Complete list of press releases

The White House announced today Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Climate Corps fellow Tyrone Davis will join First Lady Michelle Obama at tonight’s 2014 State of the Union. The White House invited Davis to join a small group of individuals that “represent the stories of millions of Americans across the country, who are working hard to better their communities, improve their own economic outcomes and help restore opportunity for all.”

Tyrone Davis, from Winston-Salem, NC, has been legally blind since the age of nine. His passion for the environment led Davis to complete a master’s degree in public administration with a focus on energy, which prepared him for a fellowship with EDF Climate Corps.

EDF Climate Corps is Environmental Defense Fund’s innovative summer fellowship program that trains and embeds top-tier graduate students in companies, cities and universities to implement smart energy management strategies that save money and protect the environment.

Davis completed his EDF Climate Corps fellowship with Elizabeth City State University, a historically black university. He showed the school how to achieve savings of more than $31,000 a year, resulting in nearly 200 tons of carbon emissions reductions annually. His work was so impactful, that the school decided to make sustainability a core part of its mission just one month after his fellowship. Davis is now a third-year student and Leadership Fellow at Elon University School of Law.

Davis’s invitation to the State of the Union shows a continued commitment from the White House to keep environmental issues on the forefront of national conversation.

“Tyrone Davis is an inspiration, and I am so happy to see his hard work and dedication rewarded with this incredible honor,” said EDF President Fred Krupp. “All of us at EDF are honored, too, that the President and First Lady are recognizing our EDF Climate Corps program. President Obama is steering the country toward a healthier, safer clean energy future with his Climate Action Plan. That plan calls for the kind of innovative thinking that EDF Climate Corps embodies. We are proud of our efforts to train tomorrow’s leaders to be business savvy environmental stewards, and we are proud of all the brilliant young people who have worked in EDF Climate Corps. I’ll be looking for Tyrone Davis while I watch the speech tonight.”

Learn more about EDF Climate Corps and Tyrone Davis here.  Learn more about First Lady Michelle Obama’s guests at the 2014 State of the Union Address here. 

(Washington, D.C. – January 27, 2014) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and other health and environmental groups are asking the United States District Court for the Northern District of California to protect Americans from dangerous ozone pollution.

EDF, the American Lung Association, Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club filed a motion with the court last week to ensure that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completes its duty to update national health-based air quality standards for ozone.

“Ozone is a harmful air pollutant that can inflame the lungs and leave people gasping for breath,” said Dr. Elena Craft, health scientist at EDF. “These health effects are especially harmful for children and seniors.”

EPA finalized the current national ozone standards in 2008 at a level of 75 parts per billion – which contradicted unanimous advice from the statutorily-established Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) and from the nation’s leading medical societies. 

Since EPA completed its last review in 2008, additional research has confirmed the harmful impacts of ozone at levels below the current standard, underscoring the urgency of swift action to strengthen the current standard in line with the latest science.    

EPA missed its March, 2013 statutorily-required deadline to complete review of the current ozone standards.

In the motion, EDF and other groups asked that the court require EPA to propose new ozone standards by December of 2014 and finalize new standards by October of 2015. Unfortunately, even such a court-ordered deadline would be more than two years later than the Clean Air Act required EPA action. 

“These standards have been delayed long enough,” said Dr. Craft. “Every year of delay has meant more asthma attacks, hospital visits, and even deaths. It’s high time that EPA move forward with strengthened standards based on science that will protect our families and communities.”

(Washington, D.C. — January 22, 2014) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and a coalition of environmental organizations filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court last night to defend the application of clean air protections to large industrial sources of climate pollution in the same way these protections have applied to air pollutants for over 35 years.  

The U.S. Government and a coalition of 15 states (New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) together with the City of New York also filed briefs defending these vital public health and environmental safeguards.  

At issue is whether new and rebuilt large industrial sources must deploy cost-effective modern pollution controls to limit climate pollution.

The case, Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA (No. 12-1146), is scheduled for oral argument on February 24^th.   

“The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that EPA has the authority and the responsibility to address climate pollution,” said EDF General Counsel Vickie Patton. “It is vital to our nation’s public health and prosperity that large industrial emitters deploy common sense pollution controls to mitigate climate pollution in the same way they have so effectively cut other air pollutants.”

EDF filed its brief together with Earthjustice, NRDC, the Sierra Club, Clean Air Task Force (on behalf of the Conservation Law Foundation, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Ohio Environmental Council and Michigan Environmental Council), National Wildlife Federation, and the Southern Environmental Law Center (on behalf of George ForestWatch, Wetlands Watch, and Wild Virginia). 

