Complete list of press releases

(BONN, Germany – Nov. 17, 2017) At the first UN climate talks since President Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, countries made incremental but meaningful progress. Outside the negotiating rooms, in the U.S. Climate Action Center, a broad coalition of U.S. governors, mayors, business executives, and citizens made clear their commitments to climate action despite the position of the Trump Administration.

“In the same week that we learned global carbon pollution is on the rise again after three flat years, the Trump administration came to Bonn to sell the world on fossil fuels. The good news is that the world wasn’t buying," said Nathaniel Keohane, Vice President for Global Climate, Environmental Defense Fund.

“The story of these climate talks was that however much Donald Trump wants to take us backward on climate change, the rest of the world – and the rest of the U.S. – is intent on moving forward.

“Trump doesn’t speak for America on climate change – not for the majority of U.S. citizens who support action on climate change, nor for the 2,500 cities, counties, states, businesses and universities that have pledged their support for the Paris Agreement goals.”

Progress was made at the talks on such issues as developing the “rulebook” for implementing the Paris Agreement, including a first draft of elements that will be essential to avoiding double counting of emissions reductions and ensuring that all countries report – and are reviewed – on their progress in meeting their emissions targets. Significant work remains if countries hope to complete the rulebook by their agreed deadline at the end of next year.

(November 16, 2017—Raleigh, NC) Today the Environmental Defense Fund commends North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis for announcing their opposition to the nominee to oversee chemical safety at EPA, Michael Dourson. As first reported by the Wilmington Star News, both Senators issued statements Wednesday night opposing the nominee, who has a long history of working to downplay concerns about toxic chemicals for industry clients, including chemicals that have impacted thousands of Tar Heel families.

David Kelly, Manger for North Carolina Political Affairs at Environmental Defense Fund, said:

“We commend Senators Burr and Tillis for recognizing that Michael Dourson, who has made a career minimizing the dangers of chemicals like the ones affecting communities from Camp Lejeune to Wilmington, is not the right person to lead our nation’s chemical safety system. We are hopeful that other Senators will follow the lead of our Tar Heel State Senators, who are taking a strong stand for North Carolina families.”

Dourson, the controversial nominee to lead the chemical safety office at EPA, is a deeply conflicted chemical industry hired-gun who should be especially concerning to North Carolina families. Among the chemicals Dourson has been paid to downplay are chemicals that have impacted Wilmington, other communities along the Cape Fear River, and Marine Corp Base Camp Lejeune in Onslow County.

Over and over again, Dourson has recommended standards that were much less protective than those set by impartial authorities. If confirmed, Dourson would be charged with overseeing the safety of chemicals like trichloroethylene (TCE) and GenX and determining whether or at what level they need to be regulated. But, as the Wilmington Star News recently editorialized, Dourson’s record makes him the wrong choice for the job. 

The Air Quality Control Commission today voted to strengthen air quality requirements for the Denver Metro/North Front Range Ozone Non-Attainment Area by approving revisions to Colorado’s Regulation 7.

Revisions include the following new oil and gas regulatory requirements: increased inspection frequency for certain facilities in the Leak Detection and Repair Program, a new inspection program for pneumatic controllers, and a mutual commitment to further evaluate and analyze potential areas for cost-effective reductions in hydrocarbon emissions.

We worked collaboratively to achieve compromise in several key areas, and we jointly support approval of these revisions which will lead to meaningful emissions reductions in the Non-Attainment Area.

“We worked extremely hard with EDF to reach agreement on core aspects of the Division’s proposal. This agreement highlights how far we in the oil and natural gas industry, and others in the environmental community, have come in working together for achievable air quality improvements. Because of this engagement, and because our industry constantly strives to improve its environment and air quality performance, Colorado has the most technologically advanced, strictly regulated, and well-controlled oil and natural gas operations anywhere in the country, and we continue to get better. We are very proud of that fact,” said Dan Haley, President & CEO of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association.

“State regulators, industry, and the environmental community in Colorado have once again demonstrated that we are capable of putting politics aside to achieve important progress in reducing emissions from the oil and gas sector. There is still more work to do, but approaching policy initiatives in this manner benefits Coloradans and can help solve some of our nation’s most pressing environmental issues if this happens more often,” said Dan Grossman, National Director of State Programs for Environmental Defense Fund’s Oil and Gas Program.

