Complete list of press releases

(NEW YORK – Sept. 23, 2020) In remarks by video to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, President Xi Jinping announced that China would strengthen its pledge under the Paris climate agreement, and aim to peak emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. President Xi’s announcement comes days after Europe announced a plan to reduce emissions by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030. President Xi also called for “innovative, coordinated, green and open development for all” concepts to promote the green recovery of the global economy.”President Xi’s latest comments are an important signal from Beijing, and present a dramatic contrast to the abdication of leadership in Washington.

“This could be another milestone in China’s efforts to address its contribution to climate change. By setting peak emissions targets and with the goal of reaching carbon neutrality, China’s long-term vision for tackling climate change by the middle of this century has become clear. If that vision becomes a reality, it will represent an enormous step toward what the world needs to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change.

“With President Trump on the verge of pulling America of out the Paris Agreement, the world badly needs leadership on climate. Alongside the EU’s announcement of an ambitious 2030 target, China’s pledge to strengthen its Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement could help provide that leadership and provide the impetus needed for more countries to consider updating their own commitments.

“The foundations laid during the recent EU-China dialogue pave the way for greater cooperation going forward. A step up on climate action from China, Europe and the U.S., which together account for more than half the world’s emissions, would be a real game changer. We now have two of the three out of the gate. America needs to get back in the fight.”

• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund

Background

• President Xi Jinping announced at the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 22 “China will scale up its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions by adopting more vigorous policies and measures. We aim to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.”
• Europe announced a plan to reduce emissions by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030 following the EU-China dialogue.

(SACRAMENTO, CA – September 23, 2020) Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a bold plan for a clean future for his state. The plan includes 100% zero emitting vehicles sales by 2035 and 100% zero emitting freight trucks and buses for all feasible operations by 2045, with accelerated progress in port areas where extensive pollution imposes a heavy burden on disadvantaged communities.

"In the midst of a historic wildfire crisis, Governor Newsom is taking strong action to protect California's economy and the health of its people. His announcement today will not only address the single largest source of climate and air pollution in California, but is a major step toward boosting his state's economic competitiveness and helping Californians who are suffering extraordinary harms from air pollution.

"This plan positions California to win a new generation of jobs building affordable zero emission vehicles – jobs that Europe and China are also hoping to capture. Importantly, major U.S. manufacturers also support winning the race to deploy 21st century solutions and create jobs, given the market shift to these innovative technologies a new report shows is happening rapidly.

 "Of critical importance is the governor's focus in taking steps to begin addressing the heavy and unjust burden of pollution placed on communities of color and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Unjust policies and practices have left these Californians suffering serious and disproportionate health impacts while not having vital access to the economic benefits enjoyed by many others.

"The governor's actions provide a set of solutions designed to address California's urgent and extraordinary set of climate and air pollution challenges. Californians want affordable clean energy and healthier air and a safer future for their children. They also want their state to grab this enormous economic opportunity in innovation and advanced technologies.

"I congratulate Governor Newsom for doing what's best for his state, protecting the health and well-being of 40 million Californians, and continuing the Golden State's tradition of innovation and life-saving environmental and economic leadership."

• EDF President Fred Krupp

Today, a group of health, environmental, and consumer organizations challenged the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) practice of not accounting for the cumulative health effect of chemicals in the diet when allowing new chemicals in food. Over 60 years ago, Congress passed a law requiring that FDA and industry do just that. Unfortunately, an Environmental Defense Fund investigation of nearly 900 safety determinations found that only one considered the requirement in a meaningful way. 

In reviewing the correspondence between FDA and manufacturers, EDF found no evidence the agency raises concerns with this major shortcoming. The analysis also demonstrates that, when evaluating the safety of new additives, FDA and food manufacturers all too often consider one chemical at a time rather than as a class of related substances.

“The collective failure by FDA and the food industry to follow the law may well have contributed to the dramatic increases we have seen in chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and kidney disease in the US in recent decades,” said Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director for Environmental Defense Fund. “Every time we eat highly processed food, we are exposed to chemical additives, and – for the chemicals that cause similar toxic effects – that combined exposure can increase the harm to our health. FDA and industry can and must do better to ensure our food is safe.” 

“Pediatricians have been urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make urgently needed improvements to the food additive regulatory process. Children are uniquely vulnerable to chemical exposures because they eat and drink more, relative to body weight, than adults do. For children, studies have suggested that some food additives can have potentially serious health consequences, such as interfering with hormones, impeding growth and development, and increasing the risk of childhood obesity. It is absolutely critical that the FDA evaluate the cumulative effects of food additives across the diet and the lifespan in order to best support children’s healthy growth and development.” — American Academy of Pediatrics President Sara “Sally” Goza, MD, FAAP.

“We are pleased to join this important petition calling on the FDA to protect the public’s health by fully accounting for the cumulative health effects of the chemicals additives in our food. This call for commonsense protections is essential to preventing disease and improving the nation’s health and wellbeing.” — Georges C. Benjamin, MD, Executive Director, American Public Health Association. 

“Over 275,000 women are or will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the US, and most cases have nothing to do with family history. Science has shown that our exposure to toxic chemicals plays a big role; especially because we are constantly exposed to a mixture of chemicals that impact our health. So it’s essential that the FDA fully follow and implement the law when it comes to something as basic and important as the safety of a mixture of chemicals in our food.” — Lisette van Vliet, Senior Policy Coordinator, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners.

“For far too long, FDA has allowed the food industry to regulate itself, while ignoring consumers’ concerns,” said Jaydee Hanson, Policy Director at Center for Food Safety. “Instead of requiring food manufacturers to notify FDA whenever new chemical substances are added to our food, FDA allows these manufacturers to self-certify in secret that their additives are safe. Not only does this prevent the public from knowing what is in their food, it prevents FDA from understanding the true cumulative effect of these chemicals on human health. This stands the regulatory process on its head.”

“The food safety regulatory framework in America is largely focused on acute exposure to pathogens and microbiological contaminants. Long-term exposure to chemicals of concern including additives can take years, even decades, to manifest chronic disease. We are long overdue to evaluate the cumulative role that additives in food and consumer products play in chronic disease and adapt federal regulatory policies accordingly.” – Jaclyn Bowen MPH, MS food and consumer product safety systems engineer and executive director of Clean Label Project.

“FDA is falling short of its mandate to protect consumers so long as it disregards the cumulative effect of food chemicals,” said Thomas Gremillion, Director of Food Policy for Consumer Federation of America. “The actions called for by this petition are long overdue.”  

“Most people are unknowingly exposed to numerous chemicals in food that may have serious adverse effects on their health,” said Michael Hansen, PhD, senior scientist for Consumer Reports. “Before approving any new chemical in food, the FDA needs to thoroughly evaluate whether it poses a threat to public health when combined with other related substances already allowed in food.” 

“The reality is we are not exposed to a single food additive or contaminant in isolation, so it does not make sense to evaluate their potential effects in isolation. Real-world dietary exposures frequently include a cocktail of endocrine-disrupting and other harmful chemicals that are either deliberately added or leach from food packaging,” said Heather Patisaul, PhD, Chair of the Endocrine Society’s Advocacy and Public Outreach Core Committee. “To effectively protect our health, we need to consider how the chemicals in our food affect hormonal, neurological and other systems in combination, particularly when evaluating new additives with similar properties.” 

“When watching what their kids eat, parents know to pay attention to the total amount of sugar from sweets, not just look at an individual candies,” said Patrick MacRoy, Deputy Director at the Environmental Health Strategy Center.  “Yet, when it comes to toxic chemicals in our food, the FDA has been doing the equivalent of counting how many Skittles we eat, while ignoring that we also ate a box of M&Ms and a snickers bar or two. It’s past time for the agency to follow the law and look at the impact of chemicals that are acting in concert to harm our health.” 

“For more than 60 years the FDA has brazenly ignored its legal obligations and best scientific practices,” said Melanie Benesh, EWG legislative attorney. “We’re exposed to multiple chemicals through our food—many of which have been linked to serious health problems like cancer, yet the agency insists on collecting data one chemical at a time. It’s appalling that the FDA continues to neglect the cumulative effects of exposure to these chemicals as rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and other serious health issues continue to rise among Americans.”

“The impact of chemicals in our food can add up to harm, especially for pregnant women and their babies. The FDA understands this, but have failed to take proper action to keep our families safe. We urge the FDA to take action to ensure that the cumulative effects of toxic chemicals do not negatively impact moms and babies.” — Charlotte Brody, RN, National Director, Healthy Babies Bright Futures.

“While not as immediate as adverse drug interactions or food poisoning, the long-term, combined impact of food chemicals on our health can be significant”, said Maricel Maffini, a consultant to EDF. “For example, several food additives and contaminants in common foods – including nitrates, perchlorate, and thiocyanate – all harm the thyroid’s ability to use iodine to make a hormone essential to brain development. Exposure to these related chemicals from various foods should be considered together, as a class, to reduce the risk for pregnant women and young children, as the chemicals all harm fetal and infant brain development in the same way.”

The citizen petition outlines the necessary steps for FDA to take to ensure that the cumulative effect of a new substance and related substances already in the diet has been adequately evaluated before the new additive is allowed in our food. Petitioners are asking that the agency update its rules, issue guidance to industry to explain what is needed to conduct a complete safety determination which includes accounting for cumulative effects, and revise its forms for industry to submit notices and petitions.

The petitioners are: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Center for Food Safety, Clean Label Project, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, Endocrine Society, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Health Strategy Center, Environmental Working Group, and Healthy Babies Bright Futures.

The petitioners ask that the agency immediately put the petition out for public comment. Under its rules, FDA must respond to the petition within 180 days.

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 22, 2020) This week, the U.S. House of Representatives will be considering the Clean Energy Jobs and Innovation Act. This House energy innovation package modernizes and bolsters funding authorizations for clean energy research and development programs – including solar energy, wind energy, energy storage, ARPA-E and other Department of Energy programs – for the first-time in over a decade. These science and technology advancements are crucial for scaling up solutions needed to address the climate crisis.

“The Clean Energy Jobs and Innovation Act will accelerate the science and technology development we need to tackle the climate crisis. Investment in American innovation also boosts America’s global competitiveness in the clean energy sector and creates jobs,” said Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President for Political Affairs at EDF.

This legislation, HR 4447, also includes an energy efficiency title that directs DOE to establish new model building codes for states to adopt and reauthorizes the popular Energy Efficiency Conservation and Block Grant (EECBG) program, which provides $17.5 billion in funding for schools, homes, government buildings, and manufacturing facilities to improve efficiency and deploy energy-efficient technologies.

The House energy innovation package also will make record investments in the technology and infrastructure needed to electrify and substantially reduce emissions from transportation, the largest sector for greenhouse gas emissions. This includes authorizing:

• Over $36 billion for transportation electrification, including grants and rebates to deploy electric vehicles and related charging infrastructure,
• $650 million to deploy low- and zero-emissions school buses, 
• $375 million for the Clean Cities Coalition Program, and 
• $2.5 billion for the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act.

H.R. 4447 also strives to reduce polluting emissions from the industrial sector, including the phasedown of the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a highly potent greenhouse gas, by 85% over 15 years. It also establishes a $1.25 billion grant program to prevent methane leaks from the natural gas distribution system.

Importantly, H.R. 4447 aims to reduce the pollution and health burdens of those on the frontlines of climate change, including low-income communities, communities of color, and other marginalized groups. It includes key provisions from the Booker-Ruiz Environmental Justice Act, which requires federal agencies to include environmental justice in their missions. Specifically, the legislation codifies and expands the 1994 Executive Order on Environmental Justice, which focuses federal attention on environmental and human health impacts of federal actions on minority and low-income communities. Additionally, the bill contains key provisions from the Harris-Grijalva-McEachin Environmental Justice for All legislation, which creates new environmental justice grant and training programs to empower communities and reduce health disparities.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a brilliant advocate for equal rights under the law, and, as Chief Justice Roberts stated on Friday, “a jurist of historic stature.” Justice Ginsburg’s unwavering commitment to justice was reflected in her profoundly important achievements as an advocate. With extraordinary legal skill and strategic vision she successfully challenged numerous laws based upon trite stereotypes and cruel assumptions. She removed barriers to progress for women and men alike and helped to realize rights guaranteed under the Constitution but long illusory. From the bench, the tenacity of her vision and her spare, powerful writing style gave enduring force to her opinions whether she was in the majority or in dissent.

“Justice Ginsburg was also a courageous and visionary champion of people’s right to clean air, a safe climate and fundamental access to the courts to remedy environmental harms. She authored landmark judicial rulings addressing the scourge of air pollution. In 2014, she penned a ruling saving thousands of lives imperiled by smokestack pollution when she affirmed EPA’s Good Neighbor safeguards requiring coal plant pollution reductions across the eastern United States that were causing far-reaching interstate public health harms, explaining:

“In a 2004 majority opinion, Justice Ginsburg affirmed EPA’s authority to enforce clean air measures for major industrial polluters where states declined to require implementation of the best available pollution control solutions as required by law.

“Her opinion in AEP v. Connecticut affirmed that the Clean Air Act “speaks directly” to power plants’ dangerous, climate-altering air pollutants and helped to provide legal foundation for America’s Clean Power Plan. Her opinion for a unanimous Court made clear that EPA’s manifest authority to address climate pollution from existing power plants under the Clean Air Act was a predicate for finding that federal common law claims were displaced. This important ruling in AEP was a direct statutory outgrowth of her vote in the majority in Massachusetts v. EPA, the Supreme Court’s historical ruling a few years earlier that the Clean Air Act applies to greenhouse gas pollution.

“Justice Ginsburg’s majority opinion in the 2000 decision Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services accorded with her longstanding concern about the public’s practical and essential access to the courts to redress environmental injuries.

“As we honor Justice Ginsburg’s monumental contributions to equal rights for women under the law, we also recognize her landmark contributions to a healthier and safer environment protecting millions afflicted by climate and air pollution.

“Equal rights under the law for all people and the right to clean air are fundamental to creating a society where each person can reach her or his full potential. We are resolute in carrying Justice Ginsburg’s legacy forward in the urgent work to achieve healthier, longer and more just lives for all.

“Justice Ginsburg forever altered the arc of history. So must we all.”

• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund

China is taking bold steps to address its contribution to climate change. The country is preparing to launch the first trading program of its nationwide carbon market, beginning by the end of this year with the power sector and then expanding to other industries and increasing transaction types, an official announced earlier this month. China is also working on a long-term vision for tackling climate change by the middle of this century, including a target for when they will peak emissions and when the nation will reach carbon neutrality, a spokesperson said following last week’s EU-China dialogue, where the two governments established a dedicated dialogue on climate and the environment.  

“Anytime you see the world’s largest emitter talking about increasing its ambition and considering carbon neutrality, that’s good news. China has established a strong foundation for enhanced climate commitments and corresponding policies, and carbon pricing can play a crucial role.

“In the meantime, we should focus on the actions China is taking to set the stage for real climate action, including advancing the world’s largest carbon market. The latest promise from Chinese authorities shows that China keeps exploring the role of carbon markets in reducing carbon emissions. Depending on how that market evolves, it has the potential to be a powerful engine of greater ambition for China – and the world. 

“It’s clear the long-awaited EU-China dialogue was a success and lays the foundation for greater cooperation going forward. The subsequent announcement from Europe of its plan to reduce emissions by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030 is a terrific demonstration of global leadership.”

• Zhang Jianyu, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund China

Background
Li Gao, Director General for Climate Change at China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), announced Sept. 7 “This year, China will use the power sector to jumpstart carbon trading.” 

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced Sept. 15 China is “considering and studying a mid-century long-term vision for climate change, including such issues as the peaking of carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality.” He also said China has reached its 2020 climate action targets and “is willing to contribute more.”
 

 “Morgan Stanley is the first major U.S. bank to pledge to net zero financed emissions by 2050, but it won’t be the last.

“Morgan Stanley’s commitment is a clear sign to shareholders that it sees the commercial opportunity to shift capital to companies with net zero commitments, strategies, and actions. Aligning its business with a net zero pathway allows a bank to manage systemic climate risk, while providing capital to companies positioned to thrive in a de-carbonizing world.

“Adopting net zero by 2050 as the north star will become the new normal for companies and investors, and we encourage other banks to follow Morgan Stanley’s lead. The real leaders will emerge based on their ability to set near-term milestones, engage key sectors, and ensure climate-friendly asset allocation.”

— Ben Ratner, Senior Director, Environmental Defense Fund

Climate Week NYC is partnering with the Environmental Defense Fund on the Finance, Investment, and Jobs program to deliver a series of events on what countries, and the private sector, must do over the next year to address the climate challenge. 

Amy Davidsen, Executive Director, North America at the Climate Group, said: “We’re excited to partner with the Environmental Defense Fund, a leader in developing innovative solutions to the climate crisis. EDF brings a unique combination of private-sector credibility, political savvy, and scientific, policy and economic expertise – all of which helps set the stage for the urgent global action needed to tackle the climate crisis in the lead up to COP26. As we build a better future from a global pandemic, it’s more important than ever that we align investment capital and our economies with climate science.”   

This year’s Climate Week NYC will mark the beginning of a 14-month period, culminating with the UN climate negotiations in Glasgow next November (COP26), where the world will need to take critical steps toward meeting the Paris Agreement goals.

Nathaniel Keohane, Senior Vice President for Climate at EDF, said: “The American West is in flames. The Midwest is still recovering from unprecedented storms. The natural disasters affecting every corner of our country underscore the incredible urgency of addressing climate change. What happens between Climate Week NYC and next year’s climate conference in Glasgow will help shape the future of global climate action – and help determine the fate of the planet. This is a pivotal time to make progress and get the world on a path to low-carbon prosperity.

“To realize that vision, we need to put climate at the center of the economic agenda as countries rebuild better from the Covid-19 crisis. We need companies to take bold action to reduce their own carbon footprints and advocate for more effective policies, responding to the calls from their customers, investors, and employees. And we need the world’s largest emitters to ratchet up their ambition. The EU is leading the way with its newly announced target of reducing emissions by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030. China is poised to take bolder steps as well, building on its renewed ambition on carbon trading. What’s missing most is American leadership on climate – a critical ingredient if the world is to succeed.” 

EDF will gather national and international experts to examine investing for a 100% clean economy and exploring global stimulus plans to rebuild better in the United States, EU and China. All the events EDF is hosting or participating in can be seen on the website.

Highlights include:

• Turning Climate Risk into Climate Progress: How the finance community can drive the transition to a 100% clean economy.
• Rebuild Better: Making Climate Central to a Post-Covid Economy.
• Zero Emissions Trucks and the Low Carbon Future.

Read Keohane’s latest blog post on why Climate Week NYC 2020 marks a critical period for climate action.

Climate Week NYC is the largest international climate summit taking place this year from September 21-27, 2020. The events program is organized by 10 themes, including Youth, Mobilization and Justice, Industry and the Built Environment, Sustainable Travel and Tourism, Clean Energy Transition and more.

All 400+ Climate Week NYC events happening around the world will be available to explore through the new Climate Week NYC mobile phone app.

Statement of Victoria Mills, Managing Director, Environmental Defense Fund

“Leading businesses are making it clear that, in the face of unprecedented challenges, we cannot lose sight of another urgent and growing crisis, one that also poses severe threats to our communities and economy: climate change.

“The Business Roundtable’s climate policy statement is a powerful call on Congress to make climate policy a top priority. The group’s support for comprehensive, coordinated and market-based approaches shows that businesses are leading lawmakers on this issue.

“BRT’s policy unveiled today echoes the CEO Climate Dialogue’s Guiding Principles, which include putting a fair and economy-wide price on carbon and promoting equity. Earlier this month, Environmental Defense Fund along with other members of this group held virtual meetings with federal lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and in both houses of Congress to advocate such an approach.

“The CEO Climate Dialogue also believes the conversation about how best to develop a comprehensive, bipartisan climate policy should continue at full speed this fall, regardless of the election outcome. This conversation must also focus on how to guard against and alleviate the disproportionate impacts of climate and air pollution on disadvantaged communities.

“Leading businesses have made it clear that they support common-sense approaches to drive down emissions fast and cost-effectively, in ways that ensure equity and justice. It’s time for all businesses and lawmakers to step up to the climate challenge and move forward the bold and ambitious policies that our country and world need.”

- Victoria Mills, Managing Director, Environmental Defense Fund

(16 Sept. 2020) Environmental Defense Fund Europe welcomes the European Commission’s proposal today to increase its climate commitment and reduce the EU’s emissions at least 55% by 2030 relative to 1990 levels. This is the level necessary to put the EU on a path to climate neutrality by 2050. 

“Once again, Europe has set the bar for climate ambition by strengthening its commitment in the run up to COP26 in Glasgow, just as it did in advance of the Paris Agreement. We urge the EU to put forward the ‘at least 55%’ target as the new EU commitment under the Paris Agreement before the end of the year.

“A stronger commitment from the EU could leverage greater ambition from other countries in urgent need of raising their climate commitments. This is especially true in light of the approaching presidential election in the United States, the G20 where Italy is presiding and where greater ambition is most urgent, and for China, soon to be home to the world’s largest carbon market. We look forward to supporting the Commission and Member States in securing this ambitious goal.

“The last few months have been a challenge for so many and as we emerge from this crisis, we must do better. We must invest better. The EU Green Deal and today’s communication pay service to EU leadership on these issues and we look forward to working with the EU so it delivers in follow through on recovery spending and policy.

“In terms of how the new target is implemented, EDF welcomes calls for further infrastructure and policy to accelerate the production and uptake of alternative transportation fuels, in particular for aviation and maritime. It is crucial that the climate impact of these fuels be based on full life cycle accounting and enhanced sustainability criteria to ensure they deliver a real climate benefit. 

“We also welcome the clear recognition that the energy sector has massive potential for additional low cost reductions, and we urge the EU to implement policies focused on mitigation in the context of the gas market reform that deliver global methane emission reductions.

“Finally, we welcome the expansion of the EU Emissions Trading System and other market-based measures to achieve the at least 55% target. Of course, the EU ETS expansion and complementary measures must be thoughtfully designed to deliver sufficient ambition and to raise and direct revenue to where it is most needed. We look forward to digging into the detail.”

•    Jill Duggan, Executive Director of Environmental Defense Fund Europe
 

(Washington, D.C. – September 15, 2020) Ten environmental groups today filed their promised lawsuits against the Trump administration for its unlawful and dangerous rollback of protections from oil and gas methane pollution, and asked the court to suspend changes to the methane pollution standards to prevent irrevocable harm to human health and the environment — including emissions of 3.3. million metric tons of methane pollution each year — while the case while the case is considered.

Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Parks Conservation Association, Ft. Berthold Protectors of Water and Earth Rights, Food & Water Watch, Environmental Integrity Project, Earthworks, Clean Air Council, and Center for Biological Diversity filed petitions for judicial review of EPA’s two rules rolling back oil and gas pollution limits. They also filed a motion to stay one of those rules, which cancels the methane pollution reduction requirements and removes downstream sources of industrial methane pollution from regulation. All documents were filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

**

“The tragic wildfires across the West and hurricanes and floods in other parts of the country are clear signs that we must do more to reduce climate pollution. Reducing methane from the oil and gas supply chain is the fastest, most effective way to slow the rate of global warming right now. Instead, the Trump administration’s attack on the oil and gas methane pollution reduction standards will leave us even more vulnerable to climate change,” said Environmental Defense Fund Senior Attorney Rosalie Winn. “The administration has no legal, scientific or public health basis for rolling back these crucial safeguards. We have sensible, low-cost solutions to reduce oil and gas methane pollution that have been protecting Americans for years.”

“We see right through this appalling effort to hamstring future regulation of the oil and gas industry’s methane pollution,” said Liz Jones, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “As the world suffers record heatwaves, fires and storms, the last thing we need is deregulation of this superpollutant to make our climate crisis worse. We’re going to court for those breathing the smoke, smog and toxic pollution caused by fossil fuels.”

“Methane pollution is a disaster for our air, our climate, and public health. At a time when we should be curbing pollution, the Trump administration wants to let the oil and gas industry off the hook. We won’t let them line the industry’s pockets at the expense of people’s health,” said Earthjustice Associate Attorney Caitlin Miller.

“With these regulatory actions, EPA has rolled back and weakened effective and low-cost air quality standards and controls for oil and gas facilities without offering any rational reason or proper legal basis. By its own admission, EPA’s actions will immediately eliminate air standards for over 1,000 downstream and pipeline facilities that sprawl through countless communities, increase emissions of hazardous and smog-forming volatile organic compounds, and worsen the oil and gas industry’s vast greenhouse gas footprint,” said Environmental Integrity Project Senior Attorney Adam Kron.

“The EPA has cooked up a crazy talk rule giving industry a green light to spew millions of tons of heat-trapping methane pollution into the air. That dangerous rollback comes as the West is engulfed in wildfires and the South and East are bracing for more hurricanes – disasters driven by uncontrolled climate pollution. We’re going to court to protect the health of millions of people – both those living near the polluting oil and gas facilities and those living in the path of climate catastrophe,” said NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) Senior Strategic Director David Doniger.

“With a rapidly warming planet and the most devastating global pandemic in 100 years, the Trump administration has somehow seen fit to worsen both of these crises by attacking safeguards that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and clean up the air we breathe,” said Sierra Club Staff Attorney Andres Restrepo. “We will not stand by as Trump’s EPA guts commonsense, low-cost protections against dangerous oil and gas pollution in order to pad the pockets of oil and gas executives. The courts have repeatedly rejected this administration’s attempts to give a free pass to corporate polluters, and we are confident that this will be no exception. That’s why we’re taking Trump and EPA Administrator Wheeler to court, and it’s why we expect to win. Our families and communities deserve no less.”

**

Methane is a greenhouse gas that is more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first two decades after its release. Oil and gas operations are the largest industrial source of methane pollution in the U.S.

In 2016, EPA set standards to reduce methane pollution from new, reconstructed and modified sources in the oil and gas sector – but on August 13, the Trump administration signed two rules that would drastically weaken or eliminate those standards.

The rollbacks would increase methane pollution, and also increase volatile organic compounds and other dangerous air pollutants. Analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund found that 9.3 million people live within half a mile of one of the older wells that the Trump administration’s action would seek to leave forever excluded from basic air pollution standards by EPA. Millions of these people belong to groups that are much more susceptible to the health impacts of polluted air (including children and adults over 65) or have historically borne an oversized burden of local air pollution (including Black, Indigenous, people of color, and people living below the poverty line).

Declarations filed in court today by Environmental Defense Fund experts reveal the devastating consequences the Trump administration’s action would have on increasing climate-harming and smog-forming pollution, accelerating the impacts of climate change, and exacerbating public health issues like asthma and cardiovascular disease caused by oil and gas pollution, as well as the modest cost of the standards.

A coalition of 24 states, led by California, is also suing the Trump administration over the rollback.

(Washington, D.C. – September 15, 2020) Over the past decade, regions dependent on coal have lost a key source of employment and economic prosperity as other energy sources have grown more competitive. In a new report, researchers from Resources for the Future and Environmental Defense Fund examine existing environmental remediation and infrastructure programs to determine how they could support coal and other fossil fuel communities as the economy transitions toward clean energy. These programs include constructing highways, improving water infrastructure, and remediating abandoned mines.

“For many communities where the production and use of fossil fuels provides the foundation of the local economy, there is considerable need to clean up the land and water, as well as develop new infrastructure,” says Daniel Raimi, Senior Research Associate at RFF and the report’s author. “Existing federal policies could play a substantial role in achieving those goals, providing near-term jobs and laying the groundwork for future prosperity.”

Susanne Brooks, Senior Director for U.S. Climate Policy and Analysis at EDF, says, “This report highlights how federal investment in environmental remediation and infrastructure can provide jobs and economic support for communities in transition. Federal policymakers have a range of tools at their disposal to support fossil fuel workers and their families, while restoring communities impacted by pollution and aging infrastructure.”

Raimi examines contemporary research and develops big-picture insights into how environmental remediation and infrastructure programs and policies may help to create an equitable transition for fossil fuel workers and communities:

Environmental remediation

• Millions of sites in the United States—many of which are in regions that have historically depended on fossil fuel production—need environmental remediation.
• The federal government plays a large role in reducing pollution across the United States. Remediation programs could be enhanced and targeted toward workers and communities negatively affected by an energy transition.
• Remediating polluted sites typically increases local property values and can temporarily increase employment.
• Remediation projects may especially benefit low-income people and people of color, though there is some concern that these projects can lead to “environmental gentrification.”

Broad infrastructure programs

• For communities where fossil fuels provide a large share of the local tax base, a transition could reduce tax revenues, making water system maintenance more difficult—which is especially concerning given that these communities may be at greater risk of pollution. Water infrastructure programs could address this issue.
• Transportation infrastructure projects create short-term jobs and induce long-term economic development by making transportation easier and cheaper. This could be particularly important for fossil energy regions currently underserved by transportation infrastructure.
• The design, implementation and enforcement of policies will shape whether, and to what extent, future infrastructure spending will affect socioeconomic inequity.

To learn more about these findings, read the report, Environmental Remediation and Infrastructure Policies Supporting Workers and Communities in Transition, by RFF Senior Research Associate Daniel Raimi. And see an analysis of key findings in this summary blog.

RFF and EDF’s Fairness for Workers and Communities 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 public benefit programs and policies.

(SACRAMENTO, CA — Sept. 15, 2020) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), NASA, the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and Google announced plans today to develop a new web application called OpenET to enable western U.S. farmers and water managers to accurately track water consumption by crops and other vegetation using data from satellites and weather stations.

A virtual media briefing and demo of OpenET will be held at 11 a.m. Pacific time today. To join, visit https://edf.zoom.us/j/94778845937 or call 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799 and enter the meeting code: 94778845937#.

OpenET will fill a critical information gap in water management in the West. Today, access to accurate, timely satellite-based data on the amount of water used to grow food is fragmented and often expensive, keeping it out of the hands of many farmers and decision-makers. Water supplies in the western U.S. are critical to the health of our communities, food supply and wildlife, but they are facing increasing pressures in the face of population growth and a changing climate.

Applications of OpenET data include:

• Informing irrigation management and scheduling practices to maximize "crop per drop" and reduce costs for water and fertilizer.

• Enabling water and land managers to develop more accurate water budgets and innovative management programs that promote adequate water supplies for agriculture, people and ecosystems.

• Supporting groundwater management, water trading and conservation programs that increase the economic viability of agriculture across the West.

What is evapotranspiration?

The "ET" in OpenET stands for evapotranspiration — the process by which water evaporates from the land surface and transpires from plants. Evapotranspiration, a key measure of water consumed by crops and vegetation, can be tracked by satellites because the process cools plants and soil down, so irrigated fields appear cooler in satellite images.

Using publicly available data, OpenET will make several methods for estimating evapotranspiration more widely accessible, ultimately helping to build broader trust and agreement around this information. OpenET will also make it possible to track the amount of evapotranspiration reduced when farmers change cropping patterns, invest in new technologies or adopt water-saving practices.

OpenET is expected to be available to the public in 2021.

OpenET will initially provide field-scale ET data in 17 states, with plans to expand to the entire United States and beyond. The 17 states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

"OpenET will help fill one of the biggest data gaps in water management in the western United States. Our primary goal is to make sure we are providing evapotranspiration data that is accurate, consistent, scientifically based and useful for water management, whether for an individual agricultural field or an entire river basin," said Forrest Melton, program scientist for the NASA Western Water Applications Office. "OpenET is being created through an innovative collaboration among a national team of scientists, technology experts, farmers, government policy-makers and environmental nonprofits."

"OpenET is a powerful application of cloud computing that will lead to measurable results on the ground in the agriculture sector. Google is proud to support such an important new tool," said Google Earth Engine developer advocate Tyler Erickson."After 10 years of working with farmers and water agencies to develop ET estimates, it couldn't be more rewarding to be creating an application like OpenET that uses best available science and makes ET data much more affordable and accessible to all," said Justin Huntington, a research professor at Desert Research Institute. "We also see OpenET having the potential to scale up to other regions of the world, including South America and Africa."

"OpenET will empower farmers and water managers across the West to build more accurate water budgets and identify stress, resulting in a more resilient system for agriculture, people and ecosystems," said Robyn Grimm, senior manager, water information systems, at EDF. "We envision OpenET leveling the playing field by providing all farmers with data that until now have not been widely accessible to everyone."

Unprecedented collaboration

 OpenET is being developed with input from more than 100 stakeholders across the West.NASA, EDF, DRI and HabitatSeven are the project leads for OpenET. Additional collaborators include Google Earth Engine, USGS, USDA Agricultural Research Service, California State University Monterey Bay, University of Idaho, University of Maryland, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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, Water Funder Initiative, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, 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). Revenue generated will fund continuing research and development of OpenET data services.

Support for OpenET

"The Harney Basin is running a groundwater deficit of 120,000 acre-feet to 130,000 acre-feet per year. We have used ET data to gain a better understanding of our water consumption and design more efficient irrigation systems that use about 15% less water. This could translate to a savings of 18% to 20% on electricity costs for pumping, too. With the demands on water from a growing population and feeding more people, we have to figure out how to get the best value from every drop of water. ET data is crucial to providing this information. "
—Oregon State Rep. Mark Owens. Owens owns or manages 3,200 acres of farmland.

"Reliable water data is almost as critical to farmers and water managers as the water supply itself. With added pressure from population growth and the uncertainty that climate change impacts have on existing and future water supply, OpenET allows planning for agricultural water needs in a way that just wasn't possible before."
—E. Joaquin Esquivel, Chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board

"Every five years, the Bureau of Reclamation is tasked with creating a report that summarizes water use and loss for the Upper Colorado River Basin states. Currently, there are several satellite-based methodologies to measure water, many of which will be incorporated into OpenET. Consequently, OpenET will serve as a valuable tool for us to test and compare ET measurement methodologies to determine the best approach for future studies."
—James Prairie, Hydrologic Engineer, U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation

"OpenET will be a valuable tool to estimate historical and current water consumed by crops across Nevada. OpenET data also will be especially useful for monitoring consumptive use to support local groundwater management plans that are needed in response to long-term groundwater level declines."
—Adam Sullivan, P.E., Nevada Deputy State Engineer

"To comply with the new groundwater law in California, it's imperative to have accurate, transparent water use data to serve to build a groundwater budget. But currently ET data can be very expensive to acquire from consultants or universities, and the methodologies are often inconsistent and unclear. Consequently, Rosedale turned to OpenET for accurate parcel-level ET water data at a lower cost to build an online accounting platform for our landowners to more easily manage their own groundwater budgets. Because the OpenET project has brought together a team of leading experts on several approaches for measuring ET, I'm confident it will become the de facto source of water data among landowners and water managers alike."
—Eric Averett, General Manager, Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District (California)

"OpenET represents a game-changing leap forward for water management in the West. OpenET will give water users in the Delta a much less expensive alternative method for complying with the state requirement to monitor and report on their water diversions.  Instead of physically measuring every diversion in the Delta, farmers will be able to look up OpenET's estimate of their crop water use. If the estimate is acceptable to the farmer, the farmer knows that it will be acceptable to us. Concurring on OpenET's ensemble measurement will save time, money and confusion."
—Michael George, Delta Watermaster­­­ (California)

"OpenET is a great step forward for managing water needs in a time when demand far surpasses supply. Helping our farmers and ranchers more effectively manage their water use not only helps their crop and bottom line, but creates opportunities for more water to remain in our river systems to benefit both people and nature."
—Aaron Derwingson, Water Projects Director, Colorado River Program, The Nature Conservancy

Additional Resources:

FAQ: https://OpenETdata.org/faq.pdf

Images: https://bit.ly/3bEQWee

Website: https://OpenETdata.org

Twitter: @OpenETdata

(HARRISBURG, Pa. – September 15, 2020) Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Environmental Quality Board (EQB) voted affirmatively to advance a rulemaking that will enable the state to reduce carbon emissions from the power sector by linking to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

“We thank the Environmental Quality Board for listening to the majority of Pennsylvanians demanding a cleaner and healthier future for their families and communities. Gov. Wolf is making that future possible by launching a cost-effective and flexible program like RGGI that can clean up our air while growing a strong, clean economy in Pennsylvania. We look forward to a robust public comment period so that Pennsylvanians themselves, from across the state, can finally and fully weigh in on the benefits of the rule.”

Pennsylvania is the third largest greenhouse gas polluting state and is home to the fifth dirtiest power sector in the nation. Linking to a program such as RGGI is critical to achieving the substantial reductions in greenhouse gas pollution that are the cornerstone of Gov. Tom Wolf’s climate strategy.

A 2019 poll found that nearly 80% of Pennsylvanians say it’s time to zero out carbon pollution from power plants. A flexible, market-based framework such as RGGI will facilitate critical pollution reductions as it catalyzes investment in economic development, infrastructure, renewable energy and energy efficiency where consumers could save money on electric bills.

In looking to the future, RGGI makes it possible to rebuild better with investment in clean energy, efficiency, and other activities that can reduce pollution, including in the most burdened communities. With the legislature’s partnership, RGGI also offers additional opportunities to make investments that support workers and communities impacted by fossil fuel plant closures. A recent analysis by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) indicates that participation in RGGI will result in a net increase of over 27,000 jobs and add $1.9 billion to the Gross State Product.

• Mandy Warner, Director of Climate and Clean Air Policy, Environmental Defense Fund

The following is a statement by Eric Schwaab, senior vice president at Environmental Defense Fund Oceans program and interim senior vice president of Ecosystems program, on the hiring of a climate denier to a top-level position by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.  

“It is hard to believe that as hurricanes and wildfires amplified by climate change threaten American lives, this administration has decided to install David Legates, a climate denier, to one of the top posts at NOAA. As the lead climate, weather and ocean science agency in the U.S., NOAA provides weather predictions that save lives, and data that people rely on for their livelihoods. Placing someone who distorts science in order to push false climate theories in such a prominent position at NOAA is dangerous. It undermines the public trust and credibility that agency scientists have earned based on their expertise and years of hard work.  

As we have seen with other federal agencies, this administration is not above distorting the facts to achieve its political goals. A disregard for reality never begets good policy, and climate denial has no place at NOAA. People and businesses must be able to give their full faith and trust to the information NOAA provides — and that includes full faith and trust in the leadership of the organization.”