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This November, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer won her bid for reelection and for the first time in 40 years, Democrats gained a majority in the state house and senate. With this historic win comes historic opportunity. In the legislative session that started last week, Michigan has the chance to follow through on the climate goals set …

EDF Asks Appeals Court to Uphold EPA’s Endangerment Finding, the Foundation for Climate Protections under Our Nation’s Clean Air Laws

As Pennsylvania turns a new page into 2023 with new leaders at the helm, Gov. Josh Shapiro and the legislature have an immense opportunity and responsibility to usher Pennsylvania into its future — winning the clean energy jobs the state needs, protecting consumers from fossil fuel-driven price shocks on their electric bills, and dramatically cutting …

What’s Happening? EPA’s current safety assessments of new chemicals proposed for market entry often fall short of effectively protecting all members of the public from risk because they don’t consider that we may be exposed to closely related chemicals that cause similar harms. Recent Example: EPA proposed rules requiring notification of significant new uses for …

By Jon Goldstein , Edwin LaMair, and Grace Smith  This week, EPA is holding public hearings on its recently proposed methane standards for oil and gas operations, which build on the agency’s initial proposal and represent a significant step forward for reducing methane pollution across the country. Federal standards are crucial for curbing methane emissions …

Reducing methane now is one of the fastest ways to slow global warming in the near term, and a critical part of avoiding the worst consequences of climate change. Agricultural emissions from livestock and rice are approximately 40% of human-caused global methane emissions. At the same time, rice and livestock are key dietary staples around …

By Vrinda Suresh, Julia Mason and Doug Rader  During the last two weeks of August 2022, delegates from across the globe gathered in New York City for the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Conference, or IGC5, to develop a new treaty to protect biodiversity in offshore waters, called the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, or …

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took an important step toward slashing a tiny but toxic pollutant that’s inhaled daily by millions of people – soot. But experts say the agency needs to go further to protect the public.

Strong protections that go further to curb pollution from routine flaring are critical to protect communities and the climate

“Protect our groundwater rights and Texas aquifers.” That was the rallying cry for a group of landowners at a key Texas Senate committee meeting last November on the potential danger of a massive Central Texas groundwater export project. The landowners depend on groundwater from the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer, which encompasses the Carrizo and underlying Simsboro …

(Sacramento, CA — Jan. 10, 2023) Earlier today, Governor Gavin Newsom released a proposed budget for California’s next fiscal year, outlining expenditures on a range of issues impacting human health, education, and the environment. The proposed spending necessarily reflects the uncertainty of California’s fiscal situation but also works hard to “keep promises” and uphold previous commitments, as the Governor emphasized in his press conference.

EPA’s Important Initiative to Protect People from Soot Pollution Should be Further Strengthened to Save Lives

This legislation paves the way for producers to generate additional revenue from lowering emissions and storing carbon, while also building resilience to droughts, variable rainfall and other climate impacts that are already making a difficult profession even harder. 

The Inflation Reduction Act is a win for the climate. Here are five more laws from around the world that aim to protect the environment.  

The U.S. passing the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 wasn't the only major accomplishment across the globe in the fight against climate change. Here are some major climate steps taken around the world.

Statement of Elizabeth Gore, EDF Senior Vice President for Political Affairs

As countries around the world work to develop strategies to improve air quality and achieve climate goals, innovations in monitoring technology and data analysis are opening up new avenues to reduce air pollution and protect our health.   In Latin America, policymakers and other key stakeholders from 15 countries attended a recent workshop co-hosted by Environmental …

To address climate change, the U.S. is making a historic investment in farmers, ranchers and rural communities, helping them cut emissions, prepare for climate impacts that are already here, and create good jobs along the way.

The Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) is the new DOE office with $20B from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with a focus on scaling up emerging technologies through demonstration projects. EDF offers pointers to help OCED have catalytic impact.

What will it take to decarbonize the gas distribution system? EDF and partners produced a new report setting out guiding principles and strategies to inform decarbonization of the gas utility and corresponding end uses.

This blog was co-authored by Maggie Ferrato, Manager, Global Climate Cooperation and Pedro Martins Barata, Associate Vice President, Carbon Markets & Private Sector Decarbonization. With the desert sands of Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt behind us, we’re looking ahead toward COP28—and the opportunity to make further progress on Article 6, a key component of the Paris Agreement.   …

On December 7, the Virginia Air Board voted to proceed with a proposed regulation ending Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a proven program in 12 states that cuts pollution and raises investments for communities. Governor Youngkin initiated this harmful and unlawful rollback earlier this year, claiming that RGGI was a “bad …

The Institute for Policy Integrity and Environmental Defense Fund submitted joint comments supporting guidance documents as important steps toward addressing the risks that climate change poses to the structural integrity of our financial system.

Water utilities are increasingly posting interactive maps online to help residents identify whether their homes are connected to lead service lines (LSLs). EDF's new blog series, Mapping Lead Pipes, will explore how utilities are approaching maps, evaluate which map features are most and least effective, and share best practices to help guide future efforts.

By Maria Doa, PhD, Senior Director, Chemicals Policy What’s the Issue? EPA grants exemptions from full safety reviews for approximately half the new chemicals submitted by the chemical industry. Once those exemptions are granted, EPA very rarely revises or revokes them—even in the face of new information. The Toxic Substances Control Act allows EPA to …