Complete list of press releases
Nearly 50 Texas Companies to be Impacted By European Union Chemical Regulations
September 30, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chris Smith, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3451, csmith@edf.org(Austin, TX – September 30, 2008) More than 30 chemicals made or imported by companies in Texas – including Exxon Mobil, Shell, DuPont, Dow Chemical, and Equistar – have been classified as dangerous by the European Union (EU). As a result, these companies will be directly affected by controls imposed under the EU’s new chemicals regulation, concludes Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in a report released today, Across the Pond: Assessing REACH’s First Big Impact on U.S. Companies and Chemicals.The report finds that many of the hundreds of chemicals already identified as dangerous by the EU are being produced or imported in the United States in large amounts and at many different sites, with Texas at the top of the list. The findings provide compelling evidence for the U.S. Congress to protect public health by reforming the nation’s primary chemical safety law, the 32-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act.“The fact that so many chemicals already designated as dangerous by EU officials are actively being produced and used in the United States should dispel any notion that the problem is limited to only a few ‘bad actors,’” said Richard A. Denison, Ph.D., EDF Senior Scientist and author of the report. “Toxic chemicals grabbing recent headlines – such as bisphenol A used in baby bottles and food cans, phthalates used in kids’ toys, and flame retardants used in furniture – are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of chemicals that demand scrutiny.”“This report serves as an early warning to companies making and using these dangerous chemicals that they will be at a competitive disadvantage unless they proactively seek to eliminate exposures and develop safer alternatives,” Denison cautioned. “Scrutiny of these chemicals is only going to grow, so chemical companies should support efforts to modernize the decades-old U.S. chemicals policy that has shielded chemicals from needed testing and appropriate control.”Last year, the EU adopted its sweeping new chemicals regulation – Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) – under which companies must register all chemicals they place on the EU market in amounts above one metric ton. A hallmark of REACH is its identification of so-called “substances of very high concern” (SVHCs). REACH’s intent is ultimately to allow use of such SVHCs only when each use has been specifically authorized.“REACH’s requirements will fully apply to U.S. companies that make chemicals for the EU market,” Denison concluded. “This report is the first to determine which companies report making SVHCs in the United States. Once these chemicals become subject to REACH’s authorization requirements, these companies will need permission from EU officials to sell them in the EU.”EDF based its analysis on a list of nearly 300 SVHCs issued last week by the International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec), a Swedish nongovernmental organization. ChemSec dubbed its list the “SIN List,” for “Substitute It Now,” which reflects the group’s interest in promoting safer alternatives to SVHCs wherever possible. The list represents the first effort to identify the range of chemicals expected to be subject to authorization under REACH.EDF compared the SIN List to the most recent publicly available data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that identifies which companies reported making or importing these chemicals in the United States. EDF found that many, and likely most, of the SIN List chemicals are manufactured or imported in the United States.Other findings of EDF’s report include:- SIN List chemicals are produced or imported in 37 states as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, at as many as 78 sites per state (see Tables 3 and 4 on page 36 of this document).
- The number of SIN List chemicals per state varies from 1 to 37.
- Eight states have at least a dozen SIN List chemicals: New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Ohio, New York, North Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan.
- In the United States, at least 85 SIN List chemicals are produced annually in amounts of one million or more pounds, and at least 14 exceed one billion pounds annually.
- At least 173 companies are producing or importing SIN List chemicals in the United States.
- Some companies are associated with many SIN List chemicals—as many as 21 per company.
- The five companies reporting making the most SIN List chemicals are Dow, DuPont, Chemtura, Equistar and BASF.
- Many SIN List chemicals are produced or imported by multiple companies at numerous sites—as many as 36 companies at 52 separate sites. The five chemicals with the most companies and sites are benzene, formaldehyde, styrene, hexane and 1,3-butadiene.
EDF also found that only about a third of the SVHCs on the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory have been tested under TSCA. Only two – asbestos and hexavalent chromium – have been regulated under TSCA, and even these only under narrow conditions.EDF used the most recent publicly available data, which were collected by EPA in 2002 for calendar year 2001. Given the dynamic nature of the chemical market, some of the data in this report may have changed. In addition, because EPA allows companies to claim the identities of chemicals they produce, as well as their own identities, to be confidential business information, this report only includes chemicals and companies that are not claimed to be confidential business information.EDF’s report is available at www.edf.org/AcrossThePond. The ChemSec SIN List is available at www.chemsec.org/list.EDF analysis is consistent with a report just issued by Innovest that used the SIN List to assess, on a global basis, the financial risks and opportunities facing companies producing such chemicals.Hundreds of U.S. Chemicals and Companies Will Be Impacted By European Union REACH Regulation
September 30, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Jennifer Andreassen, Environmental Defense Fund, 202-572-3387, jandreassen@edf.org(Washington, DC – September 30, 2008) Hundreds of companies located in 37 of the 50 United States produce or import hundreds of chemicals designated as dangerous by the European Union (EU). As a result, these companies will be directly affected by controls imposed under the EU’s new chemicals regulation, concludes Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in a report released today, Across the Pond: Assessing REACH’s First Big Impact on U.S. Companies and Chemicals.The report finds that many of the hundreds of chemicals already identified as dangerous by the EU are being produced or imported in the United States in large amounts and at many different sites. The findings provide compelling evidence for the U.S. Congress to protect public health by reforming the nation’s primary chemical safety law, the 32-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act.“The fact that so many chemicals already designated as dangerous by EU officials are actively being produced and used in the United States should dispel any notion that the problem is limited to only a few ‘bad actors,’” said Richard A. Denison, Ph.D., EDF Senior Scientist and author of the report. “Toxic chemicals grabbing recent headlines – such as bisphenol A used in baby bottles and food cans, phthalates used in kids’ toys, and flame retardants used in furniture – are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of chemicals that demand scrutiny.”“This report serves as an early warning to companies making and using these dangerous chemicals that they will be at a competitive disadvantage unless they proactively seek to eliminate exposures and develop safer alternatives,” Denison cautioned. “Scrutiny of these chemicals is only going to grow, so chemical companies should support efforts to modernize the decades-old U.S. chemicals policy that has shielded chemicals from needed testing and appropriate control.”Last year, the EU adopted its sweeping new chemicals regulation – Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) – under which companies must register all chemicals they place on the EU market in amounts above one metric ton. A hallmark of REACH is its identification of so-called “substances of very high concern” (SVHCs). REACH’s intent is ultimately to allow use of such SVHCs only when each use has been specifically authorized.“REACH’s requirements will fully apply to U.S. companies that make chemicals for the EU market,” Denison concluded. “This report is the first to determine which companies report making SVHCs in the United States. Once these chemicals become subject to REACH’s authorization requirements, these companies will need permission from EU officials to sell them in the EU.”EDF based its analysis on a list of nearly 300 SVHCs issued last week by the International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec), a Swedish nongovernmental organization. ChemSec dubbed its list the “SIN List,” for “Substitute It Now,” which reflects the group’s interest in promoting safer alternatives to SVHCs wherever possible. The list represents the first effort to identify the range of chemicals expected to be subject to authorization under REACH.EDF compared the SIN List to the most recent publicly available data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that identifies which companies reported making or importing these chemicals in the United States. EDF found that many, and likely most, of the SIN List chemicals are manufactured or imported in the United States.Other findings of EDF’s report include:- SIN List chemicals are produced or imported in 37 states as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, at as many as 78 sites per state (see Tables 3 and 4 on page 36 of this document).
- The number of SIN List chemicals per state varies from 1 to 37.
- Eight states have at least a dozen SIN List chemicals: New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Ohio, New York, North Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan.
- In the United States, at least 85 SIN List chemicals are produced annually in amounts of one million or more pounds, and at least 14 exceed one billion pounds annually.
- At least 173 companies are producing or importing SIN List chemicals in the United States.
- Some companies are associated with many SIN List chemicals—as many as 21 per company.
- The five companies reporting making the most SIN List chemicals are Dow, DuPont, Chemtura, Equistar and BASF.
- Many SIN List chemicals are produced or imported by multiple companies at numerous sites—as many as 36 companies at 52 separate sites. The five chemicals with the most companies and sites are benzene, formaldehyde, styrene, hexane and 1,3-butadiene.
EDF also found that only about a third of the SVHCs on the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory have been tested under TSCA. Only two – asbestos and hexavalent chromium – have been regulated under TSCA, and even these only under narrow conditions.EDF used the most recent publicly available data, which were collected by EPA in 2002 for calendar year 2001. Given the dynamic nature of the chemical market, some of the data in this report may have changed. In addition, because EPA allows companies to claim the identities of chemicals they produce, as well as their own identities, to be confidential business information, this report only includes chemicals and companies that are not claimed to be confidential business information.EDF’s report is available at www.edf.org/AcrossThePond. The ChemSec SIN List is available at www.chemsec.org/list.EDF analysis is consistent with a report just issued by Innovest that used the SIN List to assess, on a global basis, the financial risks and opportunities facing companies producing such chemicals.Governor's Signing of Green Chemistry Legislation Applauded by Science Advisory Panel Member
September 29, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:Richard Denison, 202-387-3500, x3348, rdenison@edf.orgJennifer Andreassen, 202-572-3387, jandreassen@edf.org(Washington, DC – September 29, 2008) California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed landmark green chemistry legislation into law, drawing praise from a member of the Green Chemistry Initiative Science Advisory Panel, Environmental Defense Fund Senior Scientist Richard A. Denison, Ph.D. The following statement can be attributed to Dr. Denison:“Environmental Defense Fund applauds Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature today of California’s landmark Green Chemistry legislation, AB 1879 and SB 509. At the national and international level as well as through our three California offices, Environmental Defense Fund has worked for more than four decades to reduce human and environmental exposures to toxic chemicals.“The legislation adopted today will establish a strong foundation for advancing a sound, comprehensive chemicals policy in California. It responds to the growing number of cases of consumer products containing toxic chemicals reaching American consumers and unnecessarily exposing them, and ultimately the environment, to unnecessary harm. It also addresses serious deficiencies in the state’s authority to regulate such chemicals, which currently limits regulation only to product categories specified by statute rather than providing a broader authority to restrict such chemicals wherever the state finds them to present undue harm. Finally, the legislation broadens the arsenal of tools available to the state when it needs to take action, including providing a mandate to take action needed to protect the most vulnerable members of the public.“AB 1879 establishes a process for California to systematically identify chemicals of concern to human health or the environment, and gives the Department of Toxic Substances Control authority to regulate such chemicals in consumer products. SB 509 establishes a clearinghouse to provide access to vital information that citizens, consumers, workers, institutions and businesses need to make sound decisions about chemicals and chemical products they make, use, buy or sell.“The legislation adopted today provides some, though not all, of the elements needed to implement a sound and comprehensive policy in California. Additional legislation will be needed to ensure that sufficient information is developed to identify chemicals of concern, and that as many of these data as possible are made publicly available, consistent with protection of legitimate confidential business information. Additional legislation may also be needed to ensure the state has sufficient authority to act expeditiously to control or restrict use of chemicals of concern.“We look forward to working with Cal EPA to implement today’s legislation, which poses both significant opportunities and some challenges. In particular, we will work to ensure that provisions mandating that any action to regulate a chemical of concern be preceded by a lifecycle-based evaluation of the chemical and potential alternatives do not become a bottleneck in the process. Given the proposed scope of the analysis, and the amount of information that would be needed to complete it, we are concerned that – without further clarification and proper implementation – the analysis could well prove unmanageable and become a major impediment to taking effective and timely action.”Environmental Defense Fund Partners with Wal-Mart to Cut Global Shopping Bag Waste
September 25, 2008(New York - September 25, 2008) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) will serve as Wal-Mart’s (NYSE: WMT) environmental partner in the Global Plastic Shopping Bag Waste Reduction Commitment that the retailer announced today at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. EDF will help Wal-Mart develop reduction, reuse and recycling strategies as well as monitor efforts to reduce plastic shopping bag waste by an average of one-third per store from 2008 levels by 2013.
“Cutting bag waste is a common-sense solution to an environmental problem that we all see every day,” said Gwen Ruta, vice president for Corporate Partnerships at Environmental Defense Fund. “This initiative will help take 9 billion bags out of the environment each year.”
Total global consumption of plastic bags is estimated at 4 trillion per year, at the expense of the world’s marine life—as sea turtles, fish, mammals and birds eat or become entangled in bags—and at a cost of millions of dollars to municipalities, which must collect and dispose of bags. The Wal-Mart bag waste reduction pledge has the potential to eliminate approximately 9 billion plastic shopping bags per year from its existing stores by 2013.
“Environmental Defense Fund has provided valuable contributions in Wal-Mart’s effort to operate in a more environmentally sustainable manner, which includes helping the environment while building a stronger business,” said Matt Kistler, senior vice president for sustainability of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “EDF has helped us assess the full scope of environmental challenges and benefits of reducing Wal-Mart’s global plastic bag waste.”
EDF and Wal-Mart anticipate that the bag waste reduction initiative will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 290,000 metric tons and reduce energy consumption equivalent to 678,000 barrels of oil per year.
Working with Wal-Mart, EDF will:
• Provide scientific advice on the environmental impacts of plastic bag waste and quantify the carbon footprint of alternative bags and packaging;
• Assist in developing educational materials for Wal-Mart customers;
• Evaluate Wal-Mart projections for environmental benefits of the project; and
• Monitor progress and assess program results.Collaboration to reduce bag waste is just one aspect of EDF’s work since 2005 to inform and influence Wal-Mart’s sustainability goals and motivate change in the company, its supply chain and its customers to measurably reduce environmental impacts. EDF focuses on issues central to its mission and germane to Wal-Mart operations, including global warming, seafood, packaging, toxic materials and environmental performance of Wal-Mart suppliers worldwide.
Contact:
Julie Stofer, (202) 270-1339, jstofer@edf.org
Maude Wilson, (415) 486-3217, maude.wilson@edelman.com, Edelman for EDF###
Environmental Defense Fund Expresses Serious Concerns about EPA Chemical Assessment and Management Program
September 24, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:Richard Denison, 202-387-3500, rdenison@edf.orgJennifer Andreassen, 202-572-3387, jandreassen@edf.org(Washington, DC – September 24, 2008) EPA Assistant Administrator James Gulliford today delivered remarks at the Soap and Detergent Association’s Fall Meeting setting forth EPA’s intentions under its Chemical Assessment and Management Program (ChAMP). While the remarks acknowledge many of the concerns we and other stakeholders have raised regarding activities that are underway or proposed under ChAMP, in our view the agency’s direction still poses serious concerns.Risk-Based Prioritizations for High Production Volume (HPV) Chemicals. EPA acknowledges concerns about the quality and completeness of hazard, use and exposure data it intends to use to develop its risk-based prioritizations (RBPs) for high production volume (HPV) chemicals. Yet:§ EPA’s recently posted risk-based prioritizations (RPBs) often fail to acknowledge and clearly identify the serious gaps that remain in the underlying HPV datasets, and do not discuss any steps the agency intends to undertake to close such gaps, beyond encouraging companies to voluntarily submit more data.§ EPA continues to obscure the extent of information it has – or has not – received under Inventory Update Rule (IUR) reporting concerning the use of and exposure to HPV chemicals. EPA has yet to make the latest IUR data public. Moreover, in its RBPs EPA does not clearly indicate for which reporting elements it a) received information which was claimed confidential, b) received information which was not claimed confidential, and c) did not receive information because the submitter maintains that the information requested is “not readily obtainable.” The public has a right to know the extent of information on which EPA is basing its risk conclusions about HPV chemicals.§ EPA continues to overstate the number of HPV chemicals for which it has hazard data. EPA claims or implies complete screening-level hazard datasets exist for “more than 2,200 HPV chemicals.” Yet EPA does not have such datasets for hundreds of HPV chemicals, including:o Hundreds of HPV chemicals that reached HPV production levels after the HPV Challenge was launched and were not included in it;o Hundreds of chemicals for which no or only incomplete data sets have been submitted under the Challenge (or its sister Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development HPV program);o Numerous gaps in supposedly final HPV Challenge submissions, which are present in about one-third of those submissions for which EPA has developed hazard characterizations to date;o Nearly 300 “orphan” HPV chemicals that were not sponsored under the Challenge.EPA promises to initiate needed action, including “regulatory control action,” on any chemical it finds to pose high priority concerns. Yet even for such high-concern chemicals, the actions EPA proposes entail only more data gathering or voluntary initiatives.MPV Hazard-Based Prioritizations. Despite critical comments we submitted prior to their posting, EPA has posted MPV assessments that continue to rely on loose and unjustified “clustering” of chemicals and excessive use of “read-across” from the few tested cluster members to untested members. EPA’s documents also fail to clearly identify the enormous data gaps for MPV chemicals and draw overly broad hazard conclusions across its clusters.Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory Reset. EPA proposes to initiate a “reset” of the TSCA Inventory to remove chemicals companies maintain are not in active commerce. We remain very concerned about this proposal, critical details of which have yet to be provided.Based on the limited information in today’s remarks, we would highlight one concern and one positive feature:EPA suggests that use of a three-year reporting window would suffice to determine which chemicals are in active commerce. Given the enormous fluctuations in chemical production over time, we have urged that EPA utilize at least a five- and ideally a 10-year window to reset the Inventory.To end on a positive note, we are pleased to see EPA’s stated intent to require new chemical notification for any chemical that returns to production after being removed from the inventory via the reset. This is a critical element needed both to ensure that such chemicals are reviewed for potential health and environmental impacts, and to create a disincentive for companies that might otherwise seek to remove as many chemicals from the Inventory as possible.See EPA’s press release: EPA Launches New Chemical Assessment and Management Efforts.
Conservation Groups Praise Court Victory for San Joaquin Air District
September 19, 2008Contact:Paul Cort, Earthjustice, (510) 550-6725, pcort@earthjustice.org
Camille Kustin, Environmental Defense Fund, (916) 492-4682, ckustin@edf.orgGordon Nipp, Sierra Club –The Indirect Source Rule was adopted by the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District in December 2005 and took effect in March 2006. It requires developers to mitigate pollution from the increased traffic generated by new development. Developers can either incorporate into their projects elements that will minimize these traffic-related emissions such as building near public transit, adding bicycle lanes, or building walkable shopping into the plans, or pay a mitigation fee to the district to be used to purchase off-site emission reductions.“We’re glad to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with theOn June 6, 2007, the NAHB filed a challenge in federal district court seeking to invalidate the rule, claiming that only the federal government can regulate these activities.In the ruling today, Judge Lawrence O’Neill rejected the NAHB’s challenges, finding the indirect source rule an appropriate exercise by the District to address air pollution under the federal Clean Air Act.“Once again the courts have ruled in favor of this common sense regulation to clean up the air in one of the most polluted areas in the country,” said Kathryn Phillips, manager of the California Clean Air for Life Campaign for Environmental Defense Fund. “It’s time for the trade associations to back off and follow the lead of the hundreds of
Gordon Nipp of the Sierra Club’s
Earthjustice represented Environmental Defense and the Kern-Kaweah (New Study Offers Viable Solution to Overfishing
September 18, 2008Contact:
Katharine Burnham, 202-415-5742, kburnham@edf.org(Washington DC- September 18, 2008) New research published this week in the journal Science provides a clear road map for federal and regional fisheries managers to reverse years of declining fish stocks by implementing catch shares, according to a leading national environmental group.
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) praised the new study, Can Catch Shares Prevent Fisheries Collapse?, authored by scientists from the University of California at Santa Barbara and the University of Hawaii.
“This study shows that the next President can fix the overfishing problem by implementing catch shares,” said David Festa, vice president and director of the oceans program at EDF. “We can turn a dire situation into an enormous opportunity to promote better food security, create jobs and revive ecosystems.”
Catch share programs replace complex rules dictating how fishing will be practiced, with a method to hold fishermen directly accountable for meeting a vital conservation target: scientifically determined catch limits. Fishermen, individually or in cooperatives, are granted a percentage share of the total allowable catch. They can also be granted exclusive access to particular fishing zones. (This system is commonly referred to as territorial use rights for fishing.) As long as fishermen do not exceed their share, they have greater flexibility to fish when weather and market conditions are best. Their shares grow in value as the overall fishery improves, providing them a greater financial stake in sound resource management.
“The trend around the world has been to fish the oceans until the fish are gone,” continued Festa. “The scientific data presented today shows we can turn this pattern on its head. Anyone who cares about saving fisheries and fishing jobs will find this study highly motivating.”
EDF scientists, economists and fishery experts are deployed in over a dozen of the most iconic fisheries around the country. EDF has projects with five universities and EDF staff members have published articles and reports on catch share design and implementation. EDF helps managers and fishermen design catch share systems that save fisheries and meet the needs of their communities.
Currently there are multiple proposals to implement catch share systems around the country for both federal and state fisheries, including Pacific groundfish and grouper in the Gulf of Mexico.
The most recent success was EDF’s work with fishermen and managers to design a catch share system for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, which went into effect in January of 2007. With the new management effort, the 2007 commercial snapper season was open year-round for the first time since 1990. Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico now earn 25 percent more for their fish and wasteful bycatch has dropped at least 70 percent.
A comprehensive EDF report released last year illustrated that catch share systems dramatically increase safety for fishermen, increase revenues per boat and significantly improve the results of conservation efforts such as bycatch reduction.
Global fisheries peaked in 1988 and have been steadily declining ever since. An estimated one billion people worldwide rely on the ocean for at least part of their essential food needs. Ocean fishing and its related industries also employ 200 million people.
For more information on catch shares go to www.edf.org/CatchSharesScience.
Maryland Drivers Can Save Money, Environment by Driving Less
September 16, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:Jennifer Andreassen, 202-572-3387, jandreassen@edf.orgMichael Replogle, 301-529-0351-c, mreplogle@edf.org(Washington, DC – September 16, 2008) Environmental Defense Fund praised Progressive Insurance for announcing it now is offering Marylanders an optional Pay-As-You-Drive insurance program that will reward low mileage drivers with lower premiums than traditional, flat-rate insurance.Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) insurance allows auto insurance holders to pay per-mile, as opposed to paying a flat rate regardless of how much they drive. The Maryland Climate Commission last month recommended that the state do more to promote PAYD insurance to help cut global warming pollution. Unfortunately, state regulatory barriers in many other states don’t allow PAYD policies for a variety of reasons.“Pay-As-You Drive insurance helps reduce low mileage drivers’ pain at the pump from high gas prices,” said Michael Replogle, Transportation Director at Environmental Defense Fund and former consultant to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. “It also helps the environment by encouraging Maryland drivers to drive less, reducing air and global warming pollution as well as our dependence on foreign oil.”A Brookings Institute report released in July estimates that if PAYD were offered to all drivers, it would save two-out-of-three households an average of $270 per car, result in an eight percent decline in driving, reduce driving-related damages by $50 billion to $60 billion; and cut carbon dioxide emissions and oil consumption.Drivers who sign up for Progressive’s PAYD program receive a small wireless device that plugs into a port in their car to monitors how, how much and when the car is being driven. Cars driven less often, in less risky ways and at less risky times of day receive a lower premium.New Report Outlines Potential Threats to South Llano River
September 12, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Tyson Broad, Environmental Defense Fund, 325.248.3137 or Laura Marbury, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3430Media Contact: Laura Williamson, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3447-w or 512.828.1690-c or lwilliamson@edf.org(AUSTIN, TX – Sept. 11, 2008) Thanks to plentiful springs in Edwards County, the South Llano River flows clean, clear and constantly. But potential threats to the long-term viability of this natural resource highlight the lack of a united local voice in its protection, according to a new report.The “Land of the Living Waters” report released today by Environmental Defense Fund’s South Llano River Project characterizes the South Llano River water resources, their importance to the local community, and the Central Texas Region as a whole. The report identified several potential threats to the resource, including decreased spring flow due to increased groundwater pumping, lack of sufficient hydrologic data, and fragmentation of large ranches into many smaller “ranchettes” that each manage the resource differently.“The spring-fed flows of the South Llano River are legendary,” said Tyson Broad, author of the report and a Llano resident. “They support plant and animal communities found no where else, fuel a thriving outdoor tourism industry, and provide critical water supplies to local and down-river communities. Our goal with this report is to highlight potential threats to the river to facilitate discussions on steps the community can take to ensure that the South Llano River remains healthy into the future.”“In our research, we found that the residents of the South Llano River basin, as well as the community at large, are interested in natural resource issues,” Broad said. “Yet, these same stakeholders lack a cohesive voice in groundwater and surface water management arenas to protect spring flows and associated flows of the river.”“This report serves as a sound starting point for beginning discussions,” said Laura Marbury, Texas Water Projects Director from Environmental Defense Fund. “The protection of a resource like this is going to take everyone’s participation and it’s important to get everyone on the same page.”The South Llano River Project will hold a free public workshop on November 15 at Texas Tech University’s Llano River Field Station in Junction, Texas to collaborate and discuss the development of a course of action to protect the South Llano River.For a copy of the report or more information on the November workshop, please visit www.texaswatermatters.org/southllanoriver.htm.Expanding Transit Will Help Americans in Tough Economy, Cut Dependence on Foreign Oil, Green Transportation Expert Tells Senate Banking Committee
September 9, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:(“Expanding transit now is just the right tonic to help get through tough economic times,” testified Andrew Darrell, Vice President for Living Cities Program at Environmental Defense Fund during a Senate Banking Committee hearing entitled: Strengthening the Ability of Public Transportation to Reduce Our Dependence on Foreign Oil. “It is also a key solution to tackle climate change, reduce dependence on foreign oil, and boost the economic competitiveness of our population centers.”A member of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Sustainability Advisory Board and a former member of the New York City Traffic Mitigation Commission, Darrell noted that during the first quarter of 2008, public transit ridership rose by 88 million trips compared to 2007 (see local ridership increases at www.climateatlas.org/transit.html). However, despite the resulting increase in revenue, transit networks can barely keep with increased operating costs and those increased revenues are certainly not enough to allow for capital investment in expansion.“When Americans turn to transit, we believe it is essential to meet them at the subway station, at the bus stop, at the light rail stop with good and expanded service,” added Darrell. “Across the country, transit systems are trying hard to do just that – but they need financial help to meet growing demand.”According to U.S. Public Interest Research Group, transportation is the second-largest household expense for the average American household, second only to shelter (and ahead of food). According to the Federal Highway Administration’s data, which has been gathered since 1942, the past year has brought the steepest decline in vehicle miles traveled ever recorded.Darrell’s urged immediate federal action to:• Provide emergency grants to expand transit service to meet rising demand, for example by bringing new buses and rolling stock into the system quickly;• Support transit innovation, for example through highly-efficient technologies, like light rail and bus-rapid-transit, that can deliver transit results in communities that do not have good access now;• Get the most out of existing networks, by providing financial support to ease the backlog of maintenance needs and upgrading signalization and other technologies that allow transit systems to work more efficiently;• Expand access to transit, for example by making transit easier to access from residential areas through local van pools or encouraging residential development near transit hubs; and• Invest in energy efficiency of transit networks. A hybrid-electric transit bus, for example, uses far less fuel than a traditional diesel bus.“Renewable Energy Expert Joins Environmental Defense Fund
September 9, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMedia Contact:Laura Williamson, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3447-w or 512.828.1690-c or lwilliamson@edf.org(AUSTIN, TX – September 3, 2008) Colin Meehan has joined Environmental Defense Fund as Renewable Energy Specialist for the Texas Climate and Air program.Meehan will help to develop projects and policies to promote renewable energy development at the utility, industrial and retail levels in Texas and other regions of the U.S. His role is part of a larger organization-wide, multi-year effort to significantly increase the amount of renewable energy resources deployed throughout the nation.Previous roles include wholesale power analysis at the Lower Colorado River Authority, economic analysis of renewable energy and energy emissions policies and investment strategies in unregulated and regulated markets for ICF International, and policy development and analysis for the U.S. Coast Guard in Washington, D.C.Meehan earned a bachelor of arts degree in Math and Economics from the University of Rochester in New York.Energy Policy Expert Joins Environmental Defense Fund
September 9, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Laura Williamson, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3447-w or 512.828.1690-c or lwilliamson@edf.org(AUSTIN, TX – September 3, 2008) Kate Robertson has joined Environmental Defense Fund as Energy Efficiency Specialist for the Texas Climate and Air program.Robertson will help develop and implement strategies to promote energy efficiency in Texas and will help lead the organization’s larger, multi-year effort to influence state and national energy efficiency policy.Prior roles include work for the U.S. Government Accountability Office analyzing U.S. action on climate change and the U.S. voluntary carbon offset market; work for SAIC on climate change projects for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and work for the U.S. Department of Energy on the Energy Policy Act of 2005. She has also worked for the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission and the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century (Hart-Rudman Commission) at the U.S. Department of DefenseRobertson earned a master’s degree in International Energy and Environmental Policy and Economics from John Hopkins University and a master’s in Comparative Politics from the University of Glasgow in Scotland.Ad Council, Environmental Defense Fund and Ogilvy New York Launch New Polar Bears Broadcast and Online PSAs to Combat Global Warming
September 9, 2008CONTACT:
Beth ShanleyThe Ad Council212-984-1923Toni LeeOgilvy & Mather212-237-5090Sean CrowleyEnvironmental Defense Fund202-572-3331NEW YORK, September 9, 2008 – The Advertising Council, in partnership with Environmental Defense Fund and Ogilvy New York, today announced the launch of a new series of broadcast and online viral public service announcements (PSAs) designed to urge Americans to take advantage of mass transit, carpooling and biking to combat global warming. Discovery Communications’ new environmentally focused Planet Green channel will air the PSAs, as well as the network’s companion online properties, www.planetgreen.com and www.treehugger.com.Beginning this week, the online viral PSAs will also be posted on popular social networking and video sharing websites, and environmental and consumer blogs. The Ad Council will be distributing the broadcast PSA to TV stations nationwide, with a particular emphasis on major cities with public transit. Additionally, as a result of a partnership with SeeSaw, the world’s most extensive digital out-of-home media network, the PSAs will air on screens in convenient stores, health clubs and on college campuses throughout the country. Per the Ad Council’s model, the PSAs will air in time slots donated by the media.American households spend more on transportation than on food and that’s especially true when gas prices are high. If every car owner drove 10 fewer miles per week, we would prevent the same amount of global warming-carbon dioxide pollution that is emitted by producing electricity for 8 million homes.“If a picture is worth a thousand words, then these ‘Ride, Don’t Drive’ PSAs are worth a million words showing a clear connection between personal action and climate solutions,” said Andy Darrell, Vice President for Living Cities Program at Environmental Defense Fund. “Americans can make a rare triple play with ‘Ride, Don’t Drive.’ Just leave the car at home a few times a week and you can give a helping hand to a polar bear, your lungs and your family budget.”New data from the government and the American Public Transportation Association shows that the use of public transit has significantly increased in three out of four cities (75% of all U.S. cities). Additionally, Americans drove 53 billion fewer miles during the eight months between November 2007 and June 2008 compared to the same time period the previous year. Finally, during the first quarter of this year, Americans made 88 million more public transit trips than during the first quarter of last year.The new PSAs are part of a national multi-level marketing effort, and convey the urgency that global warming is worsening, but there are steps that all Americans can take to become more active in reducing greenhouse gas pollution that causes global warming. They were created pro bono by Ogilvy New York on behalf of the Ad Council and Environmental Defense Fund’s Global Warming PSA campaign.“We are proud to partner with Environmental Defense Fund on these new PSAs to educate Americans about the simple things they can do to reduce our annual carbon dioxide emissions, such as taking mass transit in their cities,” said Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of the Ad Council. “I’m confident that these compelling videos, developed pro bono by Ogilvy, will make all Americans think about what they can do in their daily lives to make our cities healthier.”Ogilvy asked Joshua Allen Harris, a student at the School of Visual Arts and an internationally renowned street artist, to create the mother polar bear and cub featured in the new videos. The artist gained a reputation for creating various animals, serpents and monsters out of recyclable trash bags. The videos show the trash bags appearing on a New York City street tied to subway grates. When trains pass underground, air rushes up through the grates to inflate the bags and a mother polar bear and cub come to life. As the trains depart, the bears slowly deflate. The videos were directed by Tim Godsell and the band behind the music is Stars of the Lid.The PSAs, available in lengths of 30, 60 and 69 seconds, conclude with the words – “Help save the planet. Ride, don’t drive.” and directs viewers to www.fightglobalwarming.com, where they can calculate their personal contribution to the climate change crisis, and get a series of simple energy-saving tips.“Catching people’s attention in a city like New York is challenging,” said Jon Wagner, Senior Copy Writer and Dustin Duke, Senior Art Director at Ogilvy New York. “We found this artist and asked him to adapt his work to feature a polar bear and her cub, the icons for global warming. The idea was to create something that would stop people in their tracks and to encourage them to think about the little things they can do every day to help save the planet.”The “Polar Bears” made their debut alongside a New York City subway station, but through the production of the PSAs the message will reach cities throughout the country. For more information about the campaign, local and national data, and to see the broadcast and online PSAs go to: www.fightglobalwarming.com/polarbear.Ogilvy North AmericaOgilvy North America (www.ogilvy.com) is the largest unit of The Ogilvy Group agency network, a subsidiary of WPP Group plc (NASDAQ: WPPGY). It has offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Durham, Minneapolis, Denver, and throughout Canada. Ogilvy North America brings together all the capabilities of the Ogilvy network to provide integrated marketing solutions to the agency’s clients. It encompasses Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, OgilvyEntertainment, OgilvyOne, OgilvyInteractive, Neo@Ogilvy, Ogilvy Healthworld, Ogilvy Public Relations and OgilvyAction.Environmental Defense FundEnvironmental 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.The Advertising CouncilThe Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to effect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action, and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org.Environmental Defense Fund Welcomes EPA Standards for Nonroad Gas Engines
September 4, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:Sean Crowley – (202) 572-3331 or scrowley@edf.orgVickie Patton – (303) 447-7215 or vpatton@edf.orgJanea Scott – (213) 223-2186 or jscott@edf.org(Washington, DC – September 4, 2008) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today took action to cut pollution from a major source of summertime smog and to protect human health by finalizing clean air standards for nonroad gasoline engines. These include smaller gasoline engines that power lawn equipment and personal marine watercraft.“Cleaner lawn mowers means less summertime smog and healthier air for millions of kids,” said Environmental Defense Fund Deputy General Counsel Vickie Patton. “These new clean air standards will reduce dangerous smog pollution from high-emitting gasoline engines while helping to cut costs at the gas pump.”EPA’s new standards will protect human health through a combination of limits on the evaporative pollution from gas tanks and emission standards that require cleaner engines.The new standards will be phased in beginning in 2010, depending on engine type, and will annually cut smog-forming volatile organic compounds by 600,000 tons and smog-forming oxides of nitrogen by 150,000 tons when fully implemented.These gasoline-powered engines release up to 25 percent of the gasoline unburned in their exhaust, so cleaner emission standards also help save fuel costs at the pump.EPA estimates that these gasoline engines are responsible for about 15 percent of the nation’s hydrocarbon pollution, a key ingredient in urban ozone or “smog.” These engines are predominantly used in the summer time when ozone pollution is an acute health concern.Ground-level ozone or “smog” is associated with respiratory illness, impaired lung function and death. In addition, ground-level ozone is a potent contributor to global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment report found that, of all air pollution caused by human activities, ground-level ozone is behind only carbon dioxide and methane in contributing to climate change.There are more than 50 million pieces of lawn and garden equipment in use across the country today. One riding lawn mower emits as much hourly pollution as about 34 cars.“These small engines are big polluters,” concluded Patton. “Finalizing protective clean air standards for these engines is an important step toward healthy air for the millions of Americans living in neighborhoods and communities with unhealthy ozone pollution levels.”EPA published draft emission standards in May 2007.EPA Makes Right Decision in Stopping Damaging Yazoo Pumps Project, Says Environmental Defense Fund
September 2, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org(Washington, DC) – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a scientifically sound and financially wise decision today to stop a controversial flood control project in Mississippi. That’s according to one of the nation’s leading environmental advocacy groups.Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is praising the EPA’s final decision today to block the Yazoo Backwater Area Project. EDF is a long-standing opponent of the project, which would have cost taxpayers $220 million and would have caused widespread damage to tens of thousands of acres of protected land in four National Wildlife Refuges, the Delta National Forest and State Wildlife Management Areas, as well as lands enrolled in US Department of Agriculture conservation programs.“The Yazoo pumps were a bad idea from the start – bad for long-term flood control efforts, bad for water quality, bad for wildlife, and bad for the taxpayers who would get stuck with the bill, “ said Brian Jackson of Environmental Defense Fund. “EPA made the right decision in stopping the project.”The Yazoo Backwater Area Project would have built a massive pumping station to move water out of part of the Mississippi River Delta. The project was designed to prevent flooding in the area and to uncover more land for farming, but in the process it would degrade as many as 200,000 acres of wetlands in the Yazoo River Basin. The project would also have adverse effects on area fisheries, wildlife, and municipal water supplies, and would have caused widespread damage to Mississippi’s dwindling bottomland hardwood forests.The EPA has been weighing whether to exercise its authority under the Clean Water Act and stop the project. The agency held a public hearing in April; an EDF expert testified at the hearing, joining scientists, environmental activists, and Mississippi residents in opposing the plan. Another 14,000 EDF members wrote letters to EPA, Department of Interior, and the Army Corps of Engineers strongly opposing the Yazoo Pumps project, and 28,000 people signed an EDF petition on the subject.“This action should put a final, and overdue, nail in the coffin for the Yazoo Backwater Area Project,” said Jackson. “We are happy to see EPA listened closely, both to the scientific evidence and to all the citizens who got involved early and encouraged the right decision.”