Complete list of press releases

MEDIA ADVISORY

Contact:
Jennifer Andreassen, Environmental Defense Fund, +1 202 572 3387, JAndreassen@edf.org
Chris Conner, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), +1 202 495 4786, Christopher.Conner@wwfus.org
Nico Muzi, Transport & Environment, +32 (0) 484 27 87 91, Nico.Muzi@transportenvironment.org

WHEN

Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013
10 a.m. Washington (EDT) | 3 p.m. London (BST) | 4 p.m. Brussels (CEST)

WHAT

Briefing for media on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO’s) General Assembly, Sept. 24—Oct. 4, where the issue of how to reduce aviation’s global warming pollution has emerged as one of the hottest topics. Aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of global warming pollution, and if left unregulated, these emissions globally are expected to quadruple.

Next Thursday Sept. 19, leading environmental groups will discuss the context for the Assembly’s climate change discussion, including a draft resolution finalized at the Sept. 4 meeting of ICAO’s Executive Council; potential outcomes from the Assembly; and what implications the Assembly’s decisions could have for aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System. Panelists will also take questions from journalists.

WHO

Brad Schallert, Senior Program Officer for International Climate Change Policy, WWF
Annie Petsonk, International Counsel, Environmental Defense Fund
Bill Hemmings, Programme Manager for Aviation, Transport & Environment

WHERE

• Within U.S. and Canada: +1 800 753 0594
• Outside U.S. and Canada: +1 212 231 2911
• UK toll-free: 08004960822
• Belgium toll-free: 080075638

A recording of conference will be available; please contact Jennifer Andreassen: jandreassen@edf.org

BACKGROUND

The upcoming 38th General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is being closely watched by governments, the aviation industry and environmentalists as it prepares to consider a proposal that would commit ICAO to develop a global market-based measure to limit aviation’s greenhouse gas emissions and to decide, by 2016, on the measure’s details. The proposal was forwarded to the Assembly by its 36-member-state Council Assembly on Sept. 4. The Assembly’s 191 member states meet every three years in Montreal.

A decision to move ahead with a global market-based measure to cut aviation pollution could bring considerable pressure on the European Parliament to enact changes to the EU’s Emissions Trading System, which currently caps emissions from all flights into or out of European airports.

A recent study from Manchester Metropolitan University shows that the airline industry cannot meet its goal of carbon-neutral growth from 2020 if it does not adopt a market-based measure.

In the broader context of international efforts to combat climate change and the imminent release of the latest IPCC report, the upcoming Assembly meeting presents an important opportunity for countries to come to agreement on avoiding a significant and growing percentage of global emissions.

Contact:
Katie Ware, (212) 616-1283, kware@edf.org

BENTONVILLE, Ark.—Walmart announced a new chemicals policy today that promises to bring safer, healthier products to the 80 percent of Americans that shop there. The policy was unveiled during Walmart’s Global Sustainability Milestone Meeting and focuses on chemical ingredients in consumables –household cleaners, personal care products and cosmetics.

EDF worked closely with Walmart to prioritize the removal of toxic chemicals in household, personal care and beauty products. Walmart’s new chemicals policy targets about ten hazardous chemicals in consumer products for replacement with safer ingredients and significantly expands ingredient disclosure to the public.

“Today’s announcement is yet another indication that consumers, advocates and business are working together to fill the void left by Washington’s inaction on chemical safety,” said Sarah Vogel, Director of EDF’s Environmental Health program. “Some companies stop at issuing a restricted substances list. No other company is requiring the all-important, but often forgotten, second step to truly transformational phase-outs: putting a system in place that avoids regrettable chemical substitutions. EDF commends this aggressive new policy.”

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Keith Gaby, 202-572-3336, kgaby@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

(Washington, D.C. – September 10, 2013) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today announced a major new campaign to support President Obama’s plan to limit carbon pollution from power plants. 

The effort will include online, print and display advertising in four states and Washington, D.C.

“Right now there are no limits at all on the largest source of carbon pollution,” said Keith Gaby of EDF.  “The President’s plan will finally put in place sensible limits, which are supported by both leading businesses and environmentalists. Every member of Congress needs to decide if they are in favor of these reasonable limits, or prefer the status quo of no limits at all on carbon pollution from its largest source.”

