Complete list of press releases

(Washington, D.C. – November 21, 2018) A legal challenge to actions underpinning the Trump administration’s attempts to roll back America’s health-protective Clean Car Standards will move forward in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

The court announced today that it will review a challenge to the administration’s Final Determination – a critical basis for the rollback attempt – on the merits.

“We’re thankful that the D.C. Circuit has rejected the Trump EPA’s attempt to evade review of its fact-free justification for attacking the Clean Car Standards,” said Martha Roberts, Senior Attorney for Environmental Defense Fund, which is a party to the case. “The Clean Car Standards are one of our nation’s biggest environmental success stories, and the Trump EPA’s justification for undermining them – the Final Determination – lacks any basis in sound economic, science or health data. The Trump EPA’s deeply flawed reasoning for the proposed rollback deserves thorough court review.”

The Final Determination is an analysis the administration is using to justify drastically weakening the Clean Car Standards – popular protections that reduce climate pollution, improve fuel efficiency, and save Americans money at the gas pump.

Then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued the Final Determination in April. It was based almost entirely on auto industry statements, without any independent analysis. It directly quotes the auto industry 14 times and cites them 63 times – while never once citing any EPA analyses. It also never once mentions the words “health,” “air pollution,” or “climate.”

A coalition of 18 states challenged the Final Determination in court. EDF, the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen Inc., Sierra Club, and Union for Concerned Scientists also filed briefs in the case, as did an industry coalition including major power companies and two auto manufacturers.

The Trump administration asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit without merits consideration. Today the court refused, and said the case would go forward. No dates have been set for briefings or argument.

You can read more about the extensive legal and technical flaws of the administration’s proposed Clean Car Standards rollback in EDF’s comments, and in comments from a coalition of NGO’s including EDF. You can read more about the Clean Car Standards, including legal briefs, on EDF’s website.

(CHICAGO, IL – Nov. 20, 2018) Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) yesterday filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) a residential Time of Use pricing pilot. This new option will give customers greater control over their electricity bills and reduce pollution by encouraging people to shift electricity use away from times when the dirtiest power plants are online. Developed with input from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), the voluntary pilot will introduce three distinct pricing periods with higher prices during peak times and lower prices during off-peak times. Set to roll out in January 2020, the Time of Use pilot will expand ComEd’s dynamic electricity pricing offerings, which currently include a real-time pricing program. Dynamic pricing is a proven way to deliver bill savings. Research by EDF and CUB found Illinois’ first dynamic-pricing program could have saved money for a majority of ComEd customers in 2016, reinforcing a vast body of research that shows Time of Use pricing can also cut electricity bills.

“Time of Use pricing will give millions of Illinoisans the ability to take better control of their energy use and lower their carbon footprint. This pilot program is yet another sign the state is moving to a cleaner, more customer-centric energy system.”

• Christie Hicks, Senior Attorney, Clean Energy, EDF

“In Illinois’ electricity market, more and more consumers are telling us they want clean energy choices that are both good for their pocketbooks and the planet—so it’s a big step in the right direction for ComEd to propose time-of-use pricing. A lot of work remains to develop this plan and educate consumers about it, but if we’re serious about building a more affordable, more reliable and cleaner power grid, time-of-use pricing has to be part of the blueprint.”  

• David Kolata, Executive Director, CUB  

(Denver, CO – November 16, 2018) Colorado just became the latest state to adopt clean car standards that will protect their citizens’ health and save them hard-earned money at the gas pump.

The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission voted unanimously today to adopt state standards that will reduce climate and other health-harming pollution from passenger cars and trucks. That means cars sold in Colorado in the future will emit less climate and other air pollution and provide major fuel cost savings for Coloradans.

“Clean cars for Coloradans is a mile high home run that means healthier air, a safer climate and cost savings,” said EDF president Fred Krupp. “The new state clean car standards will protect Coloradans’ health and the state’s natural beauty, and will save people’s hard-earned money. The Trump administration has been undermining our most important health and environmental protections, but states like Colorado are stepping up with win-win solutions that will benefit everyone.”

Today’s vote means Colorado will join a coalition of 13 other states that are already implementing clean car standards, at a time when the Trump administration is trying to roll back our popular and successful national clean cars program. 

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper issued an executive order in June that provided for state health and environmental policymakers to consider adoption of protective state clean car standards. Newly elected Governor Jared Polis has made clear that his administration will support the program.

The Colorado state clean car standards will reduce climate pollution by more than two million metric tons annually in 2030, and by four-and-a-half million metric tons annually in 2040. They’ll also significantly decrease other types of air pollution that cause serious heart and lung diseases.

