Complete list of press releases

 

(SACRAMENTO, CA — October 21, 2021) OpenET, a new online platform that uses satellites to estimate water consumed by crops and other plants, launched today, making critical data for water management widely available in 17 western states for the first time amid record drought.

OpenET fills a major information gap in water management in the West. Although water is essential to the health of our communities, wildlife and food supply, access to accurate, timely data on the amount of water used to grow food has been fragmented and often expensive, keeping it out of the hands of many farmers and decision-makers. OpenET allows users to easily view and download this important water data for the current year and previous five years at no charge.

OpenET is providing this data down to the field scale in 17 western states as water supplies become increasingly scarce due to drought, climate change and population growth. The states covered by OpenET are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

“As water supplies become increasingly scarce in arid regions, we need new, innovative tools like OpenET to manage water more precisely and sustainably,” said Robyn Grimm, director, climate resilient water systems, at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). “OpenET provides all farmers, policymakers and communities big and small with the same high-quality data on water use, so that we can all work together from the same playbook to develop more resilient water supplies across the West.”

“OpenET addresses one of the biggest data gaps in water management in the western United States,” said Forrest Melton, program scientist for the NASA Western Water Applications Office. “This easy-to-use online platform provides scientifically robust data that are invaluable for water management at all scales, from an individual agricultural field to an entire river basin.”

“OpenET is a powerful application of cloud computing that will make a measurable impact on the ground in the agriculture sector. Google is proud to support such an important new tool to help improve water sustainability in the western United States as we see the impacts of climate change intensify,” said Google Earth Engine developer advocate Tyler Erickson.

“OpenET combines decades of research with advances in technology from just the past five years to make valuable water data much more affordable and accessible to all,” said Justin Huntington, a research professor at Desert Research Institute. “In the future we hope to expand OpenET to other arid regions of the world, such as South America, India and Africa.”

“As someone who has worked on evapotranspiration for more than 40 years, I am thrilled to see multiple, independent models for estimating ET come together on a single, easy-to-navigate platform,” said Richard Allen, a professor of water resources engineering at the University of Idaho. “By putting these water consumption data into the hands of farmers and water managers across the western United States, OpenET will be transformative in helping us manage water more sustainably,” added Ayse Kilic, a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“In some parts of the arid West, more than 70% of irrigation water ends up as evapotranspiration. By automating calculations for this highly important water data, OpenET will enable the USGS and water managers to more easily create water budgets at the watershed scale, which is an essential first step toward proactive water management,” said Gabriel Senay, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

“Irrigated agriculture is essential to feeding a growing population,” said Martha Anderson, a research scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “OpenET will be a powerful tool to help our nation’s farmers increase food production under conditions of limited freshwater resources.”

“OpenET has not just transformed access to information on ET, but has also facilitated important advances in the underlying science,” said Josh Fisher, a research scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles. “The collaborative approach used to develop OpenET will accelerate our ability to scale the platform to other regions, and to rapidly incorporate new information from future satellite missions.”

“The development of multi-model tools based on cloud computing, as provided by OpenET, is a paradigm shift, allowing water resources management in sustainable ways, not only in the United States, but also in many agricultural regions of the world, where agriculture and irrigation are increasing rapidly, as in Brazil”, added Anderson Ruhoff, a professor at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

Applications of OpenET data include:

• Informing irrigation management and scheduling to maximize “crop per drop” and reduce costs for water, fertilizer and energy. ET data are being used by E&J Gallo Winery in California and Oregon state legislator and alfalfa farmer Mark Owens to reduce applied irrigation water while sustaining crop yields and quality.
• Enabling water and land managers to develop more accurate water budgets, water trading programs and other innovative programs. Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District in California’s San Joaquin Valley is using OpenET in its online accounting and trading platform. Salt River Project in Arizona is using OpenET to improve their understanding of the impacts of wildfire and forest management on streamflow and groundwater recharge.

What is evapotranspiration?

The “ET” in OpenET stands for evapotranspiration — the process by which water evaporates from the land surface and transpires, or is released, from plants. ET is a key measure of water consumed by crops and other vegetation that can be used by farmers and water managers to better track water use as well as water saved, for instance, when farmers change crops or invest in new technologies.

Evapotranspiration can be estimated by satellites because the ET process absorbs energy and cools the land surface, and vegetation reflects and absorbs different amounts of visible and near-infrared light depending upon the density and health of the vegetation. These effects are visible to thermal and optical sensors on a satellite. Using sophisticated biophysical models, OpenET combines satellite information with local weather data to accurately estimate ET.

Using publicly available data, OpenET brings together six independent models for estimating evapotranspiration onto a single computing platform, ultimately helping to build broader trust and agreement around this information.OpenET data has been extensively compared to ground-based measurements collected in agricultural fields and natural landscapes, and tested by a wide variety of organizations through several use cases to ensure the highest accuracy.

Unprecedented public-private partnership

OpenET has been developed through an unprecedented public-private collaboration with input from more than 100 farmers, water managers, and other stakeholders. The project is led by Environmental Defense Fund, NASA, Desert Research Institute, and HabitatSeven. Additional team members include Google, the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, California State University Monterey Bay, University of Idaho, University of Maryland, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Wisconsin-Madison, UCLA and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

The OpenET project has received funding from the NASA Applied Sciences Program Western Water Applications Office, S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Water Funder Initiative, The Laney and Pasha Thornton Foundation, Desert Research Institute Maki Endowment, Delta Water Agencies and the Windward Fund. In-kind support has been provided by Google Earth Engine and partners in the agricultural and water management communities.

Providing farmers and local water managers free ET data is a core objective of the OpenET project. For-profit entities and other organizations looking for large-scale access to OpenET data will be able to purchase it through an application programming interface (API) expected to launch in 2022. Revenue generated will fund continuing research and development of OpenET data services.

Additional Resources:

Website: https://openetdata.org

Media Kit (images and b-roll): https://bit.ly/3ufco2O

User testimonials: https://openetdata.org/testimonials/

Video: https://youtu.be/Rbobf6aurLs

Use Cases: https://openetdata.org/openet-use-cases/

FAQ: https://openetdata.org/faq/

Twitter: @OpenETdata

(WASHINGTON – Oct. 19, 2021) Environmental Defense Fund today launched a new short film highlighting the valuable role of new technologies like machine learning and smartphone applications to strengthen the global fishing sector for increased climate resilience, sustainability and well-being for fishery-dependent communities.

The 20-minute documentary, “Fishing Smarter: How new technology can help our oceans thrive,” follows several fisheries technology projects led by EDF’s Oceans Technology Solutions team and demonstrates the real-world potential for digital technology to generate benefits for fishers and fish workers and their communities. The film, showcasing innovative projects from Indonesia, Mexico and the United States, spotlights the important and helpful role technology can play in improving fisheries management, food security and community sustainability.

“Emerging technologies can allow fishermen to harvest more sustainably and efficiently, and to minimize their impacts on ocean ecosystems. Our on-the-water projects are showing that fisheries tech can potentially bring huge benefits if scaled widely,” said Christopher Cusack, director for Oceans Technology Solutions. 

Many of the digital technologies highlighted in the film are computer vision-enabled “smart” cameras, which can efficiently monitor fishing activity on a vessel (e.g., electronic monitoring or EM) or track fishing effort in terms of the number of vessels coming in and out of port areas. For example, SmartPass camera systems placed at the most active ports in Lampung Province, Indonesia, allow for more accurate estimates of fishing effort in the highly-valued blue swimming crab fishery. Due to the sheer volume of small vessels participating in the fishery, managers have not been able to quantify fishing effort until now.  

As climate change poses increased challenges to the availability and equitable distribution of fishery resources, cost-effective technologies can be a huge part of the solution to surmount these challenges and meet the needs of communities reliant on the ocean for food, nutrition and livelihoods.

“With good data collection, we can prevent fish from going extinct,” said Victor Pandapotan Malau, a fisheries enumerator from Indonesia, featured in the film.

Innovative technology advancements have revolutionized other food production sectors. However, digital ocean technologies have yet to make a broad impact in wild-capture fisheries. As approximately 3 billion people around the world rely on fisheries as a primary source of protein, ensuring fisheries are resilient to climate change, overfishing and other stressors is critical. Technology can help solve these challenges and must be implemented responsibly, with equity, inclusion and cost in mind.

Yet, new technologies are not a panacea, and barriers still exist that limit more widespread, equitable adoption of them for fisheries, such as cost, policymaking delays and challenges with information-sharing. The film showcases how overcoming these barriers and ensuring that technologies are implemented with fishers and their communities at the center of the solution, can help ensure more sustainable, profitable and efficient fisheries.

“Fishing is what sustains our community. There is no person here in the Gulf of Santa Clara who is not involved in the curvina fishery,” said Cirila Aldama of the Franco Fishing Cooperative in the Gulf of Santa Clara, Sonora, Mexico, a fisheries stakeholder also featured in the film. The Gulf of Santa Clara curvina fishery housed the community catch monitoring project, which used QR codes and cellphone apps to track the number of vessels fishing to ensure sustainability.

EDF’s Oceans Technology Solutions team works to accelerate the adoption of new technologies to greatly improve sustainability, efficiency and profitability in the fishing sector across the globe. In addition, EDF works to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our oceans by breaking down barriers to adopting new technologies.

“Fishing Smarter” aims to inform both familiar and new audiences about the value digital technologies can provide to sustainable management of global fisheries resources. Learn more about the fisheries digital revolution here, and watch “Fishing Smarter: How new technology can help our oceans thrive” here.

 

(WASHINGTON) As reported, the U.S. Supreme Court today denied a request by Spire to stay the mandate of the unanimous decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that the approval of the Spire pipeline was unlawful. That judicial ruling overturned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s 2018 determination that the company could build and operate a natural gas pipeline serving the St. Louis region without having demonstrated the need for the pipeline in accordance with the law and in a context where there was record evidence of self-dealing. Under a separate emergency ruling by the commission, Spire is currently authorized to operate, and FERC is poised to issue another temporary certificate to allow for continued operation to ensure reliability. 

“The Supreme Court decision will leave the D.C. Circuit’s mandate in effect to protect ratepayers, land-owners and all adversely impacted by the problematic decision to approve this pipeline while Spire will continue to operate under a separate emergency order of the commission.

“The D.C. Circuit decision was thorough and well-reasoned, and it is important that the commission now reform its review procedures to put people first — the hard-working ratepayers who bear the costs, the landowners whose property was impacted, the communities adversely affected, and many who are having their lives disrupted. Spire currently has a temporary certificate to operate, and FERC is poised to issue another temporary certificate to ensure reliability. FERC can determine the appropriate conditions for a temporary certificate and ensure continuity of service for the people of St. Louis.”

• Natalie Karas, Senior Director and Lead Counsel

The case in question is EDF v. FERC. In June, the D.C. Circuit vacated FERC’s orders approving the Spire STL pipeline and remanded the matter to FERC for further proceedings. The Court found that FERC did not sufficiently analyze whether the pipeline was in fact needed and failed to weigh the benefits of the pipeline against adverse effects, including impacts on ratepayers, landowners and communities in the vicinity of the pipeline. The D.C. Circuit subsequently denied Spire’s petition for rehearing and motion to stay issuance of the mandate. Spire asked the Supreme Court to recall the D.C. Circuit’s mandate but has not yet filed a petition for writ of certiorari.

FERC granted Spire a 90-day temporary emergency certificate on September 14, 2021 so the company could provide continuity of service for its St. Louis customers. FERC is expected to issue another decision in the matter soon.

For additional background, see EDF’s blog post.

Environmental Defense Fund unveiled a new map today that shows the location of every documented orphan well in the United States. The first-of-its-kind map shows the location of more than 81,000 orphan wells in 28 states. Orphan wells – which are unsealed wells left behind by oil and gas companies once they stop producing – can leak oil, toxic chemicals and methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

These wells have no responsible party liable for cleanup and are the responsibility of federal, state and Tribal governments to plug and remediate. But their well-plugging programs often lack the funds necessary to tackle this monumental problem. Plugging, or permanently sealing, orphan wells creates important environmental benefits while creating good paying local jobs.

Adam Peltz, Senior Attorney, Energy Transition, issued the following statement:

"Across our country, there are hundreds of thousands of orphan wells polluting our communities. These unplugged wells can leak oil and other toxic chemicals, endanger water sources, lower property values and emit methane – a powerful greenhouse gas. This issue has flown under the radar for decades, in part, because the public could not visualize the extent of the problem. EDF and McGill University, for the first time ever, have mapped the exact location of every documented orphan well in the country.

"This map shows more than 81,000 documented orphan wells littered across 28 states. This new resource demonstrates the critical need to pass the REGROW Act through the House and into law. This bill will ensure every documented orphan well in the U.S. is plugged, help identify and catalog the hundreds of thousands of other improperly abandoned wells across the country and make sure when wells are plugged, they are plugged properly. This legislation is a critical step forward but Congress and states must take additional action – including reforms to bonding and other policies – to prevent wells from becoming orphaned in the future."

“Port Houston can protect nearby families from harmful air pollution and help to make their communities healthier places to live while growing economic opportunity for everyone. It requires leadership. We are encouraged to see the port commissioners’ decision to utilize cleaner dredges for the first phase of deepening and widening the Houston Ship Channel. As city and county leaders work to achieve urgent climate goals, from electrifying our public transit to transitioning to renewable sources of our energy, we are hopeful that the port commissioners envision a future beyond this one project, seizing opportunities to begin their necessary transition and retire the oldest, dirtiest trucks, trains and other equipment from our region.”

- Elena Craft, Senior Director for Climate and Health, Environmental Defense Fund

“Today, the Department of Labor issued a proposed rule making clear that retirement plan managers can integrate risks posed by climate change alongside other risks in 401(k) investment ​decisions.

“Climate change presents a serious and growing threat to our financial system. Experts and governmental entities are increasingly reaching this same conclusion, from last month’s New York Federal Reserve Bank report to recent efforts by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Today’s proposal would give retirement plan managers the ability to make the best possible decisions for their clients after taking all risks into consideration – including the risks posed by climate change.

“Better-informed investment decision making, reflective of climate risks, is a good and critical step to protecting Americans’ financial health. We encourage the Department of Labor to swiftly finalize this proposal and urge the Biden administration to take every possible step to protect the resiliency of our nation’s financial sector.”

- Michael Panfil, Director of Climate Risk Strategies, Environmental Defense Fund

(Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar – Oct. 11, 2021) Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University (RPCAU) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have partnered to research the impacts of climate change on agriculture in Bihar and promote sustainable farming practices and technologies that can enhance farmer income and boost climate resilience.

RPCAU and EDF will also launch an academic program that will include the exchange of faculty and students to conduct joint climate research. 

“Today’s agreement will allow EDF and RPCAU to bring together the best research to develop and promote sustainable farming in Bihar,” said Richie Ahuja, Associate Vice President of Climate-Smart Agriculture at EDF. “Rural farms in Bihar have an abundant opportunity to become climate resilient while ensuring the social benefits of sustainable development and higher farmer income. We’re proud to be working with RPCAU’s talented team to help bring about urgently needed climate solutions to Bihar’s rural communities.” 

EDF has worked in Bihar for more than six years, engaging with partners like CIMMYT, BAMETI and DeHaat to promote science-based recommendations on climate-smart agriculture practices.

Under the new agreement, RPCAU and EDF will engage in discussions and assessments of state policies related to climate-smart agriculture, climate change and disaster risk reduction. Leveraging RPCAU’s work in Bihar, EDF and other collaborators will together help generate more localized and customized climate-smart technologies for the state’s agricultural extension system to improve crop productivity and resilience while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms.

“We are keen to work together to generate and share climate-smart agriculture knowledge and resources among the education, research and farming communities,” said Dr. R.C. Shrivastava, Vice Chancellor, RPCAU. “This work is essential to improve farm profitability, food security and climate resilience for farmers and communities around the world.”

(WASHINGTON) Yesterday, Environmental Defense Fund forcefully rebutted last week’s application to the Supreme Court by Spire to stay the mandate of a unanimous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The EDF filing demonstrated that Supreme Court action on the Spire STL pipeline proceeding is unnecessary because the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will ensure reliable service to St. Louis customers. 

EDF also explained that Spire failed to demonstrate that the Supreme Court will grant certiorari on its yet-to-be filed petition for writ of certiorari, as the D.C. Circuit’s decision was clearly correct and there are no legal questions meriting Supreme Court review.  

“Spire’s petition asking the Supreme Court to act is unwarranted and would disrupt the ongoing public process before the expert agency Congress entrusted to address these issues anchored in complex fact-finding and law. Spire currently holds a temporary certificate to operate its pipeline, and FERC is poised to issue another temporary certificate to keep the pipeline operational through the winter to ensure reliable service to St. Louis customers.”

• Natalie Karas, Senior Director and Lead Counsel

In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued its unanimous decision in EDF v. FERC, vacating FERC’s orders approving the Spire STL pipeline and remanding the matter to FERC for further proceedings. The D.C. Circuit subsequently denied Spire’s petition for rehearing and motion to stay issuance of the mandate, both of which EDF opposed and FERC took no position. Spire now asks the Supreme Court to recall the D.C. Circuit’s mandate; it has not yet filed a petition for writ of certiorari.

FERC granted Spire a 90-day temporary emergency certificate on September 14, 2021. This temporary certificate ensures continuity of service on the pipeline until FERC’s anticipated ruling on Spire’s pending temporary certificate application, including a determination on the appropriate conditions for such a certificate.

On October 5, Spire asked the Supreme Court to stay the issuance of the D.C. Circuit’s mandate vacating the certificate of public convenience and necessity FERC had granted to the Spire STL Pipeline. The mandate of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued on October 8. For additional background, see EDF’s blog post here.

(WASHINGTON) Political support is building for global actions to cut methane pollution this decade, as more than 20 new countries say they will sign the Global Methane Pledge at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow. The new countries were recognized during a high-level ministerial meeting hosted by European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans and U.S. climate envoy John Kerry.

The philanthropic community also voiced its support through the formation of a new multi-million-dollar fund that will direct money to critical efforts needed to achieve the pledge.

“Momentum is building for a methane moment at Glasgow. Cutting methane pollution is the fastest opportunity we have to help avert our most acute climate risks, including crop loss, wildfires, extreme weather and rising sea levels.

“Scientists say we can’t reach the climate goals in the Paris Agreement without a steep decline of methane pollution alongside efforts to address carbon dioxide emissions. The Pledge and the action that follows to deliver meaningful methane reductions this decade is urgently needed.

“The methane fund is a crucial support for scaling up the global efforts needed to deliver on these commitments quickly. These are critical resources, at a critical time, that will no doubt make a tangible difference in slashing methane pollution this decade.”

• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund

Today, the White House Council on Environmental Quality released a proposal to restore key guidelines for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The Trump administration severely weakened NEPA protections, including by dramatically limiting how the federal government assesses the environmental effects of its policies. That action was challenged in court by a coalition of environmental justice, outdoor recreation and conservation groups, including Environmental Defense Fund. EDF released the following statement:

“NEPA has been America’s bedrock environmental safeguard for half a century, ensuring that the federal government carefully considers the impacts of its actions and that communities have a voice in what gets built in their neighborhood. Americans, especially communities of color, have long depended on NEPA to be heard in decisions that have a profound impact on their health and their well-being.

“Today’s proposal is an important first step to reestablish NEPA safeguards and ensure the federal government considers the climate and environmental justice impacts of industrial projects. We look forward to further steps that will fully embed climate and environmental justice into federal decision making and empower frontline communities.”

- Rosalie Winn, Senior Attorney, Environmental Defense Fund

(New York – October 6, 2021) Environmental Defense Fund president Fred Krupp today announced the promotion of Amanda Leland to Executive Director of the organization.

Leland, a marine scientist by training, has served in a number of leadership roles during her 17 years at EDF, most recently as executive vice president overseeing programs in climate, energy, oceans, ecosystems, and health — but her relationship with the organization goes back to the age of 13, when she first became an EDF member.

Reporting directly to Krupp, who will continue to serve as EDF president, Leland will be responsible for driving EDF’s global mission of ensuring a vital earth for everyone by addressing the existential challenge of climate change: rapidly reducing climate pollution while building resilience for people and communities in the face of the impacts we cannot avert.

“The climate crisis has never been more urgent, or presented more opportunity for breakthrough progress,” said Krupp. “It takes a visionary leader and inspiring manager to seize this moment of opportunity, and Amanda is both. I am fortunate to have such a talented, passionate change-maker dedicating herself to our mission. For the past year she has been leading an organization-wide strategic refresh at EDF, and in her new role she will galvanize our people and partners to turn that vision into reality.”

“EDF is a special mix of honesty, ambition, empathy and grit – ingredients that are essential to meeting this moment,” said Leland. “We are strengthening our platform and evolving our approach to drive impact at scale in a rapidly changing world. In my time at EDF, I have had the honor of working alongside colleagues and partners to usher in historic wins for people and the planet and I am humbled by the opportunity to support our global team in making lasting progress on climate change.”

As executive director, Leland will ensure that EDF is delivering significant results through multi-disciplinary global initiatives. She will deepen our culture of collaboration, enhance our people-centered approach, and address enterprise risks and opportunities. She will support and encourage staff throughout the organization to grow their ideas, talents, leadership, and enthusiasm for EDF.

“Fred and Amanda are a leadership dream team for EDF,” said Mark Heising, chairman of the EDF Board of Trustees. “In the decade I’ve worked with them, I’ve watched Amanda become the kind of leader we need right now — thoughtful and data-driven, with an ability to rally her colleagues and a singular focus on solutions that can scale globally to improve the lives of people around the world.”

Leland’s past experience in building and leading a diverse team of ocean experts in 13 countries will help her in this new role. Working with local fishers, her team transformed seafood sustainability while improving livelihoods. Before joining EDF in 2004, she was a scientist conducting cooperative research with commercial fishermen in Maine, a marine mammal zookeeper, and a Congressional aide focused on ocean issues. She holds an M.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Maine.

(Raleigh, NC — Oct 5, 2021) The latest version of House Bill 951, the result of negotiations between Senate Pro Temp Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and Gov Roy Cooper (D), passed through multiple North Carolina Senate committees today. The compromise legislation appears to be on the fast-track to move through the North Carolina legislature this week.

“House Bill 951 points North Carolina in the right direction by codifying the state’s climate goals, but falls short in delivering the kind of equitable and concrete climate solutions North Carolinians need,” said David Kelly, North Carolina State Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “It will be imperative for the Cooper administration to take an active role in ensuring strong execution and accountability to realize the pollution reductions promised.

“This bill noticeably lacks meaningful protections for low-income North Carolinians. Utility reforms must focus on advancing equity across the energy system by not only curbing harmful pollution, but also lowering costs for customers, especially among those who are spending a disproportionate share of their income on energy bills.

“It is encouraging that decision-makers are reaching across the aisle to find common ground on tackling climate change. With the clock ticking, North Carolina leaders should move expeditiously on all available solutions, including the exercise of existing regulatory authority to slash carbon pollution and spur further investment in clean energy.”

(WASHINGTON) Spire filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stay an order vacating the FERC certificate for the company’s natural gas pipeline in Missouri.

“Spire’s application to the Supreme Court to stay the D.C. Circuit mandate is inappropriate and unnecessary because there is no imminent harm threatening Spire or its customers. FERC has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring there is no disruption in service that could harm St. Louis consumers during the upcoming winter. Spire has not presented a substantial question to the Supreme Court and a stay should not be granted.

“As FERC considers appropriate next steps on Spire’s pending application for a temporary emergency certificate through the winter, it should craft a remedy that fulfills the need for reliable service while safeguarding the public interest. FERC should protect ratepayers from the costs of the pipeline and protect landowners and communities along the pipeline route by ensuring compensation and land restoration.”

• Natalie Karas, Senior Director and Lead Counsel

In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued its decision in EDF v. FERC, striking down FERC’s approval of the Spire STL pipeline and remanding the matter to FERC for further proceedings. The D.C. Circuit subsequently denied Spire’s petition for rehearing and motion to stay issuance of the mandate, both of which EDF opposed and FERC took no position. Spire now seeks to stay issuance of the mandate before the Supreme Court; it has not filed a petition for certiorari.

Because Spire Missouri modified its system to incorporate the Spire STL pipeline over the last several years — despite EDF’s pending challenge to the FERC certificate orders — Spire Missouri is dependent on the pipeline in the near term to provide gas to its customers. In light of these developments, FERC granted Spire a 90-day temporary emergency certificate on September 14, 2021. This temporary certificate ensures continuity of service on the pipeline until FERC determines whether a lengthier emergency authorization is warranted.

