Complete list of press releases

Contact: Elena Craft, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3452-w
Media Contact: Chris Smith, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3451-w or 512.659.9264-c csmith@edf.org

(AUSTIN) The Texas legislature recently introduced two identical bills calling for environmental assessment of all new school sites in Texas. Last night, the public education committee heard the House bill, which calls for school districts to adopt a school siting policy. Currently, Texas does not have a policy guiding districts on the siting process.

The following statement can be attributed to Dr. Elena Craft, clean air quality specialist with the Houston office of Environmental Defense Fund:

“We are pleased to hear that identical bills House Bill 1839 and Senate Bill 1231 have been introduced. These bills have the power to provide school districts with the proper information on school sites, including potential environmental and health hazards, so that they can make informed decisions on where to build. If we continue to build schools without sufficient site assessment, then we are gambling with our children’s health.”

AUSTIN – Three leading Texas environmental organizations announced a new television advertising campaign today aimed at getting the Texas Legislature to support measures to make Texas a world solar leader. The commercials will run for a week in the Abilene, Dallas/Fort Worth, Tyler/Longview, and Wichita Falls viewing areas and call on the Legislature to support incentives to install solar panels on the equivalent of a half-million Texas rooftops by 2020. The ad can be viewed here.

“Texas has the right stuff to be a world leader in solar power, producing clean energy that will create tens of thousands of jobs and reduce pollution” said Environment Texas Director Luke Metzger. “But with other states moving aggressively to court the solar industry, we have a narrow window of opportunity to act. The Legislature should invest in making Texas the Silicon Valley of solar energy.”

Environmental Defense Fund Regional Director Jim Marston added, “To ensure that Texas gets the green collar jobs we deserve from solar power, we need to show national leadership. We did that with our original wind renewable portfolio standard, saving Texans money along the way, and we can do the same if we have a renewable portfolio standard for solar power now.”

“Texas needs a statewide rebate program to make it easier for homeowners and businesses to go solar,” said Tom “Smitty” Smith, Director of Public Citizen’s Texas office. “This will kick start a solar industry in Texas that will be a major economic driver for the next century and beyond.”

More than 80 bills have been filed by a bi-partisan group of legislators to promote solar power and other renewable energy technologies, including:

• SB 545 (Fraser), which creates a statewide rebate program which would fund the installation of up to 500 megawatts of solar by 2015.
• SB 545 has passed the Senate Business and Commerce committee and is expected to be voted on by the full Senate next week.SB 541 (Watson), which requires the development of 3000 megawatts of solar, geothermal and biomass energy by 2020. SB 541 is pending in the Senate Business and Commerce committee.
• HB 3405 (Swinford), which creates a statewide rebate program that would fund the installation of 3000 megawatts of solar by 2020. HB 3405 is pending in the House Energy Resources committee.

With only 45 days left in the legislative session, the groups called on the Legislature to act quickly to approve these bills.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

(Washington – April 14, 2009) The United Steelworkers Union (USW) and the Blue Green Alliance are joining a new advertising campaign in support of a cap on carbon pollution, highlighting the direct connection between solving climate change and creating new jobs for U.S. workers.

“The USW has longed believed that good jobs and clean jobs are the same thing and we don’t need to trade one for the other. In today’s stagnant economy, we need carbon reduction legislation more than ever both to generate good paying, sustainable jobs and a future with clean air,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard.

“From steelworkers to machinists to engineers, we can put millions of Americans to work building the clean energy economy,” said David Foster, executive director of the Blue Green Alliance, a national partnership of labor union and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy.

The campaign, sponsored by Environmental Defense Action Fund, features a group of unemployed steel workers and John Fetterman – the Harvard-educated, tattooed, ‘take no prisoners’ mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Braddock is a small steel town and former ‘Jewel of the Monongahela Valley’ that is now struggling for its survival.

Mayor Fetterman advocates for a carbon cap as a critical step toward generating jobs in blue-collar industries like steel. For towns and cities – like Braddock, as well as Flint, Michigan and Akron, Ohio — these industries are the lifeblood of the community.

“Towns like Braddock need Congress to cap carbon so we can get to work,” Mayor Fetterman said. “It takes 250 tons of steel to make a wind turbine, and we’re ready to make as many as we can. We’ve lost 250,000 jobs in Monongahela Valley, and I want to bring them back for the next big business built on steel.”

The campaign was shot on location in Braddock, in coordination with the local branch of the USW. Workers who were laid off from mills in the Monongahela Valley were cast in the television, print and on-line advertisements.

A website, thecapsolution.org, was also developed to support the campaign. The site has an explanation of the economics of a carbon cap and features videos of Mayor Fetterman discussing the benefits of a cap for towns like Braddock.

“The Steelworkers have built American industry for a century, and they’re ready to build the new, clean energy industries we need for our future.” said David Yarnold, President of Environmental Defense Action Fund. “They know we need a carbon cap to help our economy, create jobs and launch those new industries. We’re proud to be their partners on this campaign.”

The campaign includes four television spots, four print ads and three on-line banner ads. It will run from April 12 through May 8 in Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Missouri, New Hampshire, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Developed by SS+K, the print ads were shot by photographer Michael O’Neill and TV spots were directed by Michael Epstein.
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Environmental Defense Action Fund is the lobbying arm of Environmental Defense, a leading environmental organization dedicated to educating the public about sound environmental policy and promoting lasting solutions to protect the environmental rights of all people. For more information, visit www.edf.org

WHAT: “Water 2.0: New Ideas for a Secure Water Future,” a conference exploring three innovative concepts that could help secure Texas’ future water supply:

• Water-neutral New Residential and Commercial Development – offsetting new water demands by using new development to achieve a higher standard of water use efficiency and conservation in existing communities.
• Reverse Auctions for Protecting Environmental Flows – utilizing reverse auctions as a way for the state to buy back unused water rights and free up water to meet environmental needs.
• Energy-Water Nexus – integrating energy and water policy with planning to reap the benefits of increased efficiencies in both realms.

WHY: When it comes to our future water supply, business as usual is not an option. Creativity and ingenuity will be needed to assure a water supply that meets human needs and sustains a healthy, natural environment. 

WHO: Presenters include: Richard Harris, Manager of Water Conservation for the California-based East Bay Municipal Utility District; Mary E. Kelly, Senior Counsel of Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Center for Rivers and Deltas; and Amy Hardberger, EDF Attorney. Panelists and moderators include experts from The Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin; Green Builders, Inc.; San Antonio Water System; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; Austin Water Utility; National Wildlife Federation; Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club and Environmental Defense Fund.

WHERE: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 801 LaCrosse Ave., Austin

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday, April 17, 2009

HOW: $35 fee includes lunch and materials. [Fees waived for media.] Send RSVP to aisaac-cura@edf.org. Visit conference website for agenda and more information: http://www.texaswatermatters.org/2009/index.htm.

MORE: A presentation on Green Roofs will also be given by GRoWERS (Green Roofs: Working Expertise, Regional Solutions)

MEDIA CONTACT: Laura Williamson at (512) 691-3447-w or (512) 828-1690-c or lwilliamson@edf.org
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Amy Hardberger, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3437-w
Media Contact: Laura Williamson, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3447-w or
512.828.1690-c or lwilliamson@edf.org

(AUSTIN, TX – Apr. 6, 2009) Decisions about supplying energy and water to Texas’ growing population can no longer be made in isolation from each other, according to The Energy-Water Nexus in Texas, a joint report released today by the University of Texas and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

“Improving water conservation will reduce power demand, and improving energy efficiency will reduce overall water needs – this is key to stretching finite supplies of both while reducing costs for Texans,” said Amy Hardberger, a report co-author and attorney with the Texas EDF office. [See a video of Hardberger discussing the report here.]

“Failure to consider the links between water and energy could undermine both resources, where constraints in water become constraints in energy, or vice-versa,” said Michael Webber, report co-author and associate director of the University of Texas Center for International Energy & Environmental Policy. “On the other hand, policies that address both energy and water can increase efficiency and reduce costs for Texans.”

The Energy-Water Nexus in Texas is the first report of its kind to quantify the relationship between electricity generation and water supply in Texas. It analyzes how much water is needed to supply Texans with electricity, including water required for cooling towers and reservoirs at power plants. The report also examines the energy used in supplying and treating water, and includes how climate change could affect both water and power demand and supply reliability.

For example, enough water for more than 3 million people is used in Texas each year to cool the state’s thermoelectric power plants. Enough electricity for about 100,000 people goes to water and wastewater systems each year in Texas.

“With a growing population increasing the strain on both energy and water, we must be careful not to implement policies that benefit one resource while unintentionally undermining the other,” said Hardberger.

“Collaborative planning among state agencies on Texas’ energy and water is absolutely necessary,” said Webber, “and it requires Texas to collect more site-specific data regarding power plants’ water usage and the energy used to treat and distribute water.”

The report makes specific recommendations on how to build a framework for more integrated energy-water planning, including:

1. Require a study to determine how much water is available for use when siting new fossil-fueled or concentrated solar power plants.
2. Require proposed power plants to evaluate cooling technology to minimize water use, while considering effects on power plant efficiency.
3. Provide incentives for implementing power plant cooling technologies that are less water-intensive than traditional systems.
4. Provide state agency guidance to water suppliers to help quantify energy use and cost savings associated with water conservation.

“Different areas of the state may need different solutions,” Hardberger said. “Some areas of the state are better suited for different types or combinations of cooling technologies depending on how much water is available in the area, and the region’s air quality.”

Learn more at www.edf.org/texasenergywaternexus.
 

(Washington – March 31, 2009) “Chairmen Waxman and Markey are experienced legislators who have focused on exactly the right issues to quickly build consensus and allow Congress to pass a strong bill this year.

“Climate legislation to kick start the economy is exactly what the country needs right now. Thousands of U.S. companies from coast to coast are poised to pump billions of dollars into clean energy and create new jobs when Congress acts. If we move quickly, we can help the U.S. corner the market for low-carbon technologies and save billions we’d otherwise send overseas or spend on the high costs of climate change.

“Government studies show that the U.S. will have strong economic growth with a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. The impact on household utility bills will be about a dime a day, and that dime will be the hardest working dime in America. It will create jobs, reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, and protect the climate.

“We applaud the Chairmen for moving forward boldly and deliberately with their proposal for comprehensive legislation, and we look forward to working with them, the congressional leadership, and the Obama administration to help refine and pass a bill this year.”

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Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 30, 2009
Contact: Jennifer Witherspoon, EDF California Communications Director 415-378-1985

EDF LAUNCHES NATION’S FIRST SUSTAINABLE FISHING LOAN PROGRAM
California Fisheries Fund Grants First Loans for Eco-friendly Fishing Businesses in California

(March 30, 2009 - Mountain View, CA): At 5:30 p.m. PST Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) will hold a special event at Google’s Mountain View headquarters to announce the launch of the California Fisheries Fund (CFF), a $5 million, first-of-its-kind revolving loan program to rebuild California’s fishing communities and to develop eco-friendly fishing. CFF also will announce its first three loans, which collectively support a vertically integrated fish-to-consumer supply chain that extends from fishermen to dockside unloader and buyer to seafood distributor. It is an unprecedented public-private investment in sustainable seafood distribution. Google purchases eco-friendly seafood, including from one of the first CFF borrowers, Central Coast Seafood.

“Without the California Fisheries Fund, these fishing businesses probably wouldn’t get loans, and without loans, the entire seafood supply chain, starting with the fishermen, can’t make the necessary investments to make fishing more sustainable,” said Michael DeLapa, manager of the CFF. “We expect these loans to be paid back because we’re confident about the growing market for environmentally-friendly fish and the new value created by management innovations.

Demand for seafood is growing as consumers respond to evidence of its health benefits and concern grows for ocean life and habitat and for the people whose livelihoods depend upon the sea. Large retail chains and food service providers are providing sustainable seafood when possible including: Bon Appétit Management Company, Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and Darden Restaurants, the parent of Red Lobster, and the Compass Group.

Since much of California’s fishing industry has, for decades, been unprofitable or marginally profitable, banks have been mostly unwilling to extend loans to fishermen. The CFF provides needed capital to fishermen and businesses that face additional barriers because the experimental methods they use to catch fish and protect the environment are considered risky by lenders.

“We really appreciate the loan from the California Fisheries Fund, especially in the middle of the current economic realities and credit crunch,” said Brett Cunningham, owner of Morro Bay Fish Company, a dockside fish buyer located in Morro Bay, CA.

The CFF will grant Morro Bay Fish Company a $25,000 working capital line of credit, as well as a 5-year, $100,000 loan to remodel its freezer, purchase a delivery truck and build a hoist on the dock. As the primary fish buyer on the dock in Morro Bay, Morro Bay Fish Company will help to deliver and market sustainable fish from local fishermen.

“Our business model depends on maintaining a reliable supply of fresh fish caught in ways that maintain healthy fish populations,” said Giovanni Comin, owner of Central Coast Seafood. “Our California Fisheries Fund loan will make it a lot easier to deliver sustainable seafood to markets worldwide.”

Central Coast Seafood, a leading sustainable fish buyer from Atascadero in San Luis Obispo County, California, will use a $150,000 line of credit from the CFF to invest in black cod inventory, as well as marketing to keep up with the increased supply from local fishing. The fishing quotas for black cod are nearly quadrupling in 2009—rising to 3 million pounds in the fishing regions surrounding Morro Bay—due to the abundance and health of the stock.

CFF’s first loans are in Morro Bay because fisheries managers and fishermen made significant improvements in management and commitments to environmentally friendly business and fishing. In 2005, conservation groups worked with Morro Bay fishermen on a fishing vessel and permit buyout that protected over three million acres of valuable ocean habitat, and a group of Morro Bay fisherman switched from trawling to using more selective and environmentally-friendly gear types, including traps and hook-and-line. Last year, these vessels fully complied with, and even exceeded, stringent catch limits.

“With a rising demand for safe, healthy and environmentally-friendly seafood from around the world, it is vital that we support our local fishermen and businesses that have the ability to bring these fish to market,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman. “By providing fishermen, ports, fishing businesses, and fishing organizations with an infusion of capital, the California Fisheries Fund helps coastal communities profit from sustainable fishing, including marketing their product and implementing important management innovations such as ‘catch shares.’” Chrisman was part of a prestigious working group of scientists, academics and elected officials that recommends catch share programs to President Obama in the Oceans of Abundance report.

Catch share programs provide fishermen with a guaranteed percentage of the catch based on boat size and fishing history. Recent studies have shown that catch shares and other reforms restore fisheries and spur new economic growth. One study, published in the journal Nature, conservatively estimated that catch shares could double the net economic value of U.S. commercial fisheries. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council adopted a catch share program, also called an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) system, for the trawling sector of west coast groundfish in late 2008. CFF was created in part to support fisheries that transition to catch shares. CFF also invests in other coastal California businesses that are adapting “green” business and management practices as a cornerstone to how they harvest, process and market fish.

“We all have a role to play in protecting our ocean resources and building up economically-viable coastal communities,” said David H. Festa, vice president of west coast operations for Environmental Defense Fund and the former director of Policy and Strategic Planning at the Department of Commerce.

“The California Fisheries Fund is a great model for how public and private interests can work together with fishermen and the seafood industry to achieve common objectives of economic and environmental prosperity.”

CFF is funded in part by the California Ocean Protection Council, which coordinates the protection and management of California’s ocean and coastal resources, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which supports communities that are working to improve the sustainability of their fisheries. The state of California has invested two million dollars into the CFF and the Moore Foundation and other private foundations have invested another three million dollars.
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About California Fisheries Fund
The California Fisheries Fund (CFF) is a $5 million revolving loan fund that supports fishing communities working to improve the sustainability of their fisheries. CFF invests in innovative projects that will lead to more stable and profitable fisheries, including management changes such as catch shares and more localized management. California-based fishermen and fishery related businesses that share in the fund’s goals to promote conservation and community benefits may apply for a loan at www.californiafisheriesfund.org

About Environmental Defense Fund
A leading national nonprofit organization, Environmental Defense Fund represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org. To download a Seafood Selector card please go to www.edf.org/seafood. And to view a short video about how catch shares have improved fishing in Alaska please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE1qpzw-IcE.

About Central Coast Seafood and Morro Bay Fish Company
Central Coast Seafood is a fast growing and progressive seafood distributor in California with an efficient network that services retailers and restaurants from Ventura County in the south, to the greater San Francisco Bay area in the north (www.ccseafood.com). Founded in 2006, Morro Bay Fish Company is run by local fishermen who take the greatest pride and care in the quality of their product. (www.morrobayfish.com)
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CLEAN AIR AGENCIES
PUGET SOUND CLEAN AIR AGENCY

Coalition Contacts:
Heather Grzelka, Communications, American Lung Association, 202-715-3450, hgrzelka@lungusa.org
Paul Billings, Vice President, American Lung Association, 202-785-3355 x 3988, pbillings@lungusa.org
Sean Crowley, Marketing-Communications Director, EDF, 202-550-6524, scrowley@edf.org
Vickie Patton, Deputy General Counsel, EDF, 720-837-6239, vpatton@edf.org
Bill Becker, Executive Director, National Association of Clean Air Agencies, 301-806-6111 (c), bbecker@4cleanair.org
Dennis McLerran, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, 206-689-4004, DennisM@pscleanair.org
Kimberley Cline, Communications Specialist, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, 206-689-4070, KimberleyC@pscleanair.org

(Washington, D.C. – March 30, 2009) A new report released today finds that more than 87 million Americans live in port areas that are not meeting federal health-based air quality standards. The report, Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution, documents the public health effects associated with air pollution from global shipping, including container ships, tankers, cruise ships, and bulk carriers. The report, co-authored by the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, National Association of Clean Air Agencies, and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, is available online at: www.edf.org/documents/9466_ECA_report_March2009.pdf.

The coalition strongly encourages and supports action by the U.S. government that to apply to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the establishment of an Emission Control Area: an area where rigorous pollution limits apply to global shipping activity. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will announce the U.S. application to the IMO during a noon news conference today in Port Newark, NJ. Foreign-flagged vessels make 90 percent of the ship calls on U.S. ports. Leading researchers estimate that shipping pollution is associated with 60,000 global deaths annually. EPA’s Analysis shows that the establishment of an Emission Control Area could dramatically reduce lethal particulate pollution in U.S. coastal communities.

COALITION STATEMENTS

Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung Association President and CEO: “In my career as a U.S. Navy Captain, I saw firsthand the staggering amounts of pollution that cruise ships, container ships, tankers and other ocean-going vessels released into the atmosphere. These ships dock at more than 100 ports along our coastline and along navigable waterways far inland. Their smog-and soot-forming emissions threaten the health of those living far from our nation’s maritime ports.”

Statement of Vickie Patton, Deputy General Counsel, Environmental Defense Fund: “The dangerous air pollution from these floating smokestacks is a serious health threat to tens of millions of Americans who live and work in port cities. Cleaning up these big ships will chart a course for cleaner air and healthier communities.”

Statement of Bill Becker, Executive Director, National Association of Clean Air Agencies: “These big ships are big emitters. We need all hands on deck to help state and local air pollution control officials reduce the pollution from global shipping and restore healthier air in our communities.”

Statement of Dennis McLerran, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency: “Approval of an Emission Control Area for the coasts of North America at the earliest possible date will save hundreds of lives across the U.S. and Canada. In the Pacific Northwest, ocean-going ships travel hundreds of miles inland before reaching the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma and we will see significant air quality improvements in a wide area of Washington State when an ECA is put in place.”

BACKGROUND

An Emission Control Area, or ECA, would provide the strongest clean air standards available under international law. It would dramatically improve fuel quality and reduce smog-forming oxides of nitrogen for all ocean-going ships in the exclusive economic zone of the United States, an area that typically extends about 200 nautical miles from the coast. To secure these vital protections, the U.S. government must submit an application to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) demonstrating the need to prevent, reduce and control global shipping emissions. The IMO would review the application at its July meeting and take final action on the U.S. request in 2010.

Container ships, tankers and the other large sea-going vessels that dock at more than 100 U.S. port cities burn low grade “residual fuel” or “bunker fuel” that is a major source of air pollution, including the formation of particulate pollution. Residual fuel contains sulfur levels 1,800 times greater than U.S. law allows for other diesel engines. A recent study by two leading researchers on shipping pollution, Corbett and Winebrake, shows shipping-related particulate pollution contributes to approximately 60,000 global deaths annually, with impacts concentrated in coastal regions on major trade routes.

In October 2008, the IMO, with active participation from the U.S. government, adopted new baseline global emission standards for ocean-going ships and their fuel. The IMO also provided for more rigorous, heightened protections in designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs). The fuel used to power these ships currently contains about 27,000 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur. In an ECA, the sulfur in fuel will be limited to 10,000 ppm in August 2012 and then to 1,000 ppm in January 2015.

Within an ECA, ships must also achieve an 80 percent reduction in smog-forming oxides of nitrogen starting in 2016.

EPA air quality analyses shows the pollution reductions required in an ECA will reduce exposure to lethal particulate pollution for millions of Americans.

Ocean-going ships contribute to unhealthy air quality across the United States. According to EPA, in 2001, these large ships emitted approximately:

• 745,000 tons of smog-forming oxides of nitrogen (NOx), a precursor to ground-level ozone. Ozone can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function in addition to other health effects;

• 450,000 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2), a key contributor to acid rain that can also be transformed into lethal particulate matter; and

• 54,000 tons of fine particulates (PM2.5), microscopic sized particles, which can be breathed deep into the lungs, bypassing the body’s defense systems. They are implicated in thousands of premature deaths each year. Other harmful health effects also result from breathing fine particulates.

Ocean-going ships are also responsible for about 3 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas pollution.

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American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. The American Lung Association is “Fighting for Air” through research, education and advocacy. For more information, visit www.lungusa.org.

Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.

National Association of Clean Air Agencies comprises the air pollution control agencies in 53 states and territories and over 165 metropolitan areas across the country. NACAA’s members have primary responsibility for ensuring that everyone in our nation breathes clean, healthful air. For more information, visit www.4cleanair.org.

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is the regional air quality agency for the area including the major container ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. We work together the clean the air we breathe and protect our climate through education, incentives and enforcement. For more information, visit www.pscleanair.org. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ramon Alvarez, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3408-w
Media Contact: Chris Smith, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3451-w or 512.659.9264-c or csmith@edf.org.

(Austin – March 27, 2009) – Indicating doubt about the existence of global warming, today’s final vote on textbook language by the Texas State Board of Education flouts leading scientific consensus as well as the board’s own scientific advisors.

Surprising environmentalists, the board’s last-minute decision Wednesday changed the language in a school textbook chapter on Environmental Systems to include the phrase “analyze and evaluate different views on the existence of global warming.”

Dr. Ramon Alvarez, senior scientist with Environmental Defense Fund, said that to deny the existence of global warming is not only an affront to the board’s own advisors, but also to established science, citing agreement by the National Academy of Sciences, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and even one of the state’s premier academic institutions, Texas A&M University. “In a last-minute assault on science and sensibility, the board appears to be supporting its own ideological views rather than those of proven science,” Alvarez said. “Experts around the country, including the tenured faculty of Texas A&M’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences, agree that our climate is warming and that humans are responsible.”

The new textbook language also positions Texas children behind regions already addressing global warming. “The tragedy of this ruling is that it places Texas children at a competitive disadvantage in science education, thus failing them as they prepare to compete in the global marketplace,” said Jim Marston, regional director of Environmental Defense Fund.