.
• Developing favorable electricity rates to encourage charging of EVs at times when renewable energy is readily available and affordable. This way, EV adoption will benefit the grid and the environment.

 

Con Edison's Smart Charge NY program, an early stage effort in New York City,  is paving the way for mainstream EV use; the results will be an example for how other cities can adopt the policies and tools necessary to seamlessly integrate EVs.

Goodbye, internal combustion! Electric Vehicles are rolling in.
Click To Tweet

California

With over 300,000 EVs and more than 12,000 charging stations, California leads the nation in clean car sales. Moreover, that number is poised to grow rapidly ‒ California EV sales rose 91 percent in the first quarter of 2017 from the same time last year.

Even in the face of threats from the current Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt to take away California’s waiver allowing the state to exceed national clean car standards, the Golden State has made clear its progress won’t be stalled anytime soon. State legislators, cities, and agencies have taken a tremendous amount of initiative on EVs, including:

• The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining stronger vehicle emissions standards.
• Volkswagen updated its plan for investing $800 million to accelerate electrified transportation in California, with input from CARB.
• Senate Bill 350 (SB 350) prioritizes widespread transportation electrification.
• In Los Angeles, half of all municipal vehicle purchases will be electric starting this year, and that share will increase to 80 percent by 2025. The city is also moving forward with a pilot EV ride share program to extend their benefits to communities with fewer car owners.

Moreover, as part of SB 350, investor-owned utilities filed applications with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for investments in light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty sectors.

The utility plans in particular represent an exciting new opportunity to accelerate electric transportation in all its forms. With planned projects from placing charging infrastructure for passenger EVs in single family homes, to providing car dealers with incentives and education to sell more EVs, to electrifying buses and ship ports – and everything in between – these plans are well-designed to clean the sector most responsible for harmful emissions.

Still, changes to the utility proposals would further strengthen them. EDF recommended to the CPUC that the plans focus more on load management as well as the other key elements listed above.

Forging ahead

Despite obvious benefits, widespread EV adoption around the U.S. faces a number of challenges. For example, some analysts believe that even California will need another 200,000 charging stations to properly serve the number of EVs expected by 2030.

The internal combustion engine has had a long run, but it's about to burn out. As we work to address domestic barriers to EV adoption, it is important to note that even if it is a global effort, this is a race the U.S. may need to catch up on. As the electric vehicle market continues to flourish, EDF will continue to advocate and make sure environmental benefits follow financial rewards.

Don't let your State House undermine your most basic rights. Regional. C4.

Don't let your State House undermine your most basic rights. Regional. C4.

Don't let your State House undermine your most basic rights. Regional. C4.

Written by Moms Clean Air Force

We often talk about how air pollution harms our health—and how it especially hurts small children; they take more breaths, and their little hearts beat faster. But we didn’t exactly understand HOW the pollution harms us. What actually happens in our bodies? So we produced this new resource—to give you a gut (and heart and lung and brain) feel for what happens when you breathe in dirty air.

Air pollution causes a range of health problems (Tweet this) across multiple organ systems and multiple life stages. The specifics of these health impacts are complex, wide-ranging, and, sadly, all too real: Globally, more than 4 million people die from air pollution each year. Our new brochure explains what happens in your body – in your lungs, heart, brain, and womb – when you breathe dirty air.

Once you see what happens, we think you will understand how important it is to unite against EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s Pro-Polluter Agenda.

Everyone has the right to breathe clean air, and yet 125 million Americans live in counties where the air is unsafe to breathe, according to the American Lung Association. That means that almost 40% of the US population spend their lives breathing air that fails federal standards. Sometimes this air pollution is visible (and smell-able). Other times the air can look perfectly fine, and yet invisible pollution is compromising our health.

Moms across the country agree: We want clean air. No one voted to Make America Dirty Again, but that’s exactly what this new EPA is doing by gutting its budget and rolling back health protections. That’s why we are fighting every day to protect the clean air regulations that safeguard our families.

DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE

5 things the world may not know about America and the environment

The world has always had a complicated view of America. They see Disney, Nobel Prize winners and serial killers. They know about Omaha Beach, jazz and Trayvon Martin – along with a thousand other contradictions.