The standards will reduce fuel consumption in new cars, which will save Colorado families money at the gas pump. The average Colorado family will see a net savings of almost $2,400 over the six years they own a new car.

The Colorado state clean car standards have broad support from local governments in the state and from many health, environmental, and consumer advocacy groups – including EDF, Conservation Colorado, Environment Colorado, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Sierra Club.

(SAN FRANCISCO – Nov. 16, 2018) A new study published today in Scientific Reports, provides new hope and a new tool for monitoring coral reefs. The research, authored by scientists at the University of California Santa Barbara, the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and other leading research organizations, shows that coral reefs experience five different phases. 

Previous approaches to managing coral health were limited to identifying corals as either being healthy, bleached, or dead. These newly identified phases give scientists a better understanding of the health of coral reefs and can help determine more effective, phase-specific management to aid their recovery. 

“What if doctors believed that people are either healthy or dead, with no in-between states?  They would be missing a lot of opportunities to prevent death,” said Kendra Karr, Senior Scientist, EDF. “This study reveals that communities around the world may be missing opportunities to prevent death, or bleaching, of coral reef ecosystems.”

The analysis presented in the study is based on more than 3,000 scuba surveys across the Hawaiian Islands. There is the potential that these phases extended to coral reefs globally. By combining fish and coral reef habitat into communities, these five reef phases capture complex dynamics; offering new opportunities to monitor reef change and guide management of coral.

“Just like we need different treatments to address our individual illnesses as patients, each coral reef phase may need a different approach to recovery,” said Karr. 

The phases established in this research range from having high coral cover and high fish biomass to having low coral cover and low fish biomass, with scenarios varying in between. We know that even small shifts in environmental conditions can bring about large, sometimes abrupt changes, or tipping points, in an ecosystem. With the right guidance, fishery managers can identify and avoid abrupt changes to ocean ecosystems that threaten coral reefs.

Science has shown that even reefs identified as being negatively impacted by issues like bleaching, overfishing and storm impacts can recover. However, for this to happen we need global collective action from governments and advocates.

“It is our hope that citizen scientists and coral enthusiasts around the world use this study to participate in monitoring coral reef phases anywhere – whether it’s monitoring corals right off their shore, or in new areas they are passionate about,” said Karr. “Doing so will give decision-makers more opportunities to help save these precious resources.”

(ST. LOUIS, MO) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership between an environmental organization and commodity crop association. The partnership aims to address one of the most pressing challenges for today’s farmers, rural communities and natural resources – how to improve environmental outcomes while optimizing productivity and profitability.

“Many practices that increase soil health and water quality also boost farmers’ bottom lines,” said Suzy Friedman, senior director of agricultural sustainability at EDF. “EDF and NCGA have worked together for many years to align economic incentives and environmental outcomes. Formalizing our partnership was a natural next step to accelerate progress toward our shared goals.”

“The public expects greater stewardship and transparency from farmers, and it’s critical for the agricultural sector to show leadership on conservation,” said Nathan Fields, vice president of production and sustainability at NCGA. “EDF and NCGA are stronger together. We have different expertise and perspectives, and combining them is a real opportunity.”

The partnership will elevate the importance of continuous improvements for water quality and climate resilience, while strengthening yields and profitability. Priority work streams include:

• Data and measurement to improve tracking of water quality, soil health and greenhouse gas emissions, and scale user-friendly technology solutions for data reporting and analysis.
• On-farm engagement to increase farmer and agronomist knowledge about innovative conservation tools and practices.
• Policy advocacy to support voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs with measurable environmental outcomes.
• Finance and economics to explore and grow opportunities for farmers to benefit economically from conservation practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage.
• Outreach and communications to build bridges between farmers and consumers.

Agricultural and environmental communities celebrated this unexpected partnership.  

“Farming is a tough business with tight margins. Stewardship has always been a way of life for us, but we also have to stay profitable and productive. EDF was the first environmental group to reach out to farmers and listen to our perspectives. I’m excited to see what EDF and NCGA can accomplish together,” said Brandon Hunnicutt, Nebraska farmer and member of NCGA’s Corn Board.

“Achieving supply chain sustainability goals requires close collaboration throughout the value chain. This partnership between EDF and NCGA promises to be a powerful way to help translate corporate sustainability commitments into on-farm conservation that works for farmers and the environment,” said Rod Snyder, president of Field to Market.

(Washington, D.C. – November 13, 2018) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an initiative today that could eventually include strengthening standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution from newly manufactured diesel freight trucks and buses.

