Complete list of press releases

(Washington, D.C. – September 14, 2010) Eight states and five of the nation’s largest environmental groups, including EDF, will appear before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit tomorrow morning to argue for upholding widely accepted standards that reduce pollution from the freight trailers that carry goods on America’s highways.

“The transportation sector is the biggest source of climate pollution in America. Freight trailers on our highways contribute significantly to that dangerous climate pollution and other pollution that harms human health,” said EDF Senior Attorney Alice Henderson, who will argue the case for the state and environmental intervenors. “The tragic wildfires across the West, storms and floods in other parts of the country, and our super-sized hurricane season remind us daily of the urgent need to reduce climate pollution so we can protect our families and communities. The freight trailer standards will help protect us while also saving money, and they are firmly grounded in the law.”

The pollution protections before the court are part of the Clean Truck Standards, which were adopted in 2016 with broad support from industry and the public. The standards will limit pollution from heavy-duty vehicles through the year 2027. They will reduce climate pollution by more than one billion metric tons, will reduce oil consumption by an estimated two billion barrels, and will save the trucking industry an estimated $170 billion in fuel costs. They’ll also provide and estimated $400 in annual household savings for the average American family through lower costs for shipping goods. The standards are due to take effect early next year, but most large truck manufacturers are already in compliance with them.

The trade group representing freight trailer manufacturers sued, however, claiming that trailers should be exempt from the standards because EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration do not have authority over them. EDF and other environmental groups responded to that argument in their earlier briefs to the D.C. Circuit, saying:

“The trade group representing freight trailer manufacturers … contends that Congress did not permit EPA to regulate the 18-wheeler tractor-trailers that actually haul the nation’s freight, but only the tractor cab where the driver sits … [The trade group’s] argument hinges on chopping the motor vehicle in half, focusing solely on the tractor and ignoring the 8-wheel trailer segment of the 18-wheeler. But a tractor is not designed to transport either persons or property by itself … Both halves of the vehicle are necessary to move freight, and both contribute to the dangerous greenhouse gas emissions that Congress sought to control.” (Brief, page 2, 8, 9)

The case has been pending for three years while the Trump administration considered the issue – but the administration will now also defend the conclusion that trailers are vehicles subject to regulation.

Oral argument in the case, Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association Inc. v. EPA, will be heard by D.C. Circuit judges Garland, Millett and Walker during arguments that begin at 9:30 am Eastern time tomorrow. The D.C. Circuit live-streams audio of arguments; a link can be found on the court website.

Eight states – California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington – will defend the standards in court tomorrow, along with EDF and Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

You can find more about the Clean Truck standards, including all the briefs in the case, on EDF’s website.

(NEW YORK) Amid growing investor and social pressure for climate action, BP CEO Bernard Looney and other executives discussed how BP will reinvent for a new, low carbon energy era during BP Week 2020.

“Savvy energy companies and their investors understand that a rapid transition to net-zero is not only ecologically necessary, it offers opportunities for business growth in clean energy. BP’s plan contains much-needed ambition, urgency and milestones.

“BP just set a new bar for reducing methane emissions by making measured data the backstop for reporting against its 0.20% goal by 2025. This is a necessary and significant shift. Industry must embrace real emissions measurements over unreliable desktop calculations to prove tangible progress.”

• Mark Brownstein, Senior Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund

EDF recently released an oil and gas energy transition framework directed at operators and investors alike to help engage industry as they approach and assess progress toward net-zero.

(Washington, DC – September 9, 2020) Today, a special subcommittee convened by a key federal financial regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), released a first-of-its-kind report on climate-related risks to the U.S. financial system. The subcommittee who authored and unanimously approved the report includes a diversity of expertise, including representatives from financial services, energy, and agricultural industries, as well as from think tanks and civil society organizations from the environmental community. Nathaniel Keohane, Senior Vice President for Climate at EDF, is one of the subcommittee members.

“This report sends a resounding message to Wall Street and Main Street: unchecked climate change threatens the stability of our financial system. This threat matters for the millions of consumers, businesses, and farmers across the U.S. economy who depend on a stable financial system.

“Communities around the U.S. are already seeing the devastating impacts of climate change on their livelihoods, in the form of wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and more. This report shows clearly how these impacts pose risks to the financial system in every sector of our economy. Financial regulators have an urgent responsibility to address and manage climate risk, and this report offers a comprehensive set of recommendations outlining how they can act now.

“Financial regulators who ignore climate change do so at their own peril. In addition to the climate threats we do know, this report underscores the dangers of what we don’t know. Climate change could cause a range of potential damaging scenarios, but we don’t know when or how they could occur. That’s why regulators must put in place strong rules and guidance to mandate full and transparent disclosure of climate risk. Regulators should also help companies develop the data and tools they need to provide the information that their clients are demanding – and that the public deserves.”

• Nathaniel Keohane, Senior Vice President for Climate at Environmental Defense Fund

(English version below)
 
El Gobierno de la Ciudad de México, la Comisión Ambiental de la Megalópolis y Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) anunciaron hoy un nuevo esfuerzo de colaboración destinado a aprovechar el poder transformador de nuevas tecnologías para brindar a las personas conocimientos para abordar la contaminación del aire en la capital mexicana. El anuncio coincide con el “Día Internacional del Aire Limpio para Cielos Azules”, organizado por las Naciones Unidas.

Esta colaboración se centrará en demostrar y apoyar la implementación de monitoreo de la calidad del aire a escala hiper local en la región. Los datos recopilados se utilizarán para diseñar soluciones a nivel comunitario para reducir la contaminación del aire y proteger la salud de los grupos vulnerables.

El proyecto aprovechará tecnologías de punta, herramientas analíticas y las experiencias más avanzadas en este campo. También incorporará las mejores prácticas y las lecciones aprendidas por EDF en proyectos de aire limpio en todo el mundo, incluidas ciudades de América, Reino Unido y Asia. El proyecto mejorará la comprensión de los desafíos de la calidad del aire de la Ciudad de México, cómo el monitoreo a nivel comunitario puede empoderar a la población local y ayudar a informar la toma de decisiones y la participación de las partes interesadas, y cómo utilizar estos conocimientos para fortalecer las estrategias para reducir significativamente la contaminación.

La primera fase de esta colaboración comenzará este año y se enfocará en desarrollar una metodología para diseñar e implementar un sistema monitoreo de la calidad del aire a nivel comunitario. Una vez desplegada, esta red complementará y perfeccionará el Sistema de Monitoreo de Calidad del Aire existente en el Valle de México.

“Todos merecen respirar aire limpio, y el Gobierno de la Ciudad de México está trabajando junto a otros miembros de la Comisión Ambiental de la Megalópolis para implementar un nuevo conjunto de medidas basadas en la ciencia, de alto impacto, centradas en fuentes de emisión clave, con el objetivo de hacer que la contaminación del aire vuelva a una tendencia a la baja; la innovación tecnológica para mejorar la calidad del aire es una de esas medidas”, afirmó Marina Robles, Secretaria de Medio Ambiente de la Ciudad de México.

“Dado que los efectos sobre la salud de la contaminación del aire no se distribuyen equitativamente en el Valle de México, colaboraremos con Environmental Defense Fund y otros socios del gobierno, el sector privado, la academia y la sociedad civil para desarrollar las bases para mejorar el monitoreo de la calidad del aire mediante la integración tecnologías innovadoras y análisis de datos para obtener una imagen más holística de las fuentes y los impactos de la contaminación del aire”. dijo Víctor Hugo Páramo, Coordinador Ejecutivo de la Comisión Ambiental de la Megalópolis.

“Con este proyecto, instituciones mexicanas se unen a EDF y socios en tres continentes para avanzar en proyectos de investigación de prueba de concepto que demuestran un nuevo marco estratégico integrado para la reducción de la contaminación del aire basado en tecnologías de vanguardia, herramientas analíticas y acción comunitaria para proteger a las poblaciones más vulnerables”. destacó Sergio Sánchez, Director Senior de Política de la Iniciativa Mundial de Aire Limpio Global en Environmental Defense Fund.

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Clean air innovation initiative launched by Mexican Authorities and Environmental Defense Fund

A new collaboration effort aimed to harness the transformative power of new technologies to give people knowledge for tackling air pollution in the Mexican capital was announced today by the Mexico City Government, the Megalopolis Environmental Commission and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The announcement is in conjunction with today’s ‘International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies,’ organized by the United Nations.This collaboration will focus on demonstrating and supporting the implementation of hyperlocal air quality monitoring in the region. The data collected will be used to tailor community level solutions for abating air pollution to protect the health of vulnerable groups.

The project will take advantage of the state-of-the art technology, analytical tools and expertise in this field. It will also incorporate best practices and lessons learned by EDF in clean air projects around the world, including cities in the Americas, United Kingdom and Asia. The project will improve understanding of Mexico City’s air quality challenges, how neighborhood-level monitoring can empower communities and help illuminate decision making and stakeholder engagement, and how to use these insights to strengthen strategies to significantly reduce pollution.

The first phase of this collaboration will start this year and will focus on developing a methodology to design and implement a community-level air quality monitoring. Once deployed, this network will complement and enhance the existing Mexico City Air Quality Monitoring System.

“Everyone deserves to breathe clean air, and the Mexico City Government is working beside other members of the Megalopolis Environmental Commission to implement a new set of high impact, science-based measures focused at key emission sources, aiming to bring back air pollution towards a downwards trend; technology innovation for improving air quality is one of those measures,” stated Marina Robles, Mexico City’s Secretary of Environment.

“Since air pollution health effects are not distributed equally in the Valley of Mexico, we will collaborate with the Environmental Defense Fund and other partners from the government, private sector, the academy and the civil society to develop the foundation for enhancing air quality monitoring by integrating innovative technologies and data analytics to get a more holistic picture of air pollution sources and impacts.” said Victor Hugo Paramo, Executive Coordinator of the Megalopolis Environmental Commission.

“With this project, Mexican institutions join EDF and partners in three continents for advancing proof of concept research projects that demonstrate a new integrated strategic framework for air pollution abatement based on avantgarde technologies, analytical tools and community action to protect the most vulnerable populations,” highlighted Sergio Sanchez, Senior Policy Director for the Global Clean Air Initiative at Environmental Defense Fund.
 

(WASHINGTON, DC — Sept. 2, 2020) The U.S. agricultural lending sector is at risk from climate change, according to a new report released today by Environmental Defense Fund, Financing Resilient Agriculture: How Agricultural Lenders Can Reduce Climate Risk and Help Farmers Build Resilience.

“Agricultural lenders have a blind spot when it comes to climate risk and the value of farming practices that build resilience,” said Maggie Monast, EDF’s director of working lands. “Loan structures and credit review processes don’t incorporate the value of farmer investments in conservation practices that are known to mitigate weather risks, ultimately undermining long-term resilience and profitability for farmers and lenders alike.”

Farm budget analyses demonstrate how conservation practices like no-till, cover crops, extended crop rotations and nutrient management can improve farm resilience by delivering measurable economic value in terms of cost savings and crop yield risk reduction to farmers and their financial partners.

“Despite the financial benefits of conservation practices, the short-term focus of annual loan review cycles misses longer-term cost savings and risk reduction opportunities from these investments,” Monast said. “In the face of increasingly extreme weather and volatile markets, the reduced risk and value-add from conservation practices must be recognized, assessed and incorporated into agricultural lender decision-making and loan design.”

The report includes recommendations for better aligning current loan offerings with the financial attributes of conservation practices to remove barriers to adoption for farmers. Supporting this transition will make farmers and their financial partners more resilient to climate change.

“Climate change impacts are making food production harder and threatening farmers’ livelihoods,” said Dick Wittman, Idaho farmer and business consultant. “Together, farmers and their lenders have an opportunity to mitigate this risk, enhance operational resilience and ensure agriculture remains economically and environmentally sustainable. This report makes a clear and compelling case that long-term farm profitability is not undermined by near-term investments in conservation and climate resilience — it depends on it.”

Key findings of the report include:

• The U.S. agricultural lending sector has not proactively assessed its climate risks, creating blind spots and lagging behind the broader financial sector.
• While crop insurance is an important shock absorber for participating farmers and their lenders, it is not sufficient to protect farmers, lenders or the broader agricultural economy from climate risk.
• Current loan offerings do not align with the financial attributes of conservation practices, and therefore create challenges for farmers who use or are considering adopting these practices.

Key recommendations from the report include:

• Lending institutions should assess their exposure to climate risks and adopt and implement strategies to monitor and manage those risks.
• Lenders should seek to gain valuable insights on the farm financial impacts of conservation adoption and learn about farm management strategies to maximize long-term profitability and reduce risk.
• Lenders should design lending programs and products to support farmers in transitioning to conservation practices that build resilience — for example, through multi-year loan terms and adjusted repayment periods — and incorporate data on the benefits of conservation practices in credit rating processes.

For more information on this report, visit edf.org/aglending.

(Washington, D.C. – September 1, 2020) Three EDF experts joined Americans from across the country at a virtual public hearing today and called on EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to strengthen health-based standard to reduce ground-level ozone pollution.

Ground-level ozone – the main component of smog — is linked to a wide-array of serious heart and lung diseases and premature deaths. Extreme heat, which is increasingly common because of climate change, makes smog levels worse. More than 137 million Americans live in an area with unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone pollution.

“We urge EPA to listen to science, experts, and the public and set a ground-level ozone standard that protects ALL Americans, including the most vulnerable. We strongly urge EPA to uphold its legal responsibility and strengthen the standard to 60 [parts per billion],” EDF fellow Taylor Bacon said in her testimony.

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is required to reconsider the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone every five years and update them based on the best available science. The law also requires that the health-based standard protects vulnerable populations – including children, the elderly, people with existing heart and lung diseases, and outdoor workers – as well as the general public.

A large body of medical and scientific evidence shows that our current primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 70 parts per billion for ground-level ozone is inadequate to protect public health. EPA itself acknowledges that leaving our current standards in place disproportionately harms Black communities and low-income communities where there are higher rates of childhood asthma and other chronic diseases (see Printed Page 49850 of the proposal). However, the Trump administration is proposing to leave our outdated standards in place instead of strengthening them.

EDF experts testified today about the harmful impacts ozone pollution has on their lives and the need to adopt a more protective health-based standard.

“I live in Denver, Colorado where my daily life is often altered by unhealthy levels of air pollution,” said EDF senior attorney Rachel Fullmer in her testimony. “For me — and the more than 137 million other Americans living in an area with unhealthy levels of ozone pollution — it is critical to reduce this harmful pollution, and there are ample, common sense solutions available to do so. But EPA must first put in place protective national standards.”

“Multiple studies across various states, counties and cities have found that changes in ozone concentrations were associated with higher asthma emergency room visits,” said EDF senior attorney Rosalie Winn in her testimony. “It is estimated that up to 11 [percent] of all asthma emergency room visits in the United States are attributed to ozone.”

Today’s hearing follows a rushed timetable set by then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. The review process for the ozone NAAQS has provided insufficient time for adequate scientific review and public participation. The Trump administration is providing only 48-days in total for public review and comment– about half the 90-day comment period provided for the last review of our ground-level ozone standards. EDF’s experts also called on Trump’s EPA to fully allow for scientific review and enable public participation.

Read Rachel Fullmer’s full testimony here.

Read Rosalie Winn’s full testimony here.

Read Taylor Bacon’s full testimony here.

(AUSTIN, TX) A new report from Environmental Defense Fund outlines the actions Texas legislators, regulators and local decision makers can take to spur investment in and adoption of clean, distributed energy resources like rooftop and community solar, energy storage, energy efficiency and demand response.

Download Encouraging the Development of Distributed Energy Resources in Texas

“Texas has led the nation on electricity competition, and customers are ready for the next frontier: demand side and distributed energy resources,” said John Hall, lead author and Director, Regulatory & Legislative Affairs, Clean Energy And Vehicle Electrification at Environmental Defense Fund. “We’re past the days when clean energy was just about the environment. Demand side and distributed energy resources clean our air, strengthen the grid, create local jobs, reduce energy costs and give electricity customers more choice and control. In this report, we’ve outlined specific actions our state and local leaders can take to level the playing field for these resources and spark a whole new growth industry for Texas.”

Demand side and distributed energy resources have proven themselves to be reliable and effective alternatives to building new power plants and meeting Texas’ growing electricity demand. According to the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, electricity customers across the state could save $5.47 billion by using DERs to reduce the need for more costly peak power generation and transmission and distribution investments.Aside from their environmental and economic benefits, they can also be used to address energy poverty — a circumstance in which the cost of home energy needed to live healthy and productive lives is a significant economic burden. Low income energy customers, representing 41% of Texas households, pay a disproportionate amount of their income on energy. Additionally, energy poverty is one of the many issues that disproportionately affects communities of color.

