Complete list of press releases

March 13, 2014— Economists agree—the American public can expect to pay trillions of dollars if global temperatures continue to rise. Personal bank accounts and government coffers will feel the strain of climate change-driven increased food prices, insurance premiums, emergency aid, and more. 

While the U.S. government has done scientifically sound work that begins to estimate those costs,  many consequences of a changing climate are absent from the government’s forecasts, according to a report released jointly today by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU School of Law (Policy Integrity), and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). 

Omitted Damages: What’s Missing from the Social Cost of Carbon finds that wildfires, floods, extreme drought, and storm surges like those seen in Superstorm Sandy are effectively valued at $0.

The U.S. government currently estimates the public would pay $37 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions. This “social cost of carbon” captures the negative consequences of climate change (as well as potential benefits like lower heating costs). 

The report finds the estimate to be a lower bound.  Missing risks incorrectly drive the price down.  An artificially low social cost of carbon would indicate a less-urgent need for regulation or policy interventions. 

“Infectious diseases, pests, pathogens—too many climate change risks are being counted as if they would impose no cost to the public,” said Richard Revesz, Policy Integrity’s Director.  “We pay much more than $37 per ton of carbon pollution.  Taking action against climate change is a bargain compared to the economic damages of greenhouse gas emissions.”

The report findings show that the government’s estimate relies on studies that have not yet valued many important damages, which means the estimate itself omits values for those damages. 

“The Obama Administration has done extensive and rigorous work to evaluate the economic risks of climate change,” said Laurie Johnson, NRDC’s Chief Climate Economist.  “But more must be done to ensure that more of these threats are incorporated into its social cost of carbon estimate.  Failure to do so means exposing the public to great harm.”

The report, authored by economist, Peter Howard, is the latest effort from the Cost of Carbon Pollution project, which recently unveiled a new website. The Cost of Carbon Pollution project marshals the best economic research to report on the real price of climate change threats.  A series of papers and blog posts will summarize the costs to the public of wildfires, storm surges, and other consequences of a rise in global temperatures.  The website will also serve as a hub for academics who research this topic, offering a clearinghouse of scientific and economic research. 

An electronic version of this release can be found here.

San Francisco, CA – Actors Robert Redford and Will Ferrell, along with Professional Surfer Kelly Slater, are lending their creativity and talent to support Raise the River, a campaign designed to help breathe life back into the Colorado River Delta.

The campaign aims to raise $10 million by 2017 to restore a 70-mile stretch of river and wetland habitat and to benefit the communities of the long-neglected Delta. 

Raise the River, working with like-minded partners in the United States and Mexico, is giving the public an opportunity to be part of restoring the Colorado River as the life force of the American West.

“The Colorado River is an American treasure, one of our great icons, but we’ve overused it. It hasn’t regularly flowed to its natural end since the ‘60s,” says Mr. Redford. “The good news is that there’s a solution within our grasp. Both the U.S. and Mexican governments are involved in the effort and with a collective public commitment, we can implement the restoration plan and win this campaign.”

As part of the marketing initiative behind the campaign, the Redford Center and Sausalito-based BSSP created a number of short video spots featuring Mr. Redford, Mr. Ferrell and Mr. Slater to bring awareness to the importance and opportunity of restoring the river’s delta. The videos are part of a larger marketing push that includes an integrated social media initiative launching on March 13 on FunnyorDie.com and then premiering in an exclusive broadcast on Participant Media’s Pivot TV on March 22, World Water Day.

In the videos, Mr. Redford and Mr. Ferrell debate whether it’s best to restore the wetlands and the flows for the populations in the Delta region or, alternatively, move the ocean inland “a few hundred miles” to create more coastline for American surfers, which prompts a cameo from Mr. Slater.

“As someone who has spent my entire life in and near the ocean, I know how important it is to protect its health and purity,” said Mr. Slater.  “Part of that is making sure that our rivers and streams are healthy, too.  The Colorado River belongs to all of us, and I’m excited to help get the word out about this great cause.”

Through humorous banter, Redford and Ferrell bring awareness to the urgency and importance of the issue. Both actors ask viewers to donate via the RaiseTheRiver.org website or the MoveTheOcean.org website, which features a hilarious “5 point plan.” Each website will promote donations that ultimately contribute to Raise the River’s $10 million goal. Donations from members of the public will help recreate lost habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife, as well as breathe life back into the communities along the riverbank.

Meeting this target will ensure the non-governmental community fulfills its commitment to the historic, bi-national, water-sharing agreement known as Minute 319, which was signed by the US and Mexico in November 2012 and expires in 2017. The agreement delivers important benefits on both sides of the border to water users and the river itself.  

Raise the River will match each country’s commitment to provide water for the Delta, and will use water acquired through the Colorado River Delta Water Trust to implement habitat restoration on a larger scale.  

The six-million-year-old Colorado River is one of the hardest-working rivers on the planet.  It supplies water to 40 million people, irrigates four million acres of farmland, and serves as the lifeblood of native tribes, seven National Wildlife Refuges and 11 National Parks. It generates an annual $26 billion recreation economy and employs a quarter of a million Americans. Due to prolonged drought, diversions and dams across the river, and increased water demand from the seven U.S. states through which it flows, the Colorado River dries 70 miles before reaching its delta plain in the Gulf of California.

Currently, the Raise the River campaign is 75 percent funded, thanks in part to a generous grant from Keurig Green Mountain to support water rights acquisition and on-the-ground restoration. The coalition behind the campaign is now appealing to the public to help propel the campaign across the finish line.

The Raise the River PSA Campaign teaser can be seen and shared here.

To view the entire campaign, please visit Funny or Die here or at www.funnyordie.com/raisetheriver. 

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About Raise The River
Raise the River is a unique partnership of six U.S. and Mexican non-governmental organizations committed to restoring the Colorado River Delta: Environmental Defense Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, ProNatura Noroeste, Redford Center and the Sonoran Institute. For more information about the campaign, please visit RaiseTheRiver.org.

About BSSP
Named by Adweek “Best Small Agency of the Decade,” BSSP is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Sausalito, CA, providing services in advertising, online marketing, web development, data analytics, integrated communications planning, brand identity, design and strategic brand consulting. Bssp.com

(Washington, D.C. – March 11, 2014) A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has rejected an industry effort to weaken compliance provisions for environmental standards that reduce soot pollution from power plants.

“The court’s decision today means communities can have more confidence that pollution standards for soot are being met,” said Pamela Campos, attorney for Environmental Defense Fund, which was a party to the case. “The court upheld rules requiring those power plants to use low-cost procedures to ensure that their pollution control technologies are working effectively. Strong compliance rules are a critical for protecting public health.”

The compliance rules at issue in the case cover fossil-fuel-fired steam generating units built between 1971 and 1978. The plants emit particulate matter, which is commonly known as soot. Soot is a dangerous type of air pollution that’s linked to heart and lung diseases including heart attacks, asthma attacks, and in some cases premature death.

EPA’s rules require older plants, which generally meet less stringent standards for soot, to use a process called opacity testing to confirm compliance. Industry opponents challenged the rules, arguing that opacity testing was too burdensome.

At the same time, the state of Texas sued, claiming it should have been allowed to use state, rather than federal, affirmative defense provisions in resolving any disputes associated with rules.

Today, the court ruled against industry opponents, stating:

[T]he purpose of retaining the opacity standard for such a unit is to provide a real-time check to ensure that its particulate matter control device is function properly … Because    EPA has articulated a reasonable explanation for requiring opacity monitoring, petitioner’s challenge  to this requirement fails.

The court also ruled that Texas could not assert its claims prior to EPA resolution of an administrative petition dealing with the same actions. 

(Washington, D.C. – March 10, 2014) Almost one-third of the U.S. Senate will hold an all-nighter for climate change tonight.

At least 28 Senators have signed up to speak on the Senate floor about the need for climate action, in a session that will last all night long, until the Senate re-opens for business tomorrow.

Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), released the following statement about the planned event:

“We often say that our environmental champions show tireless commitment to their work. Tonight’s marathon gives that phrase a whole new meaning. Our Senators are sacrificing sleep and time with their families to help draw attention to the critically important issue of climate change. Their dedication is inspiring.”

• Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund

Americans who want to support their Senators tonight can send a message through EDF’s website.

(March 3, 2014) The U.S. and Mexican governments have approved a plan to carry out a historic and vital step in advancing cooperative management of the binational Colorado River. The two governments, acting through the U.S. and Mexican sections of the International Boundary and Water Commission, are moving forward with a pilot “pulse flow” of water into the long-depleted delta of the Colorado River, where water has not flowed regularly since 1960.

This historic event, stemming from the groundbreaking, multi-faceted Colorado River agreement negotiated between the U.S. and Mexico known as Minute 319, will help with efforts by the U.S. and Mexico to reestablish riparian habitat, providing benefits to wildlife species and communities along the Colorado River in both countries and in the Colorado River Delta region in Mexico. The pulse flow event also creates an unprecedented model for water-sharing agreements elsewhere in the Colorado River Basin and beyond.

“The pulse flow is an unprecedented and unique event in the global context,” said Jennifer Pitt, director of the Colorado River Project at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and U.S. co-chair of the environmental work group that helped negotiate the framework agreement for the pulse flow. “This demonstrated commitment to environmental restoration is a shining example of what two nations can achieve when we work together, and will be very helpful for both governments to obtain information that becomes increasingly relevant as we face droughts with more frequency, not only in the Colorado River Basin but also in other watersheds.”

Starting on March 23, 2014, the United States and Mexico will release some 105,000 acre-feet—approximately 0.7% of the annual average flow of the Colorado River—into the delta below Morelos Dam, which straddles the Colorado River on the U.S.–Mexico border. The magnitude of the pulse flow will peak for several days at a high flow, and will last for nearly eight weeks, mostly at a reduced flow rate.

“The pulse flow is a vital part of our ongoing restoration efforts,” said Francisco Zamora Arroyo, director of the Colorado River Delta Legacy Program at Sonoran Institute. “We know that relatively small amounts of water can make a big difference in the health of the delta region.”

A binational team of scientific experts from U.S. and Mexican federal agencies and universities, as well as from the Sonoran Institute, The Nature Conservancy and Mexico-based Pronatura Noroeste, will be monitoring the event to determine its impacts and learn how water can stimulate river health. 

“Some 380 bird species are expected to benefit from this return of water to the delta,” said Osvel Hinojosa, Water and Wetlands Program Director at Pronatura Noroeste, and Mexico co-chair of the environmental work group. “So will the local Mexican farming communities that long-ago watched the Colorado River Delta dry up.”

Signed in November 2012, Minute 319 provides numerous benefits for water users throughout the Colorado River Basin – in seven U.S. and two Mexican states – including broader sharing of water when supplies are plentiful and in times of reduced supplies, investments in water conservation, and new opportunities to store water in upstream reservoirs such as Lake Mead – the major water storage reservoir in the Lower Colorado River Basin. The pulse flow is an important element of Minute 319—a component that both countries agreed to implement in 2014.    

“This flexible approach will be particularly important given the 14-year drought in the Colorado River Basin,” said Taylor Hawes, director of The Nature Conservancy’s Colorado River Program. “The agreement benefits water users throughout the Basin as well as the environment, by limiting the impact of water shortages on any one user and providing incentives for leaving water in storage while paving the way for funding future water conservation projects.”

Also under Minute 319, the Colorado River Delta Water Trust will deliver another 52,000 acre-feet (64 mcm) in “base flows” – the small but steady water supply that will sustain new habitat created by the pulse flow, in addition to trees planted at active restoration sites. A coalition of conservation organizations including EDF, Sonoran Institute, Pronatura Noroeste, The Nature Conservancy, Redford Center and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has launched a campaign to “Raise the River” by raising the funds for the Trust to purchase rights to this water from willing sellers in the Mexicali Valley, where there is an active water rights market.  

“Together, we are hoping to rewrite history to reestablish ecosystems and return some of the river’s natural amenities to local communities long deprived of a healthy environment,” said Pitt. “If we can show the long-term benefits of binational cooperation to help water users and the environment, there’s no telling what we can achieve with long-term commitments to sharing water across borders.”

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Raise the River is a unique partnership of six U.S. and Mexican non-governmental organizations committed to restoring the Colorado River Delta. Members include Environmental Defense Fund, Sonoran Institute, Pronatura Noroeste, The Nature Conservancy, Redford Center and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

To learn more about Raise the River, visit www.raisetheriver.org. 

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 3, 2014) An independent analysis conducted by ICF International (ICF) has determined that the onshore segment of the U.S. oil and gas sector can significantly reduce emissions of methane – a highly potent greenhouse gas and the primary ingredient in natural gas – using currently available technologies and at a low annualized cost. Released today, the new report reveals that by adopting proven emissions-control technologies, industry could cut methane emissions by 40 percent below projected 2018 levels at a cost of less than one cent per thousand cubic feet of produced natural gas. Some of these measures pay for themselves over time through the sale of captured natural gas, according to the report, which was commissioned by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

“We participated in this study because knowing the facts is essential,” said Southwestern Energy Company (SWN) CEO Steve Mueller. “And one of the key takeaways is that there clearly are ways to reduce methane emissions at low cost and sometimes even positive financial payback to companies. At Southwestern Energy, for example, we have already demonstrated that capturing emissions through reduced emission completions can be accomplished for the same cost as venting the gas into the atmosphere.”

ICF’s analysis uses data and commentary from numerous organizations, including oil and gas producers, pipeline operators, equipment vendors, service providers and a trade association. Achieving the 40 percent in reductions would require industry to adopt fewer than a dozen viable emissions control strategies across 19 different sources within a five-year timespan, including such measures as shifting to lower-emitting valves, or pneumatics, that control routine operations, and improving leak detection and repair to reduce unintended methane leaks from equipment, also known as “fugitives.” The most economical of these measures would save industry a combined $164 million per year.

“ICF’s in-depth analysis points out the vast potential this nation has to address one of the key environmental issues confronting U.S. oil and gas development,” said Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund. “We now have a clear path to protecting American communities and the global climate from methane pollution – and it turns out to be an extremely low-cost path. This report is a call to action for commonsense policymaking and accelerated industry leadership starting now.”

Why Methane Matters

The ICF report comes at time of heightened awareness of methane’s role in global climate change. More than one-third of today’s human-caused global warming comes from highly potent, short-lived climate pollutants, including methane, black carbon, tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Also known as short-term forcers, this special class of greenhouse gas and aerosol pollution contributes to extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts and more intense storms. And these emissions are on the rise. IPCC data suggests that more than 50 percent of the warming over the next two decades, due to today’s greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions will come from these short-lived pollutants.

That rising awareness has helped drive momentum on the issue. President Obama asserted in his June 2013 Climate Action Plan that reducing methane emissions is “critical” to tackling the problem of climate change. Capturing the immediate potential to minimize methane emissions from U.S. onshore oil and gas operations by 40 percent, along with continued reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide – the principal contributor to climate change – is one of the most cost effective steps the U.S. can take to meet its climate goals.

Currently, there are no federal limits on the amount of methane pollution that oil and gas operations can emit, and no federal air regulation of existing oil or natural gas infrastructure. New natural gas wells are required to control emissions during well completions (when a well is cleared from sands and liquids to make way for production) under current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements but the regulations do not generally cover oil-and-gas-producing hybrid wells, which are common as the price of oil remains high relative to natural gas. ICF expects all existing onshore oil and gas sources will account for almost 90 percent of the U.S. onshore industry’s methane emissions in 2018.   

“The environmental benefit of reducing methane emissions is clear, and we must stop wasting the natural gas that is so essential to our national energy security,” said former Secretary of State George Shultz, who has served in the cabinets of Presidents Reagan and Nixon.

ICF’s report, “Economic Analysis of Methane Emission Reduction Opportunities in the U.S. Onshore Oil and Natural Gas Industries,” is available here. This new analysis complements other research EDF is engaged in to help advance methane science and provide deeper understanding of methane emissions from the natural gas supply chain, in order to inform policymakers about opportunities to reduce methane emissions. Learn more about EDF’s methane research series here.

“Mike Connor is a visionary. He understands better than anyone that if we are going to meet human needs for food and water in the future, we need to manage our natural systems in ways that keep the environment healthy.

“Mike has shown how to work with farmers, cities and state leaders to move forward on addressing the West’s water challenges for the economy and the environment. His leadership at the Bureau of Reclamation extended across borders, most notably through his help in negotiating a binational water-sharing agreement with Mexico that provides benefits for all water users in the Colorado River Basin. We’re looking forward to him bringing those same skills to his new and larger portfolio at Interior.”

• David Festa, Vice President, West Coast and Land, Water, Wildlife at Environmental Defense Fund

WASHINGTON, DC (February 26, 2014) — Today, The Climate Reality Project along with partners Environmental Defense Fund, Organizing for Action and Sierra Club announced the delivery of more than 120,000 citizen comments to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in support of a strong Social Cost of Carbon (SCC).

“Right now, carbon polluters are using our atmosphere as an open sewer, and it’s costing all of us– in disaster clean-up, altered growing seasons and public health impacts,” said Vice President Al Gore, chairman of The Climate Reality Project. “The carbon calculus needs to accurately reflect the high cost we’re all paying for the damage done to our planet. The Social Cost of Carbon is a vital step in doing just that.”

What began as a small, technical matter fought hard by fossil fuel interests and their champions in Congress was brought to the fore by a group of organizations dedicated to quantifying the dramatic costs of carbon pollution on the daily lives of all Americans.

EPA and other federal agencies use the SCC to estimate the climate benefits of rulemakings. The SCC is an estimate of the economic damages associated with a small increase in carbon dioxide pollution. After careful scientific analysis, the current estimate was increased to $37 per metric ton of carbon pollution. Under pressure from fossil fuel supporters, OMB opened up its SCC calculation for public comment.

“Exxon, Duke Energy, DuPont, General Electric, Walmart, and many other major corporations are incorporating a carbon price into their long-term planning. It’s only logical for the U.S. government to do so too, and to set policy and regulations based on it. Calculating the true social cost of carbon is an important first step in that process,” said Gernot Wagner, EDF Senior Economist.

“With increasing extreme weather, rising sea levels and other threats linked to climate change looming, it is clear that carbon pollution comes with a cost. We need a Social Cost of Carbon that reflects that reality,” said Ivan Frishberg, Climate Change Campaign Manager, Organizing for Action.

“Carbon pollution threatens our health, our families, our communities, and our economy. As we decide how to power our nation and consider the effects of carbon pollution on our nation and our families, in the form of superstorms, drought, and increasingly erratic weather, the choice before us is clear.  We can continue relying on expensive, climate-disrupting power plants or we can replace these dirty fossil fuels with clean, cheaper renewable energy that doesn’t destabilize our climate,” said Michael Brune, Sierra Club executive director.

(February 26, 2014) — The Obama Administration has arrived at a scientifically sound estimate for the rising costs of carbon pollution, according to Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Institute for Policy Integrity (Policy Integrity) Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Union of Concerned Scientists. 

The groups jointly submitted public comments to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in support of using the “social cost of carbon” to estimate climate change-related economic damages. 

“The Obama Administration has provided strong leadership with an initial, sound calculation for how much carbon pollution costs the public,” said Laurie Johnson, NRDC’s Chief Economist. “The careful analysis this administration has undertaken is an important contribution to understanding the economic stakes of climate change.” 

More wildfires, flooding, and the spread of infectious diseases are some of the risks of a warming planet. These kinds of disasters would impose costs of hundreds of billions of dollars onto the public. Individuals and governments would pay for even a small rise in global temperatures through increased food prices, insurance premiums, doctors’ bills, and emergency aid.

The social cost of carbon aims to estimate some of the damages caused by each ton of carbon dioxide emitted into our air. It uses cutting-edge research and economic modeling to place a monetary value on climate risks (as well as potential benefits like lower heating costs).   

The joint comments submitted today are in response to OMB’s request for feedback on the government’s social cost of carbon, which is currently set at $37 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions. The groups say that is a scientifically sound estimate that captures many of the economic threats of a warming planet. 

“Climate change is a threat to public health and safety, but it’s also a threat to our economy. We’ve known that climate change carries huge financial risks, but we’re just beginning to calculate the actual amount – to total up the bill for our carbon pollution,” said Gernot Wagner, EDF senior economist. “The social cost of carbon is an impressive effort to determine the true economic consequences of climate change.”  

The comments also recommend improvements to the estimate that would incorporate additional climate-caused damages. Examples include the interrelated risks of pests, pathogens, and air pollution — and their effects on food prices, insurance premiums and health care costs.

“Extreme weather events such as Superstorm Sandy, summer wildfires in Colorado, and widespread drought have given us a glimpse of what climate change could cost,” said Richard Revesz, Policy Integrity’s Director. “But the government’s estimate of climate damage hasn’t yet incorporated all of these costs. The Obama Administration should continue its rigorous work to evaluate these risks and include more of them into its social cost of carbon estimate.” 

To avoid unfairly draining the pocketbooks of the next generations, the joint comments also suggest using a lower “discount rate.” The government’s current discount rate is inconsistent with the developing consensus among economists that the appropriate rate should be much lower. 

Three of the groups (EDF, Policy Integrity, and NRDC) also unveiled the beta version of a new website today — part of their Cost of Carbon Pollution project. The project will marshal the best economic research to report on the price of climate change threats. A series of papers and blog posts will quantify the costs to the public of wildfires, storm surges, and other consequences of a rise in global temperatures.  The site will also serve as a hub for academics who research this topic, offering a clearinghouse of scientific and economic research.   

In March, the website will add an inaugural report titled Omitted Damages: What’s Missing from the Social Cost of Carbon. The report will take a deeper look at the government’s $37 per ton estimate and some of the costs of climate change not currently included in the estimate. 

The groups’ joint comments to OMB can be read here or, on EDF’s website, here. The beta version of the Cost of Carbon Pollution website can be found here. 

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Vickie Patton, 720-837-6239, vpatton@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org 

 “The Supreme Court, today, heard oral arguments in a case that affects one of the most important issues facing our country – the imperative to address climate-destabilizing pollution.”

“The big news was that the biggest emitters in our nation recognized – clearly — before the highest Court in our land that EPA has manifest authority to address climate pollution from power plants and industrial sources.”   

“Peter Keisler, who argued today for the industrial petitioners, stated as follows in response to questioning from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

‘I think most critically, Your Honor, it includes the new source performance standards program of Section 111 that this Court discussed in Connecticut v. AEP. And this is a very important point, because this case is not about whether EPA can regulate greenhouse gases from stationary sources. This Court held that it could under this program in Section 11 [sic].’

(see Supreme Court transcript page 22)

“While we wait for another day to hear more from the Court about the single question presented today and the full dimensions of EPA’s legal authority, there is no question that EPA has ample authority to protect our families and communities from the carbon pollution discharged by power plants and other large industrial sources.”

-       Vickie Patton, Environmental Defense Fund General Counsel  

Environmental Defense Fund is a party to the case before the Supreme Court and participated in the presentation of oral arguments when the case was before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Keith Gaby, 202-572-3336, kgaby@edf.org

 “The tremendous scope of Rep. Dingell’s legacy of environmental achievements encompasses nearly every major environmental and conservation statute that has moved through the U.S. House of Representatives. Since his election in 1955, he has provided remarkable leadership in the passage and oversight of our nation’s most important and successful environmental laws. Among many others, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Wilderness Act all bear his mark.

“The foundation of environmental laws that benefit all Americans would not exist without Rep. Dingell. I thank him for his extraordinary commitment to environmental protections.”

     — Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund 

(Aurora, Colorado) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) praised the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) today for its leadership in voting to adopt landmark regulations that will substantially reduce air and climate pollution from the state’s oil and gas industry. The regulations include the first requirements anywhere in the U.S. to directly control emissions of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas known to intensify the rate of global warming. The rules—proposed in November 2013 and endorsed by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper—reflect recommendations from EDF and three of the state’s largest producers, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Encana Corporation and Noble Energy.

“This is a huge breakthrough for cleaner air and a safer climate. Getting to this point took serious resolve and a willingness to find common ground,” said Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund. “Governor Hickenlooper deserves enormous credit for his vision and leadership, and so do the members of the AQCC, the companies that helped forge this proposal, and the many other voices in the community that have spoken up in support of these rules. We are proud to have played an integral role in the process. Colorado’s new air rules are an example of the kind of progress that’s possible when businesses and environmentalists work together to find solutions. They are also a sign that momentum is building as policymakers recognize the crucial importance of addressing methane emissions.”

A powerful greenhouse gas, methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat into the atmosphere over the first 20 years after it is released. More than one-third of today’s human-caused global warming comes from short-lived climate pollutants that include methane. Oil and gas activities are the nation’s largest industrial source of methane emissions.

Each year, the new rules will reduce more than 100,000 tons of methane and some 90,000 tons of smog-forming VOCs (or volatile organic compounds), equal to the same amount produced by all the cars and trucks in Colorado. The rule package also contains several “firsts” in the nation, including:

• Direct regulation of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas (some previous rules had achieved methane reduction as a co-benefit of reducing other pollutants)
• Dramatic reductions in “fugitive” emissions (equipment leaks) through the nation’s strongest leak detection and repair (LDAR) program, including requirements for monthly inspections at the largest sources.
• Statewide requirements to retrofit key high-emitting existing sources with low-emitting equipment.
• Statewide requirements to target reductions from under-regulated but important sources of emissions from well maintenance activities, such as “liquids unloading,” when producing wells are cleared of water and other liquids inhibiting the flow of gas.   

“Oil and gas development is a contentious issue in Colorado,” said Dan Grossman, EDF’s Rocky Mountain Regional Director. “But today Coloradans can celebrate this moment in which regulators and leaders from industry, the environmental community and local governments came together around strong, common-sense policy that is a major victory for clean air in our state.”

(Washington, D.C. – February 21, 2014) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took an important step toward ensuring that methane emissions data from the oil and natural gas sector are rigorous.

EPA’s efforts will help provide the American public and its policy-makers with a clearer and more reliable picture of the largest man-made source of climate-destabilizing methane pollution.   

“The public has a right to accurate and reliable information about the largest sources of methane pollution” said Peter Zalzal, staff attorney at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). “Methane is a potent climate-destabilizing pollutant so it’s vital that we address it. We urge EPA to swiftly finalize these long-overdue improvements to the way we gather oil and natural gas methane emissions data.”

EPA has proposed to do away with non-standardized measurement methodologies – known as “Best Available Monitoring Methods” or BAMM – in its greenhouse gas emissions inventory and reporting requirements for the oil and natural gas sector.

BAMM now allow facilities to use almost any means to collect data, making comparisons among facilities more difficult and thwarting transparency in the collection and reporting of data from this important source of methane. 

In March of 2013, Environmental Defense Fund petitioned EPA to eliminate these problematic methodologies.

Eliminating BAMM will strengthen public transparency and accountability with regards to emissions from the oil and natural gas sector. It will also inform action to reduce methane emissions from these sources using commonsense and cost-effective clean air measures. 

EPA’s proposal would take effect January 1, 2015, at which time facilities in the oil and gas sector will have had a total of four years to transition to these more rigorous and transparent methods of data collection and reporting.