“Any plan to reduce dangerous nitrogen oxides pollution from big diesel trucks must be able to achieve protective real-world results – without the type of cheating we saw during the Volkswagen scandal,” said EDF General Counsel Vickie Patton. “Any plan also must address both nitrogen oxides and climate-destabilizing pollution, and create incentives for deploying innovative clean technologies that address the array of harmful pollutants that threaten American lives. Fortunately, there are made-in-America solutions at hand that can protect public health and advance climate safety while creating jobs. We’ll be following EPA’s efforts closely to see if they adopt them.”

Heavy-duty vehicles, like freight trucks and buses, are one of the largest sources of nitrogen oxides and climate pollution in America. NOx pollution is a key precursor to serious public health hazards like smog and particulate matter, and climate pollution is associated with extreme weather, including more powerful storms, more flooding, and the rising temperatures that worsen dangerous air pollution and fires.

EDF submitted a petition to EPA in 2016 calling for stronger standards. Others – including the American Lung Association, the National Association of City and County Health officials, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District – have also urged EPA to take action to reduce nitrogen oxides pollution.

(AUSTIN, TX) Today government leaders in Mexico announced finalization of ambitious rules to reduce oil and gas methane emissions, putting it on a clear pathway to meet a trilateral commitment between the U.S., Canada and Mexico to reduce emissions by 45 percent by 2025. Canada enacted federal rules in April to meet the goal.

“The Trump Administration’s ongoing attempts to tear down federal methane rules should be viewed against the backdrop of leadership in Mexico and Canada, and the election last week of a slate of governors in the U.S. committed to tackling this problem.

“While the rest of the world is modernizing, this president is trying to drag America backward–putting its citizens at risk and creating serious doubts about whether domestic industry will be able to compete in a world demanding cleaner energy.”

• Matt Watson, Vice President, Energy

(MEXICO CITY) Mexico’s Agencia de Seguridad, Energia y Ambiente (ASEA) today finalized regulations to cut harmful methane pollution from the oil and gas industry by 45 percent by 2025. ASEA collaborated with international technical experts and incorporated best practices from leading jurisdictions where emissions are already being reduced, benefiting both the economy and the environment. Mexico’s reputation as a global climate leader is boosted by adoption of these regulations along with Pemex’s recent methane commitment. 

“Mexico’s methane regulations are world-class. The standards support the health and prosperity of Mexicans and help move the country one step closer toward its energy goals.

“Government officials keeping to timelines and enforcing the rule is the next critical step to achieve Mexico’s goal of modernizing its energy industry, help Pemex deliver on its global commitments and ensure that international companies operating in Mexico are held to a high standard.”

• Shareen Yawanarajah, Ph.D, International Policy Manager, Oil & Gas

(COLUMBUS – November 9, 2018) Although FirstEnergy has over the past couple of years sought billions in uneconomic coal bailouts, the utility giant today filed a plan with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to spend $516 million on grid modernization efforts, which will reduce waste and provide cleaner energy for Ohioans. With input from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the grid modernization plan will deliver significant customer benefits including greater access to energy use data, a more efficient grid and reduced bills, reflecting the lower operational costs from installing 700,000 new smart meters. The plan now awaits approval by the PUCO.

“This step toward a more modern, cleaner energy system is a promising sign that FirstEnergy might finally be moving in the right direction. But if the company keeps trying to make Ohioans pay for its uneconomic power plants, and we expect it will, we will continue to block those bailouts.”

• John Finnigan, Senior Counsel, Clean Energy

(SACRAMENTO, CA – Nov. 7, 2018) At the urging of Gov. Jerry Brown and now Governor-elect Gavin Newsom, the California State Water Resources Control Board postponed a vote today on an update to the Bay-Delta Plan that would increase natural water flows in the San Joaquin River system to boost salmon populations.

The board agreed to postpone action until Dec. 11 to give stakeholders more time to negotiate an alternative plan, called a voluntary settlement agreement.

The proposal on the table Wednesday would require 40 percent of the natural flow remain in the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced rivers during the critical February through June period in order to double the endangered salmon population and protect other wildlife. Currently instream flows sometimes drop as low as 6 percent of total flow, meaning more than 90 percent of the water is going toward human use. Chinook salmon populations have plummeted to about 10,000 in 2017 from 70,000 in the mid-1980s.

“We strongly believe that the best path forward is a voluntary settlement agreement that not only increases river flows but also restores habitat, provides reliable funding, and supports collaborative, transparent science. Yet, this is the second time the state board has postponed action on the Bay-Delta Plan, which is nearly 10 years in the making, and negotiation toward a voluntary agreement could have continued, even if the board had adopted the plan today.

