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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.

Last week, 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

Statement of Adam Peltz, EDF Director and Senior Attorney for Energy Transition

“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 …

New York Governor Hochul announces sweeping climate and electrification initiatives

(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

As the U.S. works to stabilize the climate and foster innovative domestic industries, reducing emissions from agriculture — currently about 10% of annual emissions — is a critical piece of the puzzle. Yet federal R&D investments in agricultural climate solutions remain 35 times smaller than clean energy R&D investments. Of the limited agricultural R&D spending,

New Proposal Sets New Jersey on the Road to Truck and Bus Electrification

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. 

Six reasons from 2022 to be hopeful about the climate future.

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

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 post was co-authored with Katelyn Roedner Sutter, California State Director at EDF. Last month, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released their final Scoping Plan following a lengthy process of drafting, workshops, modeling and public feedback. The Scoping Plan, which is reviewed and updated every five years, is California’s roadmap for meeting its 2030 …

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 …

A recent poll, commissioned by EDF Action and conducted by Global Strategy Group, found broad support among majorities of Minnesotans for ambitious climate policies.

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 …