“Too many Texas families pay a disproportionate amount of their income to power their homes,” said Dana Harmon, Executive Director of the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute, who provided research and insight for the report. “Used strategically, DERs can not only give low-income households and people of color in Texas access to cleaner energy, they can help lower energy cost burdens for these families and everyone connected to the grid.”

• A public education and marketing campaign in select electricity markets to promote the cost savings and grid reliability features of clean DERs.
• Eliminating state and local policies, regulations, and practices that impede or prohibit customer investment in and use of DERs.
• Providing state-funded financial incentives for clean DERs that are comparable to those being provided to other forms of electricity.
• Using on-bill financing for the upfront cost of clean DERs in each retail electricity market in Texas.
• Allowing DERs to be used as alternatives to expanded transmission and distribution infrastructure and allowing DERs to directly participate in the competitive market.
• Increasing state-wide energy efficiency and demand response investments and outcomes.

Developing pilot projects to demonstrate how community solar and other DERs can provide clean energy to low-to-moderate income households and communities of color while reducing energy cost burdens.

(August 27, 2020) EDF is joining health associations, community organizations and policymakers from across the country at a public hearing today to urge California to adopt groundbreaking new protections against smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution from the almost one million heavy duty trucks and buses that operate on California’s roads each year. Those heavy duty vehicles are the single largest source of NOx pollution in California.

Former EPA official and current EDF consultant Chester France will speak at today’s virtual meeting of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and offer evidence to support the public health imperative for the state’s proposed rule. His testimony will include information from a new EDF report about the serious health harms of traffic pollution and the life-saving benefits of transitioning to zero emitting vehicles – including a new peer reviewed study by EPA experts that estimates 20,000 deaths as a result of the cars and trucks on our roads and highways today.

“EDF supports the proposed Omnibus rulemaking that will prevent nearly 3,900 deaths in California while providing over $36 billion in health benefits,” says France in his testimony. He called for CARB to approve the proposal saying, “Your action will deliver the maximum NOx emission reductions and health improvements possible, especially for those most vulnerable and those living closest to heavy truck traffic.”

EDF also submitted more extensive written comments to CARB.

Air pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and death in the world. In the U.S. almost half of all people live in communities with unhealthy levels of air pollution. Transportation sector pollution is a major source of deadly smog-forming and particulate pollution, and is now also the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S.

According to the American Lung Association, California remains home to the worst air in the nation. The state’s highway vehicles are responsible for 45 percent of NOx pollution, which is a main component of smog and causes numerous heart and lung diseases.

California communities next to railyards, ports and warehouses face heavy truck traffic, with trucks often idling, driving slowly and making frequent stops. Current standards do not protect against NOx emissions during those “low load” condition. California’s proposed Low NOx Heavy-Duty Omnibus Regulation would help reduce that pollution and keep nearby communities safer.

California is also one of 11 states that have adopted programs to speed the transition to zero emission passenger cars and trucks, and the state recently adopted the nation’s first zero emission vehicles program for heavy-duty trucks and buses.

EDF just released a new report with comprehensive information about the dangers of pollution from the cars and trucks on our roads and highways, and about strategies to address it. The report, Accelerating to 100% Clean: Zero Emitting Vehicles Save Lives, Advance Justice, Create Jobs, compiles the most recent information on the issue in one document. Among its findings:

• Communities of color and disadvantaged populations shoulder the greatest health burden from vehicle pollution.
• In 2019, our motor vehicles were responsible for a third of the nation’s total NOx emissions.
• Delivery trucks and tractor trailers make up only about four percent of the vehicles on our roads, but emit almost half of the transportation sector NOx pollution.
• The number of people living “next to a busy road” may include 30 to 45 percent of the urban population in North America.
• More than 6.4 million children attend public school within 250 meters of a major roadway.
• Electric vehicles are inherently cleaner than their conventional gasoline and diesel counterparts, emitting zero tailpipe pollution and less climate pollution even when accounting for upstream power plant emissions.
• Zero emitting commercial trucks reduce climate and NOx pollution because they release no tailpipe emissions. They are also two to five times more energy efficient than diesel vehicles.
• E-buses in most charging configurations cost less than comparable diesel buses on a total-cost-of-ownership basis.
• In 2019, there were more than 240,000 people in America employed in jobs related to hybrid and electric vehicles, and nearly 500,000 working in jobs focused on fuel efficient components.

