Complete list of press releases

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) released a new report today outlining the widespread benefits of low-income energy efficiency programs and concrete steps that states can take toward energy efficiency for all as they continue to step up on climate action.

“All Americans should have the opportunity to benefit from the cost savings and health improvements that energy efficiency measures can offer,” said EDF policy analyst Charlie Jiang. “States are already leading the way in addressing the threat of climate change and advancing clean energy. With the right policies in place, low-income households could take advantage of opportunities to cut their energy use by 20 percent or more, and save hundreds of dollars each year on their electric bills. Plus, helping everyone use less energy will mean a safer, healthier world for all of us.”

About 30 percent of U.S. households have incomes at or below twice the federal poverty level. Those households use roughly 30 percent of all residential electricity, but only six percent of U.S. energy efficiency spending is geared toward them.

Maximizing the potential from low-income energy efficiency could save more than $7.4 billion worth of electricity every year, and cut carbon pollution by 48 million tons every year – the equivalent of taking nine million cars off the road. It would also protect Americans’ health, support community jobs, and save money for the families that need it most.

EDF partnered on the report with the Applied Public Policy Research Institute for Study and Evaluation (APPRISE).

“Low-income and vulnerable households face the greatest challenges meeting their energy needs. Ratepayer-funded and government programs can address these issues with comprehensive energy efficiency treatments and resources for addressing health and safety barriers,” said Jacqueline Berger, president of APPRISE. “This report provides key information on how barriers to increasing investments can be overcome and how efforts can most effectively be focused.”

The new report looks at the obstacles to low-income energy efficiency – from creditworthiness requirements to language barriers to structural problems with older or poorly-maintained homes.

The report suggests eight steps that states, cities, and electric utilities can take to scale up low-income energy efficiency, including:

• Enacting policies to incentivize investment in low-income energy efficiency
• Maximizing the use of federal funds for energy efficiency programs
• Using inclusive financing mechanisms such as Pay as You Save
• Focusing on high-energy users and vulnerable households
• Working with trusted community organizations to reach more customers
• Addressing health and structural issues that prevent energy efficiency, like homes that have mold or leaking roofs

The report also highlights successful programs that are already working around the country, including in Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

An eight-page summary of the report is available here.

A webpage with more information, including a link to the full 264-page report, is available here.

(Washington, D.C. – February 12, 2018) The Trump Administration is planning to slash fuel economy and pollution standards for America’s future cars, according to news reports.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is reportedly considering lowering our national Clean Car Standards – from a goal of 49.7 miles per gallon by 2026, to only 35.7 miles per gallon by 2026. That would effectively stall progress on better fuel economy standards, cost American families money, and add more than 100 million additional tons of dangerous climate pollution into our air each year by 2030.

“The Clean Car Standards save American families money, protect their health, and support the innovation that creates jobs and helps us compete globally,” said Jason Mathers, EDF Director of On Road Vehicles. “At a time when other countries are proposing to move away from internal combustion cars altogether, we should be racing to create the technologies and the cars of the future. Instead, the Trump Administration seems to be taking us down a dead end road.”

News reports say the Trump Administration is considering the rollback to help auto makers. However, every top auto company is currently touting major advances in clean technologies.

The Clean Car Standards will save the average American family more than $8,000 dollars on gas over the lifetime of their car, reduce our oil consumption by billions of barrels, and reduce the pollution that causes climate change.

The Clean Car Standards have also spurred efforts to create electric or other zero emission vehicles, at a time when countries including Great Britain, France and India have announced plans to stop selling gas and diesel-powered cars in the next decade or two. Rolling back the standards will put U.S. businesses, and jobs, at a global disadvantage.

“The Trump administration budget released today is a blueprint for a less healthy, more polluted America. A budget shows your values – and this budget shows the administration doesn’t value clean air, clean water, or protecting Americans from toxic pollution.

“For the second year in a row, President Trump has proposed devastating cuts to EPA, despite the fact that its budget in real terms has been cut by more than half over the last four decades. The direct result of these reckless cuts will be more asthma attacks for our kids, more cancer and diabetes, and thousand more deaths from pollution.

“EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt claims to want a cleaner environment, but his actions – and this budget – prove the opposite.

“You can’t clean the air while slashing funding for air pollution monitoring.

“You can’t hold polluters accountable by cutting the enforcement program, even as there are already fewer agents than required by law.

“You can’t protect Americans from toxic chemicals while underfunding and eliminating critical research programs that evaluate potentially hazardous chemicals — and leaving that program in the hands of someone who came directly from the chemical industry lobbying association.

“You can’t protect Americans from toxic waste if you ignore the EPA Inspector General’s conclusion that the Superfund program is “insufficiently” staffed — and leave the program in the hands of Mr. Pruitt’s banker friend, a man who has been banned from his industry for life for mismanagement and malfeasance.

“You can’t protect our children’s future by slashing climate change programs, lifting limits on climate pollution, and undermining science.

“Mr. Pruitt is a polished politician, but this budget proves his real intentions: To gut EPA so that the industries which have always supported his career can do whatever they want to our air and water. It is our kids who will suffer the most.

“The irresponsibility in this budget does not stop with EPA cuts.

“Even after seeing the dangerous toxics released from plants in Texas following Hurricane Harvey, the Trump administration still wants to cut the independent agency that investigates chemical disasters. That is reckless.

“The research and development in clean energy and efficiency that’s being done at the Department of Energy is the cornerstone of our country’s efforts to develop the clean energy future we all want. Cuts to these programs will hurt American competitiveness and job creation.

“”Across-the-board cuts for land, water and wildlife conservation programs will have devastating impacts on people and nature. Specifically, cuts to Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Agriculture and Forest Service Forest Service programs will put imperiled species, ecosystems and communities at even greater risk than they already are. At a time when wildfires, droughts, hurricanes and other extreme weather events are only increasing, and the administration is expanding infrastructure and energy development, we can’t afford any more cuts to programs that make us more climate resilient.

“”The Administration’s larger infrastructure proposal, also mentioned in today’s announcement, appears to undermine the safeguards that protect our air, land, and water. Smart and sustainable infrastructure projects create more jobs, better jobs, and better lives for American families. Let’s take this opportunity to rebuild a cleaner America.”

- Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense Fund“

(February 9, 2018) – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has voted unanimously to adopt strong new pollution standards for freight trucks.

“CARB’s vote for safer, cleaner freight trucks will help protect the health of California families and communities against the impacts of climate change and dangerous pollution linked to asthma attacks, heart and lung diseases, and cancer,” said EDF attorney Alice Henderson. “Protective standards will spur new technology for trucks, advancing the California economy. At a time when the Trump Administration is trying to roll back vital health and environmental protections, it’s even more welcome to see strong leadership from states like California.”

Henderson testified for EDF at yesterday’s hearing before the vote. EDF also submitted comments, along with a coalition of environmental and public health groups. You can read the full comments here.

CARB voted to incentivize technologies for zero emission trucks, to adopt standards for trailers, and not to allow a loophole that would have exempted super-polluting glider trucks from its pollution standards.

Glider trucks are heavy-duty freight trucks with refurbished engines that lack modern pollution controls. They can emit harmful pollution at a rate up to 450 times that of other freight trucks. EPA took action in the 2016 Clean Truck Standards to curb emissions glider trucks, but EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is now trying to create a legal loophole to allow glider trucks to evade modern pollution controls.

Representatives from the heavy-duty freight truck industry, including the American Trucking Associations, the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, voiced their support for California’s adoption of these standards.

Today, a letter signed by more than 100 people was submitted to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees demanding the protection of EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program. The signers come from communities and states across the country dealing with contamination of drinking water from perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) – a class of chemicals that persist in the environment and threaten human health. The IRIS program is vital for developing scientific assessments of chemicals like PFCs and providing support to state and local governments that desperately need EPA’s help.