“After participating in voluntary settlement agreement negotiations for about two years, we are very concerned about further delays. But we will swallow hard and live with one more month of delay in hopes that we can reach an agreement that puts the aquatic ecosystems of the Central Valley on a more promising path to recovery.

“It’s time for stakeholders to move beyond combat science and to adopt a more flexible, holistic management plan for our rivers that recognizes the water needs of the environment and wildlife, agriculture, and cities. In one month we hope to be moving along a pathway to greater resilience for the rivers, streams and economy of the Central Valley.”

• Maurice Hall, Associate VP, Ecosystems – Water, Environmental Defense Fund

(November 7, 2018) California, the world’s fifth-largest economy, has elected Gavin Newsom as its 40th governor. Newsom has pledged to build on California’s efforts to combat climate change, put California on a path to 100 percent renewable energy, preserve clean air and clean water, and improve the reliability of the state’s water supply. 

“California has been a global leader on environmental protections for decades. California’s next governor will take the helm of the largest and most economically vibrant state in the country at a time when reducing climate pollution and increasing the state’s resilience to the climate impacts we cannot avoid are more important than ever. There is nobody better for California than Governor-elect Newsom to usher in the next era of innovation and leadership that will guide our state, country and planet toward urgent solutions that protect the climate, ecosystems and public health.” 

• David Festa, Senior Vice President of Environmental Defense Fund
   

“Last night the American people voted to put a check on the excesses of the Trump administration. The voters are clearly demanding changes in Washington, a return to common sense policies, and greater accountability from their elected leaders. The results were also a rebuke to the current leadership of the House of Representatives, which has voted repeatedly to undermine science, roll back environmental safeguards, and allow more pollution.

“Pro-environmental candidates and climate champions were on the ballot in hundreds of elections at the federal, state and local levels. Many winning candidates made environmental protection central to their campaigns; and many who reject climate science were defeated. Even in races where pro-environment candidates did not prevail, clean air, clean water and climate change were issues both sides attempted to claim.

“The election results will bring welcome oversight and accountability to the Trump administration. We will continue to work with members of both parties to make progress toward climate solutions, defend EPA’s budget, protect American families from dangerous chemicals, and strengthen our core environmental laws and regulations.

“Beginning in January, Washington — and state houses around the country — will see a growing chorus of new young leaders demanding action on climate change and adequate protections from pollution. The House of Representatives will see a record number of women, many strongly pro-environment. As a result, this election gives us an opportunity to check the excesses of this administration, and hold it accountable for undermining health and environmental safeguards. Everyone who voted for a cleaner, healthier, more prosperous future must now join together to make it happen.”

• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund

(DENVER, COLO – Nov. 2, 2018) Today, several Colorado conservation and river advocacy groups praised Gov. John Hickenlooper’s proposal to add a record $30 million to implement Colorado’s Water Plan and help prepare the state for the increasing dangers of drought.

In his budget request for FY 2019-2020, submitted to the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee Nov. 1, the governor proposes to invest $30 million over the next three years from the general fund, on top of funds already earmarked for water projects that benefit river health and our communities across the state.

The groups – Environmental Defense Fund, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Western Resource Advocates, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation Colorado, American Rivers and Audubon – called the proposal a “smart investment in healthy rivers that will have ripple effects across Colorado. We thank Governor Hickenlooper, and look forward to working with the legislature and the next governor to make this a reality, and ensure that we continue to invest in a secure and reliable water supply for our state.”

“This budget request is a recognition of the importance of water to Colorado families, of water challenges that Colorado could face, and the imperative that Colorado secures its water future,” the groups said. “This is a tremendous step forward, and a sustainable water future for Colorado families will require continued investments. We look forward to working with the next governor and the legislature on longer-term commitments that will ensure the state has the resources to fully implement the Colorado Water Plan.”

(Washington, D.C. – November 1, 2018) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is formally calling on the Trump administration’s EPA to abandon its attempt to replace the Clean Power Plan with a weak substitute that will not protect Americans from dangerous air pollution and climate change.

In August, Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler unveiled a proposal to eviscerate the Clean Power Plan and instead adopt a rule with no substantial limits on health-harming pollution from coal power plants. EPA’s public comment period on the proposal ended last night. EDF submitted comments with extensive detail on the ways the proposal is “unlawful and arbitrary” and dangerous for the American people:

“The Proposed Rule represents an appalling abandonment of EPA’s legal and moral responsibility to protect Americans from the climate and health impacts of power plant pollution,” EDF says in its submitted comments. “The Proposed Rule would take this country in precisely the wrong direction – exposing communities to more harmful carbon pollution and leading to more death and disease from soot and smog. This deeply harmful proposal violates the Clean Air Act and rests on a fatally deficient legal and technical record.” (EDF comments, pages ii and iii)

The Clean Power Plan establishes America’s only nationwide limit on carbon pollution from existing power plants. The common-sense plan would reduce climate pollution to 36 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, according to the Energy Information Administration. That would fulfill an important part of EPA’s legal obligation, repeatedly upheld in court, to protect Americans from the dangers of climate pollution. It would also reduce deadly soot and smog.

