Environment Briefs
Updated May 8, 2008
Sponsors lower expectations for Lieberman-Warner bill
From Environment & Energy Daily
Senate sponsors of a major global warming bill lowered expectations yesterday on their chances for final passage as aides scrambled behind the scenes to complete a revamped version of the legislation before next month's scheduled floor debate.
Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) shrugged off suggestions she is having trouble winning over moderates and conservatives from either party in her quest to find 60 votes and squash an inevitable filibuster.
"To tell you the truth, we don't know if we'll wind up getting 60 votes this time," Boxer said in an interview. "But we do believe we're making tremendous progress and we're going to start the debate."
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who provided a critical swing vote for the climate bill last winter when it moved out of the EPW Committee, provided a similar assessment. "I don't think we can count on 60 at this point," he said.
Aides to Boxer and Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.) have been working over the last few weeks on a substitute to their original climate bill with several changes compared to the version adopted in committee last December. Lieberman said he expected the manager's amendment would get wider circulation Monday, with a public rollout shortly after.
"The whole idea is to get a draft out to our colleagues, to stakeholders, and we presume, to the public to see what we're thinking," Lieberman said. "And then invite responses so we can continue to improve it."
Warner yesterday said he was looking for changes before the floor debate that would allow the president to "pull back the throttle" if the legislation's emission targets cannot be met with available technology, or if the U.S. economy was under stress through, for example, $5 a gallon gasoline.
Boxer has also promised several changes to the bill, including a "deficit reduction" amendment, as well as greater oversight of the carbon markets and specific funding directed toward cities to help promote energy efficiency and mass transit.
Many demands
The Lieberman-Warner-Boxer camp is facing increasing demands from all corners of the Senate to change the bill that would establish a cap-and-trade system with midcentury emission limits of 70 percent below 2005 levels.
Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown told the Cleveland Plain Dealer this week he was holding out in his support for the Lieberman-Warner bill because it did not do enough to protect his home state's manufacturing jobs while still stimulating investments in alternative energy. "I have serious concerns about any climate-change bill that doesn't take into account energy-intensive industries like we have in Ohio -- glass and chemicals and steel and aluminum and foundries," Brown said.
"He's concerned," Brown spokeswoman Joanna Kuebler explained yesterday. "He's leaning toward a no."
Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington said in an interview that she is also pushing for changes in the Lieberman-Warner bill to benefit her home state's abundant supplies of hydropower. "We want to make sure people who are already good at reducing CO2 emissions will continue to do that and not be penalized," she said. Cantwell explained that she has not joined the bill as a cosponsor because she wants to keep working on it.
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said he wants a more beneficial emission allocation system for his state's rural energy producers.
"Obviously, I represent a state that's a significant power producer," Conrad said. "Most people don't think of North Dakota that way. But we produce electricity for nine states. We have the largest coal gasification plant in the country. We have very large reserves of lignite coal."
In contrast, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) maintained that he is a long way from backing the Lieberman-Warner bill. Instead, he is taking a close look at an alternative climate bill circulated from Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) that opens with tax incentives for new energy technologies but falls back on cap and trade if the other ideas have not worked by 2030.
"It's a more realistic approach to what technology is going to be required," Nelson said. "Just legislating it, doesn't get you there."
On the Republican side of the aisle, Sen. John McCain of Arizona plans a major climate-themed speech Monday in Portland, Ore., that his aides say will spell out in greater detail what he hopes to do on the issue if elected president this November. McCain will cover issues relevant to the Lieberman-Warner floor debate, including how to limit costs to the U.S. economy and also how to safeguard U.S. manufacturers concerned about international competition, an aide said (Greenwire, May 7).
Back in Washington, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) spoke on the Senate floor yesterday on a different method for using what are projected to be hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue raised through an auction of emission credits. Gregg suggested the auction revenue could go toward reducing personal income taxes, as opposed to its current function with Lieberman-Warner, which ranges from research and development of new energy technologies to helping low-income energy consumers.
"This should not be a windfall that expands the size of federal government," Gregg said. "It's not right to do that."
Updated April 24, 2008
U.S. News and World Report: Survey Tracks Scientists' Growing Climate Concern
Few now doubt global warming, though they disagree on the severity of the danger
Among scientists in two fields that focus closely on climate—geophysics and meteorology—few now doubt that the planet is warming or that human activity is to blame, even though views diverge on the dangers posed, says a new survey released by the Statistical Assessment Service at George Mason University.
Click HERE to access the full article.
Giving Small Water Systems a Free Check Up
News for Release: Monday, April 21, 2008
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Contact: Shakeba Carter-Jenkins, (202) 564-4355 / carter-jenkins.shakeba@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. – April 21, 2008) EPA is rolling out an important management tool for small drinking water and wastewater systems. Today at the National Rural Water Association Rally, Administrator Stephen L. Johnson announced the availability of Check Up Program for Small Systems (CUPSS). This user-friendly computer-based program assists owners and operators in developing and using plans for maintaining their systems and providing service to their customers.
