Complete list of press releases

 (NEW YORK – November 27, 2019) EDF President Fred Krupp issued the following statement recognizing the legacy of William D. Ruckelshaus, two-time head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a longstanding champion of America’s health and natural resources, who died earlier today at age 87.

“Environmental Defense Fund mourns the passing of Bill Ruckelshaus. He was a leader who repeatedly moved environmental issues forward in his career. He was appointed by President Richard Nixon to launch EPA when the agency was first established, and set a professional science-based tone for its work. In 1972, he personally answered EDF’s petition to ban DDT by signing a ban, which has led to more than a twentyfold increase in the population of the bald eagle, symbol of our country. The DDT ban also has resulted in the recovery of many other species, including brown pelicans, peregrine falcons, ospreys, and golden eagles. He rescued EPA during his second turn at the helm, restoring its leadership and professionalism. We are grateful for his leadership and ability to protect the environment while also engaging a broad spectrum of people in his deliberations.”

• Fred Krupp, EDF President 

“Another preventable tragedy at a Texas petrochemical facility has hospitalized at least three workers and damaged nearby businesses just a day before Thanksgiving. The fiery sky, blown-out windows, evacuations, and shelter-in-place orders are glaring reminders that we need state and federal officials to do more to protect our communities. Instead, Trump’s EPA put emergency responders and people living near these industrial facilities in harm’s way by gutting needed safeguards last week. We will be thankful when they take chemical safety more seriously.”

– Elena Craft, EDF Senior Director, Climate and Health

(Washington, D.C. – November 27, 2019) Environmental Defense Fund, the Adirondack Council and Sierra Club want to help New York, New York City and New Jersey in their legal battle against EPA over dangerous smog-forming pollution from other states.

The groups filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last night asking to join the states’ lawsuit. The states turned to the courts after the Trump administration denied a New York petition for help under the Good Neighbor provisions of the Clean Air Act.

“Smog from upwind states is endangering the lives and health of families in New York and New Jersey. It’s both legally and morally wrong that EPA is refusing to help them,” said Environmental Defense Fund attorney Liana James. “The Good Neighbor provisions of the Clean Air Act exist so that downwind states are not left alone to struggle with deadly pollution from their neighbors.”

“The Adirondack Park is a national treasure that New York cannot protect on its own, and we stand in support of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Department of Environmental Conservation and New York’s Attorney General in defense of the people and natural resources of the Adirondacks,” said William C. Janeway, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council. “We need EPA to order that the dirtiest coal-fired power plants upwind of us to turn on their summertime smog controls. Those pollution-control devices also protect the Adirondacks from acid rain. Since 2017, EPA has left us exposed when the law requires EPA to protect us. We have no choice but to sue and seek justice through the courts.”

“It’s past time for EPA to protect the millions of New York and New Jersey residents that continue to suffer from smog pollution originating in upwind states,” said Sierra Club Senior Attorney Josh Berman. “No child should have difficulty breathing because dirty upwind power plants and industrial sources would rather cut costs than install and run basic pollution-reducing controls.”

Smog is linked to premature deaths, hospitalizations, asthma attacks and long-term lung damage. States that are working to reduce smog are often undermined by the dirtier air that blows across their borders from coal plants and other sources in upwind states. An EDF analysis found that unhealthy smog levels affected 185 million Americans across 40 states during the first three-quarters of 2019 alone.

New York has struggled with cross-state air pollution from hundreds of sources in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. In March of 2018, New York asked EPA to find that pollution from the sources in those nine states are significantly interfering with its ability to meet our national health-based smog standards.

The Clean Air Act obligates EPA to safeguard downwind states against smog-forming pollution from coal-fired power plants and other sources in upwind states, but the Trump administration refused New York’s request for help. Last month, the state of New York, the city of New York, and the state of New Jersey filed a lawsuit challenging that refusal.

Trump’s EPA has also denied requests from Maryland and Delaware for help with dangerous border-crossing pollution. Both states have gone to court over those decisions. Environmental Defense Fund, the Adirondack Council and Sierra Club are also part of a coalition of health, environmental and community groups that joined that lawsuit in support of the states. New York and New Jersey are supporting Maryland and Delaware in that case as well.

