Complete list of press releases

  • Stimulus Bill Conferees Urged to Adopt Best Transportation Provisions in Senate and House Bills

    February 10, 2009

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
     
    Contact:
    Sean Crowley, 202-550-6524-c, scrowley@edf.org
    Dan Cronin, 202-251-9549, dcronin@edf.org
     
    (Washington – February 10, 2008)  The stimulus bill conferees should adopt the best transportation provisions in the Senate and House bills, according to an adviser to the U.S. Transportation Department who is Transportation Director for Environmental Defense Fund.
     
    The Senate bill provides $2 billion for high-speed rail and $1.1 billion for intercity rail, including Amtrak.  It also includes a $5.5 billion competitive grant program for road, transit, rail and port projects.  The Senate bill also ensures that local governments would get at least 40 percent of “formula” highway funding under the Surface Transportation Program, which would ensure that transportation dollars address the most pressing local needs. 
     
    “This stimulus spending could yield benefits that will last for generations,” said Michael Replogle, a civil engineer, a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Intelligent Transportation Systems for the U.S. Department of Transportation, and Transportation Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “The key to realizing this economic potential is for states and local governments to focus on maintaining existing road and bridges and investing in projects that will increase America’s energy independence. Public officials must make their spending plans totally transparent as soon as possible, so taxpayers can check to ensure that these billions of dollars are being spent wisely.”
     
    The House bill provides $12 billion in transit funding, including $2.5 billion in funding for new projects and $2 billion to modernize existing subways, light rail, and similar facilities.
     
    “Expanding transit options and investing in smart traffic management reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming and create more jobs than building new roads,” concluded Replogle.

  • Report Finds Barnett Shale Emissions Contributing to DFW Smog

    February 10, 2009

    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 – Feb. 10, 2009) – The first comprehensive analysis of air emissions associated with natural gas and oil production in the Barnett Shale area finds that emissions can be a significant contributor to Dallas/Fort Worth smog formation, comparable to the combined emissions from all Metroplex cars and trucks.
     
    “Emissions from Natural Gas Production in the Barnett Shale Area and Opportunities for Cost-Effective Improvements,” was written by Dr. Al Armendariz of Southern Methodist University and is now available online.
     
    In addition to emissions of smog-forming compounds, such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOC), the report also considers air toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases. Emissions of carbon dioxide and two other major greenhouse gases underlying climate change were estimated to be roughly equivalent to the impact from two 750 MW coal-fired power plants.
     
    “It’s true that Barnett Shale oil and gas activities are producing significant air emissions, but there’s good news as well,” Armendariz said. “There are off-the-shelf technologies that can greatly reduce these emissions and improve DFW Metroplex air quality.”
     
    Cost-effective control strategies are readily available and can substantially reduce emissions, according to experts. “These controls can in many cases, reduce costs for oil and gas operators after short payback periods,” said said Dr. Ramon Alvarez, senior scientist with Environmental Defense Fund, which commissioned the study. “Such controls are already used by some producers, but not universally.”
     
    The City of Fort Worth recently adopted an ordinance requiring the use of “green completions” to capture methane and VOC compounds during well completions, one of the controls recommended in the report. 
     
    Natural gas production in the Barnett Shale region of Texas has increased rapidly since 1999, with more than 10,000 wells currently installed. Twenty-one percent of natural gas production last year in Texas was from the Barnett Shale alone. Unlike most historical drilling for oil in Texas, this activity is taking place in and around a heavily developed and populated area, even in the shadow of downtown Fort Worth high-rise buildings. 
     
    Natural gas is a critical feedstock to many chemical production processes, and it has many environmental benefits over coal as a fuel for electricity generation, including lower emissions of sulfur, metal compounds, and carbon dioxide. Nevertheless, oil and gas production from the Barnett Shale area can impact local air quality and release
    greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
     
    The report examines each step of the gas production process, from well drilling and completion, to gas processing and transmission. It concludes that peak summertime emissions of smog-forming emissions from production activities in the Barnett Shale are about the same as the emissions from all the cars and trucks in the DFW Metroplex (307 tons per day vs. 273 tons per day, respectively).

  • Green Driving Program Helps Optimize Fuel Economy and Reduce Emissions

    February 9, 2009

    Sparks, MD – February 9, 2009 – PHH Arval, a subsidiary of PHH Corporation [NYSE: PHH], has introduced PHH GreenFleet® Driver Training, an online course created by its partner in green initiatives, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The course is designed to teach employee drivers how their driving behaviors can impact the environment and provide simple strategies to reduce that impact.

     

    Studies have shown that drivers significantly affect the environmental performance of their vehicles. The way they drive and the way they maintain their vehicles affects fuel economy and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions their vehicles put into the atmosphere.

     

    Helping drivers optimize their fuel economy and minimize their greenhouse gas emissions is an important next step in the ongoing work of PHH Arval and EDF to reduce fleet greenhouse gas emissions.

     

    “The fleet management industry has made significant strides over the past several years in redefining ‘green’ efforts to be focused on greenhouse gas reductions – the most important environmental priority,” said Jason Mathers, EDF project manager. “Substantial progress has been made right-sizing vehicles for the jobs at hand. Driver training efforts are a core part of the next phase of this work – reducing emissions by improving vehicle use.”

     

    The PHH GreenFleet Driver Training program takes drivers through a series of lessons on best practices for “driving green.” Drivers can take the course on any computer at their convenience. The course takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

     

    PHH Arval is making these online courses available as part of its award-winning PHH GreenFleet® program, which helps companies achieve significant reductions in their vehicle emissions while reducing lifecycle operating costs. PHH GreenFleet Driver Training is also available as a stand-alone program.

     

    “This online driver training course has two benefits: for the environment, and for a company’s bottom line,” said Karen Healey, director of PHH Arval’s green programs. “Lower fuel consumption has a major impact on both – and PHH GreenFleet driver training helps drivers learn specific ways to improve their fuel economy.”

     

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  • Environmental Group

    February 4, 2009

    (San Francisco - February 04, 2009) The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded Environmental Defense Fund its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for renovation of its leased 14,336 square-foot office in downtown San Francisco. The council has given this certification out to less than a dozen commercial interior office spaces in the city. 

    LEED is a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. The USGBC rates a building in five key areas: sustainable site development; water savings; energy efficiency; materials selection; and indoor environmental quality.
     
    “Green buildings are an important piece of the climate stabilization puzzle,” said David Festa, vice president of Environmental Defense Fund’s West Coast offices. “We are all in the global warming fight together and Environmental Defense Fund is walking the talk by creating an office that is good for employees and the planet.”
     
    Environmental Defense Fund – working with Pollack Architecture, GCI and the Staubach Company – achieved the gold rating by designing a leased office space with the following features:
     
    • Recycling 90 percent of the facility’s generated waste (on an on-going basis);
    • Reducing energy use and lighting costs by utilizing natural light throughout the space;
    • Encouraging and enabling use of public transportation and mass transit options and providing facilities for bike storage and showering;
    • Achieving high indoor air quality ratings during and after construction;
    • Diverting more than 80 percent of on-site generated construction waste from landfills by sorting waste for reuse or recycling;
    • Using recycled and regional content for materials, including recycled sheet rock, carpet and ceiling tiles;
    • Using rapidly renewable materials and wood harvested from certified forests;
    • Using 90 percent ENERGY STAR-rated appliances; and
    • Purchasing renewable energy credits for green power to account for its electricity use.
     
    The build out of the San Francisco office came in within four percent of typical construction costs, demonstrating that sustainable renovations can be economical and cost competitive.
     
    “We view our new San Francisco office as an opportunity to lead by example using LEED standards,” said Peter Accinno, chief financial officer for Environmental Defense Fund. 
     
     
    Building construction, demolition and operations consume up to 40 percent of the earth’s energy and other natural resources, according to the Worldwatch Institute. Energy efficient buildings will play a key role helping cities, states and countries achieve energy and emission reduction goals. In 2007, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom established a Green Building Task Force as part of his Clean and Green Initiative and Climate Action Plan. In 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) that calls for reducing California’s global warming emissions by 30 percent by 2020.
     
    Green building incentives are being considered as part of the federal economic stimulus package that is now making its way through Congress. Green building is considered a vital new source of needed jobs. By 2013, the green building sector is likely to become a $96-140 billion market, an increase from today’s market valued between $36-49 billion, according to USGBC. The council also estimates that it accounts for 10-12 percent of today’s commercial and institutional market and McGraw-Hill predicts that new commercial and institutional construction starts will account for up to 25 percent of market activity by 2013.
     
    Environmental Defense Fund offers tours of its San Francisco facility to encourage more green building. Since 1999, the organization has used sustainable construction standards in building out its offices. Its Washington, DC office, for example, was awarded a LEED-CI Silver certification in 2001, and its New York headquarters facility was built in 2000 by pioneering architectural firm Croxton Collaborative before LEED certification for commercial interiors existed.
     
