Complete list of press releases

(ROSWELL, NM) Today Environmental Defense Fund and The Wilderness Society filed a formal protest of the Bureau of Land Management’s plans to lease 54 parcels of public land near Carlsbad and Roswell for oil and gas development without adequate controls to limit methane waste. In associated planning documents, BLM estimates this sale, and ones like it, over the next 20 years could add up to 6,000 new wells to the Carlsbad region. This development could lead to the waste of $16.5 million worth of natural gas per year over the next decade, and add over 81,000 tons of harmful pollution to the atmosphere every year.

“By allowing for tens of millions of dollars in more waste and hundreds of thousands of tons in increased pollution, the Bureau of Land Management is putting industry interests ahead of New Mexico communities and taxpayers. As BLM abdicates its responsibility to the people of New Mexico, the state must step up to the plate to reduce methane pollution and waste.”

• Jon Goldstein, Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, Environmental Defense Fund

“More methane is wasted from oil and gas production on federal and tribal lands in New Mexico than any other state, and yet the Bureau of Land Management continues to foolishly operate as if this fact does not exist. Failing to include any measure to address waste in the lease terms for parcels in the December sale is a bad deal for taxpayers, public health and the environment.”

• Chase Huntley, Senior Director, Energy and Climate Program at The Wilderness Society

(October 30, 2018) Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it would repeal approval for use of lead acetate as a color additive in hair dyes such as Grecian Formula. The decision comes in response to a 2017 color additive petition by Environmental Defense Fund and other public health advocates that required the agency to revisit a 1980 decision that allowed the neurotoxin to remain in hair dye products. FDA took action based on scientific advances made since the agency’s decision almost 30 years ago regarding the harm posed by lead. Lead acetate is the active ingredient that slowly darkens grey hair when used every few days.

“In the last several decades, we’ve seen tremendous progress in reducing exposure to lead from major sources. Given this progress and wide recognition that there is no safe level of exposure, it may seem unbelievable that common hair dyes contain the neurotoxin – putting those who use the product and their children at risk,” said Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director at Environmental Defense Fund. “FDA’s decision is an important step to protecting people from a continued source of exposure to lead that is a more significant route than the agency originally thought over three decades ago.”

FDA’s final rule amends the color additive regulations to repeal approval for use of lead acetate in cosmetics intended to color hair on the scalp. In its final rule, the agency states, “we agree with the petitioners that the average adult blood lead level in the United States has decreased significantly since 1980 and our conclusion in 1980 that exposure to lead from the listed use of lead acetate hair dye is insignificant is no longer valid.”

In 1980, the FDA approved lead acetate as a repeated use hair dye with minimal restrictions, including an unclear warning label and a restriction that it only be used on the scalp and not facial hair. The levels of lead in the product were allowed to be as high as 6000 ppm. Several years earlier, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) banned the sale of household paint containing more than 600 ppm of lead.

The petition references cases where users of hair dyes containing lead acetate have noticed real health impacts, including one user who didn’t realize it should not be used on facial hair and lost feeling in his hands and feet. He did not return to normal for a year.

Additionally, the petition cites a study showing lead contamination from the hair dyes—especially on surfaces touched after using the hair dye like blow-dryers, combs and faucets. The study found these surfaces had up to 2,804 micrograms of lead per square foot. In 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that more than 40 micrograms of lead per square foot on the floor posed a hazard to children.

The color additive petition was filed by Environmental Defense Fund, Earthjustice, Environmental Working Group, Center for Environmental Health, Healthy Homes Collaborative, Health Justice Project of Loyola University, Chicago School of Law, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Improving Kids’ Environment, Consumers Union, Natural Resources Defense Council, Consumer Federation Of America, Learning Disabilities Association Of America, Maricel Maffini, and Howard Mielke.

