Complete list of press releases

(PHOENIX, AZ — Aug. 16, 2022) The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) released its August 24-month study for the Colorado River Basin today, forecasting continued dire conditions for water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell. The study confirmed deeper, first-ever “Tier 2a” Colorado River cuts for Arizona to take effect  in January. The study comes on the heels of BOR Commissioner Camille Touton’s announcement in June that Colorado River Basin states must develop a plan to conserve 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water in 2023. The states have not yet announced a plan that specifically meets those goals. 

In response to the 24-month forecast, Chris Kuzdas, co-lead of the Water for Arizona coalition and a senior water program manager at Environmental Defense Fund, released the following statement:

“We knew this day was coming. Demands have continually outpaced available supply on the Colorado River, and we’ve now used up most of our water supply buffers in Lakes Mead and Powell. With one more dry winter, there may not be enough water in storage to stave off a major water system failure for Arizona and the Southwest. 

“It is imperative that the states and parties continue working in good faith to develop a plan to reduce water use. That plan must live up to the challenge and scale outlined by Commissioner Touton. Time is of the essence, and failure is not an option. 

“We must fundamentally change how we manage and relate to water in Arizona. Real, lasting solutions must involve more permanent water use reductions. The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act dedicates $4 billion to drought preparedness to help make those changes possible. But in Arizona, we still lack the fundamental policies needed to use those funds effectively, and to bring demand in line with actual water supplies in a more arid climate. That’s why we need Arizona to adopt our coalition’s Water Security Plan to set us on the right path toward ensuring that every Arizonan, business, and community has access to reliable water supplies.”

“With President Biden’s signature on this landmark climate and clean energy law, 2022 is the year we pivot towards a better future. By lowering costs, creating millions of jobs, and finally getting serious about climate change, we are building a stronger, healthier, and more prosperous America.

“This new law gives us the chance to take bold action to reshape our economy and our future. If we seize that opportunity, the impact of this moment will be far reaching. This action signifies real commitment by the United States to our ambitious climate goals while encouraging even greater global pledges to stabilize the climate. The federal investments in key climate programs can unlock 10 times the private investment because power companies and other businesses will know America is making the transition to a clean energy economy. Auto companies can accelerate their move toward clean vehicles. EPA – with modernized and expanded authority from Congress – can do even more to protect families and communities from air pollution and climate change. And people across this country, especially the next generation, can continue creating climate solutions with the knowledge that they are not in this alone.

“There is, of course, much more to do. Perhaps most importantly, we must ensure this new law is applied with an emphasis on equity. The significant environmental justice investments in the bill are very welcome news, but this must only be the beginning. The law must be implemented to ensure that investments actually flow into communities that have faced far too much environmental injury.

“The historic law was made possible because people – young and old, from every walk of life – helped Congress to understand that the status quo was unacceptable. High energy prices, fires and floods, and the chaos of an economy tied to world oil markets was having a direct impact on American families. The Inflation Reduction Act gives us the chance to solve those real problems. President Biden deserves great credit for delivering this win for the American people, and we are encouraged that he will take this opportunity to reshape our future for the better.”

      - Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) launched a digital ad campaign highlighting the benefits of truck and bus electrification, including cleaner air, healthier communities and a stronger economy. The campaign urges North Carolina leaders to take action to accelerate the state’s transition to electric trucks and buses. North Carolina is well-positioned to lead in clean transportation, having set important electric vehicle goals through Executive Order No. 246 and joined a multi-state collaboration to advance zero-emissions trucks and buses. 

Click here to watch the ad.

“Transportation is the leading contributor of climate-warming emissions in North Carolina, and trucks and buses produce a disproportionate amount of air pollution associated with poor health outcomes,” said Marilynn Marsh-Robinson, Senior Manager of Partnerships & Outreach. “Deploying policies to electrify trucks and buses can improve air quality, particularly in overburdened communities, and position the state to reap billions in net health and economic benefits.”

As the ad emphasizes, even though trucks and buses only comprise about 6 percent of vehicles on North Carolina roads, they’re responsible for more than 60 percent of the sector’s air pollution that is linked with asthma, heart attacks, lost work days and other impacts that put families’ health and wellbeing at risk. The only way North Carolina can make a meaningful impact to reduce health-harming pollution and meet its carbon reduction goals is to tackle the electric power and transportation sectors in parallel, and electrifying trucks and buses is a huge part of that equation.

“This moment was decades in the making, and it will reshape the decades ahead. The legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives will make a big difference in people’s lives by lowering costs and creating jobs while moving us toward a clean energy future. It’s a major step in the bold action President Biden promised when he declared the climate crisis is a ‘code red.’