Since the election of Donald Trump, however, our image has tarnished. Only 22 percent of people polled in 37 countries view Trump favorably, compared with 64 percent for President Obama. That, in turn, has dragged down their impression of the United States as a nation: Only 49 percent have a favorable view, down from 64 percent under Obama.

So it’s worth reminding the world that America hasn’t suddenly become a terrible place. Here are five facts backing up that point:

1. We have cleaner air than most countries

Thanks to the Clean Air Act, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s work to enforce this law over the past 45 years, our air is now dramatically cleaner – preventing millions of deaths and health problems.

Our air is not just cleaner than places such as China; America has cleaner, healthier air as far as dangerous particulate matter than Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Japan, Austria and France.

It doesn’t mean everything is fine, of course: A recent report by the American Lung Association showed that 125 million Americans still live with too much air pollution, and proposed cuts to the EPA budget could now reverse the progress we’ve made and add to their numbers.

2. We don’t like Trump’s policies, either

Most Americans didn’t vote for Trump, who has the highest disapproval ratings of any president in history at this point in his term. Through a quirk in our electoral system, he is the duly elected president, but Americans overwhelmingly reject his proposals to cut the EPA and weaken anti-pollution rules.

Indeed, a poll taken around the time of his inauguration even showed that 78 percent of Trump voters also want the same, or stronger, clean air rules.

3. America is still acting on climate change

It’s true that the Trump administration has begun the process of pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, while stocking our government agencies with former corporate lobbyists and appointees who ignore established science. But our states, cities and companies are still taking action.

California just extended its world-leading climate pollution limits, and Illinois has passed strong clean energy legislation.

At least a dozen states and more than 300 cities have pledged to work toward the limits spelled out by the international agreement. More than 1,500 businesses, including 45 of America’s largest companies, are also supporting those goals. All the while, wind and solar industries in the U.S. are booming.

4. Many Republicans want climate action, too

Conservative parties around the world – like the ones that run Britain and Germany – accept the science of climate change and are taking action to reduce pollution. Unfortunately, the leadership of the major conservative party in the U.S. has sought to undermine climate science and block pollution limits.

That doesn’t mean all Republicans agree. Half of Republican voters are “concerned about climate change,” and 75 percent of Trump voters want action to create more clean energy.

Nor is Congress a monolith. Just recently, 46 Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against their leadership to keep climate change-related planning going at the Defense Department, for example.

5. Americans want to be part of global community

Trump’s “America First” rhetoric is deeply counterproductive, alienating allies and customers from U.S. products. Every country seeks to protect its interests, but smart leaders know it takes coalitions and cooperation to get things done.

Most Americans understand that.

Earlier this year, polling showed that eight out of 10 Americans want their country to work with “major allies and through international organizations.” Nine out of 10 want us to take an active role at the United Nations.

There’s no denying that President Trump and his allies in Congress are pursuing policies that, rightfully, make the world nervous – or that America’s current image problems are of our own making. Still, Donald Trump isn’t America.

This is why most of his fellow citizens strongly disagree with the way he’s running the government, and why many are doing something about it.

Trump is reckless on climate action. Make sure Congress isn’t. krives August 1, 2017 - 12:33 Comments

It seems to me that just about anyone with common since can see for themselves that climate warming is real, unless they do not want to believe it!

Mary B. Schnrider August 1, 2017 at 9:41 pm

It was very sad to learn that Obama was not the good president we first thought he was. He was a puppet for those (Clintons, etc.) that were working for a global arrangement. TPP, etc. [which] would damage all nations in favor of world-wide corporations. Hopefully, Trump will prove to be the lesser of two evils.

KAREN MAYER August 1, 2017 at 10:16 pm Add new comment

Defend Our Future is looking for interns to assist with their state level field work in the fall of 2017. C3. Regional.

Defend Our Future is looking for interns to assist with their state level field work in the fall of 2017. C3. Regional.

Defend Our Future is looking for interns to assist with their state level field work in the fall of 2017. C3. Regional.