“IRIS does the foundational science that helps protect families from harmful chemicals like PFOA, which is associated with ulcerative colitis and cancer,” said Dr. Jennifer McPartland, Senior Scientist at Environmental Defense Fund. “Losing IRIS would be devastating for the families who are exposed to toxic chemicals.”

The letter urges committee members to oppose the Senate’s proposal for the FY2018 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies’ funding bill that would eliminate the IRIS program. Housed in EPA’s Office of Research and Development – a non-regulatory arm of the agency – the IRIS program provides robust chemical hazard assessments used by offices across EPA, other federal agencies, as well as local and state governments. The assessments are crucial for making public health decisions on everything from determining clean-up levels at contaminated sites to setting water health advisories and evaluating the risks of chemicals in commerce. 

“The proposal to defund EPA’s IRIS program is anti-science and a slap in the face to polluted communities,” said EWG Legislative Attorney Melanie Benesh. “IRIS provides vital scientific information about chemical safety that is relied on by regulators and concerned citizens across the country. Eliminating the program would completely undermine efforts to clean up contaminated communities or set any new chemical safety standards, which are sorely needed.”

The need for the IRIS program is even more apparent as communities grapple with responding to the widespread crisis of PFC contamination in water. From large cities to small towns, communities across the country are struggling with how best to manage contamination from well-known toxic PFCs, like PFOA and PFOS, while understanding and protecting against the potential health risks from less well-studied PFCs like GenX.

“With news reports coming out daily about industrial and agriculture pollution fouling rivers, lakes and streams, it’s clear the crisis facing the nation’s drinking water sources has reached a tipping point,” said Kemp Burdette, Cape Fear RiverKeeper. “And not a single congressional district or state is free from chemical contamination, which is exactly why Congress should protect IRIS and the invaluable resources it provides local communities.” Burdette is one of 58 signers from North Carolina. 

“I’m worried about my family’s health,” said David Berrey of Fairbanks, Alaska. “Last year, tests on my well showed PFOA and PFOS levels over five times higher than EPA’s health advisories. Many of my friends and neighbors are suffering health problems from this contamination. We need a strong IRIS program to help investigate the high levels of PFCs in our drinking water.” Berrey and 14 other Alaskans signed the letter.

“We cannot ignore the human cost of PFC contamination,” said Hope Grosse, a cancer survivor from Warminster, Pennsylvania, where drinking water tests have revealed some of the highest levels of PFOA and PFOS in the nation. “My father passed away from cancer, I know too many friends and neighbors who have been sickened or even killed. The IRIS program is essential for studying toxic chemicals like PFOA and PFOS. I urge our Senators and the EPA to fully support IRIS.” Grosse is one of eight signers from Pennsylvania.

Studies have linked exposure to certain PFCs to a variety of threats – including cancer, immune problems, developmental effects, and thyroid disease – while efforts to understand the effects of other PFCs are challenged by significant data gaps. IRIS scientists and the program’s chemical assessments are vital for evaluating and providing advice on chemicals like PFCs to inform environmental and public health decisions by state and local governments.

With overwhelming local support and need for the program, the letter demonstrates that this is not the time to eliminate or otherwise undermine IRIS. Such a decision would cost the EPA needed scientific expertise that serves the agency, regions, and states and would ultimately threaten public health across the country.

(WASHINGTON, DC – February 7, 2018) An article published today in the journal BioScience demonstrates that nitrogen balance (N balance) is a simple, science-based way to track environmental outcomes from conservation practices at the farm, regional and national levels.

N balance measures how much of the nitrogen fertilizer applied to crops is lost to the environment. Improving N balance – through practices such as cover crops and crop rotation – reduces water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, while using fertilizer more efficiently for crop yield.

“With farmers, food companies and policymakers under increasing pressure to prove that on-farm conservation efforts are delivering real water quality and climate improvements, saying ‘trust me’ doesn’t cut it anymore. N balance is a user-friendly way to demonstrate environmental progress,” said lead author and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) lead senior scientist Eileen McLellan.

Researchers from EDF, University of Nebraska and Cornell University tested the relationship between N balance and nitrogen losses using two complementary approaches: an analysis of published field data and a simulation model of 18 locations across the Corn Belt. Each approach provided compelling evidence that N balance is a robust proxy measure of nitrogen losses to the environment.