(WASHINGTON, DC – September 30, 2021) Maria J. Doa, Ph.D., currently Director of the Science Policy Division in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development, will soon be joining EDF’s Healthy Communities team as Senior Director, Chemical Policy. In this position, she will oversee EDF’s work to reduce exposures to toxic chemicals through health-protective implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

“Americans are exposed to thousands of chemicals every day, and only a small fraction have ever been adequately reviewed for safety,” said Sarah Vogel, senior vice president for Health. “With Dr. Doa’s deep expertise in chemical risk assessment and extensive knowledge of TSCA, she is well positioned to lead EDF’s longstanding work in this area.”

EDF’s Healthy Communities program aims to make air, water, food and products safer through strengthening laws and policies that protect health as well as by fostering cutting-edge research and partnerships with community groups and leading companies.

Prior to her current role at EPA, Dr. Doa directed the Chemical Control Division in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention where she created successful programs addressing complex scientific, technical, and policy issues to advance chemical risk reduction. Over her 30-year career at EPA, she led the agency’s programs to reduce risks to many industrial and commercial chemicals including lead, PCBs, mercury and asbestos. She also led EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory Program – a landmark right-to-know program that informs communities about toxic chemicals to which they may be exposed. Dr. Doa holds a doctorate in Organic Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.

“We’re at a critical moment for ensuring TSCA is implemented in a manner that protects those at greatest risk and helps to build healthier communities,” said Dr. Doa. “EDF has a track record of using scientific expertise to challenge and advance America’s chemicals policy. A large amount of work lies ahead but I’m excited for the opportunity to advance chemical safety from a new position and also advance a broader vision of health protection, particularly for those at greatest risk.”

Ford Motor Company today announced an extraordinary new commitment to electric vehicles, including new investments from Ford and its partners totaling $11.4 billion.

The company will build two new state-of-the-art campuses in Glendale, Kentucky and Stanton, Tennessee devoted to the manufacture and assembly of electric vehicles, supplier parts, and advanced auto batteries; will spend $525 million over five years to give U.S. auto technicians the skills they need to succeed in the new EV economy; and will expand its range of electric F-series pickup trucks.

The investments Ford announced today are expected to generate 11,000 new U.S. jobs. These historic investments in new high-quality U.S. manufacturing jobs build on Ford’s earlier investments of more than $7 billion for 7,000 new jobs in electric vehicle manufacturing, including at the Rouge manufacturing complex in Dearborn, Michigan – home to the all-electric F-150 Lightning truck.

Congress is now debating whether to make investments in U.S. manufacturing and job creation for clean vehicles.

Environmental Defense Fund president Fred Krupp issued the following statement:

“If anyone was still wondering whether the electric vehicle revolution is real, Ford emphatically answered that question today. I thank my friend Bill Ford Jr. and his team for their extraordinary leadership in making the largest single investments in manufacturing in the 118-year history of Ford Motor Company. The transformative commitments and action from leading U.S. automakers such as Ford and General Motors have made the transition to clean transportation inevitable.

“What we need now is smart policy and investment from Washington to accelerate it – to invest in U.S. manufacturing jobs for American workers today and for generations to come. Congress has a once in a century moment – right now – to ensure that these clean vehicles are made in America. For some time, the key question has been whether the jobs that will inevitably come from the transition to electric vehicles would be located in the U.S. or overseas. China and the E.U. have long since adopted industrial policies to speed the growth of these sectors. The U.S. is playing catch-up, so Ford’s commitment to good clean-energy jobs for U.S. workers is a hugely welcome move, one that Congress must follow with bold action of its own. Congress, the time for debate is over and now is the time for action.

“I hope Ford’s bold move inspires Members of Congress to bring their discussions on infrastructure and reconciliation to a successful close by acting with the same courage and vision that Ford has shown today. Stabilizing our climate, eliminating tailpipe pollution and building a clean energy manufacturing economy that works for everyone, every family and every community requires nothing less.

“EDF has worked with Ford for many years to secure national climate pollution reductions from vehicles, most recently in support of President Biden’s vision that half of all new car sales in the U.S. will be zero-emitting by 2030. Today’s historic announcement is a giant leap toward making that bold vision a reality. My thanks and congratulations go to Ford Motor Company on this historic day.”

— Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund