Complete list of press releases

(WASHINGTON – September 19, 2019) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos today revealed The Climate Pledge, an initiative to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years ahead of schedule. The announcement comes one day ahead of Amazon employees’ planned participation in global climate strikes.   

“Making an ambitious commitment is the first step for any company wanting to reduce its carbon footprint and make meaningful change. I’m encouraged that Amazon has joined leading companies like Walmart, McDonald’s, Tyson Foods, and others who have spent years implementing ambitious plans to reduce emissions in line with what the science says is necessary.

“Collaborating with other companies and across global supply chains is the second step – so it’s essential that Amazon delivers on this promise in order to scale and accelerate environmental results.

“There’s a lot of hard work ahead for Amazon – and the true climate leaders will emerge based on their ability to turn rhetoric into reality. One of the most immediate things Bezos can do for the planet is to use Amazon’s leverage on Capitol Hill. If Amazon uses its political influence to advocate for smart climate policy, lawmakers will listen.

“I’m also inspired by the Amazon employees whose pressure brought the issue of climate leadership to the forefront. We’re already seeing increased pressure on companies from investors and customers, but employee engagement from Amazon could be the tipping point that really moves companies towards meaningful climate action.

“It’s a smart move by Bezos, because young people care deeply about the environmental and social leadership of the companies they buy from and work for. Tomorrow’s climate strike participants are future Amazon customers.”

– Elizabeth Sturcken, Managing Director, EDF+Business

(Washington, D.C. – September 17, 2019) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today dismissed the numerous legal challenges filed against the Clean Power Plan – an expected move after the Trump administration rolled back the Clean Power Plan and finalized its own weak replacement instead (the ACE rule).

“We are already challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful and harmful rollback of the Clean Power Plan in court, and we will continue to fight to enforce EPA’s legal responsibility to protect Americans from dangerous climate pollution,” said EDF’s Director of Regulatory Policy and Lead Attorney Tomás Carbonell. “The court’s decision today was expected, and does not reflect on the merits of the Clean Power Plan or these ongoing legal challenges. In fact, opponents have gone through extraordinary contortions to prevent the court from deciding the merits of the Clean Power Plan because the law and the facts supporting it are so compelling.”

The Clean Power Plan established America’s first and only nationwide limit on carbon pollution from existing power plants. It would reduce climate pollution from power plants to 36 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and would reduce deadly soot and smog-forming pollution from power plants.

The ACE rule, which the Trump administration finalized in June, will provide no meaningful reduction in dangerous climate pollution, and may result in more harmful air pollution in many states than no rule at all. Analysis by EDF shows that 16 states could see an increase in climate pollution under ACE, and independent experts say ACE could increase the pollution that leads to soot and smog in as many as 14 states plus the District of Columbia, relative to “business as usual” without the rule.

A broad and diverse coalition is challenging the ACE rule in the D.C. Circuit, including EDF and twelve other public health and environmental organizations, twenty-three states and eight cities, and nine power companies.Legal challenges to the Clean Power Plan have been pending in the D.C. Circuit since 2015. Since 2017, the Trump administration has repeatedly urged the D.C. Circuit not to decide the case while it worked on a rule to repeal and replace the Clean Power Plan. In the meantime, evidence about the dangers of the climate change crisis has continued to mount, and states and power companies across the country have moved ahead toward reducing climate pollution from power plants – in some cases by much more than the Clean Power Plan called for.

“America has an inspiring, bipartisan tradition of state-led progress in tackling pollution from passenger cars and trucks. According to news reports, the Trump administration will announce tomorrow that it will prevent states from continuing to make that progress. That would be a reckless and unlawful attack on a great American success story.

“Everyone wins when we adopt strong clean car standards as our public policy. Strong clean car standards give us healthier air to breathe, help protect us from the urgent threat of climate change, and save Americans hundreds of dollars a year in gas expenses. Clean cars reduce our dependence on imported oil, bolster our national security, and help protect Americans from global crude oil price spikes. Clean cars drive the technological innovation that leads to economic prosperity and job growth.

“The unlawful approach the Trump administration is reportedly planning seeks to block states from choosing clean car standards that protect millions of people from tailpipe pollution. The Trump administration would be pursuing this approach even though its own analysis shows it would cost 60,000 American jobs by 2023, even though 17 automakers and a bipartisan coalition of 24 governors have formally asked them not to, and even though there is a clear and growing need for urgent action to address the climate crisis.

“EDF will oppose any attack on state leadership in both the court of public opinion and the court of law, and we will work to secure protective Clean Car Standards for all Americans.”

- Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund

(RALEIGH, NC) Duke Energy today announced plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with at least a 50 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This goal applies to all of the company’s subsidiaries that collectively serve more than 7 million customers across the U.S. Duke’s announcement comes as a swath of other U.S. power companies – including large midcontinent companies, such as Xcel Energy and DTE – have made important recent commitments to slashing emissions and accelerating the deployment of clean energy solutions.

“Duke’s commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century is an important step toward addressing the company’s climate impact. We encourage Duke to accelerate the retirement of its coal fleet to help exceed their current plan of a 50 percent carbon reduction by 2030. We hope Duke will use this commitment as a platform to invest more heavily in renewable energy, driving toward the benefits that a 100 percent clean energy portfolio can deliver for customers and the environment.”  

“Climate change is taking a toll on our planet, and we are increasingly seeing tangible impacts on our daily lives right here at home in the U.S. Carbon pollution carries a high cost for the health of our citizens, the health of our planet, and the health of our economy. It will take such commitments on a broad scale, and focused and ambitious action over the upcoming decade, to diminish the human impact on climate change and support a future where we all enjoy cleaner air for generations to come.”

• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Sept. 16, 2019) Gov. Gavin Newsom has indicated he will veto Senate Bill 1, the California Environmental, Public Health and Workers Defense Act, authored by Sen. Toni Atkins.

“We commend the Governor’s track record of defending public health, social justice and the environment in the face of Trump rollbacks of longstanding protections. We disagree with his reasoning that vetoing SB1 is necessary to make progress in the negotiations with stakeholders, including Environmental Defense Fund, on a solution to the decades-old impasse over how best to manage the water and wildlife of the Bay-Delta.

“To us, the Bay-Delta voluntary agreement negotiations are about working together to find more innovative, cooperative ways of meeting the needs of both the environment and other water users. In their push for a veto of SB1, water agencies have undermined our confidence that they are negotiating in good faith in the voluntary agreement process.

“For now EDF will continue to participate in Bay-Delta voluntary agreement negotiations. We will be looking for real evidence that water agencies are committed to improving fragile ecosystems and rural economies. This means adding more water, habitat restoration and funding to the current proposal to realize a resilient water system that delivers for our economy and our environment.”

• David Festa, Senior Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 13, 2019) The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee this week unanimously passed the FY2020 Energy & Water Development Appropriations Bill.

The bipartisan funding bill includes major investments that will spur clean energy innovation and job creation by bolstering research and development at many scientific agencies across the federal government.

“This important funding bill makes historic investments in the research and development that will help move our country towards a 100% clean economy,” said Elizabeth Gore, EDF Senior Vice President, Political Affairs.  “We applaud Senators Alexander and Feinstein for supporting innovative policies that empower our climate researchers and scientists.”

Highlights in the bipartisan bill include robust funding levels for many key offices in the Department of Energy, including record funding levels for the Office of Science and the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). Highlights include:

• $7.2 billion for the Office of Science.
• $428 million for the Advance Research Projects Agency – Energy.
• $15 billion for U.S. energy programs, including $2.8 billion for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs.
• $40 million for Direct Air Capture R&D across EERE and the Office of Fossil Energy, which would represent the first ever dedicated funding for this key climate technology.

The FY2020 Energy & Water Development Appropriations Bill also directs agencies to invest in the full range of activities needed to stimulate innovation, including mid- and late stage research & development, deployment, and demonstration activities.

EDF also welcomes language in the bill directing the Office of Fossil Energy to prioritize research on carbon dioxide capture and utilization technologies.

(Washington, D.C. – September 13, 2019) The U.S. Court of Appeals today ruled in favor of an updated and strengthened version of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule – the landmark emission standards under the Clean Air Act’s “Good Neighbor” safeguards that are designed to protect downwind states from coal plant air pollution that blows across their borders.

“Today’s court decision will help millions of Americans have healthier, safer air to breathe,” said Graham McCahan, senior attorney for Environmental Defense Fund, which is a party to the case. “The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule is a common sense safeguard that provides vital clean air protections for the downwind states that suffer because of their neighbors’ smokestack pollution.”

The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule was created under the “Good Neighbor” provision of the Clean Air Act. It reduces sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen pollution emitted from coal-fired power plants across the Eastern U.S. That pollution, and the resulting soot and smog, drift across state borders and contribute to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels of pollution in 22 downwind states. The original Cross-State Air Pollution Rule was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2014.

In 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized an update to the rule to help states meet our nation’s 2008 health-based smog standard. EPA estimates the updated rule will prevent more than 67,000 asthma attacks each year, and will provide American families with $13 in health benefits for every dollar invested.

Coal companies, coal-based power companies, and seven states and cities sued EPA over the updated rule. A broad coalition went to court to defend it, including six states, EDF, the American Lung Association, the Appalachian Mountain Club, and Sierra Club.

Even the Trump administration EPA supported the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule in this case – especially remarkable since they have opposed using the “Good Neighbor” provision in similar circumstances. Trump’s EPA denied requests from Maryland and Delaware for help with dangerous border-crossing pollution. Both states have gone to court over those decisions. (EDF is a party to the lawsuit in support of the states.) Trump’s EPA has also proposed denying a request for help from the state of New York – their final decision is expected later today.

In today’s decision about the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected what it called “a smörgåsbord of arguments” from upwind states and companies seeking to overturn the rule. The court denied all claims that the rule is too protective, finding instead that the rule properly implements EPA’s statutory obligation to protect the residents of downwind states from interstate pollution that harms public health and the environment.

The court also ruled that, in one respect, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule needs to be strengthened. The judges agreed that the rule does not adequately conform to the Clean Air Act deadlines by which downwind states harmed by interstate pollution must meet health-based Clean Air Act air quality standards. The court remanded the rule to EPA to take corrective action on that point, while leaving the rule in place so as not to compromise its significant health benefits.

You can read more about the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule on EDF’s website.

 (WASHINGTON, DC – September 12, 2019) U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) today introduced a pipeline safety bill aimed to curb methane leaks.  The bill will require natural gas pipeline operators to use the latest technologies to detect and repair pipeline methane leaks.Udall’s bill is cosponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tom Carper (D-DE), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

“The bill reflects a simple truth: Congress must act to detect and eliminate leaks from the nation’s natural gas infrastructure.  It’s critical for public health and safety and for the environment.”

• Elgie Holstein, Environmental Defense Fund, Senior Director of Strategic Planning

(New Delhi - September 11, 2019) Indian and international land managers, policy makers, government employees, agronomists, and soil scientists from 15 research organizations and think tanks participated in a three day training from 9th to 11th September to learn the climate change mitigation potential of sustainable land management practices.

This training took place as delegates to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, or UNCCD, the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management, met in New Delhi to discuss connections between land use and climate change. 

Eleanor Milne, one of the trainers from Colorado State University, remarked: “The way the world uses and manages land is intrinsically linked to livelihoods and how much food, fuel and fibre people generate, as well as the current climate crisis.” 

Richie Ahuja, Senior Director at Environmental Defense Fund, added: “By understanding and calculating the climate impact of land use, researchers and policy advisors can better recommend land management strategies that are sustainable and help farmers grow while mitigating against climate change.” 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recently released Special Report on Climate Change and Land found that climate impacts are already undermining food security and livelihoods. The report also found that better land use management can help mitigate climate change, but the window for making these changes is closing fast. 

To efficiently promote and incentivize best land-use practices, policymakers need to determine their climate impacts under current (business-as-usual) scenarios as well as the potential reductions under new scenarios. Participants of this training learned to use the Carbon Benefits Project’s (CBP) online greenhouse gas calculator that is linked to a global database of sustainable land management practices called the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies, or WOCAT. The training showed how landscape scale projects can contribute to Land Degradation Neutrality - a key aim of the UNCCD’s effort to stop land degradation and how national and state policy decisions can impact climate resilience. 

Land use types covered in the training included forestlands, grasslands, croplands (annual, perennial and agro-forestry), wetlands, trees in settlements and emissions from livestock. Attendees learned to evaluate, track and report carbon stocks, and also learned about the net greenhouse gas impacts of land-use change projects, including changes in nitrogen, water or organic matter management, introduction of cover crops, agro-forestry or forestation projects. 

Over the three days, participants trained to use the following CBP online tools:

1. The Simple Assessment—suitable for a quick assessment at any stage, including proposals.
2. The Detailed Assessment—suitable for detailed reporting in projects with a reasonable focus on climate change mitigation.
These tools can be used to estimate the GHG impacts of projects from the local to the landscape scale and larger. Users went through a training exercise using an example data set and had the opportunity to use the system with their own project data in the second part of the training.
3. The Costs Benefit Analysis and DPSIR socio-economic tools.
4. An overview of the WOCAT database and how it is linked to the CBP.

After the workshop, users will be in a position to use the CBP online tools to comprehensively assess and report the benefits (including GHG mitigation) from land management projects and programs.

Colorado State University, Environmental Defense Fund and University of Bern co-hosted the training, which is result of a Global Environment Facility Project implemented by UN Environment.  

(ALBUQUERQUE, NM) States that embrace innovative new ways to finance on-farm conservation can deliver multiple benefits to farmers, state residents, taxpayers and the environment, according to a new report released today at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Annual Meeting by NASDA and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

The report, Innovative state-led efforts to finance agricultural conservation [PDF], highlights state-level programs that use nontraditional financing mechanisms, including crop insurance discounts and transferable tax credits, to incentivize conservation adoption.

“The solutions in this report help state and private dollars go further toward increasing the number of acres of farmland under conservation management across the country,” NASDA CEO Dr. Barb Glenn said. “These efforts ensure that valuable resources remain productive well into the future. We hope that states will exchange ideas with each other about best practices and effective program design for scaling conservation efforts.”

“Existing federal and state conservation programs are essential but provide insufficient funding to meet today’s environmental challenges. In response, states are finding creative ways to incentivize practices that protect drinking water and soil health, and improve the resilience of the agricultural economy,” said Mark Rupp, director for state-federal policy and affairs, Ecosystems at EDF.

The efforts highlighted in the report offer multiple demonstrated benefits. Farmers benefit from support in adopting conservation practices, which is particularly important in a depressed farm economy. State residents benefit from improved water quality, reduced agricultural water consumption, increased wildlife habitat and a more resilient food system. Taxpayers benefit from programs that are tailored to states’ specific needs to make more cost-effective use of public dollars. The entire country benefits from the incubation of ideas that can be implemented in other states or at the federal level.

The report, which is based on a review of more than 90 state-level agricultural conservation programs, highlights the following:

• Arizona’s Best Management Practices Program.
• California’s Healthy Soils Program.
• Colorado’s Conservation Tax Credit Program.
• Delaware’s Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Program.
• Georgia’s Conservation Tax Credit Program.
• Iowa’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program and Cover Crop-Crop Insurance Demonstration Project.
• Michigan’s Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program.
• Minnesota’s Agricultural Best Management Practices Loan Program.
• Nebraska’s Buffer Strip Program.
• Pennsylvania’s Resource Enhancement and Protection Program.
• South Carolina’s Land Conservation and Environmental Credits Program.
• South Dakota’s Conservation Revolving Loan and Conservation Tillage Loan Programs.
• Virginia’s Land Preservation Tax Credit Program.
• Wyoming’s Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund Program.

Download the full report at nasda.org/state-led conservation and edf.org/state-led-conservation.

(Washington, D.C. – September 10, 2019) Environmental Defense Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council are appealing a recent court ruling that the Trump administration does not have to disclose important information that may refute the administration’s flawed justification for rolling back America’s Clean Car Standards.

The groups are asking the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to reconsider a case regarding technical analysis that may weaken the administration’s argument for a rollback – analysis that EPA has tried to bury.

“Trump’s EPA is hiding from the public key data about the true costs of a Clean Car Standards rollback. We will continue to fight for Americans’ right to important public health and safety information,” said EDF senior attorney Martha Roberts.

“The Trump administration’s plan to halt progress on cutting vehicle pollution is bad for our air quality, bad for our climate and bad for our pocketbooks,” said Pete Huffman, a lawyer for NRDC. “By refusing to release its model, EPA is denying the public access to facts about just how unsupportable this proposal really is. That’s unacceptable for a public health agency.”

The Clean Car Standards reduce pollution while saving Americans hard-earned money at the gas pump. The Trump administration is proposing to roll back the standards and instead require zero progress in reducing climate pollution from cars, SUVs and passenger trucks over the next six years.

Trump’s EPA is also refusing to let the public see the latest OMEGA model – a long used computer model to assess clean car protections that EPA previously made public as a matter of course. EPA records indicate the latest version of the OMEGA model would show the current Clean Car Standards can be achieved by automakers at a substantially lower cost than alleged by the administration.

EDF and NRDC filed a lawsuit after EPA failed to release information about the latest OMEGA model under the Freedom of Information Act. In August, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York declined to require EPA to disclose those records. The groups filed a notice of appeal last night.

(Washington, D.C. – September 9, 2019) Environmental Defense Fund and a coalition of 11 other health and environmental groups have filed a formal request demanding that EPA fulfill its legal obligation to allow public comment on important aspects of the Trump administration’s Clean Power Plan rollback.

“The Trump EPA’s rollback of the Clean Power Plan puts Americans at greater risk from the pollution that endangers our climate and health, and it has especially damaging impacts on communities that are already vulnerable,” said EDF Lead Attorney Tomás Carbonell. “The administration’s failure to take public input on key aspects of this immensely harmful decision is unlawful and outrageous.”

The Clean Power Plan established America’s first and only nationwide limit on carbon pollution from existing power plants, and would reduce deadly soot and smog. The Trump administration’s ACE rule repeals the Clean Power Plan, drastically weakens limits on power plant carbon pollution, and may result in more soot- and smog-forming pollution than having no rule at all. An EDF analysis of the final ACE rule found that it would increase carbon pollution in as many as sixteen states plus DC.

EPA is required by the Clean Air Act to give public notice of the key issues in the ACE rule and consider public comments. But the final ACE rule that was released this June contained many significant aspects that EPA had not previously made available for comment – including new, flawed legal interpretations and skewed analyses of the rule’s impacts on climate and public health.

On Friday, EDF filed a formal request demanding that EPA give the public a meaningful opportunity to comment on those aspects of the rule, as the law requires. Joining EDF on the filing were the American Lung Association, American Public Health Association, Appalachian Mountain Club, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Clean Air Council, Clean Wisconsin, Conservation Law Foundation, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Sierra Club.

A coalition of 22 states, the District of Columbia, and eight local governments also demanded on Friday that EPA allow for public comment on previously undisclosed aspects of the ACE rule.

Separately, EDF and 12 other public health and environmental organizations have filed a lawsuit challenging the rollback of the Clean Power Plan in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Legal challenges have also been filed by 22 states and seven local governments, and by nine power companies.

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General released a report faulting the agency for “not hav[ing] an effective strategy to implement and enforce the lead-based paint rule.” The Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule is critical to protect children living in homes that have lead paint from the 18 million renovation projects that EPA estimates to be occurring each year. There is no safe level of lead exposure: lead impairs children’s normal brain development – contributing to learning and behavioral problems and lowers IQs. 

“Based on the failures and shortcomings described by the Inspector General, it appears that the Trump Administration’s Lead Action Plan was primarily a public relations tool rather than a document to focus and prioritize the agency’s efforts to reduce children’s exposure to lead from these renovation projects,” said Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director at Environmental Defense Fund. “As we reported earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saw an increase in young children’s blood lead levels most in need of protection of the RRP rule in 2015 to 2016, the most recent data publicly available. The administration appears to be ignoring this disturbing trend, and this report should serve as a wake-up call.”

The report focused on the management failures to fulfill its RRP compliance and enforcement commitments the agency made for 2016-2017 in its National Program Management Guidances. These documents are important tools to prioritize resources and measure progress. 

The Inspector General also highlighted the current administration’s failure to even mention lead as a priority in the 2018-2019 Guidances. And while the 2020-2021 Guidances state that reducing lead exposure is a “high priority,” the documents give little substance or measures of progress. 

“If the Trump Administration truly wants to prioritize reducing lead exposure – as it has repeatedly touted – then making meaningful improvements to ensure compliance with this critical rule should be a priority. Without changing course, the progress we’ve made on reducing lead exposure will falter – and children will pay the price,” said Neltner.

For additional information see EDF resources below:

• Latest available national data shows increase in blood lead levels for at least 2 million kids (4/15/19)
• Trump Administration’s lead action plan is a missed opportunity to protect kids from lead (12/20/18)

(Denver, CO – September 6, 2019) EDF experts joined concerned Coloradans at an EPA hearing today to call for stronger protections against dangerous ground-level ozone pollution, also known as smog.

EPA is proposing to reclassify the Denver metro area as a “serious” non-attainment area under the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards – an action required under the Clean Air Act to ensure the health of Coloradans is protected from smog.

“As a Colorado native who grew up in Fort Collins, and as an asthma sufferer, this serious designation is a welcome step to help restore healthy air quality in Colorado,” said EDF attorney Jessica Christy in her testimony. “I recall days when Denver’s notorious brown cloud would drift towards Fort Collins. As a child, I didn’t understand why, but those days were filled with trouble breathing, dry coughs, and exhaustion. Now I know that the brown cloud was, in part, ground-level ozone pollution, also known as smog, a harmful pollutant.”

Smog exacerbates lung conditions like asthma and is linked to a wide-array of serious heart and lung diseases. It’s particularly harmful for children, seniors, people with lung impairments like asthma, and anyone active outdoors. Climate change also worsens ground-level ozone pollution – one of the many ways it puts the health and safety of Coloradans at risk.

Colorado has made important strides in improving its overall air quality over the past decades, but smog remains a serious threat to Coloradans’ health and quality of life. EPA has previously reclassified the Denver Metro/North Front Range area as a “Moderate” nonattainment area under the 2008 national ozone standard. The agency is now proposing to again determine that the area did not meet 2008 standard, and should be reclassified as a “Serious” nonattainment area.

Once EPA finalizes the proposed changes to the Denver area’s nonattainment status, the state of Colorado will then work to develop a plan to improve air quality and reduce smog. The Denver area would have a deadline of July 20, 2021 to meet the 2008 ozone standard.

“Major sources of industrial pollution, including emissions from oil and gas development, energy generation, and transportation, are contributing to this problem,” said Christy. “EPA’s proposed reclassification is an important step in helping to support Colorado’s efforts to ensure these and other pollution sources are taking steps to reduce pollution and restore healthy air.”

Those same pollution sources are also major contributors to climate change. For example, the oil and gas industry is a major source of volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and methane – a climate accelerant. It is crucial that state policymakers adopt comprehensive solutions to address both smog and the climate pollution that makes smog worse.

You can read Christy’s full testimony here.

EDF’s state campaigns manager Matthew Garrington also testified at today’s hearing. You can read his testimony here.

(Washington, D.C. – September 6, 2019) EDF will join a broad coalition of allies at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit this morning to challenge the Trump administration’s unlawful actions underpinning its proposed rollback of America’s Clean Car Standards.

EDF outside counsel Sean Donahue will present arguments to the court that the Revised Final Determination that prompted EPA’s proposed rollback is based on egregious violations of EPA’s own rules and bedrock legal principles. Donahue will argue on behalf of EDF and a coalition of health, environmental and consumer groups.

“After a rigorous four-year review process that included scores of peer reviewed studies and expert analyses, EPA formally reaffirmed that the Clean Car Standards are working well, that clean car technology is advancing rapidly and that automakers have multiple means of meeting these standards at lower costs than was anticipated,” said Donahue. “The Trump administration tried to wipe away the agency’s own formal and technical work without anything remotely like lawful process or a defensible rationale. We are asking the court to set aside this effort to erase EPA’s own carefully developed, rigorous technical findings.”

The Clean Car Standards are one of our nation’s biggest environmental success stories. They reduce climate pollution, spur fuel efficiency gains, and save families money at the gas pump.

In April 2018, then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a Revised Final Determination withdrawing the agency’s prior finding that the standards are feasible and cost effective, and declared that the standards should be rolled back — a decision that committed the agency to weakening these protections. Pruitt’s determination was based almost entirely on auto industry statements, without any independent analysis. It directly quotes the auto industry 14 times and cites them 63 times – while ignoring EPA’s own analyses clearly demonstrating that the Clean Car Standards are working as intended and at lower-than-expected cost. Pruitt’s Revised Final Determination also never once mentions the words “health,” “air pollution,” or “climate.”

EDF – along with the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Public Citizen, Inc., Sierra Club, and Union for Concerned Scientists – is asking the D.C. Circuit to review and set aside that Revised Final Determination. A coalition of 18 states and an industry coalition including major power companies and two auto manufacturers are also challenging the Revised Final Determination.

The Trump administration formally proposed to roll back the Clean Car Standards in August 2018, in spite of massive opposition and the pending litigation. The administration’s own analysis estimates that the rollback will cost 60,000 jobs (see Table VII-5 at pg. 43,265), and independent analysis by Blue Green Alliance concluded that job losses would be even higher. An updated analysis by M.J. Bradley & Associates shows that American families would spend an average of $200 more each year on gas if the administration rolls back the Clean Car Standards – and could spend as much as $500 more each year if gas prices rise. 17 automakers and a bipartisan coalition of 24 governors have called on the administration to withdraw this destructive proposal.

Sean Donahue will be available to talk to the media after oral argument tomorrow. Please contact EDF to reach him.

You can read more about the Clean Car Standards, including all legal briefs, on EDF’s website.