“The power of N balance comes from its simplicity and scalability,” added McLellan. “Existing approaches for measuring environmental outcomes are complex and burdensome. N balance is simple to calculate with readily available farm data.”

Although N balance has been used in Europe and with livestock agriculture, it has yet to be widely applied to U.S. commodity-scale row crop production.

In 2018, EDF will collaborate with farmer, food industry and research partners to conduct pilot projects to test the value of N balance for benchmarking improvements in nutrient runoff and greenhouse gas emissions – from the individual farm level to an entire supply chain sourcing region.

Funding disclosure:

Funding support for this work came from the Walton Family Foundation, the David R. and Patricia D. Atkinson Foundation and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future – Cornell University.

(Washington, D.C. – February 7, 2017) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has filed comments urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move forward with its legal duty to protect Americans from smog.

EDF’s comments call on EPA to “expeditiously finalize” area designations under the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone – more commonly called smog. The designations play a crucial role by letting all areas of the country know whether they are in attainment with our national clean air standards for smog, or if they should take steps to reduce pollution and protect the health of their citizens.

“All Americans deserve clean air, and are entitled to know whether the air they breathe meets the national health-based standard,” said EDF attorney Rachel Fullmer. “It is imperative that EPA finish the area designations for smog quickly, so communities suffering from unhealthy levels of pollution can take steps to reduce it.”

Smog is one of the harmful pollutants that EPA is required to regulate under the Clean Air Act. It exacerbates lung conditions like asthma and is linked to a wide-array of serious heart and lung diseases. Ozone pollution is particularly harmful for children, seniors, people with lung impairments like asthma, and anyone active outdoors.

EPA strengthened America’s smog standard in 2015 based on an extensive scientific record showing that earlier standards were inadequate to protect public health and welfare. EPA estimates that when communities meet the 2015 smog standard it will save hundreds of lives each year, prevent 230,000 asthma attacks in children each year, and prevent 160,000 missed school days for children each year.

EPA faced a legal deadline of October 1, 2017, to identify areas that have unhealthy pollution levels and must clean up their air because they violate the 2015 smog standard. When EPA missed that deadline, EDF and a broad coalition of public health, environmental, and community groups filed a lawsuit.

EPA accepted public comments on the area designations through February 5, and has said it will finalize those designations by April.

You can read EDF’s full comments here.

(NEW YORK – February 7, 2018) Winter is tough on our region’s infrastructure. That includes the underground pipes supplying natural gas to thousands of homes and businesses. Freeze/thaw cycles put extra strain on aging lines precisely when customers need gas most, creating maintenance challenges for utility operators to grapple with year-round.

Now, New York’s Consolidated Edison is experimenting with new advanced leak detection technology, in partnership with the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund, Google Earth Outreach and the Colorado State University, to help prioritize the repair and replacement of aging natural gas lines under the streets of New York City and Westchester County. Data was generated using Google Street View mapping cars specially equipped with methane sensors.

“Eliminating leaks from older pipes is a challenge for gas utilities everywhere. This technology helps focus efforts where they deliver the biggest benefits by reducing wasted gas and lowering methane emissions,” said Jonathan Peress, Senior Director of Energy Market Policy. “Reducing methane emissions is one of the quickest ways we have to protect the climate. That’s why we’re glad to see Con Edison embrace solutions like this one.”

A two-minute video on the EDF/Google Earth Outreach mapping technology is here.

Persistent leaks represent both a waste of customer resources and needless impact on the environment, because methane – the main element in natural gas – is a potent greenhouse gas. In recent years, rapidly repairing large leaks and replacing leak-prone supply pipes has become increasingly important for utilities and regulators nationwide.

Using cutting-edge spatial analytics combined with methane sensors specially fitted to Google Street View mapping cars to map and measure leaks hidden beneath local streets quickly and efficiently, EDF calculates that Con Edison was able to reduce nearly twice the estimated volume of methane escaping from areas surveyed in a recent pilot project compared with a business-as-usual approach.

