Complete list of press releases

(CHICAGO – October 6, 2015) Environmental and consumer advocates, along with Illinois’ regional electric grid operator, today launched an innovative pilot project to demonstrate how demand response can continue to support grid reliability year-round and lower electricity costs for Chicago businesses, institutions, government, and homeowners. Demand response is a cost-effective, energy-saving tool that pays customers to reduce electricity use in response to the grid’s needs.

The pilot program, called the Combined Capacity Asset Performance Project, is a collaboration of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), The Accelerate Group, Citizens Utility Board (CUB), and PJM Interconnection. The project will show how strategically combining resources can allow demand response to continue to compete with other sources of power in the market under new performance requirements.

“Demand response has demonstrated its potential to cut peak electricity demand, help balance the grid, and save customers money. The project offers an inventive way to preserve and grow this valuable resource in the PJM market,” said Andrew Barbeau, President of The Accelerate Group and senior clean energy consultant for EDF. “The collaboration will serve as a strategic model for buildings, which will be able to combine their demand response potential to enter the market where they wouldn’t be able to participate on their own.”

Each year, PJM manages a capacity auction to buy enough power supply resources to meet the highest forecasted peak energy demand for the area it serves, including all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia. In PJM’s wholesale power markets, demand response resources compete directly with other forms of energy. Thus, demand response participants can bid into the auction, offering the amount of electricity they commit to reducing and receiving the same payments as power companies to meet electricity needs.

Under PJM’s new performance requirements, qualifying sources of energy must respond any time there is a critical need. Previously, demand response resources could choose to participate only during summer months, for example, by reducing air conditioning use. Yet PJM’s experience during the 2014 Polar Vortex demonstrated the need to rely on sources of energy – fossil fuels from power plants, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and demand response – that could be counted on year-round, no matter what.

“Demand response has proven to be a very flexible tool that meets a number of needs for the grid,” said PJM senior vice president of Markets, Stu Bresler. “In addition to helping lower prices and reducing pressure on the generation fleet during periods of peak use, demand response can be used by states and local communities to meet their public policy objectives.”

In the face of these updated requirements, this innovative pilot will show demand response participants new approaches to allow them to provide the year-round availability the grid needs. The project will bundle variable, renewable energy, like wind and solar, and the demand response potential of multiple buildings into combined capacity assets that are bid in the market. These energy resources can work together in real-time during emergency events to meet their electricity commitment.

Over the past several years, EDF and CUB have been working closely with commercial office buildings and residential buildings in Chicago to help them save energy and costs, as well meet the electric grid’s peak needs through demand response, energy efficiency, and energy storage.

 “Facing our energy challenges requires Illinois to seek innovative ways to reduce electricity demand,” said CUB Executive Director David Kolata. “Programs like this are a win-win-win for Illinois. They’re good for our power grid, our planet, and our pocketbooks.”  

Cook County Government, representing over five million people throughout Illinois – including Chicago and surrounding suburbs – will be a lead participant in the project. Cook County has pledged to evaluate up to 45 of its government buildings for their ability to participate in the capacity performance market year-round using demand response.

“I am committed to reducing Cook County Government’s Greenhouse Gas emissions by 80 percent,” Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle said. “I have also made a commitment to taxpayers to make fiscal responsibility and innovative leadership hallmarks of my administration. That is why I am proud that Cook County is taking a leading role in the Combined Capacity Asset Performance Project. This project will identify changes needed to ensure grid reliability, provide us with expertise on developing a long-range energy curtailment plan for 45 of our buildings, and support our continuing efforts at energy reduction and cost savings for taxpayers.”

(NEW ORLEANS – October 5, 2015) Today, the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Trustees released their draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (DARP) for the Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 oil disaster. The U.S. Department of Justice, BP and the five Gulf states also released their proposed Consent Decree to finalize the $20.8 billion agreement in principle resolving state and federal government claims against BP from the Gulf oil disaster.

In response to these announcements, national and local conservation organizations working on Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River Delta restoration – Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation – released the following statement:

“More than five years after the oil disaster, we are encouraged to see Gulf restoration move forward with release of the NRDA Trustees’ draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan. While we have not yet engaged on the details of the plan, we applaud the Trustees for their work to get to this point.

“The oil disaster damaged hundreds of miles of shoreline; killed more than one million birds, mammals and other wildlife – and we will not know the full environmental effects of the spill for decades to come. The NRDA process will help bring the Gulf back to the state it was before the spill, and the release of this plan is a positive step toward that end. It is also encouraging to see the concept of maximizing sediment delivery included in the DARP, and the recognition of the potential value of that approach through river diversions.

“We are also pleased to see forward movement on finalizing the settlement with BP. Once the consent decree is approved, it will provide a steady funding stream to the Gulf – funds that are vital to the restoration and long-term ecological health of the region. In Louisiana, this money will help fund the state’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast.

“The health of the Mississippi River Delta and Gulf Coast ecosystems is important not only to the communities and economies of the region, but to the entire nation that depends on the Gulf for ports, energy, seafood, tourism and other important industries.

“Today’s announcements get us one step closer to realizing a restored and revitalized Gulf Coast. We look forward to working with the NRDA Trustees on finalizing their plans.”

Contact:
Lauren Whittenberg, (512) 691-3437, lwhittenberg@edf.org
Faye Roberts, Scout Public Affairs, (647) 924-4454, faye.roberts@scoutpublicaffairs.com
Chris Severson-Baker, Pembina Institute, (403) 899-7423, chrissb@pembina.org

(Edmonton, Alberta) An independent analysis conducted by ICF International (ICF), a leading energy industry research firm, estimates that emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from the Canadian oil and gas sector can be reduced by 45 per cent below projected 2020 levels, all while using existing technologies. The research was commissioned by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a leading international environmental non-profit. EDF partnered with the Pembina Institute, Canada’s leading clean energy think tank, on the development of the project and dissemination of the ICF report.

Canada’s oil and gas sector is the largest source of methane emissions. ICF reported a significant opportunity to reduce methane emitted from multiple sources in Canada’s oil-and-gas rich provinces, spanning from drilling to delivery. Achieving this 45 per cent reduction across Canada would allow for the recovery and potential sale of otherwise lost natural gas and would be the equivalent of eliminating 27 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.  At a low cost of C$2.76 per metric tonne of CO2, this reduction would provide the same immediate climate benefit as taking every passenger car off the road in British Columbia and Alberta according to data from Statistics Canada and Canada’s National Inventory Report.

Alberta and British Columbia are the country’s main oil-and-gas producing regions, responsible for nearly 70 per cent of Canada’s total methane emissions. ICF analyzed the reduction opportunity in each, concluding that upstream methane emissions in Alberta could be reduced by 45 per cent for C$2.57 per metric tonne of CO2 and in British Columbia by 37 per cent for C$1.69 per metric tonne of CO2. All told, the C$726 million initial investment to achieve Canada’s 45 per cent reduction from oil and gas represents about 1 per cent of industry’s annual capital expenditure, according to Oil and Gas Journal data, or costs less than one cent per Mcf of gas produced.

“Curbing highly potent methane emissions offers a huge, untapped opportunity to better protect the climate now,” said Drew Nelson, Senior Manager, Environmental Defense Fund. “ICF’s new report confirms that Canada can gain substantial greenhouse gas reductions using simple, cost-effective solutions to control methane emissions. Even during these challenging economic conditions, methane reductions are one of the lowest-cost, highest-value ways to tackle climate change in the energy business today.”

“This analysis clearly demonstrates that controlling methane emissions is an important opportunity to cost-effectively contribute to meeting our climate change objectives,” said Chris Severson-Baker, Alberta Director, Pembina Institute. “With both Alberta and B.C. in the process of updating their climate plans, now is the perfect time to implement rules that require methane emissions to be reduced significantly.” 

“When methane leaks from oil and gas facilities, operational efficiency can suffer,” said Mike Shorts, President of the Fluid Sealing Association, a membership group of companies in the methane mitigation sector, and Vice President and General Manager of Triangle Fluid Controls, a sealing product manufacturer based in Belleville, Ontario. “This report outlines the clear opportunity Canadian oil and gas companies have to prevent product waste with simple and cost-effective fixes, while supporting good-paying jobs for Canadians who manufacture the technologies and deliver the services that curb emissions.”

Achieving the 45 per cent reduction in oil and gas methane relies on the sector implementing currently available technologies and processes for reducing and recovering emissions. Furthermore, the analysis shows that 90 per cent of the emissions in the next five years will come from sources in operation today, and that the 45 per cent reduction is in addition to reductions that are achievable by current regulatory and projected voluntary actions by 2020. Reducing methane also reduces conventional pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that are directly contributing to poor air quality conditions across Alberta at no additional cost (Government of Alberta, September 9, 2015).

The report, titled “Economic Analysis of Methane Emission Reduction Opportunities in the Canadian Oil and Natural Gas Industries,” is based on data from numerous sources, including oil and gas producers, equipment vendors, governments and regulators, academics experts and trade associations, and has been peer reviewed by multiple experts in the Canadian oil and gas industry. The report uses Canadian-specific data supplemented by U.S. data where Canadian data is unavailable. The U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas inventory and the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule are used in conjunction with Canadian reports to develop emission factors and equipment and facility information for Canadian segments.  

Why Methane Matters

Natural gas is over 95 percent methane and is a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change, because its short-term impact is many times greater than carbon dioxide.  According to data from Canada’s greenhouse gas inventory, oil and gas methane emissions are one of Canada’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions and are almost double the size of the next largest source of methane in Canada. 

ICF’s report, “Economic Analysis of Methane Emission Reduction Opportunities in the Canadian Oil and Natural Gas Industries,” is available here. This new Canadian analysis builds on and complements other work undertaken by EDF and the Pembina Institute to help advance methane science and provide deeper understanding of methane emissions from the oil and natural gas supply chain, in order to advance information about opportunities to reduce methane emissions. Learn more about EDF’s methane research series here.

(Valparaiso, Chile – October 5, 2015) A new agreement announced today between the United States and Cuba significantly advances efforts to protect the oceans we share against rising threats caused by manmade activity. The announcement came at the opening of the Our Ocean conference in Chile.

As part of an ongoing effort to improve relations between the United States and Cuba, officials from each country announced their agreement to collaborate on science, outreach and education regarding marine protected areas in the two countries’ shared waters. Environmental Defense Fund has been working with the Cuban government for more than a decade on environmental issues including the establishment of an island-wide network of marine protected areas. In 2010, EDF began facilitating a dialogue between fishery and park officials and scientists in the two countries that laid the foundation for today’s agreement.

“The invisible lines in the ocean that have separated us for nearly six decades are disappearing. Scientists in the U.S. and Cuba can begin working together to protect our shared waters, which are home to a vast array of biodiversity, from the mounting threats of overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

“EDF is proud of the work we have done to increase scientific collaboration between the U.S. and Cuba. We have so much to gain by working together.”

• Dan Whittle, Senior Director, EDF Cuba program

(NEW YORK, NY – October 2, 2015) Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today a $3 million clean energy competition for New York colleges and universities to develop creative ideas around energy efficiency, renewable energy and reducing overall carbon emissions on campuses and beyond. Idea submissions are due in early 2016, from which three winners will be chosen and awarded $1 million each – courtesy of the New York Green Bank. 

“Governor Cuomo’s announcement today is exactly what is needed to inspire climate action among college students. New York’s young people have the talent, creativity and energy to accelerate our transition to a clean energy economy. Now they have a lucrative incentive to do so.”

The competition announced today is part of the Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) Campus Challenge, an initiative to support colleges and universities that “implement clean energy projects and principles on campus, in the classroom and in surrounding communities.”

• Rory Christian, New York Director, Clean Energy

NEWS RELEASE

(Washington, D.C.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today improved America’s national air quality standard for ground-level ozone — more commonly known as smog – while falling short in adequately protecting public health. 

“Smog is a harmful, air pollutant that’s linked to serious lung diseases especially in children, the elderly and those active outdoors,” said Vickie Patton, EDF General Counsel. “While the air quality standard announced today is an improvement, it falls short of what is necessary to safeguard healthier, longer lives for our children and for all Americans at risk.” 

Smog air pollution is associated with asthma attacks, long-term lung damage and premature death. To ensure that the nation’s air quality standards reflect current medical science, EPA is required to review and, if appropriate, revise the nation’s health-based smog standard every five years.

EPA today finalized a standard of 70 parts per billion (ppb) — at the least protective end of the range recommended by the EPA’s independent scientific advisors and the nation’s leading health and medical societies. EPA’s independent Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee found that at 70 ppb there is “substantial scientific evidence of adverse effects … including decrease in lung function, increase in respiratory symptoms, and increase in airway inflammation.” [Italics added for emphasis.] The American Thoracic Society found that a “less protective standard of 70 ppb would result in 3,752 more premature deaths annually” as compared to the more protective standard recommended by scientists.

America has readily available, cost-effective solutions at hand to help communities across our nation address smog pollution. Power plants, vehicles, and oil and gas operations contribute to smog. Current clean air measures — including Tier 3 fuel and tailpipe standards, the Cross State Air Pollution Rule, and Clean Power Plan — will help reduce smog-forming pollution. Proposed clean air standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks will also drive further reductions in emissions.

America also has a long time tested history of reducing harmful air pollution while our national economy has continued to grow. Since 1970, we have reduced dangerous air pollution by almost 70 percent while the U.S. economy has grown by almost 240 percent – as EPA’s chart, below, shows.

(RALEIGH, NC) Environmental Defense Fund today called on North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory to veto the Regulatory Reform Act of 2015, passed late last night by state lawmakers. In a letter to the governor, EDF asks McCrory to veto House Bill 765 because “many of its provisions will increase risks for public health, the environment and North Carolina’s natural resources.”

EDF says the legislation is “inconsistent with North Carolina’s values and will allow more pollution of our air and water, degrade our lands, harm wildlife and jeopardize the health of families and communities.”

The letter, signed by EDF North Carolina Director Jane Preyer, spotlights three provisions of particular concern in the legislation:

·        Section 4.1 makes it possible for businesses that cut corners to profit from violating the law.

·        Section 4.7 insulates businesses from their responsibility to fully clean up soil and groundwater contamination that they cause.

·        Section 4.31 removes protections for nearly 50,000 miles of streams that supply drinking water, provide important fish habitat, and help keep waterways clean and healthy.

“Careful stewardship and thoughtful conservation of our environment and natural resources are core North Carolina values,” writes EDF in its appeal for a veto. “North Carolina’s Governors – Republican and Democratic – have helped forge a proud legacy of conservation for our state. Please veto House Bill 765 and send a clear message about your commitment to responsible and reverent stewardship of or lands, waters, and wildlife.”

(Washington, D.C. – September 30, 2015) The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has denied several petitions to reconsider its decision to reject lawsuits challenging the proposed Clean Power Plan.

On June 9, 2015, the court rejected lawsuits filed by Murray Energy, West Virginia, and several other states challenging the proposed Clean Power Plan. The three-judge panel that originally decided Murray Energy and West Virginia unanimously denied requests to rehear the cases or keep them active by withholding issuance of the mandate. The challengers’ requests for review by the en banc court were also denied.    

The D.C. Circuit Court’s decision leaves undisturbed the court’s ruling that these challenges to the proposed Clean Power Plan were premature and unprecedented, and lacked any basis in law. 

“The D.C. Circuit Court’s decision is a welcome vindication of the rule of law,” said Tomás Carbonell, Director of Regulatory Policy and Senior Attorney at EDF.  “This decision should finally put an end to these misguided and unprecedented attempts to undermine critical protections for our climate and public health, and to circumvent the public’s right to comment and be heard on proposed rules.” 

You can read more about the lawsuits in our blog post and on our website – where you can also find all the legal briefs in the case.

(RALEIGH, NC – September 30, 2015) The N.C. General Assembly has given final approval to House Bill 765, known as the Regulatory Reform Act of 2015. If the legislation becomes law, it will allow more air and water pollution, degrade land, harm wildlife and put public health at risk.

“This legislation is a hodgepodge of short-sighted provisions that allow a more polluted environment, plain and simple. It encourages irresponsible business practices. It insulates polluters from their responsibility to fully clean up contamination they cause. It removes protections for nearly 50,000 miles of streams that supply our drinking water, provide important fish habitat, and help keep our waterways clean and healthy. 

“H765 eliminates sensible safeguards for our air, water, wildlife, and puts the health of our children and families on the hook when polluters should be.”

·        David Kelly, Senior Analyst

(OHIO – September 30, 2015) Last year, Ohio became the first state to halt its clean energy standards, creating a committee to review their costs and benefits. As a result, Ohio’s Energy Mandate Study Committee today released a recommendation for the Ohio legislature to place an “indefinite freeze” on the state’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards.

“The state’s bold clean energy standards were solidifying Ohio’s place as a leader in the new clean energy economy, but today’s decision is an extreme setback to innovation and progress,” said Dick Munson, Environmental Defense Fund’s Director, Midwest Clean Energy. “Freezing Ohio’s clean energy standards not only leaves the state frozen in the past, it sends much-needed local jobs and investment dollars to other states.”

• Dick Munson, Director, Midwest Clean Energy

(Austin, TX – Sept. 28, 2015) The Ground Water Protection Council and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (through a joint project known as StatesFirst) today released a guide for regulatory agencies to evaluate and develop strategies to mitigate and manage risks of injection induced seismicity and communicate with the public.

“The GWPC and IOGCC report should put to rest the idea that industry and state regulators deny wastewater injection can cause earthquakes,” said Scott Anderson, Senior Policy Director of EDF’s US Climate and Energy Program. “The report recognizes injection can be a contributing factor and provides objective, helpful advice on what can be done about this problem.”

• Scott Anderson, Senior Policy Director, US Climate and Energy Program, Environmental Defense Fund

(NEW YORK, NY – September 28, 2015) Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today the launch of an ambitious program to upgrade 20,000, or 15 percent, of New York City’s private buildings – 40 percent of which will be low-income housing. This new ‘Retrofit Accelerator’ effort will provide resources for buildings to take advantage of opportunities to improve their energy and water efficiency.

“From solar energy to smart technologies, we have the technology to transform our cities in ways that cut pollution, save money, create local jobs and improve quality of life,” said Andy Darrell, New York Regional Director of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). “By combining targeted outreach with technical assistance and connections to financing, the Retrofit Accelerator aims to catalyze energy efficiency work citywide. By doing it here, New York City can pioneer innovative, energy efficiency solutions that serve as a model for cities around the world.”

The Retrofit Accelerator is modeled after the successful NYC Clean Heat program, which gave the Big Apple its cleanest air since the early 1960s by helping building owners replace dirty heating oils with cleaner fuels. The Clean Heat program took root in 2012 when EDF partnered with the City of New York to convene a broad coalition of city officials, nonprofit organizations, and private sector banks to launch the $100 million financing program.

NEWS RELEASE

The latest round of court battles over the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for fossil fuel power plants began yesterday evening when EDF and many others filed a motion asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to leave the life-saving protections in place while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responds to a recent Supreme Court decision. These power plant smokestacks are our nation’s single largest source of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants.   

EDF joined a broad group of state and local governments, public health and medical associations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, and environmental groups in asking the court to keep the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in place while EPA considers costs in its threshold assessment whether it is “necessary and appropriate” to regulate (EPA had considered costs in establishing the resulting emissions standards). 

Several major power companies also filed a motion yesterday supporting these clean air standards and documenting that actual compliance costs have been a fraction of those predicted.

“Vacating the Rule would be profoundly disruptive, creating and exacerbating significant hazards to public health and the environment and disrupting the administration of other vital air and water pollution control programs,” the group of states, medical associations and non-governmental organizations stated in our motion. 

The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards set the first-ever national limits on hazardous air pollutants from power plants, including mercury, arsenic, chromium, and hydrochloric acid gas. These pollutants are dangerous to human health even in small doses – mercury causes brain damage in children, metal toxics like chromium and nickel cause cancer, and acid gases cause respiratory problems. When fully implemented, the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards will prevent up to 11,000 deaths and tens of thousands of other serious health problems each year.

In June, a sharply divided Supreme Court remanded the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards case to the D.C. Circuit Court. The Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must consider the costs of regulation in making its threshold determination whether to regulate hazardous air pollution from power plants. The Supreme Court did not overturn the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards themselves, and these vital protections remain in effect today and continue to deliver clean air protections for our nation. EDF was a party to the case. 

The latest round of court battles revolves around whether the D.C. Circuit Court should keep the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in place while EPA responds to the Supreme Court. EPA previously found that the public health benefits of the standards were valued up to $90 billion annually and far exceeded the compliance costs.

EDF and others argue strongly that vacating the standards would be harmful to public health and the environment. 

“EPA has ample information to swiftly address the Court’s ruling while ensuring that these vital clean air safeguards are carried out without delay,” said EDF Senior Attorney Graham McCahan. “We will keep diligently working to protect our communities and children from mercury and other toxic pollution in our air.”

EPA has informed the court that its analysis will be completed by April 2016.

More briefs are expected to be filed with the D.C. Circuit Court over the next two months on whether to keep the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in place. There is no timetable for the court to rule, but a decision will likely come this winter.

You can find more about the history of the case and all the legal briefs on EDF’s website.

“This announcement is another sign of the continued leadership of China and the United States on climate action. Their partnership is necessary to solve the global challenge of climate change.

“We’re encouraged to see China announce a national emissions trading system for its power and industrial sectors. We know such market-based systems are the most environmentally and economically sensible approach to controlling greenhouse gas emissions, the primary driver of global warming.”

Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund

“The decision whether or not to list the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act was one of the biggest listing decisions of our time. Thanks to unprecedented public-private partnerships among ranchers, energy developers, conservationists and states, we now have the foundation to guide future management of our nation’s wildlife and working landscapes.

“There simply aren’t enough protected areas in the U.S. to ensure the survival of the more than 250 species that await listing decisions under the Endangered Species Act. We need new conservation tools that unlock the vast, untapped conservation potential of America’s private working lands.

“In places like Colorado, energy companies, agriculture leaders and the state are working together to put forth new solutions like the Colorado Habitat Exchange, proving that wildlife conservation does not have to come at the expense of the economy. That in fact, it is just the opposite. Similar efforts to launch habitat exchanges are underway in Wyoming, Nevada and other western states.

“Today’s ‘not warranted’ decision sends a strong signal that investments in conservation are making a difference and provide the catalyst for a different kind of politics.”

- Eric Holst, associate vice president of working lands, Environmental Defense Fund