December 19, 2011 Good News with the Bad The good new is that House and Senate finally passed the more than $1 trillion dollar omnibus spending bill Thursday night and most of the egregious attacks on public health and the environment were left out. However, there were some notable dirty riders such as a step backward by repealing energy efficiency standards for light bulbs. Unfortunately, this bill also included provisions for exempting Arctic drilling from critical Clean Air Act standards which is not only bad for the environment but also the wrong way to legislate decisions like those. The bill also contained provisions from previous years that block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from requiring permits for greenhouse gas emissions from production of livestock and from requiring greenhouse gas reporting on manure management systems. To read more click here (Politico Pro). Saturday, the Senate voted to force President Obama to make a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline within 60 days or less. This dirty rider came as a provision in the vote for a two-month payroll tax-cut extension. In response, Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club wrote in a statement “Using the payroll tax cut package to advance Big Oil’s profits was an insult to America’s working families. But the real insult to this injury is the poisoned water and air, the destroyed livelihoods for farmers and ranchers that this dirty Keystone XL pipeline brings to the nation’s heartland.” This statement and many others were that of disappointment with our leaders but also called on President Obama to protect the American people and to reject the Keystone XL pipeline “once and for all.” Others concluded that this development surely means the pipeline will not be approved and that this tactic will backfire on proponents of the pipeline. For more information check out the action alert below. On a more positive note, the same Senate version takes out language that blocks new EPA air quality standards for industrial boilers that was included in the House bill. Stay tuned though, as the fate of the deal to extend the payroll tax cut for two months is uncertain. House Republicans said Sunday they oppose the bill because of its short time frame among other things. Looking forward to this week, we still expect the Obama Administration to announce final life-saving standards that will curb mercury and other toxic air pollution from power plants. These new measures could save up to 17,000 lives every year and will prevent 11,000 heart attacks. When these rules were first proposed in draft form, March 16 of this year, an overwhelming show of support of more than 800,000 concerned citizens calling for strong mercury safeguards were sent into the Environmental Protection Agency during the comment period. On Friday, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse led 15 of his colleagues on a letter urging President Obama to move forward on implementing this new clean air rule. “Given that so many utilities are well-positioned to comply with the Utility Air Toxics Rule, and the flexibility afforded particular units, there is no reason for an across-the-board delay of this important public health measure,” the Senators wrote. The press release and letter can be found here. Marie Risalvato, Communications Coordinator Urgent: Tell Congress Keep Anti-environment Attacks Out of Year-end Bills. All in all the year-end spending bill only included a few dirty riders but in the rush to finish tax bill by the end of the year, Congress is continuing to consider adding provisions that have no effect on spending or taxes but would have a major impact on our health and environment. Urge your Senators and Representative to finish their work for the year without undermining public health and the environment. Ask them to oppose adding legislation to roll back EPA’s boiler regulations or expedite the Keystone XL pipeline. See a sample action alert from the Natural Resources Defense Council opposing anti-environmental provisions in the final bills of the year. For more information and/or for full action alert template please email Lara Levison, llevison@climatenetwork.org. Carol Werner, Executive Director December 19, 2011 News United Nations Climate Talks Conclude in Durban Canada Withdraws from Kyoto Protocol South Sudan Speaks to United Nations about Effects of Climate Change Carbon Emissions Increase by Half Since 1990 China to Develop National Greenhouse Gas Inventory California Approves Cap and Trade, Creates World’s Second Largest Carbon Market Carbon Emissions Will Peak in 2030: ExxonMobil Climate Change May Be Altering National Parks’ Attendance New Methane Plumes Rising from Arctic Ocean Discovered Study Shows that Methane Gas from ‘Fracking’ Damages the Climate Other Headlines United Nations Climate Talks Conclude in Durban     On December 11, the 194 countries comprising the United Nations Conference of Parties agreed on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action. The Durban Platform calls for a “protocol, or a legal instrument, or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention and applicable to all parties” by 2020, and will hold all major emitters, including the United States, China and India, to the same obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as other industrialized nations. The action plan calls for “an agreed outcome with legal force” involving all countries by 2015, and for the ratification and implementation of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action by 2020. The COP17 meeting also concluded with the extension of the Kyoto Protocol until 2017. The 194 countries also agreed on the Green Climate Fund, a global account comprised of public and private funding that would raise $100 billion a year for aid to go to developing countries to use for climate change adaptation and conversion to clean energy technologies. Throughout the climate talks, delegates from developing nations and small island states sought a more stringent deal to hold the major emitter countries to tougher reductions. “I would have wanted to get more, but at least we have something to work with. All is not lost yet,” said Selwin Hart, chief negotiator on finance for the coalition of small states. The delegates, along with representatives from leading environmental groups that attended the climate talks, say that the Durban Platform is not enough on its own to slow global climate change. But, overall, the delegates were satisfied that they were able to come to an agreement, “We came here with plan A, and we have concluded this meeting with plan A to save one planet for the future of our children and our grandchildren to come,” said COP17 Chairman and South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane. For additional information see: Politico, New York Times: Article 1, and Article 2, Reuters, The Guardian         Canada Withdraws from Kyoto Protocol     On December 12, Canada’s Environment Minister, Peter Kent, announced that Canada will formally pull out of the Kyoto Protocol. The Canadian government cited the $13.6 billion in penalties it would face under terms of the Protocol if it did not cut emissions nation-wide to the required amount by 2012. “As we’ve said, Kyoto for Canada is in the past … We are invoking our legal right to formally withdraw from Kyoto,” said Kent. Many countries, including China, Japan and Mexico, call the decision regrettable, and asked Kent to reconsider the decision. “It is regrettable and flies in the face of the efforts of the international community for Canada to leave the Kyoto Protocol at a time when the Durban meeting, as everyone knows, made important progress by securing a second phase of commitment to the Protocol,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin. “We also hope that Canada will face up to its due responsibilities and duties, and continue abiding by its commitments, and take a positive, constructive attitude towards participating in international cooperation to respond to climate change.” Christiana Figueres, the United Nations Climate Chief stated that, “Whether or not Canada is a party to the Kyoto Protocol, it has a legal obligation under the (U.N. Framework on climate change) convention to reduce its emissions, and a moral obligation to itself and future generations to lead in the global effort.” Canada has agreed to support the Durban Platform agreement, and Kent said that the Platform represented “the way forward.” For additional information see: Reuters: Article 1, Article 2, and Article 3, Associated Press, Business Green         South Sudan Speaks to United Nations about Effects of Climate Change    Alfred Lado Gore, the Minister of Environment for South Sudan, requested assistance for South Sudan during his country’s first appearance at the UN climate meeting. “Climate change in Southern Sudan has very, very serious negative effects. In terms of agriculture, this is really catastrophic,” said Gore. South Sudan, the world’s newest country, is plagued by droughts and infrequent sudden heavy downpours. With thousands of refugees fleeing conflict with Sudan, South Sudan’s citizens are constantly searching for food and water. Gore continued, “People want to cultivate but no longer know when rains come. And when they come, sometimes they are even floods and they destroy the crops. . . .If the crops fail, people have no food. Food security now becomes a threat.” For additional information see: Associated French Press         Carbon Emissions Increase by Half Since 1990     Worldwide carbon emissions have risen by almost 50 percent over the last two decades, according to a study by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. This 50 percent increase amounts to an annual average growth of 3.1 percent, despite the Kyoto Protocol’s goal to reduce emissions to below 1990 levels. Scientists leading the study are concerned, given that the year 2020 is considered the necessary peak for carbon emissions in order to limit global average temperature to the 2 degree increase—the amount thought necessary to avoid catastrophic and irreversible climate change. However, with the new climate deal forged in Durban, no new emissions reduction treaty would take effect until 2020. “That would be too late, unless strong actions are taken in the ­meantime,” said Corinne Le Quéré, author of the paper. For additional information see: Mail and Guardian, The Guardian, Science Daily, Study Abstract         China to Develop National Greenhouse Gas Inventory     China has announced plans to create a national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory. The new system, to be implemented by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will monitor and report emissions from both natural and human sources, including energy production and land use change. The inventory will serve as China’s official GHG report, similar to the national inventories that developed countries submit each year as part of the Kyoto Protocol. Current estimates of China’s emissions are calculated outside the country using energy consumption reports and other data. China also announced plans to develop a national system to monitor atmospheric GHG concentrations. For additional information see: Beijing Review         California Approves Cap and Trade, Creates World’s Second Largest Carbon Market     A San Francisco judge has approved California’s cap-and-trade plans which will make it the largest carbon market in North America and the second largest in the world. The bill was passed in 2006 but has come under fire from opponents claiming that it will destroy jobs and harm the economy. However, in May the court approved the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) authority to implement the program. According to the judge’s ruling last week, the state has adequately studied alternatives to its climate goal and the program is now slated for implementation in 2013. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, the state has received more than $9 billion in venture capital for clean energy technology since the bill was passed. For additional information see: Forbes, San Francisco Gate, Bloomberg         Carbon Emissions Will Peak in 2030: ExxonMobil     ExxonMobil predicts carbon emissions will peak in 2030 according to their energy outlook that analyzes global energy trends from 2012 to 2040. The report also predicts that global energy demand will increase by 30 percent by 2040 and that 80 percent of this increase will be comprised of coal, oil and natural gas. Carbon emissions are already falling in North America and Europe, but developing countries like China will more than compensate with 90 percent of the increase in energy demand due to a heavy reliance on fossil fuels. “China’s emissions are expected to begin declining after about 2025, ending decades of very large increases associated with rapid economic development and industrial activity,” ExxonMobil said. For additional information see: Reuters, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, ExxonMobil Study         Climate Change May Be Altering National Parks’ Attendance    People are visiting climate change-affected national parks earlier in the year, according to a study by researchers at the University of North Carolina. For the nine national parks that have experienced significant increases in spring temperatures, peak visitation dates have shifted earlier for seven of the parks by an average of four days. For example, peak attendance at the Grand Canyon was June 24 in 2008 compared with July 4 in 1979. On the contrary, of the 18 parks without significant temperature changes, only three have exhibited shifts in peak attendance. “We can’t say for sure that global warming is causing this swing in visitation trends but this discovery does complement rapidly accumulating evidence showing how other organisms have had to alter their behavior in response to climate change,” said Lauren Buckley, Ph.D. “Visiting parks earlier may not be a big deal, but it may serve as a bellwether for more severe human adjustments required to cope with climate change.” For additional information see: Science Daily, New York Time, Omaha World-Herald, Study         New Methane Plumes Rising from Arctic Ocean Discovered     Warmer temperatures and decreased sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean are causing massive amounts of underwater methane to bubble to the surface, according to findings released at last week’s American Geophysical Union meeting. Methane is rising to the surface and into the atmosphere in large plumes or fountains, some as large as one kilometer in diameter. In a 10,000 square mile area off the northern coast of Siberia, Russian scientists discovered more than 100 methane plumes. The research team has been monitoring the region for nearly two decades and was shocked by the latest results. The destabilization of underwater methane is considered one of the most significant climate change tipping points that will accelerate the rate of warming, as methane is at least 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a one hundred year period. For additional information see: The Independent         Study Shows that Methane Gas from ‘Fracking’ Damages the Climate    A soon to be released study by Cornell University concludes that using hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from shale releases as much greenhouse gas emissions as coal. Professor Robert Howarth states, “The [greenhouse gas] footprint for shale gas is greater than that for conventional gas or oil when viewed on any time horizon, but particularly so over 20 years. Compared to coal, the footprint of shale gas is at least 20% greater and perhaps more than twice as great on the 20-year horizon and is comparable when compared over 100 years.” The study also states, “The large GHG footprint of shale gas undercuts the logic of its use as a bridging fuel over coming decades, if the goal is to reduce global warming.” For additional information see: The Hill, Report, Cornell University Press Release         Other Headlines Study Finds that Delay on Climate Change Policies Harm the Planet Climate Change Threatens French Truffle Supplies Increasing Acidification of Ocean Water Kills Young Fish Australian Scientists Claim Carbon Storage is Safe Study Finds that Regular Use of Bicycles Help Cut Carbon Emissions California Governor Pledges to Ready State for Impact of Climate Change   Writers: Alison Alford, John-Michael Cross, and Joey Gosselar Please distribute Climate Change News to your colleagues. Permission for reproduction of this newsletter is granted provided that the Environmental and Energy Study Institute is properly acknowledged as the source. Past issues are available here. Free email subscriptions are available here. We welcome your suggestions, comments, and questions.  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 by a bipartisan Congressional caucus dedicated to finding innovative environmental and energy solutions. EESI works to protect the climate and ensure a healthy, secure, and sustainable future for America through policymaker education, coalition building, and policy development in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, agriculture, forestry, transportation, buildings, and urban planning.   EESI’s work, including this free newsletter, is made possible by financial support from people like you. Please help us continue to make it available by making a secure, online donation today by clicking here or mailing a check to Environmental and Energy Study Institute; 1112 16th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. Please contact Susan Williams at (202) 662-1887  or see www.eesi.org/donateto find out more. Thank you for your support!      Climate Action Hotline is the new weekly update by the US Climate Action Network. Let us know what you think. Peter Bahouth, Executive Director What’s Next Now That the Durban Climate Negotiations Are Behind Us? Republican Leadership Holds Tax Relief for American Families Hostage to Keystone Pipeline Corn Ethanol Infrastructure: A bad Christmas Gift from Congress Todd Stern’s Not-So-Excellent Day in Durban Mercury Poisoning: A Parents’ Revolt EPA Finalizes Tough New Rules on Emissions by Power Plants White House Backs Senate Payroll Bill Over House Objections How Long Can Obama Delay Keystone XL Pipeline Call? California Approves Rules Restricting Use of High-Carbon Crude Cap and Trade Gives Massachusetts Economy Critical Boost, Defying Naysayers Up to 15 More People Found After Russian Oil Rig Sinks Oil From Spill Fouls Brazilian Beach Brazil’s Forest Policy Could Undermine its Climate Goals Long Road Ahead for Environmental Monitoring in the Oilsands “President Obama and Democratic congressional leaders deserve credit for protecting America’s health and environment by keeping the most extreme anti-environmental measures out of this deal. Proposals to advance the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and allow industrial facilities to spew toxic mercury into our air should not be advanced at all in Congress—much less as amendments to an unrelated must-pass spending bill.” – Nathan Willcox, Global Warming Program Director for Environment America.

Related posts:

1. Taking the Good with the Bad, 8.1.11
2. Climate Action Hotline, 3.21.11
3. Most Want More Not Less, Climate Action Hotline 2.14.11

Member Reports:

Water Works: Green for All, in partnership with the Economic Policy Institute, Pacific Institute and American Rivers, published a new report this month estimating the economic impact and job creating potential of major new investment in US water infrastructure. Water Works: Rebuilding Infrastructure, Creating Jobs, Greening the Environment found that “an investment of $188.4 billion spread equally over the next five years would generate $265.6 billion in economic activity and create close to 1.9 million jobs.” The report posits that investment in green infrastructure that mimics natural solutions, would result in substantial workforce opportunities and analyzes a representative set of occupations in water infrastructure-related industries. Green for All’s research found that annual “sewer overflows contaminate U.S. waters with 860 billion gallons of untreated sewage, an amount that could fill 1.3 million Olympic-size swimming pools or cover the entire state of Pennsylvania with one inch of sewage.”

Danger in the Air: Environment America released a report last month ranking the nation’s smoggiest metropolitan areas. Danger in the Air: Unhealthy Air Days in 2010 and 2011 found that “because the national health standard for smog pollution set in 2008 was set at a level that scientists agree is not protective of public health, people across the country have been exposed to days of poor air quality each summer without even knowing it.” Of large metropolitan areas, Riverside-San Bernardino, California endured the worst smog pollution in 2010, followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA; Baltimore, MD; Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, PA. The report makes several policy recommendations based on its findings, including that the EPA “set a National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ground-level ozone within the range of 60 to 70 parts per billion averaged over eight hours,” and that Congress eliminate subsidies that keep our nation dependent on fossil fuels.

Growing Meat Consumption: A Worldwatch Institute report, published in the nonprofit’s Vital Signs Online research service as part of its “Nourishing the Planet” project, found that global meat production “increased by 2.6 percent in 2010 to 290.6 million tons, an increase from the 0.8 percent growth rate of 2009.” The increases in global meat production and consumption found in the report are putting numerous strains on the climate since raising livestock accounts for about “23 percent of all global water use in agriculture” and livestock themselves account for roughly “18 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, producing 40 percent of the world’s methane and 65 percent of the world’s nitrous oxide.” A summary of the Worldwatch report can be found here. Subscription to Vital Signs Online is required to view the entire publication.

Department of Defense Clean Energy Investments: The Pew Project on National Security, Energy, and Climate released a report on the Department of Defense’s (DOD) work on clean-energy innovation. From Barracks to the Battlefield: Clean Energy Innovation and America’s Armed Forces finds that the DoD’s clean energy investments increased 200 percent between 2006 and 2009, from $400 million to $1.2 billion, and that they are projected to move beyond $10 billion annually by 2030. Director of the Pew Clean Energy Program, Phyllis Cuttino, explained that the “DoD’s efforts to harness clean energy will save lives, save money and enhance the nation’s energy and economic future. Its work is also helping to spur industry growth and demonstrate technological feasibility.”

Non-Member Reports:

A Strong EPA Protects Our Health: On October 6, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), released the EPW Committee Majority Staff Report. A Strong EPA Protects Our Health and Promotes Economic Growth focuses on the invaluable protections provided by the EPA and major environmental laws which have not only protected public health but also promoted economic growth. Based on the benefits of legislation like the Clean Air Act, the annual benefits of which are expected to prevent 230,000 premature deaths by 2020 and provide about $2 trillion per year with continued enforcement, the report concludes that the EPA’s major “environmental laws are critical to a stronger, healthier, and more productive workforce – they are integral to our quality of life and support a strong economy.”

Support for Solar Industry Grant Program: The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and EuPD Research released a report this week analyzing the economic impact of extending the Treasury Grant Program (TGP), originally created to address the “shortage of tax equity to renewable energy projects” due to the financial collapse. Economic Impact of Extending the Section 1603 Treasury Program found that extending the TGP would significantly accelerate the growth of the U.S. solar market, with a one-year extension through 2012 poised to have the “greatest impact on economic activity in 2012 and 2013, as well as enable growth through 2016 as projects complete construction and come online.” The report concluded that this one-year continuation would result in an additional 37,000 jobs…a 12 percent increase over baseline.”

Coal Ash Safeguards and Employment: In response to the Utility Solid Waste Activities Group (USWAG) claim that the EPA’s potential coal ash disposal safeguards could lead to the loss of over 300,000 jobs, economist Frank Ackerman of the Stockholm Environmental Institute conducted a new analysis of the regulation’s potential effects on employment. Employment Effects of Coal Ash Regulation, released this month, found that the industry study provides “no explanation for more than 50,000 of the supposedly lost jobs; they result either from unreported assumptions or from errors in calculation.” Ackerman’s analysis reevaluated the job-impact analysis of coal ash regulation, comparing the employment costs to employment benefits, to show that “the effect of the new spending required by strict regulation of coal ash…would be a net gain of 28,000 jobs.”

Pipe Dreams: A report released last month by the Cornell University Global Labor Institute, in association with the ILR School and Global Labor Institute, found that the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline could destroy more American jobs than it creates. Pipe Dreams? Jobs Gained, Jobs Lost by the Construction of Keystone XL, examines claims made by TransCanada Corporation and the American Petroleum Institute regarding the job-creating potential of the new pipeline. New economic analysis cited in the report found that the oil industry’s U.S. jobs claims are “linked to a $7 billion [budget for the project]” and yet the pipeline’s budget “that will have bearing on US jobs figures is dramatically lower—only around $3 to $4 billion,” meaning fewer jobs. The research also concluded that the industry’s claim Keystone XL will create 119,000 total jobs “is based on a flawed and poorly documented study commissioned by TransCanada.”

Long-Term Global CO2 Trends: A 2011 report by the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and JRC European Commission, Long-Term Trend in Global CO2 Emissions found that growth in global CO2 emissions is continuing a long-term trend. Despite a 1 percent decline in emissions in 2009, carbon dioxide emissions across the globe increased more than 5 percent in 2010, an unprecedented increase in the “last two decades, but similar to the increase in 1976 when the global economy was recovering from the first oil crisis and subsequent stock market crash.” The report stressed the need for a large, joint effort for mitigating climate change, as it found that the main reasons for a 5.8 percent increase in 2010 global CO2 emission were continued growth in developing nations and economic recovery in the industrialized countries.

Rainforest Drought and CO2 Emissions: A recent study by NASA researchers and published in the latest issue of Environmental Research Letters found that the 2010 drought in the Amazon rainforest caused an 1.8 billion extra metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, a total nearly equaling the annual CO2 emissions from deforestation and forest fires combined. The scientists behind the findings input satellite data showing a dramatic decline in forest health into a computer model to estimate monthly changes in CO2 output, concluding that “the amount of CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere by vegetation declined by an average of 7 percent in 2010 compared to 2008…” equating to the significant increase in CO2 emissions.

Wetland Losses Linked to Climate Change: A new report released last week by the Department of Interior, in collaboration with the Fish and Wildlife Service, found that there has been an overall loss of wetland habitat since 2004, a loss which experts say is associated with climate change. Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 2004 to 2009 found that despite a 17 percent increase in the rate of wetland reestablishment and creation, “the estimated wetland loss rate increased 140 percent during the same time period and, as a consequence, national wetland losses have outdistanced gains.”

BP Spill’s Impact on Gulf Ecosystem: A study published late last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examined the effect of the BP oil spill on killifish, also known as bull minnows, in the Gulf. Genomic and Physiological Footprint of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Resident Marsh Fishes chose to research the killifish because of its critical role in the Gulf’s food chain and its sensitivity to the effects of toxic pollution. The research found that the killifish’s cellular function “coincides with contaminating oil and is consistent with genome responses…indicative of physiological and reproductive impairment” and concluded that crude oil from the BP spill “imparts significant biological impacts in sensitive Louisiana marshes, some of which remain for over 2 [months] following initial exposures.

Hunger Index: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in conjunction with the German nonprofit Welthungerhilfe and Ireland’s Concern Worldwide, published its Hunger Index Report this month which concluded the use of biofuels, price speculation, and climate change are the top three causes of food price fluctuations and hunger in the developing world. The Challenge of Hunger: Taming Price Spikes and Excessive Food Price Volatility did show a decline in global hunger since 1990, but not a major one as global hunger remains at a “serious” level. The report stressed that addressing food price volatility and price increases will require “revising biofuel policies, regulating financial activity on food markets, and adapting to and mitigating climate change.”

Clean Energy Cons: ThinkProgress released a report this month revealing that dozens of Republicans did, at one point, support clean energy projects in their districts before beginning the current all-out assault on clean energy and green jobs. The special report shows that a total of 62 Republicans from the House and Senate were once proponents of clean energy investments, and sent letters asking for clean energy-related loan guarantees and grants for their districts. Copies of these letters can be accessed in the report.

Polls:

Voter Disapproval of Clean Air Attacks: A new national poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling and released this week by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the League of Women Voters (LWV), and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) found disapproval of President Obama’s decision to block stronger smog protections among Americans, including Latino and suburban women. Responses indicate that roughly 79 percent of women and 71 percent of Latino women nationwide disapproved of the President’s decision on ozone. The polling also found that 69 percent of Americans “agree with health experts who support reducing toxic air pollution from industrial sources” and 69 percent are “in favor of the EPA limiting the amount of carbon pollution that power plants and industrial facilities can release.”

EPA Pollution Rule Support: A new nationwide poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates and GS Strategy Group and released by Ceres this week found that voters “overwhelmingly support” the EPA’s new rules that would limit dangerous air pollution from coal-fired power plants and “strongly disagree” with Congressional attempts to prevent the regulations from going into effect. Responses from 1,400 voters surveyed found 67 percent in support of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), which would require major reductions in emissions from electric power plants, and 77 percent in support of the proposed Mercury and Air Toxics Rule, which would require power plants to significantly reduce their mercury, lead, arsenic, and toxic gas emissions. The poll also found that 75 percent of voters believe that the EPA, not Congress, “should determine whether stricter limits are needed on air pollution from electric power plants,” a view supported across the political spectrum.

Small Business Concerns: A new U.S. Chamber poll released this month shows that Regulation is not a top concern for small business owners. The Small Business Outlook Survey found that the majority, 52 percent, of small businesses’ top concern is the general economic climate over recent legislation and over-regulation. The survey also found strong support for greenhouse gas regulations among small businesses, with 76 percent responding in favor of regulations to reduce carbon emissions. This support also remained strong among business owners in large manufacturing states such as Ohio.

Voters on Federal Regulation: The latest United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll reported this month that while a majority of American voters are concerned about too much government regulation of business hurting the economy, they also remain reluctant to block several of the major rules congressional Republicans want reversed. The poll, conducted just after the nearly unanimous vote by House Republicans in September to block EPA regulations for coal-fired power plants, found that 55 percent of adults believe government regulation of business has been a “major factor” in the “current economic slowdown.” However, when asked whether Congress should block EPA rules meant to “limit emissions of mercury, sulfur dioxide, and other pollutants from power plants,” 47 percent of respondents said Congress should allow the rules to go into effect, while 40 percent said it should block the regulations. When asked about pending EPA regulations meant to “limit emissions of CO2 and other gases that scientists have linked to global climate change,” 52 percent said Congress should allow the rules to take effect while only 39 percent believed that should be blocked.

Support for EPA and Electability: A Bloomberg National Poll conducted last month examined voter sentiment on a variety of national issues and GOP candidate positions, including the matter of climate change and the existence of the EPA. Based on results from 997 respondents, the poll found that 45 percent of respondents said they would be “less likely to vote for someone who questions global warming” versus 25 percent who felt the opposite. 65 percent of respondents said that they would be “less likely to vote for someone who wants to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency, versus 19 percent who said the opposite.”

More Americans Believe World is Warming: A Reuters/Ipsos survey released in late September found that, compared to 2010, more Americans believe the world is getting warmer. Americans who believe the Earth is warming rose to 83 percent, an 8 point increase from 75 percent last year when the poll was conducted. Stanford University political science professor and university fellow at the Resources for the Future think tank Jon Krosnick stressed that global warming could be an important issue in the 2012 election “because some 15 percent of voters see it as their primary concern.”

Related posts:

1. The EPA Is Under Siege but Support for Public Health Is Holding Strong, Climate Action Hotline 2.7.11
2. Cues from Our Climate and Other Hot Pubs
3. Cause and Effect and Other Hot Pubs

UPDATES

House:

As we reported last week, House Majority Leader Cantor (R-VA) released a Pollution Agenda for the fall. His plan won’t help the economy, but will cost tens of thousands of lives. The vast majority of rollbacks discussed in Cantor’s memo would block or gut public health safeguards, leading to more harmful pollution that causes asthma, heart attacks and even death.

On Tuesday, the Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Power passed two bills that could indefinitely delay much needed clean air safeguards to reduce mercury, toxic metals, acid gases, and other hazardous pollutants from cement plants and industrial boilers. Both of these bills are in Cantor’s plan.

- H.R. 2681 would void standards for smog, soot, mercury and toxic air pollution for cement plants. These standards are already 13 years overdue, and this bill would further delay standards by a minimum of 4.5 years, while eliminating any deadline for EPA to act. The bill results in up to 2,500 lives lost for every year the standards are further delayed.

- H.R. 2250 indefinitely delays clean-up of toxic air pollution from industrial boilers and incinerators. These plants spew toxic air pollution such as cancer-causing dioxins and mercury, which harms children’s brains. EPA has announced that it is reconsidering these standards and expects to finalize them by April of 2012. Cleaning up toxic emissions from these sources could save up to 6,500 lives each year. The bill blocks critical health protections against mercury and toxic air pollution that are already a decade overdue, resulting in more asthma attacks, more illness, and avoidable deaths.

The House is expected to vote on the TRAIN act as early as next week. This bill would prevent EPA from going forward with Mercury and Air Toxics standards for power plants and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule to cut smog and soot pollution from power plants by indefinitely delaying these standards. The bill also creates additional red-tape delays that tie the hands of EPA health and science professionals. EPA estimates that these two standards will have a net impact creating over 9,000 jobs, with health benefits that will save Americans hundreds of billions of dollars each year once fully implemented. Please see the Action Alert section for more information.

Senate:

Senators Johanns and Grassley formally introduced legislation (S. 1528) to block the EPA’s ability to curb large particulate pollution. This attack on clean air also appears on Rep. Cantor’s hit list. The EPA is currently studying the science behind the soot standards, as required by the Clean Air Act, but has yet to propose a standard. The bill prevents EPA from even examining new science or proposing any new standards about such soot pollution.

Senator Rand Pual (R-KY) introduced a resolution that would block the implantation of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule to cut smog and soot pollution from power plant. A companion resolution was introduced in the house.

Administration:

Yesterday Lisa Jackson announced that the Environmental Protection Agency will miss the deadline for proposing limits on carbon pollution from power plants. These are the nation’s largest source of carbon pollution and the time has come to clean them up. It is unclear how long the delay will be.

ACTION ALERTS

Tell Your Representative to Reject Rep. Cantor’s Reckless Attacks on Clean Air:

House Republican leaders have declared war on our right to breathe clean, healthy air. This misguided effort is spearheaded by Majority Leader Cantor (R-VA), whose TRAIN Act would block the EPA’s proposed standards to control mercury and power plant pollution. Urge your representative to vote No on the TRAIN Act (H.R. 2401) and other reckless attacks on our clean air safeguards. Click here to see Natural Resources Defense Council’s action alert for sample language or contact mdixon@climatenetwork.org for more information.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Save the Date: September 20 is Healthy Air Call-In Day

The American Lung Association invites you to participate in Healthy Air Call-In Day on Tuesday, September 20. This is an opportunity for all of us to speak with one voice about the need to protect the air we breathe and clean up air pollution from power plants. Join with thousands of others from across the U.S. who care about the air we breathe. Call your Representative and two Senators in Washington, and ask them to support clean and healthy air and to oppose weakening the Clean Air Act. See template instructions for call-in day here (USCAN log-in required).

Want to do more? Use hashtag #HealthyAirCallinDay on twitter and ask your followers to participate. Update your Facebook status by telling your friends to join our fight for air.

For additional questions, please contact PBillings@lungusa.org.

NEW MATERIALS

Carbon Standards Urgently Needed To Protect Kids, Planet, Natural Resources Defense Council Press Release 9.15.11

House Subcommittee OKs Toxic Waste-Burning Bill, Earthjustice Press Release on HR 2250 9.13.11

Luminant Plays Politics with Employees’ Jobs, Blames EPA for Consequences of Power Company’s Decision to Fight Much Needed Clean Air Rules, Environmental Defense Fund 9.13.11

A False Choice Between Jobs and Pollution, Press Democrat Editorial 9.12.11

Small Businesses Support Air Quality Regulations!, Joint Small Business Groups Press Release 9.12.11

Air Pollution Claims Llives, Costs Jobs, Fosters 9.12.11

Why Environmental Policies Don’t Kill Jobs,  Forbes 9.9.11

http://cleanairpromise.org/, Learn about the Clean Air Promise.

Don’t forget the Clean Air Act fan page on Facebook.

USCAN’s Clean Air Act Pages include a compilation of member materials.

Clean Air Act Digest is a publication put together by US Climate Action Network and Natural Resources Defense Council please contact Kate Smolski at ksmolski@climatenetwork.org for more details. Click here for past issues.

Related posts:

1. Clean Air Act Digest, 2.10.11
2. Clean Air Act Digest, 7.15.11
3. Clean Air Act Digest, 3.3.11

Peter Bahouth, Executive Director July 25, 2011 Image courtesy of: Devin Dobbins-McCarthy From the delivery of more than 639,000 comments in support of strong mercury safeguards to the legislative efforts to cut climate funding and block life saving clean air standards, it was a week of contradictions as intense as the record high temperatures brought on by a tropical “heat dome”, which raged across our Capitol this week. In addition to drastic cuts to clean energy investment and increases in subsidies for fossil energy, the House of Representatives moved forward with a raft of provisions attached to its spending bills designed to block action to address carbon and other air pollution and its deadly impacts. So far, the House has passed Agriculture appropriation (H.R. 2112), Military Construction appropriation (H.R. 2055), Energy and Water appropriation (H.R. 2354). The Interior and Environment appropriation (H.R. 2584), which could be debated on the house floor as early as today, passed out of committee with more than two dozen policy riders designed to block action to address life-threatening air pollution. The Obama Administration issued a clear statement in opposition to the bill, touted by some in the community as ‘the mother of all anti-environmental bills’. For a full list of many of these anti-environmental riders in the appropriations bills, see a list compiled by NRDC. In a latest backwards attempt to undermine efforts to control carbon pollution, members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a new bill, the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011. The name of this legislative effort to stop the European effort to control aviation air pollution describes the idea behind it, an attempt to prohibit another country from taking reasonable steps to control carbon pollution. But the House wasn’t the only Congressional branch taking anti-environmental measures last week. Legislation (S.1392) introduced Wednesday by Senator Collins (R-Maine), and a bipartisan group of 5 other Senators, would delay the EPA standard to reduce air toxics from boilers and incinerators for 15 months. An unnecessary measure since the boiler standard, which already includes a 3-year window for facilities to comply, has been stayed until April of next year allowing facilities to continue to dump unlimited amount of pollution into the air we all breathe. Equally troubling is a provision in the bill inserted by Senator Wyden (D-Oregon) that would classify certain materials as nonhazardous fuel including biomass, scrap tires, non-chlorinated plastics, latex paint water and others allowing facilities to burn these materials with no regulation, monitoring or reporting of their emissions. But there were also leaders to be found this week and in them, hope. As the American Lung Association, issued an open letter to President Obama from more than 265 health groups to protect Public Health on Ozone, over 60 Americans from all walks of life took part in The Clean Air Act: Reducing Pollution, Saving Lives Conference. The advocates visited Capitol Hill to urge their members of Congress to oppose efforts to block clean air standards. They also meet with White House staff to express strong support for the Administration promulgating strong standards that will reduce smog, carbon, mercury and other air pollutants. And Tuesday afternoon, a crowd of concerned citizens gathered in Boston outside the Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 office to deliver more than 639,000 comments calling for strong mercury safeguards. A coalition of more than 200 health, environmental and social justice organizations worked together to make this impressive show of support for the EPA in their efforts to curb dangerous mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants. In what was a fairly historic move, the United Nations Security Council held an open debate, including an address by UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, and issued a Presidential Statement expressing its concern about adverse effects of climate change aggravating existing threats to international peace and security. It was only the second time the Council has held a debate on climate change, and the first that they were able to reach agreement on a statement. While there is no doubt that the Presidential Statement could and should have been stronger, it was a welcome surprise that the highest diplomatic body on Earth finally managed to overcome its political divide and recognize this fundamental reality. Meanwhile, back in DC aboard a boat on the Potomac River, with a 62-year-old coal plant behind him and the U.S. Capitol visible in the distance through the summer haze, billionaire news mogul and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he will donate $50 million to the Sierra Club over the next several years, to expand their campaign to wean the country off the country’s “self-inflicting public health risk”, of coal-fired power plants. To quote climate activist Dave Roberts at Grist, “I honestly don’t think I’ve heard news this good since Mass. v EPA.” Michelle Dixon, Outreach Director 2012 Budget Appropriations The House of Representatives will soon vote on the fiscal 2012 budget for the government.  Environmentalists want a responsibly funded government, but essential programs have already been attacked. For example the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, released last week, includes over two dozen dirty air riders that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from doing its job of protecting public health. Take action today by sending a letter to your members of Congress and the Obama Administration urging them to oppose deep cuts to essential programs. For examples of 2012 Budget Appropriations action alerts, click here: NRDC, WWF and EDF. For more information and/or for full action alert template please contact Michelle Dixon at mdixon@climatenetwork.org. Carol Werner, Executive Director July 25, 2011 News House Committee Cuts Funding for International Climate Assistance Partnership Works to Adapt River to Climate Change U.N. Security Council Debates Role in Climate Change China Planning Test of Carbon Trading Effort Ship Builders Bound by New Energy Rules Aimed at Cutting CO2 Harvesting Timber Can Help Mitigate CO2 Emissions, Study Finds Sea Level Rise to Continue Despite Efforts to Reduce Emissions, Study Finds Study: El Nino to Persist in Warmer Climate, Fueling Extreme Weather Volcanoes, Pollution Helped Curb Rate of Warming, Study Reports Study Finds Polar Bears Swimming Longer Distances Other Headlines Federal Legislative Action S.1393, H.R.2584 Events July 27: More Fight Less Fuel: The Defense Department’s Deployment of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy House Committee Cuts Funding for International Climate Assistance The House Committee on Foreign Affairs voted to prohibit funding to aid developing countries adapt to climate change or transition to sources of clean energy. The Republican-led committee voted July 21 to strike the funding from an annual spending bill for President Obama’s Global Climate Change Initiative, which is part of the United Nations’ effort to help provide assistance to developing countries. Developed countries have agreed to provide $30 billion between 2010 and 2012 in “fast-track” assistance. Obama’s funding request would commit about $1.3 billion to the climate change initiative. After the vote, Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL) said the committee wanted to “prioritize U.S. tax dollars.” Another member, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) questioned whether human activity is causing climate change. Democrats said vulnerable island populations would be at risk, and investing in climate adaptation and mitigation would create new markets for U.S. products. Democrats are expected to oppose the cuts in the Senate. For additional information see: AFP, Business Green Partnership Works to Adapt River to Climate Change A watershed council in Washington State is promoting projects to adapt a key river to climate change, an example of how a complex partnership of local, state and federal partners can evolve to tackle climate issues on a regional basis. The Nisqually River runs from Mount Rainier to an estuary that feeds Puget Sound. It supports an ecologically and culturally important species, Chinook salmon. The Nisqually River Council was formed in 1989 and provides a forum for Native American groups, and state and federal agencies. With its partners, the council has recognized that climate change will raise the water temperature of the river, decrease its flow, and harm its salmon population. The council has broadened its mission of river restoration to promote climate adaptation. It is promoting the conservation of land farther from wetlands so marshes will have space to move upland as sea levels rise. It is promoting rain gardens to capture runoff. And it is installing logjams to force the river to scour a deeper course to create cooler pools for salmon. Its work is aided by a 2009 executive order signed by President Obama to require federal agencies to integrate climate adaptation into their planning. For additional information see: The New York Times U.N. Security Council Debates Role in Climate Change The potential effects of climate change could aggravate existing threats to world security, the United Nations Security Council said in a statement after its members debated the council’s role in climate matters. The July 20 discussion was the first in four years on climate change, and the 15-member UN body was sharply divided. Germany had wanted the council to adopt a stronger statement seeking an examination of the effects on world security from rising temperatures and sea levels, and draft scenarios to address refugees and conflicts. Russia, however, opposed that proposal, saying the council should not expand its mission. Temporary security council members India and Brazil also raised concerns. During the negotiations, the United States’ ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, told reporters that the council “has an essential responsibility to address the clear-cut peace and security implications of a changing climate” and should “start now.” The statement adopted by the security council noted that climate change has potential security implications. The security council also requested that the regular reports from the UN Secretary-General note whether climate issues were driving conflict or endangering peace processes. For additional information see: The Guardian, MSNBC, United Nations News Release China Planning Test of Carbon Trading Effort China will test a carbon emissions trading project with an eye to gradually rolling out a carbon emissions trading market, a top Chinese official said. At a conference in the city of Guiyang on July 17, Xie Zhenhua, China’s top economic planner, also announced that the nation plans to establish greater incentive policies for companies to develop energy efficient products and designate greater financial support for renewable energy, among a host of new policies. No timeline was announced for the pilot carbon emissions trading project. For additional information see: China Daily, Reuters Ship Builders Bound by New Energy Rules Aimed at Cutting CO2 New cargo vessels will have to abide by energy efficiency standards to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from international shipping, the international body that regulates shipping ruled. On July 15, the International Maritime Organization adopted a measure to require shipbuilders to meet the new standards, which require steady improvements in fuel efficiency through 2030. Ninety percent of world trade is carried by the global fleet of 50,000 cargo ships, many of which burn a heavily polluting type of fuel oil. Global shipping accounts for about three percent of worldwide CO2 emissions from human activity. “This is a very positive and important first step for a truly global, binding measure to reduce CO2 emissions,” said European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard. Environmentalists, however, noted that today’s cargo vessels, which will remain on the seas for many years, are not affected. “There will be no change to existing ships, which are currently pumping a billion tons of CO2 each year,” said Jacqueline Savitz of Oceana. For additional information see: The Washington Post, Business Green Harvesting Timber Can Help Mitigate CO2 Emissions, Study Finds Sustainable forestry practices that provide timber for the building trades can help mitigate the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a new study found. One reason is younger trees absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere than mature trees. Another is that cutting trees after their CO2 absorption rates taper provides building materials that can be used instead of steel and concrete, which are created in processes that emit large quantities of CO2. The study was authored by researchers at the University of Washington, Mid Sweden University and the U.S. Forest Service. “While the carbon in the wood stored in forests is substantial, like any garden, forests have limited capacity to absorb carbon from the atmosphere as they age,” said lead author Bruce Lippke, an emeritus professor at the University of Washington. “. . . Like harvesting a garden sustainably, we can use the wood grown in our forests for products and biofuels to displace the use of fossil-intensive products and fuels like steel, concrete, coal and oil.” The study was published in the June issue of Carbon Management. For additional information see: Science Daily, Study Abstract Sea Level Rise to Continue Despite Efforts to Reduce Emissions, Study Finds A new study suggests that sea levels would continue to rise in the coming centuries even if all greenhouse gas emissions were halted today. The study by a University of Arizona-led team of researchers examined the interaction of the atmosphere and ocean during the warmest period of the Last Interglacial Period — roughly 125,000 years ago. At that time, sea levels were roughly 26 feet higher than today. Average ocean temperatures, however, were only 0.7 degrees Celsius warmer than today. “This means that even small amounts of warming may have committed us to more ice sheet melting than we previously thought,” said lead author Nicholas McKay. The oceans warm more slowly than the atmosphere. Water also expands when heated. But the study also found that most of the sea level rise during ancient times was because of melting ice sheets, rather than the thermal expansion of water. The study has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters. For additional information see: Science Daily Study: El Nino to Persist in Warmer Climate, Fueling Extreme Weather Warmer global temperatures are likely to fuel dramatic shifts in extreme weather events, a new study found. The study by scientists at Oxford and Leeds universities used modeling and an examination of shells found in deep sea sediments to examine whether El Nino and La Nina occurred during the Pliocene, a period that lasted 5 to 3 million years ago when carbon dioxide levels were similar to today and global mean temperatures were 2 to 3 degrees Celsius warmer than today. El Nino refers to the eastward movement of a warmer pool of water in the Pacific Ocean. La Nina is a cooling of those waters. The two events produce drier-than-normal and wetter-than-normal conditions across different parts of the globe, and occur in a cycle. The study suggested that higher global temperatures will not moderate the swings between El Nino and La Nina. “Until recently it was believed that a warmer Pacific would reduce the climate swings that cause the dramatic weather extremes throughout the region leading to a permanent state of El Nino,” said lead scientist Nick Scroxton of Oxford. “What we didn’t expect was that climatic variability would remain strong under these warmer conditions.” The study was published in Paleoceanography. For additional information see: Science Daily, Study Abstract Volcanoes, Pollution Helped Curb Rate of Warming, Study Reports Volcanic ash and man-made pollution from burning fossil fuels helped slow the rate of global warming in the past decade, a new study found. Although average global temperatures were higher in the 2000s than during the 1990s and 1980s, the rate at which the planet was warming slowed. Six French and American researchers, including staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and scientists at the University of Colorado, found the trend may be explained by an increase in the stratosphere of persistent aerosols that block sunlight. Although no massive volcanic eruptions have occurred since 1991, smaller eruptions occurred in 2006, 2008 and 2009. The addition of the volcanic ash to the haze of man-made pollution in the upper atmosphere was enough to help slow the rate of warming by 20 percent since 1998, according to the study. However, the brake on the rate of warming is only temporary. Eventually, the shading effect will be overwhelmed by greenhouse gases building in the atmosphere. The study provides more information on the interaction of forces shaping the global climate. It was published online July 21 in Science. For additional information see: The Washington Post, ScienceNOW, Study Abstract Study Finds Polar Bears Swimming Longer Distances A six-year study of polar bears that tracked their movements found they are swimming longer distances to reach sea ice. The study, conducted by the United States Geological Survey and the World Wildlife Fund, tracked a sample of 68 adult females using global positioning collars around their necks. During the six-year period of the study, the bears were swimming longer distances to reach the sea ice that serves as a platform to hunt seals. Five of 11 mothers who swam with cubs lost the cubs along the way. One bear swam 427 miles to reach sea ice. The bears were listed as a threatened species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service because of the impact of climate change. An abstract of the study was released July 19. For additional information see: The New York Times, Study Abstract Other Headlines Global Temperatures Were Seventh Warmest on Record for June Whitebark Pines Ailing But Don’t Get Protections Putin: Russia Wants to Complete Kyoto Talks Philippines: Senator Praises Colleagues for Signing Climate Change Pact Federal Legislative Action S.1393: On July 20, S.1393 was introduced and referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Intent: A bill to prohibit the enforcement of a climate change interpretive guidance issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and for other purposes. Previous Action: No previous action. Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John (R-WY) For more information: S.1393 H.R.2584: Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, FY 2012: Intent: To provide $27.5 billion in spending, a reduction of $2.1 billion below last year’s level. The bill includes $1.8 billion less for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) than the Obama Administration’s request. Climate Related Sections: Sec.426: To require the President to submit a report on all federal funding for climate change programs in fiscal years 2011 and 2012. Sec.428: To prohibit funding to regulate carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide or methane emissions from biological processes associated with livestock production. Sec.429: To prohibit funding that would support efforts to require mandatory reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from manure management systems. Sec.431: To remove EPA regulations on GHGs from stationary sources for one year, and prevent any previously-issued GHG permits from having any legal effect for one year. Sec.453: To prohibit funding to regulate GHG emissions from motor vehicles made after model year 2016. Previous Action: On July 12, the House Appropriations Committee reported the bill to the full House by a vote of 28-18. For more information: H.R.2584 July 27: More Fight Less Fuel: The Defense Department’s Deployment of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy The Department of Defense is rapidly emerging as the leading force in the United States for the development and use of renewable energy technologies. Energy efficiency has emerged as mission essential to the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. Why? How do these technologies improve national security? How do they make our military more effective? Will renewable energy and energy efficiency save lives and money? And what does the Defense Department’s leadership on “green energy” mean for the rest of the economy? The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), E3G and Operation Free invite you to a briefing in which top military and civilian experts will answer these questions, and will describe the Defense Department’s renewable energy goals. This event is free and open to the public. No registration is required. The briefing will be held on July 27, 2:00-3:30pm, in the Capitol Visitor Center. Click on this link for more information. Writers: Dave Gershman, Justin Jones and Matthew Johnson Please distribute Climate Change News to your colleagues. Permission for reproduction of this newsletter is granted provided that the Environmental and Energy Study Institute is properly acknowledged as the source. Past issues are available here. Free email subscriptions are available here. We welcome your suggestions, comments, and questions. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 by a bipartisan Congressional caucus dedicated to finding innovative environmental and energy solutions. EESI works to protect the climate and ensure a healthy, secure, and sustainable future for America through policymaker education, coalition building, and policy development in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, agriculture, forestry, transportation, buildings, and urban planning. EESI’s work, including this free newsletter, is made possible by financial support from people like you. Please help us continue to make it available by making a secure, online donation today by clicking here or mailing a check to Environmental and Energy Study Institute; 1112 16th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. Please contact Susan Williams at (202) 662-1887 or see www.eesi.org/donate to find out more. Thank you for your support! Climate Action Hotline is the new weekly update by the US Climate Action Network. Let us know what you think.

Ceres Launches Ad Campaign to Inform Public of Fuel-efficiency Benefits Record Heat Fails to Produce Record Power Demands and Blackouts: Credit the Department of Energy’s Efficiency Standards Will the Real Global Warming Alarmists Please Stand Up? State Dept Plans Public Hearings on Tar Sands Pipeline Dangerously Unprepared: Congressional Budget Cuts are Leaving Americans Vulnerable to Climate Extremes U.S. Delays Final Report on BP Oil Spill Probe Coal Ash Taints Groundwater at TVA Sites, Report Finds Obama Threatens to Veto Interior-EPA Spending Bill Amid opposition from conservatives, businesses defend greenhouse-gas accord EPA Seeks to Tighten Ozone Standards India to Set Up Independent Environmental Body Threat to Japanese Food Chain Multiplies as cesium contamination spreads UK Government Expects EV Sales to Pick Up Next Year “There can be little doubt today that climate change has potentially far-reaching implications for global stability and security in economic, social and environmental terms which will increasingly transcend the capacity of individual nation States to manage. In that context the sustainable development paths of individual nations will increasingly be predicated upon the ability of the international community to act collectively in addressing these developments.” – UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

Related posts:

1. Good News with the Bad, Hotline 12.19.11
2. Climate Action Hotline 8.15.11
3. Climate Action Hotline, 3.21.11

Green Economy Adaptation: On June 20, 2011 Oxfam released a report, “Adapting For A Green Economy; Companies, Communities and Climate Change.” Based on results from a 2010 survey of corporate signatories to the United Nations Global Compact and the United Nations Environment Programme Caring for Climate initiative, the report shows the business perspective for private sector adaptation to climate change in ways that build the resilience of vulnerable communities in developing countries.   Addressing the adaptation needs of vulnerable communities at the scale that is necessary will require unprecedented levels of cooperation, collaboration and resource mobilization among governments, businesses, civil society groups and communities themselves.  It is hoped that the report’s findings will be useful for a much wider range of actors as well, including small, local businesses in developing countries that are on the front line of climate impacts; civil society organizations seeking to strengthen their work around climate change and sustainable development; and subnational policymakers, who are in a key position to shape a productive interface among government, communities and businesses.

Green Jobs:  On June 15, 2011 Blue Green Alliance released a report, “Gauging Growth: The Freight Rail Supply Chain and Job-Creation Potential.”   It states the rail industry has nearly doubled the amount of goods it has shipped without increasing fuel consumption over the past three decades, and creates a fraction of the pollution of other transport modes such as trucking and aviation. Its continued growth will generate green jobs, reduce dependence on foreign oil and contribute to solving climate change.  As the U.S. economy gets back on track, freight movement will expand, requiring corresponding infrastructure investment.  By growing capacity, the freight rail industry can seize significant opportunities to meet projected demand for shipping cargo, save energy, reduce pollution and create tens of thousands of new jobs throughout the economy.

Climate Change: On June 16, 2011 Clean Air-Cool Planet released a report , “Preparing for the Changing Climate: a Northeast-Focused Needs Assessment” – the first region-wide snapshot that includes information from regional, state and local governments on how communities in the Northeastern U. S. are preparing for a changing climate — and what resources and assistance they need to succeed.  The study is based on direct outreach to over 200 communities from Maine to New Jersey, including survey responses from 34 local governments, 6 regional governments, and 8 state agencies.

Mercury Pollution: On June 14, 2011 the Sierra Club released a study, “National Study of Hispanics on Environmental Issues” which emphasized Latinos are at a higher risk for mercury pollution. The study findings revealed that many are not aware of any of toxic sites close to their home or workplace.  It is also important to note that fifty one percent of the study respondents replied that polluted air and water is a top environmental problem.

Climate Investor Group Survey: On June 13, 2011 Ceres released a report, “2010 Global Investor Survey On Climate Change.”  The report provides an overview of the investment practices of investors around the world relating to their actions on climate change, in addition to presenting a selection of case studies.

Better Buildings Initiative: On June 13, 2011 US Green Building Council and the National Resources Defense Council released a joint report, “A New Retrofit Industry: An Analysis Of The Job Creation Potential Of Tax Incentives For Energy Efficiency In Commercial Buildings And Other Components Of The Better Buildings Initiative.”  In February, President Obama announced the Better Buildings Initiative (BBI) – a suite of legislative proposals and executive actions aimed at reducing energy consumption in commercial buildings by twenty percent by the year 2020.  In order the pursue the shared agenda of improving energy efficiency in commercial and multifamily buildings, US Green Building Council (USGBC), Real Estate Roundtable (RER), and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) commissioned the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) to conduct an analysis of the Better Buildings Initiative and assess its potential to create jobs.  Chief amongst the potential job creators is the redesign of the tax deduction for energy efficiency commercial buildings as proposed by USGBC, RER, and NRDC, followed by a loan guarantee program for financing retrofits and the grant programs of the BBI.

Drivers of Deforestation : On June 8th 2011 the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report “The Root of the Problem—Drivers of Deforestation: What is driving tropical deforestation today?” which discusses various economic agents, otherwise known as “drivers”, of forest degradation and deforestation, both which are important sources of global warming pollution, as well as threats to biodiversity and to the livelihoods of forest peoples.   The drivers of deforestation differ by region.  Reducing growth in demand for commodities that drive deforestation in addition to increasing the productivity of currently-used lands and directing agricultural expansion into grasslands rather than forests are essential for future success.  If recent successes, such as pressure to change the soybean industry in Brazil, can be duplicated in other tropical countries, we can envision the end of deforestation in the next few decades.

Non Members

Mercury Falling: On June 21, 2011 American Progress released a brief “Mercury Falling: Many Power Plants Already Have Equipment to Slash Mercury, Toxic Contamination.” In March the Environmental Protection Agency proposed to dramatically reduce the mercury, lead, acid gases, and other toxics from more than 400 plants in 46 states.  The briefing compiles various reports and data tables relevant to the recent Environmental Protection Agency Mercury Hearings.  The brief concludes with an urgency to issue and enforce air toxic safeguards to protect children, seniors, and other Americans from cancer-causing and smog-forming pollution from coal-fired power plants.

Air Toxics Standard: On June 14, 2011 the Economic Policy Institute released a report “A Lifesaver, Not a Job Killer EPA’s Proposed “Air Toxics Rule” is No Threat to Job Growth”, which explains that the air toxics rule will not deter job growth.  The EPA explored two sectors, changes in employment in the directly regulated industry (utilities), and the increased demand for labor directly stemming from the construction and installation of pollution abatement and control (PAC) equipment.  The report details several major findings such as: modest positive net impact on overall employment, likely leading to the creation of 28,000 to 158,000 jobs between now and 2015, between 81,000 and 101,000 jobs in the pollution abatement and control industry, and assuming a re-spending multiplier of 0.5, and since the net impact of the above impacts is positive, another 9,000 to 53,000 jobs would be created through re-spending.  Specifically, the EPA that adoption of the proposed toxics rule would lead to the following outcomes: 6,800 to 17,000 lives saved, 11,000 fewer heart attacks, 12,200 fewer hospital and emergency room visits, 225,000 fewer cases of respiratory symptoms, and 850,000 more work days.

Electric Power Sector: On June 13, 2011 the Bipartisan Policy Center released a report “Environmental Regulation and Electric System Reliability” which summarizes the current state of knowledge about challenges facing the electric power sector as it seeks to maintain reliability without jeopardizing important process on public health and environmental protections.  This study finds that impacts on the reliability of the electric system due to EPA regulations are manageable and there are tools available at the federal, state, and local levels to address localized reliability risks.  While recognizing the political difficulties, the report states that there may be an opportunity to enact legislation that could guarantee the environmental benefits of the Clean Air Act and provide a lower cost transition for the power sector.

Polls

Renewable Energy Paves Pathway for Green Economy: On June 16, 2011 the Next Economy Partnership Project recently completed a national survey “Energy Findings in the Latest Next Economy Poll” of 2012 likely voters, building on focus group research conducted over the preceding six months, focused on the economic challenges facing the country.  The organizations hoped to gain a better understanding of how Americans view today’s economy and how they believe our country can best address the rapidly changing global economy it faces.  The survey was divided into the following section: current views of economy reveal deep discontent and uncertainty, understanding how voters measure economic success, the power of bottom-up growth and success stories, focus on oil companies a double-edged sword, energy solutions among most popular economic policies, and further energy solutions on the horizon.  Voters still strongly support new energy solutions — which they see as key to creating jobs and restoring America’s economy.

Public Support for Environmental Protection Agency: On June 16, 2011 a nationwide, bipartisan survey conducted by The American Lung Association showed that Americans across the country are overwhelmingly supportive of the Environmental Protection Agency and their efforts to update standards for life-threatening air pollutants.

Climate Change Beliefs and Attitudes: In May 2011 the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication released a joint survey “Climate Change in the American Mind: Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in May 2011” This survey found a majority of Americans want more action to address global warming from corporations (65%), citizens themselves (63%), the U.S. Congress (57%), President Obama (54%), as well as their own state and local officials. Seventy one percent of Americans say global warming should be a very high (13%), high (27%), or medium (31%) priority for the president and Congress, including 50 percent of Republicans, 66 percent of Independents and 88 percent of Democrats. 91 percent of Americans say developing sources of clean energy should be a very high (32%), high (35%), or medium (24%) priority for the president and Congress, including 85 percent of Republicans, 89 percent of Independents, and 97 percent of Democrats.

Related posts:

1. Clean Breeze for the Economy
2. Necessity for Safe and Clean Energy
3. Congress Holds Key to Creating Green Jobs

Peter Bahouth, Executive Director May 31, 2011 Dueling Narratives Photo by David Graham-Caso, Sierra Club This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a series of three hearings on Mercury and Air Toxics standards that aim to cut mercury, lead, arsenic and particle pollution from hundreds of coal-fired power plants across the country. According to the EPA, the rule would save approximately 17,000 lives, prevent 120,000 asthma attacks and result in air quality improvements valued from $59 billion to $140 billion each year. The rule also would limit emissions of hazardous pollutants like arsenic, chromium, nickel and acid gases, toxics that can cause serious very health effects including cancer. The community turned out in full force at the hearings in Philadelphia, Chicago and Atlanta, with hundreds of supporters calling for a strong rule regulating mercury and air toxics and expressing frustration with utility companies who continue to promote coal power. The lopsided impact upon poor communities and people of color was an ongoing theme at all three hearings. Dr. Robert Bullard, director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University and famed justice and civil rights leader, spoke forcefully about the impacts on the communities he serves. “It’s well known that communities of color and low income communities bear the disproportionate share of the deaths and illnesses associated with pollution from coal-fired power plants,” Dr. Bullard said. “The EPA’s proposal to reduce toxic air emissions from power plants would help to improve this tragic inequality by cutting toxic emissions that have been proven to cause cancer, asthma and respiratory disease, cardiovascular ailments, and thousands of premature deaths annually.” The national percentage of those living in poverty is around 11.9%. However, near coal plants nationwide, that rate jumps to 12.9%. Within EPA Region IV, which covers the Southeast, the poverty rate of those living near coal plants is even higher, at 14.9%. For example, in Alabama, the population of communities of color near coal plants is 46% higher than the statewide average would predict; in Mississippi it is 34% higher; and in Tennessee there is nearly twice as high a likelihood for non-white individuals to be living near coal plants as would be expected given the state average. (Source: Earthjustice) It is no secret that coal plants surround poor communities nationwide and the message was prominent throughout the hearing comments and testimony. Doctors, clergy, justice leaders, expectant mothers and students emphasized the impacts to communities and individual health that comes from living near coal fired power plants. In Atlanta, pediatrician Dr. Yolanda Whyte, testified about her work with children, who “are the most vulnerable and most sensitive to dangerous pollutants in our air and water.” US Climate Action Network’s own Executive Director Peter Bahouth testified as well stating,“ Our mission is to support and help coordinate these organizations’ efforts toward effective, equitable, and sustainable strategies to reduce carbon pollution and promote a clean energy future at all levels of the debate: local, state, federal and international. And we all agree: Clean Air Act standards to protect our nation’s communities from the threats of toxic air pollution from power plants are long overdue. “ Peter also entered into the record several examples of support from coalitions of environmental, faith, health, business and environmental justice groups” On the other hand, utility officials complained of costs, “not enough time” to implement, “rushed” rulemaking and dire consequences in the form of blackouts and hire electricity rates. Notably, the EPA estimates that for every dollar spent to reduce this pollution, Americans would see $5 to $13 in health benefits. On Thursday, Governor Chris Christie announced that New Jersey would pull out of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the nation’s only operating cap-and-trade system. While the Republican governor said he believed that humans were causing climate change, he cited market forces, the rise in natural gas usage and the decreased use of coal as avenues to lower greenhouse gasses, not RGGI. Christie pointed to a new report from NJ’s Department of Environmental Protection that the state’s emissions already stand below goals for 2020, making the regional trading program essentially moot. It’s surmised that politics played no small part in the decision, as Christie is likely to rise in favor among national Republicans. For their part, environmentalists and renewable energy businesses were quick to fight back against the decision, since about half of the over $100 million benefitting the state went to renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. The other half went toward general deficit reduction; ironically, a key talking point of Governor Christie’s administration. Also this week Mississippi joined two other poorer Southern states, South Carolina and Kentucky, in having the highest vulnerability to gasoline prices, according to NRDC’s fifth annual “Oil Vulnerability Report.” Residents there pay the largest percentage of their incomes on gas, suffering the most when prices skyrocket. “The best way to end this pain for consumers is to get off this crazy, perilous ride” and reduce dependence on oil as a transportation fuel, said Deron Lovaas, NRDC’s federal transportation policy director. Calling for tougher pollution and fuel economy standards – 62 miles per gallon by 2025 – the authors also recommend an overhaul of the federal transportation program, including greater investment in transit. In related news, House on both sides of the aisle doubled down on their energy platforms this week, with GOP messaging that domestic drilling is the key to job creation and Democrats reinforcing the “Medicare-and-oil” talking point formula stemming from the special election upset in western New York this week. But, while both parties made what amounted to closing arguments ahead of the summer driving season that kicks off Memorial Day weekend, neither party presented new plans for gas-cost relief, economic growth and deficit reduction, perhaps a sign that Republicans and Democrats see their constituents as weary of high pump prices. Kellyn Eberhardt, Southeast Regional Coordinator Protect Our Land; Say NO to Tar Sands! Big Oil companies are pulling out all the stops to flood the State Department with messages calling on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to permit a new tar sands oil pipeline. We only have a few days left to fight back before the public comment period ends on June 6th. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would cross pristine land in six states and put over 2 million Americans’ drinking water at risk. Moreover, when TransCanada proposed the first Keystone pipeline, Keystone 1, they estimated that it would ONLY leak once every seven to eleven years. But they neglected to include the pipeline’s pumping stations, which have already sustained 11 reported spills in the last year! Now Big Oil wants the State Department to allow the SAME company build a new pipeline so it can pump even more tar sands oil deeper into our country. Tell Secretary Clinton to put our health and safety first, not Big Oil profits. See Sierra Club’s action alert here or contact Michelle Dixon for more information at mdixon@climatenetwork.org. Carol Werner, Executive Director May 31, 2011 News Superior Court Judge Puts California’s Cap-and-Trade Program on Hold Texas Seeks to Overturn EPA’s Endangerment Finding Report: California Needs to Take Aggressive Measures to Meet Emissions Goal Chicago Prepares for Warmer Climate Micronesia Challenges Czech Coal Plant Over Sea-Level Rise U.K. Cancels CO2 Offset Accreditation Program Australian Climate Commission Suggests Immediate Action, End Logging in Old Growth Forests Indonesian Activists Concerned Over Two-Year Moratorium on Forest Clearing Ocean Acidity Could Doom Already Endangered Gourmet Abalone Carbon Storage Capacity of Trees May Increase with Climate Change Two of Greenland’s Biggest Glaciers Lost Enough Ice to Fill Lake Erie Researchers Find Gardens Can Help Mitigate Climate Change Climate Change to Significantly Reduce Tea Production in Kenya by 2050 Other Headlines Federal Legislative Action H.R. 1705, S. 699, S. 757 Events June 9: Managing Nutrients to Protect Water Quality: Innovative Approaches June 16: 14th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Policy Forum Superior Court Judge Puts California’s Cap-and-Trade Program on Hold On May 20, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith ruled that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) must put an immediate halt to work on its cap-and-trade program, part of the landmark climate bill A.B.32 which was written into law in 2006, until it completes a review of alternative approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Goldsmith’s opinion said the board violated the California Environmental Quality Act when it began to make rules “without first responding to comments, completing the environmental review process, and approving” the program. The agency filed a notice of appeal on May 23, according to a CARB spokesman. The ruling will not interfere with other aspects of A.B. 32 implementation involving clean cars, renewables and energy efficiency, which can proceed as planned. For additional information see: NY Times, Reuters, Sacramento Bee, Bloomberg Texas Seeks to Overturn EPA’s Endangerment Finding On May 23, the state of Texas, on behalf of 14 other states, filed an opening brief in a case seeking to overturn the “endangerment finding” announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2009. The finding stated that greenhouse gases pose a danger to public health and welfare, which gave the EPA the authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling EPA v. Massachusetts. Texas is challenging the finding on the grounds that it is “arbitrary and capricious,” words in the U.S. Code that are grounds for a reversal of the decision. The brief stated that the EPA “never provides criteria for determining when [greenhouse gas] emissions or climate change endanger public health or welfare,” as well as the possibility that people might adapt to or even combat the effects of climate change over the extended time period in which it occurs, reducing its effects on health and welfare. The brief was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. For additional information see: Texas Tribune, Brief Report: California Needs to Take Aggressive Measures to Meet Emissions Goal In a report titled “California’s Energy Future: The View to 2050,” scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory concluded that California can meet its goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The report stated that the first 60 percent of emissions reductions could be met by aggressively implementing current technologies, including wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydro and offshore marine energy. The remaining 20 percent would be attained through technological advancements in artificial photosynthesis, fusion energy, more efficient and sustainable biofuels, hydrogen fuel, more effective carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), and advanced batteries for both vehicles and grid storage. The report also called for improvements to the electrical grid, to allow it to integrate more intermittent renewable sources and store more energy. In addition to faster development of renewable energy sources, scientists also stated that significant efficiency measures must be taken, retrofitting 1.8 percent of all buildings annually. For additional information see: Science Daily, Report Chicago Prepares for Warmer Climate Warnings from climate scientists have caused Chicago to begin to prepare for a warming climate. By 2070, the city could expect to receive 35 percent more rain in the winter and spring, but 20 percent less in the summer, according to scientists.The city plans to repave public alleyways with materials that are permeable to water, to reduce runoff when it rains. Sidewalks will be widened to include planted areas with drought-resistant plants, to soak up the excess water and help filter pollutants like de-icing salts. In some areas, the runoff will flow into underground storage tanks to be used later for watering plants or in new decorative fountains. Thermal radar is being used to locate the city’s hottest areas, which will be targets for pavement removal and the addition of vegetated rooftops. The city also plans to remove six of the most common tree species. The warming climate will make them more susceptible to diseases such as emerald ash disease, and many species are expected to become extinct within decades. Hardier trees, such as swamp white oaks and bald cypress, will be used to replace them. For additional information see: NY Times Micronesia Challenges Czech Coal Plant Over Sea-Level Rise Micronesia has mounted an unprecedented legal challenge against the Czech Republic’s plans to expand a coal-fired power station more than 7,000 miles away. They claim the increased greenhouse gas emissions from the plant will contribute to global warming, potentially threatening the country, with many parts that lie just over three feet above sea level. If expanded, the power plant will emit over 40 times as much carbon emissions annually as Micronesia as a whole. Micronesia, along with Greenpeace, want the Czech government to carry out a study, called a Trans-Boundary Environmental Impact Assessment, to assess how pollution from the coal plant will affect the Micronesian archipelago. This type of study usually occurs between countries that share a border, but has never been done between countries from different regions before. The Czech environment ministry is expected to come to a decision regarding Micronesia’s case within two weeks. For additional information see: Telegraph U.K. Cancels CO2 Offset Accreditation Program On May 20, the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) cancelled its Quality Assurance Scheme (QAS) for carbon dioxide offsets, according to Carbon Retirement, a carbon offset provider. The program made sure that the carbon offsets that companies provided were accurately calculated, and were cancelled or retired after being purchased to make sure they were not sold again. According to Jane Burston, founder of Carbon Retirement, the decision would damage consumer confidence because businesses looking to offset their emissions will no longer have the same level of security around the carbon market’s principle uncertainties. For additional information see: Business Green, Bloomberg Australian Climate Commission Suggests Immediate Action, End Logging in Old Growth Forests A report issued by Australia’s Climate Commission stated that the evidence for global warming is now ”exceptionally strong and beyond doubt,” and actions this decade will determine the impact of climate change for the rest of the century. The report concluded that the impacts of climate change are already being seen, despite the earth warming less than one degree Celsius so far. The commission addressed the issues of sea level rise and risks to the Great Barrier Reef, and suggested that carbon emissions must peak within the next few years, and then rapidly decline. The report also concluded that the country must end logging in old-growth forests with high carbon storage capacities, stating that it is one of the best ways of making timely cuts to Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions while the slower energy transforming and transport systems unfold. “We need to use whatever means we can to sequester carbon but also start reducing emissions from industry. We need some sort of price on carbon. A price is unavoidable,” said Climate Commission chief, Tim Flannery. For additional information see: Sydney Morning Herald 1, Sydney Morning Herald 2, Business Green, Report Indonesian Activists Concerned Over Two-Year Moratorium on Forest Clearing More than one-third of Indonesia’s forest area will not be covered under the recently signed two-year moratorium on forest clearance permits. The moratorium covered only primary forests and peatland, areas that were already protected under Indonesian law, while 36.6 million hectares of secondary forests, areas that have been partially cleared for agricultural or industrial use, were not covered. According to Giorgio Budi Indrarto, program manager for forest and climate at the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, the 1999 Forestry Law did not contain any reference to “primary forest” and instead used the terms protected forest, conservation forest and production forest to describe areas where varying degrees of human activity were allowed. “It is only a technical definition which is only used to define the levels of forest degradation and should not be put into context of policy or issuing permits,” said Teguh Surya, head of climate justice at the Indonesian Forum for the Environment. For additional information see: The Jakarta Globe, AFP Ocean Acidity Could Doom Already Endangered Gourmet Abalone A study published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology concluded that increasing ocean acidity, caused by higher concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), negatively affects the already endangered northern abalone off the coast of British Columbia. Researchers found that increases of CO2 in sea water, from 400 to 1,800 parts per million, killed 40 percent of abalone larvae, decreased the size of larvae that did survive, and increased the rate of shell abnormalities. The current CO2 concentrations in the ocean are around 380 parts per million, but are expected to slowly increase over the next century. According to the study, this information could have implications for abalone species worldwide. For additional information see: Science Daily, Study Carbon Storage Capacity of Trees May Increase with Climate Change A report published in the Proceedings on the National Academy of Sciences concluded that global warming may affect the capacity of trees to store carbon by altering forest nitrogen cycles. The report used data from a seven year study in central Massachusetts, where a section of the forest was artificially heated nine degrees Fahrenheit above ambient conditions, to simulate the potential warming from climate change by the end of the century. The warmer temperatures caused more rapid decomposition of the organic matter in soil, leading to an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released. However, the study showed that the warmer temperatures stimulated an increase in the amount of carbon stored in trees as woody tissue, which partially offset the soil carbon loss to the atmosphere. Scientists found that in the seventh year of the study, “warming induced soil carbon losses were almost totally compensated for by plant carbon gains in response to warming.” According to scientists, the increase in carbon storage in the trees is due to more nitrogen being made available to the trees with warmer soil. In addition to CO2, warmer temperatures also cause inorganic forms of nitrogen to be released from the soil. “When trees take up this inorganic nitrogen, they grow faster and store more carbon,” said lead author of the study Jerry Melillo, of the Marine Biological Laboratory. For additional information see: Science Daily, Study Two of Greenland’s Biggest Glaciers Lost Enough Ice to Fill Lake Erie A new study published in Geophysical Research Letters has found that two of the largest three glaciers in Greenland have lost enough ice if melted to fill Lake Erie. The three glaciers, Helheim, Kangerdlugssuaq, and Jakobshavn Isbrae, contribute as much as one-fifth of the ice flowing out from Greenland into the ocean. The study focused on the rate of new ice being formed on the glaciers compared to the amount of ice lost. Apart from Helheim, which gained a small amount of mass, the other two glaciers have lost a significant amount of ice in the last decade. “Kangerdlugssuaq would have to stop flowing and accumulate snowfall for seven years to regain the ice it has lost,” said Ian Howat, lead author of the study. According to Howat, past estimates of ice loss in Greenland only accounted for short-term changes. “We really need to sample them very frequently or else we won’t really know how much change has occurred,” he stated. For additional information see: Science Daily Researchers Find Gardens Can Help Mitigate Climate Change A scientific review conducted by the Royal Horticultural Society has found that gardens can help mitigate the effects of climate change. According to scientists, gardens mitigate the effects of extreme heat and cold by stabilizing urban temperatures, prevent flooding by soaking up excess rainwater, support human health by easing stress and providing physical exercise, and support a number of declining species of birds, mammals and invertebrates. According to Dr. Tijana Blanusa, lead author of the review, people can maximize the positive impact of horticulture by planting vegetation that have many uses, such as trees, which “take up water, capture pollution, offer shade and a habitat for wildlife, and add aesthetic value to the garden.” For additional information see: Independent, Press Release Climate Change to Significantly Reduce Tea Production in Kenya by 2050 A study published by the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture found that climate change will reduce Kenya’s tea production 40 percent by 2050, as suitable farm lands are moved to higher altitude. Scientists presented their findings at the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya in Kericho, organized by the Ethical Tea Partnership and the German International Cooperation. According to the report, the two organizations will aim to increase Kenyan tea producers’ resilience to climate change, secure their livelihoods and make them more environmentally and economically sustainable. Over the next three years, the organizations will train 10,000 Kenyan tea farmers on the most appropriate adaptation techniques. The study recommended crop diversification, and provided several alternatives to tea that would thrive in the region, such as maize, cabbage, peas, passion fruit, and bananas. For additional information see: Business Daily Africa, Study Other Headlines Republicans Eye Summer Vote on Bill to Expand Scrutiny of EPA Rules Climate Change Not a Priority in Tallahassee ‘Non-Aligned Movement’ Vital to Battle Against Climate Change, UN Secretary General Says Inland Storms, Growing in Violence, Drive Insurers to Accept Riskier Reality Mastercard Corporate Credit Card Statements to Include Carbon Emissions Soon H.R. 1705: Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011 The House Subcommittee on Energy and Power scheduled a markup of H.R. 1705 on Tuesday, May 24, 2011. Intent: To require analyses of the cumulative and incremental impacts of certain rules and actions of the Environmental Protection Agency, including rules or guidelines related to climate change under the Clean Air Act. Previous Action: Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure on May 4, 2011. Sponsor: Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) For more information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.1705.IH: S. 699: Department of Energy Carbon Capture and Sequestration Program Amendments Act of 2011 May 26, 2011 was the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources date of scheduled consideration. Intent: To authorize the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program to demonstrate the commercial application of integrated systems for long-term geological storage of carbon dioxide, and for other purposes. Previous Action: Introduced to the Senate on March 31, 2011, and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) For more information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.699.IS: S. 757 May 26, 2011 was the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources date of scheduled consideration. Intent: To provide incentives to encourage the development and implementation of technology to capture carbon dioxide from dilute sources on a significant scale using direct air capture technologies. Previous Action: Introduced to the Senate on April 7, 2011, and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Sponsor: Sen. John Barrasso (D-WY) For more information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.757.IS: June 9: Managing Nutrients to Protect Water Quality: Innovative Approaches The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and Water Environment Federation (WEF) invite you to a briefing on innovative, market-based approaches to controlling nutrient pollution in the nation’s waters from agriculture. Fertilizer and manure applications can release excessive amounts of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus into local watersheds. These can degrade water quality, potentially causing human illness and harming aquatic ecosystems. This briefing will focus on innovative agricultural solutions to these issues, including trading programs such as those used for the Long Island Sound and Ohio River Basin, “safe harbor agreements”, and current on-the-ground nutrient management programs. The briefing is free, open to the public, and no RSVPs are required. For more information, contact Laura Parsons at lparsons [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1884. June 16: 14th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Policy Forum On June 16, the Sustainable Energy Coalition—in cooperation with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucus—will host the 14th annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum. This year’s EXPO will bring together over 50 businesses, sustainable energy industry trade associations, government agencies, and energy policy research organizations to showcase the status and near-term potential of the cross-section of renewable energy (biofuels/biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) and energy efficiency technologies. Members of Congress and the Administration will speak from 11:30 – 2:00pm. Afternoon speakers will discuss the role sustainable energy technologies can play in meeting America’s energy needs. The EXPO is free, open to the public, and no RSVPs are required. The events will be held on June 16, 9:30am-4:30pm in 345 Cannon House Office Building (Cannon Caucus Room). For more information contact Ken Bossong at kbossong614 [at] yahoo.com. Writers: Deep Ghosh and Matthew Johnson Please distribute Climate Change News to your colleagues. Permission for reproduction of this newsletter is granted provided that the Environmental and Energy Study Institute is properly acknowledged as the source. Past issues are available here. Free email subscriptions are available here. We welcome your suggestions, comments, and questions. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 by a bipartisan Congressional caucus dedicated to finding innovative environmental and energy solutions. EESI works to protect the climate and ensure a healthy, secure, and sustainable future for America through policymaker education, coalition building, and policy development in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, agriculture, forestry, transportation, buildings, and urban planning. EESI’s work, including this free newsletter, is made possible by financial support from people like you. Please help us continue to make it available by making a secure, online donation today by clicking here or mailing a check to Environmental and Energy Study Institute; 1112 16th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. Please contact Susan Williams at (202) 662-1887 or see www.eesi.org/donate to find out more. Thank you for your support! Climate Action Hotline is the new weekly update by the US Climate Action Network. Let us know what you think.

Residents Flood This Week’s EPA Mercury Hearings Graduating 8th Grader to Scholastic Publishing: Stop Pushing Coal “Smell of Death” Described at Clean Air Public Hearings Countdown to 2012: The Road to Rio +20 New Poll: Strong Support for RGGI In New Jersey Risk From Spent Nuclear Reactor Fuel Is Greater in U.S. Than in Japan, Study Says New Mileage Stickers Include Greenhouse Gas Data Michael Bloomberg: Too Much ‘Hot Air’ on Climate Change An Unlikely Power Duo Emerges in the Global Fight Against Climate Change Public Health Benefits of Dethroning King Coal in the U.S. Food Prices to Double by 2030, Oxfam Warns Indonesian Forest Plan May Be Breakthrough on Climate Change Germany: Nuclear Power Plants to Close by 2022 G8 leaders need to quit gambling with our future “There is not enough money in the world that you can pay an individual for loss of life and for a short life expectancy due to fact that they have inhaled toxic chemicals. Our children are suffering. I ask EPA to resist pressure of industry whose only concern is the bottom dollar.” – Reverend Horace Strand, Chester Environmental Partnership.

Related posts:

1. Climate Action Hotline, 3.21.11
2. Climate Action Hotline, 11.29.10
3. Owning Up: Taking Responsibility Before Durban, Climate Action Hotline 11.14.11

Credit: Stefan Kühn

Nuclear Plants and Safety: A March 17th report by the nuclear engineer David Lochbaum at the Union of Concerned Scientists reviews the performance of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is responsible for safe performance of U.S. nuclear power plants.  “The NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety in 2010: A Brighter Spotlight Needed” examines 14 “near-misses” at U.S. nuclear plants in 2010. These events exposed a variety of shortcomings:  inadequate training, poor maintenance, faulty design, and failure to thoroughly investigate problems.  NRC’s inspections reveal only a fraction of the problems that exist, and the report reviews examples of the agency’s effective and ineffective responses.

Top Mercury Emitters: A March 16th report by the Environmental Defense Fund identifies the top 25 emitters of mercury in the electric power sector.  Coal-fired power plants are the primary source of mercury air emissions in the U.S., and the 25 plants identified by the study are responsible for nearly a third of all mercury emissions in sector.  Meanwhile, these plants generate only 8% of the total supply.  Twenty of these polluting facilities are located within 50-100 miles of some of the largest metropolitan areas – including Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, St. Louis and Austin. According to “Mercury Alert: Cleaning up Coal Plants for Healthier Lives”, Texas led the nation in mercury air pollution from coal-fired power in 2009.

Pollution and Wildlife: A March 16th report from the National Wildlife Federation highlights effects of climate change, mercury, acid rain, and smog on 10 U.S. wildlife species important to hunters and anglers.  According to “Air Pollution, a Warming Climate, and the Troubled Future for America’s Hunting and Fishing Heritage”, more regions are witnessing strict warnings about mercury-laced favorites like brown trout, walleye, and largemouth bass.  Remote forests, lakes, and streams are being degraded by acid rain.  Ozone now makes some sensitive plants more prone to disease and less able to produce and store food.  Climate change is resulting in a massive loss of fish spawning sites and higher summertime temperatures disrupt wildlife patterns and ecological balance.

Budget and the Environment: A report released on March 7th by 35 environmental organizations outlines this year’s recommendations for priority funding to support most critical U.S. environment and natural resource protection programs.  “The Green Budget 2012” highlights the areas where even a small amount of investment will bring huge dividends.  It also details how to eliminate the subsidies from polluting industries to fund protection for land and natural resources.  Key elements of the proposal include a diversion of $900 million from offshore drilling to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, as well as an aggressive expansion of funding for clean energy.  Maintaining current funding for national parks, ocean programs, and national refuges will sustain their contribution of 153 billion for the U.S. economy and 294,000 jobs for the U.S. private sector.

Green Infrastructure: Two February 28th reports by the Center for Clean Air Policy document approaches by innovative cities and counties throughout the U.S. to plan and adapt to emerging effects of climate change.  “The Value of Green Infrastructure for Urban Climate Adaptation” and “Lessons Learned on Local Climate Adaptation from the Urban Leaders Adaptation Initiative” document compelling benefits of green infrastructure like green roofs, urban forestry, and water conservation.  The multiples positive effects of these pioneering initiatives include improvements in community resilience, human health, air quality, energy demand, and economic prosperity.

OTHER HOT PUBS

Toxins and Coal Plants: A March 8th report from the American Lung Association highlights the urgent need for national standards to limit a plethora of hazardous air pollutants emitted from coal-generating power plants.  Coal plants in the U.S. produce more toxic air pollution than any other industrial source – over 386,000 tons each year.  Among the hazardous toxins released are arsenic, lead, mercury, dioxins, formaldehyde, benzene, radioisotopes, and acid gases like hydrogen chloride. These substances are known or suspected causes of cancers, reproductive problems, birth defects, neural damage, heart attacks, and stroke.  Although most coal-fired plants are concentrated in the Midwest and Southeast, these toxins actually hitch-hike to other states on co-emitted particle pollution that kills about 13,000 people a year. The study “Toxic Air: The Case for Cleaning Up Coal-fired Power Plants” details the health effects of these emissions and the technologies available to reduce them.

Energy Efficient Appliances: According to the March 2nd study by the Consumer Federation of America, 95% of the public favors more energy efficient household items like refrigerators, air conditioners, and clothes washers.  Ninety-six percent cited monetary savings as a reason, 92% said they reduce pollution, and 84% favor them because they would curb greenhouse gases.  Seventy-two percent of respondents supported government standards for energy-efficient appliances, and approximately two-thirds of respondents were aware of existing standards.  Respondents aware of current standards were more likely to support them: 74% versus 64%.  Majority of Americans support efficient appliances even if they have to pay more up front.  “Public Attitudes Toward Energy Efficiency and Appliance Efficiency Standards” also notes that average household energy consumption equaled gasoline consumption in 2009.

POLLS

Nuclear Energy Support: According to a mid-march USA TODAY/Gallup poll of 1,004 adults, 70% of the public has grown more concerned about the safety of nuclear energy since the crisis unfolded at the reactors in Japan.  Thirty nine percent of the surveyed have grown “a lot more concerned”.  The poll’s results also demonstrate that the overall support for nuclear power decreased to 44%, down from 57% about a week before Japan’s earthquake and tsunami created a crisis situation.

Nuclear – Beyond Disapproval: According to a poll of 814 Americans by ORC International on March 15-16, Japan’s nuclear crisis triggered more than decline in support for nuclear energy.  Fifty three percent of Americans would now support a moratorium on new nuclear plants, 73% oppose federal loan guarantees for reactor construction, 73% would favor holding companies liable for damages resulting from nuclear accidents, 74% would support redirecting federal loan guarantees in favor of wind and solar, and 76% are more supportive of clean energy and energy efficiency as alternatives to more nuclear power.  Among other findings, the survey reveals that over half of Americans residing near nuclear reactors do not know what to do in case of emergency.

EPA Budget: A poll of the general public conducted for Bloomberg News by the veteran Iowa firm Selzer & Co. found that 59% of respondents believe major cuts to U.S. EPA would produce “fairly small” or “little difference” with regard to deficit savings.

New Light Bulbs: Re-Run – an oldie, but goodie!  According to a USA TODAY/Gallup poll from February 15th, seventy one percent of U.S. adults have replaced standard light bulbs at home with LEDs.  Eighty four percent say they are “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the alternatives.  Sixty one percent of Americans call the 2007 legislation that requires incandescent light bulbs to be more efficient a “good” law.

Related posts:

1. The Case for Clean Energy and Clean Air, Climate Action Hotline 10.17.11
2. Broad Support for a Strong EPA and Other Hot Pubs
3. Clean Breeze for the Economy

Peter Bahouth, Executive Director March 21, 2011 Climate Action Hotline Under the guise of protecting small businesses, higher gas prices and continued high unemployment numbers, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) pushed to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from moving forward on new pollution regulations, but failed to get to a vote Thursday, after days of enigmatic maneuvering that made it appear the measure was close to being voted on several times. The amendment to bar EPA ability to set standards for carbon pollution came on the heels of the House passage of Rep. Upton’s (R-MI) Dirty Air Act. The White House came out strong against the GOP amendment to nullify the EPA’s power to set standards for carbon pollution. Many feel that the White House decision to weigh in directly on the amendment signifies the ever-escalating stakes of the Republican-led effort to obliterate what is seen as the Obama leftist agenda. “This amendment rolls back the Clean Air Act and harms Americans’ health by taking away our ability to decrease air pollution,” said Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman. While McConnell’s amendment faces major hurdles to passage, but it remains a tough vote for politically vulnerable centrist Democrats and moderate Republicans. Yet another new EPA-specific measure added to the mix by Montana Sen. Max Baucus (D) would ensure that agriculture sources would be exempt from climate rules, while preventing the agency from regulating large stationary sources that do not exceed other pollutant limits. In addition, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) offered his bill that is a 2-year stop work order on any EPA plans to set standards for carbon pollution. Rockefeller’s bill, cloaked in a shroud of a “middle path” approach, is just another means to an end: an end that ignores the science, health and environment of Americans. All three initiatives were introduced as amendments to a pending small business bill, creating what Rockefeller referred to as a “swirl” of options for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to navigate. In response to Japan’s ongoing nuclear reactor crisis, President Obama asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make a comprehensive safety review of U.S. nuclear plants with specific focus on their ability to withstand natural calamities. NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko continues to reinforce that the commission considers the 104 active U.S. nuclear plants to be secure, but the evidence from Japan’s devastating reactor damage would be the basis for a new review. “But I want to emphasize and stress that we have a very robust program where we look at the safety and the security of our nuclear facilities on a minute-by-minute basis. ” In related news, a new USA Today/Gallup poll shows a dramatic decline of support for nuclear power in the wake of the ongoing Japanese earthquake-tsunami one-two punch: 70% say they’ve grown more concerned about the industry’s safety based on the crisis unfolding at reactors in Japan. Americans oppose building more nuclear plants by 47%-44%, the poll finds. Support for using nuclear energy was at 57% when Gallup asked a similar question about a week before Friday’s earthquake and tsunami left Japan struggling to avert catastrophic meltdowns and fires at three damaged nuclear plants. On Wednesday, the EPA issued a new proposed rule that would reduce emissions of toxic air pollutants from power plants including mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel, chloride (HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF). The proposal would reduce emissions from new and existing coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units (EGUs). The rules would replace President Bush’s Clean Air Mercury Rule, a cap-and-trade program that would have forced power plants to cut their mercury emissions by 70 percent. In 2008, a federal court ordered EPA to go back to the drawing board. The target of this proposed rule includes toxics suspected of causing cancer and other serious health effects. Power plants are the largest source of mercury emissions to the air. Mercury and other power plant emissions also damage ecosystems and destroy the health of lakes, streams and fish. Other toxic metals emitted from power plants, such as arsenic, chromium and nickel can cause cancer. A side benefit of the rule is that it will reduce power plant particulate pollution, preventing thousands of premature deaths, tens of thousands of heart attacks, bronchitis cases and asthma episodes. Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, announced plans to close two coal-fired power plants units in central Georgia, saying the cost is too high to equip them to meet current and pending environmental regulations. The two units in Putnam County have a capacity of 569 megawatts. The announcement comes as renewed attention is focusing on Georgia Power’s nuclear plants because of the continuing crisis in Japan. Georgia Power has four nuclear reactors and is one of two U.S. utilities building new ones. The company has advocated for nuclear power as regulations tighten on coal. The company had hinted last year that it might close some of its coal plants because of regulations on air emissions, water treatment and the disposal of ash coal waste. Kellyn Eberhardt, Southeast Regional Coordinator Tell Congress to Let EPA Do Its Job and Protect Public Health Representative Fred Upton (R-MI), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced a bill that would permanently block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from limiting dangerous carbon pollution. This Dirty Air Act is moving through the House legislative process quickly– in part because the sponsors want to hide the devastating health impacts.  Just this past week, the bill was passed out of the Energy and Commerce Committee and now it will move to the House floor, where it will likely be loaded down by amendments that will further compromise the air we breathe. Meanwhile, a handful of Senators are responsible for a sneak attack on the Clean Air Act.  Minority Leader McConnell (R-KY) has proposed amending a small business bill with Upton’s Dirty Air Act, as introduced by Senator Inhofe (R-OK).  Like the House bill, his amendment would permanently repeal the Clean Air Act’s authority to set limits on carbon pollution. Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) has an amendment that would delay the EPA’s ability to control green house gases.  As history has shown, delays like these are often impossible to repeal. We all rely on the Environmental Protection Agency to protect our public health by regulating the nation’s biggest polluters.  Send a message now urging your Senators and Representative to vote against these attacks on the Clean Air Act, or any measure that would block EPA’s ability to clean up our air. See NRDC’s sample action alert or contact Jamie Consuegra jconsuegra@nrdc.org for more information. Carol Werner, Executive Director March 21, 2011 News McConnell Files Anti-EPA Amendment to Small Business Bill House Committee Passes Bill to Block EPA’s GHG Authority New York, Others Prepare for Supreme Court to Hear GHG Public Nuisance Lawsuit Virginia Supreme Court to Hear State Attorney General’s Appeal in Climate Fraud Case Carbon Credits Rise as Germany Prepares to Close Older Reactors for Safety Review EU Sets Auction Amount for 2013 Emissions Allowances Automobile Emissions in UK Drop 3.5 Percent in 2010 Study Reveals Pre-Historic Global Warming More Common Than Previously Thought Researchers Show New More Accurate Carbon-Mapping Technique Plasticity of Plants Helps Them Adapt to Climate Change NASA Study Finds Relationship between Earth’s Core and Climate Change Septic Tank Emissions Found to be Half of Previous Estimates Northern Peatlands Contributed Less Methane at End of Ice Age than Thought Other Headlines Events April 6: Hydropower in America: Energy Generation and Job Potential McConnell Files Anti-EPA Amendment to Small Business Bill McConnell Files Anti-EPA Amendment to Small Business Bill On March 15, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced an amendment to a small business bill to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The McConnell amendment closely resembled the bill H.R. 910, now under consideration in the House. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) indicated he would schedule a vote for the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Reauthorization Act of 2011 (S. 493), despite the inclusion of the amendment, but the date has yet to be determined. Authored by Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), the bill mirrors the McConnell amendment, has the support of 42 Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). For additional information see: Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Politico, SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Bill House Committee Passes Bill to Block EPA’s GHG Authority On March 15, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed H.R. 910, a bill intended to strip the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases (GHG). Co-authored by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), the bill cleared its second legislative hurdle on a 34-19 vote, after the Energy and Power Subcommittee approved passage days earlier on a voice vote. Three Democrats, Rep. John Barrow (D-GA), Jim Matheson (D-UT), and Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), joined a unanimous Republican voting bloc. Specifically, the bill would repeal the EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding” that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are a threat to human health, and bar the agency from implementing rules to control them. A floor vote on H.R. 910 is expected later this Spring. In related news, several Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced amendments to the Inhofe/Upton bill intended to put Congress on record as either supporting or denying the science of climate change. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) introduced an amendment to H.R. 910 that Congress accept the EPA’s finding that global warming is unequivocal, which failed on a party-line vote 31-20. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) offered an amendment that stated Congress accepts the EPA’s finding that “the scientific evidence is compelling” that man-made emissions “are the root cause of recently observed climate change.” That measure also failed by the same margin. Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) also offered an amendment that Congress accept EPA’s finding that climate change threatens human health. It was defeated 31-21. The three Democrats who voted in favor of H.R. 910, Reps. Ross, Matheson, and Barrow, voted in favor of all three amendments. For additional information on the Bill passage see: LA Times, NY Times, H.R. 910 For additional information on the Democratic amendments see: Politico, LA Times, Politico New York, Others Prepare for Supreme Court to Hear GHG Public Nuisance Lawsuit On March 14, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of six states and New York City in a public nuisance lawsuit against five utilities over their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Filed in 2004, the lawsuit considers whether states and other entities have the right to sue major utilities because their power stations are causing a public nuisance with their GHG emissions. The states named in the lawsuit are New York, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Rhode Island, Vermont, plus New York City. The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the states’ right to bring the suit, American Electric Power Co. Inc. v. Connecticut in 2009. However, the electric companies, American Electric Power, the Southern Company, Xcel Energy, the Cinergy Corporation and the Tennessee Valley Authority, appealed and the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments next month and decide on the case in July. In related news, on March 11, New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow informed the U.S. Supreme Court that her state will withdraw from the public nuisance lawsuit. In a statement to the Associated Press, Dow’s spokesperson said, “Considering the Supreme Court’s ruling and the Obama Administration’s subsequent position that the EPA must determine an appropriate plan of action, it does not make sense to incur further taxpayer expense on an unnecessary lawsuit.” Wisconsin withdrew from the lawsuit in February. For additional information see: Business Green, Environmental Leader, NY Attorney General’s Brief, NJ.com Virginia Supreme Court to Hear State Attorney General’s Appeal in Climate Fraud Case On March 4, the Supreme Court of Virginia agreed to hear the appeal of Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on the case against the climatologist, Dr. Michael Mann, whom he accused of fraud. In April 2010, Mr. Cuccinelli demanded that the University of Virginia supply him vast numbers of academic documents regarding Dr. Mann’s work, including emails, computer programs and data, and others. Mr. Cuccinelli has accused Dr. Mann, now a professor at Penn State, with defrauding the state of hundreds of thousands of dollars by providing false information and records in his research grant applications. Last August a state judge ruled against Mr. Cuccinelli, because he had failed to provide any evidence. Mr. Cuccinelli appealed the decision, and now the Virginia Supreme Court will hear the case. For additional information see: NY Times, Virginia Supreme Court Carbon Credits Rise as Germany Prepares to Close Older Reactors for Safety Review On March 15, carbon credits rose to 17 euros after German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed that several older reactors in Germany will shut down temporarily for a three month moratorium. Merkel ordered seven reactors, all brought online before 1980, to close to conduct a sweeping safety review in the midst of the growing crises at several Japanese reactors following the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11. The carbon price spike was fueled by carbon traders who speculated that coal and natural gas will meet most of the unmet demand. According to industry analysts, energy and industrial firms currently hold a surplus of emissions allowances as a result of the economic recession, but a lengthier nuclear shutdown could eat into the surplus. For additional information see: Reuters, Business Green EU Sets Auction Amount for 2013 Emissions Allowances On March 15, the European Commission Director General for Climate, Jos Debelke, announced plans to auction 120 million carbon allowances for the next phase of the European Union’s cap and trade program. “Stakeholders have expressed a strong preference to have the early auction volume fixed now as this gives market actors time to adapt to the chosen level,” Jos Delbeke acknowledged. Set to begin in 2013, the European emissions trading scheme will enter its third phase and begin to ratchet down the number of emission allowances it distributes to 11,000 installations for free. Instead, companies subject to the program will have to purchase more allowances at auction to cover their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition to the 120 million allowances, the European Investment Bank intends to sell 300 million allowances by the end of 2012 as part of its NER300 demonstration program to raise funds for low carbon projects./p> For additional information see: Business Green, European Commission Automobile Emissions in UK Drop 3.5 Percent in 2010 On March 16, a report released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) found that the 2010 average carbon emissions for new cars in the United Kingdom fell 3.5 percent as compared to carbon emissions in 2009. The “New Car CO2 Report” also found that 40 percent of new cars average emissions below 130g/km, the 2015 targeted EU fuel efficiency standards for new vehicles. “New technology has delivered impressive reductions in CO2 emissions, but coordinated action, to support research and development, new infrastructure and consumer incentives, is critical to securing significant future advances.” said SMMT’s chief executive Paul Everitt. The report stated that 56 percent of new cars have a CO2 emission level of 140g/km or less, compared to 10 years ago, when the average new car in the United Kingdom was well over the 140g/km CO2 emissions level. For additional information see: Business Green, Report Study Reveals Pre-Historic Global Warming More Common Than Previously Thought On March 17, a study published in the journal Nature found that rapid climate change occurred on Earth much more frequently than previously thought, with limited biological impact at the time. A team led by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography analyzed sea floor sediments to see how climate change affected marine ecosystems during four short periods of intense warming in the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum–a transition period between two geologic epochs 65 to 33 million years ago, in which global temperatures rose 7.2-12.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers attributed the rapid global warming events to different feedback mechanisms, such as a substantial release of carbon from the ocean. Scripps geologist and study co-author Richard Norris noted that the research discovered more periods of intense warming and, that despite significant global change, biological effects seemed modest. While Norris pointed out there were differences between then and now, indicating that the earth’s surface has been massively restructured, making it harder for species to relocate en masse, reaction to the findings in the scientific community included several remarks about comparisons to human-induced climate change. Current ecosystems, including human beings, were not around back then, noted Gavin Schmidt, of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. “So, while interesting from an intellectual standpoint, this new information is not going to change how ‘scientists’ think about climate change.” For additional information see: Science Daily, San Diego Union-Tribune, Abstract Researchers Show New More Accurate Carbon-Mapping Technique On March 15, a study published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment reported a new method to more accurately assess carbon stored in Hawaii’s forests. A team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Department of Global Ecology developed a 30-meter resolution map of the above ground carbon density of the island of Hawaii, spanning 40 vegetation types, by combining field measurements, airborne Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR)-based observations, and satellite-based imagery. The estimated total of 28.3 million tons of carbon was 56 percent lower than the estimate of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. However, the latter assessment was not intended to resolve carbon variation on so fine a scale. Researchers noted that the new approach represented a fourfold decrease in the regional costs of carbon management over using field samples only. “We are very excited about the prospects of applying this new approach to other regions of the world to facilitate faster and more accurate forest carbon assessments. It is a true leap forward in understanding the state and dynamics of the world’s forests,” said Dr. R. Flint Hughes, an ecologist and co-author of the study. For additional information see: Science Daily, Press Release, Study Plasticity of Plants Helps Them Adapt to Climate Change On March 17, an international study published in Trends in Plant Science found that the phenotypic plasticity of plants enables them to adapt to climate change. Researchers reviewed plants’ molecular and genetic mechanisms which showed that plants have “the capacity to adapt to a changing environment without requiring any evolutionary changes,” according to Fernando Valladares, co-author of the paper. Scientists used various indicators to study the plasticity of the plants, including pigmentation, root length, and leaf mass. Valladares stated that “various studies suggest that species from more heterogeneous and changing environments have greater degrees of plasticity. For example, plants from these environments have great root plasticity in order to be able to take better advantage of fertile and damp areas and to avoid sterile, dry ones”. He continues, “The differences in plasticity and its mechanisms allow us to better understand why various plant species grow where they do. This will enable us to project their most likely ranges in climate change scenarios.” For additional information see: Science Daily, EurekAlert, Abstract NASA Study Finds Relationship between Earth’s Core and Climate Change On March 11, a study published in The Journal of Climate found new evidence of the relationship between movements in the Earth’s core, rotation, and atmospheric temperature change. According to researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the link between the three variables and the effect each has on the length of Earth’s day has been established for some time. In addition to finding a correlation between long-term variations in temperature to long-term variations in the length of day, researchers also found how much core variations affect the length of day over various time periods. Scientists used two sets of global surface temperature data from NASA’s Goddard Institute and the UK’s Met Office since the 1880’s and compared it to existing models of the fluid movements of the Earth’s core and recorded changes to the length of day. They then subtracted human-produced temperature changes to create a “corrected” temperature record and found that the Earth’s core effect on climate is substantially smaller than human effects. Data showed that since 1930, global temperature began to rise without corresponding changes to other variables. “It’s just a wiggle on top of what ever else is going on,” said JPL’s Steve Marcus, a co-author of the study. “It’s just an added variability on top of these larger trends we’ve observed in climate over the last century or so, when human global warming has certainly been kicking in.” For additional information see: Science Daily, Pasadena Star News, Abstract Septic Tank Emissions Found to be Half of Previous Estimates Researchers at the University of California, Davis have determined the greenhouse gas emissions of septic tanks to be approximately half as high as previously estimated. The waste sent to septic tanks is broken down by microorganisms that then produce methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide – all of which contribute to the warming of the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that an average septic tank emits 0.23 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per tank per year, but this new research indicates that annual per-tank emissions are between 0.10 and 0.12 metric tons. Approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population uses septic tanks in their homes. For additional information see: Chemical and Engineering News, Abstract Northern Peatlands Contributed Less Methane at End of Ice Age than Thought Northern peatlands did not play as large a role as previously thought in the warming of the atmosphere at the end of the last ice age, according to research conducted by PhD students at the University of Alberta and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Northern peatlands, the largest of which occur in subarctic regions of Canada and Russia, are a boggy mixture of dead organic material and water. Covering more than four million square kilometers, they sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow and emit methane – a greenhouse gas many times more powerful than carbon dioxide – as old peat is buried and decomposes. Scientists had previously believed that northern peatlands were a principal source of the increase in atmospheric methane 10,000 years ago, but a comparison of radiocarbon dates of ancient peatlands with ice-core records showed that peatlands did not colonize the north until 500-1000 years after the dramatic increase in methane. These results imply that tropical wetlands were instead the likely cause of the initial rises in methane levels at the end of the last ice age. For additional information see: Science Daily, Press Release, Abstract Other Headlines Can Mexico Lead the Way in Proving Carbon Cuts? The Refugees of Climate Change EU May Need Tighter Supply to Avoid CO2 Price Slump Montreal to Get $1.8 Million for Climate Change Wheels Up for NASA Mission’s Most Extensive Arctic Ice Survey Intervention Offers ‘Best Chance’ to Save Species Endangered by Climate Change, Expert Argues April 6: Hydropower in America: Energy Generation and Job Potential The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on hydropower. The event will be held from 3:00-4:30 p.m., April 6, at the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2322. It is free and open to the public. For more information contact Laura Parsons at lparsons[at]eesi.org or 202-662-1884. Writers: Matthew Johnson, Alison Alford, Laura Parsons Please distribute Climate Change News to your colleagues. Permission for reproduction of this newsletter is granted provided that the Environmental and Energy Study Institute is properly acknowledged as the source. Past issues are available here. Free email subscriptions are available here. We welcome your suggestions, comments, and questions. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 by a bipartisan Congressional caucus dedicated to finding innovative environmental and energy solutions. EESI works to protect the climate and ensure a healthy, secure, and sustainable future for America through policymaker education, coalition building, and policy development in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, agriculture, forestry, transportation, buildings, and urban planning. EESI’s work, including this free newsletter, is made possible by financial support from people like you. Please help us continue to make it available by making a secure, online donation today by clicking here or mailing a check to Environmental and Energy Study Institute; 1112 16th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. Please contact Susan Williams at (202) 662-1887 (202) 662-1887 or see www.eesi.org/donate to find out more. Thank you for your support! Climate Action Hotline is the new weekly update by the US Climate Action Network. Let us know what you think.

Oil Spill Reported Near Deepwater Drilling Site in Gulf What Have They Done to the Rain? Google Launches New Media Climate Campaign With U.S. Nuclear Plants Under Scrutiny, Too, a Report Raises Safety Concerns New Senate Bill Contains 25 Percent Renewable Energy Standard Pair of Bills From GOP, Democrats Seek to Spur Oil and Gas Drilling Wind Power Cheaper Than Nuclear, Says EU Climate Chief Climate Change, Food Safety Linked Africa: Anxious Eyes on Green Climate Fund Can Mexico Lead the Way in Proving Carbon Cuts? “Dirty air makes children sick. That’s the long and short of it. If you think it’s an expensive process to put a scrubber on a smokestack, you should see how much it costs over a lifetime to treat a child with a preventable birth defect.” – Marian Burton, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Related posts:

1. Climate Action Hotline, 4.4.11
2. The EPA Is Under Siege but Support for Public Health Is Holding Strong, Climate Action Hotline 2.7.11
3. Rising up, Climate Action Hotline 4.18.11

Photo courtesy of the Department of Energy

USCAN MEMBER REPORTS

Economy and Green Investment: In a testament to the power of green technology to stimulate economic growth, “Rebuilding Green: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Green Economy” presents case studies of green investments’ effect on job creation.   According to the February report by the Economic Policy Institute and the BlueGreen Alliance, nearly one million jobs was created or saved by the $93 billion of the Recovery Act’s green investments committed through the end of 2010.  The findings show that ARRA boosted the U.S. GDP by $146 billion and provided jobs for some of the country’s most vulnerable workers.

Toxin Control and Job Creation: The EPA’s proposed rules for the electric power sector will create an estimated 1.46 million jobs across the U.S. in the next five years. The February study by Ceres and Political Economy Research Institute examines the effects of the Clean Air Transport Rule that focuses on sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, as wells as the pioneering Utility MACT rule that will limit hazardous air pollutants such as mercury, arsenic, lead, and hydrochloric acid.  “New Jobs – Cleaner Air: Employment Effects under Planned Changes to EPA’s Air Pollution Rules” details the jobs to be provided by investments in pollution controls, plant construction, and the retirement of less efficient coal plans.  Among the states with largest projected gains are VA, TN, IL, NC, and IN.

Renewable Energy: A February report by the World Wildlife Fund concluded that 95% of global energy demand can be met with renewable sources using developed or evolving technologies.  “The Energy Report: 100% Renewable Energy by 2050” indicates the steps to realize its vision, where bio-energy is used as a last resort.  The effort would cost $3.5 trillion euros by 2035 in order to modernize buildings and electricity grids, as well as expand wind farms and solar parks.  Despite the growth of population, industrial output, freight, and transportation, energy savings can decrease demand by 15% from the 2005 level.

International Climate Cooperation: NRDC’s February report “The Greening of US-India Relations: A Review of Cooperation between the United States and India on Climate Change and Energy” puts a spotlights on one of the positive signs of the U.S. commitment to reducing climate change.  The joint U.S. and India Green Partnership aims to address climate change and promote clean energy.  The report discusses the progress made in the brief amount of time since the cooperation was announced by President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009.

OTHER HOT PUBS

Clean Air Act and Campaign Contributions: As members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee consider the “Energy Tax Prevention Act” to weaken the Clean Air Act, a February study from the Public Campaign Action Fund details campaign contributions from oil & gas, coal, and electric utilities industries during the members’ time in Congress.  According to “Gutting Clean Air? A Look at Big Oil and Coal Interests Influence at the House Energy and Commerce Committee”, Republicans on the Energy and Power Subcommittee received, on average, almost $100,000 more in campaign cash from the oil and gas industry than their Democratic counterparts.

Climate Change Rhetoric: Against the backdrop of Congressional assault on the EPA’s efforts to limit GHG regulations, a February report co-authored by the U.K environmental think tank E3G and the director of the science and impacts program at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change encourages a centrist approach to tamper the risks of inaction that stem from political gridlock.  “Degrees of Risk: Defining a Risk Management Framework for Climate Security” attempts to overstep the political rancor with a focus on hedging against the risks of more flooding in Pakistan or decrease in crop yields.

Climate Change Adaptation: If income or population in southwestern United States continues to increase, its current dependence on groundwater will require serious steps to avoid severe water shortages.  According to the report “The Last Drop: Climate Change and the Southwest Water Crisis” by the Stockholm Environment Institute, increasing climate change will further aggravate the problem.  The price tag?  The region will lose $2.3 to 4 trillion in productivity by 2100. With climate change factored in, the solution will cost another $1 trillion. The report suggests that either farmers or urban residents could cut back on utilization, but emphasizes the cost-effectiveness of reducing the agriculture’s share – especially for light-profit, water-intensive crops.

Re-Run – Economy and the Clean Air Act: An “oldy” but goody!  According to the October report by the Small Business Majority and Main Street Alliance, the Clean Air Act has stimulated jobs and technological innovation.   “The Clean Air Act’s Economic Benefits: Past, Present, and Future” found that regulations purred innovations like catalytic converters and enabled the U.S. to become a world leader in environmental control technologies, with exports growth of 130% between 1993 and 2003 (and value of $30 billion in 2004).  The Act’s application created 1.3 million jobs between1977 and 1991.

POLLS

Voters and the EPA: An American Lung Association poll conducted by a Democratic polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and GOP pollster Ayres McHenry reveals that a bipartisan cross-section of the public wants the EPA to protect public health from pollution and oppose attempts to derail its efforts.  Findings show that 69% support creating stricter limits on air pollution – including 88% of Democrats and 68% of Independents.  Significantly, 60% of voters say Congress should not prevent the EPA from updating carbon pollution standards; 69% believe that scientists should set pollution standards – not Congress.

Upton and the Clean Air Act: According to Public Policy Polling, 62% of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton’s constituents oppose the bill he is sponsoring to dismantle the EPA’s ability to reduce carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Sixty seven percent of Upton’s constituents (including 60% of Republicans) agreed that Congress should let the EPA do its job.  Furthermore, 61% say “EPA needs to hold polluters accountable and protect the air and water”; 57% favor “the EPA setting new standards with stricter limits on air pollution.” The poll resulted in similar findings for the home districts of eight other key committee members.

U.S. Budget and Pollution Control: Cutting government spending may be a popular idea in general, but a February Harris poll shows that majority of the public oppose defunding pollution control by 54% to 37%.  Since the 1980s, the share of the public that favors less spending on pollution control actually decreased by 12%.

Michigan Voters and EPA: According to a late January poll by the national polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, 64% of 500 registered Michigan voters favor allowing the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, with 27 percent opposed.  The results showed high support across the political spectrum – 78% of Democrats supported the EPA’s authority, 57% of Republicans, and 66% of independents.

Alternative Energy: According to a February Gallup poll, out of eight actions Congress could take this year, Americans most favor an energy bill that provides incentives for using alternative energy (83%) – versus 65% support for more drilling and exploration for oil and gas.  Second and third cam in overhauling the federal tax code (76%) and accelerating withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan (72%).

Related posts:

1. Necessity for Safe and Clean Energy
2. Broad Support for a Strong EPA and Other Hot Pubs
3. Green Economy and Climate Attitudes

UPDATES 1. First Hearing on Bad Air Bill Held on Wednesday: - The Energy and Power Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held its first hearing on Chairman Upton’s Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011. The bill, along with its Senate companion introduced by Sen. Inhofe, would repeal the EPA’s CO2 endangerment finding and prevent EPA from regulating greenhouse gases under Clean Air Act authority. - EPA Secretary Lisa Jackson was the primary witness on a panel that did not include any scientists. She faced a barrage of attacks from GOP members opposed to EPA regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act but responded by stressing that the EPA decision to regulate greenhouse gas emissions is based on scientific evidence that these emissions endanger health and public welfare. Jackson also suggested that having politicians overruling scientists on a scientific question would create a bad precedent. 2. Support the Clean Air Act Dear Colleague: - Congressman Waxman (D-CA), Dingell (D-MI) and Rush (D-IL) released their “Support the Clean Air Act” Dear Colleague letter. The letter, addressed to Speaker Boehner, calls for support of the Clean Air Act—a bipartisan success story that has been protecting public health for the past 40 years. The authors of the letter have been joined by a number of offices committed to “keeping the Clean Air Act strong and the air safe and healthy to breathe.” Please consider reaching out to your allies on the hill and asking them to join the Waxman-Dingell-Rush letter. You can contact Jamie Consuegra at NRDC for more information (jconsuegra@nrdc.org). 3. New Report Finds Investments to Clean and Modernize U.S. Power Plants Will Create Significant U.S. Job Growth: - On Tuesday, Ceres and the University of Massachusetts released a new report, “New Jobs-Cleaner Air: Employment Effects under Planned Changes to EPA’s Air Pollution Rules.” The report evaluates job impacts under two Clean Air Act rules and finds that capital investments from these rules will create 1.46 million jobs over the next five years. Installing modern pollution controls will require skilled workers; construction jobs in Virginia, Tennessee, Illinois, North Carolina and Indiana will see the biggest job gains. The text of the full report can be found here. 4. Continuing Resolution Threats: - House Republicans are currently preparing the continuing resolution and in keeping with their vow to reduce government spending they have unveiled a number of significant budget cuts to dozens of federal programs. In addition to expected deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget there are threats of other potential rollbacks to important clean air standards. The bill is expected to be released this week in preparation for votes next week. ACTION ALERTS Dirty Air Bills Sample Action Alert Congress has been back for a month and we have already seen a slew of attacks on clean air. Senators and Representatives have introduced a barrage of bills that would rollback urgent updates to Clean Air Act safeguards. These safeguards are already saving lives and improving the health of millions of Americans. Congress must not issue a stop work order to halt EPA’s work in its tracks. But a handful of Congressmen backed by big polluters, including Representatives Upton (R-MI), Carter (R-TX), Senators Inhofe (R-OK), Barrasso (R-WY) and Rockefeller (D-WV), have introduced a series of plans that would put our children at risk. We encourage groups to continue to activate your membership and networks via action alerts and calls. See the full action alert here or just view the sample letter. For more information contact Jamie Consuegra at jconsuegra@nrdc.org. IMPORTANT DEADLINES Sign on to Broad Clean Air Act Support Letter On behalf of American Lung Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club, we hope you will consider joining a sign-on letter urging Congress to promote protective clean air standards and to oppose any measures to weaken protections for public health. This letter expresses support for standards to protect public health from all kinds of air pollution – toxic, conventional and global warming. The letter will be sent to every member of the U.S. Senate and U.S House of Representatives as well as to President Obama. 1. Please use the Google form to sign-on to the letter. The Google form URL is http://bit.ly/9WaFDN. 2. Once you have signed on your organization, share this note with other groups you work with and ask them to sign on as well. The deadline is Tuesday, February 15th. Thank you in advance for your consideration. The comment period to support EPA’s recent action on Texas permitting programs is now open. We are looking to drive comments at a national scale to support EPA’s recent action and to ask EPA to do more to ensure that Texas follows the law. Click here for a comment card provided by the Sierra Club you can use as a template. The email and address for comments is on the card. The deadline for comments is February 12, 2011. UPCOMING EVENTS EPA NSPS Listening Sessions Session 2: Environmental and Environmental Justice Organization Representatives Date: Feb. 15, 2011 Time: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST* Location: Atlanta, GA Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center 61 Forsyth Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30303 *Please arrive early to go through security. 12-1 p: Press conference and public gathering- comment cards stations will be available on site for participants to show their support for strong EPA action. Location: Cafeteria (on ground floor) 1-3 p: Roundtable discussion with EPA and representatives from the environmental and environmental justice communities. Limited public comment and Q&A time is scheduled for the audience. Location: Atlanta/August Room Click here for directions. Click here for information on sessions 3- 5. Click here for information on submitting comments. EPA will accept written comments on the planned rulemakings until March 18, 2011. NEW MATERIALS Doctors, Nurses other Health Professionals Urge Congress to Resist Efforts to Weaken the Clean Air Act, 2.9.11 2,505 Scientists’ Statement on the Clean Air Act, Union of Concerned Scientists Petition 2.2011 New Report Finds Investments to Clean and Modernize U.S. Power Plants Will Create Significant U.S. Job Growth, Ceres 2.8.11 USCAN’s Clean Air Act Pages include a compilation of member materials.

Clean Air Act Digest is a publication put together by US Climate Action Network and Natural Resources Defense Council please contact Kate Smolski at ksmolski@climatenetwork.org for more details. Click here for past issues.

Related posts:

1. Clean Air Act Digest, 4.8.11
2. Clean Air Act Digest, 3.11.11
3. Clean Air Act Digest, 3.3.11