“Through effective and efficient management, small utilities are supporting the lifeblood of their communities – their water,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “CUPSS will assist our partners by giving them a tool to better preserve and enhance America’s precious water resources.”
Administrator Johnson emphasized that CUPSS, with the support of our partners, will make a difference and help bridge the growing financial gap faced by small drinking water and wastewater systems as they repair, and replace infrastructure.
The program uses information provided on the system’s assets, operation and maintenance activities and financial status to produce a prioritized asset inventory, financial reports and a customized asset management plan. Asset management programs support informed budget discussions, boost efficiency of the utility, and improve customer service by ensuring clean and safe water at competitive prices.
CUPSS was developed by the Office of Water as part of the agency’s Sustainable Infrastructure Initiative. The effort received input from a large stakeholder workgroup, including representatives from several states, the National Rural Water Association, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, and Environmental Finance Centers.
The CUPSS program and all supporting materials are available for immediate download. Kits including the material will also be available in May. For more information on CUPSS, including program downloads and ordering information, visit http://www.epa.gov/cupss. EPA’s newly updated web site for small public water systems is available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/smallsystems.
Under Construction: A New Green Building Strategy for EPA
News for Release: Monday, April 21, 2008
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Contact: Dave Ryan - 202-564-7827 / ryan.dave@epa.gov
(Washington, DC - April 21, 2008) EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson today announced a new agency approach to encourage the mainstream adoption of green building practices. This strategy offers a multi-faceted approach to reducing the environmental and public health impacts of buildings and building-related products through their complete life span.
“At EPA, we appreciate the fact that our built environment has a tremendous impact on our natural environment. And so I am pleased the agency is moving in a new strategic direction with for green building, with a goal of spreading the adoption of effective green building practices nationwide,” said Johnson.
EPA’s green building strategy builds upon and calls for better coordination among existing programs, such as ENERGY STAR and WaterSense, which are designed to reduce the impacts of buildings and development. It involves working with the building industry to improve the quality and supply of green buildings and related products while also increasing demand through improved understanding of green building characteristics.
The strategy revolves around five objectives:
- to inform building decisions with better standards and metrics,
- to advance knowledge and overcome barriers through research to lead by example with the agency’s own facilities
- to expand understanding of green building
- to increase adoption of green building practices in areas where progress has been more limited, including homes and existing commercial and public buildings.
The strategy was announced today at EPA’s National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall.
For more information about green building, go to: www.epa.gov/greenbuilding
Adapting to Climate Change: A Business Approach
Prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change
April 2008
By: Frances G. Sussman and J. Randall Freed
ICF International
This report outlines a sensible business approach to analyzing and adapting to the physical risks of climate change. It focuses on a critical first step in assessing these climate impacts: understanding the potential risks to business and the importance of taking action to mitigate those risks. Not all businesses need to take action now; this paper develops a qualitative screening process to assess whether a business is likely to be vulnerable to the physical risks associated with climate change, and whether a more detailed risk assessment is warranted.
Press Release
Download entire report (pdf)
Four Governors, Eighteen States Sign Declaration on Climate Policy
On April 18, 2008, at Yale University’s 2008 Conference of Governors on Climate Change, four governors - along with representatives from another 14 states - signed a joint declaration on the future of climate change policy in the United States.
In agreeing to the declaration, the state representatives and the participating governors – Jon Corzine of New Jersey, M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut, Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas – recommitted to the task of addressing climate change. The declaration identifies several principles to help inform national climate policy, including the need for a partnership approach between the federal and state governments, that state-based programs should continue to receive support, and that mandatory action at both the state and federal level should be rewarded and encouraged. The signatories pledged to coordinate their respective efforts, and to solicit the support of other states and members of Congress in taking action. They also agreed to reach out to current Presidential candidates in order to help shape the first 100 days of the next Administration.
In addition to the four states represented by the participating governors, the 14 other states who signed the policy declaration included Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington. The Conference also included presentations and keynote addresses from a number of speakers, including Nobel Laureate Dr. R.K. Pachauri, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Theodore Roosevelt IV, Chair of Strategies for the Global Environment, the umbrella organization for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
Press Release
Yale University 2008 Conference of Governors on Climate Change
Governors' Declaration on Climate Change
EPA Publishes Annual National Greenhouse Gas Inventory
News for Release: Tuesday, April 15, 2008
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Contact Information: Roxanne Smith, (202) 564-4355 / smith.roxanne@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - April 15, 2008) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the national greenhouse gas inventory, which finds that overall emissions during 2006 decreased by 1.1 percent from the previous year. The report, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2006, is the latest in an annual set of reports that the United States submits to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change.
