Complete list of press releases

(SACRAMENTO, Ca. – June 30, 2023) Today, Assembly Member Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) will be sworn in as the next Speaker of the California Assembly. He succeeds Assembly Member Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), the second-longest serving Speaker in California history.

• Statement of Katelyn Roedner Sutter, California State Director

“Environmental Defense Fund is deeply grateful to Speaker Rendon for his years of leadership on, and support for, climate action and resilience, especially for communities on the frontlines of climate change. He was instrumental in extending California’s landmark cap-and-trade program in 2017, supported significant climate and water investments throughout his tenure including unprecedented climate spending in last year’s budget, championed SAFER at the State Water Resources Control Board to ensure safe drinking water for communities, and helped ensure an equitable and ambitious climate package was delivered to the Governor’s desk in 2022. With his thoughtful and collaborative approach, Speaker Rendon has been essential to California’s legacy of climate leadership.

“As Speaker Rivas takes the helm, Environmental Defense Fund is confident California’s role at the forefront of climate action will continue. During his time in the Assembly, Speaker Rivas championed creative solutions to complex challenges such as the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program to support communities and reduce demand on groundwater. He has also worked tirelessly to support farmworkers and ensure safe and affordable drinking water for all Californians living with contaminated water sources. Speaker Rivas’ ability to bring a diversity of stakeholders together in search of nuanced approaches will serve him well as California’s next Assembly Speaker and we look forward to supporting him in that effort.

“We wish to congratulate both of these exceptional Assembly Members on the important roles they have, and will, play in California’s environmental legacy.”

(Washington, D.C. – June 29, 2023) Environmental Defense Fund and three other leading environmental organizations will help defend California’s clean truck protections against court challenges.

EDF and the Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club filed a motion to intervene with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today.

“Heavy-duty vehicles only make up about one-tenth of all the traffic on America’s roads, but they are responsible for more than half of the heath-harming pollution and more than a quarter of the climate pollution from the transportation sector,” said EDF Clean Transportation Attorney Andy Su. “California’s Advanced Clean Trucks Rule will save at least 900 lives by 2040 and eliminate as much climate pollution as would be generated by four million cars. It will protect public health and our climate, save money for truckers and fleets, and help create new American jobs.”

At issue is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to grant California a waiver of preemption that allows the state to move forward with protective pollution standards for new medium and heavy-duty vehicles like freight trucks and buses. Under the Clean Air Act, California has been authorized to request such waivers for more than 50 years and has successfully used the process many times.

The waiver allows California to move ahead with its Advanced Clean Trucks Rule, which will speed the adoption of new zero-emission medium and heavy-duty trucks. The California Air Resources Board estimates that the Advanced Clean Trucks Rule will reduce climate pollution by almost three million metric tons each year by 2040, as well as reducing smog-forming NOx pollution and potentially deadly particulate matter pollution. Seven other states – Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington – have adopted California’s Advanced Clean Trucks Rule as long provided for under our clean air laws.

A group including trucking and oil industry interests, along with a coalition of states led by Iowa, have sued to overturn EPA’ s decision to grant the waiver. Vehicle and engine manufacturers are not challenging the decision.

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, the District of Columbia, and the Cities of Los Angeles and New York are defending the waiver.

In addition to EDF and its allies, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice and the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, represented by Earthjustice, also intervened to defend the waiver.

“For more than half a century our nation’s clean air laws have expressly authorized state leadership in reducing air pollution from new vehicles, and EPA’s approval of a preemption waiver for the Advanced Clean Trucks Rule is firmly consistent with that longstanding history,” said Su.

(SACRAMENTO, Ca. – June 28, 2023) In a flurry of last-minute negotiations, Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Senate and Assembly have agreed to a major budget deal. This suite of legislation ensures California starts the fiscal year on July 1 with a balanced budget in place. This budget agreement is part of a much broader and ongoing policy discussion including permitting reform and infrastructure. The main budget bill was signed by Governor Newsom today, and votes and signatures on the balance of the package are expected in the coming days.

• Statement of Katelyn Roedner Sutter, California State Director

“EDF appreciates California’s elected leadership finding a path forward to ensure funding for clean transportation, building decarbonization and data for better water management. We also recognize the consistent prioritization and investment in forest and fire management to increase resilience and avoid catastrophic wildfires. These are urgent investments – the governor, Senate and Assembly recognize they cannot be delayed as Californians across the state continue to experience the impacts of a changing climate.

“At the same time, more resources are always needed to fully fund these and many other health-protective priorities, flood and drought resilience, and strategies like the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program to create a more adaptive landscape. We look forward to working with the administration and the legislature to ensure California can secure additional revenue and maximize federal funds for these investments.

“Simultaneously, we will continue to remain engaged in ongoing policy discussions to ensure permitting reform does not increase the environmental burden in disadvantaged communities, maintains robust environmental review and community engagement, and that California can build the infrastructure it will need to meet its clean energy goals.”

The Voluntary Carbon Market Initiative (VCMI) today released the Claims Code of Practice, a set of guidelines designed to help companies make credible claims about their voluntary climate actions and ambitions when using carbon credits. 

According to the Code, before using carbon credits and making associated claims, companies must set clear science-aligned near-term targets to reduce emissions in the near-term as they progress toward long-term net zero commitments consistent with limiting global temperature increases to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The Code also requires all carbon credits to be high quality, referencing the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s (IC-VCM) Core Carbon Principles, which provide a global threshold definition of high-quality carbon credits to guide buyers and program developers.  

The VCMI Claims Code is still under development. The VCMI has yet to name the claims companies can make, establish the measurement, reporting and verification process for greenhouse gas emissions, and establish product, service, and brand-level claims. VCMI plans to publish these details in November 2023.  

In response to the release of the Claims Code, Mandy Rambharos, Vice President of Global Climate Cooperation at Environmental Defense Fund, released the following statement:  

“The Claims Code is a critical step forward for the voluntary carbon market, although there is still significant work to be done. When it is complete, the Code promises much-needed clarity and transparency around carbon credit claims. This tool could build trust and confidence in the market's ability to help companies meet their net-zero commitments with high integrity.  

The key will be holding companies, program developers, and other stakeholders accountable to striving for high quality and integrity, while balancing the flexibility to welcome smaller companies, particularly from emerging economies, into the market’s journey. We need a broad-scale, market-wide movement toward high-integrity to achieve meaningful climate benefits at the time and pace the science demands.”

(New York) The Federal Highway Administration has granted the Metropolitan Transit Authority final approval for New York’s long awaited congestion pricing program. This approval affirms congestion pricing has undergone a rigorous environmental review process, which showed significant positive environmental benefits—  as well as a robust plan to mitigate unintended localized adverse effects. While other cities around the world have successfully implemented similar programs, New York will be the first city in the United States to use congestion pricing to tackle traffic congestion and fund transit improvements. 

“This is a historic day for the environment and the public transportation system that millions of people rely on every day. After years of public review, it’s finally time to build the system that will deliver billions of dollars for better subways, trains and buses across the city and the region.  Congestion pricing is essential to the economic and environmental future of the city — it will improve public transportation, reduce air pollution, cut traffic and create safer and more accessible streets for emergency vehicles and delivery drivers. We are thankful for Gov. Hochul’s leadership and the unwavering dedication of our transit and environmental coalition partners in reaching this milestone.” 

• Mary Barber, State Director, New York and New Jersey, Environmental Defense Fund  

The MTA has 310 days to build the infrastructure needed to turn congestion pricing on. The Transit Mobility Review Board will now begin to determine the specifics of the program. Congestion pricing is mandated to raise $1 billion per year, all of which will go towards funding widespread improvements to regional public transportation, via the MTA Capital Plan. 

(NEW YORK ) MethaneSAT LLC today announced deployment of its groundbreaking methane measurement technology aboard a specially equipped jet aircraft that will locate, measure and track methane from oil and gas operations and other sectors across North America. The new MethaneAIR program will inform and augment orbital data collection by MethaneSAT, scheduled to launch in early 2024.

Methane from fossil fuel operations, agriculture and other industries causes roughly 30% of today's global warming. MethaneAIR and MethaneSAT are designed to help both industry and regulators achieve faster, more effective reductions in emissions of this critical greenhouse pollutant. Aircraft and satellite data will be available at no cost, enabling stakeholders to see and compare the results over time.

See photos and video of MethaneAIR in action here.

The highly sensitive instruments will see emissions at a regional scale that others can’t, making it possible for the first time to determine total methane emissions over wide areas, including detailed maps of both large sources and countless smaller ones even where those emissions are low. Research suggests these diffuse sources account for a large share of total methane emissions.

“Cutting methane pollution is the fastest, most effective way there is to slow the rate of warming. Our instruments are helping to unlock that opportunity,” said MethaneSAT project lead Steven Hamburg.  “Frequent high-precision measurements will give companies, regulators and the public actionable new insights to cut methane emissions faster.”

You can read the recent New Yorker profile of the MethaneSAT mission here.

Imaging spectrometers aboard MethaneAIR and MethaneSAT will measure methane in the atmosphere over large areas with unparalleled sensitivity, accurately tracking changes in atmospheric concentrations as small as three parts per billion. Automated analytics developed by MethaneSAT will track emissions back to their source, regardless of size.

MethaneAIR flights will initially focus on oil and gas facilities, including the Denver-Julesburg basin in Colorado; the Haynesville Shale in East Texas and Louisiana; and the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico. Operating from local airports, flights will map and quantify emissions from target regions encompassing roughly 80% of U.S. onshore production. Initial plans include more than 50 flights from now through fall, 2023.

“The data is meant to both enable and motivate action,” said Jon Goldstein, senior director of regulatory & legislative affairs at the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund, which created the MethaneSAT mission in 2018. “We are working directly with oil and gas operators, state and national governments, and organizations like the International Energy Agency to actively catalyze better, more effective reduction of these emissions.”

MethaneAIR is designed to work in conjunction with MethaneSAT. The satellite is now in final testing and scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket early next year. Where MethaneAIR can cover 10 target areas measuring 10,000 square kilometers each month across North America, MethaneSAT will collect data from 30 targets a day worldwide, each measuring 40,000 square kilometers.

Data from MethaneAIR will start to become available later this summer after a rigorous quality control process. It will appear on a new MethaneSAT data platform in the fall. Like MethaneSAT, MethaneAIR will also measure emissions from agriculture, landfills and other sources.

MethaneAIR was developed jointly by MethaneSAT, EDF, Harvard University and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The leased aircraft was adapted and operated by IO Aerospace.

Retired from a private operator, the newly modified Lear 35 is the first jet aircraft tasked to measure methane full-time. The refit includes extended fuel tanks and special aft fins for improved stability. It carries two pilots and a technician, with space for one additional crew member. Operating at about 40,000 feet, above most commercial traffic, flights will last five to six hours.

As it does across its global operations, MethaneSAT parent EDF will determine the greenhouse gas emissions associated with each flight, offsetting them through private sector investment in high-integrity emission reduction projects.

(Washington, D.C. – June 26, 2023) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should promptly finalize its proposal to strengthen the U.S. Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and include several necessary improvements that will further protect millions of people from some of the most hazardous pollutants in our air, according to comments filed by the Environmental Defense Fund and a coalition of environmental groups.

“Strong clean air standards are vital for safeguarding the health of all people from the mercury and other toxic pollutants discharged from coal plant smokestacks,” said EDF Clean Air Legal Fellow Richard Yates. “In the Clean Air Act, Congress specifically requires EPA to set standards for these especially dangerous pollutants that reflect the maximum achievable reductions. EPA's adoption of strengthened Mercury and Air Toxics Standards would keep people and communities safer from coal plant smokestack pollution by requiring protective limits and rigorous monitoring that reflect modern technologies.”

Mercury pollution from coal-burning power plants impairs the brain development of young children and is linked to deadly heart attacks and hypertension in adults. Other toxic pollutants from power plants include cancer-causing nickel, arsenic, and hexavalent chromium, as well as five other probable carcinogens such as lead.

The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards have slashed levels of these pollutants since EPA first adopted them in 2012 and did it for less than one-quarter of what EPA originally estimated it would cost. However, many coal plants in the U.S. are still emitting high levels of toxic pollution, and it has been a decade since EPA last updated the standards as required by our nation’s clean air laws.

EPA unveiled its proposal to modernize Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in April. The proposal would strengthen pollution limits and increase monitoring for toxic air pollution released by coal-fired power plants. The update addresses harmful air pollution by proposing more stringent control of non-mercury metal toxics and by removing the lignite coal loophole. Currently, power plants burning lignite coal are subject to a loophole that allows them to meet a much weaker mercury standard. Under the proposal, lignite plants would be required to meet the same mercury emissions standard as coal plants burning other coal types.

The comments filed by EDF and its allies “strongly support strengthening” the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards while also calling for changes to reflect technological advances that now allow coal plants to reach lower emissions levels at less cost.

“The 2012 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards … have proven to be one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s greatest success stories. Under this rule, emissions of mercury, toxic metals, and acid gases from the electric power sector have declined dramatically, while compliance costs have remained far below projected levels,” the groups say in their comments. They add that “in the intervening years, control measures have improved beyond what was known at the time: better-than-expected removal capabilities, lower costs, and enhanced materials and control techniques have all unlocked further reductions in harmful emissions from coal-fired [plants]. EPA has a statutory obligation to secure the cleaner air now available.”

The coalition submitting the comments includes EDF and Air Alliance Houston, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, Clean Air Council, Clean Air Task Force, Clean Wisconsin, Downwinders at Risk, Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Montana Environmental Information Center, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Southern Environmental Law Center.

You can read the joint comments here.

(Washington. D.C. – June 22, 2023) The growing market strength and feasibility of all types of new electric vehicles – from cars to freight trucks – is reflected in three new reports prepared for Environmental Defense Fund.

EDF unveiled the reports as part of its comments to EPA in support of the agency’s proposed greenhouse gas standards for new heavy-duty vehicles. Those comments emphasize that EPA’s proposal is “eminently feasible” and calls on the agency to adopt even stronger standards that help deliver more new zero-emitting freight trucks and buses nationwide.

“More protective standards are clearly achievable thanks to momentum from historic investments in the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, manufacturer commitments to levels of new zero-emitting vehicle deployment that exceed EPA’s projections, and ongoing adoption of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule by states,” said Alice Henderson, Director of Transportation and Clean Air Policy for EDF. “We also think EPA has a vital opportunity to strengthen the proposed standards for key segments, including new school buses and tractor trailers.”

The reports were prepared for EDF by Roush, Analysis Group and ERM. All three bolster the feasibility of strong pollution standards for both new light-duty vehicles (cars and passenger trucks) and new heavy-duty vehicles (commercial vehicles including delivery trucks, buses, school buses, garbage trucks and freight trucks).

Roush prepared its report on Class 7 and Class 8 Tractor–Trailer Electrification for MYs 2030 and 2032 for EDF. Among its findings:

• Medium and heavy-duty trucks move about three-quarters of all cargo in the U.S., covering about three trillion vehicle miles each year. However, about half that cargo, by weight, is moved less than 100 miles – meaning a significant portion of trips can be completed by an electric vehicle on a single charge. That in turn means a large proportion of charging can occur, for lower cost, at the depot.
• The cargo capacity of most battery electric heavy-duty vehicles will be at par with diesel vehicles by 2030.
• In 2030, the total operating costs of battery electric heavy-duty vehicles will be significantly lower than diesel trucks across all segments of the market due to extensive maintenance and fuel cost savings, with a payback period for upfront costs (which includes charging equipment) of less than three years for all vehicles. Battery electric heavy-duty vehicles will also have a lower total operating cost per mile even with significant en route charging.
• With the tax credits available under the Inflation Reduction Act, the upfront cost of most new battery electric heavy-duty vehicles will be the same amount or cheaper than diesel vehicles, excluding charging equipment. That’s a conservative estimate by Roush that assumes higher costs for domestically produced batteries, but an increase in battery manufacturing in the U.S. facilitated by the same law will likely drive the cost of new electric trucks down even more.

The report found the U.S. is “well-positioned to transition to electric Heavy-Duty trucks thanks to supportive policies, technological advancements, and emerging business models” as well as new tax incentives and government support to build necessary infrastructure. It also found that EPA’ s proposed greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty vehicles will further accelerate the deployment of new zero-emissions trucks.

Analysis Group’s report, Heavy Duty Vehicle Electrification Planning for and Development of Needed Power System Infrastructure, looked at the  potential impacts of an expanded zero-emissions vehicle fleet on electric distribution systems. It found the “overall magnitude of growth in demand that would result from EPA’s proposed rule is very small relative to historic periods of growth in the electric industry, and will not pose a challenge from the perspectives of power system generation or transmission infrastructure needs.”

The report also found that “the majority of utilities and counties in the country will not face the need to increase distribution system capacity at a level that is qualitatively different from past system infrastructure needs driven by traditional growth in electricity demand within their service territories,” and that “there are many emerging technologies, ratemaking practices, and distributed resource solutions that have the potential to significantly and efficiently reduce the expected impacts on distribution systems associated with vehicle electrification.”

ERM’s Electric Vehicle Market Update of April 2023 adds to earlier research done for EDF. The updated report found that electric vehicle sales and model availability have both grown rapidly and are continuing to rise:

• By the end of 2022, more than 10 million light-duty electric vehicles were sold worldwide – one in every seven cars sold overall.
• Americans bought more than 800,000 light-duty electric vehicles in 2022, a 65% increase from 2021.
• U.S. sales of electric vehicles reached more than 258,000 in the first quarter of 2023, an almost 45% year-over-year increase.
• The U.S. is projected to have 197 models of electric cars and passenger trucks on the market by the end of 2025, up five percent from the projection in the last Electric Vehicle Market Update.
• Worldwide, almost 200 more models of electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles became available for purchase between 2021 and 2022.

ERM’s report also catalogues significant manufacturer commitments and includes several new commitments since the last update:

• Honda announced its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, as well as new partnerships with General Motors to co-develop electric vehicles worldwide starting in 2027 and with Sony to produce battery electric vehicles in North America in 2025 (under the brand Afeela).
• Mitsubishi announced that it expects 100% of its global sales to come from electric vehicles by 2035 and will release four new models in that timeframe, including ones from partnerships with Nissan and Renault.
• Stellantis’ Jeep announced plans to release four new electric models in North America and Europe by the end of 2025, including the launch of an electric Ram pickup truck.

A group of fuel production stakeholders, including H2Carrier and MAN Energy Solutions, today joined Environmental Defense Fund in support for the full decarbonisation of the shipping industry by 2050. The companies call on International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member States to develop policies that incentivize the production and adoption of sustainable fuels, and to adopt ambitious interim targets for 2030 and 2040 to eliminate emissions from shipping in line with the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. The request comes a few weeks before the 80th session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80) is set to revise its Initial Strategy on the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships. 

Decarbonising the shipping industry rests largely on commercializing cleaner fuel alternatives and suitable technologies. A strengthened IMO Strategy on the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships – one that includes a commitment to eliminating the sector’s emissions on a full life cycle basis by 2050, ambitious interim targets, and a comprehensive policy package with other tools, such as a market-based measure and a fuel standard – is key to developing them at scale.

"This Call to Action gives International Maritime Organization Member States confidence that an ambitious decarbonisation pathway is attainable. Our signatories are ready to play their part in shipping’s transition away from fossil fuels. The message is clear, fuel and technology companies support maritime decarbonization in line with the 1.5 temperature goal by calling for ambitious interim targets and a Well-to-Wake approach to emissions, which will drive truly sustainable fuel production at scale." – Marie Cabbia Hubatova, Director, Global Shipping at Environmental Defense Fund

"While contributing to this call to action, we were reminded how much is at stake. Only through alignment of sufficient ambition between the fuel producers, regulators and maritime industry, can an effective transition to a sustainable future occur. This year, with no time to spare, we are certain that the three elements described form the critical basis of any revised strategy." – Conor and Sofia Fürstenberg Stott, Partners of Fürstenberg Maritime Advisory 

“These commitments send a clear signal that fuel producers are ready to support full decarbonization of the shipping industry." "Now, it’s time for our world leaders to step up and bring an end to fossil fueled shipping by adopting an ambitious Revised GHG Reduction Strategy at MEPC80 -- with a Well-to-Wake approach to fuels’ emissions and interim targets to put us on track to peak and eliminate emissions in line with a 1.5 degree Celsius scenario." – Allyson Browne, Climate Campaign Director, Ports of Pacific Environment 

"The maritime sector has an obligation to act and this Call to Action reflects a strong expectation that IMO will identify a clear path towards reaching a fully decarbonized shipping industry by 2050. Technology providers and sustainable fuel producers are pushing forward to ensure that the entire value chain will be in place to deliver on this goal. The timing for this Call is crucial and IMO’s actions can identify a clear path for the industry and for investors who will need to play a key role in this transformation." – Mårten Lunde, CEO of H2Carrier AS  
  
“MAN Energy Solutions is in a unique position to assess the future-fuel mix based on our dual-fuel engine contracting, and we wholeheartedly believe that the prompt adoption of regulations that invite capital into the production of alternative, green fuels is a must; shipping urgently requires large volumes and thus scalability. To this end, we believe that a collective comprising players from the maritime, regulatory and political spheres can build enough momentum to achieve our decarbonisation aims." – Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solution
 
“The European Biodiesel Board fully backs this call for full shipping decarbonisation. European produced biodiesel is the most successful driver of road transport decarbonisation in history, delivering unprecedented GHG savings and reducing the use of fossil fuel. We are confident that, with ambitious targets and a true Well-to-Wake lifecycle assessment approach, International Maritime Organization policies will drive a similarly successful transition to cleaner fuels in maritime transport. We stand committed to meeting this demand, and ready to significantly contribute to this crucial global effort and supply the necessary renewable fuel.” – Cailean Iain Macleod, Technical and Regulatory Affairs Director of European Biodiesel Board

"InterContinental Energy will be producing green fuels at scale for the maritime sector, helping shipping companies to meet their 2030 goals as well as net zero by 2050. We support this Call to Action in order to provide the regulatory framework required to incentivize the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, said Alicia Eastman, President of InterContinental Energy.” – Alicia Eastman, President of InterContinental Energy

Maritime shipping is central to the global supply chain. Climate pollution from ships accounts for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and with the increasing demand to move goods, pollution from shipping is expected to grow significantly in the next two decades unless significant action is taken. Decarbonizing the sector no later than 2050 is critical to limit global warming in alignment with the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and other legislators put forward the Technology Assessment for Air Quality Management Act, which will expand access to local air pollution data and health impacts and help us know what tools will help communities most afflicted by air pollution.

“Everyone has the right to clean air, but far too many people live in communities overburdened with air pollution,” said Sarah Vogel, senior vice president for healthy communities at Environmental Defense Fund. “With the Technology Assessment for Air Quality Management Act, Senator Markey, Representative Blunt Rochester and the bill's cosponsors recognize the need for better data on local sources of air pollution and health outcomes and the ability to integrate this data into decision-making. This bill will provide needed tools to better understand air pollution and protect health.”

The bill would require EPA to update its Air Sensor Toolbox to include the advantages and limitations of community monitoring technologies (such as low-cost monitors and satellite data products), potential uses of air quality data and how to access data on potential air pollution sources and health impacts. The bill would also help the EPA to integrate environmental justice mapping tools, allowing the agency to better consider cumulative burdens and increase the use of low-cost sensors and satellite data in decision-making.

