Complete list of press releases
Enhanced Farmer Incentive Program to Improve Lake Erie Water Quality Begins Enrollment Next Month
September 19, 2006For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Larry
Todd Hesterman, Conservation Action Project, (419) 599-0653
Karl Gebhardt, Paul Werth, (614) 224-8114
Enhanced Farmer Incentive Program to Improve
Program Designed to Reduce the Flow of Sediment that Degrades Fisheries and Clogs Shipping Channels at a Cost of Millions of Dollars a Year
London, Ohio – September 19, 2006 – A group of federal and state officials today at the Farm Science Review announced enhancements to a farmer-focused initiative to improve water quality and restore wildlife habitat in 27 counties in NW Ohio.
Open to farmers on a continuous basis starting in late October, the revised Lake Erie Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (LE CREP) tackles the flow of suspended sediment and nutrients flowing into the Western Basin of Lake Erie, the shallowest, warmest and most productive lake in the
“This enhanced CREP will help the region continue to make real progress towards protecting and restoring water quality in the Maumee River and ultimately
This program represents a combined federal, state and non-profit organization investment of up to $220 million dollars in northwest
“This project will not only deliver critical water quality benefits, but also dramatically increase federal investment in this area of
Farmers who participate in this program will help stem the flow of pollutants by taking such measures as planting grass and trees along side streams to slow and filter water as it flows into the streams and restoring wetlands that collect water during storms, thereby reducing the highest stream flows during storms and reducing the risk of flooding downstream.
“The changes announced today will offer farmers more choices and better incentives,” said Todd Hesterman of the Conservation Action Project and Environmental Defense. “Farmers will be able to choose practical conservation measures that fit on their farms, and they will receive significantly higher payments in many cases.”
Wildlife will also benefit from the restoration of native grasses, streamside habitat, wetlands, and rare prairie and oak savanna.
Farmers in eligible counties who are interested in participating in the program should contact their local Farm Service Agency or Soil and Water Conservation District office. The Conservation Action Project and other partners will be hosting meetings to provide farmers further information about the improvements to the Lake Erie Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.
The 27 counties eligible to participate in the Lake Erie Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program are: Allen,
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StopTXU.com Launches as Online Community Stands Up Against New Coal Plants
September 19, 2006(September 19, 2006 – Austin) A new website launched today by the Texas office of Environmental Defense provides one-stop shopping for the most current factual information about TXU’s 11 proposed coal power plants across Texas. The site – www.StopTXU.com – contains downloadable fact sheets, information on the risks posed by TXU’s building bonanza, and a forum through which citizens can voice their opposition to TXU’s proposal and Governor Rick Perry’s fast-track approval process.“Even before we launched this site, our online community delivered more than 15,000 messages to TXU CEO John Wilder, Governor Perry and the other gubernatorial candidates,” said Environmental Defense director of regional communication Colin Rowan. “We don’t have TXU’s well-oiled and well-funded PR machine, but we do have facts that even the most clever spin-doctors can’t deny. We need to get the facts out to our fellow Texans, and StopTXU.com will help us do just that.”The easily-navigable site is offered as a resource to state leaders, concerned citizens, the media, and those who want to learn the facts about the health effects of toxic emissions, how carbon dioxide impacts global warming, and related topics.“If people want spin, they can go to TXU’s coal site,” Rowan said. “Now they have a place to turn if they want the facts. Cleaning the air and slowing global warming are critical issues in Texas, and in 2006, one of the greatest obstacles to addressing them is TXU’s plan to build more coal plants.”TXU’s proposed power plants would produce an additional 78 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, more than doubling the company’s current emissions. The company has offered no solution that would reduce these global warming emissions. Currently there are plans by other utilities to use cleaner technology that would capture the carbon before it is released into the air.“While many of its peers are working on solutions to global warming, TXU is adding to the problem by turning a blind eye and using old technology,” Rowan said. “This company is not just taking a few steps in the wrong direction. It has turned around and is sprinting full speed back to the 1950s.”Environmental Defense Slams Colorado for Opposing Enforcement of Vital Clean Airs Laws
September 15, 2006Denver – Environmental Defense slammed the State of Colorado for joining Alabama and some of the biggest polluters in the nation in fighting against cleaner, healthier air for America by filing a brief today in the U.S. Supreme Court opposing enforcement of the nation’s bedrock clean air laws (to receive a copy of the brief, please email scrowley@environmentaldefesnse.org or vpatton@environmentaldefense.org).