(NEW ORLEANS – November 15, 2017) Today, leading national and local conservation groups working together to address Louisiana’s severe land loss crisis released a report, Restoring the Mississippi River Delta: A Recommended List of Coastal Restoration Projects and Programs, outlining 17 priority projects for restoring the Mississippi River Delta and coastal Louisiana.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta – a coalition comprised of Environmental Defense Fund, the National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana – jointly authored the report, which outlines a suite of restoration projects that, if prioritized for implementation, would build and maintain land across Louisiana’s nationally-significant coast.

The coalition’s priority restoration projects – all components of the 2017 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, approved unanimously by Louisiana’s legislature earlier this year – were selected from the more than 100 master plan projects for their ability to deliver the greatest impact if implemented quickly. The project recommendations include sediment diversions, freshwater diversions, marsh creation, barrier island and headland restoration, ridge restoration, hydrologic restoration and oyster reef restoration.

The recommendations come at a critical time for Louisiana, which is losing a football field of land every 100 minutes. Without action, the state could lose an additional 2,250 square miles of land over the next 50 years. Meanwhile, funds from the BP oil spill settlement, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) and other funding sources are flowing to the state for coastal restoration. These resources make it possible to implement large-scale restoration projects across the coast protecting communities from St. Bernard to the Texas line, nationally-significant industries and natural resources, and world class habitats and landscapes.

“Our coast has been vanishing for decades, and studies on the best way to correct the problem have been completed for nearly as long – now is the time for decisive and efficient action,” said Natalie Peyronnin, director of science policy for Mississippi River Delta restoration at Environmental Defense Fund. “State-of-the-art science backs each of these 17 recommended projects, which will work together to set us up for further success and land gains down the road.”

“Louisiana faces very real threats – sea level rise compounded by subsidence, combined with the continued tragic waste of the Mississippi River’s sediment,” said David Muth, director of Gulf Restoration with the National Wildlife Federation. “Our challenges are great, but our current opportunity is even greater. We can use the substantial funding the state is poised to receive and the immense public and political support for the projects we are recommending in this report to protect and maintain as much of the coast as possible.”

“As we wrap up one of the most active hurricane seasons in recent memory, we know that Louisiana has no time to lose when it comes to strengthening the coast and protecting vulnerable coastal communities,” said John Lopez, director of the Coastal Sustainability Program at Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. “Sea level rise projections and extreme weather impacts will only worsen. Louisiana’s people, wildlife and economies are counting on swift and strategic progress on restoration to deliver maximum benefits and best returns on our investments.”

“In this race against time, Louisiana must use the most precious and powerful resource at its disposal – the Mississippi River and its land-building sediment,” said Kimberly Davis Reyher, executive director of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. “If Louisiana hopes to maintain a sustainable coast in the face of sea level rise and subsidence, sediment diversions must be advanced quickly to capture this precious resource that flows past our wetlands every day.”

“Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority should be commended for the significant and real progress it has made over the previous decade, particularly in restoring barrier islands,” said Cynthia Duet, deputy director of Audubon Louisiana. “There is no greater issue facing Louisiana than the ongoing disappearance of our land. We stand ready to work with state and federal agencies, elected officials, community members and other stakeholders to advocate for these important projects and expedite their implementation.”

Read the full report, Restoring the Mississippi River Delta: A Recommended List of Coastal Restoration Projects and Programs, here.

A map of the projects and descriptions are available for download at www.mississippiriverdelta.org/map.

(NEW ORLEANS – November 14, 2017) Signed into law in 2006, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) allows for the sharing of 37.5 percent of qualified Outer Continental Shelf oil drilling revenues with oil-producing Gulf Coast states. Louisiana voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment committing GOMESA funds to be used exclusively for restoration and protection activities. Now in Phase II, revenues from GOMESA to the State of Louisiana are expected to be nearly $100 million in 2018.

National and local conservation organizations committed to coastal Louisiana restoration – Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation – issued the following statement in support of this funding:

“GOMESA provides funding vital for the restoration of our nationally-significant coast and the protection of our people, industries and abundant wildlife. Louisiana continues to lose coastal land at an alarming rate, and this funding is critical in allowing the State of Louisiana to advance large-scale restoration and risk reduction measures to better protect its people.

“The citizens of Louisiana have done their job by dedicating this funding for coastal protection and restoration, and our state legislature recently unanimously passed a leading, science-based plan that helps ensure we maintain as much of our coastal land as possible. Now is the time for Congressional leaders to keep their commitments to the people of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, who have contributed so much to the nation’s economy and well-being. After one of the most devastating hurricane seasons on record, there should be no question as to how vital this funding is to the people of Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast. In order to maintain the health and vitality of this nationally-significant region, this funding must be protected.”  

