Complete list of press releases

“With today’s release of a supplement to its draft risk evaluation for 1,4-dioxane, the Trump EPA is once again demonstrating its utter disdain for public input and scientific expert review and its willingness to do industry’s bidding.

“The agency is short-circuiting the proper procedure for this additional assessment by forgoing peer review altogether and providing less than three weeks for public comment. These decisions reflect the dismissiveness of this administration over the past four years toward meaningful public participation and scientific expert input.

“While we have yet to closely examine the document, it is already apparent that the agency has again ignored a major way millions of Americans are exposed to 1,4-dioxane—through their drinking water—thereby dramatically underestimating the risk the chemical poses.

“And while EPA now acknowledges consumers can be exposed to the chemical because it is present as a byproduct in millions of everyday products, it has conducted a limited analysis in order to conclude such exposures do not present unreasonable risk.

“The Trump EPA’s action grants yet another wish to the formulated products industry, which last year abruptly reversed course and demanded that EPA now include the byproduct exposures the industry had convinced EPA to exclude up to that point—and find those exposures present no unreasonable risk. The motivation: to broaden the preemptive effect EPA’s assessment would have on states’ authority, several of which have been taking actions on 1,4-dioxane to protect their residents.

“The only good news here is that the Trump EPA’s days are numbered. The incoming administration has the opportunity to restore health-protective implementation of the country’s chemical safety law.”

— Dr. Richard Denison, EDF Health Lead Senior Scientist.

Background information:

• 1,4-dioxane is a likely human carcinogen that frequently contaminates drinking water.  
• EPA’s own data show that the chemical is present in a fifth of U.S. public drinking water systems serving nearly 90 million Americans in 45 states, according to testing data from local utilities. The data show that more than 7 million people in 27 states are served by public water systems where the chemical is present at levels EPA has found significantly elevate cancer risk.
• The new supplement to EPA’s risk evaluation focuses on potential risks 1,4-dioxane poses when present as a byproduct in common consumer products such as detergent and hand soap, as well as when it is released to surface water—but only when people are exposed through fish consumption or swimming (which EPA asserts do not present unreasonable risk), and not through drinking water. 
• See EDF Blogs on 1,4-dioxane.

U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) today introduced the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Act, an innovative bill that takes a first step toward cutting the climate-harming pollution from airplanes. The bill sets clear targets for the aviation sector to cut these emissions to put the sector on a path to net-zero emissions by 2050, a goal set by science aiming to avert the most damaging climate disruptions. And the bill provides incentives for the production of high quality sustainable aviation fuels, with a requirement that all these fuels, at a minimum, meet international standards.  

“As airlines attempt to woo passengers back into the skies, they will need to put the climate challenge at the core of their recovery. Innovative, effective climate policy – like the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Act – can help the aviation industry embrace the real goal, climate-neutral flight. What makes this bill innovative is that the tax credit is keyed to the amount of climate benefit the fuels actually deliver. The bill encourages fuel developers to produce fuels that meet and beat international and U.S. standards. 

“By taking into account what happens in the whole life cycle of making these fuels – from farms and forests to what comes out of the back of the engine – and only giving incentives for fuels that actually help the environment,  the bill ensures that the production of these fuels doesn’t cause more harm than good. Crucially, the bill builds on the foundation established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, which sets world standards for international flights. To receive the bill’s tax incentives, sustainable aviation fuels must achieve at least a 50% reduction in emissions compared to conventional jet fuel. 

“We applaud Congresswoman Brownley for introducing legislation to drive innovation and demand for high quality sustainable aviation fuels that have the potential to dramatically reduce airline emissions.”  

• Annie Petsonk, International Counsel

Background
From 2005 to 2018, U.S. passenger air traffic more than doubled – and so did global aviation’s effective radiative forcing, which is the amount aviation is warming the planet and changing the climate.  

Airlines and the U.S. military can cut flight emissions by using high quality sustainable aviation fuels. Shifting demand from kerosene to these new fuels can benefit U.S. farmers who produce the fuels using sustainable agricultural methods. And U.S. workers will be needed to retrofit the aircraft so that it can burn the fuels at higher and higher blends (the current blend limit is 50%). 

The bill scales its incentives to the amount of life cycle emission reductions each new fuel actually achieves, taking into account direct and indirect effects of its production.

The bill is feedstock neutral, allowing fuels from sources such as garbage, waste gases from steel mills, wood waste, and agricultural crops that don’t compete with food – as long as they meet rigorous sustainability standards. 

(NEW YORK, NY) Broader collaboration among key stakeholders and a new generation of finance solutions will be important to electrify trucks and buses at scale, according to a report released today by Environmental Defense Fund, MJ Bradley & Associates and Vivid Economics. These solutions form a Total Cost of Electrification Toolkit that policymakers, fleet owners, utilities and investors can use as a roadmap to accelerate demand for electric trucks and buses, while reducing barriers to investment.

Download “Financing the Transition: Unlocking Capital to Electrify Truck and Bus Fleets”

“Our nation is at a tipping point - the plummeting costs of zero-emission technology and the growing demand for cleaner vehicles all indicate we’re ready to transition away from the diesel trucks and buses that pollute our neighborhoods and threaten the climate,” said Andy Darrell, Chief of Strategy, Global Energy & Finance for EDF. “We’ve got to move beyond the traditional paths for vehicle finance and unlock the private capital needed to electrify these vehicles at scale.”

While diesel-powered trucks and buses make up only about 4% of vehicles on U.S. roads, they have an outsized impact on our climate and health. Electrifying these vehicles can tackle some of the biggest sources of climate and air pollution, while contributing to creating millions of jobs across the country. But financing is still a major barrier to this transition.

Report details

To date, traditional government grant programs have helped fleet owners replace diesel trucks with cleaner ones. These programs typically focus on one-to-one vehicle replacements, rather than the system-wide investments now needed to support the transformation of this sector.

This new report provides technical details about these challenges, as well as solutions that can help policymakers, fleet owners, utilities and investors overcome the financial barriers to electrification.

• Many fleet electrification barriers - like vehicle upfront costs - are known and accounted for in traditional Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculations. However, various softer costs, risks, uncertainties and market frictions, like those that stem from emerging technologies, local permitting and changes to operational patterns must be considered.
• A new framework, called Total Cost of Electrification (TCE), can help policymakers, fleet owners, utilities and investors begin to account for and better understand these diverse barriers.
• The TCE Toolkit, a first-of-its-kind resource, matches the most significant barriers to innovative financing solutions (like green bonds) and non-financial support tools (like battery health programs) to overcome them.
• Researchers interviewed over 30 fleet operators, public and private finance professionals, as well as EV public policy experts to inform these resources.

“The electrification of trucks and buses offers a massive investment opportunity, especially at a time when cities, counties, states and the federal government are exploring ways to merge economic stimulus initiatives with a commitment to build back better,” said Richard Kauffman, Chair of the Board of Directors at Generate Capital, Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at the Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy and former New York “energy czar.” “Success will take focused collaboration among policymakers, fleet owners, utilities and a wide range of capital providers each doing their part to accelerate the transition. The solutions featured in this report will help catalyze the electric vehicle transformation.”

The innovative finance mechanisms showcased in this report are an important part of a collection of solutions that can accelerate the transformation of the large truck and bus fleet.

Durable, long-term emission standards must be the centerpiece of this transition. These can be complemented by innovative financing, investments in charging infrastructure, development of smart electricity pricing structures, and programs that prioritize deployment within the communities most burdened by air pollution. With bold leadership, we can ensure 100% of the new trucks and buses entering the fleet are zero-emission by 2040.

For more information on this report, see our website at EDF.org/FinancingTheTransition, which includes an interactive TCE Toolkit.

(WASHINGTON, DC) An alliance of groups representing farmers, forest owners, the food sector, state governments and environmental advocates today unveiled an unprecedented set of recommendations to guide the development of federal climate policy.

The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) was formed in February 2020 by four groups that now co-chair the alliance: American Farm Bureau Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and National Farmers Union. The alliance has since expanded to include FMI — The Food Industry Association, National Alliance of Forest Owners, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and The Nature Conservancy.

Together, the group developed more than 40 recommendations based on three principles: agricultural and forestry climate policies must be built upon voluntary, incentive-based programs and market-driven opportunities; they must promote resilience and adaptation in rural communities; and they must be science-based. These recommendations share an overarching goal to do no harm. Climate policies will impact farmers, forest owners, ranchers, rural and limited-resources communities, wildlife and natural resources and must be thoughtfully crafted to account for any potential inequities, consequences and tradeoffs.

“We are proud to have broken through historical barriers to form this unique alliance focused on climate policy,” said Zippy Duvall, FACA co-chair and president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “We began discussions not knowing whether we would ultimately reach agreement. It was important to me to reject punitive climate policy ideas of the past in favor of policies that respect farmers and support positive change. Our final recommendations do just that.”

“The wide array of perspectives represented in this group — farmers, ranchers, forest owners and environmental advocates — sends a powerful message to Capitol Hill about the urgent need for bipartisan climate legislation,” said Fred Krupp, FACA co-chair and president of Environmental Defense Fund. “More resilient farms and forests protect the agricultural economy, reduce risk from the climate impacts that are already here and help prevent worsening climate impacts in the future.”

FACA Co-chair Chuck Conner, president of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, said, “Much as a farmer co-op gets its strength from uniting many producers to achieve asingle goal, so too does FACA. Through FACA, the food, forestry and agriculture sectors can speak with a single voice on climate and, leveraging the unique perspectives and special talents of its members, help drive the conversation about the role that the food, forestry and agriculture sector can play in addressing climate policy.”

Rob Larew, FACA co-chair and president of National Farmers Union, said, “Climate change is adding another enormous variable to the already unpredictable work of farming. Every year farmers face more frequent and severe weather events, making it just that much harder to make a profit. There are concrete actions farmers can take to build resilience to weather extremes and pull carbon out of the atmosphere, but they need strong policy behind them. The recommendations we’ve compiled are a good place to start.”

Overview of climate policy recommendations

• Provide voluntary, incentive-based tools and additional technical assistance for farmers, ranchers and foresters to maximize the sequestration of carbon and the reduction of other greenhouse gas emissions, and increase climate resilience.
• Foster the development of private sector GHG markets. The public sector should ensure that verifiable reductions occur and provide farmers and forest owners with the technical support needed to participate.
• Use an array of public and private sector tools to incentivize agricultural and forestry producers to prioritize and scale climate-smart practices.
• Incentivize farmers to reduce energy consumption and increase on-farm renewable energy production, and make continued progress toward reducing the lifecycle GHG emissions of agriculture- and forestry-based renewable energy.
• Reduce the GHG impact of food waste and loss by streamlining confusing consumer-facing packaging and implementing a public-private partnership to achieve a meaningful and workable food date-labeling program.
• Increase federal investment in agriculture, forestry and food-related research substantially and continuously.

Read the full recommendations at www.agclimatealliance.com. They cover six areas of focus: soil health, livestock and dairy, forests and wood products, energy, research, and food loss and waste.

The alliance welcomes additional members. Email inquiries@agclimatealliance.com with questions about membership or our climate policy recommendations.

(New York, NY – November 16, 2020) Environmental Defense Fund today announced a $100 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund. The grant will support critical work that includes completion and launch of MethaneSAT, a satellite that will not only locate and measure sources of methane pollution around the world, but also provide public access to data that ensures accountability and drives deep reductions of this pollutant. The grant will also be used to build confidence in carbon credits by improving scientific understanding of the storage and removal of carbon using nature-based processes in forests, agricultural soils, and oceans.

“EDF is heartened and inspired by the scale of the Bezos Earth Fund’s commitment to tackling this existential challenge,” said EDF President Fred Krupp. “We are honored to be included in the first round of funding, which will accelerate climate progress. As people experience more damaging wildfires, air pollution, stronger hurricanes, and deadlier droughts and heat waves, a window of opportunity for action is opening in the U.S. and around the world. We thank the Bezos Earth Fund for the trust placed in us. The Bezos Earth Fund gifts provide vital momentum to EDF and many others at a time when awareness must be turned into dramatic action.”

“As a non-profit, EDF is funded by member donations and private philanthropic support,” added Carl Ferenbach, Chair of the EDF Board of Trustees. “We are grateful to the Bezos Earth Fund as we are to all of our members and donors for enabling us to pursue our mission. Their generosity makes our work possible.”

(Washington, D.C. – November 13, 2020) Environmental Defense Fund and 10 other health and environmental groups are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to halt the second of two actions the Trump EPA took to undermine our nation’s protections against dangerous pollution from the oil and gas industry.

The groups filed a motion for a partial stay pending review of EPA’s rollback of leak detection and repair standards for emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and methane climate pollution by parts of the oil and gas industry.

“Hundreds of thousands of people live within half a mile of oil and gas facilities that will be able to emit more dangerous pollution if EPA’s rollback goes forward,” said EDF senior attorney Rosalie Winn. “Once emitted, these pollutants cannot be captured and the harms they cause cannot be reversed.”

EPA set standards in 2016 that required the oil and gas industry to find and fix leaks of methane, VOCs, and other dangerous pollutants. Those have been reliably reducing large quantities of pollution, and protecting the health and safety of Americans, for three years.

Then two months ago, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler took two steps to undermine the successful standards. First, he rescinded methane standards across all segments of the oil and gas industry and eliminated VOC standards for the downstream segment of the industry. The next day he significantly weakened the remaining leak detection and repair standards for VOC emissions from the upstream parts of the oil and gas industry.

EDF, its allies, and a coalition of 24 states sued to stop the two actions. Last month, a divided panel of the D.C. Circuit declined to grant a stay for the first action but set an expedited schedule to hear the case on the merits.

Now the groups are asking the court to stay the second action until the case is heard on the merits. Without a stay, Wheeler’s action will allow an extra 21,000 tons of VOCs into our air in 2021 alone – putting hundreds of thousands of people’s health at risk – along with additional methane climate pollution equivalent to roughly 1.4 million cars driving for a year.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Clean Air Council, Earthworks, Environmental Integrity Project, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Food & Water Watch, Ft. Berthold Protectors of Water and Earth Rights, National Parks Conservation Association, Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club joined EDF in filing the motion.

You can find more information, including all legal briefs, on EDF’s website.

(WASHINGTON, DC — Nov 12, 2020) For thousands of retired U.S. coal miners suffering from black lung disease, disability benefits from the federal government provide critical support for treatment and health care. As the economy moves away from fossil fuels, other types of public benefits programs could also deliver relief to affected coal workers and fossil fuel communities when work-based benefits are lost. These programs, which range from unemployment assistance to Social Security, also provide a foundation for workers and communities to thrive in a clean economy.

In a new report, Resources for the Future and Environmental Defense Fund examine existing public benefits programs and their potential roles in preserving the economic security, health and well-being of fossil fuel workers and communities in transition.

“As the coal industry declines, local economies take a huge hit, budgets get cut and workers lose benefits. Public benefits programs can form a critical first line of defense for these fossil fuel workers and communities as the country transitions,” said Jake Higdon, coauthor and Senior Analyst for U.S. Climate at EDF. “While these programs are not sufficient on their own, policymakers should recognize the need for a strong social safety net to provide immediate relief and to complement targeted policies designed to support economic development, workforce development and more.”

Molly Robertson, co-author and research analyst at RFF said, “People typically think of economic development and workforce development policies when they think of supporting communities after an energy transition, and rightly so, for those policies are essential to community success. But public benefits programs are a critical piece of the puzzle, particularly if policymakers hope to emulate policies in other nations where social safety nets are more robust. Policymakers should understand all the resources available to struggling communities and any gaps that may be exacerbated by an energy transition, so they can build policies that best serve their communities.”

The report illustrates five key insights for policymakers by examining two major types of public benefits programs: 1) national social safety net programs, which are broadly applicable across all populations; and 2) industry-specific benefits.

Key Insights:

1. Public benefits are critical for communities in transition and their role will likely grow in the context of an accelerated energy transition.
2. Benefits programs that automatically expand in times of economic hardship can improve stability in the face of energy-related economic shocks.
3. Reforms to expand access and utilization of social safety net programs can maximize benefits for fossil fuel communities. Often, access is limited by stringent eligibility requirements, state political choices, lack of public awareness or other barriers.
4. Despite the importance of broad-based social safety net programs in the U.S., these policies cannot address all the needs of fossil fuel communities.
5. Pension and health benefits provided by industries can contribute to worker and family well-being as well as community economic stability. However, programs that depend on revenue from fossil fuel production or enable companies to shed liabilities in bankruptcy processes will continue to face budget concerns as the fossil fuel economy declines. To avoid this loss, policymakers can ensure that industry benefits are funded from more sustainable sources; strengthen company bankruptcy rules; or consider whether other industry-specific benefits, like the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), can provide useful models for reform.

To learn more about these findings, read the report, “The Role of Public Benefits in Supporting Workers and Communities Affected by Energy Transition,” by Jake Higdon, senior analyst for U.S. climate policy at EDF and Molly Robertson, research analyst at RFF. Read EDF’s blog on the key findings here.

RFF and EDF’s Fairness for Workers and Communities in Transition series is designed to help policymakers assess strategies to address social and economic challenges associated with a shift to a clean-energy economy. Many of these challenges are being brought into focus by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has accelerated job loss in the energy sector, especially in regions already struggling. Future reports in the series will focus on workforce development, clean energy deployment and more.

“The Trump administration’s decision to remove Michael Kuperberg as executive director of the U.S. Global Change Research is yet another disturbing sign that the President will use his office to undercut the role of science in informing effective policy.

“Trump continues to deny science and delay climate action; it’s clear he’ll do so until the moment he leaves office. Over the past four years, his administration has made every effort to ensure that scientific understandings do not get in the way of his political agenda.

“The clock is ticking, and our government needs to get back to science-based climate action.”

- Dr. Steven Hamburg, Chief Scientist for Environmental Defense Fund

(AUSTIN, TX – Nov. 10, 2020) The Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has awarded Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) with a three-year Healthy Ecosystems grant to examine and address the vulnerability of petrochemical facilities along Galveston Bay to flood-induced chemical spills and releases. In a robust partnership with the Galveston Bay Foundation and Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College of Engineering, School of Public Health and College of Architecture, EDF will conduct modeling and analysis to identify which facilities are most at risk and what solutions, such as natural infrastructure, might reduce those risks and lessen impacts to nearby communities and ecosystems. This unique collaboration leverages expertise across multiple disciplines that will inform strategies for other vulnerable coastal areas with heavy industrial footprints, such as in neighboring Louisiana.

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season has provided a stark reminder of how vulnerable petrochemical facilities are to the effects of storm surge and excessive rainfall. The Environmental Protection Agency received 31 reports of oil and chemical spills in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. In the last 15 years, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Harvey also caused large-scale spills and releases of chemicals that had widespread health and environmental impacts.

“Climate change and extreme weather are increasing the risk of flood-induced chemical spills, particularly across the Gulf Coast,” said Elena Craft, Senior Director, EDF Climate and Health. “This vulnerability poses serious health risks to nearby residents and threatens vulnerable ecosystems. We must act now to identify what facilities are most at risk of flooding and work to reduce those risks before the next storm.”

“In order to make informed decisions that ensure the U.S. Gulf Coast region remains resilient — and habitable — for future generations, we need to understand much better the connections between natural processes and human activities in the region,” said Laura Windecker, program officer for the GRP. “This grant opportunity encourages research that is actionable to help conserve our valuable ecosystems, while also protecting people’s health and livelihood.”

Toxic releases and chemical spills are man-made disasters that compound the damages of natural disasters, such as hurricanes, and often exacerbate existing inequalities and systemic racism. Low-income, underserved communities along the Gulf Coast are at greatest risk from releases of chemical contaminants. These releases can also result in closure of fishing grounds, with devastating effects to commercial fishing fleets and related jobs.

“Galveston Bay, like the wider Gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana, is vulnerable to episodic storms, heavy rainfall, flooding and sea level rise,” said Capt. Greg Ball, President, Galveston Professional Boatmen’s Association. “Flooding-related damage from hurricanes including Katrina and Harvey has triggered releases of petroleum products and chemical contaminants, affecting the air, waterways and surrounding neighborhoods. The proposed project will fill critical gaps in our understanding about the health risk to people and ecosystems due to toxics that may be released as a result of weather- and climate-related events.”

Specific focus areas of research will include: 

• Examining the Texas and Louisiana coasts as areas highly vulnerable to climate-induced flooding that also have some of the densest concentration of petrochemical facilities in the world.
• Analyzing how historical and recent environmental releases of pollutants have affected contaminant loading in marine organisms.
• Identifying where and how natural and nature-based features may reduce flood risks and mitigate environmental releases, lessen adverse impacts to human and ecological health and promote resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems.

“The Associated Press has called the election for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Environmental Defense Fund congratulates them on this extraordinary milestone.

“For Americans who care about clean air, clean water and healthy communities, Joe Biden’s policies can open a new window of opportunity for real progress. The United States can now focus on the well-being of the American people — especially those most impacted by pollution and climate change.

“Stopping the spread of COVID-19 and getting help to struggling workers and businesses must be the new administration’s first priority. But as we turn to the work of rebuilding better — not simply restoring what we had before — it is time to get to work building clean cars, trucks and buses and clean energy, for an America with less pollution, more jobs and equity for our hardest-hit communities.

“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris understand the need for a rapid energy transition. Americans overwhelmingly support clean energy and climate action as well.”Let’s work together to create the world our children and grandchildren deserve.”

(Denver, CO) The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) today voted to adopt new rules to eliminate the practice of routine flaring at new and existing wells across the state. The rules will be formally adopted after a procedural vote later this month. Routine flaring occurs when operators burn off natural gas produced from oil wells instead of capturing it and selling it or otherwise putting it to beneficial use.

Operators in Colorado currently waste nearly $12 million worth of natural gas annually through venting and flaring, resulting in hazardous air and climate pollution. Reducing needless flaring is critical for curbing waste, reducing pollution and protecting public health.

This move makes Colorado the first in the lower 48 to put a stop to the wasteful practice, and comes as other oil and gas producing states such as New Mexico and Texas face increasing pressure from investors and companies to zero out routine flaring, while recent surveys have found flaring to be an outsized source of climate-warming methane emissions.

“Ending routine flaring is a critical move for protecting Colorado’s communities and climate from needless waste and pollution. The outdated practice of torching natural gas for sheer convenience has no place in a 21^st century energy economy. With this rule, Colorado becomes the model for other jurisdictions looking to end routine flaring as communities, investors and leading companies demand action.”
 

• Dan Grossman, Senior Director of State Advocacy, Energy

Additional Background:

Colorado has a duty under state statute to meet science-based climate pollution reduction requirements by delineated deadlines and to address adverse pollution impacts on disproportionately impacted communities.

Colorado has failed to carry out its mandatory legal duty to propose implementing regulations by July 1, 2020. EDF urges Colorado to immediately carry out these crucial and overdue responsibilities as required by law to protect the health, environment, economy and well-being of all Coloradans.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“With the presidential election too close to call, the eyes of the world are on the United States. Environmental Defense Fund joins countless other voices of civil society in calling on election officials in every state to count every vote. The health of our democracy and the legitimacy of free and fair U.S. elections are very much at stake.

“As Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan wrote last week, nothing could be more suspicious or improper “than refusing to tally votes once the clock strikes 12 on election night.” Every vote must be counted.”

 (Santa Fe, NM – October 30, 2020) Today, the New Mexico Climate Change Task Force released its second annual report, detailing the state’s progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate impacts already occurring. The report includes an analysis showing that current and proposed climate policies will make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions, but the state will need further action to reach Governor Lujan Grisham’s science-based goal of 45% emissions reduction from 2005 levels by 2030.

“Governor Lujan Grisham has taken strong action on climate change, but comprehensive, economy-wide action will still be needed to provide the greatest possible certainty the state meets its climate goals and to protect New Mexicans from the worst impacts of a warmer, drier world.

“The emphasis this report puts on broad, inclusive stakeholder conversations around the sorts of tools that will be utilized to meet the reduction goals is key. Including a framework for climate equity that is developed with environmental justice communities, as well as an examination of both direct regulation and market mechanisms will be important to ensuring the best decisions are reached for the benefit of all New Mexicans.

“This report also underlines the need for New Mexico’s regulators to do more to close loopholes in their draft methane rules given that oil and gas emissions are the largest source of climate pollution in the state. If the loopholes are not addressed, Gov Lujan Grisham’s administration will fall short of their ambitious and needed targets.

“This report also underscores the importance of the New Mexico legislature enshrining the state’s targets on climate pollution in statute, so that the state will stay on track for meeting those targets. A decade ago, the state had a plan on climate, and now we’re starting again from scratch. We can’t afford for action on climate to be at the whims of politics. The state must remain steadfast in its commitment to bold climate action.”

• Jon Goldstein, Director for Regulatory & Legislative Affairs at Environmental Defense Fund

(RALEIGH, NC – Oct. 29, 2020) Today, the governors of Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia announced the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Regional Transformative Partnership for Offshore Wind Energy Resources (SMART-POWER), a collaborative effort to advance offshore wind and generate economic investment within the three states. The initiative will facilitate the promotion, development and expansion of the offshore wind industry and supply chain in the Mid-Atlantic, leveraging each state’s attributes to attract new wind projects, jobs and economic development.

“The bipartisan initiative by Governors Cooper, Northam and Hogan underscores a burgeoning consensus for commonsense climate efforts and the realization that environmental protection and economic development go hand-in-hand. These governors are helping their states realize the economic potential inherent in the transition to a more modern, cleaner and healthier electricity system.

“Importantly, Maryland and Virginia have coupled strategic investment in clean energy technologies with strong limits on climate pollution from power plants in their states. North Carolina has an exciting opportunity to join this effort to help achieve the state’s climate goals.”

• David Kelly, Senior Manager for North Carolina Political Affairs at EDF

(BOSTON, MA) Manufacturers are readying to meet demand for zero-emission trucks and buses in the United States and Canada, according to a new report out today by The International Council on Clean Transportation, Propulsion Quebec and Environmental Defense Fund. “Race to zero: How manufacturers are positioned for zero-emission commercial trucks and buses in North America” shows that manufacturers – through their investments and product plans – recognize that the future of the commercial vehicle industry is zero-emissions.

The report identifies that at least 125 zero-emission truck and bus models are in production, development or demonstration. Over the past 5 years, sales of zero-emission commercial vehicles have shot up by nearly a factor of 10. There are models for each of the distinct major segments of the heavy-duty vehicle market, including transit and school buses, delivery vans, box trucks and combination trucks. Every major truck and bus manufacturer is developing at least one all-electric vehicle model or is part of an industry collaboration to bring zero-emission vehicles to market.

This illustrates that the entire heavy-duty vehicle industry is quickly moving towards a combustion-free future. Further, battery-electric technology - versus hydrogen - is dominating the early zero-emission market for heavy-duty vehicles.

“Commercial vehicle electrification is a really vibrant space, as we’ve seen a flurry of announced new zero-emission models, major investments, and joint ventures,” said Ben Sharpe, who is a Senior Researcher with the ICCT. “What’s even more exciting is that we expect the market to continue to accelerate. With ambitious policies such as California’s Advanced Clean Trucks regulation coming into effect over the next few years, as well as steadily decreasing costs for zero-emission technology, the race to zero is heating up fast.”

“While the electrification of transportation represents one of the solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is essential to encourage the development and commercialization of zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles to meet the needs of fleet managers who wish to make the transition to electric vehicles,” said Sarah Houde, CEO of Propulsion Québec. “We are pleased to see manufacturers of electric vehicles from Quebec taking a leading position and standing out in the North American market, and we encourage the deployment of public policies, such as a law regulating zero-emission vehicles, in favour of these medium and heavy-duty vehicles.”

“Zero-emission trucks are urgently needed to reduce climate and air pollution – especially for frontline communities living near major truck corridors,” said Jason Mathers, director of EDF’s vehicles and freight strategy. “Leading manufacturers are ready to make these trucks and fleets are eager to drive them. Now we need bold policy to accelerate the market for zero-emission trucks and buses – which will deliver clean air and help grow jobs in North America.”

While the emerging zero-emission truck and bus market is very dynamic with new products being announced on nearly a weekly basis, vehicle availability is still a barrier to wide-scale adoption. Fleet decision-makers and policymakers want to know there will be enough supply of zero-emission alternatives to meet their ambitious conversion targets.

This report, which summarizes the zero-emission models that are being prototyped or deployed commercially as of July 2020 – both by original equipment manufacturers and startup companies  – finds that this era of uncertainty could soon be coming to an end because of the increasing number and diversity of zero-emission models that are commercially available.

This study was conducted with financial support of the Gouvernement du Québec, the Heising-Simons Foundation and Hydro Québec.