The case before the high court – Environmental Defense, et al. v. Duke Energy Corporation – presents pivotal questions about whether some 17,000 industrial smokestacks and power plants nationwide must be accountable to meet today’s cost-effective pollution control standards. The case is scheduled for oral argument on November 1st.“Colorado has joined Alabama and the nation’s largest polluters in opposing enforcement of vital clean air protections before the highest court in the land at the same time that the children of Colorado suffered through a summer of dangerous smog pollution,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Vickie Patton. “Twenty-one states, the U.S. Government, the American Lung Association and an unprecedented coalition of medical experts are supporting enforcement of our nation’s clean air laws before the Supreme Court. Colorado is not only fighting against basic clean air protections for our children’s health, but it is opposing protections that are good for our economy and our quality of life.”Colorado joins Alabama and Duke Power Company in fighting clean air at the same time that Coloradoans suffered extensive summertime smog pollution levels that reached across the Colorado Front Range and threatened human health. This summer smog levels at ten monitoring stations in the Denver region exceeded the federal health standard. The elevated pollution concentrations were widespread, extending from Chatfield Park to Fort Collins, and including Rocky Mountain National Park, where a high value of 91 parts per billion (ppb) was recorded on July 14. The highest concentration in the region was a value of 97 ppb recorded at the Fort Collins West monitor, also on July 14. Breathing ozone at levels close to or above the health standard can cause a range of adverse respiratory effects including increased numbers of hospital admissions and emergency room visits in children and adults with preexisting respiratory diseases such as asthma, and increased rates of death from respiratory and cardiovascular causes.The U.S. Government, 21 States and the nation’s leading medical associations support the clean air case. The following entities and experts have supported Environmental Defense’s position before the high court including:- former EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner
- former EPA Administrator Russell E. Train
- State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators and the Association of Local Air Pollution Control Officials (the nation’s professional association of state and local air pollution control officials)
- American Lung Association
- American Thoracic Society
- American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
- National Association for the Medical Direction of Respiratory Care
- American College of Chest Physicians
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Kentucky
- New Jersey
- Michigan
- New York
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington
North Carolina Forests Face A 'Quiet Crisis'
September 14, 2006(September 14, 2006 - Raleigh, NC) North Carolina is losing its private forests to development at the alarming rate of nearly 100,000 acres a year, putting the state’s woodlands in a “quiet crisis.” That’s the conclusion of a report released today by the North Carolina office of Environmental Defense. “Standing Tall: A New Path for North Carolina’s Private Forests” catalogs 15 recommendations that will help North Carolina stem the loss of its forests. The report is available at www.environmentaldefense.org/go/ncforests.“North Carolina has a lot of trees, but its forests are disappearing,” said Will McDow, Environmental Defense forestry specialist. “North Carolina forests are in a quiet crisis, and it’s a crisis that’s intensifying. The state should take a thoughtful look at ways to help landowners keep forests as forests for generations to come.”Private forests are critical to the North Carolina’s economy, environment and overall quality of life. As forests give way to strip malls, subdivisions and highways, their vital functions, along with their aesthetic appeal, disappear with them. There are fewer trees to filter pollutants from water, to hold back runoff that muddies streams and rivers, and to serve as habitat for wildlife ranging from white-tailed deer to wild turkey to warblers.The report says the state’s top priority for forests should be to create and implement a plan to protect and restore rare and declining forest types before they perish. A mosaic of diverse forest types is crucial to clean air and clean water for North Carolina.Other recommendations in “Standing Tall” include:- providing tax relief for landowners whose land management includes conservation efforts,
- creating a framework and implementing policies to reduce sprawl and its negative impacts on rural lands, and
- impaneling a task force to look at the business opportunities of forestland.
Analysis Of Air Quality Report Shows New Coal Plants Threaten DFW Air
September 14, 2006(Austin – September 14, 2006) Environmental Defense issued an analysis today of a report by the Texas Environmental Research Consortium (TERC) that shows the potential impact of more than a dozen proposed coal-fired power plants on the Dallas – Ft. Worth Metroplex’s regional air quality. The report simulated the transport of these proposed plants’ pollution based on weather data from four high-ozone episodes in 1999 and 2002.The analysis, conducted by Environmental Defense senior scientist Ramon Alvarez, can be downloaded at http://www.environmentaldefense.org/documents/colin/TERC_Report_Analysis.pdf.“Every week brings another reason for Texas to slow down this rush to dirty coal,” said Alvarez. “The TERC report shows that emissions from proposed coal plants can significantly increase DFW area ozone levels on key days with south-southeast or northeast winds. And it showed that with slight changes in the assumed wind direction or speed, the pollution plumes from the new plants could increase ozone in the Metroplex’s most polluted areas by amounts roughly comparable to that produced by more than a million of the region’s cars and light duty trucks.”Early, incomplete drafts of this report were released this summer. TXU, which has proposed to build 11 of the 18 coal-fired power plants, promoted the drafts as proof that the company’s new plants would actually clean the air in the DFW region. The conclusions of the final report dispute that claim.“The report shows that TXU’s promises of coal-fired power plants that will clean the air in Dallas just don’t add up,” Alvarez said. “The company’s claim that the report finds its proposed offset strategy will improve air quality in the DFW region is untrue.”Also troubling is the impact that the pollution would have on other regions, such as Austin and Waco. “The study was focused on the Dallas area,” Alvarez said, “but the models clearly show that northeasterly winds would result in significant pollution increases for Central Texas.”The final TERC report, entitled “Ozone Impacts in DFW of Proposed New EGUs and an Offset Strategy,” can be downloaded at http://files.harc.edu/Projects/AirQuality/Projects/H060/H60FinalReport.pdfEnvironmental Defense Praises Introduction of First Major Agriculture Bill Prior to 2007 Farm Bill
September 13, 2006FOR IMMEDIATE USE
CONTACT:
Sean Crowley 202-572-3331, 202-550-6524-c, scrowley@environmentaldefense.org(September 13, 2006 - Washington, DC) – Below is a statement by Scott Faber, the farm policy campaign director for Environmental Defense, on the introduction today of the first major agriculture bill prior to the 2007 expiration of the current Farm Bill, The Healthy Farms, Foods and Fuels Act of 2006, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI).
“Energy, health and the environment should be the central focus of our federal farm and food policies when Congress renews federal farm and food legislation next year. Renewal of federal farm and food policies creates a rare opportunity to boost energy production on our farms, ranches and forest lands, to give consumers more healthy food choices, and to reward more private land owners when they take steps to meet our environmental challenges. Rising energy and health costs and environmental challenges like climate change are urgent national priorities that are largely unaddressed by current farm and food policies.”
“Americans overwhelmingly support investments in renewable energy produced at home. Renewable energy produced on our farms and ranches reduces our dependence on foreign sources of energy and helps provide steady supplies of energy at stable prices. Expanding the production of energy on our farms and ranches would also reduce our trade deficit and promote economic growth in rural America. In addition, expanding renewable energy development on our farms and ranches can help reduce emissions that contribute to poor air quality and climate change.”
“Health care costs are spiraling out of control, and the rise of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases caused by poor diets is one of America’s biggest public health challenges. Current farm and food policies do little to promote healthier food choices, especially among low income and minority communities. The next farm bill must do much more to promote healthier diets and provide healthy food choices, especially in our schools.”
“Our farmers are anxious to solve our environmental challenges. Farmers can do much more than provide food, fuels and fiber – they can also provide clean air, clean water, and clean energy. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of producers – or roughly three-out-of-four eligible applicants – are annually rejected when they offer to share the cost of cleaner water, air and wildlife habitat, a stable climate, or to serve as the frontline against sprawl. We can’t meet some of America’s most significant environment challenges unless we reward – rather than reject – farmers when they offer to help.”
“Expanding conservation and renewable energy programs will help many more farmers, ranchers and forest landowners weather the ups and downs of agriculture. All farmers are eligible for the funds provided by the Healthy Farms, Foods and Fuels Act. By contrast, only one-third of farmers and ranchers are eligible for traditional farm subsidies that currently consume half of all farm spending because most producers grow crops that are ineligible for these subsidies. Traditional subsidies may violate a 1994 World Trade Organization treaty, inviting retaliatory tariffs, but conservation and renewable energy investments do not violate our treaty obligations. The Healthy Farms, Foods and Fuels Act will help many more farmers, consumers and the environment, will help bring our farm policies into compliance with our treaty obligations, and will pave the way for new trade agreements that open overseas markets to our farm exports.”
1st Major Ag Bill Introduced Before 2007 Farm Bill to Provide Renewable Fuel Production Incentives, Economic Development Opportunities and Doubles Conservation Spending
September 13, 2006FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Sean Crowley 202-478-6128-w,
September 13, 2006 202-550-6524-c, scrowley@environmentaldefense.org
Washington, DC – Three former chiefs of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) praised the introduction today of the first major agriculture bill introduced prior to the 2007 expiration of the current farm bill because it will help farmers address the nation’s energy crisis by boosting funding for renewable energy development on farms, ranches and forest lands. The bipartisan legislation also would provide consumers with greater access to healthy foods and double conservation spending to provide cleaner air, water and wildlife habitat, and help stabilize global warming over the life of the next farm bill.
The bill, “The Healthy Farms, Foods and Fuels Act of 2006,” is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and has 26 cosponsors, including two members of the House Agriculture Committee, U.S. Reps. Ed Case (D-HI) and Ben Chandler (D-KY); the chairman of the House Science Committee, U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY); and the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI). The other cosponsors are: U.S. Reps. Jim Saxton (R-NJ), Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), Mark Udall (D-CO), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Adam Smith (D-WA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jeb Bradley (R-NH), James T. Walsh (R-NY), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sam Farr (D-CA), Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Tom Allen (D-ME), Charles Bass (R-NH), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Sue Kelly (R-NY), and James Oberstar (D-MI).
“The Healthy Farms bill is the most ambitious conservation bill in American history,” said Norm Berg, NRCS Chief from 1979 to 1982 and a long-time advisor to the Soil and Water Conservation Society who was raised on a family farm in
Among other things, The Healthy Farms, Foods and Fuels Act, will:
- Increase from $200 million to $2 billion annual loan guarantees for renewable energy development on farms.
· Expand programs that provide local, healthy food choices to our school children and dramatically expand coupon programs that allow elderly and low income Americans to shop at farmer’s markets.
- Double incentives to $2 billion a year for farmers and ranchers to protect drinking water supplies and make other environmental improvements.
- Provide funding to restore nearly 3 million acres of wetlands.
- Provide funding to protect 6 million acres of farm and ranch land from sprawl.
“The next farm bill should provide economic and environmental incentives for all farmers, ranchers and small private forest landowners and should address our nation’s energy, health and environmental needs for the 21st century,” said Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), the bill’s lead sponsor and a member of the House Resources Committee. “Farm and food policies should also build linkages between consumers, especially school children, and local farms that grow healthy foods in ways that protect and restore the environment. Americans need greater access to healthier foods that reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and that meet other health challenges.”
