Complete list of press releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ABC News, Bloomberg News and other outlets have revealed that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt used a condominium owned in part by a health care lobbyist, whose husband’s lobbying firm and its oil and gas clients have contributed heavily to Pruitt’s political campaign in Oklahoma – when he ran unopposed.

The companies include Oklahoma Gas & Electric which has been pushing for rollbacks of air emission regulations and the Clean Power Plan, and the American Automotive Policy Council whose auto companies have urged Pruitt to end the Clean Car Standard – which Pruitt has signaled he plans to rollback this month, along with Cheniere the only US exporter of natural gas, which benefitted from Pruitt’s highly unusual trip to Morocco to push their product.

Statement from Jeremy Symons, Environmental Defense Fund, Vice President, Political Affairs:

"Scott Pruitt sees no ethical problem getting favors from or doing favors for the industry interests who have helped bankroll his political career and are now lobbying him to rollback public health safeguards.”

“We call on the EPA’s Inspector General, who is already investigating Mr. Pruitt in three other cases, to immediately launch an investigation into gifts from lobbyists to Administrator Scott Pruitt in the form of deeply discounted living quarters.

“This was a highly questionable real estate arrangement in which Pruitt was given use of the condo for $50 per night – a stunningly low rate for a condo in an expensive neighborhood just blocks from the Capitol.

"In addition, he only had to pay for the nights he actually spent there, but the owners appear to have kept his room for him while he traveled, not renting it out to others.

“More broadly, this new information raises the question of why President Trump continues to tolerate the distractions and embarrassment that Scott Pruitt’s ethical lapses bring to the Administration. He has already been summoned to the White House once for remedial ethics schooling. How much more of this is the White House willing to endure?

“It looks like Scott Pruitt worked all day to benefit major energy companies, then went to be bed courtesy of a sweetheart real estate deal from lobbyists. This is the kind of behavior – grabbing personal benefits from lobbyists and taxpayers – that President Trump promised to fight. Scott Pruitt is demonstrating just how brazen a lie that has become.”

This news adds to Mr. Pruitt’s long list of ethical transgressions and re-enforces his close alliance with industries he is responsible for overseeing.

Pruitt is being investigated for questionable use of taxpayer dollars - flying first class, chartering private and military aircraft and ordering a $40K secure telephone.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Earlier today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Louisiana Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority (CPRA) announced an update to the permitting timeline for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The updates will advance the target date for completion of an Environmental Impact Statement and issuance of required decisions and permits from 2022 to 2020, shaving 22 months off the original schedule.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a coalition of national and local conservation groups, has long advocated for sediment diversions, including the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, as critical to addressing Louisiana’s land loss crisis and maintaining a healthy, productive ecosystem. In response to these timeline updates, Restore the Mississippi River Delta issued the following statement:

“For a landscape where wetland loss is measured at an hourly rate, shaving nearly two years off the permitting timeline for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is a significant accomplishment. This updated timeline for the project begins to reflect the true urgency of the environmental and economic crisis facing coastal Louisiana.

“The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is the most effective tool available to combat catastrophic land loss in the Barataria Basin. By accelerating construction of this keystone project, we can truly drive the process of sustaining existing wetlands and building new land.

“We thank the State of Louisiana, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Trustees and lead trustee the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Council on Environmental Quality, and the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council for the collaboration and commitment that produced these time-savings for this essential project. We look forward to working with the parties involved to continue to find efficiencies in our collective efforts to restore the vital Mississippi River Delta ecosystem.”

 CHARLESTON, SC – The family members of a 31-year-old Charleston man killed by a commonly purchased paint stripper are telling their story today, and calling for a national ban. They are warning the public about the dangers of paint strippers containing the chemical methylene chloride, sold at home-improvement stores around the country.

 “We are speaking out today because we want everyone to know how dangerous these paint strippers are. Our son, Drew, was killed by the ordinary use of this product, and we never want another family to go through this agony,” parents Cindy and Hal Wynne said.

On October 13, 2017, Charleston entrepreneur Drew Wynne was removing paint from the floor of his startup coffee company, Riptide Coffee, in North Charleston, SC. Drew was using a product he purchased at a local home-repair store. As Drew was applying the paint stripper to the floor, he was overcome by the paint stripper’s vapors and incapacitated.

“Drew had just started a small business, and we were all so proud of him. It wasn’t until after his death that we learned that methylene chloride-based paint strippers like the one Drew used have caused dozens of deaths across the country,” said Brian Wynne, Drew’s brother.

“We need the EPA and Congress to take immediate action to save other Americans’ lives,” Cindy and Hal Wynne said.  Brian Wynne added: “EPA’s stalling actions are a terrible mistake. The move came after chemical companies lobbied against banning high risk uses of the chemical—arguing, instead, for a new warning label. But warning labels are inadequate for a product where ordinary use can be deadly.”

EDF and the Wynne family are urging federal officials to take seriously their duty to protect our families from dangerous chemicals. Cleaning paint off of an old floor should never have tragic consequences.

For more information on methylene chloride, please visit: https://www.edf.org/health/dcm-methylene-chloride
 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Stanford University’s Natural Gas Initiative have invited 11 organizations, covering 12 different technologies, to the controlled testing phase of the Mobile Monitoring Challenge (MMC), a competition to advance mobile methane monitoring technologies at oil and natural gas facilities.

Researchers and MMC cosponsors EDF and Stanford, along with ExxonMobil, Schlumberger and other industry advisers, reviewed dozens of proposals from five countries and a range of businesses – from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies – as well as academia. The leak detection technologies selected for the study are deployed via trucks, drones and planes.

“Developing innovative solutions will be instrumental in reducing methane emissions,” said Sara Ortwein, president of ExxonMobil affiliate XTO Energy. “The Mobile Monitoring Challenge lays the groundwork to leverage novel and cost-effective technologies that could help companies find and manage emissions in a faster, more efficient way.”

“The strong and diverse technology applications confirm that there is tremendous potential for surveying oil and gas infrastructure quickly and effectively,” said Isabel Mogstad, project manager at EDF+Business. “Collaborating with industry and technologists accelerates even better, faster, cheaper solutions for detecting and quantifying methane emissions.”

The 11 organizations selected to participate in controlled field testing this spring include:

• ABB Los Gatos (drone)
• Advisian (drone)
• Aeris Technologies (truck)
• Baker Hughes (drone)
• Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. (plane)
• Bluefield Technologies (truck)
• Heath Consultants (truck)
• Kairos Aerospace (plane)
• Picarro (drone)
• SeekOps, Inc. (drone)
• University of Calgary (truck and drone)

“The oil and gas industry accounts for about a third of all methane emissions in the United States,” said Adam Brandt, assistant professor of energy resources engineering at Stanford. “The low price of natural gas reduces financial rewards for finding and fixing leaks, so we need mobile, low-cost and fast detection systems.”

Stanford’s Natural Gas Initiative will design and administer field testing in two locations:

• Most drone and truck-based systems will be tested April 9 – 13 and May 7 – 11 at Colorado State University’s Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center in Fort Collins, Colorado.
• Aircraft-mounted systems and select drone and truck systems will be evaluated May 21 – 25 through independent controlled methane releases by Rawhide Leasing in Sacramento, California.

Stanford researchers will evaluate technologies for their ability to quickly detect and roughly quantify methane leaks of various sizes. Results of the controlled trials will be published in peer-reviewed journals and used to inform product improvements.

By 2019, the challenge aims to have oil and gas industry leaders piloting the most promising technologies in various operating conditions, leading to broad commercial use.

Statements from Mobile Monitoring Challenge participants:

“There’s an enormous opportunity for utilization of unmanned aerial systems for detection and characterization of methane emissions in the oil and gas sector,” said Andrew Aubrey, Ph.D., Founder and CEO at SeekOps, Inc. “At SeekOps, we have realized this opportunity by applying our innovative technology, which originates from our work at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to localize and quantify methane emissions efficiently and accurately for our customers.”

“There’s a revolution happening in the gas sensing technologies world,” added James Scherer, Ph.D., CEO at Aeris Technologies, Inc. “Mobile methane detection is the next frontier for the oil and gas industry, and we look forward to demonstrating the accuracy of our laser-based analyzer.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, public health and environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit to protect communities against the risk of a new tidal wave of toxic pollution unleashed by the Trump Administration breaking with decades of precedent, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has vastly expanded a loophole that allows major industrial polluters to turn off their pollution control equipment and pump tons of additional lead, chromium and other hazardous air pollutants into surrounding neighborhoods. 

Since it was enacted in 1990, the Clean Air Act has required all “major” sources of hazardous air pollutants to reduce their hazardous emissions by the maximum achievable amount. Virtually every major industry—chemical plants, refineries, lead smelters, paper mills, etc.—has been meeting these requirements for years. EPA’s new action, a 4-page memorandum rushed out without notice or opportunity for public comment, or analysis of air pollution and public health impacts, will change all that.

By virtue of meeting the Clean Air Act’s requirements, thousands of major polluters across the country will be eligible to stop meeting these requirements. Under EPA’s new rule, they will be able to turn down, turn off, or disconnect their pollution controls and double, triple, or even quadruple their toxic emissions. They will also no longer have to monitor their emissions or accurately report them. 

“EPA’s action is dangerous and shameful,” said Patrice Simms, Vice President of Litigation for Earthjustice’s Healthy Communities Program representing the groups in the lawsuit. “People from overburdened communities need better protection from hazardous air pollution, instead the Trump Administration is trying to take away what protection they have.” 

“People who live near smelters and chemical plants are already exposed to far too much toxic pollution. They are suffering on a daily basis from pollution-related sickness, and many have children and other family members who have died of cancer,” said Jane Williams of California Communities Against Toxics. “The last thing they need is for the Trump administration to make their homes and neighborhoods even more toxic than before.”

“Once again, the Trump administration is putting the health of polluter balance sheets over the health of our families and children,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. “For decades, polluters have been able to meet this Clean Air Act requirement, and the administration’s decision to grant them this toxic loophole is as heartless as it is reckless. Real people will pay the price with this cruel decision and we will do everything we can to stop it.”

Earthjustice is representing, California Communities Against Toxics, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Ohio Citizen Action, The Environmental Integrity Project and Sierra Club. The Environmental Defense Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council are also joining the suit. 

“This attempt to save money by turning off pollution controls will only further shift the burden of pollution to the rest of us, especially fenceline communities. Polluters can and should save money by preventing pollution in the first place.” said Melissa English, Deputy Director Ohio Citizen Action. 

“This new loophole upends clean air protections that have been in place for nearly a quarter-century, and places families and communities at greater risk of exposure to some of the most dangerous types of pollution,” said Tomás Carbonell, Director of Regulatory Policy and Lead Attorney for Environmental Defense Fund.  “We are determined to defeat this lawless and reckless action in court.”

A report released today by The Environmental Integrity Project examined 12 large industrial facilities in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota and concluded that the regulatory rollback could allow them to release more than four times more toxic air pollutants – such as lead and benzene — than they do today, with the total rising from 121,082 pounds a year today to 540,000 pounds annually.

“EPA is inviting companies to save a few bucks by reducing their use of pollution control systems they’ve been running for years, even if that dumps more toxic air pollution on their neighbors,” said Eric Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project.  “Let’s hope the court sees through this give-away and blocks the Trump team’s latest effort to unravel the Clean Air Act.”

Read the release online 

Read the EPA memo

Read the legal document 

Read the report

(Austin, TEXAS) A new, peer-reviewed scientific study shows that oil and gas methane emissions were 15 times higher than what industry reported in a production area in Alberta. Unaccounted emissions from unpredictable, widespread sources (known as super-emitters) are responsible for much, but not all of the discrepancy. The study suggests these sources could worsen an already bad methane pollution problem in Canada if they go unaddressed. Super emitters can pop up anywhere, at anytime and are often missed by emission inventories, which is why frequent leak monitoring is essential to reduce emissions.

Researchers used ground-based methods to collect site-wide emissions data from 60 wells in Red Deer (an area between Edmonton and Calgary) over a two-week field campaign in October-November of 2016. On average, measured gas wells wasted 3 per cent of the gas they produce – a much larger leak rate than industry reports. Canadian oil and gas production sites were also shown to have a methane problem as bad as the United States.

“The more we measure, the more clearly we see that reported emissions severely underestimate the extent of the methane problem,” said Dr. Daniel Zavala-Araiza, lead author and international scientist with Environmental Defense Fund. “Empirical measurements help improve our understanding of the patterns and characteristics of oil and gas methane emissions and are useful input for making methane mitigation regulations more effective.” 

The Red Deer study reveals a wide discrepancy between measured and reported data. Almost two-thirds of wells observed reported zero methane, yet measurements found emissions at those sites. Researchers linked higher emissions most often with older wells and oil-producing wells. The study also sheds light into the 94 per cent of unmeasured/unreported oil and gas methane emissions in the same Red Deer region identified earlier by a Carleton University paper.  

Data from the Red Deer study, along with others, underscore the pervasive issue of industry’s underreporting of oil and gas methane emissions in Canada – highlighting the need for strong methane regulations. Significant improvements are also needed to ensure that Canada’s reporting program includes more robust data. Regular measurements are critical, as current reporting relies on estimates of average emissions and do not account for the presence of super-emitters.

Methane is a fast-acting climate pollutant, a driver of local air pollution, and a valuable product when recovered as natural gas. The Federal Government proposed regulations in May 2017 to cut these emissions by 40 to 45 per cent by 2025. Final federal rules are due out soon and the Government of Alberta is expected to announce its own methane regulations later this year. Even since the 2017 proposal, new science has shown Canada needs to be even more ambitious to reduce methane if governments are going to meet their reduction targets.

“Multiple scientific studies show emissions in Canada are far worse than the oil and gas industry reports,” said International Affairs Director Drew Nelson, Environmental Defense Fund.  “Alberta and Canada need effective methane regulations otherwise Canada risks falling short of its international climate commitments and its gas being seen as dirtier than other lower-carbon gas supplies.” 

This paper “Methane Emissions from oil and gas production sites in Alberta, Canada” published in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene complements the study undertaken by Matt Johnson of Carleton University and another recently published paper led by Aerodyne Research that measured methane emissions at Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sands sites. Taken together, along with research from the David Suzuki Foundation, the scientific data in Canada to date overwhelmingly shows that measured emissions are much higher than reported emissions.

(Washington, D.C. – March 20, 2018) Environmental Defense Fund filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request today regarding plans by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to implement anti-science legislation that failed to pass Congress.

 

The legislation was drafted by House Science Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith and is misleadingly called the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment (HONEST) Act.

 

Pruitt told the Heritage Foundation last week of plans that would hobble the use of science at EPA by adopting elements of the stalled bill. EDF is seeking documents that outline the details of this new policy and its development.

 

“Scott Pruitt needs to tell the American public – not just his political allies at the Heritage Foundation – why he’s trying to undermine science at EPA. Administrator Pruitt’s plans would limit EPA’s ability to use strong science in ways that Congress has refused to endorse,” said EDF Senior Attorney Martha Roberts. “By limiting what studies can be used to help keep us safe, this reported policy would make it harder for EPA to protect American families from pollution, toxic chemicals, and other threats. The result would be more serious health impacts – from asthma to cancer – for communities across the country.”

 

You can read EDF’s FOIA request here.

(BOSTON – March 15, 2018) Environmental Defense Fund today called on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to take advantage of an “unprecedented opportunity” to help revitalize the New England groundfish fishery by using the sale of Carlos Rafael’s assets to usher in critical reforms. 

In a letter to NOAA, EDF urged the agency to use its authority in administrative proceedings against Rafael to address two critical problems that have undermined sustainability and hurt coastal communities.  Acute consolidation allowed the fishing magnate to control a significant portion of the fishery, while the absence of effective at-sea and dockside monitoring undermined science-based catch limits. A recent report estimated that Rafael’s holdings account for up to 25 percent of the value of the groundfish fishery, while NOAA continues to assess key New England groundfish stocks as overfished. 

Mr. Rafael pleaded guilty last year to several counts that included falsely labeling large amounts of fish. Then in January, NOAA initiated administrative proceedings against Rafael that are yet to be resolved.

“The individuals, businesses and communities, New Bedford in particular, that depend on fishing continue to face hardship because of Mr. Rafael’s crimes,” said Matt Tinning, EDF’s Senior Director, U.S. Oceans Program.  

EDF called on NOAA to limit the consolidation of permits and quota by requiring multiple buyers when the agency approves the sale of Rafael’s assets. This action would assist more New England fishermen in accessing much needed quota. 

Specifically the letter said: “The consolidation of vessels and permits in this fishery under Mr. Rafael’s control has done real and lasting damage to the social fabric of coastal New England. Despite long-standing calls by EDF and many others for the adoption of meaningful accumulation limits, there have been repeated failures to emulate the kinds of provisions that have been incorporated successfully into management programs in other fisheries.”

EDF also recommended that as a condition of purchase, all of Rafael’s former vessels be fully monitored, and that NOAA use any additional fines collected as a part of this case to fund the adoption of more cost-effective monitoring. The existing New England groundfish monitoring program requires that only 10-14 percent of fishing trips carry an observer to monitor what is caught, and there are no monitors at the docks to ensure a level playing field for all fishermen. In other fisheries, management reform that has included 100 percent monitoring coverage has fueled rapid recovery. For example, Pacific groundfish landings rose almost 50 percent in 2017 under reformed management. 

The closing of the letter underscored the opportunity: “Although there is no way for us to turn back the clock, and the damage done by Rafael will continue to reverberate in New England for years to come, his criminal conviction followed by NOAA Fisheries’ strong civil and administrative assessment does provide a critical opportunity to learn from our mistakes and begin to make amends. The fishery is at such an important juncture, and your actions in this matter could make all the difference.”
 

You can read the full letter here.

Washington, D.C. – The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to release information about the Heartland Institute’s efforts to attack climate science.

 

SELC and EDF had filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for correspondence between EPA and the Heartland Institute. Officials at the Heartland Institute, which has a long history of promoting climate denial, have publicly stated that EPA requested their assistance on Administrator Scott Pruitt’s possible “red team, blue team” review of climate science.

 

The groups filed suit today, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, after EPA failed to comply with those FOIA requests.

 

“EPA’s efforts to promote climate change deniers and undermine peer-reviewed science behind closed doors is not only a failure of its mission, it is illegal,” said Kym Hunter, Attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “The public has a clear and protected right to know what the EPA is doing and with whom they are communicating, including those pushing a climate-denier agenda.”

 

“Even as Americans face growing risks from climate change, Scott Pruitt continues to stonewall common-sense solutions and deny decades of mounting scientific evidence that the problem is real and serious,” said Ben Levitan, Attorney for Environmental Defense Fund. “Americans have a right to know who is influencing Pruitt’s decisions, and who is shaping the agenda at the agency in charge of protecting our health and safety.”

 

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has repeatedly pushed for what he refers to as a “red team, blue team” review of climate science in which rival “teams” selected by EPA would debate the scientific consensus on climate change. Scientists have said such an exercise would circumvent the rigorous, time-tested process of peer review that is used to ensure the integrity of scientific information used by EPA and other federal agencies. 

 

Pruitt’s proposal also ignores the voluminous, peer-reviewed climate science assessments by thousands of scientists from the U.S. and around the world – including two assessments prepared by the Trump Administration – showing that human-caused climate change is a real and urgent threat. EPA itself issued a science-based determination in 2009, following an extensive public comment process, that climate pollutants pose a clear threat to human health and welfare. That finding was upheld by a federal appeals court in 2012.

 

News reports indicate White House Chief of Staff John Kelly nixed Pruitt’s plan after deciding it was ill-conceived, but just this week Pruitt indicated that the idea remains under consideration.

 

After releasing an “Action Plan for President Trump,” the Heartland Institute confirmed in July of 2017 that officials at EPA had reached out for help identifying experts for a “red team” interrogation of climate science. In response, EDF and SELC filed FOIA requests for communications between EPA and the Heartland Institute in August and October of 2017, respectively.

 

After initially acknowledging and clarifying these requests, EPA has stopped communicating with SELC and only offered vague responses with little information on timing or progress to EDF.

 

Coincidentally, SELC and EDF have filed their lawsuit during Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of access to public information. 

Today President Trump announced CIA Director Mike Pompeo will be nominated to replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. 

“Despite our many disagreements with Secretary Tillerson he was, at least, one of the few cabinet secretaries who recognized the science of climate change and reportedly advocated for remaining in the Paris Agreement. This put him at odds with President Trump and his administration’s policies on the environment. 

“Mike Pompeo has repeatedly professed his ignorance on whether the world is warming, and we should take him at his word. His environmental views will fit perfectly with EPA’s Scott Pruitt and his polluter lobbyist friends. But when it comes to working with global allies who are focused on creating good jobs for their clean technology sectors, Mr. Pompeo’s climate views will needlessly leave America on the sidelines.

“As our intelligence community has concluded, climate change is a serious threat to our national security. Ignoring it leaves our economy, security, and children at great risk. Our leadership on the world stage should reflect the views not only of our intelligence community, but that of the thousands of American mayors, governors, CEOs, civil society leaders, and millions of citizens who have expressed their commitment to ambitious climate action.”

 

Today, New York’s leading environmental advocates rallied on the steps of City Hall to demand legislators pass the Fix NYC plan in order to tackle the region’s transportation crisis, as well as mounting concerns over New Yorkers’ health and the environment.

“Our City’s transit system has become an antiquated, unreliable liability for the region’s economy and New York’s standing as a global city,” said Alex Matthiessen, Move NY campaign director. “And as we clog our streets with ever more cars and trucks, we load up the skies with carbon and poison the lungs of our children with smog; it’s not a coincidence that asthma rates are higher near the traffic-jammed free crossings into the Central Business District. The Governor’s Fix NYC panel came up with a serious plan to address a serious crisis. It’s time for our state leaders to pass the full Fix NYC plan. New Yorkers can’t afford to wait any longer.”

 

Governor Cuomo convened the Fix NYC Advisory Panel in the fall 2017. Since the panel’s inception, several news outlets – including The New York Times – have editorialized in support of a bold and fair congestion pricing plan.

 

“For nearly fifty years, the New York City transit system has suffered from the lack of a permanent and robust dedicated funding source,” said Eric A. Goldstein, NYC Environment Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “And for just as long, traffic congestion in the nation’s most densely populated city has led to lost productivity, air pollution discharges and the frayed tempers of millions.  There’s never been a better opportunity to act than the pending Fix NYC Plan and we call upon Governor Cuomo, Speaker Heastie and Leader Flanagan to seize the moment and include funding for Fix NYC in this year’s budget.”

 

“Traffic congestion and failing subways and buses hit the City’s underserved neighborhoods the hardest,” said Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. “The Fix NYC plan will reinvest in the system that New York’s working families rely on while expanding transit access to those least well served. And by cutting traffic in and around the Central Business District, the Fix NYC plan would help reduce smog and the high asthma rates that go with it, thus protecting our most vulnerable communities.”

 

“The ‘summer of hell’ for transit and traffic is here to stay – unless Albany acts now,” said Andy Darrell, New York Regional Director of the Environmental Defense Fund. “The most reasonable path forward is action on the FixNYC proposal, including improved transit for communities without access, $1 billion in investments for infrastructure and a fair, flexible congestion pricing system that pays the bills, connects people with jobs and cuts pollution in our neighborhoods.”

 

“Though New Yorkers currently have among the smallest carbon footprints in the nation due in large part to our sizable public transit system, deteriorating subway service and idling from vehicles stuck in traffic have the potential to imperil our progress toward reaching the state’s 80x50 climate goal,” said Marcia Bystryn, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “A well-crafted congestion pricing scheme has the greatest potential to raise significant funds, create progressive incentives to manage traffic flow, and reduce transportation related carbon emissions.”

 

“Moms across New York are uniting to support action to reduce toxic traffic emissions that are so dangerous to our children’s lungs, hearts and brains. We need a transit and traffic system that works for—and protects—all of us,” said Dominique Browning, Senior Director of the Moms Clean Air Task Force.

 

“New York is growing as our transit systems are crumbling. We need progressive transit thinking and leadership now. The Fix NYC is the ticket,” said Roland Lewis, President of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. “The plan will unclog our streets and create needed resources to get the old standbys buses and subways running smoothly again and create new alternatives like ferries to ease our transit burden.”

 

“Our worst-ever traffic congestion and outdated transit system is hurting our City – and no-one more than the most vulnerable among us,” said Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director of UPROSE. “We’ve seen this crisis with our subways and buses coming for years. Now, with the Fix NYC plan on the table, we have a chance to do something about it. If Albany is serious about helping low and middle income New Yorkers and communities of color escape the past ravages of environmental injustice, now is the time for a serious plan to fix our broken transportation system. Fix NYC is the right plan at the right time to get the job done.”  

 

“Less traffic and better transit are essential to New York’s economic future and to the health of the air we all breathe,” said Peggy Shepard, Executive Director of WE ACT.

 

“New York’s streets are in desperate need of a decongestant and our transit systems need sustained funding so that we can move people effectively and efficiently. Governor Cuomo and Legislative leaders must buckle down and come out of budget negotiations this year with a true congestion pricing plan that addresses the health and environmental impacts of our failing transportation sector, ” said Peter Iwanowicz, Executive Director of Environmental Advocates of New York.

Last week, the Let’s FixNYC campaign launched a month-long advocacy and public education campaign to pressure Albany and NYC policymakers to act immediately and implement a comprehensive congestion pricing plan.

NEWS RELEASE

(March 12, 2018) Following months of inaction from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a U.S. District Court today ordered the agency to move forward with implementation of life-saving protections to reduce smog.

The order comes in response to legal challenges filed by a broad coalition of states, and by a coalition of health and environmental groups – including EDF – which challenged EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s illegal delay in implementing the smog protections.

 

“Today’s court decision is a big win for the health of America’s children. It will help us protect families and communities by ensuring that EPA is moving forward to implement health-based protections to reduce smog,” said EDF attorney Rachel Fullmer. “The order likewise ensures all Americans have transparent information about harmful air pollution in their communities.”

Today’s order ensures that EPA will implement the health-based 2015 Ozone Standards. Ground-level ozone is a key component in smog. It is a dangerous air pollutant that irritates the lungs, exacerbates lung conditions like asthma, and is linked to a wide-array of serious heart and lung diseases. Smog is particularly harmful for children, seniors, people with lung impairments like asthma, and anyone active outdoors.

 

EPA estimates that, when communities meet the smog standard, it will save hundreds of lives, prevent 230,000 asthma attacks in children, and prevent 160,000 missed school days for kids each year.

 

Today’s order ensures EPA moves forward expeditiously to determine those areas of the country that meet or exceed the 2015 health-based smog standard — an important step in restoring healthy air in communities across the country facing elevated pollution level.

 

EDF was joined by the American Lung Association, American Public Health Association, American Thoracic Society, Appalachian Mountain Club, The Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, Environmental Law & Policy Center, National Parks Conservation Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and West Harlem Environmental Action in the court challenge.

 

The states involved in the case were California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

(Riviera Maya, Mexico – March 9, 2018) The following is a statement released today at the World Ocean Summit by Environmental Defense Fund’s Amanda Leland, Senior Vice President, Oceans:

“Environmental Defense Fund and Meloy Fund commit to working with The Economist Group’s newly formed World Ocean Initiative to make environmentally and socially responsible investment in wild fisheries the industry standard.

Specifically, we commit to convene global financial institutions in 2018 and promote adoption of the Principles for Investment in Sustainable Wild-Caught Fisheries.

By World Ocean Summit 2019, our goal is to see the Principles become the industry standard, thereby directing public and private capital flows toward responsible investment.”

(Riviera Maya, Mexico – March 9, 2018) Today at the World Ocean Summit, the government of Belize has announced it will expand its network of no-take zones, a type of marine protected area, from approximately 3 percent to over 10 percent by the end of 2018. The expanded areas are managed in concert with a national secure fishing rights program established in 2016.

 “For Belize, a healthy ocean and small-scale fishing are a matter of survival,” said Fisheries Administrator Beverly Wade. “We are a country dependent on our seas for jobs, income, and food. We are taking this step because the culture and health of our communities are intricately tied to healthy reefs and fisheries.”

This new expansion comes as Belize was recently recognized for the impact of its sustainable fisheries. According to the most recent ‘Mesoamerican Reef Report Card’ by Healthy Reef for Healthy People, Belize’s no-take zones show growing fish populations and biodiversity.

 “Belize continues to show the world the way forward,” said Amanda Leland, EDF’s senior vice president for Oceans. “With secure fishing rights already established nationwide, expansion of these no-take zones shows how sustainable fishing and protected areas can work together to create healthy reefs and growing fish populations that will provide long-term benefits for the people who depend on them.” 

Along the Belize Barrier Reef there is magnificent biodiversity - mangroves, corals, seagrass, cayes and their populations of conch, lobster, and reef fish. In 2016, in response to growing threats to the health of their fisheries, Belize established a nationwide secure fishing rights program, the first of its kind in the world.

 Belize’s approach creates incentives for fishing communities to become stewards of their fisheries. At the center of the solution being adopted by Belize is a combination of secure fishing rights and empowerment of fishermen called “Managed Access”. Under this approach, fishers and fishing communities control their own future through licenses, giving them access to fish in specific geographic areas—or Territorial Use Right for Fishing (TURF) —of the fishery, and responsibilities to help manage the areas and observe regulations. 

Together, managed access and no-take zones are designed to help rebuild fish populations while protecting critical habitat. The expansion announced today will help Belize meet the challenge of protecting the second largest barrier reef in the world, while ensuring its resources can help meet sustainable development goals.

 “These expanded no-take zones combined with sustainable fishing are essential for achieving Belize’s objectives for environmental conservation and biodiversity while providing a source of healthy nutrition and food security, and jobs in some of our most vulnerable communities,” said Wade. Belize hopes that its approach -which emphasizes science, sustainability and community co-management- will open up new opportunities for the seafood industry, and for blended and private capital to finance the reform and governance of fisheries. It is estimated that more than $200 billion of investment is needed globally to implement sustainable fishing reforms. 

“These remarkable efforts in Belize have already demonstrated reductions in illegal fishing, models of community-based co-management of fisheries, and improvements in the health of its valuable coral reef ecosystem,” said Larry Epstein, Director for EDF. “Those looking to invest in countries committed to sustainable fishing reforms should take note.”

NEWS RELEASE

(March 8, 2018- WASHINGTON) Clean diesel technology upgrades for large tug and switcher locomotive engines cost only $4,379 to $15,201 per ton of nitrogen oxides (NOx), compared to more than $30,000 per ton of NOx for many other diesel emission reduction projects.

The Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today released a report documenting the significant emission reduction benefits that can be gained by replacing older engines in tug boats and switcher locomotives with the latest clean diesel models. Funds from Volkswagen’s (VW) $2.9 billion environmental trust, established to mitigate for the excess emissions resulting from defeat devices on 590,000 diesel vehicles, can be used to help pay the cost of repowering these and other old diesel engines.

The joint research estimates that replacing older engines in a typical tug boat with the latest clean diesel model that meets the latest emissions milestones can eliminate on average 14.9 tons of NOx emissions per year. A similar activity for switchers can reduce NOx emissions by 9.0 tons per year.

DTF and EDF’s research confirms that upgrading tug and switcher engines to the latest clean diesel technology offers the most cost-effective option for reducing diesel emissions. Replacing tugboat engines with clean diesel technology costs on average $4,379 per ton of NOx eliminated, while upgrading a switcher engine costs $15,201 per ton.

“The substantial reductions possible with clean diesel replacements offer great news for communities near ports and rail yards. These areas are often among those most vulnerable to smog-forming compounds like NOx, so residents there stand to reap the greatest benefits,” said Allen Schaeffer, DTF Executive Director. “While engine replacement projects are costly, the return on the investment on a dollar-per-ton of emissions reduced makes these projects a compelling choice. States looking to maximize cost-effective investments to reduce NOx emissions should prioritize clean diesel upgrades for tug and switcher engines.”

“Many tugs and switchers operate in ports that fail to meet federal health-based air quality standards,” said Dr. Elena Craft, EDF Senior Health Scientist. “Repowering older tug and switcher engines can deliver cleaner, healthier air faster to at-risk communities near ports. These new engines also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and black carbon, two important climate pollutants.”

Starting in 2015, new clean diesel engines used in marine applications and switcher locomotives in the United States were required to meet Tier 4 emissions standards. Relative to previous generations of technology, the latest clean diesel technologies can reduce emissions, including NOx and fine particle emissions (PM2.5), by 88 percent to 95 percent. While the latest clean diesel technologies are ready and available to reduce emissions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that by 2020, unless action is taken, only 5 percent of the switch locomotive and 3 percent of the marine workboat fleets will be powered by these clean technologies.

“Right now, state governments have an opportunity to get more of these clean technologies out in the field to deliver immediate emission reductions for communities near port operations,” said Schaeffer. “The recent settlement with VW established an environmental remediation program that will soon provide $2.9 billion to states for the sole purpose of reducing NOx emissions. Policymakers looking to reduce emissions quickly for communities near ports and rail lines should consider these highly cost-effective clean diesel solutions.”

Benefit Analysis, NOx Reductions for Large Engines
	Parts & Labor Cost (total)	NOx Reduction (tons/year)	Cost Effectiveness
			Full Cost ($/ton)	40% Cost ($/ton)
Tug	$1,400,000	14.9	$4,379	$1,752
Switcher	$2,600,000	9.0	$15,201	$6,080

 

Benefit Analysis, NOx Reductions for Large Engines Parts & Labor Cost (total) NOx Reduction (tons/year) Cost Effectiveness Full Cost ($/ton) 40% Cost ($/ton) Tug $1,400,000 14.9 $4,379 $1,752 Switcher $2,600,000 9.0 $15,201 $6,080

Source data available here.

Click here for infographics on the pollution benefits of investing in switchers and tug engine upgrades.