Complete list of press releases

(29 May 2003 — Washington, DC) Environmental Defense and Ohio Citizen Action, among other groups, today urged the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) to include specific counties on the list of areas that violate federal air standards.  In a letter to the state agency, the groups noted that OEPA’s list omits counties without air quality monitors, including six that according to federal requirements should be listed.  The action was prompted by an Environmental Defense report that found exposure to ozone, which is harmful to human health, varies within a region and that numerous areas lack any monitoring.  The report and a copy of the letter can be found at www.environmentaldefense.org. 

“This is a classic catch-22.  Many counties do not have ozone monitors to measure air quality, but without this data, it is assumed that the air is clean,” said Halley Rosen, ozone project manager for Environmental Defense.  “Some of these counties are close to areas with dangerous ozone levels.  For example, U.S. EPA’s own mapping data show that ozone affects Champaign County.  Yet without monitoring data, nothing is done to alert residents or reduce pollution.” 

In summer 2002, Environmental Defense partnered with local environmental groups in Dayton, Cleveland, and Atlanta, Georgia to train citizen volunteers to collect and analyze local ozone data using a hand-held monitor.  An analysis of the data, contained in the new report, suggests that ozone levels can vary significantly and that government monitors may not be capturing the highest levels in a given region.  For example, on a random day in Dayton, people were exposed to ozone levels as much as .050 parts per million (ppm) higher in nearby neighborhoods.  Studies show that ozone levels as low as .040 ppm can impact human health.  Smog can trigger asthma attacks and exacerbate other respiratory illness and a new study by the University of Southern California Medical School demonstrates that smog can actually cause asthma among young children who exercise in areas with high ozone.    

The report also points out that Ohio lacks data on air quality in all the counties that are likely to have bad air.  This data is important if the state is to compile an accurate list of counties that are considered to be in violation of federal health standards.  This list, which must be submitted to US EPA by July 15, 2003, was released in draft form last month and overlooks some potential problem areas in Ohio. 

“The designation of areas that violate new federal air regulations is an opportunity for states like Ohio to ensure that residents are equally protected,” said Jane Forrest Redfern of Ohio Citizen Action.  “Ohio’s draft list fails to include several important counties, namely Fulton, Auglaize, Brown, Gallia, Carroll, and Columbiana that should be included according to federal rules.”

Each of these counties is part of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) that is in violation of the ozone standard.  According to federal requirements, if one county within a MSA violates federal air standards, all counties making up that MSA are to be considered non-attainment areas. 

(21 May 2003 - New York) Following today’s resignation of EPA administrator Christie Whitman, Environmental Defense called on President Bush to appoint a strong and committed professional as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, and to follow that person’s advice.

“Governor Whitman came to Washington with strong environmental credentials and did achieve some notable progress strengthening rules relating to diesel exhausts.  But unfortunately, her term in office has been most often characterized by missed opportunities and policy reversals by the administration,” Environmental Defense president Fred Krupp.  “Despite her efforts, over the last two years America has abandoned the fight against global warming and has significantly eased regulations governing emissions from industrial sources and power plants.  The new EPA Administrator must be a powerful advocate for real controls on greenhouse gas pollution, and the Bush Administration must step up to the plate and take on the problem of global warming instead of ignoring it.”

“The new EPA Administrator must be an independent voice for public health and the environment inside the Bush Cabinet,” said Krupp.  “A good administrator will defend and expand needed environmental safeguards, protecting every American’s fundamental right to a sustainable climate, healthy air to breathe and clean water to drink.  And President Bush would do well to make sure that voice is not silenced within the Administration.”

“During confirmation hearings Congress should make sure that any new administrator will serve as a strong advocate, willing to take on lobbyists and other agencies in order to protect America’s public health and the environment.  And ultimately, the President must make sure that such protections are put, and kept, in place,” said Krupp.

For more information, including project materials, pictures and downloadable audio, please visit our page at www.environmentaldefense.org/go/FedEx.