By contrast, Wheeler’s proposal contains no quantitative limits or compliance deadlines at all. It requires only that states consider whether power plants should adopt a narrow and ineffective set of operational efficiency tweaks. The proposal also cynically attempts to use a do-nothing carbon dioxide rule as an excuse for an unlawful rollback of longstanding protections against emissions of a variety of other harmful pollutants.

By EPA’s own estimates, Wheeler’s replacement rule could result in as many as 1,630 extra American deaths per year by 2030.

Wheeler’s proposal comes despite overwhelming scientific evidence – summarized in a recent report of the leading body of climate scientists – that deep emission reductions must take place immediately to reduce catastrophic hazards to human health and welfare.

In addition to filing its own comments, EDF also joined a large number of other environmental and conservation organizations to submit comments opposing the dangerous replacement plan:

• EDF Comments
• Joint Comments on Proposed New Source Review Changes
• Joint Comments on the Regulatory Impact Analysis
• Joint Comments on Climate Science and Climate Change
• Joint Comments on Best System of Emission Reduction
• Joint Comments on Proposed Amendments to Section 111d

Many others – including a bipartisan group of environmental officials from 14 states and a coalition of Attorneys General representing 26 states, counties and cities – also filed comments opposing Wheeler’s proposal.

You can read more about the Clean Power Plan on EDF’s website.

(GREENVILLE, MO – Nov. 1, 2018) Smithfield Foods, Inc. is the first food company to participate in a new program with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Roeslein Alternative Energy (RAE) to restore key prairie habitat for monarch butterflies, as described in this video. Their efforts are helping bring back the iconic insect, which has experienced a 95 percent population decline since the 1980s and could be listed as a threatened species in June 2019.

However, the monarch is currently undergoing what is anticipated to be the largest migration in 10 years.

“We’re excited about the potential of this unique partnership to support recovery of the beloved monarch butterfly and other pollinators that rely on healthy prairie habitat,” said David Wolfe, director of conservation strategies at EDF.

“In addition to providing habitat for bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife, this program offers multiple other environmental and financial benefits,” Wolfe said. “The economic savings come from the benefits prairies have for helping hold water and nitrogen in the soil, and reducing potential waste. There are also added revenue opportunities that come from appropriately timed harvesting of the prairie for biomass that can be used for biogas generation of clean, natural gas.”

Attracted to the program’s dual benefits, Smithfield contributed $300,000 to fund the planting of native grasses and monarch-friendly native milkweed and wildflower species on 1,000 acres of land on and surrounding its hog farm in Missouri.

“We recognize that prairie is both an environmental and economic force,” said Kraig Westerbeek, senior director of Smithfield Renewables for Smithfield Foods. “While helping to protect the environment surrounding our farms, prairie is creating a new revenue opportunity as an alternative source of clean, renewable energy.”

Since the 1990s, Smithfield has explored ways to transform hog manure into renewable energy. Smithfield recently announced the nationwide expansion of these efforts through Smithfield Renewables, a platform that unifies, leads, and accelerates the company’s carbon reduction and renewable energy efforts, while helping meet its industry-leading goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2025.

In Missouri, the food company has worked with RAE since 2014 to transform manure into renewable natural gas and is now looking to prairie grass as an alternative feedstock, particularly useful during the winter months.

“Generating energy from manure, prairie, or other biomass is pretty simple,” said Rudi Roeslein, founder and president of RAE. “Manure is captured in the underfloor of the hog buildings where scrapers are used to move and flush waste to an anaerobic digester or a covered lagoon, where anaerobic digestion takes place and solids are broken down to release methane gas that is transported to a central processing facility to be converted into renewable natural gas.”

“Harvested prairie is used to supplement hog manure as an alternative source of energy,” Roeslein said. “Prior to harvest, native prairie and cover crops provide an essential ecological service as critical habitat for pollinators and wildlife. This is an exciting new vision for renewable energy production.”

Together, Smithfield, EDF, and RAE are creating a compelling ecological and financial model for the growth and management of native prairie across the agricultural landscape. Ultimately, the unlikely collaborators are working to achieve a more resilient and ecologically diverse agricultural landscape.