(CARSON CITY, NV – November 22, 2019) Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak today issued an executive order reaffirming the state’s climate goals set last spring in SB254, and directing state agencies to develop the menu of policy options necessary to meet those targets—most critically cutting climate pollution 45% below 2005 levels by 2030. The state’s goals are consistent with the ambition of Nevada’s western neighbors, and this new directive comes on the heels of yesterday’s release of New Mexico’s Climate Strategy, which powerfully underscored that to achieve the reductions promised, New Mexico likely must a deploy a multi-sector, market-based policy that puts an overall limit on statewide pollution.

“Las Vegas is now the fastest warming city in the U.S—stepping up to ensure Nevada takes decisive policy action consistent with its commitments is critical to safeguarding public health and economic prosperity,” said Pam Kiely, Environmental Defense Fund Senior Director of Regulatory Strategy.

“The order makes clear that Nevada must develop a policy framework to achieve reductions consistent with scientific recommendations, cutting pollution by at least 45% below 2005 levels by 2030. Importantly, the directive outlines the need to evaluate both economy-wide strategies as well as market-based mechanisms, a clear acknowledgment of the role such programs can play in cost-effectively achieving the reductions promised.

“What the next year holds will be critical. How quickly Gov. Sisolak’s team moves forward to not just evaluate these critical policies, but actually exercise the regulatory tools the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection has available to put strong limits on carbon pollution will be essential to ensuring that Nevada keeps pace with its peers and delivers concrete climate action.”

Nevada’s first report will be completed by the end of the December listing policy mechanisms that could drive the reductions necessary, with a comprehensive State Climate Strategy to be completed by December 2020.

(Washington, D.C. – November 22, 2019) EDF, with a coalition of public health and environmental groups, is suing EPA for its attempt to withdraw clean cars authority from California and 13 other states.

The groups filed a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today.

“Clean car standards are vital public health and climate protections that save Americans money at the gas pump” said EDF attorney Alice Henderson. “This unprecedented attempt to revoke states’ longstanding bipartisan authority to protect Americans from auto pollution is both deeply damaging and plainly unlawful.”

Today’s petition for review challenges EPA actions including its purported withdrawal of California’s Clean Air Act preemption waiver, under which California and 13 other states implement clean car standards.

The group’s petition follows a similar lawsuit filed last week by a coalition of 23 states – California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin – along with the District of Columbia and the cities of Los Angeles and New York.

Lawsuits challenging EPA’s unlawful actions have also been filed by transportation industry leaders, including Tesla, and by a coalition of air quality districts.

EDF is joined on today’s lawsuit by Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Communities for a Better Environment, Conservation Law Foundation, Environment America, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen, and Union of Concerned Scientists.

EDF previously joined most of these organizations in a separate lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to challenge the U.S. Department of Transportation’s unlawful regulation declaring that all state greenhouse gas and zero-emission vehicle standards are pre-empted by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. EDF and most of these groups also filed a similar lawsuit, as a protective measure, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C Circuit.

You can find more court filings on EDF’s website.

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 21, 2019) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today announced its endorsement of the 100% Clean Economy Act, a bold climate action bill just introduced by leading members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The 100% Clean Economy Act would put the country on a path to a 100% clean economy by 2050—which means allowing no more climate pollution produced than can be removed from the atmosphere across all sectors of the economy. By establishing a national target that applies to climate pollution economy-wide, this bill provides a framework to guide the federal government, states, companies and consumers toward policies to meet the 2050 goal. The bill focuses on key measurable outcomes during the transition to 100% clean, including improving public health, strengthening environmental resiliency, enhancing job creation, empowering communities that are disproportionately vulnerable to pollution, and providing just and equitable transition for workers.

150 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are co-sponsoring the 100% Clean Economy Act, including members from the business-oriented New Democrat Coalition, the Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and senior House committee leaders. 20 of the nation’s leading public health, environmental, and clean energy organizations also support the bill.

“150 lawmakers have united behind this bill because they know it delivers the ambitious but achievable climate goal we need,” said EDF President Fred Krupp.

“To reach this economy-wide goal at the pace and scale that the science demands, we must keep all tools on the table. That’s why this legislation articulates a goal focused squarely on reducing the pollution that causes climate change – and allows flexibility in how to meet it, including an array of renewable energy technologies to reduce emissions as well as natural solutions, emerging technologies and other strategies that can remove carbon pollution directly from the atmosphere.

“There’s no time to waste. The impacts of climate change are only getting worse—that means more dangerous heat, drought, storms and wildfires and more deadly diseases that ravage our lives and raise the cost of doing business.

“Momentum for climate action is growing by the day, and we encourage more lawmakers to join this growing coalition that is working to put our country on a path to 100% clean.”

(SANTA FE, NM) New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and Environment Department today issued a report on the state’s activities in the past year following Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s sweeping January 2019 executive order, which aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions statewide by at least 45% by 2030. The order also directed state agencies to develop policies to encourage clean energy deployment, curb climate pollution and cut energy wasted from the oil and gas industry through the intentional and unintentional release of methane, a powerful pollutant.

“New Mexico should be proud of what Gov. Lujan Grisham and her administration have set in motion to address climate change after just 11 short months on the job. The report powerfully  underscores that to achieve the reductions promised, New Mexico must a deploy multi-sector policy that puts an overall limit on statewide pollution that declines over time, while utilizing a flexible, market-based approach to meet that limit to ensure access to the lowest-cost pollution reductions. The report also boldly prioritizes actions to cut oil and gas emissions, seizing an opportunity to protect air quality, limit energy waste and increase funding for education.

“What the next year holds will be critical. Getting enforceable, nationally-leading methane pollution-reducing regulations on the books will help protect the lungs and the livelihood of New Mexicans who deserve clean air and a safe environment. Moreover, beginning the regulatory process to design and implement a cost-effective, market-based program will be essential to meeting our climate targets

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

Additional Background

Gov. Lujan Grisham’s January 2019 executive order endorsed the goals of the Paris Agreement and added New Mexico to the U.S. Climate Alliance. The order also set critical targets for reductions in greenhouse gas pollution by committing New Mexico to achieving at least 45% below 2005 levels by 2030, and directed the state’s regulatory agencies to enact comprehensive, statewide regulations to dramatically cut methane pollution and waste from the oil and gas industry – a process that commenced through the state’s Methane Advisory Panel, and is expected to lead to rule promulgation next year.

(WASHINGTON, DC - November 19, 2019) Today, Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) introduced the Climate Resiliency Service Corps Act of 2019 to help communities withstand and respond to the threats of climate change.

The bill would amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to allow for the establishment of a climate resiliency service corps that would carry out national service projects that improve ‘community adaptation, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery from natural disasters and other trends related to climate change.’

“Cities and towns across the country are reeling from the impacts of climate change. Marginalized communities and disadvantaged populations are particularly affected by these threats – from devastating wildfires in California to catastrophic flooding in Texas. Building resiliency is key to handling the impacts of the climate crisis and EDF appreciates Representative Chu for her work to help communities prepare for natural disasters, adjust to the threats from a changing climate, and provide meaningful service opportunities.”

• Elizabeth Gore, EDF Senior Vice President, Political Affairs

(San Francisco, CA – Nov. 19, 2019) California Governor Gavin Newsom today directed the state’s Department of Conservation to initiate a new process to protect public health and the environment from oil and gas production. Last night, he asked the California Public Utilities Commission to expedite the closure of the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Facility.

EDF has appeared before both agencies in recent years to support standards to cut pollution from production and storage sites.

“At a time when the Trump administration is gutting national health and environmental protections, states are stepping up – and this is a powerful example. There are ample accounts of operators in California failing to implement basic standards that protect the public and the environment, and stronger regulations are exactly what companies can expect as a result.”

• Michael Colvin, Director, California Regulatory and Legislative Affairs

  (WASHINGTON, DC – November 19, 2019) Today, Environmental Defense Fund issued the following statement on the introduction of the Growing Renewable Energy and Efficiency Now (GREEN) Act.

 “Encouraging investment in and deployment of clean technologies is critical to achieving a 100 percent clean economy by 2050. We applaud Chairman Neal, Subcommittee Chairman Thompson, and members from the Ways & Means Committee for introducing the GREEN Act, which would extend and expand a wide range of incentives for renewable energy technologies, energy storage, electric vehicles, energy efficiency for homes and buildings, and other technologies that reduce carbon emissions and address the climate crisis. This bill would provide much needed policy certainty to consumers, manufacturers, and investors.”

•  Elizabeth Gore, EDF Senior Vice President, Political Affairs

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nov. 18, 2019) Dairy milk has a place in 94% of American households, yet U.S. dairy is in the fourth year of an economic downturn in which many farmers are struggling to break even. Dairy farmers are finally experiencing some price relief, but ongoing economic pressures are motivating them to become more resilient.

The economic uncertainties facing the dairy industry include highly variable milk and feed prices, unpredictable farm policies and extreme weather – most notably increased heavy rain events and flooding.

“Most of these factors are out of farmers’ control, but conservation is something farmers can be sure of,” said Suzy Friedman, director of agricultural sustainability at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and co-author of a new report, How conservation makes dairy farms more resilient, especially in a lean agricultural economy.

“The overriding lesson learned is that conservation contributes to the economic well-being and resilience of dairy farms,” Friedman said.

The report was a collaboration of EDF, K·Coe Isom, TeamAg, Inc. and four Pennsylvania dairy farmers who opened their books to provide valuable insights on how conservation practices impact farm budgets, and which practices can deliver the greatest return on investment. The report builds off of a September 2018 farm finance and conservation report, also published by EDF and K·Coe Isom.

“The four case studies show how dairy farms of various sizes and budgets have financed different sets of conservation practices with a variety of benefits – many of which the farmers did not realize until they participated in this study,” said Laura Sands, lead principal of production agriculture at K·Coe Isom.

“Too often, farmers miss or don’t quantify the economic benefits of conservation because it’s difficult to connect the agronomic and financial sides of any ag business. Farmers only discover the real value of conservation practices when they can see them in the context of their entire operation and tallied over multiple years, which takes time, expertise and commitment,” Sands said.

Looking across enterprise budgets, the report found that dairy farmers who adopt conservation practices that impact their cropping systems and dairy herd including manure storage, nutrient management, cover crops, conservation tillage and stream fencing realize a variety of cascading financial benefits such as reduced labor hours, savings on external feed and bedding, and lower vet bills due to improved herd health.

“Pennsylvania and other Chesapeake Bay states are actively working to improve water quality through many of the conservation practices identified in this report, but it’s important to know that these practices pay,” said Chris Sigmund, president of TeamAg, Inc. “This report gives us a roadmap for achieving profitable farms and a healthy Chesapeake Bay watershed.”

“Dairy farmers share a long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and this report recognizes that we are doing our part to protect the planet’s natural resources,” said Marilyn Hershey, chair of Dairy Management Inc. and a Pennsylvania dairy farmer. “It also demonstrates that no two dairy farms are the same, underscoring the importance of partnerships that identify new practices and technology solutions that come with economic incentives and a positive environmental outcome.”

The report offers a number of specific recommendations for increasing financial and technical support for farmers through government programs, tax incentives and other innovative financing strategies.

“Dairy farmers and their supply chain business partners are highly motivated to increase their resilience to unfavorable economic and environmental conditions, and this report provides a path towards a more sustainable dairy economy,” Friedman said.

For a summary of the report’s key findings and recommendations, visit www.edf.org/dairyreport.

(WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 18, 2019) Major new federal pipeline safety legislation introduced this week will bring about dramatic new environmental and public safety benefits for all Americans.

The bill, HR 5120, authored by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), is the "Safe, Accountable, Fair and Environmentally Responsible (SAFER) Pipelines Act of 2019." The bill will give the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) (part of the Department of Transportation) strong direction to act in the safety interests of citizens living in both urban and rural areas, including by requiring new rules to prevent, detect, stop and report methane emissions. The two veteran congressmen are chairmen, respectively, of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

"By putting in place critical new public safety and climate protections, the SAFER Pipelines Act is a win-win for all American families," said Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund. "It's well past time to give PHMSA the tools and direction to contribute to our nation's efforts to prevent the worst impacts of climate change."

Methane, the major component of natural gas, is a key driver of climate change, more than 80 times as damaging to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide over the first 20 years following its release, and the oil and gas supply chain is the largest industrial source of methane in the U.S. Extensive scientific research has found that methane leaks appear anytime, anywhere in all segments of the oil and gas value chain, and the bill imposes new requirements on the oil and gas industry to use the latest, advanced leak detection technology to guard against them.

"Preventing, detecting, and fixing methane leaks represents some of the most cost-effective actions we can take right now to slow the rate of climate change," Gore said.

This bill will set in motion protections that will enhance public safety and reduce climate risks, while providing greater assurance to communities and families that natural gas leaks will be found and fixed promptly.

Key provisions include:

• Comprehensive pipeline mapping for the first time: Unfathomably, PHMSA currently does not know where all of the pipelines in the country are located. The operators of hundreds of thousands of miles of pipelines, including gas gathering lines (the pipelines that carry gas from the fields where it is extracted to larger transportation infrastructure) will have to submit to PHMSA detailed information about the location of their lines.
   
• Extending leak detection requirements to gas gathering lines. Currently none of the operators of the nation's 435,000 miles of natural gas gathering lines, whether currently mapped or unmapped, are required to check for leaks. Checking these lines for leaks and then fixing those leaks would cut pollution and protect nearby communities.
   
• Requiring the use of advanced leak detection technologies to check pipelines for leaks. Technology available to find and fix methane leaks has advanced rapidly in recent years, including handheld, and vehicle- and aerially-mounted methane sensors. This bill would require pipeline operators to use the latest technology – capable of measuring in parts per billion – to check for gas leaks. It also requires applying the best available technology to help protect against leaks during pipeline repair and maintenance servicing.

"This bill will make important contributions to improving the safety and reducing the environmental impact of developing America's natural gas resources." Gore commented. "We look forward to working with Congress to get it enacted."

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nov. 18, 2019) A new disaster relief fund announced today will focus on areas of the Bahamas hit hardest by Hurricane Dorian, in order to drive relief and recovery efforts on the ground in Sweetings Cay, Grand Bahama — an island that was left completely devastated after a 40-hour pummeling by the monster Category 5 storm.

The fund is being formed through a partnership between GlobalGiving, a global crowdfunding platform for grassroots charitable projects, and the Bahamas Sportfishing and Conservation Association — a nonprofit fostering the development of sportfishing and conservation in the Bahamas. The fund is being created with the goal of raising $100,000 to support recovery and relief efforts in Sweetings Cay. Initially, the fund will help with pressing and immediate needs such as food, fuel, clean water, hygiene products and shelter. The fund will eventually transition to support longer-term recovery and rebuilding efforts. This partnership was coordinated by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

“Donations to this disaster relief fund will be used to stimulate regional fishing communities,” said Prescott Smith, BSCA president. “Special attention is being paid to supporting areas of greatest need as we work to rebuild infrastructure, including fisheries and other key sources of food and income, in a sustainable manner. By engaging with our communities in this way, we are building healthy, resilient economies that can bounce back faster after catastrophic events like Hurricane Dorian.”

BSCA has a long-standing commitment to conserving habitats and marine ecosystems through sustainable fishing practices. As part of its work on the ground, BSCA is closely working with EDF to empower local fishing communities to become champions for conservation for the sake of their livelihoods and the natural resources they depend upon.

“Climate-fueled storms are posing ever-greater threats to livelihoods and natural resources in our coastal communities, and it is up to all of us to take action. The Bahamas is a world class fishing destination and like many countries in the tropics, it is predicted to lose more fish and experience more devastation in the face of climate change,” said Sepp Haukebo, manager of private angler management reform at EDF. “All donations made to BSCA’s disaster relief fund will help Sweetings Cay rebuild forward to be better positioned in the future.”

Dorian first stuck the Bahamas on Aug. 24, 2019 as a Category 3 storm. Between Friday and Sunday, the hurricane grew into a Category 5 storm, unleashing 220 mph wind gusts. Considered one of the most destructive storms ever seen in the region, residents are still recovering from the sweeping damage. At least 60 people have died and several hundred others are still missing.

To donate to the disaster relief fund, please visit BSCA’s GlobalGiving Fund page.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(WASHINGTON- November 15, 2019) Major new federal pipeline safety legislation introduced today will bring about dramatic new environmental and public safety benefits for all Americans.

The bill, HR 5120, authored by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), is the “Safe, Accountable, Fair and Environmentally Responsible (SAFER) Pipelines Act of 2019.” The bill will give the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) (part of the Department of Transportation) strong direction to act in the safety interests of citizens living in both urban and rural areas, including by requiring new rules to prevent, detect, stop and report methane emissions. The two veteran congressmen are chairmen, respectively, of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

“By putting in place critical new public safety and climate protections, the SAFER Pipelines Act is a win-win for all American families,” said Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund. “It’s well past time to give PHMSA the tools and direction to contribute to our nation’s efforts to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.”

Methane, the major component of natural gas, is a key driver of climate change, more than 80 times as damaging to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide over the first 20 years following its release, and the oil and gas supply chain is the largest industrial source of methane in the U.S. Extensive scientific research has found that methane leaks appear anytime, anywhere in all segments of the oil and gas value chain, and the bill imposes new requirements on the oil and gas industry to use the latest, advanced leak detection technology to guard against them.  

“Preventing, detecting, and fixing methane leaks represents some of the most cost-effective actions we can take right now to slow the rate of climate change,” Gore said.

This bill will set in motion protections that will enhance public safety and reduce climate risks, while providing greater assurance to communities and families that natural gas leaks will be found and fixed promptly.

Key provisions include:

• Comprehensive pipeline mapping for the first time: Unfathomably, PHMSA currently does not know where all of the pipelines in the country are located. The operators of hundreds of thousands of miles of pipelines, including gas gathering lines (the pipelines that carry gas from the fields where it is extracted to larger transportation infrastructure) will have to submit to PHMSA detailed information about the location of their lines.

• Extending leak detection requirements to gas gathering lines. Currently none of the operators of the nation’s 435,000 miles of natural gas gathering lines, whether currently mapped or unmapped, are required to check for leaks. Checking these lines for leaks and then fixing those leaks would cut pollution and protect nearby communities.

• Requiring the use of advanced leak detection technologies to check pipelines for leaks. Technology available to find and fix methane leaks has advanced rapidly in recent years, including handheld, and vehicle- and aerially-mounted methane sensors. This bill would require pipeline operators to use the latest technology – capable of measuring in parts per billion – to check for gas leaks. It also requires applying the best available technology to help protect against leaks during pipeline repair and maintenance servicing.

“This bill will make important contributions to improving the safety and reducing the environmental impact of developing America’s natural gas resources.” Gore commented. “We look forward to working with Congress to get it enacted.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dear Mr. Dorsey,

As you formulate your final policy on political and issue advertising, we hope you will aim to create a fair forum for critical public issues. According to some press reports, the policy you are considering would effectively allow oil and gas companies to continue to do paid promotion of their messages on climate change-related topics, while banning environmental groups like EDF and EDF Action from doing so. We believe this would be a serious mistake, as it would create a dramatically unfair playing field.

We strongly recommend that, if you intend to prohibit political ads, you limit your ban to candidates and parties – and ads mentioning them – rather than to issue advocates. That seems like a workable bright line that would address the most notorious abuses, but allow all advocates to get our messages out to a broad audience. It would also relieve Twitter of the impossible task of judging which cleverly worded corporate ads are actually intended to influence policy.

Banning both sides from issue ads does not seem like a fair or workable solution. Even if companies like ExxonMobil couldn’t use phrases like “climate change” in their paid tweets, their ads would leave the strong impression of favoritism if those from the environmental community are banned.

As an example of why a ban on issues ads (but not commercial product ads) would be inherently unfair and unworkable, consider that all of EDF’s ads are considered “issue” ads — which we assume means they would be banned under the reported policy.

In contrast, to choose one example, none of ExxonMobil’s ads are labeled “issue” ads — even those that speak directly about climate change. If it followed this logic, the policy reportedly being considered by Twitter would tilt the playing field so that companies are the only ones who can speak to the public on an issue using paid promotions. It would make the existing situation much, much worse.

Thank you for your efforts to improve Twitter’s social impact. We are hopeful that if you establish a clear, workable policy this will improve the dialogue on a range of important issues.

Eric Pooley

Senior Vice President
Strategy and Communications
Environmental Defense Fund