Complete list of press releases

(25 July 2002 — Raleigh) Environmental Defense today said a report released by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) makes it clear that atmospheric emissions from industrial livestock production are a serious environmental and public health concern.  The group called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take swift action to protect the public from factory farm pollution.  The Scientific Basis for Estimating Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations, an interim report released by the NAS Committee on Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations, identifies emissions of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and odor as significant contributors to air pollution.

“This report sends a clear message to the EPA and U.S. Department of Agriculture that new regulations, due in December 2002, must control atmospheric emissions from large animal feeding operations,” said Joe Rudek, senior scientist with Environmental Defense, who reviewed the report for NAS.  “The report points out that ignoring air pollution generated by industrial farms and simply focusing regulatory efforts on controlling land application of manure will lead to poorer air quality, impair water quality and threaten public health.”

The interim report found flaws in earlier EPA analysis of atmospheric emissions from animal feeding operations and promised to provide guidance on improving forecasting tools in its final report, due in October 2002.  “This new study must be used to shape strong regulations to protect public health and the environment,” said Rudek.  “The science is clear, factory farms are polluting the air we breathe and the water we drink.  The time to protect the public is now.”

(24 July 2002-Raleigh)  North Carolina Environmental Defense today called for Gov. Mike Easley, Attorney General Roy Cooper and the General Assembly to take immediate action to ensure full implementation of the Smithfield Agreement on hog farms and to also mandate phase out of open-air lagoons on all other hog farms in the state as well.

“On the two-year anniversary of the Smithfield Agreement, negotiated when Gov. Easley served as Attorney General, it is appropriate to recall what was expected — a two-year report identifying alternative technologies to lagoons.  By the five-year anniversary, Smithfield Foods and Premium Standard Farms were to replace hog waste lagoons on company-owned factory farms with environmentally superior technology,” said Jane Preyer, director of North Carolina Environmental Defense.  “Unfortunately, implementation of the agreement already appears to be a year behind schedule.”

“It is time to set a firm deadline for identifying waste management technologies that are superior to the lagoon and sprayfield system.  The Governor and Attorney General should challenge researchers to complete identification of alternative technologies within the next year.  They should require Smithfield and Premium Standard Farms to fulfill their promises and immediately begin to convert lagoons as soon as the very first superior technology is identified,” said Preyer.

“The Smithfield Agreement acknowledges that open-air hog lagoons pollute the state’s air and water supplies, threaten the health of citizens and damage the quality of life in rural communities,” said Daniel Whittle, an attorney for North Carolina Environmental Defense.  “If fully implemented, this agreement should set in motion a process to eliminate all hog lagoons in North Carolina once and for all.  The key is full and timely implementation.  So far, there have been multiple delays and wavering commitments.”

“The agreement with Smithfield Foods and Premium Standard Farms applies only to the companies’ farms.  There are more than 2,000 other farms that use lagoons, most of them under contract with these companies to raise company-owned hogs.  To fully protect the health of citizens, the General Assembly should pass legislation requiring all the state’s regulated hog farms to convert to new technologies by 2006,” said Whittle.

Environmental Defense today hailed a vote by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) committee to regulate power plant emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) as well as conventional pollutants - mercury, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxide (NOx).

“For the first time we now have legislation passed by a Senate committee that cuts and caps emissions of carbon dioxide - a leading contributor to global warming. This is truly a watershed moment,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Joseph Goffman.

On a vote of 10 to 8, senate bill S.556 was given the green light by members of the Senate EPW committee. The legislation, authored by Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT), could be considered by the full U.S. Senate later this year. But the bill also faces opposition from those who do not want to see Congress enact mandatory restrictions on the amount of CO₂ that can be released by power plants into the atmosphere

“Those who are opposed to mandatory limits on CO₂ emissions as part of any multi-pollutant package are simply choosing to bury their heads in the sand. As the federal government’s own report on climate change recently noted, the Earth’s atmosphere is becoming warmer and that is going to affect human health and the environment,” Goffman said. “The longer we wait to act on reducing levels of CO₂, the higher the cost will be both in real dollars and in quality of life. That is why it is urgent to find a path to enacting legislation - not in five years, but in the next year - that actually will deliver the reductions.”

(18 June 2002 — Raleigh) Environmental Defense today praised the N.C. General Assembly for passage of the Clean Smokestacks Bill, landmark legislation that will deeply cut harmful emissions from the state’s 14 coal-fired power plants. The Senate gave final approval to the bill today. The House overwhelmingly endorsed the legislation on June 12.

The bill is based largely on the N.C. Clean Smokestacks Plan, which was developed by a coalition of environmental groups in March 2001. Over the next decade, the bill will require emission cuts in year-round nitrogen oxides by 78% and sulfur dioxide by 73%. Controlling these pollutants will also substantially reduce mercury emissions by more than 65%.

“The leadership from the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Nesbitt and Senator Metcalf, and from Speaker Black and President Pro Tempore Basnight, has been especially critical in achieving this great legislation,” said Jane Preyer, director of the North Carolina office of Environmental Defense.

“North Carolina has been waiting with bated breath for passage of this bill,” said Michael Shore, Southeast air quality manager for Environmental Defense. “Southeast states have been watching North Carolina closely, and this legislation sends a clear message to the region and the nation. North Carolina is serious about protecting the health of its citizens by improving air quality.”

“Most of North Carolina’s pollution is produced in state. Now North Carolina is cleaning its own house with the Clean Smokestacks legislation and can challenge other states in the region to follow suit,” said Shore. “There are more than 150 coal-fired power plants contributing to air pollution in the Southeast, which have a direct impact on air quality in neighboring, downwind states.”

“More than 33 million Southeasterners live in counties with unhealthy air. Air pollution from power plants is estimated to cost the Southeast over $20 billion in morbidity and mortality costs annually. Smog triggers an estimated 1.7 million asthma attacks and particulate matter, tiny particles emitted from coal-fired power plants, causes an estimated 11,000 deaths each year,” said Shore.

(13 June 2002—New York) Citigroup and the Alliance for Environmental Innovation announced they have teamed up to help reduce the environmental impact of copy paper. Together the Alliance, a project of Environmental Defense, and Citigroup will work to increase the recycled content in copy paper, reduce copy paper use, and develop environmental evaluation criteria for paper suppliers.

As part of this project, Citigroup worked with the Alliance and paper suppliers and began testing 30% postconsumer recycled copy paper for internal use in April. This month, a second round of testing began. If successful, Citigroup will recommend the purchase of postconsumer recycled copy paper for all U.S. operations, generating significant environmental benefits.

“Citigroup salutes and strongly supports the work being done by the Alliance for Environmental Innovation and is pleased to partner with them on this project,” said Pamela P. Flaherty, senior vice president of Global Community Relations at Citigroup. “Our company is strongly committed to helping preserve the environment for future generations and we look forward to having our employees become actively involved in finding ways to create environmentally beneficial results when producing and using copy paper.”

“The myth of the ‘paperless office’ is just that. Even with a move towards paperless technologies, the amount of copy paper used continues to increase dramatically, causing significant environmental impacts,” said Jackie Cefola project manager of the Alliance for Environmental Innovation. “We look forward to working with Citigroup to reduce the water and energy consumption, air pollution and solid waste associated with copy paper, and set an important example for other service firms.”

The Citigroup/Alliance copy paper project will be carried out by a team with members from both organizations. Citigroup employees participating on the team will represent areas including business services, purchasing, marketing, and environmental affairs. The project’s success will be measured by the extent to which it delivers significant and measurable reductions in energy and resource use, solid waste, and pollution; proves that environmental improvements to copy paper practices are economically and functionally viable; and drives positive change for other service firms. Under the terms of the voluntary agreement, each organization will continue with its own business and advocacy activities and will independently pay its own expenses.

The Alliance for Environmental Innovation, a project of Environmental Defense, works cooperatively with companies to create environmental solutions that make business sense. For more information, please visit www.environmentaldefense.org/alliance.

(13 June 2002 — Oakland)  Environmental Defense joined today with 15 other state and national environmental groups in urging Gov. Davis to take a leadership role in aiding the passage of AB 1058 in the California Assembly.  AB 1058 would lower greenhouse gas emissions in California by developing cost-effective, sensible regulations on emissions from cars and light trucks sold in the state.