(CHICAGO – Nov. 14, 2017) Ninety-seven percent of a sample of Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) customers would have saved money in 2016—without changing their electricity use—had they participated in a “real-time pricing” program in which power prices change hourly, according to new research released Tuesday. In a broad, first-of-its-kind study, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) analyzed anonymous energy-usage data from more than 300,000 smart meters installed by ComEd, Illinois’ largest electric utility.

Representing the nation’s most comprehensive dynamic-pricing analysis of smart meter data, the findings suggest that well-designed pricing models, like real-time pricing, could help lower people’s electricity bills and make the electric grid more efficient. The groups’ whitepaper, The Costs and Benefits of Real-Time Pricing, is available at www.BigEnergyData.info.

Specifically, the paper finds real-time pricing would have trimmed bills for the average ComEd customer by $86.63 annually, or 13.2 percent less than they paid under the traditional flat-rate power pricing system. Moreover, real-time pricing would have generated savings for 97 percent of the households covered in the study, comprising total savings of $29.8 million.

“We are encouraged by these results, but this is just the beginning,” said David Kolata, executive director of CUB, Illinois’ nonprofit utility watchdog group. “We hope these findings ignite discussion on how alternatives to traditional electricity rates have the potential to lower electricity bills for more households.” 

“Modern sensors, controls, and meters are producing enormous amounts of data, which can revolutionize electricity markets and play a huge role in lowering pollution from the power grid,” said Dick Munson, Midwest director of clean energy for EDF. “We were surprised to find real-time pricing would have saved nearly all of ComEd’s customers money, even without them doing a thing differently. There’s a big opportunity to design better pricing structures that encourage people to use electricity more efficiently, which lowers energy costs while cleaning the air.”

Illinois is the only state in the country where the two largest utilities—Ameren Illinois and ComEd—offercomprehensive, opt-in, residential real-time pricing programs. Yet the vast majority of ComEd customers still pay a flat or average rate for their electricity supply. Out of more than 3 million residential customers, a relatively small percentage (about 17,500 customers) are enrolled in ComEd’s “Hourly Pricing” program, a dynamic-pricing program in which participants pay an hourly, wholesale market price for electricity.

Programs like these are designed to motivate customers to use energy when market prices are lowest. Elevate Energy, which manages ComEd’s program, says participants have saved more than 15 percent off the supply portions of their bill since Hourly Pricing was launched in 2007.

Using 12 months of energy-usage data from smart meters, anonymized by zip code, EDF and CUB calculated what the 2016 electricity bills of 300,000 ComEd residential customers would have been under the Hourly Pricing program. The study found:

• All savings would have been achieved without customers changing their behavior, so even greater savings are possible through voluntary adjustments to energy usage.
• The top 5 percent of savers would have cut their bills by an average of $104 a year, or 31 percent.
• For the customers who would have lost money (three percent of the sample), the median increase in bills was an estimated total of $6.23 for the year.
• There were no significant differences between customers who have low incomes and other customers. 

More research is necessary to analyze the characteristics of the customers who would have saved under real-time pricing, as well as the small percentage of those who would not. It should also be noted that flat-rate utility prices in 2016 were elevated due to the lingering effects of “polar vortex” price spikes two years earlier. EDF and CUB urge more studies involving a larger number of customers, multiple utilities, and other years.

Key policy developments in Illinois made the study possible. In 2011, the General Assembly passed legislation allowing ComEd and Ameren Illinois to install advanced electric meters that are able to collect an unprecedented amount of energy usage data in more than 4 million households across Illinois. This past February, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the release of anonymous, aggregate energy-use data on a large scale, broken out in half-hour increments, 24 hours a day.

CUB and EDF have begun to evaluate this data to help answer important policy questions, unlock innovation, and save customers money. This whitepaper is the first result of that effort.

(Washington, D.C. – November 9, 2017) The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an order this afternoon rejecting a request by the Trump Administration to indefinitely suspend litigation over the Clean Power Plan.

“EPA has a responsibility under the Clean Air Act to protect our communities and families from the clear and present danger of climate pollution,” EDF Senior Attorney Tomás Carbonell.  “The court rejected the Trump Administration’s litigation tactics to evade accountability for climate action. As recently as last week the U.S. government released the latest report documenting the urgent and growing threat that climate pollution poses to public health and prosperity. We are in a race against time to respond to that threat.” 