“Our nation is in a race against time to forge a strong clean energy economy, and to protect our families and communities from the ravages of extreme weather and dangerous climate pollution,” said Patton.  

The Brief of the United States explains, “The EPA determined that greenhouse-gas emissions endanger public health and welfare in ways that may prove to be more widespread, longer-lasting, and graver than the effects of any other pollutant regulated under the [Clean Air] Act.” (Brief of U.S. at page 27)

You can read all the legal briefs filed in the case, and get more information about the case itself, on EDF’s website.

“Climate change is a threat to the health and safety of all Americans. It’s linked to everything from more asthma attacks to more weather disasters to higher food prices. We should all be working together to find solutions to this looming problem.

“Instead, Sen. McConnell and 39 of his colleagues are trying to obstruct one of the most effective steps we can take. They have introduced a resolution to block EPA’s proposal to limit carbon pollution from new power plants. Power plants are the single largest source of carbon pollution in the United States. This action comes just as the transparent public comment period opens on EPA’s proposed rule. The action by Senator McConnell and his colleagues would silence that American conversation.

“Carbon pollution is the main cause of climate change and right now there are no national limits at all on the amount of pollution that power plants can emit. After years of Congressional failure to act on climate change, Sen. McConnell’s action isn’t aimed at fixing a problem with a better solution – but further preventing America from addressing the problem of climate change at all. Unlimited carbon pollution from power plants is untenable for our future, and we need leaders who recognize that.”

—Elizabeth Thompson, President, EDAF

(Washington, DC – Jan. 16, 2014) Top officials from the U.S. Department of Interior, State Department and Bureau of Reclamation gathered Thursday to present the “Partners in Conservation Award” to partnerships that “achieved exemplary conservation results through cooperation and innovation across America.”

This year’s award recipients included representatives from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Sonoran Institute, The Nature Conservancy and Pronatura who have worked closely with other conservation groups and government officials from the U.S. and Mexico to orchestrate and secure a historic, binational, water-sharing agreement committed to implementing environmental restoration to the dry Colorado River delta.

This agreement, formally known as Minute 319, was among the first between nations to commit to sustaining shared natural values.

“We all knew going into this partnership that success would require buy-in from sovereigns with significant differences in water management practices, not to mention language, systems of governance and culture,” said Jennifer Pitt, director for EDF’s Colorado River Project. “Thanks to Interior’s willingness to work with conservation organizations, we were able to break down physical, political and cultural barriers to benefit water users on both sides of the border.”

Federal officials from the U.S. and Mexico worked with EDF and other conservation organizations on every aspect of the water agreement, including surplus and shortage sharing, rules that allow Mexico to store water in U.S. reservoirs, binational financing of a canal lining project to reduce seepage and water loss, and providing a venue for discussing future cooperative binational projects.

Pitt adds, “If we can show the long-term benefits of this five-year agreement, then there’s no limit to what we can achieve with long-term commitments to sharing water across borders.”

(WASHINGTON – January 15, 2014) “Eileen Sobeck’s appointment as the new Assistant Administrator of NOAA Fisheries comes at a critical time. In many federal fisheries, management is changing. Conservation and economic interests are being aligned to deliver healthier fisheries, more prosperous coastal communities, greater recreational opportunities, and a more stable seafood supply. In many regions, a history of chronic overfishing has been addressed and recovery is underway.

“Yet significant challenges remain: challenges that will require creativity, cooperation and leadership to overcome.

“All of us at Environmental Defense Fund congratulate Assistant Administrator Sobeck on her appointment. We look forward to working with her—together with commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, fisheries managers and other stakeholders—to find common-sense, win-win solutions that can secure a vibrant fishing future.”

• Matt Tinning, Senior Campaigns Director, EDF Oceans Program

(New York, NY – January 14, 2014) With nearly a decade of energy management success, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)’s Climate Corps expands its scope to address the growing variety of clean energy needs for businesses and organizations nationwide.

Each summer, trained EDF Climate Corps fellows from the nation’s top graduate programs team up with leading organizations to identify and implement high-value energy management strategies. EDF Climate Corps has uncovered nearly $1.3 billion in energy savings opportunities since the program began in 2008.

“We’re thrilled to expand the capabilities of EDF Climate Corps to meet the evolving energy management needs of our participating organizations,” says EDF Managing Director Victoria Mills. “We pride ourselves on providing cost-effective and scalable energy strategies, which means we’re constantly looking for new ways to cut costs and emissions.”