“Each year since 1993, EPA’s experts have built a comprehensive inventory of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions,” said Robert Meyers principal deputy assistant administrator for EPA’s Office Air and Radiation. “Our understanding of emission sources is paramount to combating climate change.”
Total emissions of the six main greenhouse gases in 2006 were equivalent to 7,054.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. The report indicates that overall emissions have grown by 14.7 percent from 1990 to 2006, while the U.S. economy has grown by 59 percent over the same period.
The decrease in emissions in 2006 was due primarily to a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions associated with fuel and electricity consumption. The following factors were primary contributors to this decrease:
- compared to 2005, 2006 had warmer winter conditions, which decreased consumption of heating fuels, as well as cooler summer conditions, which reduced demand for electricity;
- restraint on fuel consumption caused by rising fuel prices, primarily in the transportation sector; and
- increased use of natural gas and renewables in the electric power sector.
EPA prepares the annual report in collaboration with experts from multiple federal agencies and after gathering comments from a broad range of stakeholders across the country.
The inventory tracks annual greenhouse gas emissions at the national level and presents historical emissions from 1990 to 2006. The inventory also calculates carbon dioxide emissions that are removed from the atmosphere by “sinks,” e.g., through the uptake of carbon by forests, vegetation and soils.
Information on the greenhouse gas inventory report: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html
Updated April 17, 2008
President Bush Announces Goal for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions
Yesterday President Bush announced a goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that is far less ambitious than S 2191 being discussed in the Senate. The president outlined principles he wants Congress to consider as it takes up climate change legislation and laid out a target for lowering emissions that he believes to be consistent with available technology and economic growth. He announced “a new national goal: to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.” Click HERE to read the President's full remarks.
Updated April 16, 2008
NARC and NEARC Submit Letter to New England Congressional Delegation on Energy Policy
NARC and NEARC submitted letters to the entire New England Congressional Delegation requesting support for joint energy policy that "encourages the development, sustainable funding and full enactment of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (PL 110-140), a comprehensive and integrated national energy policy. Executing national energy polices and developing clean energy technologies will advance energy efficiency and renewables, reduce harmful greenhouse gas pollution, become an economic driver for the future, and develop a new workforce sector for the 21st century and beyond."
EPA Announces Federal Clean Diesel Program
Through the Federal Clean Diesel Program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award grants of more than $4 million to assist eligible partners within the ten Blue Skyways Collaborative states to achieve voluntary emission reductions more quickly than will be accomplished through new regulations that do not affect older but still viable diesel engines. The program is expected to improve air quality and protect public health.
Eligible applicants are U.S. regional, state, local, tribal or port agencies with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality, and nonprofit organizations or institutions that represent or provide pollution reduction or educational services to persons or organizations that operate diesel fleets, or have as their principal purpose the promotion of transportation or air quality. School districts, federally recognized Indian tribes, municipalities, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), cities and counties are all eligible applicants under this program.
The following types of fleets qualify for funding: Buses, medium or heavy-duty trucks, marine engines, locomotives or non-road engines, stationary engines, or vehicles used in construction, handling of cargo, including at a port or airport, agriculture, mining, or energy production.
At least half the national funds will be for the benefit of public fleets. This includes private fleets contracted or leased for public purpose, such as private school buses, refuse haulers, or equipment at public ports.
For more information visit: http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel
Additional information is available at http://www.blueskyways.org/archives/Funding/Clean_Diesel_RFP.html
Posted April 2, 2008
EPA Makes $50 Million Available to Clean Up Diesel Engines Nationwide
News for Release: Wednesday, April 2, 2008
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
EPA Makes $50 Million Available to Clean Up Diesel Engines Nationwide
Contact Information: Dave Ryan, (202) 564-4355 / ryan.dave@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - April 2, 2008) EPA is announcing the availability of almost $50 million in grant funding to establish clean diesel projects aimed at reducing emissions from the nation's existing fleet of diesel engines.
The unprecedented sum, which was authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and funded for the first time this fiscal year, will be administered by EPA's National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC) and its network of seven collaboratives, made up of EPA regional offices and public and private sector partners.
"Under President Bush's leadership, America's air is cleaner today than it was a generation ago," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By encouraging innovations in existing diesel engines, EPA is driving the nation toward a clean, healthy, productive tomorrow."
Diesels are the economic workhorses of the nation, and over the past decade, EPA has set stringent new particulate and nitrogen oxide standards for most types of new engines. These regulations will annually prevent more than 20,000 premature deaths and yield more than $150 billion in public health benefits when fully implemented. The funding announced today, however, is aimed at reducing emissions from the existing fleet of 11 million diesel engines that pre-date these standards. Addressing the existing fleet is important because diesels remain in use for decades.
State, local, regional and tribal governments can apply for the grants, as well as non-profits and institutions with transportation, educational services and air quality responsibilities.
The grants are targeting school or transit buses, medium and heavy-duty trucks, marine engines, locomotives and nonroad engines. Grant recipients can use a variety of cost-effective emission reduction strategies, such as EPA-verified retrofit and idle-reduction technologies, EPA-certified engine upgrades, vehicle or equipment replacements, cleaner fuels and creation of innovative clean diesel financing programs.
Some EPA Regional offices have already started issuing requests for grant applications, called Requests for Proposals (RFPs), and, along with EPA Headquarters, will continue to roll them out throughout the spring.
NCDC uses a proactive, incentive-based approach to achieve environmental results. More than 400,000 existing diesel engines have already been retrofitted during the campaign's first few years, cutting harmful emissions by nearly 300,000 tons.
More information about NCDC and funding opportunities: http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel
Posted April 1, 2008
EPA Seeks Public Comment on Water Strategy to Respond to Climate Change
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment on a draft strategy that describes the potential effects of climate change on clean water, drinking water, and ocean protection programs and outlines EPA actions to respond to these effects. The National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change focuses on actions designed to help managers adapt their water programs in response to a changing climate. Other elements of the draft strategy include steps needed to strengthen links between climate research and water programs, and to improve education for water program professionals on potential climate change impacts. The strategy also identifies contributions that water programs can make to mitigate greenhouse gases. Some of the potential impacts of climate change on water resources reviewed in the strategy include increases in certain water pollution problems, changes in availability of drinking water supplies, and collective impacts on coastal areas. The public comment period is open for 60 days (due May 27th).
Information on the National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change can be found at epa.gov/water/climatechange.
Click HERE for the draft strategy.
NARC conducted a conference call to discuss public comments. If you have any additional feedback to include or if your organization intends to submit, please contact
Posted March 31, 2008
Ernst & Young Reports Climate Change Tops List of Insurance Risks
On March 24, Ernst & Young, a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services, released a list outlining the challenges insurers face, ranking climate change as the greatest strategic threat facing the insurance industry. The top ten risks on the list, acquired through Ernst & Young’s collaboration with Oxford Analytica, resulted from discussions between the company’s global analysts and from leaders in more than 20 disciplines. The analysis stated that climate change causes changes in weather patterns and shifts the underlying probability of insured loss from floods, wind storms and other natural phenomena. Insurers may be forced to scrutinize their insurability criteria. It was reported that climate change also affects pricing structures, reserving policies, solvency and corporate viability, as well as more gradual consequences like increased health problems. Leonard Sharman, a spokesman with The Co-operators in Guelph, Ontario, said premiums are directly related to the costs insurers incur and that those costs have doubled every five to seven years for several decades. He said, "Yeah, I do think consumers in home and business insurance will end up paying more."
In a March 24 interview, Mark Yakabuski, president and CEO of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said “There's no doubt that going forward that climate change is indeed the single biggest risk faced by the property and casualty insurance industry. The carbon dioxide and other pollutants that are already in the environment as a result of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be in our environment for at least 50 years. They will motor the forces of climate change in a way that will give rise inevitably to more frequent, severe weather. That is one of the inevitable by-products of a warming planet.”
Click on the following links for more information:
Newswire: Climate change tops insurance risk list: Ernst & Young
Times Colonist: Insurers braced to weather climate change
Land Use Planning Integral to Climate Mitigation
Three Oregon environmental groups are calling on state transportation and land-use commissions to set goals and adopt policies that will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by cutting back on car and truck travel in the state. 1000 Friends of Oregon, the Oregon Environmental Council and Environment Oregon recommend increased funding for transit, rail and bicycle transportation.
In January, the Governor’s Climate Change Integration Group (CCIG) issued its final report, "A Framework for Addressing Rapid Climate Change." In the 116-page report, the task force of top state scientists and business leaders said Oregon should rapidly try to become a "low-carbon economy" that is environmentally sustainable and globally competitive. According to the report, transportation accounts for 34 percent of Oregon's GHG emissions. CCIG and the three environmental groups specifically recommended that the state's Oregon Task Force on Land Use Planning include climate change as a core issue in land-use planning.
Jeremiah Baumann, program director of Environment Oregon, said land-use patterns are crucial to the success of light rail and other transit options, which in turn reduce car and truck traffic. More densely developed housing, for example, provides ridership for light-rail systems. Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are unlikely to drop unless patterns of suburban sprawl change. "It's harder to reduce VMT if you don't do anything about land use," Baumann said.