“New Jersey is the most densely-populated state in the nation, so we see firsthand and up close the acute need for programs that assist our farmers and protect wildlife habitat and open space,” said Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ), the third-ranking member of the House Resources Committee whose district includes nearly half of the federally-protected 1.1 million-acre Pinelands National Reserve, vast farmlands, over 35 miles of shoreline, barrier islands, three bays and estuaries. “Our bill offers ways to set aside space for wildlife, promote conservation and help reduce
“This legislation will help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to supply the nation with renewable, environmentally sustainable energy,” said Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO), co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. “By harvesting renewable sources like wind and energy, and increasing our investments in biofuels, we will revitalize rural economies, create jobs, and put our nation on a path to energy independence.”
The lion’s share of federal support for American farmers flows to less than 10% of the nation’s agricultural producers. Farmers in 25 out of 435 congressional districts collected half of all farm spending during the last decade.
“Expanding conservation incentives will ensure that farm policy helps all farmers and ranchers regardless of how much land they farm, whether they grow traditional or specialty crops, or where they live,” said Rep. Ed Case (D-HI), a member of the House Agriculture Committee. “All rural communities will share in the environmental benefits the programs in this bill make available. I especially welcome the assistance this bill provides in helping communities that are facing tremendous development pressures to protect prime agricultural land from urban encroachment, thereby maintaining a rural quality of life and open spaces.”
“In the past, most farm spending has flowed to large producers of select crops,” said Pearlie Reed, NRCS Chief from 1998 to 2002 and former State Conservationist for
“Farmers produce far more than food, fuel and fiber,” said Paul Johnson, NRCS Chief from 1993 to 1997, an
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Oceans Should be Top Priority for State of Florida
September 12, 2006Caribbean Conservation Corporation and Sea Turtle Survival League, Clean Water Network of Floridal, Coastal Angler Magazine, Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie County, Cry of the Water, Environment Florida, Environmental Defense, Florida Oceanographic Society, Hammerhead Dive Club, League of Women Voters of Florida, National Parks Conservation Association, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Ocean Conservancy, Palm Beach County Reef Rescue, Reef Relief, Save the Manatee Club, Sierra Club - Florida Chapter, Surfrider Foundation, West Palm Beach Fishing ClubCONTACT:Jenny Powers NRDC, 212/727-4566Linda Young Clean Water Network of Florida, 850/222-9188Kathleen Goldstein Environmental Defense, 202/841-0295TALLAHASSEE, FL (September 12, 2006) – Citing escalating problems with coastal pollution, red tide outbreaks, plummeting fish catches and overdeveloped beaches, 20 conservation, recreation and civic organizations today issued a blueprint for protecting and preserving Florida’s coastal environment and economy. It is the first time such a large number of diverse groups has joined together in the name of comprehensive ocean conservation for Florida.The report, “Florida’s Coastal and Ocean Future: A Blueprint for Economic and Environmental Leadership,” identifies the major problems threatening Florida’s ocean waters and coastlines, and the actions needed to solve them. It builds on the recommendations by two recent national reports warning that the oceans are in serious trouble, and calling for urgent action to reverse the decline.To view the new document, go to http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/florida/flfuture.asp.“Florida’s huge fishing and tourism economies generate more than $60 billion a year, and they depend on clean coasts and healthy oceans,” said Sarah Chasis, director of the Ocean Initiative for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “No state is more dependent on the natural resources of its coastal waters for food, jobs and recreation. Florida has an opportunity to be the leading state in the nation for ocean and coastline protection.”“The cumulative impacts of decades of overfishing, coastal development and pollution are endangering Florida’s marine ecosystems,” said David White, Regional Director of The Ocean Conservancy. “We have an obligation to future generations to improve the way we manage these resources. An ocean of vanishing species and unraveling ecosystems should not be the legacy that we bequeath to our children.”The report addresses six key threats to a healthy Florida coast: Unwise coastal development, pollution, coastal drilling, unsustainable fishing practices, global warming, and the lack of a coordinated management system. Solutions include the reduction of government subsidies that encourage growth in high-risk coastal areas; strengthening of water quality standards; adoption of an ecosystem-based management approach to marine life and fisheries; and establishment of unified, coordinated government leadership for ocean and coastal resources.By implementing these solutions, Florida will be protecting both the fishing and tourism industries that sustain the state’s economy, as well as Florida’s unique and precious coastal habitat that spans from the sand dunes on the shore to the coral reefs off the coast.“This is an opportunity for Florida’s policy makers to show that the State will protect its ocean resources and the economies that rely on them,” said Environmental Defense Policy Analyst Amanda Leland.“Florida’s endangered coral reefs generate so much for so many in our state, yet they are among the most endangered in the world due to heavy use, pollution, global warming, and loss of habitat,” said DeeVon Quirolo, Executive Director of Reef Relief. “Our leaders can turn the tide by implementing common sense solutions to reverse the decline and insure that Florida’s future includes healthy coral reefs, clean ocean waters and abundant fisheries.”“Florida perpetuates its own financial and insurance problems by allowing development in high risk areas adjacent to and beyond the coastal construction line,” said Ericka D’Avanzo, Florida Regional Manager of the Surfrider Foundation. “By hiding the risks of coastal development in the existing subsidy programs, such as so-called ‘beach renourishment,’ residents are given a false sense security while taxpayers foot the bill, twice. Citizens pay for the projects and pay again with the destruction of public trust resources — our reefs—which provide natural storm-surge protection on top of their economic and environmental value.”“It is important that Florida address global warming because warmer ocean temperatures and sea-level rise threaten to undercut the vast majority of our efforts to protect Florida’s ocean ecosystems,” said Gerald Karnas, Regional Outreach Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation. “If we do not confront global warming in a meaningful way, many of Florida’s coastal ecosystems will forever be altered and not for the better.”“The future of Florida’s beaches, dunes and coastal habitats hangs in the balance, threatened by coastal development, sea level rise, increasing coastal erosion, and construction of miles and miles of sea walls,” said Gary Appelson, Policy Coordinator for the Caribbean Conservation Corporation. “Now is the time to protect these resources through bold leadership and innovative new policies.”At present, Florida’s ocean and coastal policies are outdated, fractured and unfocused. Ineffective marine programs are currently scattered in various state agencies that do not communicate with one another. Following the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy report in 2004, the state legislature attempted to update the state’s ocean policy by creating the Florida Oceans and Coastal Resources Council. The council, which had wide public support and involvement, was to have established a statewide ocean research plan and made management recommendations to the legislature. But the Governor subsequently vetoed the budget appropriation for priority ocean research recommended by the Council.“There is broad support in Florida for the policies proposed in this blueprint,” said Linda Young, director of the Clean Water Network of Florida. “This state has never experienced such widespread economic impacts from water pollution as we have seen over the past two years. Now is the time for our government to address these threats to Florida’s coastal areas. The future of our state’s economic and environmental health depends on it.”The following groups authored this blueprint for a safe and healthy Florida environment and economy: Caribbean Conservation Corporation, Clean Water Network of Florida, Environmental Defense, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Ocean Conservancy, Reef Relief, Surfrider Foundation. Additional groups that endorse the blueprint include: Coastal Angler Magazine, Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie County, Cry of the Water, Environment Florida, Florida Oceanographic Society, Hammerhead Dive Club, League of Women Voters of Florida, National Parks Conservation Association, Palm Beach County Reef Rescue, Save the Manatee, Sierra Club - Florida Chapter, and West Palm Beach Fishing Club.# # #Caribbean Conservation Corporation and Sea Turtle Survival League (CCC), founded in 1959 by Dr. Archie Carr and based in Florida, is the oldest sea turtle conservation organization in the world. It is dedicated to the conservation of sea turtles through research, training, advocacy, education and protection of habitats. Learn about CCC and sea turtles at www.cccturtle.org.Clean Water Network of Florida is building strong community-based coalitions that can effectively protect their local water resources. We are bringing local, state and national groups together to change Florida’s water policies and to protect Clean Water Act programs on the state level.More information is available at www.cwn-se.org.Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 400,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. More information is available at www.environmentaldefense.org and www.oceansalive.org.National Wildlife Federation inspires Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future. Through a nationwide network—a federation of grassroots activists and wildlife enthusiasts dedicated to protecting wildlife and wild places, NWF has built a national coalition of members who carry our message to cities and rural communities, homes and town halls, Congress and state legislatures, elementary schools and universities, courts and international venues. Visit us at www.nwf.orgThe Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, non-profit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 1.2 million members and e-activists nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. More information is available at www.nrdc.org.The Ocean Conservancy works to protect ocean ecosystems and conserve the global abundance and diversity of marine wildlife. Through research, education and science-based advocacy, The Ocean Conservancy informs, inspires, and empowers people to speak and act on behalf of the oceans. More information is available at www.oceanconservancy.org.Reef Relief, a nonprofit grassroots membership organization dedicated to Preserve and Protect Living Coral Reef Ecosystems through local, regional and international efforts. More information is available at www.reefrelief.org.The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education. Represented by over 50,000 members and 64 local chapters in the U.S., the Surfrider Foundation also has affiliations in Australia, Japan, France, and Brazil. More information is available at www.surfrider.org.Global Warming Bill Clears California Assembly
August 31, 2006Press Contacts:
Jennifer Witherspoon, Environmental Defense: 510.457.2250
(
“We commend
“We’ve reached a tipping point in the fight against global warming,” said Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “The whole world has been watching to see whether
“
AB 32 would limit the state’s global warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and institute a mandatory emissions reporting system to monitor compliance. AB 32 would also allow for market mechanisms to provide incentives to businesses to reduce emissions while safeguarding local communities.
“We commend
Environmental Defense and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) are cosponsors of the legislation and have worked along side Assembly authors Fabian Núñez (D-
Now that AB 32 has cleared both state legislative chambers,
For more background information on AB 32 please visit: www.solutionsforglobalwarming.com
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 1 million members and online activists nationwide, served from offices in
California's Landmark Global Warming Legislation Poised for Passage
August 30, 2006(Sacramento, August 30, 2006) Assembly Bill 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act, cleared a major milestone today when the Governor issued a statement saying, “Today, I am happy to announce we have reached a historic agreement on legislation to combat global warming.”The Governor’s statement continues, “We can now move forward with developing a market-based system that makes California a world leader in the effort to reduce carbon emissions. The success of our system will be an example for other states and nation to follow as the fight against climate change continues. AB 32 strengthens our economy, cleans our environment and once again, establishes California as the leader in environmental protections.”“Today California’s leaders showed that global warming is so important that addressing it rises above personal differences, partisan politics and special interests,” said Tom Graff, California regional director of Environmental Defense. “California is filling a void created by inaction and gridlock in Washington. Its bipartisan elected leaders struck a historic deal that will jump-start America’s fight against global warming. Californians should be proud of Governor Schwarzenegger, Speaker Nùñez, Assemblywoman Pavley and Senate President Pro Tem Perata.”While AB 32 must still be approved in both houses of the California Legislature and signed by Governor Schwarzenegger, the agreement struck today between the California leaders is a positive indication that the legislation will move forward.“This is history in the making,” said Ann Notthoff, California advocacy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “The Global Warming Solutions Act is the mostly closely watched environmental bill in the nation for good reason: where California goes, others follow. We’re at a turning point in the fight against global warming.”AB 32 is expected to pass out of the Legislature by this Thursday, August 31 as the bill has sufficient Assembly cosponsors (42) to assure its passage. Environmental Defense and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) are cosponsors of the legislation and have worked along side the Assembly authors, Speaker Fabián Núñez (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), to craft and pass the historic global warming legislation.“We commend California’s legislators for leading in the fight on global warming, especially Assembly Speaker Fabián Nùñez, Assemblywoman Fran Pavley and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland),” said Virgil Welch California climate coordinator of Environmental Defense. “This legislation gives Governor Schwarzenegger a clear path to market incentives to reduce global warming pollution while protecting California’s communities and environment.”AB 32 would limit the state’s global warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and institute a mandatory emissions reporting system to monitor compliance. It also would allow for market mechanisms to provide incentives to businesses to reduce emissions while safeguarding local communities.Momentum and support from clean companies, venture capitalists, faith-based leaders and the public have been strong. The bill’s opponents – representing old, polluting industries – have been sidelined by the steady drumbeat of scientific consensus that global warming is the world’s most pressing environmental problem and that reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping pollution is a feasible, cost-effective solution.“The Global Warming Solutions Act paves the way for our state to take the lead in building its clean-tech industry,” said Bob Epstein, co-founder of Environmental Entrepreneurs and a board trustee of NRDC. “Leading economists have found that emissions reductions technologies will save money and provide tens of thousands of jobs, putting California at the forefront of a new energy economy. Venture capitalists and entrepreneurs are waiting for the market signal that now is the time to invest and innovate.”If passed and signed into law, the bill would protect the state’s economy by making it more efficient and less dependent on fossil fuels. Today, California sends $30 billion out of state every year to buy fossil fuels. Just as important, the emissions limit will stimulate new business opportunities, and provide new “clean-tech” jobs. A new University of California, Berkeley, study released on August 16, found that returning California’s global warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, as envisioned by AB 32, can boost the annual Gross State Product (GSP) by $74 billion and create 89,000 new jobs by 2020.“There are increasingly visible impacts of global warming in California,” said Rafael Aguilera of Environmental Defense. “The threat of more wildfires, heat waves, and damage to our water supply is now well documented. We can’t delay on passage of AB 32. It is the right bill at the right time.”Group Praises Bush
August 29, 2006August 29, 2006 pharrison@ed.org or Sean
Group Praises Bush’s Statement Calling for Congress to Fund
Wetland Restoration to Protect
Bills in Congress Would Not Require Any Money to be Used for Wetlands Restoration
The report, “One Year After Katrina, Louisiana Still a Sitting Duck: A Report Card and Roadmap on Wetlands Restoration” (http://www.environmentaldefense.org/go/katrinaoneyear), warned that unless
“One thing that the American people have got to understand is that in order to make sure the levee system works, there has to be a barrier system to protect the state of Louisiana. I strongly urge the
(President Bush, White House transcript, www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/08/20060829-2.html)
“While we agree with President Bush, the devil is in the details,” said Paul Harrison, coastal
Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are by far the largest and most important coastal ecosystem in North America, but over the past century about 2,000 of the original 7,000 square miles of coastal marsh and swamp forests that formed the coastal delta of the Mississippi River have disappeared, an area larger than Delaware (see map of land loss from 1932-2000 at www.lacoast.gov/maps/2004SElandloss/index.htm).
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Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 400,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. www.environmentaldefense.org
One Year After Katrina, Government Gets D+ Grade for Efforts to Restore Louisiana
August 27, 2006EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL CONTACT:
9:30am CT, August 28, 2006 or scrowley@ed.org or
Steven Peyronnin 225.413.6924-c, stevenp@crcl.org
One Year After Katrina, Government Gets D+ Grade for Efforts to Restore
Report Warns “
The report, “One Year After Katrina, Louisiana Still a Sitting Duck: A Report Card and Roadmap on Wetlands Restoration”
(www.environmentaldefense.org/go/katrinaoneyear), was released during a 9:30am news conference in
“Hurricanes Katrina and Rita revealed – more than ever – the relationship between wetland loss and storm damage, and thus the critical importance of coastal wetlands restoration,” said
“The construction of navigation canals, such as the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, and thousands of miles of oil and gas pipeline and equipment canals, accelerated the degradation of wetlands and created a path for saltwater to intrude and kill off salt-sensitive marsh vegetation,” said Mark Ford, PhD, a wetland ecologist and deputy director of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. “Yet the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has failed to follow Congress’ order to develop a plan to deauthorize deep-draft navigation of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet - which acted as a storm surge superhighway during Katrina - and instead is continuing to focus on mediating between competing interest groups.”
The report ranks congressional, federal agency, Army Corps of Engineers, and state efforts in five categories:
1. Funding Wetlands Restoration (35% of overall grade): D-
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· U.S. Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service: D-
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2. Accelerating Wetlands Restoration Implementation (25% of overall grade): C-
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3. Closing the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and Restore Related Wetlands (15% of overall grade): B-
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4. Conserving existing wetland resources (15% of overall grade): C
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5. Public Support (10% of overall grade): A
The report concludes that Congress, federal agencies and the state could restore Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, protect New Orleans from another Katrina disaster and graduate with an A grade by taking the following steps:
1. The Corps must do much better and it’s time for special attention from its boss: Congress.
The Corps’ miserable first attempt at the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Program study was an utter failure—resulting only in a plan to build a levee or series of levees across the entire state. The Corps needs to start from scratch. Congress should hold hearings to make sure it does so.
2. The Corps must ask for help from private experts. It should hold a design competition for major ecosystem restoration projects such as the proposed East Atchafalaya Restoration spillway. Similarly, the Corps should rely on an outside review panel made up of distinguished engineers and other coastal experts in its Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) study process. Congress should issue clear direction to the Corps supporting the use of outside experts and hold hearings to review progress. Congress should also hold hearings before the MRGO study is released to make certain the Corps got the message to close MRGO to deep-draft navigation.
3. Congress needs to pledge support, and back it up. Congress should pass legislation committing to the restoration of coastal
4. The state must keep its eye on the ball. While state efforts so far have been admirable, it must keep up the good work by making sure that the Coastal Impact Assistance Program it is developing focuses on large, systematic projects and not small, locally appealing but unsustainable projects.
“The most important ingredient to the ultimate success of the efforts to save coastal
“Given the economic importance of this extraordinary delta and its unique urban communities, especially New Orleans, we had reason to expect a clear commitment to its restoration,” said Susan Kaderka, gulf coast regional director for the National Wildlife Federation and a member of the Louisiana Governor’s Advisory Commission on Coastal Protection, Restoration and Conservation. “Sadly, the nation has not risen to the challenge so far.”
“Unless Louisiana’s losses are reversed, the communities of Louisiana cannot survive, the navigation and oil and gas infrastructure of south Louisiana will face increasing risk, nationally important fisheries supported by the Mississippi Delta will suffer and the ecological value of one of the world’s great deltas will continue to decline,” said Carlton Dufrechou, executive director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation.
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Environmental Defense Hails 7th Circuit Court Decision Supporting Its Suit to Stop Weakening of Clean Air Act
August 17, 2006CONTACT: Vickie Patton (303) 447-7215; 720-837-6239; vpatton@ed.org or Sean Crowley; 202-572-3331; scrowley@ed.org
WASHINGTON — Today the Seventh Circuit Court rejected the flawed Fourth Circuit’s June 2005 decision weakening the Clean Air Act’s “new source review” rules that require industrial facilities to modernize air pollution controls when they expand operations and increase pollution. The ruling in the government’s “new source review” enforcement case against Cinergy firmly and explicitly rejects the flawed Fourth Circuit opinion now pending appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court’s review of the case, Environmental Defense, et al. v. Duke Energy Corporation (No. 05-848). The case is being briefed this summer and the High Court just established November 1st as the oral argument date in the Duke case. A corporate merger of Duke and Cinergy was approved in April.“Over 160 million Americans, more than half of the country, live in communities out of compliance with the nation’s health standards and today an important federal court of appeals took a big step toward aiding those communities in their efforts to restore healthy air,” said Vickie Patton, a senior attorney for the Climate and Air Program at Environmental Defense and a former attorney in the General Counsel’s office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “We urge EPA not to adopt more exemptions to the Clean Air Act’s new source review program and to effectively enforce the program that has protected Americans from industrial air pollution for over a quarter century.”“This pivotal decision by one of the most influential federal court of appeals in the nation sends a powerful signal that it is time to address the serious human health and environmental impacts of coal-fired power plants,” added Patton. “The court’s strong, clear decision also puts its considerable weight behind a protective interpretation of the Clean Air Act’s clean up requirements for coal plants at the same time that the Supreme Court is considering a major case presenting these very questions.”The “new source review” program has been the subject of repeated, controversial rollbacks by the Bush administration. Most recently, on March 17, 2006, the federal court of appeals in Washington, D.C. overturned U.S. Environmental Protection Agency exemptions to the new source review program that the court ascribed to EPA’s flawed “Humpty Dumpty” world-view.Environmental Defense asked the United States Supreme Court to review the Fourth Circuit case after the federal government sharply reversed course by declining to further pursue its Clean Air Act enforcement matter against Duke Energy, opposed our request for review by the high Court, and embarked on a national rulemaking initiative to codify the flawed Fourth Circuit exemptions.In 2000, the United States filed a Clean Air Act enforcement action against Duke Energy in federal district court in North Carolina alleging the electric utility expanded operations at 30 coal-fired electric generating units (eight power plants) in North Carolina and South Carolina resulting in significant increases in particulate- and smog-forming pollution without updating pollution controls. The federal district court for the middle district of North Carolina granted summary judgment for Duke Energy and a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit unanimously affirmed the lower court’s ruling on June 15, 2005. On June 24, 2005, only nine days later, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. reached a contrary result in reviewing industry challenges to national new source review rules. The Fourth Circuit subsequently denied the United States’ and Environmental Defense’s request for rehearing and rehearing en banc.Two other petitioners joined in the case including the North Carolina Sierra Club and North Carolina Public Interest Regulatory Group. The Southern Environmental Law Center is also on the briefs for the petitioners.Environmental Defense and the co-petitioners presented two issues to the high Court:1. Whether the Fourth Circuit impermissibly allowed Duke Energy to collaterally attack the legality of national rules that may be reviewed solely in the U.S. Court of Appeal in Washington, D.C.2. Whether the Clean Air Act requires EPA to interpret the term “modification” in the new source review program to encompass changes that result in actual overall increases in air pollution.Campaign Heats up to Pass Global Warming Bills
August 16, 2006Sacramento and Los Angeles (August 16, 2006) – Environmental Defense and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) began airing ads in English and Spanish in Sacramento and Los Angeles urging viewers to call their lawmakers as the debate in Sacramento heats up over global warming legislation during the last two weeks of the state legislative session. The spots describe global warming risks to California, and feature an hour glass to illustrate that time is running out for lawmakers to address the problem.The new ads can be viewed at www.solutionsforglobalwarming.com“California has too much to lose to let this opportunity to tackle global warming pass, and too much to gain by using clean energy to cut emissions,” said Ann Notthoff, California advocacy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “AB 32 and SB 1368 will limit global warming pollutants in California and from energy that we buy outside the state, but time is running out with only two weeks before the legislative session ends.”Global warming threatens California with reduced water storage in the Sierra snow pack, an increased risk of wildfires, growing threats to public health from air pollution and heat stroke, erosion along our famous coastline, and diminishing returns from our vineyards, livestock and agricultural industries. Time is running out to minimize these increasingly visible threats. The ads echo this sense of urgency.Environmental Defense and NRDC are cosponsors of AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblymember Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills). The bill would make California the first state in the nation to set a statewide limit on the emission of global warming pollutants. The legislation enjoys broad support with more than 50 cosponsors in the California Senate and Assembly.Despite the broad support, and clear public interest in reducing global warming pollution the bills are opposed by the pollution lobby of oil and coal companies under the banner of SEECalifornia (www.seeca.org).“The pollution industry is airing nonsensical radio ads that try to convince people that this bill will break their budgets and hurt the environment. We’re used to them crying wolf about phony economic impacts, but we have to admit it caught us off guard that now they claim to be stronger environmental advocates than us,” said Jim Marston, director of state climate initiatives for Environmental Defense. “Californians want state action on limiting global warming pollution, and AB 32 and SB 1368 deliver that.”According to a recent Public Policy Institute of California survey, 66 percent of likely voters support the proposed legislation to reduce California’s global warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Nearly 8 in 10 say global warming is a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” threat to the state’s economy and quality of life. The sense of urgency is so strong that voters want their elected officials in Sacramento to act independently of Washington. In fact, more than half (54 percent) believe the federal government is on the wrong track when it comes to global warming. (The survey is available at http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=699)“Californians want to lead the world in solving global warming,” said Ann Notthoff, California advocacy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “The Global Warming Solutions Act will build on California’s world leadership in clean air and clean energy solutions. By reducing our emissions of heat-trapping pollution we can help avert the catastrophic effects of global warming, break our addiction to fossil fuels, and jump start a clean energy boom in the state’s economy.”BackgroundAssembly Bill 32 – The Global Warming Solutions Act – by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblymember Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) would set the nation’s first statewide limit on emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases that cause global warming. It would require a 25 percent reduction in global warming pollution by the year 2020 compared to business as usual. It would require state agencies to coordinate investments and programs to reduce global warming pollution, and to promote economic growth by encouraging the deployment of emissions reduction technologies.AB 32 is part of a package of bills that will reduce global warming pollution and put California on the path to a new energy economy. Other bills in the Legislature include: Senate Bill 1368 (Perata), which will require any new commitments to electric generation serving California to meet a minimum standard in terms of global warming emission levels; SB 1250 (Perata) to authorize continuing state investments in renewable energy and research and development; and AB 2021 (Levine) to ensure that all electric utilities maximize cost-effective energy efficiency.More information about global warming impacts and legislation in California is available at www.solutionsforglobalwarming.org.Environmental Defense Praises Eight Northeast Governors for Releasing Model Rule to Guide Reduction of Global Warming Gasses
August 15, 2006(New York) – Environmental Defense praised the release today of a model rule to guide the implementation efforts by eight Northeast states in the Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to significantly cut heat-trapping pollution. The program - which was adopted by the Governors of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine late last year - features the nation’s first cap-and-trade program for global warming pollution. Maryland adopted legislation in March requiring the state to join the program
“This is a watershed moment in the fight against global warming,” said Jim Marston, who heads the efforts to address global warming at the state level for Environmental Defense, which championed the RGGI program, along with business groups. “We commend Governor Pataki and the other Northeast state governors for their leadership on this vitally important issue. Now it’s time for federal legislators to take their heads out of the sand and pass federal legislation to cut global warming pollution.”
Beginning in 2009, emissions of CO2 from power plants in the region would be capped at 121 million tons annually, with this cap remaining in place until 2015. The states would then begin reducing emissions incrementally over a four-year period to achieve a 10 percent reduction by 2019.