This year’s new participants include ASICS America, Dow Chemical, Jackson Family Wines and Jones Lang LaSalle. Returning hosts including PepsiCo, RBS Citizens, Verizon, and Yahoo! – who have all participated for multiple years – signed on for more cost savings and environmental results.

“PepsiCo is looking forward to working with another outstanding EDF Climate Corps fellow as we strive to find more innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and lower our costs through energy and water conservation,” says Tim Carey, Senior Director of Sustainability for PepsiCo. “Participating in this program has provided us valuable input on many of our current programs and allows talented fellows to learn from our sustainability leaders.”

Participating organizations will benefit from EDF’s expertise on supply chain efficiencies, demand response opportunities, energy data analysis, energy investment funding mechanisms and greenhouse gas reporting, as well as the efficiency projects EDF Climate Corps is already well-known for, including building retrofits, HVAC system upgrades and employee engagement campaigns.

This year, EDF is also partnering with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Retrofit Chicago initiative to cut energy use in a critical mass of Chicago buildings, and create a tipping point that drives large-scale reductions in energy costs and emissions throughout the region.

“Retrofit Chicago is making Chicago a more livable, competitive and sustainable city,” says Karen Weigert, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Chicago. “We are pleased that EDF Climate Corps is providing boots on the ground to help reach that goal.”;

Jones Lang LaSalle manages the iconic 77 West Wacker building along the Chicago River, and it is one of the first Chicago facilities EDF Climate Corps will tackle using this new regional approach.

“In collaborating with EDF Climate Corps, we look forward to furthering our commitment to help our building owners save on energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” says Myrna Coronado-Brookover, Vice President/General Manager at Jones Lang LaSalle. “Together we will explore clean energy initiatives and build an integrated approach to energy management that involves ownership, management, engineering and tenants.“

EDF Climate Corps is still accepting applications for organizations interested in achieving energy wins in 2014. Learn how EDF Climate Corps can benefit your organization and chat with past participants from Colgate-Palmolive and Comcast at one of our upcoming webinars. Webinar details can be found at http://www.edf.org/climate-corps/webinar.

To sign up for EDF Climate Corps today, visit our Web site at edfclimatecorps.org or e-mail info@edfclimatecorps.org.

The list of 2014 host organizations confirmed to date includes: Alamo Colleges, ASICS America Corporation, Associated Materials, CA Technologies, Caesars Entertainment, City of Baltimore, Dow Chemical Company, Grubb Properties, HCA Healthcare, Jackson Family Wines, Jones Lang LaSalle, Legrand, Mack Trucks, McDonald’s Corporation, Owens Corning, PepsiCo, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, RBS Citizens, Shorenstein Properties, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Vassar College, Verizon Communications, Warburg Pincus and Yahoo!.

(New York, NY – January 13, 2014) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today announced the hire of Diane Munns as Senior Director, Clean Energy Collaboration.

Munns joins EDF from MidAmerican Energy Company where she served as Vice President of Regulatory Relations and Energy Efficiency from 2008 to 2013.  Diane represented the company at national and regional regulatory forums and was responsible for direct management of the energy efficiency group, including strategy, personnel, budget and compliance, among other duties.

Munns has distinguished herself in the area of energy efficiency.  In 2006, she received the United States Energy Association Public Service Energy Leadership Award, which recognizes government officials who have advocated for action to address energy efficiency.  She also established the Institute for Energy Efficiency while serving as the Executive Director of Retail Energy Services at the Edison Electric Institute.

Before that, Munns spent over two decades with the Iowa Utilities Board first as General Counsel and later as the Chairman and Member.  As General Counsel, Diane was the chief legal officer for the agency, and as Chairman, she acted as chief administrative officer responsible for budgeting, personnel, strategy and media messaging for the 65-member state agency.  While Chair of the Commission, Diane served two terms as the President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).  And, finally, as a gubernatorial-appointed member of a 3-member quasi-judicial board, Diane was responsible for regulating gas, electric and telecommunication companies within the State of Iowa.

In her new role at EDF, Munns will apply her many years of experience in the public and private energy sectors to form collaborative alliances with partners such as utilities, other NGOs, the clean tech industry and others working on efforts that support EDF’s Clean Energy Initiative. This ambitious campaign aims to accelerate the transition to a clean, low-carbon energy economy by finding smarter ways to power the world.  In nine states that make up nearly half the U.S. energy market, EDF is working to strengthen clean energy requirements, remove obstacles to investment and realign utility business models.  Putting the right policies in place to accelerate investments in clean, homegrown energy will address the need for reliable power, reduce harmful pollution sharply, spur economic development and create American jobs.

(Washington, DC – January 8, 2013) A proposal for America’s first-ever national standards for carbon pollution from new fossil fuel fired power plants was published in the Federal Register today.

EDF celebrated the announcement as a vital step forward toward finalizing the rules that will protect public health and strengthen the U.S. economy. In 2012, coal fired power plants alone caused 74 percent of carbon pollution from the power sector, but only produced 37 percent of U.S. electricity.

“Fossil fuel burning power plants are the single largest source of dangerous carbon pollution, and right now there are no national limits to the amount of that pollution that power plants can spew into our air,” said EDF Attorney Megan Ceronsky. “This is a big step forward toward getting some common-sense limits on the carbon pollution that causes climate change. These standards will move us toward cleaner power generation, which will protect public health and encourage the development of new technologies that will boost the U.S. economy. Opponents of this rule need to explain why they think it’s okay to have unlimited carbon pollution.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposed standards would establish the first nationwide limits on climate-destabilizing pollution from new fossil fuel fired power plants. EPA’s new emissions performance standards are similar to clean air standards adopted by states across the country. 

A wide variety of solutions are available today to meet our nation’s energy needs under the proposed standards, including more efficient use of energy and use of clean renewable energy. In 2012, wind energy topped all other resources in new capacity additions deployed in the U.S. The 2012 Wind Technologies Market Report estimates that 72 percent of the wind turbine equipment – including towers, blades and gears – installed in the U.S. in 2012 was made in America.

EPA’s proposed standards will provide power companies with the certainty they need to invest now-sidelined resources in cleaner, safer and more efficient solutions to meet U.S. electricity needs – creating jobs in the process.

EPA proposed similar standards in March of 2012 and then revised them in response to public comment. About four million Americans wrote to EPA in support of federal limits on carbon pollution. You can read more about the proposed standards, and send a comment to EPA , on EDF’s website.

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Media Inquiries: Joaquin McPeek, jmcpeek@edf.org, 916-492-7173
Report Author Inquiries: Emily Reyna, ereyna@edf.org, 415-293-6068

(San Francisco, CA – January 8, 2014) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today released an in-depth assessment of the first year of California’s historic cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas pollution, showing the carbon market is well-constructed and strong while the state’s economy continues to improve.

The report, Carbon Market California: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Golden State’s Cap-and-Trade Program, Year One, analyzes critical data and key metrics of the landmark program, including a focus on the development of the secondary carbon market. It also examines the impact of notable partnerships, including recent linkage with Quebec and agreements signed with China, Australia, and other regions.

“The first year results are highly encouraging and proof positive that we can successfully harness the power of the marketplace to solve climate change without sacrificing economic growth,” said EDF President Fred Krupp. “In a year marked by gridlock and polarization, the Golden State is a shining example of climate leadership.”

Since California’s landmark program started on January 1, 2013, the state has transitioned smoothly to a capped economy, weathered legal challenges, and expanded its clean energy sector. Most notably, under cap and trade, California has continued its economic recovery, balancing its budget for the first time in over a decade.

First-year conclusions from Carbon Market California include:

• Five successful cap-and-trade auctions are evidence of a well-constructed, strong, and adaptive policy.
• The average price for allowances suggests that reducing emissions under the cap may be less costly than some expected.
• The secondary market for California carbon allowances is robust and healthy.
• Wise investment of auction proceeds will be an integral part of achieving California Global Warming Solutions Act’s (AB 32) carbon pollution reduction goals.
• Market experts have given overwhelmingly positive views of the first-year performance of California’s cap-and-trade program.

“After its inaugural year, most would agree that the state has developed a program to be proud of—one that is poised for future success and emulation across other economies, both inside and outside U.S. borders,” said Dirk Forrister, President and CEO, International Emissions Trading Association (IETA).

As described in Carbon Market California, the year ahead will be pivotal for the state. Covered entities will have to surrender allowances to account for their carbon pollution, the state must prepare for fuels to come under the cap starting in 2015, and key questions remain regarding auction proceeds investment, offset supply, and future linkages.

“This reports highlights that one of the most positive takeaways from 2013 was the auction results. In a year marked by inaction in Congress, California held five successful carbon auctions with the complete sale of all current allowances and broad participation, all signs indicating a healthy carbon market,” said Emilie Mazzacurati, Founder and Managing Director, Four Twenty Seven.