There is a 30 day period for filing objections following publication of the final rule in the Federal Register. FDA will begin enforcement of the decision in one year – allowing industry time to reformulate products. This announcement from FDA comes less than a month after the agency’s decision to remove approval of seven artificial flavors for use in food in response to a food additive petition by EDF and other advocates.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed an executive order today establishing statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals and setting new targets for improved energy efficiency in state government facilities. The executive order also creates a goal to put more zero emission vehicles on North Carolina roadways.

“The executive order that Governor Roy Cooper signed today outlines bold new steps toward a clean energy future for North Carolina. Today’s executive order will protect North Carolina families from unhealthy air pollution and the increasing threat of climate change, at the same time that it will help our economy grow and create more good clean energy jobs.

“North Carolinians have suffered through more than our share of hurricanes and other extreme weather events that put our families in danger, hurt our farms and businesses, and damage our beautiful coastlines. This plan puts in motion initiatives that will help protect our state by cutting the pollution that leads to more extreme weather by 40 percent by 2025, including substantial reduction of energy use in all our government buildings and an ambitious commitment to put 80,000 zero-emission cars and trucks on our roads.

“Governor Cooper’s executive order further advances North Carolina’s reputation as a clean energy leader. We look forward to working with him – and with our local leaders, businesses and farmers – to accelerate progress toward these goals.”

            - Hawley Truax, EDF Southeast Regional Director

(BALI, INDONESIA – Oct. 29, 2018) A major reform effort to make one of Indonesia’s most valuable fisheries more sustainable received a significant boost today at the Our Ocean Conference being held in Bali, Indonesia. With world leaders in attendance, officials from the Province of Lampung announced their commitment to implement a transformational management plan for its blue swimming crab (BSC) fishery.

Lampung’s new plan is the first in Indonesia to empower local stakeholders like fishers, processors, and supply chain workers in the decision-making process. Local leaders hope new supply chain measures in the management plan, such as training on handling and strengthening the cold chain, will support sustainable practices and improve the quality of the product.

“This is a crucial opportunity for Lampung to develop a new model and demonstrate approaches for small-scale fisheries in Indonesia,” said Ir. Taufik Hidayat, Head of the Lampung Province Planning and Development Agency. “Our plan is dedicated to ensuring a secure and sustainable source of income for Indonesians.”

The plan will help protect a major source for one of the nation’s most lucrative export fisheries. Blue swimming crab in Indonesia generates more than $300 million in economic activity a year and is a source of income for thousands of Indonesians. In addition to protecting 230 square miles of juvenile crab habitat and limits to the use of damaging fishing gear, the plan requires small-scale fishers to register.

“Getting sustainable fishing right in Lampung is crucial for our province where there are more than 4,000 fishers, and more than 2,000 people in processing who rely on our coast for their food and livelihoods, said Imam Pudjono, Vice Deputy of Capture Fisheries, Lampung Province.  “We hope that lessons from Lampung can be helpful for other provinces in Indonesia.” 

This achievement is a testament to the leadership of the Lampung Provincial Fisheries Agency and the power of partnerships. In less than two years, Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), APRI, the processors association, and academic experts with facilitation support by EDF and Starling Resources, helped the provincial government create a brand new process for collaborative management planning and implementation, including the formal establishment of a multi-stakeholder body to design and implement a science-based management plan. The work was aided by the support of the Walton Family Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

“This science-based plan is unique because it was developed in collaboration with the people who work in the fishery and live in the local community,” said Muhammad Khazali, Senior Manager, EDF Indonesia. “We know that management is only successful if we harness the knowledge and experience of local people—enabling and empowering them to put measures in place for a more sustainable future.”

Lampung is one of the biggest BSC production sites in Indonesia (around 10% of Indonesia’s total production). However the blue swimming crab fishery in Lampung, as with many places, is showing signs of overexploitation. Fishers talk about how their catches are declining, crabs are maturing earlier at smaller sizes, greater variation in annual fishing patterns, and unstable prices. These are all common stories that are happening too often around the world, but can be addressed with science-based, participatory management.

