Complete list of press releases

(Washington, D.C. – August 16, 2023) The U.S. market for electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, which was turbocharged by passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) one year ago today, has continued to race ahead and is not expected to slow down any time soon.

That’s the finding of a new report by Environmental Defense Fund and WSP USA, which updates a report that was originally released six months ago. Today’s report finds that, a year after its passage, the IRA has catalyzed rapid investment and job growth:

• Manufacturers have announced more than $165 billion in concrete investment in U.S. EV and EV battery manufacturing facilities in the last eight years. More than half of that (56 percent) has happened in the last year, since IRA passage.
• Manufacturers have announced more than 179,000 new direct U.S. EV-related jobs in the same time frame, almost half of which were announced in the last year.
• The announced investments are expected to create more than 800,000 additional jobs in the broader economy.

"The American electric vehicle manufacturing renaissance is booming, driven by historic federal  investments,” said Peter Zalzal, EDF’s Associate Vice President for Clean Air Strategies. “On its first birthday, the Inflation Reduction Act is spurring huge increases in EV manufacturing investments and tens of thousands of jobs for Americans in communities across the country. We must continue working collaboratively to maximize these vital benefits for everyone.”

Graphic: Report, page 3

The announced EV investments will be in states across the country, although 10 states account for 88 percent of investments.

The states with the greatest levels of investment and announced jobs:

• Georgia – $31.5 billion in EV investments and 33,600 jobs
• Michigan – $18.9 billion in investment and 19,700 jobs
• Tennessee – $18.4 billion in investments and 20,500 jobs

Georgia’s announced investments have more than doubled since the last version of the report, in March. Michigan and Tennessee have each added billions in additional near-term investments and thousands of jobs since the earlier report.

Four more states have more than $10 billion each in announced investments – South Carolina, Nevada, Kentucky and North Carolina. Each of those states now has between 10,000 and 20,000 announced new jobs.

Ohio, Arizona and Indiana round out the top ten states with more than $9 billion in announced investments each. Arizona’s announced investments increased by 260 percent from March – from $3.7 billion to $9.7 billion.

The updated report also found rapid growth in nationwide production capacity over the last six months.

• By 2026, U.S. EV manufacturing facilities will be able to make about 4.7 million new passenger vehicles annually, which represents 36 percent of all new vehicles sold last year.
• By 2027, U.S. facilities alone will be able to produce enough batteries to supply 12.2 million new passenger vehicles each year, which represents 95 percent of new vehicles sold last year.

The report also found that “U.S. investments, jobs, and production capacity will likely continue to grow in response to strong federal investments and incentives.” 

You can read the whole report here.

The Inflation Reduction Act is the single largest U.S. effort to address climate change in history and it provides hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for everything from clean energy to efficient electric appliances as well as the EV market. EDF and Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law created IRAtracker.org to provide the public with up-to-date information about IRA implementation activities. This free searchable database now lists 144 agency actions. For more information, or help using the tracker, please contact EDF.

(Washington, D.C. – August 18, 2023) Environmental Defense Fund today commended the Biden administration for a new proposal that will shorten and streamline the process for expanding the U.S. power grid.

The proposed Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits program would accelerate environmental reviews and other permitting processes for electric transmission facilities. It would make the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) the lead agency for permitting reviews and would set a two-year deadline for the process.

“Accelerating the buildout of our electric transmission system is a vital component for addressing the climate crisis and protecting all Americans from the increasingly common, and deadly, heat waves, wildfires, and floods we’ve seen this summer,” said Ted Kelly, EDF Senior Attorney for Energy Markets and Regulation. “Creating a streamlined and efficient process for issuing electric transmission permits will help us connect more renewable power sources to our grid while reducing costs and preventing delays. It’s also wonderful to see that the proposal includes provisions ensuring that key stakeholders, including Tribes and local communities, have a meaningful opportunity for input.”

DOE will accept public comments on the proposal for 45 days.  

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – August 10, 2023 – It is a historic moment in Louisiana as state officials take a big step forward in advancing the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, soon to become one of the largest individual ecosystem restoration projects in the world. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), alongside partners and supporters, celebrate the start of this long-awaited $2.9 billion initiative to reconnect the Mississippi River to the Barataria Basin, thus transforming 21 square miles of dying wetlands into a lush and thriving ecosystem. 

Breaking ground today, engineers will utilize natural processes to reintroduce the river’s freshwater, sediment and nutrients to the delta in order to build and sustain land, as well as preserve critical coastal habitat. This engineering feat is the first of its kind and is projected to deliver 275 million tons of sediment and 75,000 cubic feet per second of water, roughly the horizontal equivalent of water passing through Niagara Falls on an average day.  

The project is also backed by more than 50 years of research and scientific modeling, highlighting the importance of reestablishing the river’s natural sediment distribution and delta building processes. As a result, the region will start to reverse the environmental mistreatment and restore a vital ecosystem that has suffered from devastating land loss, erosion, historic oil spills and storm damage.   

“By implementing a large-scale project that works with nature, we anticipate long-lasting benefits to ecosystems, wildlife and communities of Louisiana and across the nation,” says Dr. Natalie Snider, associate vice president for EDF’s Climate Resilient Coasts and Watersheds program. “Healthy wetlands not only provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife, including many federally endangered or threatened species, but they are also essential in driving multi-billion-dollar economies, preserving the region’s cultural heritages and building storm resilience in the wake of worsening climate impacts.” 

"EDF is proud to be part of this extraordinary effort to revitalize the Mississippi River Delta,” says Fred Krupp, president at EDF. “As we combat rising sea levels, increasing storm risks and other climate impacts, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion will be essential in building resilient communities and protecting important ecosystems across Louisiana to the benefit of all of us." 

Since the 1970s, EDF has worked alongside a range of groups and individuals like Jim Tripp, EDF’s retired general counsel, to advocate for solutions that leverage the Mississippi River’s sediment to rebuild Louisiana’s degrading wetlands. After years of collaborating with the Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition and sitting on panels that explore Louisiana’s restoration plans, Tripp is finally able to witness the beginning of the construction of this transformative restoration project.  

“Mid-Barataria is the first major man-made diversion that is designed to reintroduce the river’s sediment, in a controlled manner, to a critical basin of the Mississippi River Delta,” says Tripp. “Once operational, it will serve as a model for what Louisiana and the nation must do to resurrect its great delta as we move towards a responsible integrated river management system.” 

(Washington, D.C. – August 9, 2023) Environmental Defense Fund has filed comments calling on the EPA to set strong, protective standards for climate pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants.

EDF’s comments outline reasons why strong standards are needed and are anchored in law, examine how the Inflation Reduction Act reinforces EPA’s action, and call on the agency to work closely with frontline communities.

“Climate change is an urgent and critical threat to all people, and power plant pollution is a huge part of that threat,” said EDF attorney Noha Haggag. "We urge EPA to adopt strong and comprehensive limits on climate pollution from new and existing fossil fuel power plants, to ensure that the pollution from both coal and gas burning power plants is addressed, and to act with urgency to finalize standards as soon as possible."

Climate change is a clear and present threat to human health and welfare, as underscored for all Americans during this summer’s heat waves, dangerous floods, and other extreme weather events. Power plants are one of the largest sources of climate pollution in the U.S. – responsible for almost one-third of all carbon pollution.

The Clean Air Act requires EPA to address climate pollution, and the agency’s authority to adopt carbon reduction standards for power plants was reinforced when Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act last year. The historic investments under the Inflation Reduction Act are also accelerating the widespread availability of clean, reliable and low-cost energy.

EDF’s comments urge EPA to engage with environmental justice communities and prioritize the concerns of those who will be most impacted by the rule.

“There is crucial work necessary to ensure the serious and long-standing community concerns about carbon capture and hydrogen technologies are acknowledged and addressed consistent with environmental justice, leading science, and public health, public safety and environmental protections,” said Haggag.

You can read EDF’s full comments here.

The Biden administration today issued a proclamation establishing the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona. The new monument protects nearly one million acres of public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park.

Chris Kuzdas, Senior Water Program Manager with Environmental Defense Fund, issued the following statement about the importance of the new monument:

“EDF is thrilled to see President Biden designate the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. The new monument will protect nearly a million acres of public lands from new mining, permanently stopping any new uranium mines from operating in the region.

We extend a warm congratulations to the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, and we acknowledge the tribal leaders and others who have fought for decades to protect their homelands, the Grand Canyon landscape, and its waters. 

Communities in the Grand Canyon region and the millions who visit each year are completely dependent on groundwater for drinking water supplies. The monument permanently removes the threat of new uranium mines undermining regional water security, helping safeguard a global treasure, local livelihoods, and the many deep spiritual and cultural connections to this irreplaceable landscape and its waters for generations to come.

The act of designating this monument represents an important leap forward on the long arc of environmental justice in the region. The work to ensure water security for all in the Southwest will continue, and today, our future in this region looks even brighter.” 

PHOENIX, August 2, 2023 – Arizona elected and business leaders led by Sen. Mark Kelly today marked the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Biden administration’s landmark clean energy plan already bringing generational investment to states.

According to new jobs and investment data released by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a burgeoning manufacturing sector in Arizona underpinned by explosive growth in battery technology has propelled over $10.8 billion in announced investments along with over 11,400 jobs in EV and battery manufacturing. More than two-thirds of the investments announced occurred since passage of the IRA and more than 90% since passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), with a staggering three-fold increase in announced investments alone since EDF first surveyed this data in March. The clean energy plan is a jobs and economic engine that is meaningfully tackling climate pollution while producing low-cost energy – all of it mission critical as the Southwest swelters in record heat exacerbated by the greenhouse gas emissions currently warming the planet at an unsustainable rate.

“Arizona is not only on the frontlines of the challenges of climate change, but also the solutions,” said Sen. Kelly. “Our state has long been a leader in clean energy; and now, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, that is being boosted with investments in development, manufacturing, and deployment of renewable energy. These investments are not just helping us fight climate change, they’ve created more than 11,000 good-paying jobs here in Arizona – not overseas.”

“Cities across the country carry the responsibility of successfully implementing the historic clean energy plan in the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “Fortunately, Phoenix already leads in so many relevant areas, from solar energy to electric vehicle and battery manufacturing. These industries of the future are taking shape in Arizona today, simultaneously creating great jobs that are boosting our local economy. Now more than ever, we must continue working to tackle climate change and bring long-term relief to our communities which have had to grapple with unrelenting extreme heat waves this summer. We can achieve a more sustainable future by leveraging the investment and power of the Inflation Reduction Act, and I look forward doing so with our partners at the local, state, and federal level.”  

“The demand for domestic battery production was put into hyperdrive by the passage of the IRA,” said Suzanne Swink, vice president of government relations at KORE Power. “The state-of-the-art battery manufacturing facility that the KOREPlex Gigafactory is bringing to Arizona will cement the state’s role as a leader in the domestic production of the battery cells needed to power EVs and modernize the electric grid. The clean energy revolution is powering jobs and the economy in Arizona and we’re thrilled to play a role in accelerating its deployment.”

“My children are the seventh generation of my family to call Arizona home,” said Ben Bryce, senior manager, State Affairs Southwest Region for Environmental Defense Fund. “These investments in Arizona’s clean energy economy give me hope for their future and for a vital Arizona for everyone. As we stand at the vanguard of innovation and transformation for the Arizona economy, I could not be more excited about what the President’s clean energy plan is already bringing to my home state – and will continue to do so for generations to come. As evidenced by the jobs and investment numbers released by EDF today, the Inflation Reduction Act is a game-changer as it encourages private investment in clean energy technologies that will reduce harmful pollution, improve health outcomes, lower energy bills and make us more energy secure.”

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The United States Secretary of Energy, Jennifer M. Granholm, yesterday visited Puerto Rico for the fifth time since Hurricane Fiona, and announced a round of up to $453.5 million in funding for increasing rooftop solar and battery systems for single family homes throughout the island. The initiative, part of the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund, aims to solarize up to 40,000 homes, with a focus on very low-income residents. The funding includes consumer protection and education programs to support the use of solar systems over the long-term, and “solar ambassador” grants for community groups to help the Department identify and connect with qualified households. Puerto Rico is required to source 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050.

“Secretary Granholm’s leadership and sense of urgency to ease the energy burden for Puerto Rican families is admirable. Today’s commitment will allow tens of thousands of homes in the island to become resilient in the face of extreme weather, and shows how Puerto Rico’s energy transition can be just and equitable. EDF stands ready to support the Secretary in this historic program.”

• Daniel Whittle, Senior Director, Caribbean

Environmental Defense Fund seeks to identify effective and equitable energy solutions that can bring clean, community-centered electricity to Puerto Rico and can meet the daily needs of its residents, while making the island more resilient to climate change. Our work centers on advancing a community-driven solar and storage project on the island municipality of Culebra and supporting a range of partners who are driving systemic change to the energy system across Puerto Rico. We approach this work holistically, leveraging our technical expertise, sustainable financing tools and energy reform experience to help develop long-term solutions to the territory’s energy crisis. For more information, visit www.edf.org/PuertoRico.

English

La Secretaria de Energía de los Estados Unidos, Jennifer M. Granholm, inició ayer su quinta visita a Puerto Rico desde el paso del huracán Fiona. La funcionaria federal anunció que fondos de hasta $453.5 millones serán dedicados a incrementar los sistemas de energía solar y de almacenamiento en los techos de viviendas unifamiliares en toda la isla. La financiación, parte del Fondo de Resiliencia Energética de Puerto Rico, tiene como objetivo solarizar hasta 40,000 hogares, con un enfoque en los residentes de muy bajos ingresos. Esto incluirá programas de educación y protección al consumidor para apoyar el uso de sistemas solares a largo plazo y apoyo a "embajadores solares" para que grupos comunitarios ayuden al Departamento a identificar hogares calificados y conectarse con ellos. Puerto Rico está obligado por ley a obtener el 100 por ciento de su electricidad de fuentes renovables para el 2050, según establece la Política Pública Energética

“El liderazgo de la Secretaria Granholm y su sentido de urgencia para proveer resiliencia y aliviar las dificultades que conlleva la crisis energética sobre la vida de las familias puertorriqueñas es admirable. Su compromiso ayudará a que cientos de miles de residencias sean más resilientes ante el cambio climático, y demuestra que la transición energética de Puerto Rico puede acontecer en un marco de justicia social y ambiental. Environmental Defense Fund respalda esta gestión histórica.”

• Braulio Quintero, Director, Transición Energética

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) busca identificar soluciones energéticas efectivas y equitativas que puedan traer electricidad limpia y centrada a las comunidades de Puerto Rico, y puedan satisfacer las necesidades diarias de sus familias haciendo que la isla sea más resiliente al cambio climático. Nuestro trabajo se centra en promover un proyecto de almacenamiento y energía solar impulsado por la comunidad en la isla municipio de Culebra, y en apoyar a una variedad de organizaciones que están impulsando un cambio sistémico en la red eléctrica de Puerto Rico. Abordamos este trabajo de manera holística, aprovechando nuestra experiencia técnica, herramientas de financiamiento sostenible y experiencia en reforma energética para ayudar a desarrollar soluciones a largo plazo para la crisis energética del territorio. El proyecto residencial solar de EDF en la isla municipio de Culebra ha establecido un modelo a replicarse por otras comunidades en Puerto Rico y el Caribe. Este proyecto es ejemplo de cómo podemos movernos hacia fuentes de energía limpia y dejar atrás la dependencia en los combustibles fósiles.

Para obtener más información, visite: www.edf.org/PuertoRico.

(Richmond, VA – July 31, 2023) Today, Governor Glenn Youngkin proceeded with his efforts through executive order to remove Virginia from the 12-state program to cap carbon pollution known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, by approving the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board recommendation to repeal the law.

The political maneuvering comes despite overwhelming public favor of nearly 90% to remain in RGGI during the public comment period. Virginia’s participation in RGGI was passed by the state legislature in 2020 and signed into law by the previous administration.

“Amid what scientists predict to be the hottest month ever recorded, Governor Youngkin pressed ahead with his backwards and harmful effort to end Virginia’s successful climate program,” said Mandy Warner, Virginia Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “In just two years of participation, RGGI has already generated over half a billion dollars in investments for energy efficiency upgrades and flood risk reduction projects in our communities while reducing heat-trapping pollution that drives climate change. Without the program, funding will dry up, and Virginia’s taxpayers will have to shoulder the burden of these costs as climate impacts get worse.

“Power companies’ pollution has real, significant costs and it is unfair for polluters to continue to be allowed to shift the costs to Virginians. Youngkin’s climate rollback will undermine Virginia’s progress towards zero carbon emissions in the electricity grid, jeopardize clean energy investments and job creation while supporting power companies’ imprudent, continued investment in polluting fossil fuel technology.

“As RGGI reduces the reliance on fossil fuels, it can also reduce consumers’ risk from swings in volatile fuel prices that have generated sudden spikes in utility bills for consumers. Virginia was on track to lead the clean energy economy. Why is Governor Youngkin moving us backwards?”

Background on RGGI in Virginia:

• RGGI puts a declining limit – or cap – on carbon pollution from power plants across participating states. These plants must pay for their pollution by purchasing allowances. As the pollution limit lowers and allowances become scarce, the program pushes companies to invest in clean energy and pollute less. The proceeds that come to Virginia from selling allowances are already being used to bolster community flood resilience and improve energy efficiency in low-income homes.

• Governor Youngkin blames high electricity costs as a primary reason to exit RGGI. However, both Dominion and Appalachian Power cited spikes in the cost of natural gas, which supplies more than half of Virginia’s electricity, for price increases in 2022. Like other programs that have reduced deadly pollutants from the power sector, RGGI puts a limit on the amount of pollution spewing from smokestacks and requires companies to pay for pollution they choose to continue to emit.

• RGGI allows flexibility for companies to choose their own compliance path which can allow for deeper pollution cuts and the lowest cost. Companies can switch to clean energy, invest in efficiency, utilize polluting plants less, and undertake other measures to reduce the amount of pollution and subsequent fees they pay. Additionally, the RGGI market decides the value of a ton of pollution and companies that innovate to reduce pollution faster are more competitive. These are some of the many ways the cap and invest approach of RGGI is distinct from a tax.  

• Since its launch, RGGI states have seen energy prices fall by 3.2% while they rose by 7.7% in the rest of the country.

(Washington, D.C. – July 28, 2023) A new Biden administration proposal to restore and strengthen our core environmental law will help establish new clean energy around the country, protect communities, and address the climate crisis.

The White House Council on Environmental Quality unveiled the proposed Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule this morning. The proposal would implement several measures that were passed by a bipartisan vote in Congress as part of the debt limit bill. It includes steps that would accelerate the process for approving clean energy projects and make it easier for communities to have a voice in those approvals. The proposal also reverses damaging regulatory changes made by the previous administration intended to preclude consideration of climate impacts and harms to environmental justice communities.

“This proposal would modernize and streamline our process for developing new, desperately needed renewable energy projects and getting them connected to the national grid,” said Elizabeth Gore, EDF Senior Vice President for Political Affairs. “Clarifying our permitting processes under NEPA will allow us to reduce the backlog of deserving energy projects waiting to be built, which will move us toward the clean energy economy that we need to in order to protect all Americans from the climate crisis.”

Today’s proposal involves the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the foundational law underlying our nation’s environmental policies. NEPA guides federal agencies when they consider the impact of their actions on the climate, critical national infrastructure like the national power grid, and communities – especially those that have been disproportionately burdened by pollution and climate change.

The previous administration implemented regulations that undermined NEPA and were disastrous for our ability to review the health, economic, and environmental impacts of projects – particularly impacts on climate and communities. Those changes made it easier to pollute and harder for the public to learn about and comment on projects that would create more pollution in their neighborhoods.

The Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule that was proposed today is a critical step toward undoing that damage and would restore certainty, efficiency, transparency, and meaningful public engagement in decisions made under NEPA. It would help ensure that agencies consider how their actions may contribute to or mitigate climate change, and how climate change may threaten a proposed agency action or alter its environmental outcomes.

“Restoring and strengthening NEPA is essential for improving community engagement, advancing environmental justice, and integrating climate change impacts into federal decision-making” said Rosalie Winn, EDF Director of Methane and Clean Air Policy. “This proposal would make sure that federal agencies are considering the environmental justice and climate impacts of projects, clearly disclosing potential impacts of those projects to the public, and actively engaging with the communities that will be especially impacted by them.”

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (the Integrity Council), an independent governance body for the voluntary carbon market, released its final set of threshold guidance intended to serve as a global benchmark for carbon credit quality.   

The Integrity Council’s Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) and Assessment Framework (AF) aim to establish a consistent and standardized guide to assess the quality of high-quality carbon credits. The Integrity Council’s guidance is the first of its kind for the voluntary carbon market, which has experienced increased demand from companies and investors striving to meet voluntary climate commitments. Following an initial release in March 2023, today’s release includes some clarity on the elements needed to qualify for CCP compliance, and firm commitments to continue improving the CCPs and Assessment Framework. 

The Core Carbon Principles can drive much-needed improvement in the market, and more work remains to realize this potential,” said Mandy Rambharos, Vice President for Global Climate Cooperation. “We are heartened to see that the next phase will bring additional stakeholders into this process with consultation and engagement.

In the next phase of the Integrity Council’s work, they will focus on assessing carbon crediting programs against the CCP criteria, set up stakeholder working groups to develop recommendations to further assess carbon credits, and announce the first round of CCP-eligible programs and CCP-approved categories. This work will be reflected in the next version of the Assessment Framework, due for implementation in 2026.  

The full implications of the Assessment Framework will not be known until it is applied. However, as the Integrity Council approaches its next phase of implementing and building upon the CCPs, EDF urges the Integrity Council to continue working on: 

• Strengthening governance and decision-making processes by making them more inclusive and transparent. Specifically, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) need to be included in decision-making and governance roles. More needs to be done to ensure IPLC stakeholders hold power in processes to develop guidance and engage in governance. 

• Ensuring a clear pathway for high-quality credits from natural climate solutions (NCS) is provided. High quality NCS such as tropical forest conservation are critical to providing the near-term mitigation needed to meet global climate goals. It is key that the IC-VCM sends appropriate market signals on high quality NCS credits. 

• Providing clear guidance on price transparency. The Integrity Council intends to create a work program to develop clarity on price transparency, and we encourage them to address urgent issues such as the opaqueness of pricing information as well as information on the distribution of benefits with IPLC and other stakeholders. 

As we strive for integrity, we must also act to make the voluntary carbon market equitable and inclusive, by engaging Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in governance and leadership positions," said Rambharos. "This is a necessary priority for climate action, not a nice-to-have. Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities safeguard vital, carbon-storing rainforests at the local level. If we want to conserve rainforests and do so with integrity, we need Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in a leadership role. For such engagements, process legitimacy is a key success factor.

As ICVCM guidance continues to evolve, there are resources available to support the IC-VCM in its ongoing efforts as well as to help carbon credit buyers navigate the voluntary carbon market. These include:  

• Carbon Credit Quality Initiative (CCQI), co-managed by Environmental Defense Fund, World Wildlife Fund-US and Oeko-Institut, offers transparent information on carbon credit quality to move the market towards higher quality. CCQI offers a free, interactive tool to score the quality of carbon credit types.   

• The Tropical Forest Credit Integrity (TFCI) Guide, authored by environmental non-profits and Indigenous Peoples organizations, helps companies to differentiate among tropical forest carbon credits by impact, quality, and scale, to move the market towards credits with high social and environmental integrity.  

• The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative's (VCMI) Claims Code of Practice is a set of guidelines that helps companies to make credible claims about their voluntary climate actions and ambitions when using carbon credits. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday advanced its markup of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies funding bill, which helps meet the nation’s climate goals, promote energy security and fund government agencies at the levels agreed to during the recent debt limit negotiations. This proposal protects our clean energy progress and shows how Congress can work in a bipartisan fashion to fund the government.

“President Biden’s clean energy plan is delivering for American families by creating good jobs, reducing harmful pollution and driving down the cost of clean sources of energy,” said Elizabeth Gore, Environmental Defense Fund’s senior vice president for political affairs. “More energy from clean sources, like the sun and wind, means less harmful pollution coming out of smokestacks and tailpipes, and less pollution means fewer asthma attacks, missed days of school and work, and shortened lives. The clean energy plan gives us the tools we need to move beyond dirty and unsustainable fossil fuels and build a non-polluting energy future for healthy, thriving communities.”

“We’re already seeing significant benefits across the U.S., and Congress’ final budget must maintain funding for the essential programs expanding affordable clean energy, lowering household energy costs and protecting public health.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — EPA and the Department of Energy this week announced plans to disburse $350 million to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. Funds from the Inflation Reduction Act’s Methane Emission Reduction Program (MERP) are earmarked to support methane pollution monitoring and innovation, improve the accuracy of emissions reporting and drive down the costs of reducing pollution, in addition to providing support for cutting other harmful air pollutants from oil and gas operations that endanger frontline communities. MERP also includes a fee on wasteful methane emissions beginning in 2024.

The announcement comes as the Biden Administration holds its first ever Methane Summit in the White House, highlighting the importance of an all of government approach to addressing methane pollution including strong, speedy finalization of EPA’s methane regulations.

“This is a critical first step in accelerating methane pollution reductions, especially for communities living near oil and gas operations,” said Elizabeth Gore, Environmental Defense Fund’s senior vice president for political affairs. “These funds will improve health outcomes for people living near sources of oil and gas pollution, and with more funding being distributed soon, we encourage the Biden administration to direct future MERP dollars directly to the communities in need.”

Methane is both a powerful climate pollutant and the main component of natural gas. Curbing methane emissions is a critical opportunity to protect our climate and communities while stopping the waste of energy resources. Methane is over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in the near term, and human-caused methane emissions drive over a quarter of current global warming. Reducing oil and gas methane emissions is the fastest, most cost-effective way to slow our current rate of warming.

MERP allocated $1.55 billion to cut methane pollution from oil and gas industry operations through financial and technical assistance. The program will help reduce climate pollution from the oil and gas industry by improving and deploying new equipment, supporting technological innovation, permanently shutting in and plugging wells, and other activities, according to the EPA. This round of funding will help states permanently mitigate emissions from low-producing but high-emitting wells.

Recent scientific studies have shown that these low-producing wells are outsized contributors to the overall methane pollution problem, accounting for only 6% of oil and gas production in the U.S. but over half of well site methane emissions. Newer and better methane detection technologies like MethaneAIR and MethaneSAT are specifically designed to help uncover and fix these sources of pollution.

Operators will benefit from increased certainty under the methane fee, and MERP technical assistance funding will promote certainty for operators by providing the support operators need as they reduce emissions ahead of the fee and prepare for forthcoming EPA standards to cut methane pollution.

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission took a great step today when it approved a set of improvements for how we connect new energy generators and storage resources to our national power grid.

“Renewable energy projects often face long delays before interconnection, and those delays were likely to get longer because of the rapidly increasing number of projects being created with funding from the historic Inflation Reduction Act. FERC’s new improvements will streamline the process for transmission connection. That will allow us to provide reliable, affordable clean power to people across the country faster and more easily.

“FERC decided today to revamp its study process so that multiple energy resources can be studied simultaneously, create a more even-handed system for sharing costs among multiple applicants, strengthen readiness requirements to help prioritize projects that need to be connected to the grid, and increase enforcement of deadlines to reduce delays. I was especially pleased that FERC decided to allow renewable resources and energy storage projects to share single applications for interconnection, to specifically recognize certain unique characteristics of storage projects, and to require the use of the best possible technologies for conducting interconnection studies.

“Clean power is the most affordable option on the market right now. It is creating jobs across the country, saving families money, helping millions of people have healthier air to breathe, and helping us address the climate crisis. FERC’s actions today will accelerate the addition of clean power to the grid, turbocharged by the Inflation Reduction Act, which will benefit consumers and the climate.”

            - Ted Kelly, EDF Senior Attorney for Energy Markets and Regulation

(San Antonio, TX – July 26, 2023) A new Synapse Energy Economics analysis commissioned by Environmental Defense Fund and Taxpayers for Common Sense finds that oil and gas companies across Texas wasted over $1.7 billion worth of natural gas in 2019. That’s enough lost gas to meet the state’s entire residential natural gas demand twice over, totaling $128 million in lost potential revenue for both the federal and state governments. 

This waste occurs when natural gas is flared, vented or leaked from oil and gas infrastructure, and the analysis comes as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency moves to finalize rules to address methane pollution from oil and gas facilities nationwide. These national rules provide significant upside for states like Texas, where wasted taxpayer resources could be saved with stronger standards for oil and gas operators. 

Watch: Infrared video shows methane gas being released from unlit flares at oil and gas sites across Texas.  

"This analysis shows how critical reducing methane waste and pollution is for Texans," said Elizabeth Lieberknecht, EDF Regulatory & Legislative Manager, Midcontinent. “We urgently need the EPA to finalize its rules to cut methane pollution, especially from the wasteful practice of routine flaring. Strong standards will create jobs and increase revenue for state priorities like education while curbing harmful pollution and strengthening climate security.” 

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeframe and is often accompanied by other local air pollutants. Because methane is the main component of natural gas, it also represents a waste of an energy resource when it is released from the supply chain. 

According to the analysis, the 564 billion cubic feet of methane wasted from Texas’ 294,000 active wells translated into nearly $128 million in lost tax and royalty revenue to the state of Texas in 2019 alone. This lost funding could support Texas’ education system, Rainy Day Fund and the state Highway Fund. Instead, methane and air pollution are released into the atmosphere, harming our climate and hurting public health. 

"We are wasting a valuable domestic energy resource every day. This is true in Texas and across the country. Billions of dollars’ worth of natural gas isn’t getting to market at a time when energy security is important as ever,” said Autumn Hanna, Vice President at Taxpayers for Common Sense.   

This analysis also shows how flaring is a leading cause of wasted gas, responsible for roughly 55% of all methane wasted in Texas in 2019. Operators in Texas flared more than $929 million worth of natural gas in just one year.  

While volumes of flared gas in Texas have decreased in recent years, operators still flare significant volumes of gas. And without strong requirements in place in Texas, there is currently nothing to stop another run up in flared volumes when market forces dictate. This underscores the importance of EPA regulatory action and strengthened standards in a final rule to eliminate pollution from routine flaring to keep this resource out of the atmosphere and in the pipeline. Colorado and New Mexico have already implemented strong rules to stop pollution and waste from routine flaring, creating an important foundation for federal agencies to build upon in developing standards that serve the needs of Texans. 

“Our state oil and gas oversight agency, the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), has failed to rein in routine venting and flaring. Climate pollution like this is making Texas hotter and drier, affecting our agriculture sector and making outdoor work more risky. We need strong federal rules in place to stop these emissions faster, because the RRC isn't doing enough,” said Virginia Palacios, Executive Director of Commission Shift. 

Cutting methane waste and pollution from the oil and gas sector will not only reduce energy and economic waste but will also protect communities and increase climate security. Alongside methane, oil and gas production sites emit smog-forming volatile organic compounds and health-harming hazardous air pollutants. Texans across the state are already experiencing the impacts of climate change, such as exacerbated heat waves and prolonged drought.  

“Methane waste and pollution have detrimental effects on communities in Texas,” said Sheila Serna, Climate Science and Policy Director at Rio Grande International Study Center. “When oil and gas operators are allowed to waste natural gas, communities not only lose out on potential revenue but are also impacted by the adverse health and climate impacts of the industry’s pollution.” 

Reducing methane waste and pollution also creates jobs in the fast-growing methane mitigation industry. According to Datu Research, the sector already has 55 locations across Texas, manufacturing products and providing services to help operators curtail emissions. The methane mitigation industry provides family-sustaining jobs that typically pay 10% more than the federal average and can’t be offshored. Over 75% of methane mitigation companies say they would create more jobs with strengthened methane emission standards in place. 

Additionally, reducing the needless waste of gas resources lost through methane waste is an important solution for addressing the joint energy and climate security challenges of the U.S. and its allies as we transition away from fossil fuels to a clean energy future.