The Trump Administration asked the D.C. Circuit for indefinite abeyance last month, immediately after issuing a proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. Today the en banc court rejected that request and instead ordered EPA to report to the court in 30 days while pausing litigation for only 60 days. 

The Clean Power Plan is the only nationwide limit on the climate pollution from coal plant smokestacks and other fossil fuel power plants – the single largest source of industrial climate pollution in our nation.

Last week, the U.S. government issued the Climate Science Special Report – a major scientific report that shows climate change is already causing significant damage in America and will almost certainly continue to do so.

(Washington, D.C. – November 9, 2017) The Senate today confirmed industry attorney William Wehrum to serve as the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation – the person responsible for carrying out our nation’s clean air laws and protecting the health of American communities and families from harmful air pollution. 

“Wehrum’s long and troubling record of attacking clean air safeguards calls into question his commitment to protecting American communities from dangerous air pollution and the urgent threat of climate change,” said EDF Director of Regulatory Policy and Senior Attorney Tomás Carbonell. “Wehrum has sued EPA to tear down clear air and climate protections at least 31 times in the last decade. And Wehrum’s record as both a private attorney and an official in President George W. Bush’s EPA demonstrates a repeated tendency to undermine vital protections for public health, clean air, and climate security.” 

Since 2007, Wehrum represented many members of the pollution-heavy oil and coal industries that EPA is statutorily required to regulate while working as a lobbyist and attorney at the Washington office of Hunton & Williams. In those 31 lawsuits, he represented clients including the American Petroleum Institute, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, American Chemistry Council, and Utility Air Regulatory Group.

Wehrum represented major polluters in at least two matters concerning EPA’s Air Office as recently as this summer – defending EPA Administrator Pruitt’s unlawful suspension of oil and gas pollution standards, and attacking urgently needed protections against chemical disasters like those that followed Hurricane Harvey. 

Wehrum also spent six years in EPA’s Air Office under President George W. Bush, first as Counsel to the Assistant Administrator and then as Acting Assistant Administrator. Wehrum was the Air Office’s chief legal advisor when it issued some of the Bush Administration’s most harmful and unlawful environmental regulations, including rules that failed to properly protect Americans from mercury pollution and rules weakening New Source Review requirements for new and modified industrial facilities.

Wehrum also flagrantly rejects a core statutory duty of the office he will now lead – the Air Office’s obligation to protect Americans from dangerous climate pollution. In 2013, Wehrum told Law360 that he “continue[d] to believe, that Congress never intended the EPA to address an issue such as climate change under the Clean Air Act” – six years after the Supreme Court ruled otherwise.

(Washington D.C. – November 9, 2017) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed to reopen a loophole that allows the sale of freight trucks with old, dirty engines that do not meet modern pollution standards.

EPA estimates that just one year of unrestricted sales of these super-polluting “glider trucks” would lead to as many as 1,600 premature deaths. 

“Reopening this loophole would allow the unrestricted sale of trucks that belch soot and smog into our communities. It would risk thousands of lives, and penalize responsible manufacturers who have invested in clean technology to reduce pollution and are complying with current health protections,” said EDF Senior Attorney Martha Roberts. “This is the latest in a series of deeply concerning actions taken by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt that undermine common sense public health protections to benefit politically connected industries.”

EPA will now accept public comments on the proposal through January 5, 2018. EDF will strenuously oppose this dangerous rollback, and will continue to defend the Clean Trucks Standards. 

Under the current Clean Trucks Standards, engines used in “glider trucks” must meet pollution standards corresponding to the truck’s year of assembly. Older engines may still be installed as long as they are retrofitted to meet modern pollution standards.

Today’s proposal would roll back this common sense protection. It would allow the sale of super-polluting glider trucks that emit as much as 40 times the pollution of modern trucks. 

EPA itself has estimated that, if this loophole stays open until 2025, glider trucks would comprise only five percent of the freight trucks on the road but would account for one third of all nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions from the heavy truck fleet. Those two types of pollution cause severe health problems, including increased asthma attacks and other heart and lung ailments.

Today’s proposal acknowledges that: 

“[T]he Emission Requirements for Glider Vehicles, Glider Engines, and Glider Kits was anticipated to lower ambient concentrations of PM2.5 … Some of the benefits for children’s health … would be lost as a result of this action.”

Freight truck leaders have invested in, and now sell, cleaner freight trucks and engines. Many of these companies publicly supported the provisions in the Clean Trucks Standards that ended the “glider truck” loophole — companies including Cummins, Navistar, Nuss Truck and Equipment, Truck Country, GATR Truck Center, Worldwide Equipment Enterprises, and Volvo. Reopening the loophole that allows for the sale of dirty glider trucks would put their innovative investments — and their employees’ jobs — at risk. 

For example, Nuss Truck and Equipment noted that:

“Dealers such as ours have been subject to a growing unfair competition from this rapidly expanding market of non-compliant vehicles” and “[t]he original intent of selling gilder kits has moved from a rebuilding mechanism to now mainly evading diesel emissions EPA mandates.” 

Reopening this loophole would give the glider industry special treatment over responsible trucking companies at the expense of American families’ health.

EPA provided a comprehensive discussion of its legal authority related to glider trucks when it finalized its most recent Clean Truck Standards in October 2016. The agency’s authority to address pollution from glider trucks was never challenged, even though the glider industry had every opportunity to do following publication of the rule. 

Instead, Administrator Pruitt granted a glider industry request to reconsider the standards after a meeting with a major glider manufacturer on May 8, 2017 – the same manufacturer who prominently hosted an event for then-candidate Donald Trump early in his presidential campaign.

(Nov. 9, 2017 — NEW MEXICO, STATEWIDE) Environmental Defense Fund today released a new report giving the first complete picture of the methane waste problem from oil and gas development in New Mexico. Drawing upon peer-reviewed scientific analysis and industry-reported inventories the report estimates the overall venting, leaking, and flaring of natural gas in New Mexico results in a loss of $182-$244 million worth of natural gas each year. That results in taxpayers and the state budget losing up to $27 million in taxes and royalty revenues per year.

This waste includes intentional emissions (venting), equipment leaks (fugitive emissions), and combustion of methane (flaring). These account for 570,000 tons of escaped methane every year in New Mexico – enough natural gas to meet the heating and cooking needs of every home in the state. The majority of this waste occurs from oil and gas wells that operate on federal and state trust lands — lands owned by and meant to be managed to the benefit of all New Mexicans.  Smaller but still sizable amounts of waste are attributable to operations on private and tribal lands.

Methane is the main component of natural gas – the energy resource used to generate about 1/3 of our nation’s electricity and an important industrial, commercial and residential energy source. But the lack of oversight of New Mexico’s oil and gas industry has resulted in a substantial waste of an important domestic energy resource and needless pollution that threatens the climate and public health.

“This report gives us an important picture of how much we could gain by taking simple steps to become more efficient. Proven, low-cost fixes could eliminate up to half of the pollution by simply plugging leaks. By capturing that taxpayer-owned resource we can make a big difference for our state’s kids,” said U.S. Senator Tom Udall. “Just over the border in Colorado, the state has passed its own waste prevention rule, and that has sparked the growth of a new mitigation industry and created jobs. We can and should do the same in New Mexico, and New Mexico’s tech startup community is ready to help. Meanwhile, I’ll keep fighting for New Mexico at the federal level, and this report gives me important ammunition.”

In 2014, scientists working on a NASA study discovered a 2,500-square-mile cloud of methane hovering over the Four Corners region of New Mexico – the largest concentration of methane anywhere in the nation.

Image Source: NASA

Subsequent studies indicated that although the San Juan Basin includes other methane sources such as coal mines and geologic seepage, these sources are not large enough to explain the bulk of emissions, and that oil and gas development is the largest source of emissions contributing to this massive methane “hot spot.” Meanwhile, a 2015 report by business consulting firm ICF International found New Mexico to be the largest source nationwide of natural gas waste from federal and tribal lands – more than $100 million worth per year.

“We have known for some time that New Mexico has a serious problem with wasted methane,” said Jon Goldstein, Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs at EDF. “What this new report emphasizes is the multi hundred million dollar scope of this issue across New Mexico. Stopping this waste and capturing this revenue is a major piece of low hanging fruit in a time of tight state budgets.”

This report aims to clarify the scope of New Mexico’s methane problem in order to identify the greatest opportunities for achieving emission reductions statewide. Natural gas that isn’t wasted can be used or sold, to the benefit of New Mexico taxpayers. Requirements to reduce methane waste and pollution increase funding for important state needs like education, roads, and bridges, and allow companies to create New Mexico jobs of the future in clean, efficient energy production. Recent studies have shown that companies in the Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) industry have enjoyed up to 30 percent business growth in states that have enacted regulations to reduce methane.