CONTACT:
Ed Coleman, FedEx Public Relations, (901) 434-8100
Jessica Mendelowitz, Environmental Defense Media Relations, (212) 505-2100
Gary Klasen, Eaton Media Relations, (216) 523-4736

Washington, D.C., May 20, 2003 - FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), in concert with Environmental Defense and Eaton Corporation (NYSE: ETN), introduced a low-emission, hybrid electric powered delivery vehicle that could become a standard medium-duty delivery truck for the FedEx Express fleet. The FedEx OptiFleet E700 hybrid electric vehicle will decrease particulate emissions by 90 percent, reduce smog-causing emissions by 75 percent and increase fuel efficiency by 50 percent.

“FedEx Express is proud to be the first company to make a long-term market commitment to develop and utilize hybrid electric delivery trucks,” said David J. Bronczek, president, FedEx Express. “This hybrid electric truck demonstrates that technology is available now to begin to achieve environmental goals and meet our operational requirements. The environmental and business gains of this project signal a revolution in truck technology and set a new standard for the industry.”

“With this project, FedEx enhances its role as an environmental leader in the business community,” said Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense. “Working together with Environmental Defense, FedEx has developed a truck that will deliver cleaner and healthier air, reduce oil dependency, and reduce climate change impacts. Environmental Defense now challenges other companies to step up to the plate and meet the green standard set by FedEx.”

Eaton Corporation was the company selected to produce the hybrid electric powertrain for FedEx Express. FedEx Express has agreed to purchase 20 hybrid electric diesel delivery trucks using Eaton’s innovative hybrid electric technology. Later this year and into early 2004, these 20 vehicles will begin operation in four yet-to-be-named U.S. cities. These hybrid electric vehicles will endure real-world FedEx operating conditions to verify and prove their viability in commercial applications.

As the trucks succeed in meeting project goals, FedEx OptiFleet E700 hybrid electric trucks will be placed in the company’s pick up and delivery fleet as early as Fall 2004. FedEx Express expects to purchase hybrid electric vehicles on the company’s normal purchasing schedule for routes in the U.S. and Canada, where medium-sized delivery trucks are used. This program has the potential to replace the company’s 30,000 medium duty trucks over the next 10 years.

“Eaton is pleased to make this innovative, environmentally advanced technology available to FedEx Express and Environmental Defense for this ground-breaking project,” said Jim Sweetnam, senior vice president and group executive, Eaton Corporation, Truck Group. “We are proud of the achievements to date, and we look forward to working with our colleagues to prove out the economic and environmental benefits of this technology. Our team will continue to work closely with FedEx Express and Environmental Defense as we take this innovative project to the next level. With expanded industry use and needed government support through tax incentives in this stage of commercial development and necessary industry adoption, we believe this technology can be brought rapidly to market.”

Power of Innovation Produces New Vehicle

The unveiling of the hybrid electric truck comes in the third year of a four-year project between FedEx Express and Environmental Defense to create a delivery truck that will dramatically decrease emissions and fuel use. While the two organizations began working together in 2000, manufacturers were invited in 2001 to submit proposals to design and develop an environmentally progressive commercial delivery vehicle. Through a competitive process, Eaton Corporation was selected from more than 20 manufacturers who expressed interest. Since the beginning of the project, progress toward goals has been assessed against the 1999 FedEx Express W700 standard delivery vehicle, which represents the most common model in the FedEx Express fleet.

Eaton’s Innovative Technology Produces Hybrid Electric Powertrain

Eaton’s hybrid-electric powertrain effectively combines a diesel engine and electric motor to drive the vehicle. A computer determines the most efficient combination, depending on current operating conditions and driver demand. A four-cylinder engine replaces the six-cylinder version currently used in the FedEx Express W700 delivery vehicle. The engine size is reduced because of the added power provided by the electric motor. A particulate trap has been added to the truck to further reduce emissions.

Lithium-ion batteries capture and store energy during the “regenerative braking” phase of the vehicle’s operation, providing a source of stored electric power for the motor during future acceleration. Therefore, all electrical charging of the battery is provided by the hybrid electric powertrain, and no external electrical infrastructure, such as a power cord or electrical outlet, is needed. This balance between conventional and electric technology is an innovative method to improve environmental performance and decrease fuel use while eliminating the need for high electrical-demand infrastructure costs. The hybrid electric truck?s operating characteristics will remain virtually unchanged from that of a conventionally powered FedEx Express vehicle.

Eaton’s hybrid electric power train has been placed in the standard white FedEx Express W700 delivery truck, which utilizes a Freightliner chassis. The hybrid electric delivery vehicle will be differentiated from the standard FedEx Express delivery vehicle only by an OptiFleet brand decal on the sides and rear of the vehicle. The hybrid electric E700 has a gross vehicle weight of approximately 16,000 lbs. and a cargo capacity of approximately 670 cubic feet.

For more information, including project materials, pictures and downloadable audio, please visit our page at www.environmentaldefense.org/go/FedEx.

About FedEx

With annual revenues of $22 billion, FedEx Corp. is the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply chain management services. The company offers integrated business solutions through a network of subsidiaries operating independently, including: FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground, North America’s second largest provider of small-package ground delivery service; FedEx Freight, the largest U.S. provider of regional less-than-truckload freight services; FedEx Custom Critical, North America’s largest provider of expedited time-critical shipments; and FedEx Trade Networks, a provider of customs clearance, international freight forwarding and trade facilitation. For more information, visit www.fedex.com.

About Environmental Defense

Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 300,000 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. The work of Environmental Defense in this project was supported by a lead grant over three years from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund. Additional support was received from the Oak Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the David H. Smith Foundation. For more information, visit www.environmentaldefense.org.

About Eaton Corporation

Eaton Corporation is a global diversified industrial manufacturer with 2002 sales of $7.2 billion that is a leader in fluid power systems; electrical power quality, distribution and control; automotive engine air management and fuel economy; and intelligent systems for fuel economy and safety in trucks. Eaton has 51,000 employees and sells products in more than 50 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.

(19 May, 2003 — Washington, D.C.)  Environmental Defense today applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for proposing new incentives for farmers and ranchers who aid rare species and improve air quality.

USDA released final rules for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which this year will provide nearly $700 million in assistance to farmers and ranchers offering to help improve air and water quality, protect soils, and provide habitat for wildlife.

Historically, EQIP has awarded efforts to improve water quality and soil health.  But, at the urging of Environmental Defense, USDA included at-risk species and air quality among four “national priorities” for the program. 

“USDA is launching an unprecedented effort to reward farmers and ranchers who help meet the needs of rare species,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Tim Searchinger, who is also co-director of the organization’s new Center for Conservation Incentives.  “No agency has more resources to work with landowners to provide incentives for habitat restoration efforts than USDA.” 

The new $10 million Center for Conservation Incentives provides technical, financial and regulatory assistance to landowners and advocates policies that provide incentives for good land stewardship.

“Farmers and ranchers want to protect rare species and improve air quality, but they face new costs and risk when they take steps to help the environment.  USDA has helped make made good stewardship affordable for more landowners,” said Searchinger.

Most rare species depend upon private land for their survival, according to scientists.  The National Academy of Sciences recently confirmed that air emissions from farms and ranches require greater attention from agencies like USDA.

(14 May 2003 — Washington, D.C.) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed an implementation strategy for the health-based national ambient air quality standard for ground-level ozone or “smog.” To date, progress in implementing the ozone health standard — which was established in 1997 — has been stymied. Today’s proposal is designed to provide guidance for states to follow in developing local air quality management plans that meet the ozone health standard and will be subject to public comment before becoming final.

“The nation needs a sensible, protective transition to the health-based smog standard that does not compromise our clean air safeguards, and EPA’s proposal will not meet that goal,” said Vickie Patton, senior attorney with Environmental Defense. “EPA’s proposal would remove critical public health protections in vulnerable areas across the country before the new smog standard will be fully implemented.”

