Complete list of press releases

(Washington, D.C. – June 25, 2019) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today formally proposed a rule to create a loophole for toxic pollution – almost a year and a half after it began implementing the legal interpretation in the rule and in spite of a pending court challenge.

“This loophole puts Americans in danger from unacceptably high levels of toxic and cancer-causing pollutants such as benzene,” said EDF Lead Attorney Tomás Carbonell. “EPA started implementing this unlawful rule almost eighteen months ago without any pretense of following legally required procedures – and the very belated release of a formal proposal today does not alter the procedural shortcuts EPA took to create it, or the underlying dangers it poses to our families and communities. We will continue to vigorously oppose this harmful rollback of protections from toxic air pollution.”

EPA’s loophole applies to “maximum achievable control technology,” or 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 or cancer-causing pollutants.

Until January 2018, those “major source” facilities had to comply with the MACT standards for as long as they operated. Then, former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt created a loophole – in a four-page memo issued, contrary to law, without notice or public comment and without considering the damage to Americans’ health and the environment. The loophole allows facilities to opt out of the MACT standards if their pollution levels drop below major source thresholds.

Under the loophole, many large industrial facilities across the country would be eligible to operate with weaker, or no, air pollution controls. An EDF report found at least 18 major facilities in the Houston area alone that are potentially eligible to use the loophole.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and a coalition of environmental, environmental justice, and public health organizations filed a lawsuit to close the loophole for toxic air pollution. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard oral argument in the case in April.

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA must formally propose a rule, accept and consider public comment on it, and then finalize it. EPA announced today that it will accept public comment for 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register – but it is still enforcing the loophole now, before the comment period even begins.

(Washington, D.C.) The passage of today’s Interior-Environment Appropriation bill, Minibus #2 (H.R. 3055), will provide the EPA with much needed resources to protect our climate, public health, and future. It calls for a funding increase of over 8 percent to EPA. The bill also strongly demonstrates bipartisan opposition to Trump Administration attacks on our climate, clean air, and environment.

“The House appropriations bill advanced today demonstrates growing bipartisan support for addressing climate change and building a safer and healthier future,” said Elizabeth Gore, Senior Vice President for Political Affairs.

Along with Moms Clean Air Force, EDF led a community effort to advance an amendment offered by pediatrician Congresswoman Kim Schrier to protect the EPA Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) which garnered the support of 22 House Republicans. Already implemented by the power sector, MATS prevents up to 11,000 fatalities and 130,000 asthma attacks each year by protecting children and communities from exposure to mercury, lead, arsenic and other air toxics emitted from power plants.

The House also soundly defeated amendments that would have prohibited funds for essential public health programs including the EPA’s Methane Rule, Clean Power Plan, Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), its Endangerment Finding, and any research relying on the Social Cost of Carbon.

(BEIJING – June 21, 2019) As part of China’s 7^th annual National Low-carbon Day this week, Tsinghua University and Environmental Defense Fund announced a new climate partnership to exchange technical and policy information that can build China’s capacity to reduce emissions of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas that drives 25 percent of today’s global warming. The cooperation comes amidst growing concerns over the climate importance of methane by world-renowned scientists, even as China races to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and conventional air pollutants across its growing economy.

“China is recognizing the extreme importance and enormous opportunity of addressing fossil fuel methane emissions,” said Jianyu Zhang, Vice President and Chief Representative of EDF in China. “Reducing methane emissions across China’s energy sector can speed the country’s shift toward a lower-carbon green energy future by 2030 – a critical goal for China to achieve in order to improve local air quality and contribute to climate safety.”

The new collaborative, designed to support China’s policy-making and implementation efforts to curb methane emissions, provides a much needed venue among Chinese and international communities for exchanges and capacity building on sound methane accounting methodologies, advanced mitigation technologies, and best regulatory practices. Tsinghua University will host regular seminars, with support from EDF, to share the best practices being deployed by countries and companies around the world to drive reductions in methane emissions.

China is one of the world’s largest methane emitters, with almost 50 percent of China’s methane emissions stemming from energy activity (oil, gas and coal). Practical and effective emission reduction opportunities exist, such as sealing valves along gas pipelines, properly closing hatch doors on gas storage tanks or improving recovery and use of coal-mine methane. There is significant opportunity for China to reduce fossil fuel methane emissions and accelerate overall greenhouse gas reductions, with increased field study to pinpoint emissions from key sources.

An extensive body of scientific literature, coordinated by EDF and comprised of over 35 peer-reviewed studies, has shown that methane emissions associated with oil and gas activity are higher than government inventories estimate. Unaccounted methane emissions are typically associated with unpredictable sources, but preventive measures and frequent inspections can significantly mitigate these leaks, even as new scientific methods – including satellites that will measure methane from space – enhance our understanding of the global methane picture.

According to the International Energy Agency, the global oil and gas industry can reduce methane emissions by 75 percent using current technologies – with up to two thirds of these reductions at zero net cost. Application of digital technologies, a field in which China enjoys a global edge, could spur economic and environmental benefits through methane emissions reductions along the oil and gas supply chain. At the same time, satellite technologies like MethaneSAT – a mission being developed by EDF and due to be launched in 2021 – could offer an additional tool for China to identify, measure and verify fossil fuel methane emissions.

The Tsinghua-EDF partnership was announced in conjunction with the first event hosted by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on monitoring energy sector methane emissions – selected as one of four focus areas of the National Low-carbon Day. The event builds on earlier public statements made by Director General Li Gao, Department of Climate Change in October 2018 that China will take further steps to control non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions.

At the methane event, MEE Deputy Director General Jiang Zhaoli said in his opening remarks, “for next steps, the work will be focused on research of methane emissions reduction mechanisms and roadmap, establishing monitoring standards and methodologies, data collection, development of work plan and capacity building.”

“EDF looks forward to working with Tsinghua University in support of China’s increasing ambition in meeting its Paris commitment,” Jianyu Zhang, Chief Representative of EDF in China.

(SACRAMENTO – June 20, 2019) Members of the California State Assembly this week called on the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to endorse the proposed Tropical Forest Standard (TFS), which sets out stringent requirements for states and countries seeking to have their large-scale forest protection programs recognized in carbon markets such as California’s. In their letter to CARB, Assembly Members Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-San Bernardino) and Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) cited proposed changes to the Tropical Forest Standard to strengthen some provisions and respond to concerns raised by opponents during a November 2018 CARB board hearing, while expressing support for the Standard to be approved by the Board.

In the letter to CARB, the assembly members wrote: “After carefully listening to both sides, it is our conclusion that all stakeholders are strong supporters of strategies to protect forests around the world, and agree that California has a role in that work… We think ARB should endorse the TFS while committing to vigorous and proactive monitoring of any jurisdiction that decides to utilize it.”

Christina McCain, EDF’s Director for Latin America Climate, said:

“Encouraging ambitious climate programs in tropical forest regions will place California on the leading edge of the fight to address tropical deforestation and mitigate the climate catastrophe. We commend the assembly members, led by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, for thoughtfully studying this issue and taking this truly significant step forward.”

“The Standard will ensure forest carbon credits have high environmental integrity and robust social and environmental safeguards that are important for indigenous communities.

“Indigenous peoples are the best defense against tropical deforestation. This Standard supports their work, relies on their knowledge, and supports the establishment and protection of their rights, which is why it also is backed by key indigenous organizations that represent millions of indigenous people across the Americas.”

Background:

CARB has been studying forest carbon credits for over a decade and released the draft Tropical Forest Standard in September 2018. The Standard was addressed at the November 2018 board meeting, where CARB invited the legislature, led by CARB ex officio board member Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), to get further stakeholder and legislative input. CARB is expected to incorporate their recommendations into a revised proposal, and to discuss in a future board meeting.

The Tropical Forest Standard requires jurisdictions to have comprehensive programs to address and monitor deforestation, ensure transparency and rigorous enforcement of those programs, and demonstrate independent third-party verification. At the same time, jurisdictions must show how they are developing more sustainable economic activities and addressing the root causes of deforestation.

The Standard is supported by COICA (The Coordinator for Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin) and AMPB (Mesoamerican Alliance for Peoples and Forests), who represent millions of indigenous and other traditional forest communities people across the Amazon Basin, Central America, and Mexico, and nearly 120 scientists, including eight lead authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and eight members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Forest carbon credits that meet the rigorous requirements set out in the Standard could potentially be accepted in the state’s cap-and-trade program in the future after additional consideration and action by the Board.

Smarter Fishing Technology Gets Big Boost from New Government Rule

NMFS rule allows West Coast fishing boats to use camera systems to monitor fishing

(Portland, Oregon – June 20, 2019) The use of smarter monitoring systems that use cameras to track what fishermen are hauling onto their vessels just got a big boost thanks to a new National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) rule that allows for technology deployment on a significant portion of the Pacific groundfish fleet.

The new rule, which will take effect in 2021, will have a profound impact on the fleet by lowering costs for fishermen and improving the quality of monitoring, which will, in turn, improve conservation outcomes, said Shems Jud, West Coast Director, EDF Oceans program.

Regulations in the fishery currently require human monitors onboard vessels at all times, which can be costly, inefficient and challenging to obtain in some ports. A number of fishermen have been testing electronic monitoring under a pilot program for the past several years, including one EDF helped to support along with The Nature Conservancy and the California Groundfish Collective, but this regulation will allow the technology to scale beyond the current pilot participants.

“This is an important step towards creating “Smart Boats” that can deploy a variety of technology, including cameras, to bring down costs of monitoring, improve conservation and increase the accuracy of the data generated by fishermen,” Jud said.

Over the past several years, EDF alongside other partners, has worked to improve and expand smart technology systems for fishing vessels across the U.S. to deliver on the promise of what technology can bring. This includes using data in real time to create better conservation outcomes, while at the same time increasing prosperity for fishing communities. As part of that work, EDF recently launched its Smart Boat Initiative at the World Ocean Summit to catalyze action on how technology can be deployed in the service of sustainable fishing.

“This is a major milestone and we congratulate the National Marine Fisheries Service on their forward-looking approach using technology to help solve real-world challenges,” said Melissa Mahoney, Manager Pacific Fisheries Policy, EDF Oceans program. “But the job is far from done. We have amazing opportunities to harness technology in new ways, including through the use of real-time wireless data transmission, artificial intelligence that can detect when fishing is occurring and the use of sensors to tell us more about what’s happening in the ocean. This is an exciting time, and we’re proud to have contributed to the dialogue that led to this much-needed change.”

An article published this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology demonstrates how stationary sensor networks can reveal complex changes in air pollution within urban neighborhoods. Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the University of California, Berkeley, used a web of 100 black carbon monitors to show how pollution from traffic and industrial activity builds in West Oakland, CA. In analyzing data from the sensor network for 100 days, the team showed how traffic stops, industrial activity or even the shift times of truck drivers can impact air pollution.

 “We’re now able to see both where and when pollution is at its worst—right down to the neighborhood block,” said Millie Chu Baird, Associate Vice President in EDF’s Office of the Chief Scientist. “This new study builds on our growing body of research into hyper-local pollution patterns, which is helping us identify potential sources and ultimately solutions.”

This study, which relied on the largest and densest ever network of inter-connected black carbon sensors found that pollution varied sharply over short timespans and distances of 100 meters or less and was strongly influenced by nearby land use, traffic patterns and pollution sources. Animations of several of the sensor readings can be viewed online. The team also built a tool, which allows users to select location, date and time, so they can watch as black carbon concentrations increase and decrease over time.  

EDF convened the group of researchers and local advocates from the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP), who recruited local residents and businesses to host 100 custom-built black carbon sensors at distinct locations across the 15 kilometer² neighborhood for 100 days. The sensors, some of which were co-located with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s regulatory-grade monitors, sent hourly readings back to an online database built for the study. The final dataset includes up to nearly a quarter million hourly black carbon measurements.  

Among the findings:

· Pollution patterns reflect daily commercial activity. Measurements from sensors on truck routes near the Port of Oakland averaged 200 percent higher than those on sensors placed upwind, with concentrations typically peaking as Port terminal gates opened around 8:00 a.m. Traffic patterns can cause spikes in black carbon – a sensor at a busy 4-way stop near a major Port entrance measured concentrations that averaged 60 percent higher than a sensor located less than 500 meters away on the same designated truck route

· It is possible to see the impact of night-time industrial activity on air pollution in neighborhoods, for example, at a park near a trucking facility that relied on auxiliary diesel engines to power refrigeration units at night, a sensor measured overnight black carbon concentrations more than twice the neighborhood average.

“We generated a technology that didn’t exist to make this invisible problem visible,” said Thomas Kirchstetter, Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the Director of the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, an author of the study. “We had to create a sensor that was as accurate as high-grade expensive instrumentation, but low enough in cost that we could distribute 100 of them throughout the community.”

For community groups, having this level of detail can aid in developing targeted strategies for cleaner air. For example, WOEIP is using this and data from earlier studies from EDF and partners to inform their advocacy under California’s Community Air Protection Program. “We’ve been waiting more than 20 years for this type of refined information,” Ms. Margaret Gordon, the organization’s Co-Director, said. This new study builds on EDF’s growing body of peer-reviewed research into air pollution’s patterns and impacts.

EDF has been studying air quality in Oakland, CA since 2015, when it partnered with Google to use Street View Cars to map air pollution. Since its initial 2017 study, EDF has also partnered with Kaiser Permanente to examine health impacts of local air pollution, which showed that elderly residents living in the most polluted areas of West Oakland would have more than a 40 percent greater risk of heart attack, surgery or death due to heart disease  than elderly people living in less polluted areas of the neighborhood, similar to the elevation in risk related to a history of smoking. EDF plans to release similar mobile and stationary air pollution studies in Houston and London in the coming months. It has also begun measuring air quality with Google and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. 

“EDF is pioneering a new kind of policy-focused scientific research. Our hope is that this kind of peer-reviewed, actionable science will provide new opportunities for residents, activists and governments to approach pernicious problems like air pollution.” Baird said. “By providing a clearer, more detailed picture of the severity of pollution and its impacts, we can work together to develop solutions that have a profound impact on human health.”

(Hyde Park, New York – June 20, 2019) The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health began their 7^th annual Menus of Change Report and Leadership Summit this week which includes the publication of a detailed report on various issues in the food industry, including a section on “Fish, Seafood and Oceans,” which was written by EDF’s Chief Ocean Scientist, Doug Rader, Ph.D.

The ocean-focused section of the report concludes that while the U.S. has made significant progress on the sustainability of the seafood caught off its shores, Americans aren’t eating enough local seafood, or seafood generally.

“Sustainable seafood is local, available and delicious – but Americans aren’t eating enough of it,” said Rader. “That’s why I’m delighted to contribute to the Menus of Change report. The more we educate chefs, the restaurant industry and consumers about the bounty of sustainable American seafood, the faster we’ll move toward a truly thriving ocean.”

Our wild fisheries are some of the best managed anywhere. Today 45 once-overfished stocks, have been rebuilt to healthy levels, and more are being added to the list each year. However, oftentimes the fish stocks that are the most sustainable are little known to consumers, encouraging unsustainable sourcing of more popular fish.

One great example of this comeback and remaining challenge comes from the West Coast. In 2000, the U.S. Pacific groundfish fishery was on the verge of collapse, and the federal government declared it a disaster. Fishermen, regulators and conservationists, including Environmental Defense Fund, worked to develop new sustainability incentives which took effect in 2011.

Now, less than seven years after those changes started, the fishery has rebounded spectacularly, with several overfished stocks completely rebuilt, many ahead of schedule.  The fishery is now yielding 17 million newly sustainable seafood meals each year. EDF has begun working with industry leaders on a marketing campaign called Rock + Sole to educate more people about the abundant resource right off our coast.

In fact, one of the remaining problems is finding markets for this abundant and sustainable seafood. The Menus of Change Report highlights the role chefs and the restaurant industry can play in overcoming challenges like these. Toward that end, EDF’s Seafood Director, Tim Fitzgerald, is leading a panel of experts to educate food service industry leaders gathered this week at the summit on what they can do to help.

“Chefs and restaurants nationwide have embraced sustainable seafood, but there is more work to be done to support well-managed fisheries and promote responsible aquaculture,” said Fitzgerald. “We can expand our palates while putting more seafood on our plates, and we’re delighted to work with the Culinary Institute of America and the T.H. Chan School to make this opportunity a reality.”

(COLUMBUS, OH) The Ohio Supreme Court today rejected FirstEnergy’s “credit support” charges approved by state regulators in 2016. Although billed as funds that could be used to modernize the utility’s grid, the regulatory order gave the utility a blank check of approximately $200 million annually for three years. The Supreme Court ordered the charge be removed, saying state regulators had failed to place the necessary conditions on how FirstEnergy spent the subsidies. 

“State regulators cannot write blank checks to the utilities they are supposed to regulate,” said Environmental Defense Fund senior attorney John Finnigan. “We immediately saw the $600 million subsidy for it what it was – an illegal bailout of FirstEnergy’s uneconomic coal and nuclear plants. Today the Ohio Supreme Court’s order voids this illegal bailout.”

The appeal process has taken three years and in this time, First Energy has collected nearly the full $600 million under the illegal order. Current law states that FirstEnergy gets to keep the $600 million rather than refund it to customers. EDF has been working hard to change the refund law and today’s ruling should give added impetus to this effort. 

The ruling also sets a precedent that will block state regulators from approving such orders in the future, which is important because FirstEnergy has a pending application to extend the bailout for another two years at a total cost of $400 million. Today’s Supreme Court ruling should also give pause to Ohio lawmakers who are hearing testimony on HB 6, which would create a new bailout program for FirstEnergy’s old coal and nuclear plants.

(NEW YORK, June 19, 2019) “The Trump administration’s final version of its rollback of the Clean Power Plan is every bit as awful for Americans’ health and safety as we feared it would be. This so-called Affordable Clean Energy rule fails to protect Americans from the increasing cost of climate change and does nothing to support clean energy. It is a disgrace.

“Americans are reeling from catastrophic floods, heat waves, and other extreme weather fueled by climate change, and our country desperately needs leadership to address the crisis. Instead, the Trump administration has decided to scrap the Clean Power Plan in favor of a do-nothing replacement that includes no real limits on climate pollution, and could actually lead to increased health-harming pollution in many parts of the country.”

“States and power companies across the country are already reducing climate pollution, in some cases by much more than the Clean Power Plan called for. We should seize on and build from this clean energy momentum – but instead the Trump administration’s rollback will pull us down a failed and dangerous path. EDF will do everything in our power to fight it.”

• Fred Krupp, President, EDF

(WASHINGTON, DC) The Monarch Effect, an interactive, virtual reality experience, will debut today during National Pollinator Week in Washington, DC. Created by Environmental Defense Fund and the National Corn Growers Association, The Monarch Effect immerses viewers in monarch butterflies’ incredible 3,000-mile migration through North America.

The journey begins in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico, where tens of millions of monarchs spend the winter. Viewers then join consecutive generations of monarchs as they fly north into the American heartland looking for the milkweed and wildflower habitat they need to survive.

“Being surrounded by millions of monarchs during our shoot in Mexico was one of the most surreal and magical moments of my life,” said Eric Holst, associate vice president for working lands at EDF. “This technology transports people there, letting them feel that same sense of awe.”

Monarch populations have plummeted 90% over the past two decades due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and extreme and variable weather. The species is a bellwether for the overall health of ecosystems and working lands.

Now, farmers, ranchers and entire communities are stepping up to ensure this beloved butterfly recovers and thrives for generations to come.

“What is good for monarchs is also good for farmers. By adding pollinator habitat to existing conservation practices, producers can simultaneously increase biodiversity, soil health, water quality — and ultimately, overall operational resilience,” Holst said.

“Monarch butterflies migrate right through the Corn Belt. Farmers along that migration path, including those featured in The Monarch Effect, prove that pollinator habitat can be integrated into productive operations,” said Nathan Fields, vice president of production and sustainability at NCGA.

Meet the farmers and ranchers behind The Monarch Effect

Monarchs, and the viewers accompanying them, make two pit stops on the migration north. Amy and George Greer, sixth-generation cattle ranchers, greet them at Winters-Wall Ranch in Brady, Texas. Kevin and Sara Ross and their kids, sixth- and seventh-generation grain and cattle farmers, greet them at Ross Land and Cattle in Minden, Iowa.

“While we say that this is our ranch, it’s not really ours. It’s really habitat for all the other critters that live here, use it and move through, like the monarchs,” said Amy Greer.

“For us it’s about biodiversity. We need different grasses and feedstocks for our operation,” said Kevin Ross, first vice president of the NCGA Corn Board. “When you’re walking along these rural roads seeing milkweed and the monarch life cycle in action, watching that process, it’s a neat deal.”

Learn how farmers and ranchers like the Rosses and Greers are setting The Monarch Effect in motion at edf.org/TheMonarchEffect.

How to experience The Monarch Effect

Experience the full monarch journey at edf.org/Monarch180. The Monarch Effect will soon be available on the Oculus Go as well.

We also invite you to experience The Monarch Effect during the following National Pollinator Week events:

• Briefing on monarchs and voluntary conservation hosted by the Congressional Pollinator Protection Caucus: Wednesday, June 19, 2-3:30 p.m., 1300 Longworth House Office Building, 9 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20515
• Reception hosted by the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Pollinator Partnership: Thursday, June 20, 6-8 p.m., 636 I St. NW, Washington, DC  20001
• 10th Annual Pollinator Festival hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Friday, June 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Independence Ave. and 12th St. SW, Washington, DC 20560

(DENVER, Colo.) The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) today released the findings of a review of its policies on well integrity and safety. Former Gov. John Hickenlooper asked the non-partisan State Oil and Gas Regulatory Exchange (SOGRE) to review the state’s safety standards after the 2017 Firestone home explosion caused by a flowline failure killed two people and sent two others to the hospital. That same year, a major well integrity failure in Hudson created safety concerns and spilled thousands of gallons of oil and produced water.

The SOGRE report made 45 recommendations for improving well integrity at Colorado’s 60,000+ oil and gas wells, and the COGCC found merit in 40 of the 45 suggested improvements. The common-sense reforms include improved cementing practices and quality standards, and regular statewide monitoring of well pressures.  

“Too many of Colorado’s oil and gas wells are an accident waiting to happen, and the COGCC deserves credit for taking a comprehensive look at well safety.

“This report is a clear blueprint for state action to protect the safety of those working in the energy industry and Colorado families as well as Colorado’s air and water quality. With these solutions in hand, the COGCC should launch a well integrity rulemaking as soon as possible this year to ensure the state remains a leader in responsible energy production.”

• Adam Peltz, Senior Attorney, Energy

BACKGROUND

Well integrity refers to the prevention of leaks or explosions at oil and gas wells. Lack of action on the issue prompted public outcry under previous administrations, but in addition to being a focus of Gov. Hickenlooper’s response to the 2017 Firestone explosion, the legislature made well integrity a key priority with the passage of SB 181. The bill requires COGCC to update well integrity safety rules, which are over a decade old and currently lag behind those in other states.

Well integrity is a serious issue in Colorado, where a larger share of wells than the national average have been found to have pressure problems, which is the precursor to leaks. Nationally, lapses in well integrity have causes disasters like the 2015 Aliso Canyon leak, a 2018 Ohio blowout that lasted three months and a 2018 Oklahoma failure that killed five workers, including one Coloradoan.

(Washington, D.C. – June 17, 2019) Today, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) released a report detailing the major threats to public health and future generations from the Trump Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) attacks on the 2016 chemical safety law. Just three years after Congress passed bipartisan legislation, the Lautenberg Act, to overhaul the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), implementation of the law has gone dangerously off the rails – putting public health at risk.  

“At almost every turn, the Trump administration has failed to live up to the letter and spirit of the historic bipartisan reform of TSCA that Congress passed in 2016. Toxic chemicals can cause cancers and other life-threatening illness. The American people expect the Environmental Protection Agency to live up to its mission and to protect them from these threats.  At the three-year anniversary of our overwhelmingly bipartisan reform of TSCA, EPA continues to ignore expert scientific staff and walk back protections for workers and consumers. ” said Senator Tom Udall.  “EPA leaders – starting with Andrew Wheeler – must change course, commit themselves to protecting the public, and carry out the Lautenberg Act as Congress wrote it.” 

The report notes that recent history holds countless stark examples of what can happen when chemical risks are not adequately addressed. We risk making similar mistakes unless the current EPA fundamentally changes course in its implementation of the law. The Trump Administration is allowing new chemicals onto the market with little or no health information and only cursory safety reviews; ignoring real-world exposures when evaluating chemicals already in use today; blocking needed restrictions on dangerous uses of toxic chemicals; and denying the public access to health information on chemicals. These are not merely process problems: the consequences of the Trump EPA’s actions will be felt by our children and subsequent generations.

“The chemical industry is practically running the agency that regulates it. Political appointees at EPA have taken every opportunity to undermine the 2016 reforms to TSCA and elevate the industry’s interests over public health,” said Dr. Richard Denison, EDF Lead Senior Scientist. “The reformed law took a very big step towards a less toxic world for our kids, but the Trump EPA is taking many giant steps backwards – and the consequences of these mistakes will be felt by generations to come.”  The report highlights three of the Trump EPA’s main attacks on chemical safety and the consequences for public health: 

1. Approving new chemicals without regard for the law or public health. EPA has greenlighted over 80% of the chemicals it has reviewed over the past year—clearing them for unrestricted use in everything from air fresheners and carpets to motor oil and paint—defying the law’s requirement that EPA regulate the risks it identified for some of these chemicals and require testing for others that lack enough information to determine the risks.
2. Ignoring real-world exposures when evaluating risks of existing chemicals. Using data available on seven of the first ten chemicals being evaluated under TSCA, EDF has calculated that EPA’s approach fails to account for over 66 million pounds of toxic emissions released to the air, water, and soil every year and releases from over 600 Superfund sites. 
3. Blocking or weakening bans of toxic chemicals. The Trump EPA has abandoned or scaled back bans on dangerous uses of three chemicals EPA proposed under the Obama Administration, leaving at least one million people across the country directly exposed. 

“The success of TSCA reform was born out of a collective acknowledgment that our chemical safety system was failing to ensure the safety of chemicals found in everything from clothing to couches to cleaners,” said Joanna Slaney, EDF Health’s Legislative Director. “But the current administration’s actions are breaking the promise of the strengthened law – protecting industry interests rather than protecting the public and vulnerable populations like pregnant women and children from harmful chemical exposures – as the reformed law mandates.”
 
See the full report – Toxic Consequences: Trump’s Attacks on Chemical Safety Put Our Health at Risk

(WASHINGTON – June 17, 2019) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced today that Eric Schwaab, a recognized expert in ocean conservation, is the new leader and Senior Vice President of the Oceans program.

“Eric’s passion for the oceans, his deep technical and management expertise on fisheries issues and his experience as a leader makes him a perfect fit,” said Amanda Leland, Executive Vice President, EDF. “Over more than two decades, he has worked in nearly all aspects of conservation and he understands what is required to drive impact at scale.”

Schwaab has led government agencies at the state and federal levels in the United States, rising through the ranks at Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources to become Deputy Secretary, and then being appointed head of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Outside of government, Schwaab has previously run conservation grants programs at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and was chief of conservation programs at the National Aquarium and the National Park Foundation.

“Eric was critical to the success we achieved during my time as NOAA Administrator,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, University Distinguished Professor, Oregon State University and former EDF Board Trustee. “His unflappable get-it-done approach makes him notably effective working with a range of stakeholders from fishermen to global leaders.”

As head of NMFS, Schwaab led the transformation of U.S. fisheries management including widespread adoption of science-based catch limits and catch shares. EDF was a leading advocate for these reforms, which have driven a dramatic recovery of fish populations and increased catch and profits for fishermen. As the new Senior Vice President for Oceans, he leads a team of scientists, economists and advocates around the world who are partnering with fishing communities, academics and government leaders to achieve EDF’s vision of creating thriving, resilient oceans in our lifetimes.  

“I’m excited about the opportunity for what we can achieve at EDF,” said Schwaab. “This team and the global network it is building have the tools and passion to reverse overfishing and make our oceans – and all those who depend on them – more resilient, even in the face of climate change.”

Internationally, Schwaab has represented the U.S. in global fishing treaties like the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), as well as in important bilateral negotiations with other countries such as Mexico and on U.S. fishing operations on the high seas. A hallmark of his career has been a drive for win-win solutions to environmental problems.

“I joined EDF because its mission is focused on people and nature,” said Schwaab. “I have always believed in the power of ideas that benefit both. What EDF does so well is to put those powerful ideas into action in a way that creates a brighter future for all.”

 (TRENTON, NJ) The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities today approved a settlement agreement authorizing Elizabethtown Gas Company to use cutting-edge leak detection and quantification technologies to maximize environmental and ratepayer benefits of its five-year infrastructure investment program. Environmental Defense Fund intervened in the case, demonstrating the benefits these technologies can provide. Reducing methane leaks from gas distribution systems is critical to meeting New Jersey’s goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. 

“The Board’s decision marks another important step in accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge leak detection methods and represents a triple win for the environment, system safety and New Jersey customers.”

• Mary Barber, Director, Regulatory and Legislative Affairs

(SALEM, OR – Jun. 12, 2019) Today the Oregon legislature took a major step toward reducing harmful air pollution by passing House Bill 2020 out of the Ways and Means Committee by a vote of 13-8. House Bill 2020 will create a cap-and-invest program that – though a binding limit across nearly all major sectors of the economy – will aggressively slash carbon emissions by 2050. The landmark bill will next be considered by the full House. 
 
“Oregon’s elected leaders are setting the model for the rest of the country to follow.  By tackling emissions from nearly all sectors of the economy and requiring near-term reductions that are consistent with science, this is a real solution that matches the ambition needed from states on climate. We are excited to see it considered by the full legislature and move quickly to Governor Brown’s desk.”

 

• Pam Kiely, Senior Director for Regulatory Strategy