    Environmental Defense Fund worked with Pollack Architecture, GCI and the Staubach Company, now known as Jones Lang LaSalle, on the design and renovation of its office. Teknion and SideMark provided design and furnishing services for the office. Pollack Architecture is a San Francisco-based architectural firm that specializes in sustainable interior design. GCI is a San Francisco-based commercial contracting firm that specializes in commercial interiors, corporate facility and building renovation projects in Northern California. Jones Lang LaSalle is a market-leading global real estate advisory firm that delivers cost-effective solutions for office, industrial and retail clients. Teknion is a leading international designer, manufacturer and marketer of office systems and related office furniture products. SideMark provides office furnishings services for commercial and institutional clients.
     
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  • Statement of EDF National Climate Campaign Director Steve Cochran on Senator Boxer

    February 3, 2009

    (Washington – February 3, 2009) “We applaud Senator Boxer for her common-sense principles from which to move forward rapidly on climate legislation. As President Obama said after his election, ‘Delay is no longer an option.’ 

    “U.S. companies are ready to build the new technologies the world needs to reduce global warming pollution, and the sooner we cap greenhouse gas emissions, the sooner we’ll create new customers at home and abroad for American manufacturers. The longer we wait, the more ground we’ll lose to competitors across the globe who are already moving ahead.
     
    “Strong signals are being sent in the first days of this new Congress. In the House, Speaker Pelosi has called for a vote on cap and trade legislation this year, and Chairman Waxman is working quickly to pass a bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee. Senator Boxer today made clear that she will move with equal determination in the Senate.
     
    “The principles she outlined today reflect not just good policy ideas, but the real results we all want from cap and trade legislation — aggressive pollution reductions, economic growth, and a global solution to climate change.”

  • Gulf Council Approves Final Grouper/Tilefish Management Plan that Benefits Fish and Fishermen

    January 30, 2009

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Contact:     Heather Paffe, 512.691.3401 or 512.431.6854-c
    Media Contact: Laura Williamson, 512.691.3447 or 512.828.1690-c or     lwilliamson@edf.org

    (Austin, TX – January 30, 2009) The Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council (Council) made its final decision yesterday afternoon in favor of adopting an individual fishing quota (IFQ) management plan for commercially-caught grouper and tilefish. It also took the monumental first step towards incorporating all remaining reef fish into the plan, which would create the first comprehensive reef fish IFQ in the world.

    “IFQs are gaining widespread support throughout the Gulf. It is not every day that environmentalists, regulators and industry are all on the same side of an issue,” said Heather Paffe, director of the Gulf Oceans Program for Environmental Defense Fund. 

    The Council voted 13-4 in favor of implementing a grouper and tilefish IFQ, which will take effect in January 2010. The Secretary of Commerce is expected to sign-off on the plan and workshops to train grouper fishermen to fish under an IFQ are already being planned.

    “We applaud the Council for moving forward with IFQs, which provide so many benefits to fishermen, fishing communities and the environment,” said Paffe.

    There is already a successful IFQ program in the Gulf for the red snapper fishery which has reduced wasteful discarded fish, dramatically extended the fishing season, and increased the quality and market value of fish.

    “The potential environmental and economic benefits of managing grouper along with snapper under an IFQ are enormous,” said Paffe.

    In a separate action, the Council also agreed to explore IFQ management for vermilion and yellow-edged snapper, grey triggerfish and greater amberjack – the last remaining reef fish species not under an IFQ.

    “The fastest way to recover ailing fisheries in the Gulf is to implement a comprehensive reef fish IFQ,” said Paffe. “The efficiency of managing all reef fish under an IFQ is unbeatable. A comprehensive plan will provide consistent regulations, improve efficiency of fishermen and law enforcement and will cost less to manage.”

    IFQs work by dividing the scientifically set catch limit among fishermen and letting them find the most efficient way to catch their portion of the fish. Proven benefits of IFQs include longer fishing seasons, reduced waste, improved safety for fishermen and a stable source of locally caught fish for restaurants and food markets.

     

  • Conference Brings Experts Together to Address How Texas Can Prepare for a Low-Carbon World

    January 30, 2009

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Contact: Mitch Jeffrey, British Consulate General Houston, 713-659-6275 ext 2117-w, 713-516-6753-c or mitch.jeffrey@fco.gov.uk.
    Media Contact: Chris Smith, Environmental Defense Fund, 512-691-3451-w, 512-659-9264-c or csmith@edf.org.
     