“Over the last few years, we've become so accustomed to bad news that it's almost hard to process good news. Well, this is great news. It's the biggest thing ever for modernizing our economy, breaking our dependence on world oil markets, and getting back to a stable climate. It will significantly lower energy costs for the American people, making it cheaper and easier to power homes and offices with clean energy. It will stop billions of tons of climate pollution. I believe it will begin a virtuous cycle of greater ambition around the world.

“Speaker Pelosi deserves great credit for her leadership. Time and again since becoming Speaker, she has delivered on climate action.

“There is more work to be done, of course, but this is generationally unprecedented progress that will create momentum for the work ahead. This achievement for a better, safer, more stable world is a desperately needed antidote to cynicism. We can create a better future for ourselves when we work for it.”

            - Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund

“The Engine Manufacturers Association said today that it will drop its harmful lawsuit challenging California’s freight truck pollution standards, and that’s welcome news. Several of the association’s members – including Ford, GM, Honda and Cummins – had already stated publicly that they did not support that litigation.

“There’s an urgent need, and also a huge opportunity, for all of us to work together to eliminate climate destabilizing and health-harming pollution from medium and heavy-duty trucks, and to do so in a way that saves truckers money and grows well-paying jobs. Manufacturers are already investing billions of dollars in zero-emitting solutions, and we should build on that strong foundation.”

 - Alice Henderson, EDF senior attorney and director of transportation and clean air policy

“The Engine Manufacturers Association said today that it will drop its harmful lawsuit challenging California’s freight truck pollution standards, and that’s welcome news. Several of the association’s members – including Ford, GM, Honda and Cummins – had already stated publicly that they did not support that litigation.

“There’s an urgent need, and also a huge opportunity, for all of us to work together to eliminate climate destabilizing and health-harming pollution from medium and heavy-duty trucks, and to do so in a way that saves truckers money and grows well-paying jobs. Manufacturers are already investing billions of dollars in zero-emitting solutions, and we should build on that strong foundation.”

            - Alice Henderson, EDF senior attorney and director of transportation and clean air policy

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today released an environmental assessment of its planned congestion pricing program. The study, conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, confirms several pricing scenarios will meet funding guidelines to improve the public transportation system in New York City.   

Congestion pricing, a program that will charge vehicles coming into Manhattan’s central business district, will reduce traffic on busy roads and generate up to $1 billion annually to modernize public transit throughout the city. The MTA will hold six public virtual hearings at the end of the month to solicit feedback about the initiative’s implementation.

“This landmark assessment confirms congestion pricing can fund a more modern, sustainable and reliable public transportation system. Along with less traffic, New York residents and commuters will be able to get on the move faster and more efficiently.”

• Mary Barber, Director, State Affairs, Environmental Defense Fund

(Washington, D.C. – August 9, 2022) A new study published in the journal Atmospheric Environment finds that long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution is associated with higher health care costs for older adults. 

Scientists from Environmental Defense Fund and Kaiser Permanente Division of Research analyzed data from their joint study of block-by-block study of air pollution in Oakland, CA as well as five years of electronic health records of more than 25,000 members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California ages 65 and over. The study found that even small differences in concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, a key traffic-related air pollutant, were associated with increased health care costs. 

Specifically, living in an area with concentrations of nitrogen dioxide that are 5.9 parts per billion higher than another area was associated with a 22% increase in emergency room costs and 5% increase in outpatient costs. Among residents with existing cardiovascular disease, the effect was more pronounced. Higher air pollution was associated with 7% higher total annual direct health care costs and 23% higher emergency room costs compared to a similar population with lower pollution exposures.

This study is the first to empirically assess the invisible impact of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution on direct total health care costs. Air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk globally, resulting in heart and lung disease, strokes, diabetes, emergency room visits, hospital admissions and even death. Nitrogen dioxide, a key traffic-related air pollutant, is primarily generated from truck, bus and vehicular exhaust, and this study builds upon a growing body of evidence indicating that long-term exposure to this pollutant is associated with poor health outcomes. 

The study linked air quality data, gathered from monitors affixed to Google Street View cars that repeatedly measured block-by-block air pollution concentrations, with residential addresses. To calculate comprehensive health care costs, researchers analyzed detailed records of health care costs, including annual total health care, inpatient, outpatient, emergency room and pharmacy costs. 

“Street-level air quality data shines a light on pollution hotspots, enabling a better understanding of traffic-related air pollution's impacts on health and associated costs within cities,” said Ananya Roy, EDF senior health scientist and a co-author of the study. “We know reducing traffic-related air pollution presents an opportunity to protect public health. This new research suggests it could also help substantially reduce health care costs.”

“Nearly 80% of the U.S. population lives in an urban area, and our research adds to the evidence that air pollution in these areas has numerous recognized adverse health impacts as well as economic ones,” said senior author Stephen Van Den Eeden, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. “We believe analyses like ours can help us to understand the full health and economic impacts of air pollution.”

"This is a landmark in the fight to protect ourselves from climate change. Today the Senate voted for a stronger economy, healthier communities and a more stable future.

“The Inflation Reduction Act is an ambitious investment in the American people, as rising inflation and the climate crisis are disrupting our lives. This robust package of tax credits will lower costs for families and businesses and create more than 9 million good jobs by ramping up American-made clean energy.

“We must move toward renewable energy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels to stabilize the climate. This bill will bring us much closer to President Biden’s goal of cutting climate pollution in half by 2030 – and return the U.S. to a leadership role in the work to ensure a livable future.

“I recognize that this bill is not perfect, but it is a very big win for the climate and our economy. It will make electric vehicles, solar panels, and efficient appliances more affordable and drive down methane pollution from oil and gas operations. It will help famers and rural communities cut emissions and prepare for climate impacts that cannot be avoided.

“The bill will invest $60 billion in environmental justice, an important step toward addressing legacies of disinvestment and pollution burden in mostly Black, Latino, Indigenous and low-income communities — and ensuring these communities benefit from a clean energy future. While the bill ushers unprecedented resources toward environmental justice, much more will be needed. We must prioritize addressing environmental justice concerns as emerging technologies are developed and deployed.

“I am thankful for Senator Schumer’s leadership on this bill and know that Speaker Pelosi plans to move it quickly to the president’s desk. The Speaker has delivered key wins for the climate since she first assumed leadership of the House, and I appreciate her commitment and tenacity. This bill outlines a promise of a better future for the American people.” 

            - Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 4, 2022)  Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously passed out of committee the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act, a bipartisan bill  introduced by Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and James Lankford (R-OK) that will streamline the application process for disaster relief assistance across federal agencies.

This bill would simplify the often complex and duplicative application processes that survivors of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters must complete in order to receive the necessary government funding to start recovering and rebuilding from such events. The legislation will implement a universal disaster application (led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency) so that federal agencies can share relevant information to streamline and expedite the process and get recovery dollars on the ground sooner.

"Climate disasters are impacting more communities across our country than ever before. Federal agencies must evolve to ensure they can get relief and recovery dollars on the ground as quickly as possible, so communities can rebuild and be more resilient to future disasters.

"The current process requires survivors of disasters to first know how to apply for aid and then jump through too many hoops at a time when they should be solely focused on healing and rebuilding their homes and communities. Historically, as a result of the inaccessibility and complexity of application processes, communities of color have received less disaster aid than their white counterparts, despite experiencing greater impacts from disasters. Federal agencies must remove barriers and increase access to relief and recovery dollars for communities that urgently need this support, specifically for low-income communities and communities of color.

"This legislation is an important step toward advancing forward-looking, whole-of-government approaches needed to help communities confront the climate crisis. We thank Sens. Peters and Lankford for their leadership and foresight, and we look forward to continuing to work with them and the rest of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to advance similar solutions in the future.”

Natalie Snider, Associate Vice President, Climate Resilient Coasts and Watersheds, Environmental Defense Fund

(PHOENIX, AZ – Aug. 3, 2022) This week the U.S. Senate is poised to vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which addresses climate change, health care and inflation. If passed, the bill would invest $369 billion in climate solutions and put the U.S. on a path to a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The bill also contains measures to employ zero-emission technology, reduce air pollution, expand drought mitigation and resilience efforts, and ensure rural and low-income communities are at the forefront of climate solutions.

Chris Kuzdas, co-lead of the Water for Arizona coalition and Senior Manager, Climate Resilient Water Systems at Environmental Defense Fund, issued the following statement about the critical need to pass the legislation:

“The Southwest is grappling with the worst megadrought in 1,200 years and staring down the possibility of a major water supply collapse on the Colorado River. These severe changes are already underway with the current average global warming of 1.1 to 1.7 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels. Without meaningful action to move quickly toward a cleaner economy, we will be facing even more daunting prospects of trying to adapt water consumption to the dire reality of a world with as much as 2.5 degrees Celsius average warming.

“The Senate’s proposed Inflation Reduction Act would significantly boost the government’s ability to tackle climate change and is a necessary, major step forward if we are to reduce emissions. The bill includes funding for important conservation programs and a number of measures to advance drought mitigation and resilience efforts, such as support for Tribes, producers and others to respond to the climate crisis. All in all, the bill represents a major investment in protecting our water supplies in the Southwest.

“Climate action is mission critical if we hope to retain our ability to work toward a water secure future for all people in Arizona and beyond. The Water for Arizona Coalition is encouraged to see climate action back on the table in the U.S. Congress. We urge the Senate to move swiftly to pass the climate measures in the Inflation Reduction Act — and for the House to follow soon after — so we can keep building toward a more sustainable future.”

(Washington, D.C. – August 1, 2022) Six of the nation’s leading environmental groups are moving to defend in court the fuel economy standards that protect Americans’ lives and health, save them money on gas for their cars and trucks, and help us address the climate crisis.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set strong, protective standards earlier this year. An oil and gas industry trade association and a coalition of Republican Attorneys General are challenging them in court.

Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen, Sierra Club, and Union of Concerned Scientists filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today to intervene in the case in support of the standards.

“Strong fuel economy standards have a wide range of benefits, including protecting public health and saving lives, saving people money on gas for their cars and passenger trucks, reducing the pollution that is causing the climate crisis, and improving our national security,” said EDF attorney Andy Su. “The standards are firmly grounded in science and the law and are vital to protect Americans from the market volatility that we continue to endure with the gas price shocks this year.”

NHTSA is required by law to determine the maximum feasible average fuel economy level that car and truck manufacturers can achieve in each model year, and then set national fuel economy standards at that level.

In May of this year NHTSA published its final fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks in model years 2024 to 2026. The standards would improve fuel economy by at least 8% each year, culminating in an average standard of 49 miles per gallon in 2026. NHTSA estimates the standards will save 60 billion gallons of gasoline, keep hundreds of millions of metric tons of climate pollution out of our air, save Americans $1,280 on gas over the life of their car, and significantly reduce unhealthy, smog-forming pollution. The transportation sector is one of the nation’s biggest sources of those harmful pollutants. It’s also our largest source of climate pollution.

You can read the motion to intervene here. Industry groups, including leading companies in the power and transportation sectors have also moved to defend the standards.

(Washington, D.C. – July 28, 2022) U.S. Representative A. Donald McEachin (VA) today introduced the “Technology Assessment for Air Quality Management Act” to strengthen hyperlocal air quality insights and improve understanding of the health impacts of air pollution.

The bill would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to better enable the development and understanding of air pollution, health and equity insights at the community level. Under this bill, EPA would update the agency’s Air Sensor Toolbox with characterizations of the advantages and limitations of community monitoring technologies such as low-cost monitors and satellite data products, potential uses of the data, and how to access data on potential sources of air pollution and health impacts from air pollution. The bill would also require EPA to better integrate environmental justice mapping tools, focus on cumulative burdens, and improve the quantitative use of low-cost sensors and data from satellites in decision-making.

“Air quality monitoring technologies that reveal community-level insights are critical to inform our understanding of the sources and local health impacts of air pollution—which negatively impact millions of people in this country every day. Low-income communities and communities of color bear the brunt of harmful air pollution, and the ability to integrate high quality air pollution data into decision-making is crucial.

”We thank Representative McEachin for introducing the ‘Technology Assessment for Air Quality Management Act,’ which would provide communities and governments across the country with the tools to better understand local air pollution sources and protect the health of residents.

“EDF looks forward to continuing to work with Rep. McEachin and the bill’s co-sponsors, the EPA and communities across the country to improve the usability of high quality air pollution data and protect public health.”

• Sarah Vogel, Senior Vice President, Healthy Communities

The bill is a companion to S. 3507, the “Technology Assessment for Air Quality Management Act,” introduced by Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.

“The new agreement in the Senate, known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, would deliver what the American people want: lower energy costs, healthier communities and significant progress on climate change. The proposed clean energy investments would help U.S. businesses be more competitive in the world while creating good jobs. And it would strengthen the reliability of power grids in communities across the country.

“Taken together, the proposed $369 billion in climate and clean energy investments would be an historic step by Congress to improve people’s lives. The robust package of tax credits would rapidly accelerate our shift toward a modernized economy and make electric vehicles, clean power and clean manufacturing more affordable.

“It is encouraging to see $60 billion to advance environmental justice, and we look forward to the continued leadership of environmental justice communities on these provisions. The package also includes a program to reduce methane emissions that harm human health, waste energy resources and drive climate change.

“We urge Congress to move quickly to get this passed. Our families and communities, especially those of us living on the frontlines of the climate crisis, need these fiscally responsible investments now and for the future.”

            - Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund

“The deal announced today is very encouraging news, and we’re eager to see the details. The reported clean energy investments would deliver what the American people want: lower energy costs, healthier communities and significant progress on climate change. It also will help American businesses be more competitive in the world while creating good jobs. We urge Congress to move quickly to get this done. Our families and communities, especially those of us living on the frontlines of the climate crisis, need these fiscally responsible investments now and for the future."

            - Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund