Complete list of press releases

The following is a statement by Tim Fitzgerald, director of impact for Environmental Defense Fund’s Oceans Program, made at the United Nations today as part of its preparatory meeting for the 2020 U.N. Ocean Conference on suggested elements for the upcoming declaration to support the implementation of SDG Goal 14: Life Below Water.

“Excellencies, esteemed colleagues, co-facilitators, thank you for the opportunity to offer this intervention on behalf of Environmental Defense Fund, an international NGO working to create more fish, more food and more prosperity in many countries around the world, in service of SDG 14.

“We would like to recommend that in reference to sustainable fishing, the declaration contain explicit language that climate-resilient fisheries management is necessary to achieve this critical goal.

“Recent science confirms the likelihood that by the end of the century, the world’s wild fish production will change dramatically, even under the most favorable climate scenarios. Most fish populations will experience significant shifts in their ranges, in addition to other ecological impacts that will directly affect patterns of fisheries productivity. This will have tremendous political, economic, social and ecological ramifications that have the potential to threaten food security, jeopardize livelihoods and exacerbate equity concerns — especially for the most vulnerable human populations.

“Therefore, we believe it is critical to shift to a new paradigm of nimble and collaborative climate-resilient fisheries governance. This will require strong guidance from international institutions, coupled with bold commitments to action from fishing nations large and small. Furthermore, dedicated capacity and resources to implement such guidance should be made available to those small island, coastal and developing states most dependent on wild fisheries — especially in cases where climate impacts are projected to be severe.

“Finally, as Target 14.4 is expiring at the end of the year, we should take this opportunity to update our shared definition of sustainable fishing and explicitly call out the intrinsic link with climate change and the need for immediate action. Thank you.”

(WASHINGTON – Feb. 5, 2020) The Department of Commerce today approved the passage of Amendment 50, effective Feb. 6, 2020, giving the five Gulf states the authority to manage private recreational red snapper fishing in federal waters as well as state waters so long as they adhere to science-based quotas. This delegation shows that the Magnuson-Stevens Act provides the flexibility for regional decision-makers to customize solutions while protecting federal resources for all to enjoy.

The amendment allocates specific amounts of red snapper quota to each state, which then set their own seasons and monitor harvest levels. If catch exceeds the state-specific limit, the overage must be repaid in the following year from the same state’s quota. This flexible system is designed to prevent overfishing while giving each state the authority to manage as it sees fit.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) applauds the collective work of the Department of Commerce, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, the Gulf states and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in enacting this new approach.

 “As a long-time angler in the Gulf, I am cautiously optimistic, but optimistic nonetheless. This decision allows for local control of an important resource while also increasing expectations for accountability. The passage of this amendment incentivizes each Gulf state to responsibly manage recreational access while also continuing to rebuild the red snapper fishery. There is still work to be done, however, to integrate federal and state data collection to prevent overfishing, which could harm access for all user groups,” said Sepp Haukebo, manager of private angler reform, EDF. “The states and NOAA now have to reconcile their data collection programs to establish a ‘common currency’ by which we can measure total recreational harvests across the Gulf.”

EDF will continue to work with state and federal authorities to ensure responsible red snapper management and advance successful models for recreational data collection. Continuing to invest in more timely and accurate data collection across U.S. fisheries will benefit fisheries management for the anglers of today and future generations to come.

(SACRAMENTO, CA – Feb. 4, 2020) Gov. Gavin Newsom released a framework today to move negotiations forward on a Central Valley water agreement involving water flows and habitat restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the rivers that feed it. The negotiations are part of a nearly decade-long effort to update the water quality control plan for the Delta.

“Reversing the long legacy of water overuse in the Central Valley and decline of Delta and Central Valley ecosystems is going to require unprecedented collaboration and compromise. Additional analysis is still needed and many hurdles still must be overcome before we can support a final agreement. That said, we are cautiously optimistic that the administration’s framework can become a solid step in a collaborative effort to build a more resilient future for California’s ecosystems and water supply.

EDF is willing to stay at the negotiating table for now in an attempt to reach comprehensive agreements that include strong enforcement provisions and sufficient water flow and habitat restoration. These elements will be critical to delivering long-overdue improvements for fish and wildlife in the Bay-Delta and Central Valley.”

• Maurice Hall, Associate VP, Ecosystems – Water, Environmental Defense Fund

(New York, NY – February 4, 2020) Mark Heising, the founder and a managing director of Medley Partners, an investment firm based in San Francisco, has been named Chairman-elect of the Board of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Heising, an EDF Board member since 2011, will take office in January 2021, succeeding Carl Ferenbach, co-founder of Berkshire Partners, who has served as Board Chair since 2009.

Heising founded Medley Partners, a private market investment firm, in 2004. Previously he was the founder of VLSI Cores, which designed and licensed cryptographic integrated circuits. He holds six U.S. patents in cryptography, compression and data communications. He serves on the Board of Directors for Renaissance Technologies, Sion Power and the Heising-Simons Foundation, and as a trustee for the Institute for Advanced Study. Heising and his wife, Liz Simons, signed the Giving Pledge in 2016, publicly committing the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. Mark earned a B.S. in Physics and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California at Berkeley.

“I am excited to take on this new role at EDF,” said Heising. “The people of EDF are highly skilled and deeply passionate about addressing the most urgent environmental issues facing communities around the world. EDF uses strong science and economic insights to forge lasting solutions to these challenges. I am honored to be able to play a part in this essential work.”

“EDF’s ambitious, pragmatic approach is what first attracted me to the organization, and it continues to guide us today,” said Ferenbach. “I look forward to working with Mark and EDF President Fred Krupp during this period of transition as EDF keeps aiming high and achieving great things.”

“Mark Heising is a widely recognized leader in technology, business and environmental philanthropy,” said Krupp. “He has already made a tremendous contribution to EDF during his decade as a trustee, and we’re very fortunate to have him as our new Chair. The organization will be in good and capable hands as we pass the reins.”

Krupp also saluted current Board Chair Ferenbach, saying, “Under Carl’s leadership and in response to urgent environmental challenges EDF has evolved from a U.S.-based organization to a global one, now working in 26 countries around the world. Our staff and operating budget have doubled as well, to more than 750 employees and $200 million annually. All of this is a testament to Carl’s vision and leadership, and we’re grateful to him for it.”

(SAN FRANCISCO – Jan. 30, 2019) Friday, Jan. 31, is the deadline for 21 critically overdrafted groundwater basins in California to submit plans to the state for how to bring their groundwater demand in line with available supplies over the next 20 years. The deadline was set by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), the state’s most sweeping water law change in 100 years.

“Thanks to SGMA, hundreds if not thousands of water managers and users have come together to gain a more accurate picture of their groundwater supply and demand and develop sustainability plans. That in itself is a major shift in the right direction toward building a more resilient future for one of the most important and productive agricultural regions in our country.

While some regions still must tackle difficult questions, there are promising solutions to ease the transition to sustainable groundwater use. If implemented successfully, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act will ensure there’s enough water for people, our economy and wildlife for generations to come.”

• Ann Hayden, Senior Director, Western Water and Resilient Landscapes, Environmental Defense Fund

Additional Resources:

For video of Ann Hayden, visit https://youtu.be/yU_WMzQQ3ds.

For blog post on the Jan. 31 SGMA deadline by Christina Babbitt, Senior Manager, California Groundwater Program, visit www.edf.org/Zqmb.

(CHICAGO, IL) In his annual State of the State address today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker listed among his administration’s priorities for 2020, “clean energy legislation that reduces carbon pollution, promotes renewable energy and accelerates electrification of our transportation sector.” Environmentalists, consumer groups, Illinois businesses and others have been advocating for passage of the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) since its introduction in February 2019, which calls for Illinois to move to 100% renewable energy by 2050, cut carbon pollution from the state’s power sector by 2030 and create steps to electrify the transportation sector. 

“EDF is encouraged by Gov. Pritzker’s call for clean energy legislation in today’s State of the State. We believe passage of the Clean Energy Jobs Act is the best path to creating jobs, protecting the health and wellbeing of Illinoisans across the state and ensuring economic benefits for all. Time is of the essence, especially now that federal regulators have tried to impose an obsolete system on Illinois that will force customers to pay hundreds of millions of dollars more for an energy mix that favors polluters.”

• Christie Hicks, Senior Attorney

Today’s speech comes a month after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a decision pertaining to the PJM market that will undercut state clean energy policies in Illinois and 12 other states spanning the PJM region. Not only would the FERC order favor fossil fuels over clean energy resources, but it would also require Illinois customers to pay $864 million more per year in higher energy costs. Under CEJA, the Illinois Power Agency would be put in charge of running Illinois’ own capacity auction – rather than relying on PJM’s market – giving the state more agency over its clean energy future.

(WASHINGTON, DC - January 28, 2020) - Today, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Subcommittee Chairs Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) unveiled a discussion draft of the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act.

The CLEAN Future Act discussion draft includes many EDF priorities—including transitioning the United States to 100% clean across the entire economy by 2050.

“EDF stands ready to work with Chairman Pallone and Representatives Rush and Tonko to develop durable climate legislation that puts our country on a path to 100% clean. This discussion draft of the CLEAN Future Act will provide the country with a transparent process and an open debate to engage with lawmakers and stakeholders on this critical issue. As the committee looks ahead, we encourage members to work together to identify the best policies needed to reduce climate pollution, promote clean energy, and strengthen our economy. We’re grateful to Chairman Pallone and Representatives Rush and Tonko for their leadership.”

• Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice-President, Political Affairs

Many European fish populations are on the move due to warming oceans and increasing numbers, according to new research from an international team of scientists led by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and the University of Aberdeen.

Marine fish are a diverse group of animals that play important roles in marine ecosystems but are also a major food source for marine and terrestrial mammals, most notably humans.

A new study, just published in the journal Ecography, has shown that fish populations in the Northeast Atlantic are moving northwards, and species which were once limited to southern European waters, like hake, have expanded the area they occupy, whilst species found in northern European waters, such as cod, have contracted.

These shifts in distribution are partly due to warming seas and partly due to the recovery of some species with reductions in overfishing. In particular, fish stocks from the south, such as anchovies, horse mackerel and sole, have moved into the North Sea, the Baltic and west of Scotland because these waters are now warmer.

Over the past decade, some fish stocks have expanded the area they occupy with the success of fisheries management under the European Common Fisheries Policy, which has led to the recovery of many fish stocks. In particular, populations of mackerel have more than doubled in the last 15 years, whilst the amount of hake has increased fivefold in the same period.

The team, which consists of 12 researchers from around Europe and the USA, received funding from the European funded projects ClimeFish and CERES to carry out the study. This was part of a major effort to assess how fish distributions have changed over the last 30 years and saw the team assess over 19 different species from 73 commercial fish ‘stocks.’

The team also considered the implications of their findings for the management of European fisheries. 

Dr. Alan Baudron, who was at the University of Aberdeen when he led the study, explained: “Currently, the total catch for each fish stock is divided into quotas for various management areas using a fixed allocation key, known as Relative Stability. This allocation key was based on where and what the fleets were catching over 40 years ago, in the 1970s. The changes in distributions have created a potential mismatch between these fixed allocations and the abundances of fish within management areas. In fact, five of the 19 species investigated were found to have shifted distribution across management areas: herring, plaice, hake, sole and horse mackerel.”

Dr. Kristin Kleisner, a senior fisheries scientist with Environmental Defense Fund, and one of the authors of the study said: “Fish distribution changes have implications for fisheries management, with both economic and political repercussions. Notorious examples include the so-called ‘mackerel wars’ where political tensions between the EU, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, were created by the expansion of mackerel into Icelandic and Faroese waters. Or the more recent increase in hake in the North Sea which resulted in extensive discarding by the UK fleet: fishermen simply do not have sufficient hake quota and cannot avoid catching the massive amounts that are now present.”

Dr. Kleisner added: “As changes in the distribution of commercial fish becomes evident, a revision of how some quotas are allocated may be necessary if fish stocks are to be managed sustainably.”

“It is saddening and infuriating to see more people die because of another chemical explosion in the Houston area. These deadly tragedies cannot be the new normal in a city and region where industrial threats abound. Government at all levels must act to ensure the health and safety of workers and the people living near these facilities, and that starts by holding industry accountable and strengthening safeguards. Enough is enough.”

· Elena Craft, Senior Director, Climate and Health, Environmental Defense Fund

(Washington, D.C.) Environmental Defense Fund filed suit yesterday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging a decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve the Spire STL pipeline. 

In carrying out its statutory responsibilities under the Natural Gas Act, FERC must determine whether a pipeline is genuinely needed. In the case of Spire STL, FERC concluded that there was need based on information presented by the developer – a contract between Spire STL and an affiliated company, Spire Missouri – without rigorous investigation of need and without reasoned consideration of information presented by other parties. EDF believes FERC should have conducted a rigorous review to assess actual market need.

“FERC unlawfully approved the Spire STL pipeline without a sound determination that the project is in fact needed,” said EDF attorney Erin Murphy. “FERC’s problematic determination is resulting in harmful impacts on land, water and communities.”

The Spire STL project is a 65-mile pipeline running through southwest Illinois and the St. Louis, Missouri area. FERC issued its initial approval for the project in August 2018. EDF sought rehearing of that decision, which FERC denied. FERC has allowed Spire STL to undertake construction and operations notwithstanding serious legal concerns. People living in the region, including EDF members, are experiencing direct harm to their land that is in the pathway of the pipeline, including deforestation and loss of cropland.

More rigorous oversight by FERC of affiliate contracts, such as the affiliate contract at issue in this case, could prevent the imposition of unnecessary costs on utility customers; and could prevent locking in long-term greenhouse gas pollution and locking out clean energy alternatives over the 50-year life of new pipelines.

“Arizona Public Service joins power companies in all regions of our nation that are committing to achieve 100% clean power by 2050. Arizona has an urgent stake in eliminating climate pollution. Hotter temperatures pose a clear and present danger to Arizona’s people, its water, its environment and its economy. The Arizona Public Service commitment to 100% clean power will also accelerate Arizona’s drive to clean zero emitting vehicles.

“We urge Arizona Public Service to ensure its projected 2030 climate pollution reductions are a floor to build from in achieving faster and deeper near-term pollution cuts, in order to protect the health and well-being of all who are afflicted by rising temperatures and a changing climate.”

- Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund

(Washington, D.C. – January 22, 2020) EDF plans to continue its fight against the Trump administration’s creation of a loophole for hazardous industrial air pollution, in spite of a procedural setback in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today.

The D.C. Circuit declined a request from EDF, 10 other environmental and community groups, and the state of California to reconsider an August decision that barred initial challenges to that EPA loophole due to concerns that EPA’s action was not yet fully final. That decision concluded that the memorandum creating the loophole has no legal force and effect, and cannot be relied upon by EPA or state permitting authorities. Neither the August decision nor today’s order addressed the merits of the case.

“Although we are disappointed by today’s decision, we will continue to fight this reckless and unlawful effort by Trump’s EPA to undermine Clean Air Act protections against harmful industrial air pollution,” said Tomás Carbonell, lead attorney for Environmental Defense Fund. “EPA’s own analysis shows that this loophole could allow thousands of facilities to opt out of life-saving pollution standards. That would put people across the country at more risk from benzene and other dangerous or cancer-causing pollutants.”

The request for a rehearing was heard en banc by the D.C. Circuit. Judge Judith Rogers issued a dissent forcefully opposing the court’s decision to deny rehearing, saying that “EPA’s new ‘interpretation’ of the Clean Air Act will have continued reverberations that cut against Congress’s design in a significant manner, the more deserving of en banc consideration.”

The case involves “maximum achievable control technology” (MACT) standards for hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. These standards generally apply to large industrial facilities like refineries and chemical plants that emit high amounts of 187 dangerous pollutants.

Until January 2018, those “major source” facilities had to comply with the MACT standards for as long as they operated. But in January 2018, former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a four-page memo – without any opportunity for public comment and with no prior analysis of pollution or health impacts – allowing facilities to opt out of MACT standards by reclassifying themselves as smaller “area sources.”

EPA has been implementing the loophole ever since the memo was issued, even though its own analysis indicates that almost four thousand facilities across the country could ultimately use the loophole – potentially resulting in millions of pounds of additional hazardous air pollution. In July 2019 – a year and a half after it started implementing the loophole – EPA formally proposed to adopt a nationwide rule adopting the memo as binding policy.

EDF joined the Attorney General of California, Sierra Club, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, California Communities Against Toxics, Downwinders at Risk, Environmental Integrity Project, Hoosier Environmental Council, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Ohio Citizen Action, and Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services to challenge the loophole. In August 2019, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit ruled 2-1 for EPA on a procedural technicality. Today the court declined to rehear the case.

(NEW YORK, NY) The New York Public Service Commission yesterday approved a new gas and electric rate plan for Con Edison customers in New York City and Westchester through 2022. The decision approves the utility’s budget, and utility earnings opportunities for electrifying transportation, including trucks and buses, as well as heating in buildings. The order comes six months after New York State passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, a law codifying some of the strongest climate pollution reduction requirements in the country – making New York a leader in setting strong short-term and long-term goals to cut pollution.

“The Public Service Commission’s approval to incentivize electrification in buildings, cars, trucks and buses is a step in the right direction to align utilities’ earnings opportunities with New York’s climate goals.”

“While the Order builds on a regional push to cut pollution, there’s much more to be done. In particular, the Commission passed on the opportunity to require Con Edison to engage in transparent, long-term supply planning for its natural gas system, which is necessary to align utility infrastructure investments with the state’s environmental targets.”

• Mary Barber, Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, Environmental Defense Fund

(TRENTON, NJ) Gov. Phil Murphy today signed into law a bill that creates a statewide electric vehicle program for New Jersey. Aiming for 85% of all vehicles sold to be electric by 2040, the new law (S-2252/A-4819) establishes a $30 million a year incentive program that offers up to $5,000 in rebates per eligible vehicle over 10 years, and sets targets for building charging infrastructure. While the bill focuses primarily on passenger vehicles, it also requires NJ Transit to purchase an all zero-emission bus fleet by 2032 and that the state develop a plan to electrify medium and heavy-duty vehicles (like port trucks and delivery vans) by the end of this year.

“Gov. Murphy’s commitment to electrify the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey is critical to cut pollution throughout the state. This law builds on regional momentum by requiring the Garden State’s transit agency to adopt a zero-emissions bus fleet, which would go a long way to improve air quality, protect vulnerable communities and lead on cutting pollution nationwide.”

• Mary Barber, Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs