Complete list of press releases

Contact: Becky Goldburg 212 505-2100

Environmental Defense today announced the launch of “Seafood Selector,” a unique interactive Web tool for consumers concerned about their diet, their health, and their environment. Filled with delicious fish recipes and important safety and health facts, Seafood Selector can be accessed at www.environmentaldefense.org.

A team of scientists, programmers and editors worked for more than a year to build the databased tool, which covers over 150 species of fish. “Seafood Selector is the largest database we know of that is devoted to providing consumer information on the best fish choices,” said Joyce Newman, Acting Chief Internet Officer.

Seafood Selector features dozens of recipes from award-winning chefs, including: Susan Spicer of Bayona in New Orleans (Mahimahi Baked in Grape Leaves); Rick Bayless of Chicago’s Frontera Grill (Grilled Wild Alaskan Salmon with Lemon-and Thyme-Scented Salsa Veracruzana); Stan Frankenthaler of Salamander in Boston (Blistered Mussels with Chinese Sausage, Coconut and Lime); and Kevin von Klause of White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia (Oysters Stewed in Thyme Cream with Thyme Croutons).

Visitors to Seafood Selector can learn how to pick and prepare the best, most environmentally sustainable fish. The site also tells how to avoid buying fish that are caught or farmed in ways that harm the environment.

“Americans are concerned about the health of their diet and the health of our oceans; Seafood Selector can help people with both, at just the click of a mouse,” said Environmental Defense senior scientist, Rebecca Goldburg. “More than 100 U.S. fish stocks are suffering from overfishing, and most commercial fisheries are reaching the brink of unsustainability. But by shopping for seafood caught or farmed in an environmentally sustainable manner, consumers can make a big difference.”

Seafood Selector is a part of the newly redesigned Environmental Defense web site, which offers a user-friendly, interactive experience for journalists, environmentalists, policymakers, and others interested in environmental issues.

A statistically rigorous study commissioned by Honda found that reducing vehicle weight results in no increase in auto fatalities, and government statistics demonstrate that heavier vehicles — such as SUV’s — often have a greater number of fatalities than more fuel efficient cars.

History also proves that these fears are unfounded. A study conducted by the Department of Energy shows that after the first CAFE law was passed in the 1970’s, 85 percent of fuel economy gains resulted from improved technology, not reductions in vehicle size. In other words, requiring cars and light trucks to get better gas mileage spurs automakers to use better technology to provide vehicles that consumers want, instead of compromising on safety, size or vehicle performance.

In addition to using scare tactics to block tighter fuel economy regulations, CAFE opponents are preparing an alternative, “let’s not do anything, but say we did” amendment to draw votes away from a genuine proposal for higher CAFE. This effort, being led by senators Kit Bond (R-MO) and Carl Levin (D-MI), would create new loopholes for automakers while letting the industry dodge real requirements to improve efficiency, by leaving it up to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to set standards without any real energy savings requirements.

For many years, DOT had the authority to raise fuel economy standards, but because automakers have well-placed allies in Washington, DOT routinely “rubber stamped” Detroit’s assertions that they were doing all they could to improve gas mileage. The Levin-Bond amendment, backed by the Bush Administration, will not require DOT to seriously consider “the need of the nation to conserve energy,” as stipulated in the original CAFE law. This approach will actually lead to an increase in gas consumption and worsen U.S. oil dependence.

In contrast, last week’s bipartisan proposal by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ) directs DOT to increase vehicle fuel economy to 36 miles per gallon by 2015. This clear fuel economy target will deliver real and timely fuel savings. Since this requirement covers both cars and all light trucks and calls for ongoing CAFE increases, its fuel savings will also build with time. By 2015 for example, savings will equal more than 20 billion gallons per year. Kerry-McCain also establishes an optional greenhouse gas emissions trading program that will provide carmakers with greater flexibility to market vehicles in response to public demand. And it will harness the power of markets to reduce greenhouse gas pollution — the leading cause of global warming.

We hope you will write on this important topic. For more information Please contact Joe Goffman or John DeCicco at Environmental Defense at (202) 387-3500.

A statistically rigorous study commissioned by Honda found that reducing vehicle weight results in no increase in auto fatalities, and government statistics demonstrate that heavier vehicles — such as SUV’s — often have a greater number of fatalities than more fuel efficient cars.

History also proves that these fears are unfounded. A study conducted by the Department of Energy shows that after the first CAFE law was passed in the 1970’s, 85 percent of fuel economy gains resulted from improved technology, not reductions in vehicle size. In other words, requiring cars and light trucks to get better gas mileage spurs automakers to use better technology to provide vehicles that consumers want, instead of compromising on safety, size or vehicle performance.

In addition to using scare tactics to block tighter fuel economy regulations, CAFE opponents are preparing an alternative, “let’s not do anything, but say we did” amendment to draw votes away from a genuine proposal for higher CAFE. This effort, being led by senators Kit Bond (R-MO) and Carl Levin (D-MI), would create new loopholes for automakers while letting the industry dodge real requirements to improve efficiency, by leaving it up to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to set standards without any real energy savings requirements.

For many years, DOT had the authority to raise fuel economy standards, but because automakers have well-placed allies in Washington, DOT routinely “rubber stamped” Detroit’s assertions that they were doing all they could to improve gas mileage. The Levin-Bond amendment, backed by the Bush Administration, will not require DOT to seriously consider “the need of the nation to conserve energy,” as stipulated in the original CAFE law. This approach will actually lead to an increase in gas consumption and worsen U.S. oil dependence.

In contrast, last week’s bipartisan proposal by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ) directs DOT to increase vehicle fuel economy to 36 miles per gallon by 2015. This clear fuel economy target will deliver real and timely fuel savings. Since this requirement covers both cars and all light trucks and calls for ongoing CAFE increases, its fuel savings will also build with time. By 2015 for example, savings will equal more than 20 billion gallons per year. Kerry-McCain also establishes an optional greenhouse gas emissions trading program that will provide carmakers with greater flexibility to market vehicles in response to public demand. And it will harness the power of markets to reduce greenhouse gas pollution — the leading cause of global warming.

We hope you will write on this important topic. For more information Please contact Joe Goffman or John DeCicco at Environmental Defense at 202 387-3500.

Contact: Joe Goffman 202 387-3500

Allan Margolin 212 505-2100

Environmental Defense today praised BP, a member of its Partnership for Climate Action, for achieving its initial emissions reduction targets eight years early and extending its efforts to combat global climate change. In a speech today at Stanford University, BP’s chief executive Lord John Browne announced a new initiative to reduce global warming gases not only from the company’s own operations, but also from the use of its products, such as the fuel used in cars and trucks.

“BP made history at Stanford in 1997 when it became the first in its industry to make a firm commitment to reduce greenhouse gases. They demonstrated they could achieve their goal earlier than expected and with no net cost to the company. Now, the company has again set the industry standard for developing the performance-based solutions needed to overcome Earth’s greatest environmental threat,” said Environmental Defense executive director Fred Krupp. “This is an important message for all corporate leaders and government officials to hear.”

In 1997, BP announced a commitment to reduce its emissions of the heat-trapping gases that cause global warming to 10% below 1990 levels by 2010. Today, in addition to that commitment, Browne announced the company would focus on developing cleaner fuels and on working with the automotive industry to cut emissions. The transportation sector accounts for 26% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. BP also will explore investing in low-cost reductions through techniques such as preserving forests. Deforestation accounts for one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than those of the U.S., which emits 20% of greenhouse pollution.

“To prevent dangerous interference in Earth’s climate, the world needs the powerful incentives that a properly structured market would provide to lower emissions from industrial operations, consumer products and deforestation,” said Environmental Defense policy analyst Andrew Aulisi. “Once again, BP is leading the way in making a global market in greenhouse gas reductions work for the planet.”

Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization based in New York, represents more than 300,000 members. Since 1967 we have linked science, economics, and law to create innovative, equitable, and cost-effective solutions to the most urgent environmental problems.

Current Partnership for Climate Action members are Alcan, BP, DuPont, Entergy, Environmental Defense, Ontario Power Generation, Pechiney, Shell International and Suncor Energy. Each company has set a firm target for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The targets will result in a total reduction of at least 80 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2010.

“This innovative bipartisan proposal not only mandates more efficient vehicles but also will harness the power of the market to reduce automotive emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief global warming pollutant,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Joseph Goffman. “Now is the time for both political parties to come together and support legislation that will help protect America’s economy by lessening our nation’s dependence on oil, and help protect the global climate by targeting carbon dioxide emissions from cars.”

“We are very pleased that this bipartisan bill will deliver significant energy savings, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas pollution,” said Environmental Defense legislative director Elizabeth Thompson. “This package also provides important flexibility in how fuel economy standards are met that will allow manufacturers to continue to make their own decisions on how to design and market their vehicles in response to the public’s demand for safety and performance.”

The Kerry-McCain proposal would tighten Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and establish a carbon emissions trading program. The package would raise fuel economy standards to 36 miles per gallon by 2015. The carbon dioxide emissions trading option would also be phased in over time.

Sean Multon (OMB Watch) 202 234-8494

Jeremiah Baumann (U.S. PIRG) 202 546-9707

Environmental Defense, OMB Watch and U.S. PIRG today joined together in supporting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to improve the public’s access to key environmental information.

In a letter to EPA sent this week, OMB’s John Graham urged the agency to begin utilizing a single identification number for industrial facilities that report pollution information to EPA’s multiple databases. Graham also called for expediting the availability to the public of Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data.

“While TRI has proven to be a powerful and popular environmental tool, the usefulness of this data is undercut by the length of time it takes for the information to be made public,” said Environmental Defense Economic Development Specialist Carol Andress. “Moving to electronic reporting as OMB has suggested will speed up TRI reporting, reduce errors and require that companies get the data right the first time.”

“Right-to-know advocates have been pushing for a facility identification system in TRI for years.

And while the EPA began developing such system in 1995, its efforts in this area seem to have fallen behind other priorities. Hopefully this additional push from OMB will spur the EPA to make the system a reality more quickly,” noted Sean Moulton, Senior Policy Analyst on Environmental Information Policy at OMB Watch

“These are the kinds of basic changes that support the public’s right to know about what is being released into the local environment by improving access to information about pollution,” said Jeremiah Baumann, Environmental Health Advocate for U.S. PIRG. “We know that public access to information about toxic pollution can lead to significant reductions in sources of that pollution.”

Under current EPA reporting requirements, data on pollution from industrial facilities is maintained in different databases, making it difficult for individuals to get information on the total environmental impact of a nearby facility. Creating a single identification system will enable users to more easily review the entire scope of pollution from a single facility.

“Under the current reporting system, it is difficult for someone living next to an industrial facility to fully assess its impact on the environment. Instituting a single identification system will make it possible to get immediate on-line access to all environmental information reported by that facility, including the various types of pollution produced,” Andress said.

Contact: Scott Faber 202 387-3500

David Cherry 202 387-3500

Environmental Defense today applauded Senators Bob Smith (R-NH), John McCain (R-AZ) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) for introducing landmark legislation to reform the scandal-plagued U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The legislation would subject large Corps dams and levees to independent review and force local project boosters to contribute more to project construction funds. The bill would also force barge interests to share the cost of running waterways with little or no barge traffic. In addition, the bill would prioritize and reduce the Corps’ growing $52 billion backlog of authorized projects.

“Dozens of economically questionable and environmentally unacceptable Army Corps projects waste scarce funds that could instead be used to meet pressing water resource needs such as restoring the Everglades and other wetlands around the nation,” said Environmental Defense water resources specialist Scott Faber. “By subjecting projects to greater scrutiny and requiring local boosters to pay their fair share, the Smith-McCain-Feingold bill will clear the way for projects that make economic and environmental sense.”

Last year, the Army’s Inspector General concluded that the Corps exaggerated the benefits of longer locks on the Mississippi River, triggering calls for reform and leading to studies now being conducted by the National Academy of Sciences and the General Accounting Office. Since then, questionable Corps projects have received heightened scrutiny, including projects to deepen the Delaware and Columbia rivers and flood control projects slated for the Lower Mississippi River Valley.

“The destruction of habitat by levees, dams and channelization projects constructed by the Corps is a leading reason why freshwater species are vanishing five times faster than mammals and birds,” Faber said. “With so many freshwater species already in trouble, the Corps should not continue to destroy rivers and wetlands, especially in cases where there is little or no economic return.”

Contact: Scott Faber 202 387-3500

David Cherry 202 387-3500

Senior House Democrats, led by Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), today sent a letter to Reps. Richard Gephardt and Charles Stenholm, urging them to support $4.4 billion in annual Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation funding during Farm Bill negotiations.

Environmental Defense praised the leadership in support of conservation by Democratic Reps. Dingell, Bonior, Conyers, DeLauro, Dicks, Hoyer, Kaptur, Kildee, Kind, Levin, Lowey, Miller, Obey, Oberstar, Rahall, Slaughter, Bennie Thompson, Mike Thompson and Waxman, who joined the letter endorsing the conservation title of the Senate Farm Bill.

The letter urged Gephardt, the Minority Leader, and Stenholm, the senior Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, to support Senate Farm Bill wildlife conservation provisions, including $246 million in annual average funding for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and a new $1 billion program to resolve conflicts between farmers and endangered fish.

“With the help of Reps. Gephardt and Stenholm, the next Farm Bill can finally reward farmers and ranchers when they restore wildlife habitat, improve water quality or serve as the frontline against sprawl,” said Environmental Defense water resource specialist Scott Faber.

More than 150 Democrats voted for an unsuccessful amendment to the House Farm Bill that would have dedicated $5.4 billion annually for USDA conservation programs. The amendment, offered by Reps. Dingell, Kind, Boehlert, and Gilchrest, was defeated 226 to 200.

Most farmers are not eligible for grain subsidies, so conservation payments help boost the income of all farmers, including dairy farmers, ranchers and fruit and vegetable producers.

“Rep. Dingell recognizes that the next Farm Bill should help all farmers and all regions, while also meeting our most important environmental challenges,” Faber said.

FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company, and the Alliance for Environmental Innovation, one of the first environmental advocacy groups to work cooperatively with business, announced that three competing teams have committed to produce prototype vehicles for the next generation of FedEx Express delivery trucks. The three competing teams are headed by Allison Transmission Division of General Motors, BAE SYSTEMS Controls and Eaton Corporation.

FedEx Express and the Alliance for Environmental Innovation invited companies to submit proposals for design and development of a delivery truck that will increase fuel efficiency by 50% and reduce emissions by 90%. Over 20 suppliers responded to the project’s call for cleaner, economical, fuel-efficient delivery trucks.

The project seeks to:

• Deliver significant and measurable reductions in pollution, fuel consumption and resource use,
• Prove that environmental improvements to the current FedEx delivery vehicles are economically and functionally viable, and
• Accelerate the time to market of full production-scale environmentally preferable vehicles substantially sooner than regulations require.

In October 2002, the prototype hybrid electric trucks will be tested for performance against a baseline FedEx Express delivery vehicle. The ultimate goal of the project is to select the next standard FedEx delivery truck, to be on the road by 2004.

“FedEx Express is strongly committed to protecting the environment,” said Mitch Jackson, director of Environmental Management for FedEx Express. “With the expertise of these companies and our commitment for hybrid-electric vehicle purchases, this project will demonstrate that environmental benefit can go hand-in-hand with good business.”

“This project is accelerating the production and use of clean truck technology that will result in cleaner air and less fossil fuel use,” said Elizabeth Sturcken, project manager for the Alliance.

With new vehicle technology in development and impending regulations affecting diesel trucks, the FedEx-Alliance project signals a new demand for transportation options that meet business needs and minimize impacts on the environment. Options are needed to minimize air pollutants including soot, smog-causing emissions, and greenhouse gases linked to global climate change.

For additional information on this project, visit www.environmentaldefense.org/go/fedex.

The Alliance for Environmental Innovation is an initiative of Environmental Defense. The Alliance works cooperatively with companies to reduce waste and incorporate environmental considerations into business decisions. By combining the expertise and perspective of environmental scientists and economists with the business skills of leading companies, the Alliance creates environmental solutions that make business sense.

With annual revenues of $20 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, a leading provider of regional less-than-truckload freight services; FedEx Custom Critical, the world’s largest provider of expedited time-critical shipments; and FedEx Trade Networks, a provider of customs brokerage, consulting, information technology and trade facilitation solutions.

Contact: Joe Goffman 202 387-3500

Environmental Defense today expressed deep concern over the Bush administration’s failure to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. This afternoon the administration will announce its Climate Leaders Partners program.

“This is yet another voluntary program that does not make up for the basic failure of the administration’s greenhouse policy. For several years a variety of forward looking companies, acting on their own and with nongovernmental organizations, have committed to and made voluntary reductions of their greenhouse gas emissions. Despite their success U.S. greenhouse emissions are still climbing — and will only decrease through mandatory governmental policies. Under the administration’s plan, however, greenhouse gas pollution goes up, not down,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Joe Goffman. “U.S. emissions of greenhouse gas pollution will go up by at least 12% over the next ten years, unless the administration joins the rest of the world in the fight against global warming.”