Like many utilities, Con Edison is focused on reducing the backlog of leaks on its gas system. Companies are required to fix dangerous leaks quickly, but leaks classified as non-hazardous can often persist for years. In fact, researchers estimate there are over a million of these non-hazardous leaks nationwide, all of which contribute to climate change. The new approach makes it much easier to identify which non-hazardous leaks are releasing the most gas and to prioritize those for immediate repair.

“Both Con Edison and EDF are committed to protecting the environment, and we are pleased to be working with them to identify technology that advances our efforts to reduce methane emissions from our distribution system, ” said Marc Huestis, Con Edison’s Senior Vice President of Gas Operations. “By working together, sharing information, and using the most sophisticated technology available, we’re optimizing our leak reduction efforts to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

EDF, Google and CSU have been developing advanced leak detection technology for six years, first in open-air laboratories, then by surveying and mapping leaks in the field, working with utilities in a dozen U.S. cities to spotlight the methane issue and show it can be addressed cost-effectively. Nationwide, utilities are increasingly using new advanced leak detection technologies to prioritize repair programs, and EDF expects to see the trend grow as commercial vendors continue to enter the market.

For its part, Con Edison publishes an online map of all reported leaks on its system, both hazardous and non-hazardous, updated every 24 hours, and urges customers to report any possible leaks they encounter, even if they’re already on the map.

Environmental organizations filed a motion on Friday to halt hearings on Dynegy’s proposal, which would weaken pollution standards for the company’s coal-fired power plants in central and southern Illinois, until its merger with Vistra is complete. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Sierra Club, and Respiratory Health Association (RHA) are asking to stay hearings for a rule before the Illinois Pollution Control Board that was drafted with substantial input from Dynegy. The proposed changes would allow Dynegy’s fleet to pollute nearly double the sulfur dioxide and nearly 80 percent more nitrogen oxide than the company emitted in 2016, both dangerous pollutants.

Vistra has not been involved in this rulemaking and, according to Dynegy, will not be bound to any of Dynegy’s statements about how it would operate the plants were the rule to be implemented. The environmental groups argue that the rulemaking should be put on hold until the merger is finished and the plans of the new company are better understood. Moreover, the resulting company will have over four billion dollars in equity and face an entirely different financial situation, undercutting Dynegy’s main argument for the rule change.

“This proposal would let Dynegy’s dirtiest coal plants pollute more, and is just one of the ways the company is trying to bail out its aging, uneconomic power plants. The health of Illinois shouldn’t suffer to make up for Dynegy’s poor business decisions.”

• Christie Hicks, Manager, Clean Energy Regulatory Implementation

“The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has been talking to the wrong company. It’s time to put an end to this poorly conceived, backroom proposal to boost profits at the expense of public health.”

• Lindsay Dubin, Staff Attorney, ELPC

“This motion will ensure that Illinois doesn’t rush to change important pollution standards that protect the health and environment of Illinoisans only to help a company that will no longer be in existence by the middle of this year.”

• Toba Pearlman, staff attorney at the NRDC

“Sierra Club members in Illinois have been working to hold Dynegy accountable for years. Our members, volunteers and allies are tired of seeing Dynegy crying broke and asking for handouts at the expense of Illinois families. In the Peoria area, where there are multiple Dynegy plants, we’ve seen the impacts first hand. The last thing Governor Rauner and the State of Illinois should be doing is bailing out aging, polluting coal plants so that a Texas energy corporation can boost its profits.”

• Joyce Blumenshine, Sierra Club Heart of Illinois Group Chair

“Governor Rauner must tell Dynegy to stand down and let the new owners at Texas-based Vistra Energy lay out their plans for these dangerous coal plants. If Vistra is taking over these coal plants this spring and also wants to sicken and kill Illinois residents by doubling the deadly pollution those coal plants emit, let’s hear it directly from them.”