You can read the full report here.

EDF also recently released a report with Energy Innovation that found CARB’s Advanced Clean Truck rule could save at least seven billion dollars over the next 20 years. You can read that report here.

“As the COVID pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on the health of Americans and our nation’s economy, the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis has released an important report outlining the opportunity our country has to rebuild our economy better so that it is more sustainable, supports good-paying jobs and addresses inequities.

“The Special Committee report shows how we can spur economic growth, cut air pollution and address the climate crisis by embracing our clean energy future. The recommendations made in this report, all toward the goal of reaching net zero emissions by no later than 2050 and creating at least 10 million new jobs, are excellent guideposts for our leaders as they seek to develop a comprehensive plan of action.

“We are particularly pleased to see the committee is calling for ‘at least 2% of GDP to be spent on climate action annually’ – and for ‘at least 40% of the benefits from these investments to help communities of color and low-income, deindustrialized and other disadvantaged communities.’ These communities have long suffered the worst impacts of our nation’s air pollution, such as respiratory illness, and now disproportionately face the worst impacts of both the pandemic and the climate crisis. By prioritizing these communities, the report’s authors have recognized this fundamental injustice and set the stage for our elected leaders to finally take action to rectify it. Including leaders from these impacted communities in the process of allocating these resources will be essential to ensuring its effectiveness.

“This report arrives as we are tragically reminded of the costs of the climate crisis. Two major storms are hitting America’s coastlines this week alone, and wildfires are raging in California, Colorado and elsewhere. The science is clear that climate-related extreme weather events are making hurricanes, wildfires and other events more intense and destructive.The sooner we act to cut pollution and transition to a 100% clean economy the easier and less costly it will be for all Americans.

“To Chairman Senator Schatz and all the members of the Special Committee: we appreciate your leadership in releasing this report which demonstrates both the urgency of the climate crisis and the range of innovative solutions available to tackle it.”

• Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Political Affairs

(San Juan, Puerto Rico) Today the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) released its resolution on the Integrated Resource Plan put forward by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), which will dictate the way the public utility will satisfy the demand for electric power services over the next two decades.

PREPA’s draft IRP received pushback from community groups and environmental organizations, including EDF, for failing to advance resilience and sustainability in a way that would support residents across Puerto Rico and achieve the territory’s renewable energy targets. EDF is currently reviewing PREB’s IRP resolution to provide a more detailed analysis of its contents and implications.

“The Energy Bureau’s resolution is a step forward in Puerto Rico’s journey toward a more resilient and sustainable energy system. Reimagining the grid to protect residents from future storms and disruptions is critical for improving people’s lives and the economy. We will continue working alongside local stakeholders, PREPA and the Bureau to ensure all communities have access to clean, affordable and reliable energy.”

• Daniel Whittle, Senior Director, Caribbean Initiatives

 (Baton Rouge, LA – August 19, 2020) Today, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued an executive order on climate change, committing the state to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This executive order also establishes a new Climate Initiatives Task Force to recommend pathways for reaching the state’s emissions goals, which includes diverse representation across sectors — including a member from an environmental justice community and a member from an indigenous tribe, nation or community.

“State leadership is an essential ingredient for moving the U.S. to a 100% clean economy that can avert the most damaging impacts of climate change. By committing to cut Louisiana’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, Gov. Edwards is demonstrating strong leadership. He clearly recognizes the urgent need to protect Louisiana communities that are on the frontlines of climate change-driven sea level rise and to ensure that equity is an essential focus of climate policy.”

• Derek Walker, Vice President for U.S. Climate at Environmental Defense Fund

(NEW YORK, NY – Aug. 17, 2020) Sephora and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announce their partnership to advance the removal of toxic ingredients that are known to cause environmental and health impacts from products.

Sephora was the first major specialty beauty retailer to set a chemicals policy, a bold step forward in bringing safer products to the marketplace.The groundbreaking policy aims to remove chemicals of concern from private and third-party brands sold online and in-store. The collaboration with EDF will focus on meeting commitments to increase transparency around the ingredients used in products and replace hazardous chemicals with verified, safer alternatives laid out in the policy.

“Consumers should have access to safe products whether they shop at a local boutique or a big box store” said Boma Brown-West, senior manager of consumer health at EDF. “Sephora is leading the beauty and personal care industry to a future where all products are made with the safest possible ingredients for people and the planet.”

The beauty industry faces growing scrutiny around its use of harmful ingredients and the impact they have on human health. Beauty and personal care products are directly applied to the body and used at high frequency. This increases exposure to toxic chemicals like phthalates and formaldehyde releasers, which are linked to major diseases and disorders, including cancer, infertility and heart disease.

Consumers are increasingly concerned about what is inside the products they use and how the ingredients could harm their well-being. This awareness is driving increased demand for clean and safe products, with more shoppers, particularly Generation Z, millennials and Generation X, seeking out and supporting brands that are transparent about their ingredients.

Sephora committed to reduce the use of specified high-priority chemicals of concern in products it sells by 50% in three years, and replace these chemicals with safer alternatives. The company’s high-priority list consists of 49 chemicals. The policy also aims to provide information on intentionally added ingredients for 100% of formulated beauty and personal care products by end 2020, excluding fragrance components.

“We launched Clean at Sephora to better help our clients navigate the large assortment of product choices across prestige beauty. In partnership with our brand partners, Clean at Sephora prioritizes consumer health, by aiding our beauty community to make more educated choices regarding chemicals” said Carley Klekas with Sephora. “We’re working with Environmental Defense Fund to close the gap on safer products at Sephora.”

Last week, Sephora released a public report detailing progress made against these goals. Milestones include:

● Increasing transparency around ingredient information. Sephora shared ingredient information for 95% of their products on sephora.com, a 13% increase over the course of a year.

● Reducing the number of products that contain high-priority chemicals. As of now, 94% of products sold on sephora.com have no high-priority chemicals, representing a 14% year-over-year reduction.

● Replacing high-priority chemicals with safer alternatives. Safer alternative assessment portfolios were developed in partnership with EDF and ChemFORWARD for four major cosmetic ingredient groups on the high-priority list - preservatives, benzophenones, ethanolamines, and cyclic silicones. To date, safer alternatives have been assessed for 73% of Sephora’s high-priority chemicals.

Today EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed two rules that weaken or eliminate key safeguards that reduce oil-and-gas sector methane pollution, a potent greenhouse gas. In response, Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp issued the following statement:

“The Trump administration’s attempt to eliminate these sensible methane standards is fundamentally flawed. Like so many other administration rollbacks that have already been rejected by the courts, this one ignores the science, the public health impacts and the low-cost solutions we have at hand. These sensible pollution controls have been working to protect Americans since 2016. Investors, states, community groups and even leading oil and gas producers have all called on the EPA to retain and strengthen methane safeguards. The administration has no scientific or public health basis for taking this action, and EDF will forcefully oppose it in court.

“These rollbacks would have devastating effects on our climate and air quality, and will disproportionately damage the well-being of more than 9 million Americans who live within half a mile of wells affected by this rollback, including many Americans in our most vulnerable communities.

“The oil and gas industry is one of the largest sources of human-made methane 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 — but the rules signed today would instead allow an estimated additional 4.5 million metric tons of methane pollution into the atmosphere each year. This pollution has the climate warming potential, when considered on a 20-year basis, of nearly 400 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year — equal to the emissions from around 100 coal-fired power plants annually.

“It is notable that this announcement was made in Pennsylvania, birthplace of the oil and gas industry, which emits more than 1 million metric tons of methane each year. This underscores the need for state leaders like Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf to continue to strengthen and finalize rules to cut emissions across the oil and gas supply chain.”

- Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund

(Washington, D.C. – August 13, 2020) Environmental Defense Fund and a coalition of nine states led by California have filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit forcefully arguing that the Trump administration’s latest attempt to avoid implementing protections against air pollution from landfills is unlawful and should be struck down.

EDF and the states of California, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont filed their opening brief in the case last night.

“EPA has deployed a series of tactics to delay implementing the standards, without ever providing a valid reason for doing so,” the brief states. “Ultimately, EPA decided to simply ignore the deadlines, broadcasting to states and the regulated industry that there was no need to comply, and shrugging off its duty to act by telling this Court that the ‘deadlines have come and gone’ without any effort by the agency to meet them.” (Brief, page 1)

Landfills are the nation’s third-largest source of climate-destabilizing methane pollution. They also emit other hazardous pollutants like benzene, which causes cancer, and volatile organic compounds that cause smog.

As required by the Clean Air Act, EPA set standards in 2016 that would help protect millions of Americans from this harmful pollution. The standards required every state to have a plan in place to implement the standards by November 2017 or elect to be subject to a federal plan. However, for years the Trump EPA went to great lengths to avoid implementing the standards. Then in August 2019 the administration proposed a delay rule that would formally extend the deadlines in the 2016 standards.

In their brief for the D.C. Circuit, EDF and the states argue:

“EPA has ignored the purpose of the Clean Air Act, provided no valid justification for delaying these crucial protections, and put forward rationales that run directly contrary to the facts. The agency has also brushed aside evidence undermining its rationales and completely ignored the Delay Rule’s substantial adverse impacts, including environmental and public health impacts. This Court should vacate the Delay Rule and require EPA to implement these long-overdue protections.” (Brief, page 2)

In a separate lawsuit challenging the Trump EPA’s failure to meet its original deadlines, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has already ruled against EPA. That lawsuit, brought by many of the same parties, is currently on appeal in the Ninth Circuit.

Billion-dollar weather disasters fueled by climate change are becoming more frequent and more devastating to state and local economies, according to a report by Datu Research commissioned by Environmental Defense Fund.

The report, Climate Fueled Weather Disasters: Costs to State and Local Economies, quantifies the economic cost of specific extreme weather disasters on Americans today, including in specific states, as well as likely future costs if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated and global temperatures continue to climb. Each of the weather events detailed in the report caused damages equaling or exceeding $1 billion in states such as Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Iowa, among others.

“COVID-19 and recent climate disasters have shown that we must step up investment in preparedness now, instead of waiting for the next crisis to hit,” said Elgie Holstein, Senior Director for Strategic Planning, Environmental Defense Fund. “Mounting climate impacts are leading to a perfect storm, where federal, state, and local governments will be staggered by mounting disaster assistance demands while simultaneously trying to recover from deep recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. Faster action to reduce climate change and more proactive investment in resilience are crucial to safeguard our future—and to help places and people adapt and succeed in the face of tremendous change.”

According to the report, which consolidates information from leading journals, government datasets and other key sources, both the incidence and cost of extreme weather events are on the rise. Since 1980, the United States has seen a four-fold increase in the annual number of severe weather disasters, including hurricanes, floods, wildfires and other events examined in this report. Those costs are putting a growing strain on the ability of federal and state agencies to respond to disasters at the same time that they are fighting to prevent the country from plunging further into a long-term, deep recession. The U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that since 2005, the federal government, including FEMA, has spent at least $450 billion on disaster assistance.

The report and accompanying documents include recommendations and lessons learned that can help ensure states have the resources they need to handle these disasters in the years to come and can rebuild better. The fiscal pressures are particularly acute this year: States are facing record budget shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with some anticipating revenue losses of over 20% and making budget cuts of equal magnitude to address this shortfall.

As Congress debates how to recover from the pandemic and assist states, businesses, and the nation’s workers, it must simultaneously invest in efforts to mitigate costly climate-fueled disasters.

Such steps include:

• Protecting vulnerable communities and building resilience by emphasizing preservation and restoration of natural features along our coasts and prioritizing pre-disaster mitigation. This can include creating a Resilient Communities Loan fund program and expanding current FEMA efforts such as the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.

• Committing to immediate climate action to move the United States to a 100% clean economy no later than 2050, including through investment in cleaner transportation, manufacturing, buildings, energy and more.

Even in the depths of a global pandemic and recession, climate change has not stopped. The atmosphere is still warming, sea levels are still rising and storms are still brewing. As the report makes clear, the need for government aid is far outpacing available resources, and the problem is only getting worse. The time for action is now.

Read the report and accompanying materials on EDF’s website.