The Bush administration withdrew the U.S. from the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change last year. Last November, ignoring the U.S. pullout, more than 170 countries finalized rules to implement the Protocol, paving the way for ratification by individual nations, which could put the Protocol into effect as early as this year.

“Earth is already beginning to show the effects of global climate change, and responsible nations are taking action,” said Goffman. “As the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gas pollution, it’s well past time for the United States to join them.”

The Kyoto Protocol is designed to cut pollution while growing the economy. Using a system known as emissions trading, pioneered by the U.S. to cut acid rain pollution, companies that reduce more pollution than required are able to earn money by selling the excess reductions to those that face difficulty in making their own cuts. This allows companies to make money by reducing pollution, and spurs the development of new clean technologies. For U.S. acid rain, the system worked so well that companies have made more cuts in acid rain pollution than the law requires, and at a fraction of the cost.

Sarah Clark Stuart, Conservation Law Foundation, 267-254-7246

Brian Keane, Conservation Law Foundation, 617-403-1325 (pager) or 617-350-0990 x 727

Susan Farady, The Ocean Conservancy, 978-618-3043 or 207-767-0144

Danielle Luttenberg, Environmental Defense, 617-723-5111

Robert Rangeley, World Wildlife Fund Canada, 902-225-1541 or 902-464-0814

Martin Willison, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, 902-477-6102 or 902-477-6102

Boston, MA. February 16, 2002. A vast majority of the public in New England and Atlantic Canada strongly supports protection of the oceans, says a poll released today. Five leading American and Canadian marine conservation groups who commissioned the poll are calling upon their governments to fully protect more areas of the ocean.

This public support is encouraging, particularly in light of alarming data on the effects of overfishing in the region. Today, at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Daniel Pauly of the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre released a study revealing that, despite the dramatic increase in fishing and in the number of fishing boats over the past 50 years in the North Atlantic, catch of food fish has declined by one half. Overfishing has not only severely reduced populations of cod, halibut, haddock and flounder, but has fundamentally undermined the North Atlantic Ocean?s ecosystem.

Correcting this problem won?t be easy. But one tool that has been found to be effective in other parts of the world—yet has not been adequately employed by either the United States or Canada— is the designation or setting aside of marine protected areas, especially fully protected “no-take” areas in which all extractive activities such as fishing, dredging and oil and gas drilling are prohibited. Scientists agree that fully protected areas are essential to help replenish overfished stocks and restore the health of ocean ecosystems. As it turns out, the residents of New England and Atlantic Canada fully support the idea and strongly favor the establishment of more such areas off their shores.

The Conservation Law Foundation, The Ocean Conservancy, Environmental Defense, World Wildlife Fund Canada and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society together sponsored a poll that interviewed 750 residents of New England and Atlantic Canada. A summary of the poll?s findings follows:

• The public is very supportive of establishing fully protected “no-take” ocean areas that prohibit all extractive activities, including commercial and recreational fishing. (New England 74%, Atlantic Canada 73%).

• Ironically, most residents of this region believe that 20-23% of their ocean waters is already fully protected. In fact, less than 1% of New England?s ocean waters and none of Atlantic Canada?s are fully protected.
• Upon learning that less than 1% of the waters off New England and Atlantic Canada are fully protected, 82% of New Englanders and 87% of Atlantic Canada residents say this fact alone is a convincing reason for more waters to be fully protected.

• 66% of New Englanders and 77% of Atlantic Canadians are willing to live with the impacts of restricting human activities in the ocean, including short-term costs in lost jobs and higher prices for goods and services, in order to obtain the long-term benefits from healthier fish populations and increased tourism for future generations.

“This new poll shows that there is strong support among those who live in New England and Atlantic Canada for establishing fully protected areas in the ocean that prohibit all extractive activities, including commercial and recreational fishing” said Priscilla Brooks, Director of the Marine Resources Project at the Conservation Law Foundation. “The surprising finding was that people believe a significant portion of the ocean is already protected, when in fact it is not,” said Susan Farady, Project Manager for The Ocean Conservancy. “Certain areas of the ocean are critical habitat for fish and other sea life, and resource managers need to accelerate their efforts to work with the public and protect those areas,” said Danielle Luttenberg, Ocean Advocate with Environmental Defense.