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has just taken two crucial steps toward establishing better responses to the risks of increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events driven by climate change. We welcome FERC’s issuance of these crucial orders and will work with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation to ensure robust implementation of the requirements for planning and corrective action. As FERC notes, the U.S. has experienced at least seven major weather events that stressed electric grid operations since 2011.

“We also call on FERC to further enhance the reliability of our electric system by moving forward with its proposed rules on interconnection and transmission, which will accelerate the development of needed infrastructure and the integration of clean energy resources that will enhance the capabilities and reliability of the electric grid.

“FERC just finalized a rule requiring NERC to update our national reliability standards to require planning for a broad array of extreme weather risks, including extreme heat and cold. Current reliability rules require only limited evaluation of the risks posed by a smaller class of extreme weather events, specifically hurricanes and tornadoes. However, the risks we face from a wide variety of climate-amplified extreme weather is growing, and this rule will support FERC's long-standing duty to ensure continuing grid reliability. FERC’s order will require that utilities and transmission operators conduct a detailed evaluation of the risks of extreme weather events and then take corrective action where risks are identified. We’re especially pleased to see that the order recognizes extreme weather risks can often be best mitigated through the buildout of the electric transmission system to increase linkages between regions.

“FERC also finalized a rule directing all transmission providers to file reports on whether and how they conduct extreme weather vulnerability assessments. These reports will reveal whether utilities are sufficiently considering and addressing the reliability and resiliency risks created by climate change. If these reports show that risks are not being sufficiently addressed, FERC should take further action to ensure robust resiliency planning. As highlighted by Chair Phillips and Commissioner Clements, it is also crucial for transmission providers to identify whether and how they consider impacts on disadvantaged and vulnerable communities and engage with them to find solutions.”

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Appropriations Committee this week advanced bills that would undermine the nation’s climate goals and energy needs by funding government agencies below levels agreed to during the recent debt limit negotiations. These drastic rollbacks would raise energy costs for families and harm public health.

“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. “House members supporting these bills are working against the progress we’re making and against the interests of their constituents.”

With disregard to the debt limit agreement struck by Speaker McCarthy and President Biden, House Republicans formally adopted topline cuts of 35% for the bill funding the Department of the Interior and EPA, and 30% for the bill funding USDA and FDA. They also advanced dramatic rollbacks to clean energy plan programs including the High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program, Assistance for Latest and Zero Building Energy Code Adoption and State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training Grants.

The proposed cuts to DOI and EPA would reduce overall funding by more than one-third from FY 2023 levels, gutting critical clean air and public health programs. If the 35% spending cut is applied equally across agencies included in the bill, these cuts would represent EPA’s lowest funding levels since at least 1996.

The House Republicans’ proposal would rescind historic investments in rural energy projects and gut agricultural research and technical assistance programs that farmers and ranchers rely on to innovate their operations. Taken together, these cuts represent the lowest funding levels for USDA since 2007 and would harm rural Americans trying to make a living while dealing with the impacts of climate change.

The rollbacks also aim to undo popular provisions of President Biden’s clean energy plan, like rebates for energy-efficient heat pumps, electric stoves, heat pump dryers and insulation. These rebates help Americans save money on energy bills, upgrade to clean energy equipment, improve energy efficiency and reduce indoor and outdoor air pollution. DOE estimates that the historic home energy efficiency and electrification consumer rebates will save households up to $1 billion annually.

SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, the California State Senate and Assembly each fulfilled their constitutional requirement to pass a balanced budget by midnight on June 15. This joint budget represents many of the priorities of the Senate and Assembly and is the basis for ongoing negotiations with Governor Newsom over his revised May budget proposal. These votes are important steps in the budget process though there is much deliberation still to come. 

Statement from Katelyn Roedner Sutter, California State Director, Environmental Defense Fund:

“EDF appreciates the Legislature recognizing the real and present impacts of the climate crisis and the state’s water challenge that has us seesawing from drought to flood almost overnight – even in challenging financial times, the Legislature realizes that Californians cannot afford to delay climate action,” said Katelyn Roedner Sutter, California State Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “The Legislature restored proposed funding cuts by the governor to ensure California has the tools and data to responsibly manage water in both wet and dry years, to support equitable building decarbonization, and restored key incentives to ensure the state is on track to facilitate the transition to zero-emission vehicles. 

“As negotiations between Governor Newsom and the Legislature are finalized, EDF urges the parties to restore funding for programs that ensure the long-term sustainability of California’s groundwater resources, support innovative strategies to reduce forest fuel load and avoid catastrophic wildfires, and restore funding to ensure our ports and truck fleets can decarbonize and significantly reduce the health-harming air pollution they create.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Biden today vetoed a Republican-led repeal of public health and clean air rules that his administration finalized in December 2022. EPA’s Heavy-Duty NOx Final Rule applies nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions standards to new medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles sold in model years 2027 and later, the first update to the standards in over 20 years. The new standards on NOx emissions are more than 80% stronger than current standards according to the EPA.

“President Biden has yet again stood against attempts to undermine public health and supported our ongoing move to cleaner vehicles,” said Elizabeth Gore, Environmental Defense Fund’s senior vice president for political affairs. “The EPA’s commonsense protections will minimize health harms and save lives all across the country.”

Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles like freight trucks and buses are just 10% of all the vehicles on our roads, but they are responsible for the majority of health-harming pollution from the transportation sector, including NOx pollution.

In total, the EPA estimates these new protective NOx standards will prevent almost 3,000 deaths and numerous hospitalizations and respiratory illnesses each year by 2045.

In April, EDF released new research showing that some 15 million people live within a half-mile of a warehouse in 10 states across the country. The report, Making the Invisible Visible: Shining a Light on Warehouse Truck Air Pollution, provides a window into the burden of truck-related air pollution exposure experienced by people living in close proximity to warehouses. In many states, Black, Latino, Asian and American Indian communities and areas of low wealth are disproportionately exposed to this pollution.

Clean vehicle provisions in the president’s clean energy plan are already changing the transportation landscape and dramatically reducing the cost of zero-emitting medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, with companies already spending tens of billions of dollars to manufacture and deploy clean commercial vehicles.

President Biden has been overwhelmingly successful at defending the clean energy and public health progress ushered in by his administration. In debt limit negotiations, House Republican negotiators aimed to rollback progress already underway from the president’s clean energy plan, but they were ultimately unable to undo any of the president’s clean energy plan after threatening to default on the federal government’s debt obligations.

WASHINGTON — This week the U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote on H.R. 277, the REINS Act, and H.R. 288, SOPRA. Both bills directly and broadly threaten public health and the environment.

“Our federal agencies must be able to protect our health and safety and reasonably enforce laws written by Congress,” said Elizabeth Gore, Environmental Defense Fund’s senior vice president for political affairs. “These bills threaten the health and well-being of millions of Americans by subjecting science-driven protections to partisan gridlock.”

The REINS Act would obstruct the federal government from carrying out actions mandated by Congress, including laws with strong bipartisan support, and could prevent implementation of critical public health, safety or environmental protections. The REINS Act would require both the House and Senate to approve major rules, including rules mandated by existing law, within 70 days.

If one or both chambers failed to approve a rule, the rule would not take effect and would be tabled until the next congressional session. Congress could prevent existing laws from being carried out, resulting in gridlock at an unprecedented scale. This would effectively give one chamber of Congress veto power over any new significant public health, safety or environmental protections, no matter how non-controversial or sensible they may be.

SOPRA would hinder agencies’ ability to protect the public by allowing judges to substitute their own policy interpretations for agencies’ expert determinations, creating regulatory uncertainty and reversing decades of established precedent.

In a Statement of Administration Policy issued today, President Biden said that SOPRA, “would undermine separation of powers, a fundamental element of our government, by attempting to jettison longstanding principles concerning judicial review of agency interpretation and implementation of laws and regulations.”

President Biden has committed to vetoing both bills if they arrive on his desk.

The House could vote on the REINS Act and SOPRA as early as Wednesday afternoon.