“AB 1058 is a homegrown solution representing a unique opportunity for California to take a major step to help sustain our climate, our economy and our position as a national environmental leader and innovator,” said Tom Graff, Environmental Defense senior attorney and founder of the group’s California office.  “Governor Davis should demonstrate real leadership by playing a key role in helping pass this legislation.”

AB 1058 is sponsored by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) and has already passed in both houses of the California legislature.  It needs only final approval by the Assembly and the signature of Governor Davis to become state law.  Under the terms of the bill, by 2005 the California Air Resources Board (ARB) would develop regulations that would ensure “The maximum feasible reduction of greenhouse gases.”  Personal vehicles currently account for 40% of greenhouse gas pollution in California, and these emissions are a prime contributor to global warming. 

“For years automakers have resisted sensible change on everything from the introduction of unleaded gas to the original “California Emissions” vehicles,” said Graff.  “Despite claims that needed environmental reforms would destroy the economy and limit consumer choice, Americans are now driving cleaner, safer cars in a healthier environment, and consumers have a wide range of choice of vehicles, thanks to the leadership of California’s legislators and citizens.  Governor Davis should continue that tradition of leadership by helping pass AB 1058 and signing the bill into law.”

“Earth is already beginning to show the effects of global climate change, and the time for action is now,” said Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense executive director.  “By making AB 1058 law, California can show the nation how to effectively reduce greenhouse gas pollution and secure our future.”

(13 June, 2002 — Boulder)  In one of the most damaging administrative rollbacks in Clean Air Act history, the Bush administration today moved to undercut “new source review” clean air protections that have been instrumental in safeguarding local air quality for more than 25 years.  

“For more than two decades every American has depended on this critical Clean Air Act program to safeguard local air quality, to ensure healthy air for our families and to protect our national parks from air pollution,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Vickie Patton.  “The changes announced today clear the way for air pollution increases from large, poorly controlled industrial sources in neighborhoods across America without demanding any accountability.  When implemented, today’s action will only grow pollution instead of slowing it by changing ‘new’ source review into ‘no’ source review.” 

Under the existing new source review program, power plants and other large industrial sources that lack modern pollution control systems are required to update their pollution reduction technology when action is taken that significantly increases air pollution levels.  Once enacted, the new policies announced today would broadly exempt these old, high-polluting industrial sources from the requirement to modernize their pollution controls, even when they significantly increase air pollution in surrounding neighborhoods and communities.

“The administration’s initiative would make sweeping changes to this program that will allow virtually all pollution increases from old, high-polluting sources to go unregulated and public participation to be excluded,” Patton said.  “This rollback puts the nation on the path to major pollution increases when sound science tells us we need rigorous pollution cuts to protect public health.” 

The traditional new source review program required old, high-polluting sources to prevent pollution increases that will worsen unhealthy air quality in urban centers or adversely impact national parks.  The program also gave citizens affected by the increased pollution notice of changes and the opportunity to comment on measures to reduce air pollution.

(12 June, 2002 — Raleigh) Environmental Defense today applauded members of the N.C. House for passage of the Clean Smokestacks Bill, legislation that will require utility companies to protect public health by reducing harmful pollution from the state’s 14 coal-fired power plants.

“The public health impacts caused by North Carolina’s dirty air have finally gotten the attention of state lawmakers, and the House vote illustrates the bipartisan support for cleaning up and protecting state air quality,” said Michael Shore, Southeast air quality manager for North Carolina Environmental Defense.  “The Clean Smokestacks Bill is a balanced, fair solution to North Carolina’s air pollution problem, which is bad and getting worse.  The House vote puts us on the right course for clean air.  Now it’s up to the Senate to act responsibly and give the bill its full vote of confidence.”

“Air pollution affects every North Carolina county, not just those in the mountains or those that are home to coal-fired power plants,” said Jane Preyer, director of N.C. Environmental Defense.  “North Carolina has been waiting for over a year for passage of the Clean Smokestacks Bill, and it’s time for the waiting game to end.  This is a landmark bill that raises the bar for air quality and will encourage similar actions throughout the Southeast to reduce air pollution and protect public health.  But we have to clean our own house first, and that’s what this bill will do.”

The bill will require emission cuts in year-round nitrogen oxides by 78% and sulfur dioxide by 73%.  Controlling these pollutants will also substantially reduce mercury emissions.  The reductions will occur over the next decade.