“We have dedicated lawmakers turning over cushions to find funding to improve education for our state’s children, all the while we have significant revenue being lost into the atmosphere,” asserted Bill Jordan, with New Mexico Voices for Children, who also participated in the telephone press conference. “To break it down, an additional $27 million in our state’s budget would allow us to increase our Pre-K enrollment by 50 percent. That means an additional 5,000 children could receive vital early childhood education programs. It’s funding that our communities and our youngest children need.”

“When the loss to taxpayers is so significant, it’s easy to overlook the public health implications, but we simply cannot ignore the potential health consequences as a result of pollution related to oil and gas development,” commented Colin Baillio, policy director for Health Action New Mexico. “When this methane is released into the air, so too are harmful pollutants that have significant public health consequences. Methane leaks also release toxins like benzene that cause cancer and smog pollution that leads to respiratory diseases and childhood asthma attacks. With the federal government in full retreat on this issue, we really need state action on methane to protect New Mexicans’ health by dramatically cutting methane leaks and pollution from other dangerous toxins.”

The full analysis of oil and gas emissions in New Mexico is available online at www.edf.org/newmexicomethane. 

(Washington, D.C. – November 8, 2017) Tomorrow, Kinross Gold U.S.A., Inc., (Kinross) will complete the first purchase of habitat credits to offset impacts to greater sage-grouse through the Nevada Conservation Credit System (CCS). The transaction will take place at a signing ceremony in Carson City, Nevada. 

The Nevada CCS is a state-led mitigation program that ensures impacts to greater sage-grouse habitat are fully offset by long-term enhancement and protection of habitat that result in a net benefit for the species.

“The Nevada Conservation Credit System is one of the shining examples of innovation and collaboration to come out of the historic bipartisan effort that kept the greater sage-grouse off the Endangered Species List. When the bird was in trouble, Governor Sandoval and other state leaders stepped up, as did countless landowners, conservationists and industry groups who showed great responsibility, foresight and determination.

“Together, the state of Nevada and Kinross are demonstrating what it means to be a leader on sage-grouse while the federal government is doing the opposite, reopening the very plans that were put in place to keep the bird off the Endangered Species List.

“Despite great uncertainty coming out of Washington, D.C., this first transaction is a sign of hope for states like Nevada that are committed to keeping this imperiled bird off the Endangered Species List. It’s a major milestone in the sage-grouse story, and one that will have far-reaching benefits for many people and other wildlife that thrive in the American West.”

-        Eric Holst, Associate Vice President of Working Lands, Environmental Defense Fund

(WASHINGTON – November 7, 2017) A group of more than 150 chefs, restaurant owners and seafood dealers from across the United States sent a joint letter to Congress today voicing concerns about legislation that would threaten the health of U.S. fish populations and the businesses that depend on them. Signatories include prominent figures in the culinary community, regional and community leaders, and several James Beard award winners.

The letter details specific concerns about bills that would undermine key provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the forty-year-old law that serves as the foundation of fisheries management in the United States. The law has been amended a number of times since its original passage, and each time the process has made it stronger. As a result, overfishing in federal waters has been reduced dramatically while the fishing industry has increased revenue and created more stable jobs.

“The comeback of fisheries in the United States has been remarkable to see, and we want to make sure these bills don’t undermine that progress,” said Kerry Heffernan, Executive Chef of Grand Banks, Pilot and Island Oyster (New York City) and Seaworthy (New Orleans), who helped organize the letter. “When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m fishing as much as possible. I understand how important recreational and commercial fishing are in this country; that’s why we have to make sure we protect our fisheries for generations to come,” added Heffernan.

In the letter, the chefs ask representatives in Congress to oppose the bills in question (H.R. 200, H.R. 2023, H.R. 3588, and S. 1520) unless they are stripped of problematic provisions that would undermine the use and enforcement of science-based catch limits, the ability of regional fishery managers to use a full array of management tools, requirements that regulations be based on the best available science, and the deadlines for rebuilding depleted fish populations.

“Fishing and seafood are not just important to the Gulf economy; they are a part of our heritage,” said Haley Bittermann, Chef for the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group in New Orleans, Louisiana. “I love to go fishing with my family. I know folks down in the Gulf are frustrated by the shortened federal seasons for red snapper. But as written, these bills threaten the conservation standards and hard work that helped bring snapper populations back after years and years of decline.”

The chef letter was welcomed with praise from leaders in the commercial and charter fishing community as well as the Environmental Defense Fund, which helps connect chefs with fishermen to learn more about the issues facing U.S. fisheries.

