Complete list of press releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Prior to the pandemic, tens of millions of children in the United States rode to and from school each day in diesel buses that release toxic pollution into the air, which has a negative impact on their health and attendance, particularly for students with asthma and other respiratory conditions. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-CT) today reintroduced the Clean School Bus Act, a bill that was originally introduced by Vice President Kamala Harris while she served in the Senate.

“Our children need a healthy environment to learn and thrive. Moving to zero emission school buses eliminates toxic diesel air pollution and helps our children breathe easier. By introducing the Clean School Bus Act, Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Patty Murray and Congresswoman Jahana Hayes are demonstrating their strong commitment to the health of America’s children and the clean transportation future they deserve,” said Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President of Political Affairs.

The Clean School Bus Act would create a program at the Department of Energy (DOE) that provides financial and technical assistance to school districts across the country to replace traditional school buses with electric ones, invest in charging infrastructure, and support workforce development. The Clean School Bus Program would be authorized for $200M per year from fiscal year (FY) 2022-2027, resulting in a $1.2 billion dollar investment.

Senator Cortez Masto re-introduced the Clean School Bus Act as part of a broad electric vehicle (EV) legislative package. EDF is also proud to support these following efforts to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure:

• EVs for Underserved Communities Act with Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY): This legislation directs DOE to assess the state of, challenges to, and opportunities for the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, particularly in low-income communities and communities of color, and would authorize $60 million per year from FY21-FY30 to address the findings of this assessment. See EDF’s statement on the bill here.
   
• The Electric Transportation Commission and National Strategy Act– This legislation aims to establish a joint working group at the Departments of Transportation and Energy to promote coordination and helps to establish a clear strategy and a national framework for our clean transportation future.
   
• The Greener Transportation for Communities Act -The federal tax code allows for the use of tax-exempt bonds to finance certain private projects, with public interest, like airports, ports, green buildings, and other infrastructure. This legislation would allow zero-emissions infrastructure to qualify for this exemption.
   
• The Green Spaces, Green Vehicles Act – The legislation directs the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) sites to expand their adoption of cleaner transportation technologies. Creates a $50 million dollars joint initiative, run by each of these agencies and the DOE EERE, to build the necessary charging infrastructure, consisting of three parts: building infrastructure on NPS and USFS land for charging and refueling by collaborating with charging companies and utilities; prioritizing shuttle services that use ZEV technology; converting NPS and USFS fleets to ZEVs and creating a strategy for fleet conversion.
   
• More Access to ZEV Equipment (MAZE) in Transit Act – This legislation adds zero emission vehicles charging infrastructure as eligible expenses with Federal Transit Administration programs, allowing for more deployment of chargers at transit stations and associated parking facilities.

(Washington, D.C. – February 24, 2021) Today, Acting Chair Allison Herren Lee of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced her decision to direct staff to “enhance its focus on climate-related disclosure in public company filings.” The decision will, among other things, spur staff review of a 2010 guidance on climate-related risk disclosure, and launch an update of that guidance that takes into account the decade of developments since its release.

“The consequences of climate change present a grave risk to the health and safety of all Americans, and to our country’s economy and financial system,” said EDF attorney Michael Panfil. “The SEC’s announcement today is a welcome first step toward ensuring that climate risk is properly disclosed. We must act urgently to pinpoint and address the financial risks linked to climate change.”

As Lee’s statement makes clear, the SEC’s action today is an important step in carrying forward vital work to develop a comprehensive, mandatory framework to produce comparable, specific, and decision-useful climate-related disclosure.

EDF recently called for strengthening mandatory climate risk disclosure in a report co-authored with the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU School of Law. That report, “Mandating Disclosure of Climate-Related Financial Risk,” specifies an approach under existing authority at the SEC.

“The transformation of our transportation system to electric vehicles is beginning, but in order for it to be successful, and for our country to reap the full economic, health and climate benefits, electric vehicles must be accessible to everyone. We commend Representative Yvette Clarke for introducing the Electric Vehicles for Underserved Communities Act and working to ensure that the transition of our transportation system to zero emissions vehicles is equitable and just. Low-income communities and communities of color are impacted first and worst by extreme weather events, air pollution and other harms associated with climate change. Yet they are too often left out of the solutions that aim to create a cleaner environment. Importantly, this legislation focuses on these underserved communities by equipping them with tools and funding necessary to make clean vehicle technologies more accessible.”

• Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Political Affairs

The Electric Vehicles for Underserved Communities Act focuses on disadvantaged communities in several ways. The bill directs DOE to assess challenges and opportunities in deploying EV charging in underserved and disadvantaged communities; it funds a new grant program to expand EV chargers in these communities; and it establishes an outreach program to inform community members about the benefits electric vehicles can provide.

(Houston, TX – February 23, 2021) Oil refineries, petrochemical plants and other unprepared industrial facilities in Texas reported releasing an estimated 3.5 million of pounds of extra pollution into the air during the state’s electric grid failure and freezing temperatures last week.

Nearly 200 facilities in 54 counties reported releases of toxic chemicals between February 11 and Monday, with nearly one-fifth of the excess pollution occurring in the Houston region. Many releases in the Houston area came from facilities that also reported airborne emissions that exceeded state limits in the days after Hurricane Harvey in 2017, an analysis by Air Alliance Houston, Environment Texas and Environmental Defense Fund shows.

“Texas is not ready for increasingly extreme weather, and the state’s failure to prepare is hurting communities, especially those near high-risk chemical facilities,” said Elena Craft, senior director for climate and health at Environmental Defense Fund. “Air pollution compounds the health and economic harms in a state that already leads the nation in billion-dollar disasters fueled by climate change. We need government at all levels to ensure companies take the necessary steps to guard against these disasters and protect their neighbors.”

The burdens fall most heavily on Black and Latino households, which are more likely to have chemical facilities nearby than the nation as a whole. That is because discriminatory policy and planning decisions have created areas of concentrated industrial pollution.

“The health and safety of every Texan matters. Yet corporations repeatedly engage in behaviors that put the most vulnerable communities in harm’s way, and the state rarely holds them accountable, choosing to protect profits over people,” said Bakeyah Nelson, executive director of Air Alliance Houston. “This is untenable, especially for communities of color and working-class neighborhoods. These communities are unable to fully recover before the next man-made disaster due to a long history of environmental racism that has put them at greater risk of suffering the adverse impacts from disasters and with fewer resources to rebuild their lives. For too long, Texas decision-makers have treated them as expendable while giving fossil fuel corporations everything they want. We need leaders who are willing to accept the realities of climate change and take aggressive steps toward a more equitable and sustainable future.”

In their initial reports to state regulators, corporations cited power outages, system failures and shut downs, among other reasons, for the releases of extra pollutants. In one case, an industrial facility near Beaumont, Texas, reported sending 262,522 pounds of methane into the air in less than two hours on February 16.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, meanwhile, reported power failures or communications problems at 39 of its air quality monitors, including 14 in the Houston area. The agency said it would send mobile monitoring units to the Beaumont area Monday.

“Corporations can do more to prevent these major releases of toxic chemicals into the air we breathe,” said Catherine Fraser, clean air associate at Environment Texas. “It is inexcusable for them to be unprepared, repeatedly, for extreme weather events. We know more storms are coming, and those who fail to prepare should face more severe penalties.”

More than 50 advocacy organizations today called on leaders in Congress to make significant investments to accelerate the transition to a just 100% clean economy as part of an economic recovery. The requests, made in a letter delivered to House and Senate leadership, are supported by leading environmental, justice, and public health organizations. 

“At the outset of the 117th Congress, the United States is confronted by the extraordinary and connected crises of the global pandemic, economic recession, deep racial injustice, a rapidly destabilizing climate, and democratic backsliding. Few sessions of Congress have ever shouldered a greater responsibility. Among the many acts of leadership that will be necessary, making it safely through these crises will require comprehensive and sustained federal investment to recover, rebuild, and lay the foundation for a more just and stable future,” the organizations wrote.

The organizations are calling for federal investments across the economy, from clean energy generation to agriculture, from cleantech to affordable housing and initiatives to bolster the environmental justice communities who currently bear the brunt of the climate crisis.
 
Targeted investments in clean energy infrastructure have the power to reduce dangerous pollution from our air and water, provide millions of good-paying jobs, improve resilience to climate disasters, provide equitable housing and transportation for all communities, enhance public health, and improve the quality of life of low-wealth communities and communities of color hit hardest by pollution and the climate crisis.

The groups leading the coalition sign-on letter include Alaska Wilderness League, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Azul, Black Millennials 4 Flint, Center for American Progress, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Clean Air Task Force, Climate Health Now, Climate Reality Project, The CLEO Institute, Coalition for Green Capital, Defend our Future, Earth Action, Inc., Earthjustice, Earthworks, Elected Officials to Protect America,  Environmental Defense Fund, The Evangelical Environmental Network, Generation Progress, Green Education and Legal Fund, Green the Church, Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition, Health Care Without Harm, Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, Hispanic Access Foundation, Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO), Interfaith Power & Light, Justice for Migrant Women, League of Conservation Voters, Moms Clean Air Force, Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance, National Audubon Society, National Parks Conservation Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Wildlife Federation, Ohio Clinicians for Climate Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Physicians for Social Responsibility—Arizona, PBR New Mexico, Queer Brown Vegan, Sierra Club, Texas Impact, Texas Physicians for Social Responsibility, Union of Concerned Scientists, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, USCAN, The Vermont Climate and Health Alliance, Voices for Progress, Western Organization of Resource Councils, The Wilderness Society, and Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action. 

 

“There is a moral imperative for climate action and environmental equity in the nation. The Black faith community believes that it’s our responsibility to protect God’s creation,” says Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, CEO and founder of Green The Church. “We must act on climate change and sustainability to protect the greatest gift God has bestowed on us - our planet. As climate change accelerates, it becomes more clear each day that those who will suffer first and most will be Black and Brown communities. Now is the time for climate investment that cleans up the air and prioritizes equitable policies that protect everyone, especially our most vulnerable.”

 

“This is a critical moment to make transformative investments that address the interconnected and ongoing health, economic, racial justice and climate crises our country is facing today,” says Abigail Dillen, President of Earthjustice. “These investments will help set us on a path to meet President Biden’s ambitious climate and environmental justice goals and build an equitable, pollution-free future.” 

 

“As we adapt to a warming world, our elected leaders have a responsibility to act with urgency and propose comprehensive and immediate investments within every sector of government to tackle all the crises our country is experiencing,” says Yoca Arditi-Rocha, Executive Director of the CLEO Institute. “We have a sunset opportunity to amplify sustainable and equitable solutions, invest on resilient infrastructure, and stimulate an economy for all. There is no person in this country who has not felt the impacts of the global pandemic, economic recession, and climate emergency. How we react now will set the tone for how prepared we will be for the next crisis.”

 

“The 117th Congress has a historic chance to power up our economy, create healthier communities and build a more equitable and secure future for our children,” says Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund. “By making bold investments now in clean energy, clean transportation and a more resilient grid, we can save thousands of lives, boost American manufacturing and create millions of good new jobs. America can win the global race to dominate these fast-growing sectors — but only if we make the right policy choices now.”

 

“Latinos know first hand how pollution disproportionately impacts our communities and how dirty air worsens asthma symptoms and triggers attacks in both adults and children. The climate crisis has always been at our doorstep, and that’s why the fight to combat climatechange is important and personal at the National Hispanic Medical Association. From the White House to Congress to local governments, our elected officials must take bold, decisive action to protect public health and fight the climate crisis. Let’s ensure ourchildren and grandchildren have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. We urge our leaders to commit to #ActOnClimate and stand firm because the #TimeToAct is now,” said Dr. Elena Ríos, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association. 

 

“As our country recovers from the current COVID recession, we have the opportunity to build a more just and equitable economy—to build back better. The measures we propose in today’s letter are the foundation for needed investments in a safe climate, good paying union jobs, racial equity and a 100% clean future for our country.  It is time for Congress to act on climate, jobs and justice,”  said John Podesta, founder and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Center for American Progress. 

 

“$100 billion of public funding for the Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator national green banks is only a fraction of the total investment necessary to build affordable, resilient, zero emissions energy infrastructure for a growing American economy — but it’s a necessary fraction.” said Coalition for Green Capital CEO Reed Hundt.

(Denver, CO - February 18, 2021) Today, the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) unanimously approved a landmark rule requiring oil and gas operators to install zero-bleed or zero-emission pneumatic devices for both new and existing operations.After months of negotiations that began in November, local governments, environmental groups, and industry put forward a consensus proposal that became the foundation for the AQCC rule.

“Last year’s terrifying wildfires were yet another reminder that climate change is here and local communities across Colorado are suffering the consequences. This collaboration between local governments, environmental groups, and industry will mean less carbon pollution and cleaner, safer air. It is a win for Coloradans all over the state.” Erica Sparhawk, Town of Carbondale Trustee and President of Colorado Communities for Climate Action, a coalition of 36 local governments across the state.

Pneumatic controllers—devices that open and close valves to regulate temperature and pressure at production facilities and well sites—are the second largest source of methane emissions from oil and gas operations in Colorado.

They also release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute to the Denver Metro Area’s high ozone (smog), as well as cancer-causing benzene and other hazardous air pollutants.

“After a year of explosive wildfires and dangerous air quality, it is clear that Colorado communities are already paying the costs of the climate crisis. Millions of Front Range residents — especially those in historically marginalized and disproportionately impacted communities — have been suffering from exposure to ozone pollution due to these sources. While there is still much more work to be done to tackle the ozone problem, this new rule will mean improved conditions for Coloradans all over the state,” said Jeff Zayach, Executive Director, Boulder County Public Health.

Pneumatic controllers, which are used by operators throughout the state, rely on pressurized natural gas to activate valves at oil and gas facilities. Traditionally, these devices have been designed to emit methane and other pollution each time they actuate. However, newer, non-emitting devices are widely available today and represent a real opportunity to reduce pollution at well sites across the state.

“Colorado is once again leading the nation in addressing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry,” said Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain Regional Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “With broad support from industry and the environmental and public health community, the Commission is setting the standard for other states and the U.S. EPA to follow in addressing pollution from new and existing sites using pneumatic devices.”

According to a 2017 Environmental Defense Fund analysis, pneumatic controllers released more than 132,000 metric tons of methane, or about the same amount of climate pollution as nearly 1.9 million passenger cars. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat within the Earth’s atmosphere over a 20-year timeframe.

“With the impacts of climate change hitting closer to home than ever before, we’re so excited to see Colorado once again set national leadership with precedent-setting, commonsense rules that reduce methane pollution in our communities,” said Sara Rose Tannenbaum, Climate Advocate, Conservation Colorado

Grassroots and community groups hailed the rule as a win, welcoming emission cuts from one of the largest oil and gas emission sources. In a 2019 study, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found those living closest to oil and gas development are most at-risk to negative health effects from air toxics such as benzene (a known carcinogen) and toluene.

Rodger Steen, the chairman of Western Colorado Alliance’s oil and gas committee, noted, “We are pleased that this new rule was developed in collaboration with industry, which is the ideal way to develop new rules for all emitters of air pollution. Requiring use only of these non-emitting controllers by the oil and gas industry represents an initial step in a series of steps needed to minimize climate change.”

The AQCC’s rule for pneumatic controllers would do the following:

• require all new and modified well production sites and compressor stations to only use controllers that are non-emitting (i.e. operate on compressed air, electricity); and

• establish a first-in-the-nation requirement to phase in the retrofit of existing pneumatic controllers with non-emitting controllers taking a company-wide plan approach to allow the industry to target those sites with the highest emissions.

The new rules come at a time when state officials need to implement strong climate policies. For Colorado to achieve the greenhouse gas emission targets outlined in HB19-1261, the state will need to take even bolder action to ensure that reductions both in the oil and gas sector and economy-wide reach the ambition of the statutory mandates. Under Colorado’s Greenhouse Gas Roadmap, the oil and gas sector needs to reduce emissions by 60% by 2030, which is no small feat and will require more aggressive near-term action for the sector that is so critical to combat climate change.

(WASHINGTON, DC) Nitrogen (N) is essential for food production, but too much nitrogen accelerates climate change and impairs water quality. The challenge to date has been measuring how much excess nitrogen is being lost to the environment from agriculture, as existing methods are expensive, inaccurate and time consuming. Environmental Defense Fund's N-Visible framework, published today, overcomes these barriers.

N-Visible provides a user-friendly, scientifically robust way for farmers, farmer advisers, food companies and policymakers to measure agriculture's climate and water quality impacts. The framework uses N balance — nitrogen added to a farm field minus nitrogen removed during harvest — to measure excess nitrogen at the field level. It also uses aggregated N balance scores and two new environmental models to calculate environmental impacts at regional or national scales.

The open-source framework is now available for organizations and companies to reference and integrate into existing programs and software.

"The environmental models are a breakthrough for measuring progress on water quality and climate mitigation," said Eileen McLellan, lead senior scientist at EDF. "It's now easier than ever to show that conservation practices and sustainability initiatives are delivering quantifiable benefits for the environment."

N balance is the foundation of the N-Visible framework. For more than five years, EDF scientists and research partners at land-grant universities have demonstrated that N balance is a robust proxy measurement for how much nitrate has leached into waterways and how much nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, has been emitted to the atmosphere.

"Farmers have the power to improve N balance scores," said Alison Eagle, scientist at EDF. "Our research finds that nutrient management and conservation practices have as much or more impact on how much nitrogen leaves a field than external factors like weather do."

EDF scientists published four modules that can be used collectively or separately, as needed:  

1. Why N balance is a robust and practical way to measure excess nitrogen. This module summarizes the scientific consensus that N balance is the preferred metric for measuring nitrogen losses.
2. How to calculate N balance. This module explains how to calculate N balance scores under multiple crop and nutrient scenarios, including whether cover crops are used and whether a farmer uses synthetic fertilizer or manure.
3. What the N balance safe zone means. This module explains how to understand N balance scores using the concept of the safe zone — a range of N balance scores that indicate the range in which a farmer is optimizing yields, minimizing excess nutrients and protecting long-term soil health.
4. How to use N balance to estimate nitrous oxide and nitrate losses. This module explains how to aggregate N balance scores from at least 300 fields and apply EDF's environmental models to calculate nitrogen losses to the air and water.

Visit edf.org/n-visible to download these resources and access the peer-reviewed research that informed them.

(WASHINGTON – Feb. 18, 2021) Environmental Defense Fund is launching a new platform today to improve data collection and management of fishing in the ocean using smart cameras coupled with artificial intelligence to get an accurate assessment of the number of vessels fishing in a particular region.

Over the past two years, experts at EDF and its partners — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, CVision AI, Teem Fish Monitoring and Snap IT — developed an innovative fishery monitoring approach called SmartPass. It uses shore-based cameras coupled with artificial intelligence and image analysis automation techniques to provide resource managers with more accurate and timely estimates of fishing effort, which is a major component of measuring catch. Capitalizing on the efficiencies to be gained from the SmartPass approach can help the skilled staff of fishery management agencies capture fisheries effort in a more effective and cost-efficient manner.

 

“SmartPass aims to bring new technology to an old challenge: accurately accounting for the level of recreational and commercial fishing in the ocean,” said Sepp Haukebo, senior manager of Recreational Fisheries Solutions for EDF. “SmartPass applies technological advancements, such as machine learning, that have been applied across numerous other fields of study to improve fishery management in a cost-effective way.”

Understanding the actual catch from recreational fishers in particular is central to the sustainability of a pastime that attracted 8.6 million anglers in 2017 — generating $73.8 billion in sales, $41.5 billion in value-added impacts, $24.7 billion in income and supporting 487,000 jobs in the United States.

The SmartPass approach captures, records and stores video of vessels moving through a coastal bottleneck such as a “pass,” river mouth or harbor, and the data are uploaded to a cloud-based review platform to observe and annotate. Collecting accurate and timely data is challenging in any fishery. It is especially so in the ocean recreational sector because of the immense size of the U.S. ocean and the seasonality of much recreational fishing. Fishery managers around the nation face the tremendous task of managing a limited natural resource while attempting to generate maximum opportunity and value for the public. Robust data collection is one of the most challenging yet important responsibilities that managers must tackle. SmartPass provides fishery managers with near real-time estimates of fishing effort and it can be adapted and scaled to meet a variety of budgets and data collection needs.

“The more accurate and efficient we can be with our ocean counts of recreational boat trips, the better we can manage the fisheries for recreational anglers and for conservation needs,” said Eric Schindler, project leader of the Ocean Sampling Project for ODFW. “We are very hopeful that SmartPass will provide us an accurate count of boats going out so we can focus more of our staff time on interviewing anglers dockside to get an average catch per boat and other biological data needed for fish management.”

To get a firsthand look at SmartPass, watch the video or read more here.

Today, the National Academies released its peer review of EPA’s 2018 TSCA Systematic Review Guidance Document that was applied to the first ten chemical risk evaluations under TSCA. In response to the report, EPA has announced that it will not be using the prior administration’s systematic review approach and will be developing a method that addresses the National Academies’ recommendations.

The National Academies report notes, “The committee finds that the process outlined in the 2018 guidance document, and as elaborated and applied in the example evaluations, does not meet the criteria of  ‘comprehensive, workable, objective, and transparent’…. As a general finding, the committee judged that the systematic reviews within the draft risk evaluations considered did not meet the standards of systematic review methodology.”

“It is no surprise that the National Academies’ peer review of the TSCA systematic review approach identifies grave shortcomings across multiple areas. EPA must substantially improve this approach to ensure that risk evaluations are scientifically robust and protect public health,” said Dr. Jennifer McPartland, Senior Scientist at Environmental Defense Fund. “The agency’s announcement today is a welcome signal that it is prioritizing health and the use of strong science in its decision-making.”

Additional Background:

• EDF raised serious concerns in extensive comments submitted to the agency on the draft TSCA Systematic Review Guidance document.

(New York, N.Y - February 17, 2021) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today published a report on how companies can transition their shipping from fossil-fuel powered delivery trucks to zero-emissions vehicles. The report introduces a first-of-its kind financing mechanism for delivery-dependent brands to get to zero-emissions shipping, especially for companies that do not own and/or operate their fleets, filling what has been a critical gap.

“Leading companies have made commitments ranging from net zero to pledges to eliminate emissions company-wide,” said Aileen Nowlan, senior manager, Environmental Defense Fund. “But the reality is that none of these targets can be reached without zero-emissions shipping.”

Until now, there has been no way for companies to influence the adoption of clean shipping options by their carriers.

The financing model for a Zero-Emissions Delivery Zone (ZED Zone) works to solve this problem by unlocking opportunities for accelerating fleet electrification, while delivering substantial financial, social and environmental returns for businesses, investors and communities. For example, the report finds that by sponsoring just 15 zero-emissions delivery vehicles, companies can create $1 million of health benefits from reduced air pollution.

In a ZED Zone financing model, inspired by Virtual Power Purchase Agreements for renewable energy:

• Companies, or “shippers”, sponsor a group of Zero-Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs) through payment plans and utilization guarantees.
• Private and public financiers provide the capital needed to purchase ZEVs and make them available to carriers.
• Carriers add ZEVs to their fleets based on the confirmed demand enabling shippers to procure cleaner shipping options.
• The sponsoring companies agree in advance that their packages might not necessarily travel on the new ZEVs. While the financing model could be used for vehicles based anywhere, the greatest benefit could be achieved by prioritizing depots in the ZED Zone, communities with disproportionate health and equity impacts from air pollution.

A ZED Zone financing model gives companies the power to accelerate clean shipping in their supply chains by making time-bound commitments to adopt and pay for 100% zero-emissions shipping. Further, it provides companies with a mechanism for demanding that financiers, carriers and EV managers make EV options readily available so they can drive progress against their climate and equity commitments.

“Transportation is the largest source of new greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., in large part because of the increase in delivery vehicles on the road. What’s worse, warehouses and distribution centers are often concentrated in low-wealth communities and communities of color,” added Nowlan. “That’s why a central goal of this new model is to create a mechanism for financing ZED Zone deployment in communities experiencing the greatest burdens, ensuring that the pollution reduction benefits are targeted where they are needed most.”

Commentary from companies and financiers

“Transitioning to zero-emissions delivery by 2025 is a cornerstone of IKEA’s climate commitments. The Zero-Emissions Delivery Zone financing model and EDF’s innovative solutions to cleaner shipping are invaluable in helping us navigate toward this ambitious goal,”

-Steve Moelk, Project Implementation Manager, IKEA North America Services, LLC

“Etsy is committed to advocating for and supporting solutions that will reduce the impact of shipping, and fleet electrification is a critical step in that climate journey. We’re excited to work with carriers to implement a ZED Zone model to deploy zero-emissions vehicles and enable a cleaner delivery future.”

-Chelsea Mozen, Director of Sustainability and Impact Engagement, Etsy

“The transportation sector is a significant source of GHG emissions with harmful impacts for health and quality of life, particularly for our urban centers. Collaborative and capital efficient approaches like ZED Zones can achieve meaningful reductions in air pollution, assist businesses and governments with their climate goals, and benefit all communities.”

-Bert Hunter, EVP & Chief Investment Officer, Connecticut GreenBank

 Read the full report here.

(CHESTERFIELD, MO — Feb. 16, 2020) Agricultural conservation practices are pivotal to addressing a host of environmental and natural resource concerns including soil health, water quality and climate resilience. At the same time, it is critical that farmers run profitable businesses and that environmental stewardship priorities support farm profitability.

To expand on growing information around the profitability of conservation agriculture, Soil Health Partnership (SHP), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and K·Coe Isom collaborated to evaluate the financial impact of conservation tillage and cover crop usage among Midwest corn and soybean farmers. Key findings from the analysis are presented in a new report, Conservation’s Impact on the Farm Bottom Line [PDF].

“Our analysis adds to a growing body of research on the profitability of agricultural conservation practices and helps farmers better understand what they can expect when they adopt these practices,” said Maria Bowman, Ph.D., lead scientist at SHP. “For example, conservation tillage saves farmers money on equipment and fuel and drives higher net returns, whereas increased profitability with cover crops is more common for farmers with more than five years’ experience with the practice, indicating a learning curve as growers identify their best recipe for success over time.”

The analysis also found that farmers achieved profitable conservation systems by aiming to address specific management challenges with in-field conservation practices, such as improving soil structure as a way to improve water management and reduce erosion, and minimizing passes across the field to save time, machinery and overhead costs.

“There is risk involved in adopting new practices and farmers need financial information that indicates what they might expect financially from adopting conservation practices,” said Vincent Gauthier, research analyst at EDF. “Working with farmers to understand how the adoption of conservation tillage and cover crops impacts their bottom line can help pave the way for other farmers and inform new kinds of financial support that align with the financial dynamics of these practices.”

The report included a detailed budget analysis of seven Midwest farmers growing corn and soy with at least three years’ experience with cover crops or conservation tillage.

Brian Ryberg is one of the farmers highlighted in the report. Brian and his wife Sandy farm 5,300 acres in south-central Minnesota, where they grow corn, soybeans and sugar beets. Brian has adopted strip-till, no-till and cover crops in his operation. His conservation goals included saving costs and improving soil health through reduced disturbance and increased cover.

“By using conservation tillage practices and cover crops, we’ve been able to save substantially on fuel, equipment and repair costs,” Brian said. “These practices have had many other benefits including improved water holding capacity, more water infiltration, improved soil structure, better drained seed beds and weed suppression.”

Brian uses an annual ryegrass, hairy vetch, turnip and rapeseed cover crop mix on almost 3,000 acres. His approach to adopting cover crops across these acres was gradual, as he tested different methods of seeding.

“It can take time to get it right with cover crops,” Brian said. “So testing seed mixes and application methods on a piece of your farm can help prevent large costs in your budget as you dial in the right system for your soil.”

For more information on this report, visit www.soilhealthpartnership.org/farmfinance.

(NEWARK, NJ – Feb. 16, 2021)  Gov. Phil Murphy today announced the creation of a state Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy and the allocation of $100 million toward vehicle electrification in New Jersey. The funds come from Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative proceeds and what was awarded to the state in the Volkswagen settlement over fuel efficiency issues. The initiative supports meeting the state’s climate and clean energy goals to electrify trucks and buses. The money will be earmarked specifically to convert a range of diesel-polluting vehicles in port and industrial areas, garbage and delivery trucks as well as NJ Transit and school buses.

“New Jersey just gained ground in the race to electrify transportation. Under Governor Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey is emerging as a key electric vehicle market and positioning itself among others like California to capture the air quality, health and economic benefits that come with this transition.”

“Trucks and buses are major sources of harmful air pollutants, including greenhouse gases. Electrifying this sector offers the biggest benefit to our communities and children who deserve to breathe cleaner, healthier air.”

 ·        Mary Barber, Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs

In addition to this latest medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fund allocation, the state has approved the NJ Zero-Emission Incentive Program (NJ ZIP), a $15.7 million voucher program to purchase electric trucks, and is moving to adopt the California’s Advanced Clean Truck and Low NOx Rule, a law that would require manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks to build more electric options. 

 

The EPA filed a motion with the D.C. Circuit today for partial stay of issuance of the mandate in American Lung Association et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency

“Americans urgently need greater protection from dangerous power plant pollution, which damages our climate and exposes communities across our nation to lethal soot and smog. Following the D.C. Circuit’s decision striking down the Trump administration’s unlawful ACE Rule, the EPA has a clean slate to develop safeguards that meaningfully reduce the power plant smokestack pollution that harms human health and damages our economy, reflect the realities of today’s power sector, and provide Americans with the protections that the Clean Air Act requires.

“There are currently no nationwide limits on climate pollution from existing fossil fuel power plants, and EPA must get to work developing new protections. More than 60% of existing coal-fired capacity across the nation lacks modern controls for deadly particulate and smog-forming pollution. At the same time, clean energy is widely available and being deployed at scale. The top ten state producers of wind energy are Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Illinois, North Dakota, Colorado, Minnesota and Oregon – creating made-in-the-USA clean energy and high-quality jobs for communities across our country.”

“Reducing deadly pollution from power plants, together with building back a strong America with clean energy, will protect the health of our communities, help stabilize the climate, and create thousands of secure American jobs.”

- Ben Levitan, senior attorney for Environmental Defense Fund

(Washington, D.C. – February 11, 2021) Today, Environmental Defense Fund released a national poll that shows broad public support for electric vehicles as well as the policies that will help spur investments in this arena.

Key Findings:

• Nearly two-thirds of voters, including 56% of Independents and 50% of Republicans, support U.S. automakers transitioning to zero-emission vehicles.
• In terms of legislative priorities, 62% support providing grants to school districts to purchase zero-emission school buses while strong majorities support expanding tax incentives and point of sale vouchers for zero-emission cars and trucks (57%), increasing investment in domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles, batteries and component parts (58%) as well as developing electric vehicle charging infrastructure (59%).
• Voters believe the shift to electric vehicles will be mostly positive, with the most benefits being seen in people’s health - especially a reduction in asthma - as well as less air pollution.

Explore the polling memo here.

“We need to power up our economy and combat the climate crisis simultaneously, and electric vehicles are a great place to start. With serious investments from governments and automakers, we can create good paying jobs by boosting our electric vehicle manufacturing and updating our vehicle infrastructure by adding charging stations,” said Elizabeth Gore, Environmental Defense Fund Senior Vice President for Political Affairs. “This polling shows that investments in electric vehicles are good policy and good politics, as voters see the benefits to boost the economy while protecting public health and reducing air pollution.”

Climate change presents grave risk across the U.S. economy, including to corporations, their investors, the markets in which they operate, and the American public at large. Unlike other financial risks, however, climate risk is not routinely disclosed to the public.

A new report from the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU School of Law and Environmental Defense Fund makes detailed recommendations on how the Securities and Exchange Commission can develop mandatory, effective rules for disclosure of climate-related financial risk.

The SEC has previously issued regulatory guidance acknowledging climate risk, but the Commission needs to take further action to fulfill its statutory mandate to protect investors. Despite the increasing popularity of voluntary climate risk disclosure standards, most corporate disclosures contain incomplete information or boilerplate language that does not enable investors to make meaningful comparisons across companies. New rules must ensure that publicly traded companies provide comparable, specific, and decision-useful climate risk information.

The new report, “Mandating Disclosure of Climate-Related Financial Risk,” explains how the SEC should develop such disclosure rules. The authors provide process-oriented recommendations for crafting new regulations, with suggestions to:

• draw on best practices from existing frameworks and standards

• solicit input from financial and climate experts, corporations, and investors by issuing concept releases and/or creating a climate risk advisory committee

• coordinate with other financial regulators and draw on climate-related expertise at other federal agencies through interagency working groups

• develop greater SEC expertise in this area by having the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis conduct economic research on climate risk.

Taken together, these actions will facilitate informed investing, sustainable growth, and a more resilient economy.

You can read the report here.

You can read a two-page summary here.

The authors are available for interviews on these issues.