“This new plan in Lampung has three critical ingredients for lasting sustainable management of fishing: scaled appropriately to ensure impact, scientific rigor, and community participation,” said Muhammad Taufik Hidayat, Senior Associate, Starling Resources.  “Scaling approaches like this one will lead to healthier fish populations and ecosystems, livelihood benefits to communities throughout the supply chain, and more opportunities to tip the global seafood system toward sustainability.” 

EDF said it will continue to work with provinces, MMAF, and all partners as the organizations aim to develop new models and methods for effectively managing fisheries alongside communities in this region. EDF said it hopes that its experiences can provide lessons to other fishery managers and stakeholders across Indonesia and contribute to the sustainability of this critical national resource. 

(NEW YORK, NY) With North Carolina still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Florence, Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, today committed to invest in infrastructure and provide farmer incentives to install manure lagoon covers and digesters on 90 percent of the total hog finishing capacity in North Carolina, Missouri and Utah over the next 10 years. These technologies protect manure lagoons from excessive rainfall, capture methane emissions and generate renewable energy from biogas.

The commitment includes Smithfield’s own operations and contract farms, as well as opportunities for other integrators to join. Meeting this goal would help Smithfield exceed its industry-leading commitment to reduce supply chain greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2025.

“Hurricane Florence demonstrated the vulnerability of hog farms to extreme weather and underscored the urgent need to prepare for the impacts of climate change,” said Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund. “Smithfield is demonstrating leadership by investing in solutions that build climate resilience and cut greenhouse gas emissions.”

“Smithfield’s commitment to deploy technologies that convert methane into renewable biogas will substantially reduce emissions of a powerful greenhouse gas and create economic opportunities for rural communities. EDF and Smithfield don’t agree on everything, but we’ve found common ground on sustainability goals. This commitment marks a welcome turning point for the industry,” Krupp added. 

Implementing lagoon covers and digesters at scale has the potential to capture more than 85,000 metric tons of methane per year, which in turn can be used to replace fossil fuels. The climate impact of these reductions over 20 years is equivalent to eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from more than 700,000 homes.

Widespread use of this technology will help protect hog farms, neighboring communities and the environment during excessive rainfall. Smithfield’s Optima KV biogas project, for example, withstood record rainfall during Hurricane Florence. Covers kept manure from mixing with rainwater, and the project resumed normal operations as soon as the storm passed.

Covers and digesters do not eliminate water quality and odor concerns near hog farms. EDF will continue to collaborate with Smithfield and other partners to close operations in high-risk floodplains and implement solutions that improve quality of life and environmental outcomes.

An article published today in the journal Environmental Science and Technology demonstrates that it is possible to create reliable maps that show changes in air quality with limited amounts of mobile monitoring data, when that information is fed into a statistical model. As interest in mobile air pollution measurement grows Environmental Defense Fund is testing new air quality measurement techniques that are both accurate and cost-effective.

The new EDF study, which utilizes data collected for an earlier project of air quality in Oakland, CA, was led by scientists from the Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. The research team – which also included EDF scientists and experts from the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands – combined the data collected for the earlier study and incorporated it into a statistical model to determine just how much collected data was required to create an accurate picture of air quality in Oakland.

The authors found that driving about 30 percent of the roads in the city a minimum of four randomly sampled times was sufficient to predict the key patterns of how air pollution varied across the cities. They also found that highly accurate estimates of a city’s air pollution patterns could be made even without the use of a model if every road was sampled on ten or more occasions.

“Mobile monitoring is a powerful technique for creating high-resolution air pollution maps, this study shows us that we can produce reliable maps with less data than previously believed, “said Steven Hamburg, EDF’s Chief Scientist. “By reducing the amount of data required, organizations can scale their efforts more cost-effectively.”

If possible to make repeated measurements, the authors determined that data-only maps (those created without the use of a model) are a simpler, more accurate approach. “Our results point to a path towards efficiently developing high-resolution air pollution maps for cities around the world,” said Joshua Apte, Assistant Professor at University of Texas, who led the study.

For the original study, the project team used two Google Street View mapping cars equipped with Aclima’s mobile platform of fast-response air pollution instruments. Engineers from UT Austin created daily driving plans, capturing data from three neighborhoods in Oakland at various times of the day, week and year. They ultimately drove more than 12,000 miles in order to sample air pollution on each road in these neighborhoods an average of 30 times between May 2015 and 2017.

EDF is continuing to test a variety of stationary and mobile air quality monitoring techniques in Northern California, Texas and London.

(Washington, D.C. – October 19, 2018) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and a coalition of health, environmental, and citizens groups today asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to review an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision that puts millions in Maryland and Delaware at a higher health risk from smog.

 

Maryland and Delaware had asked EPA for help with smog blowing across their borders from coal plant smokestacks in upwind states, but EPA denied the request. Maryland filed a lawsuit challenging that decision last week. Today EDF and its allies filed a similar lawsuit with the court.

 

“The Clean Air Act is clear that EPA must protect downwind states from dangerous air pollution that is encroaching on them from coal plants in neighboring states. EPA’s denial of Maryland and Delaware’s petitions shirks that responsibility, and prevents states from providing the cleanest and safest air possible for their citizens,” said EDF Senior Attorney Graham McCahan.

 

Smog is linked to premature deaths, hospitalizations, asthma attacks and long-term lung damage. States that are working to reduce smog are often undermined by dirtier air that blows across their borders – about 70 percent of Maryland’s smog problem originates from air pollution in upwind states, for instance.

 

Under the Clean Air Act’s “Good Neighbor” safeguards, EPA has an obligation to reduce smog-forming pollution from upwind coal power plants in other states. Maryland filed a petition under those Good Neighbor provisions asking EPA to require upwind coal plants to operate their already-installed pollution controls during the summer ozone season. Delaware also filed four separate Good Neighbor petitions asking EPA for relief from upwind coal plant emissions that were contributing to their smog problem.

 

EPA dragged its feet and did not answer the petitions for months, compelling Maryland’s Attorney General to file suit. (EDF and a coalition of health, environmental, and Maryland citizens groups also filed suit in support of Maryland.)

 

On June 13 the U.S. District Court ordered EPA to act on Maryland’s petition, saying it was “troubled by EPA’s apparent unwillingness or inability to comply with its mandatory statutory duties within the timeline set by Congress.” (Opinion, page 14).

 

Then last month EPA denied Maryland’s petition, along with similar petitions from Delaware. Maryland is now asking the court to review that decision.

 

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Adirondack Council, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Clean Air Council, Environmental Integrity Project, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Sierra Club joined EDF in today’s petition in support of Maryland and Delaware.

(Washington, D.C. – October 17, 2018) A new report released today, the Toolkit for Advanced Transportation Policies, details the wide range of transportation policy opportunities that state and local governments can implement to reduce climate pollution and many other airborne contaminants in order to provide cleaner, healthier air for all Americans.

“Cities and states are charging ahead to a clean transportation future,” said Environmental Defense Fund president Fred Krupp. “This report provides a blueprint for action. It can help turn commitments into tangible reductions in harmful air pollution, which will mean healthier communities for our families.”

The report, by energy consulting firm MJ Bradley & Associates, was commissioned by Environmental Defense Fund. It highlights a wide range of policies that are available now to reduce transportation pollution while supporting economic development and other goals.

In the report’s foreword, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner highlights that “cities and states have an enormous opportunity right now to support cleaner and smarter transportation networks. This toolkit is designed to help seize those opportunities and put the best technologies to work.”

The transportation sector is now America’s largest source of the pollution that causes climate change, as well as a major source of other unhealthy air pollution. Thoughtful transportation policy is a key opportunity for state and local governments to support smart growth, reduce congestion, improve safety, support economic development, and protect Americans from unhealthy pollution.