    (January 29 Austin, TX) – Texas’ Changing Economic Climate: Risks and Opportunities in a Carbon-Constrained World, hosted by the British Consulate-General Houston and the Environmental Defense Fund, brought together more than 200 business, government and NGO leaders to discuss actions Texas needs to take to stay competitive in the coming low-carbon economy.

    Dimitri Zenghelis, chief economist on the Stern Team; Mattia Romani, senior economist on the Stern Team; David Vincent, director of projects, the Carbon Trust; and Dr. Jamie Fine,EDF economy and policy scientist were among the presenters.

    “We have a unique opportunity to share with Texas’ political and business leadership the lessons we’ve learned over several years,” said Consul General Paul Lynch. “The questions raised in the state legislature are not unlike those we raised when we started. To be sure, they are difficult, but we now offer our best practices to accelerate the state’s move to a new low-carbon world. We chose to move early and will reap the economic benefits. It is timely for Texas to share in this journey and prosper.”
     
    EDF Director of State Climate Initiatives Jim Marston said, “While our state leaders are still deliberating the concept of global warming, consensus elsewhere has other states leaping ahead of Texas in attracting new energy investment. By passing along lessons learned from countries that were early movers, the UK is offering Texas a leg up in the regulatory and economic climate change conversation.”
     
    Also announced at the conference were the results of several new EDF reports, including “Texas at a Crossroads: The Case for Addressing Global Warming in Texas,” which outlines the immediate need for legislative climate action in Texas and the adverse environmental and economic impacts of inaction. The policy summary makes a case for Texas lawmakers to constructively engage in the federal policy debate while enacting state-based measures to begin reducing emissions, attracting clean technology industries, and proactively preparing for carbon regulations and unavoidable climate impacts.
     
    Summary findings from another EDF study found that considerable opportunity exists for all Texas to save $30 billion annually by 2030 using proven energy efficiency measures. “Costs and Benefits of Energy Efficiency Investments in Texas Commercial and Residential Buildings, Power Plants, and Vehicles,” also found that efficiency investments in buildings, vehicles and power plants can combine to avoid well over 50 millions metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually by 2030. The economic opportunities are equally impressive with a possible $25 billion in electricity-bill savings in the commercial sector and another $11 billion for residential. Vehicle efficiency improvements by 2030 can save drivers over $4 billion at the pumps while avoiding about 1.6 billion gallons of fuel use.
     
    Topics of other studies presented at the conference included socio-economic impacts of sea level rise, climate change impacts on large Texas cities and implications of climate change for water resources. All studies are posted (or will soon be posted) on the conference website at: http://www.liveoakinitiative.com/TCEC09.html
     
    The Houston Advanced Research Center also announced the release of the Texas Climate Initiative and Texas Climate News, two unique informational resources on climate change and sustainability available at www.texasclimate.org and www.texasclimatenews.org respectively.

  • New Conservation Agreement Will Help Restore Unique Hawaii Habitat

    January 28, 2009
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
     
    Contact:        
    Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

    (Washington, D.C. – January 28, 2009) A new conservation program in Hawaii will provide an unprecedented opportunity to restore native forests and other lands, protect wildlife and coral reefs, and improve water quality, according to Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
     
    The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the state of Hawaii just announced a new Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) agreement that will help landowners preserve and restore up to 15,000 acres of fragile land. The agreement will cover six islands; Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kauai, and Oahu.
     
    “We’re thrilled to see USDA and Hawaii launch the Hawaii CREP,” said Terry Noto, a consultant for EDF. “Hawaii is home to species of plants and animals that aren’t found anywhere else in the world, but many of them are disappearing because of invasive species or the loss of natural habitat. This agreement will help Hawaii’s landowners get the resources they need to restore habitat and protect Hawaii’s natural treasures.”
     
    EDF has worked on CREP programs around the country, including working with partners in Hawaii from the beginning of the CREP proposal process to final approval of the program.
     
    CREP provides federal and state funds to private landowners who agree to restore marginal farm or pasturelands to wetlands, streamside buffers or wildlife habitat. The Hawaii CREP will enroll up to 15,000 acres of land and will provide an estimated $67 million in funding for restoration efforts. The conservation work will help reduce runoff from damaged land into nearby water, which will protect Hawaii’s famous coral reefs and the safety of its drinking water. It will also help preserve some of the most unique wildlife habitat on earth.
     
    “Hawaii is the endangered species capital of America,” said Noto. “There are 379 species that are currently on the federal ‘endangered’ or ‘threatened’ lists, more than any other state, and many of those species live on private land. The nene, for instance, relies on wetlands and pastureland on private ranches. This funding will ensure that landowners who want to help the nene and other rare wildlife will be able to do so.”
     
    The signup date for the program will be announced soon. More details are available at www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw/crep or http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/printapp?fileName=nr_20090122_rel_1403.html&newsType=newsrel.
     

  • DOT Adviser Praises House for Passing Nadler Amendment to Hike Transit Funding by 33 Percent in Stimulus Bill

    January 28, 2009

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Contact:
    Sean Crowley, 202-572-3331-w, 202-550-6524-c, scrowley@edf.org
    Dan Cronin, 202-251-9549, dcronin@edf.org
    (Washington, DC - January 28, 2009)  An adviser to the U.S. Department of Transportation praised the U.S. House of Representatives for approving an amendment by voice vote this afternoon to increase transit capital funding in the stimulus bill by $3 billion or 33 percent, from $9 billion to $12 billion. 
     
    Specifically, the amendment offered by U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Michael McMahon (D-NY) would provide $1.5 billion in funding for transit capital improvement program and $1.5 billion for the New Starts Program.
     
    “This amendment is the right prescription for an ailing economy: it offers Americans an affordable and sustainable ride to work,” said Michael Replogle, a civil engineer, a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Intelligent Transportation Systems for the U.S. Department of Transportation, and Transportation Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “We applaud the House for recognizing that transit is the best transportation option to save and create jobs, get people to work and to reduce air and global warming pollution. This investment will get buses, trains, and rural vanpools moving now, and it will generate real jobs fast — from pouring concrete for bus depots — to assembling transit vehicles and laying steel for rail track.”
     
    The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that $12 billion is needed annually to maintain and improve our transit systems. The Federal Transit Administration reports that $4 billion in existing New Starts funding agreements are outstanding.
     
    “Transit investment and repair of existing infrastructure are the best use of transportation funds to create jobs and connect Americans to work,” concluded Replogle.  “As a bonus, these investments will help set America on a course to cut dependence on foreign oil.  We urge the Senate to increase transit funding, emphasize infrastructure maintenance and operations, and require full transparency when it votes on its stimulus package.”
     
    Public transportation spending creates 19 percent more jobs per dollar than building new roads or bridges, according to the American Public Transportation Association. Investments in road and bridge repair create 9 percent more jobs per dollar than building new roads or bridges, according to the Federal Highway Administration.  In addition, transportation uses more foreign oil than any other source of energy in the United States; it also represents 30 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions nationwide (40 percent in California) and is the fastest growing source of GHGs.
     
    Transportation For America has identified more than $5 billion in new transit extension and rail projects that could be ready to go in 120 days, generating over 178,000 new jobs. These investments could put people to work in the manufacturing sector building new rail cars and bus vehicles, in the steel and concrete industries, in design and planning professions, and in construction and operations. New transit lines have also been demonstrated to generate substantial economic development, which yield economic benefits far beyond the life of the recovery bill.

     

  • California Legislative Leaders Exploiting Budget Crisis, According to Green Groups

    January 27, 2009
    **For Immediate Release, January 27, 2009**
     
     Contacts:
    Lori Sinsley, EDF, 415/293-6097, lsinsley@edf.org 
    Jessica Lass, NRDC, 310/434-2300, jlass@nrdc.org 
    Jenesse Miller, CLCV, 510/844-0235, jmiller@ecovote.org
     
    California’s Republican Legislative Leadership Exploiting Budget Crisis to Repeal Key Environment and Health Protections
    Green Groups Say Top Secret Hit List Has Nothing to do with the Budget, Urge Governor Not to Trade Away Administration’s Key Accomplishments
     
    SACRAMENTO – As California lawmakers remain at an impasse in budget negotiations, with less than a week to go before the state can’t pay its bills or fund key programs, the state’s leading environment and health advocates say the Republican legislative leadership is exploiting the crisis to repeal laws that protect the health and safety of Californians, yet have nothing to do with the budget. They are also concerned that laws established through public process, in the light of day, are being traded away behind closed doors in a very closed process.
     
    The demand to weaken the state’s most popular environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), has been widely publicized. However, according to the groups, some of the Schwarzenegger administration’s key accomplishments, such as new standards to reduce diesel pollution, are also on the chopping block in exchange for the Republican legislative leadership’s vote on the budget.
     
    The groups, including Coalition for Clean Air, Planning and Conservation League, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club California, California League of Conservation Voters, Environmental Defense Fund and Union of Concerned Scientists, held a telephone news briefing for state and national reporters outlining their analysis of why the demands have no place in a the budget negotiation.
     
    “It is one thing to have an honest debate about taxes and spending,” said Paul Mason of Sierra Club California. “But to bargain away the lives of Californians and the legacy of the California landscape is a dishonest political game that threatens this administration’s international reputation and the lives of thousands of Californians.”
     
    The Republican legislative leadership’s hit list includes:
    1.         Delaying and weakening implementation of a measure to reduce toxic diesel emissions from off-road construction equipment, just adopted in July 2007 by the California Air Resources Board after a thorough open process of thousands of public comments, multiple hearings and opportunities for all sides to be heard.
    2.         Tying up in knots all the air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions measures (including California’s landmark AB 32 program) proposed by the California Air Resources Board by requiring them to undergo an endless loop of economic analyses overseen by the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. The proposal would lead to endless litigation and essentially gives veto power over air and green house gas regulations to BT&H.
    3.         Exempting an unknown number of road projects from environmental and permit review.  The list of projects proposed for this special treatment appears to be a moving target.
    4.         Establishing a “ad hoc committee” of three agency heads, including Secretary of Business Transportation and Housing, to have veto power over environmental requirements for selected projects.
    5.         Undermining legal and regulatory commitment to reduce use of pesticides that contribute to air pollution in agricultural areas.
      # # #
     

  • Fences Putting Imperiled Western Birds at Greater Risk

    January 27, 2009
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Contact:
    Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org
    Michael Bean, 202-572-3312                       
    Theodore Toombs, 303-440-4901
                           
    (Washington, D.C. – January 27, 2009) Two species of Western birds that are teetering on the edge of being added to the U.S. endangered species list could be helped by improving the fence-building practices of two federal agencies, according to Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The conservation group said today that if the Bureau of Land Management and Natural Resources Conservation Service put inexpensive, easily available reflectors or other markers on wire fences, needless deaths of greater sage grouse and lesser prairie chickens could be avoided.
     
    EDF combed through government and academic data looking for ways to help these two birds because both are under active consideration for addition to the federal endangered species list. Together, the two species live in a combined 15 states across the Western United States.
     
    EDF is now urging the simple action of equipping government-built or government-funded wire fences with reflective devices made from vinyl siding, cloth flagging, or similar markers. It could be done quickly and the cost would be minor compared to the overall cost of fencing. While adding reflective devices will not eliminate all the potential problems for wildlife caused by fences, the change will reduce one of these animals’ most serious problems.
     
    “Listing these birds under the Endangered Species Act is likely to have far-reaching consequences for livestock grazing, oil and gas development, and wind energy development across much of the country,” said Bean. “Reducing the hazard from fencing is a practical step that can be taken now to reduce one of the known threats to these birds.  It could produce immediate benefits for very little money. This is a smart investment, and one we can afford.”
     
    Several studies have shown wire fencing to be one main cause of death for sage grouse and lesser prairie chickens. The birds cannot see the thin wires and fly into them. The collisions are often fatal. A study in Oklahoma found that fence collisions caused an astonishing 39.8% of lesser prairie chicken deaths from known causes, and a Utah study attributed nearly one in every six recovered sage grouse carcasses to a fence collision.
     
    Two federal government agencies have unwittingly contributed to the loss of these species. Sage grouse live in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, North Dakota and South Dakota. Lesser prairie chickens live in Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, and both birds live in Colorado. Thousands of miles of the deadly wire fences have been built in those states in the last three years – either directly by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or with funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NCRS).
     
    Since 2005, BLM has built 3,150 miles of fencing in the 15 affected states, at a cost of about $10,000 per mile. NCRS funds more than 1,000 miles of fencing each year in the counties where the birds live, at roughly the same cost. For an extra $200 per mile – or a two percent cost increase — all new fencing could be built with reflectors or flagging so the birds could avoid it and survive. EDF has raised the issue with officials of both agencies and is encouraged that they have been receptive to addressing the problem.
     
    “It’s not often we have an opportunity to help two struggling species with such a simple action,” said Bean. “We should retrofit government-funded fences and ensure that all new fences are built with visibility enhancements of some sort. This action alone won’t reverse the decline of the birds, but it’s a big step in the right direction.”
     
    The Bush Administration decided against adding the greater sage grouse to the list of endangered species a few years ago, but last year a court found that the decision was tainted by political interference and ordered that it be reconsidered. The incoming Obama Administration will take up the matter sometime this year. The lesser prairie chicken was recently moved to near the top of the list of species that are candidates for possible Endangered Species Act protection.
     

    EDF has state and county-specific data on BLM and NRCS fencing in each of the 15 states listed above. For that, and other related information, click here.

  • Statement by EDF Executive Director David Yarnold on Presidential Actions on Energy and Climate

    January 26, 2009

    Statement by EDF Executive Director David Yarnold on Presidential Actions on Energy and Climate:

     
    (Washington, DC- January 26, 2009) “President Obama’s action today is a bold first step toward fixing some tough problems.  The President is being very smart about this, looking at the economy and environment in a comprehensive way.  He’s rejecting the approach that brought us failing car companies and more pollution, and moving to create jobs, cut our oil addiction, and protect the environment.
     
    “The President’s announcement, along with his determination to move forward on a cap on carbon pollution, shows us that he really gets it.  I think President Obama, the business community, and the American people are tired of the same old arguments and scare tactics – there is an emerging consensus that we need to build a new economy that creates jobs and protects our environment.
     
    “The President plan — including the next step of a cap on carbon pollution — means more new jobs, a rebirth for the American auto industry, and less global warming pollution.  If today’s announcement is the start of a comprehensive policy like that, I’d say that’s pretty darn good for the first week in office.”
     
    Statement by EDF California Initiative Campaign Director Derek Walker on the President Obama’s Announcement on California Clean Cars:
     
    “The President’s action today will cut global warming pollution, reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil and strengthen our national security, and save American families money at the gas pump. 
     
    “President Obama and Governor Schwarzenegger provide a powerful bipartisan punch in the fight against global warming. By working together, America can forge lasting solutions that revitalize our economy and address the climate crisis. The President’s leadership gives Americans hope that we will win the race against time to enact a national cap on heat-trapping gases and build a prosperous clean energy economy.
     
    “The approach is also good news for families in tough economic times.  California found that low-income households driving a clean vehicle would reduce gasoline consumption by about 100 gallons annually and would save about $360 in fuel costs alone in 2020, assuming a gas price of $3.67 a gallon.   The net savings for low income households are projected to be $300 a year when the annualized costs are included. 
     
    “California’s program provides for a flexible fleet-wide average to achieve the standards, which were scheduled to take effect for new vehicles beginning in model year 2009.   California estimates that by 2020, the standards would secure an 18 percent reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars. The standards can be readily achieved through available engine technologies, cleaner fuels and mitigation of air conditioning emissions.”
    Background
     
    Pollution from Cars Has Risen 
     
    Cars and light trucks are one of America’s largest sources of global warming pollution, and the fastest growing. Cars and light trucks account for nearly one-third of greenhouse gas emission in California and about 16 percent of U.S. global warming pollution.   Nationally, this pollution soared by 25 percent between 1990 and 2005.
     
    California and Bipartisan States Have Led the Way
     
    In a 2002 landmark law, California enacted the nation’s first ever binding limits on global warming pollution from passenger vehicles. Thirteen bipartisan states across the country have adopted California’s standards and are waiting favorable EPA action to enforce the greenhouse gas emission limitations, including: Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.   States such as Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, and Utah are considering adoption of the Clean Cars program.   Collectively, motor vehicles in these states comprise about one-half of the U.S. market and half the U.S. population. 
     
    A Flexible Program to Cut Heat-Trapping Gases From Passenger Vehicles
     
    California’s program provides for a flexible fleetwide average to achieve the standards, which were scheduled to take effect for new passenger vehicles beginning in model year 2009.   The program is projected to cut emissions from new vehicles 30 percent by 2016.    Assuming retirements of existing vehicles and penetration of new cleaner vehicles in the fleet, California estimates that by 2020, the standards would secure an 18 percent reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars. The standards can be readily achieved through available engine technologies, cleaner fuels and mitigation of air conditioning emissions.  
     
    Progress Obstructed by the Bush Administration. 
     
    California requested a preemption waiver under the Clean Air Act in 2005. But the Bush administration’s EPA denied the request.   Under federal law, EPA shall grant California’s request to administer more protective motor vehicle emission standards unless EPA affirmatively finds that the state does not need the standards to meet compelling and extraordinary conditions.   EPA denied California’s request in 2008, the first time in over thirty years EPA has issued a denial despite reviewing and granting more than 50 waiver requests from California. 
     
    Governor Schwarzenegger Asks President Obama to Take Corrective Action
     
    Last week, California’s Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger formally asked President Barack Obama to “immediately reconsider” the Bush administration’s 2008 denial of California’s Clean Cars program to cut global warming pollution. In a January 21, 2009 letter calling the denial by the Bush administration’s EPA “fundamentally flawed,” Governor Schwarzenegger said approving California’s landmark program “will not only reduce these emissions, but will also save drivers money and reduce our nation’s dependence on imported oil.”
     
    Fuel Cost Savings for Low Income Households
     
    California found that low-income households driving a clean vehicle would reduce gasoline consumption by about 100 gallons annually and would save about $360 in fuel costs alone in 2020, assuming a gas price of $3.67 a gallon.   The net savings for low income households are projected to be $300 a year when the annualized costs are included.

  • Environmental Defense Fund Experts Available for Comment on Today's Announcement by President Obama

    January 26, 2009

    (Washington, DC – January 26, 2009) Today at 10:30 am EST, President Barack Obama is making an important announcement regarding California’s clean cars program and climate change.

    The following EDF experts will be available today for interviews and comment:

    David Yarnold, Executive Director, 917-776-7396, dyarnold@edf.org
    Vickie Patton, Deputy General Counsel, 720-837-6239, vpatton@edf.org
    Tony Kreindler, Media Director, 202-445-8108, tkreindler@edf.org

  • Statement of EDF President Fred Krupp on Speaker Pelosi

    January 22, 2009

    “We applaud the Speaker’s plan to bring cap and trade legislation to a vote in the House in 2009. Now is precisely the time for a bill that would reduce our oil dependence, secure our climate, and give a boost to American manufacturing.

     
    “The cap creates customers, and if there was ever a time U.S. companies needed customers for new technologies, at home and abroad, it is now.  President Obama and Congress are moving swiftly to build America’s new energy industry, and a cap will ensure that there are buyers ready to make it thrive.
     
    “We look forward to working with Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Waxman, and the Obama administration to pass a cap and trade bill that is environmentally effective and economically smart. The speaker’s commitment to bring a bill to the floor by December is a huge step toward that goal.”
     
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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.

  • Schwarzenegger to Obama: Act on California Clean Cars Program

    January 22, 2009

    (Washington — January 22, 2009) California’s Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger  yesterday formally asked President Barack Obama to “immediately reconsider” the Bush administration’s denial of California’s Clean Car program to cut global warming pollution.

    In a letter calling the 2008 denial by the Bush administration’s EPA “fundamentally flawed,” Governor Schwarzenegger said approving California’s landmark program “will not only reduce these emissions, but will also save drivers money and reduce our nation’s dependence on imported oil.” 
    Derek Walker, Director of Environmental Defense Fund’s California Climate Initiative stated:   “President Obama has committed to make respect for the rule of law a touchstone of his presidency. We salute that commitment and ask that he give California the right, unlawfully denied by the Bush administration, to implement its long-delayed plans to reduce global warming pollution from cars.”
    In 2005, California asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant a preemption waiver under the Clean Air Act to enable California’s enforcement of the nation’s first ever program to reduce global warming pollution from motor vehicles.   Under federal law, EPA shall grant California’s request to administer more protective motor vehicle emission standards unless EPA affirmatively finds that the state does not need the standards to meet compelling and extraordinary conditions.   EPA denied California’s request in 2008, the first time in over thirty years EPA has issued a denial despite reviewing more than 50 waiver requests from California. 
    Thirteen states across the country have adopted California’s standards and are waiting favorable EPA action to enforce the greenhouse gas emission limitations, including: Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.   States such as Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, and Utah are considering adoption of the Clean Cars program.   Collectively, motor vehicles in these states comprise about one-half of the U.S. market. 
    The U.S. auto industry has undertaken extensive litigation to derail the Clean Cars program in courts nationwide; all legal challenges have failed.   Instead of litigating, these considerable resources could have been dedicated to innovating.  
    California’s program provides for a flexible fleetwide average to achieve the standards which were scheduled to take effect for new vehicles beginning in model year 2009.   California estimates that by 2020, the standards would secure an 18 percent reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars and a 27 percent reduction by 2030.   The standards can be readily achieved through available engine technologies, cleaner fuels and mitigation of air conditioning emissions.   
     
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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.