“Both the United States and Canadian governments need to create public processes that will create fully protected areas in the ocean, which are science-based, participatory and also give full consideration to fishing industries” said Robert Rangeley, Atlantic Marine Program Director of WWF-Canada. “It is time that governments of these two countries afford the same kind of protection to the wild creatures of the ocean as they do to wildlife and wild habitats on land,” said Martin Willison of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. “People who live in New England and Atlantic Canada highly value marine life that dwell in the ocean and want their governments to do more to protect them and give them a chance to recover.”

“Establishing networks of “no-take” marine reserves is an essential step that must be taken along with substantially reducing fishing fleets and abolishing subsidies to industrial fisheries in order to restore productivity to the fisheries of the North Atlantic,” said Daniel Pauly of the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre. “This poll reveals that there is strong public support for the same solution to the effects of overfishing that is being promoted by the scientific community. If this is both scientifically sound and the public agrees, how can we not do this? The alternative is the continued decline of what little is left.”

The poll is based on 750 interviews in the Gulf of Maine region; 450 interviews conducted across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and 300 interviews conducted across the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Contact: Mica Odom, (512) 691-3451, modom@edf.org 

(Austin, Texas – Feb. 16, 2012) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today introduced the EDF Energy Innovation Series, a year-long campaign that will highlight innovative clean energy technologies and business models that have the potential to revolutionize the way energy is created, transported, managed and used.

Over the next 12 months, EDF will select more than 20 innovations to highlight across a broad range of energy categories, including smart grid and renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency financing, and progressive utilities, to name a few. This series will demonstrate that cost-effective, clean energy solutions are available now and imperative to lowering our dependence on fossil fuels.

“I agree with Bill Gates – we must ‘innovate our way to zero CO2 emissions.’ To do so we need true Innovation, with a capital ‘I.’ Think light bulb, assembly line, personal computer and iPhone. These breakthroughs didn’t slightly improve existing technologies, they revolutionized them,” said Jim Marston, vice president of EDF’s Energy Program.

The EDF Energy Innovation Series will showcase original news stories on featured energy innovations as well as videos and animations, interviews with clean energy experts and webinars that discuss the future of clean energy, among others. Through this series, EDF is shining a light on breakthrough innovations and business models that will help create jobs, reduce U.S. reliance on imported fuels, stabilize the cost of electricity, bolster energy security and protect our air, water, land and health.

See edf.org/energyinnovation for more information.

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. See twitter.com/EDFEnergyEX; facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund; and http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/category/energy-innovation-series/.

Contact: Scott Faber 202 387-3500

Tim Searchinger 202 387-3500

David Cherry 202 387-3500

Following today’s passage of farm legislation in the U.S. Senate, Environmental Defense called the bill’s conservation title one of the most promising pieces of environmental legislation to pass since the Clean Air Act amendments a decade ago.

“The conservation title of the Harkin Farm Bill is one of the most promising pieces of environmental legislation to pass the Senate in more than a decade,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Tim Searchinger. “This package will provide unprecedented resources to reward farmers and ranchers when they help improve water quality, restore wildlife habitat or limit sprawl.”

The conservation title provides $4.4 billion in annual average conservation spending. The funding includes $1 billion to aid endangered fish in seven states, $270 million in annual average spending to restore lost wildlife habitat, $350 million in annual average spending to preserve farmland threatened by sprawl, and $1.4 billion in annual average spending to improve water quality. The conservation title will also help restore 1.25 million acres of lost wetlands and grasslands.

“With Senator Harkin’s help, the majority of landowners seeking federal assistance will no longer be turned away,” said Environmental Defense water resource specialist Scott Faber.

Faber expressed concern that the high levels of commodity subsidies in the Senate’s bill would encourage farmers to plow up new land to grow crops, but said an amendment successfully offered by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) would help limit the conversion of grasslands and pastureland.

“Sen. Durbin’s amendment limits subsidies to land that is already being plowed, so it is likely to save millions of acres of grassland from being used to produce excess crops,” said Searchinger.

Contact: Scott Faber 202 387-3500

David Cherry 202 387-3500

The Senate today approved by a 55-45 vote a new water conservation program to help resolve conflicts between farmers and endangered fish.

Environmental Defense applauded Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), who led efforts to protect the water conservation provisions of the Farm Bill from being removed during debate on the Senate floor. Joining Reid in supporting the amendment were Senators Snowe (R-ME), Collins (R-ME), Smith (R-NH), Gregg (R-NH), Chafee (R-RI), Specter (R-PA), Warner (R-VA), Carnahan (D-MO), and Fitzgerald (R-IL).

“Senator Reid’s water conservation provisions will give states valuable new resources to resolve conflicts between farmers and endangered fish,” said Environmental Defense water resources specialist Scott Faber.

One part of the Reid amendment will provide $375 million to seven states (CA, WA, OR, NM, NV, NH and ME) over five years to lease or buy water rights to help endangered fish, and to share the cost of irrigation efficiency infrastructure, provided that most “conserved” water is used to provide adequate stream flows for fish. Under the second provision, $625 million will be available to pay farmers more for a conservation easement if they voluntarily lease water rights to the state.

“Today, freshwater species are disappearing five times faster than North America’s mammals and birds, and inadequate stream flow is among the leading threats — especially in western states,” Faber said.

“Obtaining additional water through leasing will help endangered fish by ensuring that streams have enough water to support aquatic life during dry periods, and by restoring seasonal high flows.”

Providing adequate stream flows helps maintain dissolved oxygen levels, keeps water temperatures cool, and provides fish sufficient range to find food and spawning habitat. Restoring seasonal high flows will restore important spawning and migration cues, restore access to floodplain and side channel spawning areas, aid the migration of species like salmon, and enhance the ability of rivers to create new sandbars, islands, and side channels through the erosion and deposition of sediment.

CONTACT: Karen Florini 202 387-3500

Environmental Defense, the organization that worked with McDonald’s to replace wasteful polystyrene foam sandwich clamshells with lightweight and recycled paper packaging, today praised the McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Popeye’s restaurant chains for their decision to end the purchase of poultry treated with fluoroquinolone antibiotics, as reported in the February 10 edition of The New York Times. In addition to action by the restaurants, the Times also reports that Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms and Foster Farms say they have voluntarily taken most or all of the antibiotics out of what they feed healthy chickens.

Cipro is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. A variant of Cipro called Baytril is used to treat chicken and turkey flocks for certain ailments.

Considerable medical evidence shows the effectiveness of fluoroquinolones for treating humans is being compromised by its use in factory farms. These antibiotics have been used on people since 1986, but bacterial resistance to them was negligible until they were used in poultry in 1995. By 1999, resistance to these antibiotics in the food-borne pathogen Campylobacter, a type of disease-causing bacteria commonly found in chicken, had jumped to more than 14%. The Food and Drug Administration proposed banning Baytril in 2000, but its manufacturer, Bayer, has refused to comply.

“Today’s news shows environmental and business leadership from the poultry and restaurant industries. Other food companies should move quickly to follow their lead and help stop the growth of antibiotic resistance,” said Environmental Defense executive director Fred Krupp. “Antibiotics are life-saving wonder drugs; these companies are showing good corporate citizenship by taking a critical first step to help keep these medications strong and effective.”

“Cancer patients, premature babies, persons with HIV/AIDS and seniors often depend on antibiotics for their very survival,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Karen Florini, “and just about everyone benefits from the availability of effective antibiotics. Ending the use of Baytril to treat illness in chickens and turkeys should help maintain the effectiveness of similar antibiotics for people, but the use of other antibiotics in healthy farm animals needs to be dramatically cut.”

Environmental Defense also applauded the news that Tyson, Perdue, and Foster Farms have stated that they have reduced their use of medically important antibiotics for certain purposes in chickens, as also reported in The New York Times, although the group cautioned that terminology in this area can be confusing. “We look forward to obtaining more information on the new practices of Tyson, Perdue, and Foster Farms. If these changes are leading to a significant decrease in the use of medically important antibiotics, that’s welcome news indeed — and other poultry and livestock producers should adopt similar changes,” said Florini.

Over a decade ago, Environmental Defense and McDonald’s first worked together to replace polystyrene foam sandwich clamshells with paper wraps and light-weight recycled boxes, replace bleached with unbleached recycled paper carry-out bags, and made dozens of other packaging improvements. These changes resulted in the elimination of over 150,000 tons of packaging, the purchase of more than $3 billion worth of products made from recycled materials, and the recycling of more than one million tons of corrugated cardboard.