“Today, Governor Brown committed to the first of many critical cap-and-trade investments in cleaner energy and transportation options and a low-carbon future for all Californians.  The Governor’s decision to invest more than is legally required in projects that benefit California’s historically disadvantaged communities is particularly important, as these communities bear the brunt of pollution and are most vulnerable to climate change impacts.  We fully expect these and subsequent investments to pay dividends to the health of our citizens, our environment, and our economy for years to come.” 

-Erica Morehouse, Attorney, Environmental Defense Fund

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Eric Pooley, 917-859-2037, epooley@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

“We have lost a great friend.

“Robert W. Wilson was a Wall Street legend who became a prominent philanthropist. For 25 years, he served on the board of Environmental Defense Fund.

“Bob had a passion to get things done in the world. Widely read and blessed with a keen intellect, he had the ability to predict where the world was going, a talent that informed his investments and, in later years, his philanthropy.

“After retiring from managing his own portfolio, he stepped up his philanthropic investments with the aim of bestowing his fortune during his lifetime. Always determined to find the greatest return, he challenged nonprofit groups to maximize their results. In doing so, he was often provocative, but eager to learn the counterarguments and quick to change his mind when the facts required.

“No fan of big government, Bob saw that government was necessary to protect the environment but that it should set performance-based rules rather than bureaucratic rules that could hamper the economy. He understood that the conservation cause needs to engage private enterprise. Initially skeptical of the science of climate change, he quickly came to regard it as a critical challenge. He wanted carbon pollution cut in an efficient and sensible way, knowing that for a solution to be environmentally sustainable, it must also be economically sustainable.

“Bob helped EDF grow with a pivotal $100 million challenge grant that inspired scores of others to increase their own giving. I am personally grateful to Bob for his leadership and support over many years.”

-Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund

(New York, NY – December 20, 2013) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) commends Governor Cuomo’s launch of a New York state Green Bank to promote private sector investment in clean energy projects. The Green Bank, which has $210 million in initial funding, targets market barriers to private financing of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Working with private sector financial institutions, the Green Bank will offer financial products such as credit enhancement, loan loss reserves and loan bundling to support securitization and help build secondary markets.

“Governor Cuomo’s launch of a Green Bank places New York among the first few states in the country to pioneer a market-based approach to tackling climate change,” said EDF President Fred Krupp. “The move will encourage much-needed private sector investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency, create jobs, and ensure a more resilient and sustainable energy infrastructure.”

NEWS RELEASE

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

“Janet McCabe brings a strong commitment to children’s health, extensive experience leading the State of Indiana’s air program, and a rigorous understanding of the law to her service at the Environmental Protection Agency.” 

-Vickie Patton, General Counsel, Environmental Defense Fund

(New Orleans, LA—December 18, 2013) Today, two new developments linked BP oil from the 2010 Gulf oil disaster to ongoing wildlife, habitat and economic impacts in Louisiana. First, a new peer-reviewed scientific study by a team of government, academic and non-governmental researchers was released linking BP oil from the 2010 Gulf oil disaster to dolphin deaths and illness in Barataria Bay, La., an area that saw heavy oiling during the disaster. Additionally, reports surfaced today that some 1.5 million pounds of “oily material” have been recovered from the coast of Lafourche Parish in the past few weeks.

The dolphin study said that the health effects seen in the Barataria Bay dolphins are not only significant but also will likely lead to reduced survival and ability to reproduce.

The area from which the tar mats were collected spans between Elmer’s Island—home to many species of birds, fish and other species—and Port Fourchon, La., a major economic driver for the Gulf. National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society and Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation released the following joint statement today in response to this news:

“Today’s tragic news of sustained oil-linked dolphin deaths and illness underscores the true state of the Gulf. Additionally, more tar mats full of BP oil have surfaced recently in Louisiana, as they have been doing consistently since the Gulf oil disaster began in April 2010.  

“BP saturates media markets with its pricy ads, but it can’t hide these truths. Instead of continuing the PR onslaught, BP should accept responsibility for all of the harmful impacts it has caused the Gulf’s ecosystems and economies, including long-term impacts that remain unknown. BP should pay up.

“New evidence like this report on Louisiana dolphins and the ongoing discovery of millions of pounds of tar mats in Louisiana are a smoking gun showing that BP’s ads implying that clean-up is over and the Gulf is better than ever are simply not true. The Gulf is still waiting for the realization of restoration that it deserves. The Gulf is still waiting for BP to accept accountability and to make things right.”