Quotes from the fishing and conservation community about this action by chefs:

From Kevin Wheeler, Executive Director, Seafood Harvesters of America:

“Commercial fishermen have witnessed the comeback of U.S. fisheries firsthand and what works best in the Magnuson-Stevens Act. We share many of the concerns these chefs highlight and want to see a law that benefits everyone in the fishing industry and ensures fish populations continue to grow.”

From Buddy Guindon, commercial fisherman and Executive Director of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance:

“I’m proud to see chefs join us in taking a stand for how our fisheries are managed. Thanks to smarter management in the commercial fishery, red snapper are coming back in the Gulf of Mexico. Some of what these bills propose would really threaten that progress. We know recreational anglers want longer seasons, but we can’t sacrifice better fishing for our children for a quick fix today.”

From Gary Jarvis, charter captain, commercial fisherman and restauranteur

“It’s great to see chefs getting involved in the process. This is a public resource we all share, whether you catch it, cook it or just eat it. In the Gulf, commercial and charter fishermen have pushed for changes that are helping our industries and the resource. These bills would undermine our work at the regional level and won’t solve the problems private anglers are facing.”

From Matt Tinning, Senior Director of EDF’s US Oceans program:

“Millions of Americans across the country enjoy dining out on sustainable seafood. As our nation’s fisheries rebound, the range and quality of sustainable seafood available at their favorite restaurant continues to grow. Congress should stick with what’s working, not undermine our progress.”

(Chicago – November 6, 2017) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has joined a coalition of clean energy, public health, and consumer advocates to support Illinois’ right to craft critical clean energy, environmental, and public health policies.

The groups filed an amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit late Friday.

“Illinois has shown a commitment to supporting vital efforts to reduce climate pollution and to transition to clean energy – efforts that can provide profound benefits for the health and safety of Illinois families,” said EDF Senior Attorney Michael Panfil. “Ensuring that every state has the right to fight for its citizens’ future is why we’re asking the court to secure Illinois’ fundamental authority to craft a strong clean energy policy.”

Illinois is asking the court to affirm a lower court decision dismissing a complaint against the state’s zero-emissions policy.

The case is Electric Power Supply Association v. Star. It was previously heard by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, which ruled in favor of Illinois — affirming the state’s public policy authority.

EDF, Citizens’ Utility Board, Respiratory Health Association, NRDC, and Elevate Energy submitted the amicus brief in support of Illinois.

(Washington, D.C. – November 3, 2017) Climate change is already causing significant damage in America and will almost certainly continue to do so, according to the U.S. government’s authoritative new report on the issue.

The final version of the Climate Science Special Report (CSSR) was released today. The CSSR is often referred to as the first volume of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA) – the comprehensive study of climate change that must be done every four years, according to Congressional mandate. The full NCA will be released in 2018, but the CSSR is final today. 

The CSSR is a summary of our current knowledge about the scientific foundation of climate change.

“Today’s Climate Science Special Report is our most comprehensive and definitive look yet at the massive amount of sound scientific research on climate change, and it’s conclusions are inescapable – climate change is happening right now, it’s hurting American families, and it will get worse unless we act,” said EDF Senior Climate Scientist Scott Weaver. “This report should put any doubts about the existence or the severity of climate change to rest. We cannot afford to ignore this threat.” 

Among the findings in today’s CSSR:

• Global annually averaged surface air temperature has increased by about 1.8°F (1.0°C) over the last 115 years (1901–2016). This period is now the warmest in the history of modern civilization.

• It is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century. For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence.

• Global average sea level has risen by about 7–8 inches since 1900, with almost half (about 3 inches) of that rise occurring since 1993. Human-caused climate change has made a substantial contribution to this rise since 1900, contributing to a rate of rise that is greater than during any preceding century in at least 2,800 years.

• Global sea level rise has already affected the United States; the incidence of daily tidal flooding is accelerating in more than 25 Atlantic and Gulf Coast cities.

• Global average sea levels are expected to continue to rise — by at least several inches in the next 15 years and by 1 – 4 feet by 2100. A rise of as much as 8 feet by 2100 cannot be ruled out.

• Sea level rise will be higher than the global average on the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States.

• Heavy rainfall is increasing in intensity and frequency across the United States and globally and is expected to continue to increase. The largest observed changes in the United States have occurred in the Northeast.

• Heatwaves have become more frequent in the United States since the 1960s, while extreme cold temperatures and cold waves are less frequent

• The incidence of large forest fires in the western United States and Alaska has increased since the early 1980s and is projected to further increase in those regions as the climate changes, with profound changes to regional ecosystems.

• Annual trends toward earlier spring melt and reduced snowpack are already affecting water resources in the western United States.

• Without major reductions in emissions, the increase in annual average global temperature relative to preindustrial times could reach 9°F (5°C) or more by the end of this century. With significant reductions in emissions, the increase in annual average global temperature could be limited to 3.6°F (2°C) or less.

(Washington, D.C. – November 3, 2017) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced only a single public hearing about a proposal to repeal the Clean Power Plan – in spite of numerous requests from across the country requesting public hearings with EPA officials about this deeply damaging action.

States, cities, public health and environmental organizations, businesses, faith organizations, and other groups representing millions of Americans – including Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) – have asked EPA to hold hearings in their communities. EDF sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on Monday urging him to let Americans weigh in. 

“EPA head Scott Pruitt is trying to undo the single biggest step America has ever taken to address climate pollution, and that will affect the health and safety of all Americans,” said EDF Lead Attorney Tomás Carbonell. “Pruitt has a closed mind on this issue, and that means a closed door to millions of Americans – from Florida to Seattle – who are afflicted by the clear and present danger of climate change. The Clean Air Act guarantees people across our country the opportunity to present their concerns about this pollution loophole at a public hearing with EPA officials. Pruitt has rejected out of hand the requests by numerous city and state leaders urging him to hold public hearings in their communities. EPA has a responsibility under the law and under the fundamental tenets of a fair and open government to provide more public hearings so Americans across our nation have an opportunity to be heard.”

Pruitt has proposed repealing the Clean Power Plan – America’s only nationwide limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants, and a plan that the Trump Administration itself determined could prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths each year by 2030. 

EDF’s letter points out that EPA held numerous listening sessions prior to proposing the Clean Power Plan, and held four public hearings in cities in all regions of the country after the proposed Clean Power Plan was released – a “stark contrast” with the agency’s lack of engagement with the public under Administrator Pruitt. The letter calls on EPA to hold hearings in the same regionally diverse cities where hearings on the proposed Clean Power Plan took place.

Yesterday, EPA announced only one public hearing, in Charleston, West Virginia on November 28 and 29. EPA noted it “may also hold an additional hearing to be announced at a later date” but made absolutely no commitment to do so and indicated no timetable by which it would inform the public of its decision. 

Our nation’s clean air law mandates that the head of EPA give concerned Americans an opportunity to verbally present their views to EPA officials:

“[T]he [EPA] Administrator shall give interested persons an opportunity for the oral presentation of data, views, or arguments, in addition to the opportunity to make written submissions.” (See Clean Air Act Sec. 307(d)(d)(5)) 

EPA extended the period for submitting written public comment to January 16, 2018.

A group of eight states and five cities have also sent letters demanding hearings in their communities. 

Those letters describe the impacts that climate change is already having across America, including:

• “Ordinary rain events now cause flooding in the streets of Norfolk, including large connector streets going underwater, impacting homeowners’ access on a regular basis… . Naval Station Norfolk, the largest navy base in the world, is currently replacing 14 piers due to sea level rise, at a cost of $35-40 million per pier.” – Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia

• “Climate change impacts in Washington include hotter, drier summers; increased respiratory illness; more devastating wildfire seasons; strained water resources and increased flooding; increasingly acidic coastal waters; and much more.” – Jay Inslee, Governor of Washington

• “Sea level rise from climate change is already exacerbating coastal flooding and erosion from storm events and will eventually inundate low-lying communities, including Boston.” – Maura Healey, Attorney General of Massachusetts (this request was also signed by the entire Massachusetts delegation to the U.S. Congress)

• “The approximately twelve inches of sea level rise New York City has experienced since 1900 exacerbated the flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy by about twenty-five square miles, damaging the homes of an additional 80,000 people in New York and New Jersey alone.” – Lemuel M. Srolovic, Bureau Chief, New York State Office of the Attorney General

• “Ongoing threats to the City from the rising water table include slowed drainage during and following rains, increased flood risk, saltwater intrusion into our groundwater and soils, displacement of our drinking water supply, and failure of residential septic systems.” – Philip K. Stoddard, Mayor of South Miami

A diverse array of non-governmental organizations have also asked EPA for hearings that would provide opportunities for those communities most impacted by climate change to speak. Some of the organizations filing requests include Green the Church, the Powershift Network, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, a coalition of nineteen organizations (including EDF) headed by GreenLatinos, Business Forward, and Hip Hop Caucus.