Click on the following links for more information:
The Oregonian: Want to aid climate? Fix land use, groups say
The Register Guard: A new look at land use
State of Oregon: Final Report to the Governor, A Framework for Addressing Rapid Climate Change
Climate Change Affecting Trees, Streams in the West
According to a 55-page analysis of the most recent temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the American West is warming nearly twice as fast as the rest of the world. The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) found that for the five-year period 2003-2007, the average temperature in the Colorado River Basin was 2.2°F hotter than the historical average for the 20th Century. The temperature rise was more than twice the global average increase of 1.0°F during the same period. The average temperature increased 1.7°F in the entire 11-state western region.
In Yellowstone National Park, aerial photographs show vast orange-needled forests of whitebark pine that were green just three years ago. Colorado has started losing its lodgepole pine forests to a pine bark beetle infestation. Rocky Mountain snowpacks are melting earlier in spring, leaving warmer trout streams and less water for summer irrigation. As recently reported in EESI's Climate Change News, Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs are half-empty.
br /> RMCO report author Stephen Saunders said, “We are seeing signs of the economic impacts throughout the West. Since 2000 we have seen $2.7 billion in crop loss claims due to drought. Global warming is harming valuable commercial salmon fisheries, reducing hunting activity and revenues, and threatening shorter and less profitable seasons for ski resorts.” RMCO is a coalition of local governments, businesses and others working to protect the climate. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) funded and helped compile the report, entitled "Hotter and Drier: The West's Changed Climate."
Click on the following links for more information:
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Climate change affecting trees, streams in the West
The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization: West Heating Up Faster Than Rest of the United States
Natural Resources Defense Council: Press Release, American West Heating Nearly Twice as Fast as Rest of World, New Analysis Shows
Posted March 19, 2008
Climate Change Initiatives and Resources
Climate Changes: How Coastal Communities Can Plan and Adapt
Sea level rise, drought and flooding, invasive species that are harmful to humans and the environment—the list of potential impacts from climate change is long and can be overwhelming for local, regional, and state decision makers trying to plan for the future. A new guidebook that uses familiar planning resources and tools is designed to help states and communities across the country adapt to the changing climate.
American Institute of Architects’ 2030 Challenge
Sets a series of numerical targets and timeframes to eventually achieve carbon-neutral (using no fossil fuel greenhouse gas emitting energy) to operate buildings by 2030. The risks posed by climate change are real and its impacts are already being felt, says a paper presented today to the EU Summit in Brussels. "Climate Change and International Security," drawn up by EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and EU High Representative Javier Solana, paints a bleak picture of possible scenarios facing the world if climate change is left unchecked, noting it can lead to conflict over resources, border disputes, and environmentally-induced migration.
Members make a voluntary but legally binding commitment to meet annual greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
Calls for a 7% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2012.
Goal to have 25% percent of energy from renewable resources like wind, solar, and biofuels by the year 2025.
NACO's Green Government Database
A searchable database of county green programs, policies, plans, staff descriptions and a comprehensive resource on all things green for counties.
EU Report Warns of Climate Change Impact on International Security
"Climate change is best viewed as a threat multiplier which exacerbates existing trends, tensions and instability," says the report. "The core challenge is that climate change threatens to overburden states and regions which are already fragile and conflict prone."
The European Union is in a unique position to respond to the impacts of climate change on international security, given its leading role in development and global climate policy and the wide array of tools and instruments at its disposal.
To read the full report, please click HERE.
Posted March 18, 2008
Environment: 2009 Proposed Budget
The Bush Administration's proposed budget for FY09 represents a 26% decline in overall EPA funding since the Administration's first budget was enacted, when adjusted for inflation.
One hard hit area is resources for cleanup of contaminated toxic waste sites. This budget would represent a 16% decline in the total Superfund budget since FY 2002, when adjusted for inflation.
The budget would also cut $134.1 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Funds, which communities use to prevent water pollution.
The budget also proposes cutting $9.8 million from the Diesel Emissions Reduction Grant Program.
The budget also proposes to cut funding for several actions to curb global warming, including eliminating funding to implement a Greenhouse Gas Registry.
The President’s budget zeros out the Land and Water Conservation Fund Stateside Grant Program which is a state matching grants program divided among the states to be used to acquire land for parks and recreation purposes. These funds are raised through user fees, gas taxes, and oil and gas leases and are placed in a trust fund for this purpose.
Overall funding for the conservation programs at USDA is being reduced by nearly $450 million.
Energy: 2009 Proposed Budget
President Bush proposed the following for the FY09 energy budget:
The “Clean coal” technology, as well as nuclear power, biomass and geothermal energy do well in the President’s budget. Through the Advanced Energy Initiative ($3.1 billion, an increase of $624 million over FY08), the Coal Research Initiative receives a $123 million increase to $588 million over last year. Research funding for cleaner burning coal technologies receive $818 million overall, up from $581 million. Nuclear Power 2010, a “program which partners with private industry to demonstrate key regulatory approval processes to encourage investments in new, advanced nuclear plants in the United States,” is slated to grow from $137 to $241.5 million. The Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Initiative (Gen IV), a program of “multinational research and development projects in support of next generation nuclear reactors,” sees a decline from $115 million last year to $70 million in FY09.
Biomass programs designed to increase the effectiveness of celluslosic ethanol by 2012 see a 14 percent increase to $225 million. The Solar America Initiative sees a $12 million decrease to $156 million; while wind and geothermal see increases ($50 million to $53 million and $20 million to $30 million respectively). However, hydrogen technology efforts are cut from $211 million in 2008 to $146 million. The Administration’s budget also proposes eliminating the $227 million weatherization program.
While support in Congress continues to build to dedicate additional funding to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) program in FY08, the President’s budget moves to cut funding for the program down to $2 billion (including $300 million in emergency funding) from the $2.6 billion ($600 million in emergency funding) Congress allocated in FY08.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs — The President’s budget provides $1.3 billion for these programs, $467 million (27.1 percent) less than the $1.7 billion in funding for 2008. The President’s budget for 2008 also proposed cutting these programs by hundreds of millions of dollars. Cuts to these programs in the President’s budget for 2009 include:
- Solar Energy — The budget of $156 million is $12 million (7.1 percent) less than 2008.
- Hydrogen and Vehicle Technologies — The budget provides $367 million, $57 million (13.4 percent) less than the 2008 level.
- Weatherization and Intergovernmental Activities — The budget terminates the weatherization assistance program, which received $227 million for 2008.
- Strategic Petroleum Reserve — The budget provides $344 million, $157 million (84.0 percent) more than 2008. The reserve provides emergency oil in the event of a severe disruption in supply. Its storage capacity is 727 million barrels, and the President proposes to double capacity to 1.5 billion barrels by 2029. See Function 950 (Undistributed Offsetting Receipts) for information on how filling this new capacity will reduce government receipts.
- Fossil Energy Research and Development — The budget provides $754 million for fossil energy research and development for 2009, $11 million (1.5 percent) above the 2008 level. Within this program, the budget increases coal research and development to $624 million, which is $130 million (26.4 percent) more than the 2008 level.
- Nuclear Energy Research, Development, and Infrastructure — For 2009, the budget provides $854 million, $183 million (17.7 percent) less than the 2008 level of $1.0 billion.
** President Bush’s FY09 budget requests no funding for the recently-enacted Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program.**
Posted March 14, 2008
Webcast: America’s Energy Future
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and National Academy of Engineering (NAE) are hosting a two-day summit on energy issues, with presentations by U.S. government officials and other leading experts. The event will inform the upcoming study America's Energy Future: Technology Opportunities, Risks, and Tradeoffs.
Video Webcast (requires free Windows Media Player)
Audio only webcast (requires free RealPlayer)
To access the agenda, please click Summit Agenda.
To view the news release, please click News Release.
Other important links:
America's Energy Future project
What You Need to Know About Energy booklet
Energy Land Grab
March 2008
By JONATHAN WALTERS
From THE POTOMAC CHRONICLE
The feds want to run utility corridors right through state and local turf — without asking permission.
It's not unusual for Congress to run roughshod over states and localities in passing major legislation. But when a single provision in a bill hits states and localities hard twice, that's worth some attention.
So it is with a provision in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, a sweeping law written to address concerns about the country's insatiable appetite for energy. The law contained a section that has hit home to many state and local government interests only in the past year or so, but clearly has the potential to do two damaging things: It could create a dangerous precedent for federal preemption of state and local land use regulatory power, and it could work against state and local efforts to develop smarter, more conservation-minded and carbon-cutting approaches to energy use.
The provision extends to the U.S. Energy Department the authority to designate "national interest electric transmission corridors" — long, thick swaths that cut across jurisdictional boundaries, through cities, towns and counties, past one state border and into the next, representing the path of above-ground transmission lines that the department deems critical to continuous power flow.
The argument for giving the feds this authority was the traditional one used by regulated industries: that dealing with multiple state or local agencies could make it hard to act on pressing energy needs in a timely way.
When the provision passed, most observers assumed that states would have considerable say in the routing of the corridors. Now, however, the Energy Department asserts that it can draw the lines without any state or local input at all, and then bypass state or federal environmental review.
Besides the physical intrusion, critics of the provision argue that designating such massive rights of way will serve to skew the energy market toward aging Midwestern coal-fired facilities by, in essence, greasing approval of the infrastructure that supports them.
That's a dubious proposition at a time when many states and localities are vowing to curtail energy consumption and support the development of alternative sources. "We call the transmission lines 'coal by wire,'" says Liese Dart, of the Piedmont Environmental Council, which has filed suit in federal court challenging both the Energy Department's assertion of preemption powers and the claim to immunity from other federal environmental laws.