Last month, senior government officials at the Global Climate Action Summit announced existing commitments that will ensure America continues to make substantial progress toward fulfilling its Paris Agreement pledge. This Toolkit outlines the many concrete policies and initiatives that states and cities can apply to turn their commitments into action by substantially reducing transportation sector pollution. 

The Toolkit includes dozens of policy options and case studies, as well as detailed discussion of key legal and policy issues. It’s available online through this interactive website or as a stand-alone comprehensive report.

As the private sector adopts climate disclosure standards established by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), the oil and gas industry faces increasing pressure from its investors to disclose how it is managing climate risk, including emissions of methane from oil and gas. Uneven and underreported methane emissions increase material risks for investors, but new disclosure guidelines would help investors manage such risks according to Setting the Bar: Implementing the TCFD Recommendations for the Oil and Gas Industry.

The new report was produced by Ceres, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) as a tool to help oil and gas companies and their investors to bring methane reporting in line with the TCFD framework.

The TCFD is a leading global effort that seeks to provide overarching recommendations for consistent, comparable and reliable disclosure of climate-related risks and opportunities. As of September 2018, over 513 organizations have publicly supported the TCFD recommendations, including investors representing over $100 trillion, like Blackrock and Legal & General, and major oil and gas companies, like Equinor and Shell. TCFD recommends that oil and gas companies communicate about methane emissions—and their material risks and opportunities—to their investors. However, as noted TCFD’s recent status report, standardization of reporting in the oil and gas industry is still needed.

“At the moment, only a fraction of companies publicly provide robust, meaningful data on emissions, leaving investors unable to properly assess risk and gauge company methane performance. To make informed investment decisions on behalf of clients who have entrusted us with their money, we need the industry to put in place measures that lower operational risk and report on them,” said Brian Rice, Corporate Governance Portfolio Manager at CalSTRS.

Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year time period. The oil and gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane emissions. Global methane emissions cost the oil and gas industry an estimated $30 billion in lost product each year.

“The climate risk equation is changing fast. Concerned investors are driving unprecedented action on disclosure,” said EDF President Fred Krupp. “Our new report with Ceres and PRI underscores the urgent need to include methane reporting in climate risk disclosure, and provides a framework for consistent, comparable data, so investors can tell which companies are positioning themselves to thrive in a carbon-constrained world.”

“Momentum to decarbonize portfolios is changing the way investors interact with companies. Investors need to be addressing methane risk, which is why the PRI launched a global collaborative engagement with 36 investors from 11 countries representing US $4.2 trillion in assets under management to address methane risk and how methane management practices and reporting could be improved,” said Fiona Reynolds, CEO of the PRI.

“The next great leap will come as oil and gas companies implement the TCFD recommendations on methane emissions. This new report will be a great tool for investors and companies alike,” said Michael Cappucci, Senior Vice President at Harvard Management Company.”

With investors increasingly asking for better disclosure around methane emissions, this report is designed to make TCFD implementation easier for investors and companies. The paper includes background on the risks and opportunities of methane and recommended disclosures across TCFD’s four-part structure: (1) governance, (2) strategy, (3) risk management and (4) metric and targets. The paper presents questions companies can answer for their investors, such as, “How is responsibility for methane allocated within the company, both at board and management level?, offers guidance on how to assess company answers, especially for complicated topics like target-setting, and provides real world examples of what reporting on these issues looks like today by leading oil and gas companies.

“Methane is also a significant near-term opportunity. The good news is that we can manage what we measure in the case of methane. We know that industry could reduce global emissions by 75% using proven technologies, with nearly 50% of emissions reduced at no net cost,” said Andrew Logan, coauthor and Director at Ceres. 

(SACRAMENTO, CA) New research published in the Journal of Dairy Science finds that changing the way manure is stored and handled is key to meeting California’s 40 percent dairy manure methane reduction goal and combating climate change.

With financial support from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and cooperation from the Dairy Cares coalition, leading scientists worked together to produce the most thorough, detailed measurements of “whole-dairy” methane emissions in California to date.

The results confirm that manure methane emissions come primarily from wet storage of manure, a valuable insight for measuring and controlling emissions of this potent greenhouse gas.

“This important work advances our understanding in two areas – how to accurately measure and estimate methane emissions from California, and how to control them,” said Josette Lewis, associate vice president of sustainable agriculture at EDF. “This helps ensure our strategies for reducing these emissions remain on target, and that we can accurately assess our progress.”

The study used a variety of methods, including instruments mounted in the ground and deployed in aircrafts and vehicles, to measure methane emissions at two Central Valley dairies. All methods produced similar measurements of whole-dairy emissions, increasing confidence in the results.

“Until now, relatively little research has been done to measure and pinpoint specific sources of methane emissions at dairies in California,” said Michael Boccadoro, executive director of Dairy Cares. “It is important that we base our strategies on sound scientific measurements from California dairies, and not just on studies conducted in other states. This information is critical as the dairy community works with our partners, including EDF, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and technology providers to reduce emissions in a cost-effective manner.”

Other study findings include:

• Direct methane emissions from ruminating animals, such as cow digestive gases or burps, tend to remain steady year-round.
• Emissions from manure storage can be highly variable and weather dependent; they are three to six times higher in summer than in winter.
• Emissions differences between dairies appear to be linked to the amount of manure that is stored in anaerobic, or wet and airless, conditions.

Dr. Claudia Arndt, former Kravis postdoctoral fellow at EDF and current postdoctoral fellow at the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center in Costa Rica, led the research. The diverse research team included scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, Penn State University, University of California, Davis, and Aerodyne Research, Inc.

“We attributed much of the difference in emissions between dairies to the proportion of manure stored in liquid form,” Arndt said. “This suggests that reducing the amount of manure stored in that manner, or the length of time manure is stored in liquid form, could significantly reduce methane emissions.”

Additional information

Dairy methane emissions contribute up to 5 percent of the state’s carbon footprint. With a law passed in 2016, California became the first dairy region in the world to set a goal for a 40 percent reduction of methane emissions from dairy manure by 2030.

The state’s current programs to incentivize emissions reductions target the exact emissions sources pinpointed by this study: liquid manure storage. California has made $260 million available for dairy methane reduction projects. These include digesters, which capture methane and convert it to clean renewable energy and fuel, and projects that change manure storage to avoid methane production from anaerobic conditions. Several additional CARB-funded studies are under way, including research to measure changes in emissions on dairies where methane reduction measures have been installed.

“Dairy Cares has always supported strong science to guide farmers in their efforts to improve environmental outcomes, and this research suggests the current strategies are right on target,” Boccadoro said. “We were pleased to partner with EDF on this important work and gratified that the data supports the successful approach to use voluntary, incentive-based measures to achieve these reductions.”

With continued funding through the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program, California is on its way to having 100 to 120 dairy digesters operating within the next four to five years. These digesters, one of California’s most cost-effective climate investments, are capturing methane and creating clean, renewable energy.

The Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) has awarded funding to 58 dairy farms across the state. AMMP funds technologies and strategies to reduce the amount of manure solids stored in wet conditions. Funding covers manure solid separation, compost enhancement, and scrape and vacuum technologies. Ongoing research continues to verify and quantify how these technologies can reduce methane emissions while improving overall air and water quality.

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) The California Public Utilities Commission today approved a sweeping new plan that radically changes how gas utilities will deal with intentional and unintentional leaks in their pipelines. Under the new plan, companies are required to prioritize repair of gas leaks that may not pose an immediate safety risk but do contribute to global warming. It also ensures utilities stop the practice of purposeful venting when equipment is available to prevent it. 

Every year, California’s gas pipelines emit more than 100,000 metric tons of methane — the main component of natural gas and a potent climate pollutant. This action is expected to reduce 40 percent of the state’s utility methane emissions by 2030 — making it a significant step forward in California’s quest to make its energy system carbon neutral.

“This is a massive deal that will fundamentally change the way we think about gas leaks. After years in development, California utilities are finally accountable for reducing the negative environmental impact that gas leakage can cause. If implemented nationwide, this action could make our nation’s pipelines cleaner and safer, and put a significant dent in the oil and gas industry’s carbon footprint.”

• Timothy O’Connor, Senior Director, California Energy Program

It is the first standard of its kind to be fully implemented and comes as recent peer-reviewed science has demonstrated the climate benefit of using natural gas can be completely erased through leaks in the production, transmission and distribution system.
 

(RALEIGH, NC – Oct. 10, 2018) North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called today for $1.5 billion in state funding to recover from Hurricane Florence, saying “an unprecedented storm requires an unprecedented response.”

The governor’s request of the state legislature included a set of recovery recommendations, outlined in the preliminary Hurricane Florence needs assessment.

“Gov. Cooper has wasted no time in responding to Hurricane Florence with the appropriate level of concern and action, but there is still much to be sorted out in the details of his recommendations, which will have significant consequences for North Carolinians.

“The governor’s recommendation to increase funding for buyouts of houses and farms in flood-prone areas is a good start for helping North Carolina communities recover. But policymakers must consider the full suite of potential solutions, including much-needed investments in natural infrastructure, and pursue the most cost-effective options that can be deployed rapidly to reduce risks for communities in the near- and long-term.

“Rebuilding smarter and stronger requires all options be on the table when deciding on the best strategies to increase the resilience of North Carolina.”

• Will McDow, Director of Resilient Landscapes, Environmental Defense Fund

(PHOENIX, AZ – Oct. 9, 2018) The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released several draft agreements today related to the implementation of drought contingency plans in both the Upper and Lower basins of the Colorado River, including the multistate Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) agreement. Their release comes as a steering committee is preparing to hold its fifth meeting Wednesday to finalize an agreement by the end of the year that determines how to share increasingly scarce Colorado River water within Arizona.

“Today’s actions by the Bureau of Reclamation mark a major milestone toward finalizing a seven-year, seven-state agreement to create a more sustainable water system for tens of millions of people, agriculture, tribes, businesses and ecosystems.

“Eighteen years of drought have pushed Lake Mead water levels down to unprecedented lows, making it more important than ever for the Arizona Steering Committee to conclude negotiations this year on an intra-Arizona plan for successfully implementing the Lower Basin DCP agreement.

“EDF and the Water for Arizona Coalition will continue to actively support the efforts to develop an Arizona implementation plan with broad-based support from water users, elected leaders and citizens. We need to keep working collaboratively to reach an agreement in Arizona by year end.”

• Kevin Moran, Senior Director for the Colorado River Program at Environmental Defense Fund and Chair of the Water for Arizona Coalition, serves as an official alternate member of the Arizona Steering Committee.

El Panel Intergubernamental sobre el Cambio Climático (IPCC) publicó el 8 de octubre un informe especial que detalla las dramáticas consecuencias del cambio climático actual y futuro, e identifica los beneficios de limitar el calentamiento global en la medida de lo posible. El informe de expertos proporciona la primera evaluación completa de los impactos de 1.5 grados Celsius (2.7 grados Fahrenheit) de calentamiento por encima de los niveles preindustriales, y concluye que limitar el calentamiento a ese nivel reduciría significativamente el riesgo de impactos climáticos como la escasez de agua, inundaciones y sequías , calor extremo, ciclones tropicales, pérdida de biodiversidad y aumento del nivel del mar en relación con el calentamiento de 2 grados centígrados (3,6 grados Fahrenheit). El Acuerdo de París establece un objetivo global de limitar el calentamiento a “muy por debajo” de los 2 grados centígrados por encima de los niveles preindustriales, y “perseguir los esfuerzos” para limitar el calentamiento a no más de 1.5 grados centígrados. La tierra ya se ha calentado aproximadamente 1 grado Celsius (1.5 grados Fahrenheit).