The ad campaign will include:

• A large online effort in four states — New Hampshire, Illinois, Arizona, and Pennsylvania – and Washington, D.C.
• A homepage “takeover” of Politico.com on September 18, the day that a House hearing about the President’s climate plan is scheduled
• A full page ad in the Washington Post
• All the ad space in the Union Station stop on the Washington, D.C. Metro – the station used by Senators and their staff 

The ads stress the choice of reasonable limits on carbon pollution from power plants or no limits at all, as well as documenting support for the President’s plan from leading businesses.

The online ads call on specific Senators to show their support for these policies to promote clean air. A Spanish-language version of the online ads will also run in Arizona and Illinois.

You can see all the ads on our website,

Or view specific ads at the links below:

• See the full-page ad here

See the Union Station ads here or see photos of the ads as they appear in Union Station:

• Union Station photo #1
• Union Station photo #2
• Union Station photo #3
• Union Station photo #4

See the online ads here:

• Online ad for Arizona – Sen. Flake
• Online ad for Arizona – Sen. McCain
• Online ad for Illinois – Sen. Kirk
• Online ad for New Hampshire – Sen. Ayotte
• Online ad for Pennsylvania – Sen. Casey
• Online ad for Pennsylvania – Sen. Toomey
• Online ad for Washington, D.C.

See the online Spanish-language ads here:

• Online ad in Spanish for Arizona – Sen. Flake
• Online ad in Spanish for Arizona – Sen. McCain
• Online ad in Spanish for Illinois – Sen. Kirk

(Harrisburg, PA – September 6, 2013) Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently proposed changes to an air quality exemption (Exemption 38) pertaining to oil and gas exploration, development, production facilities and associated equipment. Environmental Defense Fund, Group Against Smog and Pollution, Pennsylvania Environmental Council and PennFuture responded to the agency’s changes, expressing support for DEP’s initial steps to strengthen the state’s air quality permitting process, while also suggesting ways it could be improved. Related to oil and natural gas well sites and production activities, DEP’s revision of Exemption 38 signals the agency’s commitment to reduce air pollution from oil and gas operations.

“Revised Exemption 38 is a positive step toward reducing harmful emissions associated with oil and gas development in Pennsylvania, but the work doesn’t end here, much more is needed to protect the public health and welfare of state residents,” said Andrew Williams, EDF state legislative and regulatory affairs manager.  “EDF will continue working with local environmental organizations and DEP to push for greater controls of air emissions from natural gas and oil production in the Keystone state.”

New exemption criteria are an improvement over current state law. Previous criteria under category 38 had exempted most all oil and gas well sites and production facilities from any air quality permitting processes. Because state regulators narrowed the scope of exempted sources, facility operators must now implement controls to reduce harmful emissions below specified levels.

However, rigorous oversight and enforcement mechanisms, as well as annual DEP inspection requirements, are needed to ensure that field performance adheres to the state’s air quality standards. DEP must take further action on Exemption 38 by requiring facilities to provide periodic compliance certifications and verification that emission controls satisfy the exemption requirements. Without adequate reporting requirements, there is no assurance that individual sites operating without a permit are actually meeting the exemption requirements.

The groups’ called for such measures in a recent letter filed with the agency.  They are generally encouraged by DEP’s leadership on recent changes to general permits for natural gas processing plants and gas compressor stations that include, among other things, quarterly leak detection and repair monitoring but advocate for further action covering other activities and sources. 

(Washington, D.C. – September 4, 2013) A coalition of health and environmental organizations, including Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), filed briefs with the Supreme Court today in support of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.

The Supreme Court of the United States announced in June that it would review a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that overturned the rule. That decision was EME Homer City Generation v. EPA.

“The case for cleaner air in America is clear and compelling. The Cross State Rule is firmly anchored in science and law, and will ensure healthier and longer lives for 240 million Americans,” said EDF general counsel Vickie Patton.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule under the “good neighbor” provision of the Clean Air Act, which is intended to ensure that the emissions from one state’s power plants do not cause harmful pollution levels in neighboring states.

The rule would reduce the sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen pollution emitted from coal-fired power plants across 28 eastern states. Those emissions, and the resulting particulate pollution and ozone — more commonly known as soot and smog — drift across the borders of those states and contribute to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels of pollution in downwind states.

