Complete list of press releases

The following statement can be attributed to Jim Marston, regional director of Environmental Defense’s Texas office :

 “Today is monumental in the fight against global warming. Last spring TPG and KKR made a commitment to pull down more than a dozen dirty coal plants planned for Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Virginia. This buyout approval ensures that Texans will breathe easier in the years to come.  We eagerly support the new owners and their willingness to work with Environmental Defense and the environmental community. I am eager to participate in the Sustainable Energy Advisory Committee that will guide the new company in making sound environmental decisions in the future. It’s a good deal for Texas, and even better deal for the nation, and a big step in our efforts to reduce global warming emissions. ”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Jennifer Dickson, Environmental Defense, (512) 691-3442, (512) 415-8905 jdickson@ed.org

Chris Smith, Environmental Defense, (512) 691-3451 csmith@ed.org

(September 7, 2007 – Austin) TXU shareholders approved the long awaited buyout deal proposed last spring by the Texas Pacific Group (TPG) and Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts (KKR). 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Jennifer Dickson, Environmental Defense, (512) 691-3442, (512) 415-8905 jdickson@ed.org

Chris Smith, Environmental Defense, (512) 691-3451 csmith@ed.org

(September 7, 2007 – Austin) TXU shareholder’s approved the long awaited buyout deal proposed last spring by the Texas Pacific Group (TPG) and Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts (KKR). 

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Tony Kreindler, tkreindler@environmentaldefense.org, 202-572-3378 or 202-210-5791

(Washington – August 30, 2007) The rate of carbon dioxide emissions from new cars and light trucks in the U.S. dipped for the first time in two decades, but their overall contribution to global warming has continued to grow steadily since 1990, according to a new report released today by Environmental Defense.

The report, Automaker’s Corporate Carbon Burdens: Update for 1990-2005, shows that while the average carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions rate from new vehicles fell 3% from 2004 to 2005, it remained up a net 1.5% since 1990. Leading this adverse trend were America’s Big Three – GM, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler – which all saw a net worsening of their fleet-average CO₂ emissions.

Bucking the trend were Toyota and BMW, which trimmed their CO₂ emissions rates while gaining market share. Toyota’s 3% drop in fleet-wide emissions rate from 1990 to 2005 was achieved in part by the Prius hybrid, but more so by incremental efficiency improvements to the Corolla. BMW’s fleet average CO₂ emissions dropped more than 12 percent due to efficiency improvement across its lineup along with the introduction of the Mini Cooper.

“The ability of Toyota and BMW to gain market share while cutting emissions is a clear example of innovative design paying off for the bottom line and the environment,” said John DeCicco, senior fellow, automotive strategies at Environmental Defense.

The report also tracks automakers’ overall “carbon burden,” a useful metric for measuring progress in reducing cars’ impact on global warming. Carbon burden reflects two key factors that contribute to CO₂ emissions: the efficiency of vehicles and the carbon intensity of the fuel they run on, as well as new vehicle sales. “A complete climate policy solution for the auto sector is one that results in progressively lower carbon burdens,” said DeCicco. “This can only be accomplished through climate-friendly innovations in both vehicles and fuels.”

Highlights from the report regarding the CO₂ emissions performance of the six largest automobile manufacturers (the Big Six) between 1990 and 2005 include:

• General Motors’ fleet average CO₂ emissions rate was up 3 percent while its market share declined by 10 points; while GM’s carbon burden fell 6.5 percent, it remained the largest overall.

• Ford’s CO₂ emissions rate went up 4.7 percent while its carbon burden dropped nearly six percent due to a seven point loss in market share.

• DaimlerChrysler’s emissions rate rose 4.8 percent and its fleet had the highest truck share overall.

• Toyota’s CO₂ emissions rate dropped by three percent and its carbon burden grew more than any other Big Six manufacturers’ – 125 percent – but that was due solely to increased sales.

• Honda’s growing truck sales pushed its emissions rate up 4.4 percent, but the company still had the best fuel economy among the Big Six, with a combined fleet average of 29 mpg.

• Nissan had the biggest jump in CO₂ emissions rates, 9.2 percent, among the Big Six due to growing truck reliance and declining truck fuel economy.

Full copies of the report are available on the web at: www.environmentaldefense.org/carbonburdens

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Melanie Janin, mjanin@environmentaldefense.org, 202-321-5095

(Bentonville, AR – August 29, 2007) Environmental Defense announced today that it has ramped up its work with Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) by completing and staffing an office across the street from the Wal-Mart Home Office in Bentonville, Arkansas to advise the company on environmental initiatives.

“Decisions at Wal-Mart move quickly, with huge global environmental repercussions,” said David Yarnold, Executive Vice President at Environmental Defense. “A local presence helps us provide timely, effective input to Wal-Mart and ensure that measurable progress is being made as quickly as possible.”

The new Environmental Defense office in Bentonville will be co-led by Dr. Andrew Hutson and Michelle Mauthe Harvey , who are advising Wal-Mart on issues ranging from climate change and alternative fuels to sustainable seafood and packaging. Hutson will focus primarily on Wal-Mart’s environmental impacts related to climate change, as well as impacts in China. Harvey will work on sustainable seafood and environmental health issues, among others.

Environmental Defense began working with the company almost two years ago, prior to CEO Lee Scott’s announcement in October 2005 outlining Wal-Mart’s far-reaching goals on environmental sustainability. Since then, Wal-Mart has raised fuel-efficiency in its truck fleet, cut energy use in stores and reduced packaging on hundreds of its products, all while cutting its costs. The company is also helping its customers save money and capture environmental benefits by promoting the use of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), an initiative supported by Environmental Defense.

“With 175 million customers a week and a global supply chain of over 60,000, Wal-Mart has unique potential for change,” Gwen Ruta, Director of Corporate Partnerships at Environmental Defense . “Given this market reach, the ability to achieve powerful environmental progress may be as great in the halls of the Wal-Mart Home Office in Bentonville as it is in the halls of Congress.”

Environmental Defense has been partnering with leading businesses like DuPont, FedEx and McDonald’s for nearly 20 years on projects that improve both environmental and business performance. Environmental Defense accepts no funding from Wal-Mart or from any other corporate partners. For more about Environmental Defense’s work with Wal-Mart, visit www.EnvironmentalDefense.org/partnerships .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Michael Replogle, mreplogle@environmentaldefense.org, 301-529-0351
Sean Crowley, scrowley@environmentaldefense.org, 202-572-3331

(Washington, DC ? August 14, 2007) ? New federal transportation grants of more than $848 million were announced today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale to help those cities use congestion pricing and other market-based incentives to improve transportation performance.

Under the Urban Partnership Agreement Program grants awarded today, New York received $354 million, San Francisco received $159 million, Seattle received $139 million, Minneapolis received $133 million and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale received $63 million. In addition to congestion pricing, the grants support innovations such as better mass transit, traffic management, telework, and other smart market incentives like pay-as-you-drive insurance.

“Congestion pricing can speed commutes, cut gridlock, generate new revenue for innovative transit, help clean the air and address climate change,” said Michael Replogle, transportation director for Environmental Defense and a former consultant to U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and the World Bank. “These grants support new tools to improve mobility and cut transportation pollution at the same time. We salute the U.S. Department of Transportation for supporting innovation in America’s cities.”

“These agreements show how cities can use incentives to get the most out of their transportation infrastructure,” Replogle concluded. “Grants like these help communities address their backlog of unmet transportation needs. Environmental Defense congratulates the cities winning grants today.”

Contact:
Ron Sachs (850) 222-1996
Jerry Karnas (941) 587-1803

(Tallahassee – August 13, 2007) Environmental Defense’s Florida Climate Project Director Jerry Karnas today was tapped by Florida Governor Charlie Crist to serve on the Governor’s Florida Action Team on Energy and Climate.

 “I think the Governor wants to capitalize on Environmental Defense’s experience in effectively working with the business community to make real progress on global climate change.  That’s the way he wants this to operate – bringing all the interests in Florida together to find common sense solutions. I am honored to be asked to participate in this crucial process,” said Karnas.

 On July 13, 2007, the Governor signed an Executive Order establishing the Florida Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change.  That Executive Order charges the Team with developing an action plan to “fully achieve or surpass” the objectives laid out by the Governor in other July 13 Executive Orders on climate change.  Today’s appointments are the first to be made to the Team.

 “What we are about to undertake has the potential to impact the future not only for Florida, but also in the Southeast, nationally, and worldwide.  Florida has the unique opportunity to craft solutions to global climate change that reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating jobs, making our country more secure and keeping energy dollars closer to home. I look forward with the business community, Senate President Ken Pruitt and House Speaker Marco Rubio as well as colleagues in the environmental community as we embark on shaping climate change policies for Florida,” said Karnas.

Karnas, a native Floridian, is based in Sarasota.

Contact:
Gerald Karnas, (941) 587-1803
John Wark, (850) 222-1996

(TAMPA, FL – August 8, 2007) — Eight in 10 Florida voters support Gov. Charlie Crist’s efforts to roll back greenhouse gas emissions to year 2000 levels, and almost nine in 10 approve of his plan to require new cars sold in Florida to be more fuel efficient, according to a statewide poll released Wednesday and conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research.

The poll of 625 voters, conducted for Environmental Defense between July 23-25, also found that nine in 10 voters agree with the governor that global warming is not a Republican or Democratic issue. The poll identified high levels of support among Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike for the governor’s actions.

For instance, 71 percent of voters surveyed said they approve of the governor’s proposed capping of emissions from such major greenhouse gas sources as utility plants. When broken down along political party lines, that approval comes from 65 percent of Republicans, 73 percent of Independents and 75 percent of Democrats surveyed.

“This stunning show of support for immediate, common-sense steps to slow global warming should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind about the direction Floridians want to head in,” said Gerald Karnas, director of Environmental Defense’s Florida Climate Change Project.

“Floridians are concerned about the future. They understand what’s at stake, and they want practical solutions,” Karnas added.

Tucker Eskew, a noted conservative political strategist and former deputy assistant to President George W. Bush, said Gov. Crist is at the forefront of an important development.

“More and more conservatives are leading the way toward energy policies that reduce pollution, dependence on foreign oil and funding for terrorists,” he said. “Leading Republicans like Gov. Crist are showing our party and the country that these policies can also increase innovation, competitiveness, and job creation.”

“Republicans who want to see our party win with market-based reforms are closely aligned on these issues with most Floridians and most Americans,” Eskew said. “A new, hopeful voice on climate change, for example, is being heard nationally, and here in Florida Gov. Crist has set a standard that enjoys strong Republican support.”

Eskew pointed to the list of speakers at the Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Climate Change held in Miami July 12-13 as one indicator that U.S. corporations support the direction Florida is headed. Executives for such corporations as General Electric and the Weyerhauser Company participated in panel discussions while the list of corporate sponsors included Goldman Sachs, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and Enterprise Florida, among others.

Eskew also noted that agricultural interests throughout the country are already pushing for opening markets for commodity trading in carbon credits, a major solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and one strongly advocated by Environmental Defense.

“The results of this poll confirm what I have learned as chairman of the state’s Century Commission,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, referring to the finding that over 70 percent of voters are looking toward cleaner ways to produce energy.

“The need to become energy independent and reduce carbon emissions is our number one recommendation. It is a national security issue, an environmental issue and an economic issue. The alternative energy industry will be one of the top economic drivers of the next 50 years,” said the mayor, whom Gov. Crist has credited with influencing his own thinking on reducing carbon emissions.

Joe McClash, a fifth-term Manatee County commissioner who serves on the Tampa Bay National Estuary Program, said the concern of Floridians is clearly reflected in the poll’s finding that a majority already have changed their driving habits, switched to alternative fuels, purchased a hybrid vehicle or taken steps to reduce energy consumption at home.

“This poll not only confirms that Floridians are ready to support political leaders and office holders like ourselves when we take action to end global warming,” McClash said. “It also tells us that our neighbors and friends are already taking action.”

CONTACT:
Will McDow, 919-881-2926 or 919-414-5293 (cell)

(Raleigh, NC - August 2, 2007) Environmental Defense today praised passage of a bill by the NC House that will help protect the state’s forests and farm land by reducing the higher tax bills that landowners now pay when they use land for conservation benefits, rather than agriculture or commercial forestry. The bill passed with a 93-22 vote. It will come before the NC Senate during next spring’s short session.

“North Carolina leads the nation in the loss of farm land, and the state loses 100,000 acres of forests annually,” said Will McDow, forestry specialist with the North Carolina office of Environmental Defense. “High tax bills can be a crucial factor in a landowner’s decision to sell property. Currently, property owners who want to use their lands to protect water quality and wildlife habitat pay significantly higher property taxes, while voluntarily reducing their potential income. The bill removes that penalty and will ensure equitable property tax treatment with landowners involved in agriculture or commercial forestry.”

“We’re confident that the Senate will follow the lead of the House and pass this bill when the General Assembly reconvenes next year. Co-sponsors Pricey Taylor Harrison, Harold Brubaker, Dewey Hill and Pryor Gibson are to be commended for their leadership.”

Contact:
Michael Shore, 828-582-3141 (c)
Jane Preyer, 919-881-2912 or 919-740-6727 (c)

(Raleigh, NC - August 2, 2007) Environmental Defense today applauded the NC General Assembly for passage of energy legislation (Senate Bill 3) that will establish a 12.5% renewable and efficiency portfolio standard (RPS), making the state the first in the Southeast to use this strategy to tackle global warming pollution. North Carolina now becomes the 25th state in the nation to set an RPS, which requires utilities to meet a certain percentage of energy demand with renewable sources and efficiency measures.

“The best way for North Carolina to reduce global warming pollution and avoid new coal and nuclear plants is to increase the use of renewable energy and expand energy efficiency,” said Michael Shore, senior policy analyst for Environmental Defense. “Years from now lawmakers will look back and see this policy as the turning point toward a clean energy economy.”

“Senate bill 3 was a broad energy bill, and it was far from perfect. However, thanks to leaders in the House of Representatives, the bill was greatly strengthened. S 3 will reduce the state’s carbon dioxide footprint by at least 13 million metric tons by 2018. That’s equivalent to taking more than a million cars off the road. That’s a big step,” said Shore.

“This is the first concrete action in the Southeast to take significant tons of global warming pollution out of the air,” said Jane Preyer, director of the NC regional office of Environmental Defense. “This RPS sets an example for other states in the region to follow.”

“Despite its merits, the legislation has shortcomings, and the job is not over,” said Preyer. “North Carolina must still set strong environmental standards for energy generation from hog waste and ensure that the utilities look to efficiency and renewables rather than coal and nuclear power.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Tony Kreindler, Environmental Defense, 202-572-3378 or 202-210-5791 (cell)

(Washington – August 2, 2007) Environmental Defense today applauded Senators Joe Lieberman and John Warner for developing a bipartisan plan to cap U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that opens the door for Senate action on a climate change bill soon after the Congressional recess.

“Joe Lieberman and John Warner are providing remarkable leadership. By developing an approach that has environmental integrity and support from both sides of the aisle they are doing what is necessary to actually make law,” said Steve Cochran, national climate campaign director at Environmental Defense.

“Their plan includes an airtight cap on emissions, innovative ways to control costs, and a path forward for international action. That lays the groundwork for a consensus bill that meets the environmental test,” Cochran added.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has committed to bringing an economy-wide climate change bill to the Senate floor once bipartisan legislation is approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Senators Lieberman and Warner, the chairman and ranking member of the committee’s key climate change panel, are working with their colleagues to finalize their bill over the next few weeks and bring it to a vote shortly after Congress reconvenes in September.

Lieberman and Warner’s proposal already contains several essential elements of a bill that would protect the climate and benefit the U.S. economy:

It sets an economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions, putting the country on the path toward achieving the deep emissions reductions scientific experts say are needed to help avoid the worst consequences of global warming.

It creates a market for emissions allowances that encourages U.S. businesses to find and fund the best emissions reduction opportunities, spurring private investment and creating new jobs as America takes the lead in developing the low-carbon technologies of the future.

It minimizes adverse economic impacts without compromising environmental results. A cost management provision authored by Senator Warner will create a carefully overseen system for adjusting short-term emissions reduction targets without changing or abandoning the overall emissions cap, preventing high costs while maintaining the environmental goal.

Environmental Defense believes an important tool for lowering the costs of climate change policy is a robust emissions trading market that allows companies to invest in the broadest array of verifiable emissions reductions, such as agricultural practices that cut emissions or sequester carbon in the soil. Comprehensive climate legislation should take advantage of the full range of available emissions reduction opportunities.