EPA’s proposal would eliminate a key Clean Air Act program in areas now required to maintain compliance with the one-hour ozone standard. The program, dubbed “transportation conformity” is a safeguard against deteriorating air quality due to transportation-related projects. It ensures, for example, that emissions from major new highway projects are consistent with health-based air quality standards. In addition, vast areas of the country failing to meet the eight-hour smog standard would be subject to a weak implementation program that drops the application of long-standing ozone control measures.
 
“This is a case of one step forward and two steps backwards,” said Michael Replogle, director of the Environmental Defense transportation program. “EPA has all but ignored enforcement of the health-based ozone standard, and now they are suddenly looking to eliminate clean air measures that have been key to protecting the public from smoggy air pollution.”

EPA strengthened the ozone standard in 1997 to improve protection of children and other vulnerable populations from air pollution that can lead to respiratory ailments, hospital admissions and possible long-term lung damage. EPA estimates that 291 counties, with a population of about 120 million people, have monitored violations of the standard, based on the agency’s 1999-2001 data.

(14 May 2003 — Washington, D.C.)  Citing inadequate investment in public transit options, relaxed air quality protections and limits on public participation, Environmental Defense today criticized the Bush administration’s new “SAFETEA” transportation proposal for failing to include adequate safeguards to protect public health and reduce pollution.

“SAFETEA calls for billions of dollars to be showered on America’s transportation needs, but it fails to include a strong commitment to protecting public health,” said Dr. John Balbus, a physician who heads the environmental health program at Environmental Defense.  “Communities must be protected from smog and other air pollution that can trigger asthma attacks, streets should be made safer for kids to walk or bike to school, and commuters must be given a wider array of transit options in order to cut harmful vehicle emissions.”
 
The administration’s package fails to promote local involvement in transportation planning, despite the fact that cars and trucks are a leading source of toxic air pollution across the country.  SAFETEA would also undermine existing safeguards against air pollution through changes in current law, including the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA).

“SAFETEA would undermine existing protections for the environment and public health,” Dr. Balbus said.  “The SAFETEA package weakens accountability for meeting clean air goals that protect public health from the leading source or toxic pollution in most communities — the exhaust from gas and diesel engines.” 

“At a time when asthma is on the rise, the government should not decrease the frequency and effectiveness of measuring the impacts of transportation on the air American’s breathe,” said Michael Replogle, director of the Environmental Defense transportation program. 

“SAFETEA reverses the bipartisan progress made under the last two federal transportation bills and threatens efforts to create healthier air and a cleaner environment by limiting community involvement and weakening existing regulations, including the Clean Air Act and protections for parks and historic resources.  Communities have a critical role to play in making smart decisions about transportation planning, but the SAFETEA proposal does not provide local officials with the resources needed to get the job done,” Replogle said. 

(13 May 2003—Durham) Scientists and museum directors across North Carolina are combining resources and expertise to increase understanding of the complex issue of climate change.  The North Carolina Climate Change Science Partnership, launched today at the Duke Center on Global Change, was formed by state nonprofit organizations and institutions including North Carolina Environmental Defense, the Sustainability Institute, Duke Center on Global Change and the Grassroots Science Museums Collaborative.

“National studies have shown that public awareness of climate change science is low, yet understanding this complex issue will become increasingly important to the well-being of North Carolina citizens,” said Michael Shore, southeast air quality manager for Environmental Defense.  “Potential impacts in the state include sea-level rise and increased coastal erosion, more extreme summer heat, water supply constraints for growing cities, rainfall variability impacting the agricultural sector, and loss of species in forests, wetlands and other ecosystems.  Now is the time to start educating the public in a formal, organized way.”

“From the National Climate Data Center in Asheville to the universities in the Research Triangle to research sites at the coast, North Carolina boasts a significant number of major research facilities and climate change scientists,” said Drew Jones, program director for the Sustainability Institute.  “North Carolina scientists are doing cutting-edge research in the cutting-edge science of climate change.  They will now be able to share their work directly with the people of the state through this new partnership with science museums.”

“North Carolina boasts strong science museums in many cities and has the country’s only organized partnership of science museums — the North Carolina Grassroots Science Center Collaborative,” said Fran Nolan, executive director of the collaborative.  “Three million people walk through the doors of the state’s 22 science museums every year.  Their visits offer an excellent opportunity to provide educational programs and products about the ways in which climate change will affect their daily lives and the future of the state.”

(12 May, 2003 - Los Angeles)  A novel agreement to help the endangered San Joaquin kit fox on private farmland in California has just been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Sacramento.  Environmental Defense, the national conservation organization that helped broker the agreement, called the agreement an important step forward in conserving rare species on private land and praised the landowner, Paramount Farming Company, for being the first agriculture company in the nation to enter into a Safe Harbor agreement to help endangered species.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />

First designed in 1995 by Environmental Defense, Safe Harbor agreements allow landowners to create or improve habitat for endangered species on their land without fear of new restrictions.  Such agreements have been struck with numerous ranchers, forest products companies, and individual woodlot owners in other parts of the country.  The agreement with Paramount Farming Company is only the second Safe Harbor agreement yet approved in California and the first with a farming operation, though others are pending.

“This project demonstrates that agricultural practices can coexist with the protection of endangered species,” said Joseph MacIlvaine, president of Paramount Farming Company.  “We appreciate the pioneering efforts of Environmental Defense to work with the agricultural community to help bring some common sense to the implementation of the Endangered Species Act.”

“Paramount Farming Company deserves enormous credit and thanks for this entirely voluntary undertaking,” said Michael Bean, senior attorney and co-director of Environmental Defense’s Center for Conservation Incentives and a leading authority on the Endangered Species Act.  “Paramount’s dedication, cooperation and patience have been exemplary.”

“This Safe Harbor agreement highlights the importance we place on working cooperatively with private landowners,” said Steve Thompson, manager of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s California/Nevada office in Sacramento. “We cannot recover this species - or any species - without the help of farmers, ranchers, timber companies and other private land managers. We hope this agreement is the first of many in California’s Central Valley.”

Small populations of kit foxes live on grassland to the east and west of Paramount’s agricultural fields in Kern County.  The foxes are highly vulnerable to coyotes. Under the agreement, Paramount has installed a series of artificial “escape dens” across a portion of its land.  The entrances to these artificial dens are large enough to allow the kit foxes to enter but small enough to keep out the coyotes.  The design and placement of the artificial dens and the monitoring of their use are to be managed by the Endangered Species Recovery Program (ESRP), a cooperative research program affiliated with the California State University at Fresno and Stanislaus.  ESRP’s Dr. Patrick Kelly has been an active participant in the development of the Safe Harbor agreement since its inception.

The agreement aims to reduce kit fox mortality and increase the fox’s ability to traverse the farm fields safely.  “Safe Harbor is one of the few endangered species conservation strategies that has been praised by environmental groups, as well as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and the Western Governors’ Association,” said Bean.

“Safe Harbor programs offer enormous potential for habitat enhancement,” said Scott Hamilton, resource planning manager for Paramount Farming Company.  “I think we have only just begun to see the benefits that may occur when incentives to enhance habitat and work with regulatory agencies are provided to the private sector.”

Paramount Farming Company is a large, privately-owned producer of nuts and pomegranates in California’s southern San Joaquin valley.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

Learm more about the San Joaquin Kit Fox Safe Harbor Agreement.

(6 May 2003 — Washington, DC)  Environmental Defense today joined in support of World Asthma Day and called for increased efforts to reduce sources of air pollution through individual, community and governmental action.      
 
“Dirty air and asthma are directly linked, and reducing air pollution in communities can prevent asthma attacks and help protect public health,” said Dr. John Balbus, physician and director of the environmental health program at Environmental Defense. 

An estimated 20.3 million Americans suffer from asthma, including over 6 million children and teenagers.  Exposure to air pollution from cars, power plants, diesel engines and other sources is a leading contributor to asthma attacks and has been linked by some to the development of asthma in individuals. 
  
“From big cities to small towns, Americans are still breathing unhealthy air, and the result has been a growing health burden from asthma,” Dr. Balbus said.  “Millions of Americans are impacted by asthma each day and billions of dollars are spent each year on health care and days lost at work and school.  Identifying and eliminating sources of air pollution that can trigger asthma attacks and contribute to long-term lung damage is an ounce of prevention that can reduce health care costs.”

The Environmental Defense SCORECARD website (www.scorecard.org), provides users with localized information about the leading sources of pollution in their state, county or the nation as a whole.  Visitors who want to find out about the amounts and sources of asthma-triggering air pollutants in their community can go to www.scorecard.org/env-releases/cap/index.tcl 

While events like World Asthma Awareness Day help to focus global attention on the growing health problem of asthma, it is also important to focus year round on promoting policies and incentives that address pollution from various forms of transportation, a leading source of harmful air emissions.      

“Despite the progress that has been made, there is still a need to take real steps in order to ensure the nation’s air is healthy year-round.  Government at every level must address the problems of sprawl and traffic, soot-belching diesel engines, and super-polluting power plants,” Dr. Balbus said.   

(5 May 2003 — Raleigh)  Environmental Defense today released a report that calls on North Carolina regulatory agencies to develop a statewide buffer rule to protect the environment, economy and public health.  “Riparian Buffers: Common Sense Protection for North Carolina’s Water” recommends protection for a minimum 50-foot buffer of trees and grass adjacent to all year-round and intermittent streams in each of the state’s 17 river basins.  The report also calls for other complementary measures, including incentive programs for private landowners and setting limits on how much paved or built upon surfaces will be allowed in a watershed.  Impervious surfaces such as roads, parking lots and houses reduce the land’s ability to absorb and filter pollutants.  The report, produced with several North Carolina environmental organizations, is at www.environmentaldefense.org/go/NCbuffers.
 
“The greatest threat to North Carolina’s waterways is not pollution from factories or wastewater treatment systems, but non-point pollution, or widespread runoff that is caused by virtually every human activity in a watershed, from construction and farming to individual homeowners fertilizing their lawns,” said Dave McNaught, senior policy analyst with the North Carolina office of Environmental Defense.  “Protecting existing buffers in all the state’s 17 watersheds is among the most important, cost-effective steps North Carolina can take to hold the line against increasing non-point pollution.”

“Buffer rules are already working to reduce pollution in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse river basins and in part of the Catawba basin, but development of buffer protections has been piecemeal across the state.  What North Carolina needs now is a statewide buffer rule that will help maintain water quality in all its river basins.  In addition, a buffer rule will protect stream banks, wildlife habitat and downstream property owners,” said McNaught.

(22 April 2003 —Washington, D.C.) Environmental Defense praised today’s decision by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Anne Veneman to target half a million acres of the Conservation Reserve Program to restore bottomland hardwood forests. 

“Today’s decision provides new hope for these vanishing forests,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Tim Searchinger.  “In most areas, the U.S. has lost 80% of its bottomland hardwood forests, and many of these lands are frequently-flooded and unproductive croplands.  Secretary’s Veneman’s decision creates a golden opportunity to improve water quality and restore important habitats for declining migratory birds and rare animals like the black bear.”

Secretary Veneman today announced that the Department of Agriculture would move ahead with a so-called general sign-up this spring to enroll land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  The CRP pays farmers to restore habitat for ten to fifteen years on one-tenth of the cropland in the United States, now up to 39.2 million acres.  The new bottomland hardwood initiative is a special use of the CRP program that allows landowners who have land of special value automatic entry into the program.

“While this program has achieved many environmental benefits, as a whole there has been too much emphasis on restoring random strips of land in the central U.S, a legacy of the program’s past as a crop supply control program,” said Searchinger.  “The program holds enormous environmental potential, but the key is to target the program at special kinds of restoration of exceptional environmental value.  The bottomland hardwood focus today is a good step forward.  Because there is far less demand by farmers to use CRP as a retirement program, the Secretary has a great opportunity to target more CRP at other lands of exceptional environmental value.”

“We look forward to working with the Secretary to assure that sufficient CRP acres are reserved for enrollments of exceptional value,” said Searchinger.  “That would also be more equitable nationally, since general sign-up criteria typically do not result in many sign-ups in more than half the country.” 

(22 April 2003 — Washington, D.C.) Environmental Defense today criticized the release today of a new Biological Opinion by the Fish & Wildlife Service regarding Missouri River dam operations.

“It is ironic that such a decision so offensive to the environment should be announced on Earth Day,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Tim Searchinger. “Today’s opinion flatly contradicts 13 years of statements by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.  It disregards endangered species and the dire drought facing South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana that will cost those states millions of desperately needed acre-feet of water  to float a mere handful of barges on the lower Missouri.”

In 2000, the Fish & Wildlife Service issued a Biological Opinion on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which required that the Corps of Engineers change how it operates the dams so that they include at least a modest semblance of the natural flow patterns, which included increasing flows in the spring and lower flows in the summer.  This opinion was supported by peer review science and effectively endorsed by a report of the National Academy of Sciences.  Although the Corps has been operating the river for ten years in violation of the Endangered Species Act, the Service gave the Corps until this year to make these changes.  This year the Corps has sought not to make these changes.

Environmental Defense is suing the Corps of Engineers in federal court to compel it to change its dam operations.  “We hope the court will see the new document as a delay tactic,” said Searchinger.

(21 April 2003 — Boulder)  Today the National Academy of Public Administration issued a report to Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criticizing EPA’s proposed reforms of the new source review program.   The report also recommends that any legislative action reforming the new source review program also address the nation’s concerns about global warming and climate change.  The National Academy of Public Administration is an independent, nonprofit organization of leading policy experts chartered by Congress to improve governance.

“This is a failing grade from the nation’s leading policy experts who have concluded that the Bush Administration plan for revamping the nation’s Clean Air Act misses the mark both environmentally and economically,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Vickie Patton.   “The Academy found that the Bush Administration plan fails to ensure environmental protection by weakening the long-standing new source review program and is economically short-sighted in failing to integrate strategies to lower heat-trapping greenhouse gases with other pollution control investments.”

The report made several key findings that were designed to improve the performance of the controversial new source review program.  The Academy recommended:

First, that Congress end “grandfathering” for all large existing industrial sources as soon as possible by prioritizing the oldest facilities with the highest emission levels to ensure that air quality benefits are achieved quickly.   The report recommends that all major pollution sources be required to upgrade to the best available pollution controls within 10 years. 

Second, that EPA and the Department of Justice continue to enforce new source review vigorously.

Third, that Congress require existing pollution sources to meet rigorous national or regional air pollution caps that steadily decline over time to meet public health and environmental needs.

Fourth, that when Congress adopt new source review reforms it anticipate future environmental challenges such as global warming and climate change so that industry “can plan for, and make, sound investments to address current and emerging environmental requirements.”

The report is available on-line at:  http://www.napawash.org/

American Lung Association y Environmental Defense dieron a conocer hoy un nuevo informe que analiza los impactos nocivos sobre la salud pública de la contaminación atmosférica con combustible diesel.  Closing the Diesel Divide (Cómo Eliminar la Diferencia Existente entre los Motores a Diesel) muestra el gran contraste entre la impresionante gama de peligros que presenta la emisión de combustible diesel y las leyes que regulan la fuentes de dicha contaminación.  El informe se centra en dos importantes fuentes de contaminación “diesel” que representan los huecos en el marco regulador: (1) motores a diesel usados en una gama de equipamientos fijos, como por ejemplo: construcción, industrial, explotación minera y agrícola, y (2) generadores eléctricos de motor diesel.  El informe está disponible en  www.environmentaldefense.org/go/nonroad  y  www.lungusa.org.

“Acabar con los dañinos agentes contaminantes que emanan de grandes equipamientos y generadores eléctricos alimentados por combustible diesel está entre las medidas más importantes que se pueden llevar a cabo para ayudar a millones de americanos a respirar un aire más sano,” dijo John L. Kirkwood, presidente y CEO de la American Lung Association.

“Este informe identifica formas viables y sensibles de proteger la salud pública de la contaminación atmosférica con combustible diesel rellenando los huecos existentes en el caótico marco de los programas reguladores de esta contaminación,” dijo el Dr. Carlos Rincón, científico de Environmental Defense.

La American Lung Association y Environmental Defense recomiendan los siguientes pasos que se deberían tomar para proteger a la salud pública de los efectos nocivos  de la contaminación atmosférica de estas dos importantes categorías de motores a diesel:

• Adoptar medidas de protección para la emisión y aprovisionamiento de diesel para grandes equipamientos fijos que reflejen los estándares recientemente adoptados por el gobierno federal para motores a diesel en grandes carreteras.
• Consignar la línea completa de motores diesel que hayan eludido las medidas significativas  de protección al aire limpio, desde cargadores compactos a largas embarcaciones comerciales.
• Implementar programas federales y locales que tienden a modificar su equipamiento actual  a fin de disminuir la contaminación atmosférica y proteger la salud pública en forma inmediata, sin tener que esperar a una próxima generación de equipamientos para sustituir las máquinas existentes.
• Cerrar el vacío legal que permite que los generadores eléctricos a diesel funcionen sin respetar ningún estandar federal sobre emisiones.

La emisión de diesel contiene contaminantes dañinos que combinados  plantean un riesgo cancerígeno mayor que el de cualquier otro agente contaminante del aire, así como también causan otros problemas de salud a corto y largo plazo,” dijo el Dr. John Balbus, director del programa de salud pública de Environmental Defense.

Por casi 100 años, la American Lung Association y las afiliadas a la Asociación del Pulmón (Lung Association) a través de los Estados Unidos han trabajado juntos en la lucha contra las enfermedades del pulmón.  www.lungusa.org

Environmental Defense, una organización sin fines de lucro líder a nivel nacional, representa a más de 300.000 miembros.  Desde 1967, Environmental Defense ha vinculado ciencia, economía, leyes e innovadoras sociedades del sector privado para crear soluciones a los problemas ambientales más serios.  www.environmentaldefense.org

(15 April 2003 — Washington)  Today the American Lung Association and Environmental Defense released a new report examining the harmful impacts of diesel air pollution on public health.  Closing the Diesel Divide shows that the breathtaking range of hazards posed by diesel exhaust stands in stark contrast to the chaotic patchwork of regulations that governs diesel pollution sources.  The report focuses on two major sources of diesel pollution that represent holes in the regulatory patchwork:  (1) diesel engines used in a range of nonroad equipment such as construction, industrial, surface mining, and agricultural, and (2) diesel-powered electrical generators. 

“Cleaning up the harmful pollutants discharged from large diesel equipment and diesel electric generators are among the most important measures that can be taken to help millions of Americans breathe healthier air,” said John L. Kirkwood, president and CEO, American Lung Association.

“This report identifies viable, sensible ways to protect public health from diesel air pollution by filling in the holes in the chaotic patchwork of programs governing this pollution,” said Vickie Patton, Environmental Defense senior attorney. 

The American Lung Association and Environmental Defense recommend the following key steps that should be taken in order to protect public health from the harmful effects of air pollution from these two major categories of diesel engines:

• Adopt protective national emission and fuel standards for large nonroad equipment that reflect the federal government’s recently adopted standards for large highway diesel engines.
• Address the full suite of diesel engines that have eluded meaningful clean air protections, from compact loaders to large commercial marine vessels. 
• Implement federal and local retrofit programs to lower air pollution and protect public health immediately without waiting for the next generation of equipment to replace existing machines.
• Close the long-standing loophole that allows diesel electric generators to operate without meeting any federal emission standards. 

“Diesel exhaust contains a host of harmful contaminants that together pose a cancer risk greater than that of any other air pollutant, as well as causing other short and long term health problems,” said Dr. John Balbus, Environmental Defense public health program director and physician.

For more information visit:

• Diesel Nonroad Machines (www.environmentaldefense.org/go/nonroad)
• American Lung Association (www.lungusa.org)