• Brian Urbaszewski, Director Environmental Health Programs, RHA

(February 2, 2018 – Sacramento, CA) The California Water Commission today announced public benefit ratio scores for 11 water storage projects being proposed for Proposition 1 funding. In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 1, which included $2.7 billion for water storage projects such as new dams, reservoirs and groundwater banks. Funding for each project is contingent on the public benefits it provides, as measured in the ratio scores released today. 

“The release of the public benefit ratio scores for proposed California water storage projects is an important milestone on the path to a secure water future for the state. I commend the California Water Commission for all of the hard work that has been done to get to this point. 

“Additional water storage will be necessary to make California more resilient to drought and changing hydrology. Yesterday’s dismal snowpack survey – 27 percent of ‘normal’ for this time of year – only reinforces that the state needs to change how it manages water to meet the needs of our communities, the economy and the environment. 

“There are some truly innovative projects being proposed for funding, notable among them is the South County Ag Program proposed by the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District. In addition to meeting fundamental water storage objectives, this project provides multiple benefits for groundwater-dependent habitats and agricultural lands. It’s exactly the kind of project needed to meet Proposition 1 funding goals. 

“Historically, the state has used water storage mostly for supplying water to farms and cities, so figuring out how to best use water storage for environmental purposes is a new challenge that requires innovative thinking and new approaches. So it’s not surprising that the evaluation of the public benefits of these projects has been especially challenging. I encourage the California Water Commission, state agency staff and the project proponents to embrace this challenge and advance projects that deliver the environmental benefits and water supply resilience that California needs.”

• Maurice Hall, Associate Vice President of Western Water, Environmental Defense Fund

(NEW ORLEANS – February 2, 2018) The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has recommended that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) approve pilots for all five Gulf States to test state management of recreational fishing for red snapper. The Council’s approval of the pilots, known as Exempted Fishing Permits or EFPs, came with the caveat that the decision by some states to include their federal charter/for-hire vessels (and the corresponding quota allocations that are associated with them) not result in shrinking the federal charter season for the rest of the states.

The following is a statement from Matt Tinning, Senior Director of Environmental Defense Fund’s U.S. Oceans Program:

“EDF has long called for innovations in the way we manage recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, and we applaud those who are considering new approaches. We support this two-year opportunity for the states to show that they can manage their private red snapper anglers under the conservation tenets of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

“It is important that federal charter boats who do not wish to participate are treated fairly. These captains have worked for years to stabilize their seasons and are now close to finishing development of new federal fishery management plans.

“We stand ready to provide support to NMFS, state fishery leaders, and fishermen as they undertake the complex discussions necessary to resolve the remaining issues.”

(Washington, D.C. – January 31, 2018) President Trump plans to propose a 72 percent cut in funding for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, according to a leaked draft of the DOE budget for fiscal year 2019.

According to published reports, the President’s proposal would cut the department’s budget for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs from more than $2 billion down to about $576 million. That 72 percent cut exceeds the aggressive 68 percent cut he proposed in his budget for fiscal year 2018 – a proposal that Congress has so far refused to adopt.

“President Trump is ordering a devastating blow to the clean energy revolution that employs millions of workers across America,” said Elgie Holstein, EDF’s Senior Director for Strategic Planning. “The research and development in clean energy and efficiency that’s being done at DOE is the cornerstone of our country’s efforts to develop the clean energy future we all want.”

Energy efficiency has remained consistent as the lowest-cost resource over the past decade, and wind and solar jobs are currently outpacing those in the coal and gas industry in 30 states, including D.C. However, the Trump Administration has repeatedly tried to favor fossil fuels over clean energy, including a recent attempt to have the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) help prop up the coal industry.

“Evidently, the President has learned nothing from his failed attempts to protect coal from competition in the marketplace,” said Holstein. “His administration tried, unsuccessfully, to get FERC to provide profit guarantees for the coal industry, and now he is trying a second time to cripple research and development work in support of renewable energy and efficiency.”

The President’s budget would also reportedly eliminate the Low-Income Weatherization program, which helps disadvantaged households reduce their heating and air conditioning bills.

The budget proposals are expected to be released on February 12, 2018.