Today’s brief was filed on behalf of the American Lung Association, Clean Air Council, Sierra Club, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, along with EDF. Earthjustice and Clean Air Task Force assisted with the briefs on behalf of the parties.

The Court will hear the case during the upcoming term, which begins this fall. Dates for oral arguments have not yet been set. 

(Harrisburg, PA – August 28, 2013) Environmental Defense Fund and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council jointly commend Governor Thomas Corbett’s energy executive and Department of Environmental Protection Acting Secretary Christopher Abruzzo along with the remaining members of the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board for voting for DEP’s proposed Chapter 78. John Walliser, PEC Vice President of Legal and Governmental Affairs was a voting member of the EQB today.

Moving forward on Chapter 78 shows leadership on the part of the Corbett administration and DEP, and it is an important step toward greater environmental protections related to natural gas and oil production in Pennsylvania. The approved regulatory package includes, among other things, important environmental enhancements called for by Act 13 such as water supply restoration standards, public resource protection, waste management at well sites, and pre-hydraulic fracturing assessment.  Failure to support Chapter 78 would have further delayed the sixteen-month time period since Pennsylvania legislators made Act 13 into law.

DEP is expected to publish Chapter 78 within the month and begin a formal 60-day public comment period.  EDF and PEC look forward to working with the administration and other stakeholders to strengthen the package before final adoption.  

“We applaud the Energy Secretary’s decision today to appoint Dr. Paula Gant as the new U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Natural Gas. We’ve worked closely with Gant while she has been with the American Gas Association. She fully understands that we cannot have a secure energy future if we do not protect the environment, and we are confident in her abilities to meet the challenges ahead.”

“Her office has a full plate. Real questions persist about this nation’s ability to safely produce oil and natural gas resources – unacceptable impacts to the air, water and land that put our communities, habitats and the climate at risk of pollution.”

“More needs to be done now to reduce the risks associated with oil and natural gas development and to minimize methane emissions resulting from the production, transportation and delivery of new supplies. Gant has exceptional qualifications and experience engaging environmental advocates and industry stakeholders, finding policy solutions that can work for all sides. We look forward to continuing to work with Gant in her new role to improve critically important public health and environmental protections pertaining to oil and gas operations.”    

- Mark Brownstein, Associate Vice President and Chief Counsel, US Climate and Energy Program of Environmental Defense Fund

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Joaquin McPeek, jmcpeek@edf.org, 916-492-7173
Mary Solecki, mary@e2.org, 415-246-3322

A case study released today from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and E2 examines the benefits of biodiesel, profiling six companies in California helping to revolutionize the industry. A growing production in the state shows California companies have started capitalizing on this diverse, low-carbon fuel.

As the world’s first advanced biofuel to be commercially produced, biodiesel has the capacity to create a triple-win for the state.  It not only reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions and improves air quality; it is providing consumers with additional fuel choices at the pump and spurs green job growth. 

“Once again, California is ahead of the curve when it comes to delivering on fuels that not only protect the environment but also make good business sense to produce,” said Emily Reyna, Senior Manager of Partnerships and Alliances for EDF. “Because of the state’s commitment to biodiesel, we’ll continue to see biodiesel opportunities grow, an industry that is prime to be a leader in alternative fuels for California.”

The companies profiled in this case study- Biodico, North Star Biofuels, LC, Yokayo Biofuels, Crimson Renewable Energy, LP, Imperial Western Products, and Propel Fuels, each demonstrate one of the six steps of the biodiesel value chain. These companies are integrating innovative practices and expanding the commercialization of low-carbon fuels with production capacities up to 20 million gallons a year. Some of these companies recycle used cooking oil as a feedstock, some are working to supply the Navy and oil refineries with lower carbon fuels, while others are working to assure choosing a biodiesel blend is as easy as picking up a different gas pump.

“The case study serves as a great reminder that California is successfully producing biodiesels that are cost-effective, will reduce emissions, and provide quality jobs in the state. To stay competitive and grow California’s economy, it’s imperative we continue to support the policies and businesses that are working hard every day to strengthen our biodiesel industry,” said Russ Teall, President, Biodico.

Smart California policies like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which calls for lower emissions from transportation fuels, are driving demand for and growth of biodiesel in the state. The LCFS further encourages production from waste oils, and biodiesel manufacturers, especially in California, are rewarded by continually reducing their emissions.

In fact, if fuel standards like the federal Renewable Fuels Standard and the LCFS continue as planned, the advanced biofuels industry will have the ability to produce up to nearly 3 billion gallons of low-carbon fuel by 2015.

As a result of the LCFS, California companies continue to expand, helping the state’s economy by providing jobs while helping reach the state’s pollution goals. According to E2 analysis, the biofuels market has the potential to be worth more than $60 billion within the next decade, creating over 18,000 jobs from the nearly 30 biorefineries expected to open by 2015 in the US.  

Many of the biodiesel companies profiled also prioritize local production to increase the sustainability of their practices, and all of the companies use domestic feedstock sources, therefore reducing dependence on foreign oil. 

(New Orleans, LA – August 21, 2013) Today, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council released its Initial Comprehensive Plan: Restoring the Gulf Coast’s Ecosystem and Economy. Leading national and local conservation and restoration organizations – Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation – released the following statement:

“We thank the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council for its efforts toward a comprehensive plan to restore the invaluable Gulf ecosystem. As the Council takes its next crucial step of prioritizing ecosystem restoration projects, we urge them to embrace the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan as its guiding document for restoring the Mississippi River Delta, which was ground zero for the 2010 Gulf oil disaster.

“Since the Mississippi River and its surrounding wetlands are a driving force behind ensuring a healthy Gulf Coast ecosystem, thriving local economies and protected communities, these Mississippi River Delta restoration projects will create an important cornerstone for Gulf-wide ecosystem restoration. Truly restoring the delta will be a critical component to successfully restoring the entire Gulf region – both ecologically and economically.

“As the Council moves from planning to implementation, it should work with Louisiana to achieve the vision set forth in its Coastal Master Plan. A vibrant Gulf of Mexico starts with a strong Mississippi River Delta.

“We look forward to working with the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council as it moves its plan from conception to completion.”

DALLAS, August 20, 2013 — As drought conditions rage across many areas of the country, AT&T and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) unveiled today a suite of tools that U.S. commercial buildings can use to collectively save up to 28 billion gallons of water annually, equivalent to the amount of water that more than 765,000 Americans use at home in a given year. Buildings with cooling towers typically use 28 percent of their daily water use for cooling, and they have the opportunity to reduce that water demand by 14-40 percent with this toolkit.  

The Building Water Efficiency toolkit, available at www.edf.org/attwater, is the result of data and lessons from pilot projects that ran across the U.S. during the summer and fall of 2012. It gives organizations simple, cost-effective resources to build their own water efficiency programs and includes both technical and management tools to design, implement and document water savings. The combination of tools can be used to create the business case for investments in efficient water management.  

“People knew these cooling systems use a lot of energy, but nobody had ever focused on how much water they guzzle, or how we could reduce that ‘aqua-print,’” said Tom Murray, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at EDF. “Even we were surprised by what we were able to achieve with AT&T. It’s a huge opportunity for companies to save water, save money and help out the communities where they operate.”  

For its own operations, AT&T identified water savings opportunities of 14-40 percent per pilot facility and did so in a way that also made business sense. One cooling tower filtration system upgrade costs less than $100,000 to install but promises more than $60,000 in annual water and sewer savings—paying for itself in less than two years— and a minor $4,000 equipment upgrade to expand free air cooling promises nearly $40,000 in annual savings. These savings—deployed company-wide—add up. Through free air cooling and optimized cooling towers, AT&T aims to reduce its approximately 1 billion gallon annual cooling tower water use by 150 million gallons per year by 2015. Cooling tower water use accounts for approximately 30 percent of AT&T’s 3.3 billion gallons of annual water use.  

“Thirty-one of our top water consuming facilities are in water stressed regions,” explained John Schinter, AT&T Executive Director of Energy. “We couldn’t wait until a drought put a strain on our operations; we needed to manage risk from water scarcity and increasing water costs today. EDF helped us find ways to do so that were good for the communities where we operate and that were financially sound.”  

To further its water efforts and collaboration with EDF, AT&T is hosting EDF Climate Corps fellows for the fourth summer in a row. One fellow is focused exclusively on continuing to realize water and energy savings from free air cooling, while another fellow is helping with a regional outreach program to share the tools and findings with organizations in water stressed areas.  

AT&T remains committed to sustainability and was recently ranked #1 on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 13^th Annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List. AT&T was also included in the 2012 Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index. Visit www.att.com/csr to learn more about sustainability at AT&T.  

About EDF
Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Follow us on Twitter, on Facebook and at EDF’s Business Innovations Blog.  

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T |DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.  

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/aboutus or follow our news on @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.    

^© 2013 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

(Harrisburg,PA – August 7, 2013) Environmental Defense Fund applauds the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for shutting down a wastewater plant used by oil and gas companies to treat wastewater from hydraulic fracturing operations and to recycle it for reuse at well sites. Pennsylvania regulators revoked Aquatic Synthesis Unlimited’s permit this week for a facility it operated in Indiana County. DEP plans to use the company’s $1 million bond to clean up the facility’s nearly one million gallons of toxic wastewater and at least five tons of contaminated soil. The facility has operated at or near capacity since 2012, was responsible for several spills and received at least four violations from DEP over the last year. This situation highlights the concern that although recycling water used in oil and gas operations can be beneficial for conservation, proper management of waste streams is essential to ensure greater environmental harm is not caused.

(New York - August 6, 2013) Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp called for action in response to a new scientific report published this week in the Geophysical Research Letters. The study reported high levels of climate-altering methane emissions observed on one day in Utah’s Uintah Basin, the state’s largest oil and gas producing region. Methane, the main ingredient in natural gas, is a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Researchers at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) led the study, which reported a methane leak rate between 6.2 to 11.7 percent of total production for an area of about 1,000 square miles. Findings are based on aircraft overflights on February 3, 2012 that measured methane in the air and estimated the proportion of those emissions from the oil and gas operations—production, gathering systems, processing and transmission. Measurements were taken over twelve days but due to poor weather conditions, estimates are based on a single day.

“Though the sample size is small, these emissions estimates are alarming,” said Krupp, who served on the U.S. Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board for natural gas. “Regulators and industry must take immediate steps to address methane emissions in the Uintah Basin, by evaluating industry practices in the region and strengthening regulations to keep up with best available technologies. Reducing methane emissions is a critical issue not only for the industry, but for everyone concerned about climate change.

“Urgency is building. In June President Obama identified methane as a key priority in his Climate Action Plan. Federal and state regulators have an obligation to ensure that strong rules are in place and enforced. This study suggests that methane emissions may be a serious problem in Utah, but we need more data to pinpoint exactly where emissions are coming from and to identify the opportunities are to reduce them. When it comes to methane, we know enough to get started. We can’t afford to wait.”

Specifically, Krupp called for the following measures to be taken:

• Both federal and state air regulators need to publically account for the current status of regulation and enforcement in the Uintah, and conduct an audit of enforcement practices and procedures, including an assessment of current resources;
• Utah is to be commended for publishing a list of best practices for oil and gas production, but should be putting leading practices into law;
• EPA should act immediately to close the loophole for ‘associated gas production,’ require regular maintenance and control technologies on compressors, replacement of high bleed pneumatic controls with low or no-bleed pneumatics, flares or vapor recovery units at condensate tanks, as well as apply leak detection and repair technologies where feasible;
• EPA should prepare a federal implementation plan (FIP) to address air pollution on Ute tribal lands in the Uintah, using steps taken in the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota as a strong model for progress; and
• The federal government, as part of a comprehensive methane emissions measurement program, should routinely survey emissions in each producing basin in the United States to measure progress over time.  

The task of reducing methane emissions does not fall on regulators alone. “Industry must step up to the plate when it comes to minimizing methane lost to the atmosphere,” said Krupp. “While there are companies that should be commended for trying to get practices and technologies right, it is in all companies’ best interest to prevent the loss of a natural resource escaping into the atmosphere. The public deserves a full accounting of practices that contributed to methane emissions during the time of this study.”

The study in question, “Methane emissions estimate from airborne measurements over a western United States natural gas field,” was published in Geophysical Research Letters.

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (August 7, 2013) – Companies that want to reduce their carbon footprint need to pay attention to the energy they use. But at least as important – and in some cases even more so – is paying attention to the energy used by links in their supply chain.

The University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment’s NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise, along with the Environmental Defense Fund, provide valuable suggestions on why and how to do so in a new report, Supply Chain Energy Efficiency: Engaging Small & Medium Entities in Global Production Systems.

Based on a two-day workshop tapping the brains of 31 representatives of energy service companies, financers, retailers, nongovernmental organi­zations, government and academia from around the world, the report provides an intriguing look into thinking about industrial energy efficiency within the system of a supply chain, and highlights opportunities for corresponding cost-, reputation- and energy-saving improvements.

“The industrial sector consumes nearly one-third of all global primary energy and the opportunities for improving energy efficiency in the industrial sector are vast,” says symposium organizer and researcher Jennifer Schmitt.

To realize these opportunities we must manage energy across organizations, industry sectors, supply chains and regions, which will require significant new and increasingly more transparent data, common metrics and analytics. Public and private collaboration will be crucial to reduce the transaction costs of implementing supply chain energy efficiency, particularly with regard to credit enhancement, technology provider accreditation and governmental policies.

The report highlights four recommendations coming out of the symposium that span across the many actors involved in saving a kilowatt hour:

1. Engage leading companies to identify high-quality suppliers for pilot supply chain energy efficiency improvements.
2. Create one or more sector-based collaborations for improving supply chain energy efficiency by assembling groups of peer manufacturers within a supply chain and using benchmarking, process capability analysis and best practice sharing to identify and improve energy efficiency and industry competitiveness.
3. Increase transparency and standardization of energy use, audits and supply chain information.
4. Create finance and credit risk approaches and models for portfolio-level energy efficiency and energy management projects.

“These recommendations, coming out of our discussions at the symposium, provide an unprecedented ability to characterize and benchmark sector-level and facility-level energy savings opportunities, share knowledge in ways that allow for the flexible application of technological and organizational information in a supply chain environment, and coordinate resources across regions and across public and private actors,” Schmitt says. “Approaching energy efficiency through the supply chain holds great potential for both carbon and financial savings.”

View and download a copy of the report.

###

Contact:
Jennifer Schmitt, NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise,jenniferschmitt@umn.edu, 612-626-3637
Brooke Dillon, University News Service, bdillon@umn.edu, 612-624-2801

About The University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment
The University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment seeks lasting solutions to Earth’s biggest challenges through research, partnerships and leadership development. For more information, visit environment.umn.edu.

About The NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise
The NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise, a program of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, works with private sector partners to identify and overcome systemic obstacles to achieving a truly sustainable economy. For more information, visit environment.umn.edu/northstar.

About Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on Twitter and the EDF Business Blog.

(Washington, D.C. – August 6, 2013) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is launching a new TV ad campaign today calling on local communities to take action on climate change.

The ads highlight the dangerous effects of climate change on local communities and say, “doing nothing is no longer an option.” 

Since President Obama announced his national climate action plan in June, businesses, farmers, faith leaders and local governments have highlighted the actions they have already been taking to address climate change, as well as pledging their support for the President’s plan, which includes the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from power plants. 

“We’ve always known the support for action on climate change was broad, but President Obama’s leadership has brought out voices from diverse and influential leaders,” said EDF’s Carol Andress. “We are only going to successfully address climate change if we have leaders who understand the real and costly impacts on local communities. From small businesses in South Carolina and tourism leaders in New Orleans, to faith leaders in Chicago and farmers across the Midwest, we’ve seen thousands of Americans stand up and say ‘I Will.’ ”

The 30-second ad will run in four states: Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire and Ohio. You can watch the online version here.

(BISMARCK, N.D.) Environmental Defense Fund commends the North Dakota Industrial Commission for quick action in responding to an oil field waste dumping incident that may have contaminated water supplies in Stark County. Halek Operating ND LLC allegedly disposed of salt water, a byproduct of oil production, in an injection well not up to state standards. On Wednesday, the commission levied the largest civil penalty ever issued – $1.5 million – for an oil and gas violation against Halek. Credit goes to Lynn Helms, Director of the Mineral Resources Department for his leadership in taking the necessary steps quickly to protect the water resources of North Dakota. Criminal penalties are appropriate if Halek is convicted of violating the law. Gross violations of public trust should be met with zero tolerance.