Declaración de Nathaniel Keohane, Vicepresidente Senior de Clima en el Fondo de Defensa Ambiental:

“Este nuevo informe deja más claro que nunca, que estamos en la carrera de nuestras vidas. Nuestro destino, y el destino de nuestros hijos, está en nuestras manos. Podemos tomar decisiones que protejan a nuestras comunidades, nuestros niños y las generaciones futuras, o podemos dejarles un mundo mucho más diferente y más dañado que el que heredamos. Es hora de reducir la contaminación climática, hacer que la energía limpia sea abundante y accesible para todos, y proteger los bosques tropicales del mundo que almacenan enormes cantidades de carbono. Como deja claro el informe, los riesgos no podrían ser mayores.Esta noticia es irritante, sin embargo también nos muestra el camino a seguir. Si somos ambiciosos en lo que respecta a transitar hacia la energía limpia, así como a reducir la contaminación por metano y el carbono negro, podemos lograr un progreso significativo. Nos debemos a nosotros mismos y a nuestros hijos tomar en serio esta advertencia y esta oportunidad.

La buena noticia es que el viento sopla a nuestras espaldas. Los recientes avances tecnológicos ya están configurando nuestra capacidad para mitigar y adaptarnos al cambio climático. Los países están implementando políticas basadas en programas de comercio de emisiones que crean incentivos poderosos para desarrollar y desplegar las formas más rápidas y baratas de reducir el carbono.Incluso cuando el presidente Trump busca hacer retroceder a los Estados Unidos, el resto del país y el resto del mundo avanzan”. Los claros beneficios de limitar el calentamiento global presentados en este informe deberían inspirarnos a doblar nuestra lucha para proporcionar un planeta seguro para nuestros niños y las generaciones futuras “.

• Nathaniel Keohane, Vicepresidente Senior de Clima en el Fondo de Defensa Ambiental

NEWS RELEASE

(Washington, D.C. – October 8, 2018) The Trump administration is undermining America’s protections against mercury and other poisonous and cancer-causing substances from the nation’s fleet of coal plants.

This weekend the White House Office of Management and Budget officially confirmed it is reviewing a proposal to reconsider the legal underpinnings of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards – protections that are now in effect and reducing mercury, which causes brain damage in babies, as well as arsenic, lead, acid gases, and other dangerous air pollution.

“The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards are among the most important protections we have to keep our children safe, and the Trump administration is attacking their foundation. It’s a new low from an administration whose record is already a series of environmental lows. Mercury causes brain damage in children, and there is no justifiable reason why the administration should allow more of it into our air,” said EDF president Fred Krupp. “The steps the administration is taking will allow it to eviscerate the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, and our children will pay the price. EDF will fight to keep these critical protections in place.”

Power plants were the leading source of many toxic pollutants, including mercury and arsenic, before the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards went into effect. The standards help ensure 90 percent of the mercury in coal burned in power plants is not released into our air. 

EPA estimates the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards save up to 11,000 lives each year, as well as preventing thousands of heart attacks, asthma attacks, and hospital visits. The economic benefits of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards are as high as $90 billion each year, outweighing the costs by up to a margin of 9-to-1.

This announcement about the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards marks the sixth time in two months that the Trump administration attacked America’s seminal environmental protections. It follows proposed rollbacks of the Clean Car Standards, the Clean Power Plan, and EPA’s standards for pollution from oil and gas drilling; a final determination to rollback BLM’s standards to prevent the waste of natural gas on public and tribal lands; and the denial of petitions from Maryland and Delaware asking for help with smog caused by pollution from upwind states.

In the last few months, everyone – from power company representatives including the Edison Electric Institute, America Public Power Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, to labor leaders, and Members of Congress from both parties – have asked the Trump administration to leave the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in place. Rolling them back will benefit no one except perhaps a few coal barons.

Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler was a lobbyist for coal baron Bob Murray before being appointed to head EPA, and Murray has identified eliminating our protections against mercury pollution as a top priority of his.
You can read more about the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards on EDF’s website.