There were concerns expressed by state and local government groups while the bill was being marked up in 2005. But the opponents couldn't muster the clout to overcome utilities' support for the provision.
Now, however, that abstraction has become a hard reality, and state and local officials are up in arms over what they see as fairly brutal efforts to shove controversial power-line projects down their throats in the name of delivering dirty power.
The trigger for the escalating fight was the Department of Energy's designation last year of two corridors — one in the Southwest and one spanning the Mid-Atlantic region. Of the two, the Mid-Atlantic corridor has galvanized the most significant opposition, largely because of its scope. It is a serpentine monster covering 116,000 square miles from Ohio to Virginia.
In response to the designation, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine stated his hope that the federal government would "honor the historic and traditional right of the state to make these decisions." But hope and tradition are unlikely to be enough. In order to force the feds to honor historic rights, 15 state attorneys general have filed amicus briefs in support of the Piedmont Environmental Council's legal challenge.
While there is now growing sentiment in Congress to revisit the corridor provision — especially among delegations from the affected states — the Piedmont lawsuit will be a case worth tracking. That's true not only because of the pre-emption precedent but also because the new corridors could send a strong message regarding the direction of U.S. energy policy and the role that states and localities will have in shaping it in the coming years.
Now is the Time to 'Get Busy' on Nuclear Resurgence, Sessions Says
March 14, 2008
Written by: Jarret Adams
http://www.bizcentral.org/nuclear-energy-institute/2008/03/now-is-the-time-to-get-busy-on.php
"Time's a wastin' " was the repeated message guest speaker Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) imparted to attendees at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Regulatory Information Conference last week.
In remarks aimed at Congress, federal agencies and the nuclear industry itself, Sessions--who serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee--said the United States for too long has foregone pursuing nuclear energy as an important part of the answer to the growing need for a secure energy source to help meet the country's growing energy needs while meeting clean air goals.
Sessions said he hopes we will one day look back at the restart of the Browns Ferry plant last year as the starting point of a nuclear resurgence. He noted that his state has five operating reactors with applications submitted for two more.
"It's clear nuclear power ain't dead yet, as we might say in Alabama," Sessions said.
The lawmaker recounted the frustration he felt after touring the Bellefonte plant shortly after entering the Senate in 1997.
"That's a $4 billion facility," Sessions said. "It looks like you could walk into the control room and start it up. I couldn't help but think how much CO2, mercury, nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide has been emitted because that never started up. It's a great tragedy; and one that is replicated too often around the country."
Posted March 7, 2008
"EPA Seeks Public Comment on U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory"
For Release: (Washington, D.C. – Friday, March 7, 2008)
Contact: Roxanne Smith, (202) 564-4355 / smith.roxanne@epa.gov
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment on a draft annual report that analyzes sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The report, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2006, will be open for public comment for 30 days after the Federal Register notice is published.
The major finding in this year's draft report is that overall emissions during 2006 decreased by 1.5 percent from the previous year. This decrease was due primarily to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions associated with fuel and electricity consumption. Total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2006 were about 7,202million metric tons of CO2 equivalent. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. Overall, emissions have grown by 14.1 percent from 1990 to 2006 while the U.S. economy has grown by 59 percent over the same period.
The inventory tracks annual greenhouse gas emissions at the national level and presents historical emissions from 1990 to 2006. The inventory also calculates carbon dioxide emissions that are removed from the atmosphere by "sinks," e.g., through the uptake of carbon by forests, vegetation, and soils.
EPA prepares the annual report in collaboration with experts from multiple federal agencies. After responding to public comments, the U.S. government will submit the final inventory report to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, fulfilling its annual requirement as a party to this international treaty on climate change. The UNFCCC treaty, ratified by the United States in 1992, sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change.
Information on the draft report and how to submit public comments: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html
Posted March 6, 2008
"Water Resources Coalition Sends Letter to Budget Committees"
The Water Resources Coalition sends letter to the House and Senate Budget Committees regarding the funding shortage of the 2009 budget. Click HERE to access the letters.
Posted February 12, 2008
"Water Resources Coalition Calls 2009 Budget Inadequate"
The Water Resources Coalition's News Release regarding recently released 2009 budget. Click HERE to access the release.
Posted December 19, 2007
"Preparing for Climate Change: A Guidebook for Local, Regional and State Governments"
A comprehensive guide to the choices communities face in adapting to climate change. Click HERE to access the PDF report.
"Cities Preparing for Climate Change"
Includes case studies of London, New York, Boston, Halifax, Vancouver and Seattle/King County. Click HERE to access the PDF report.
"A Survey of Climate Change Adaptation Planning"
Click HERE to access the PDF report.
"Climate Change Impacts on the United States: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change"
The last comprehensive national look at climate change impacts in the U.S. Published in 2000 by the National Assessment Synthesis Team of the US Global Change Research Program. Click HERE to access the PDF report.
South Flordia Regional Planning Council's Climate Change Community Toolbox
Includes case studies and maps showing Miami-Dade County's vulnerabilities to sea-level rise. Click HERE to access the site.
APTA Releases Climate Change Report
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) recently released a study entitled Public Transportation’s Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Reduction. The research shows that when compared to other household actions that limit carbon dioxide (CO2); taking public transportation can be more than ten times greater in reducing this harmful greenhouse gas.
The research reveals:
*If one household’s driver gives up that second car and switches to public transit, a household can reduce its carbon emissions up to 30 percent.
*An individual switching to public transit can reduce their daily carbon emissions by 20 pounds; that’s more than 4,800 pounds in a year or 10 percent of a household’s carbon emission.
*That saves more carbon than weatherizing a home, adjusting a thermostat, switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs and replacing older appliances with higher efficiency models, combined.
This study was conducted for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) with funding provided through the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). The report was prepared by Science Applications International Corporation.
Does the Free Market Offer More Solutions to Global Warming than the Government?
Read one view point that supports the idea that the creative, free market process will offer more solutions to address global warming issues - from Real Clear Politics, "The Free Market Does it Better."
Senator Bernie Sanders: "Global Warming is Reversible"
Click here to read Senator Bernie Sander's (I-VT) opinion piece, "Global Warming is Reversible," which was featured in The Nation.
NARC Submits Comments on EPA's Proposed Air Quality Standard Change
Click HERE to review NARC's comments to EPA.
EPA Website for Proposed Air Quality Standard Changes
For all information pertaining to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone (NAAQS) standards proposal, please reference EPA's website, which contains the following:
- General Fact Sheets
- Regulatory Impact Analysis (and fact sheet summary)
- Public Hearing schedule
- Draft Proposed Rule with supporting technical documents
EPA Announces Field Hearings and Request for Public Comment on Air Quality Standards Proposal
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released two notices pertaining to the proposal to tighten the nation's air quality standards for ground-level ozone (the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone). They are as follows:
Announcement of Public Hearings
The EPA will hold five public hearings to be held for the proposed rule— “National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone.” The hearings will be held concurrently in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Los Angeles, California on Thursday, August 30, 2007 and concurrently in Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; and Houston, Texas on Wednesday, September 5, 2007.
The public hearings will begin each day at 9 a.m. and continue into the evening until 9 p.m. (local time) or later, if necessary, depending on the number of speakers wishing to participate.
If you would like to If you would like to present oral testimony at the hearings, please contact Ms. Tricia Crabtree at the address below:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
e-mail: crabtree.tricia@epa.gov – preferred method of contact
telephone: (919) 541–5688
The hearing schedules, including lists of speakers, will be posted on EPA’s Web site for the proposal at http://www.epa.gov/air/ozonepollution/actions.html prior to the hearings.
For more detailed information on the public hearings, please visit the Federal Register notice at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/ozone/data/frnotice_07-11-2007.pdf.
Request for Public Comment
The EPA solicits comment on specifying a cumulative, seasonal standard in terms of a 3-year average of the annual sums of weighted hourly concentrations; on the range of alternative 8-hour standard levels for which comment is being solicited for the primary standard, including retaining the current secondary standard, which is identical to the current primary standard; and on an alternative approach to setting a cumulative, seasonal secondary standard(s).
Written comments on this proposed rule must be received by October 9, 2007.
To submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2005–0172, please use one of the following methods:
· www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
· E-mail: a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov.
· Fax: 202–566–1741
· Mail: Docket No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2005–0172
Environmental Protection Agency
Mail code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460.
Please include a total of two copies.
· Hand Delivery: Docket No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2005–0172
Environmental Protection Agency
EPA West, Room 3334
1301 Constitution Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC
Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket’s normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for
deliveries of boxed information.
For more information on the request for comment on the proposed rule, general background information and submission directions, please visit http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/ozone/data/frnotice_07-11-07.pdf.
EPA Proposes Tighter Air Quality Standards for Ozone
On June 20, 2007, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson announced a proposal to strengthen the nation's air quality standards for ground-level ozone, revising the standards for the first time since 1997. The proposal is based on the most recent scientific evidence about the health effects of ozone -- the primary component of smog.
The proposal recommends an ozone standard within a range of 0.070 to 0.075 parts per million (ppm). EPA also is taking comments on alternative standards within a range from 0.060 ppm to the level of the current 8-hour ozone standard, which is 0.08 ppm. EPA will take public comment for 90 days following publication of the proposal in the Federal Register and will hold four public hearings -- Los Angeles and Philadephia on August 30 and Chicago and Houston on September 5.
EPA is also proposing to revise the "secondary" standard for ozone to improve protection for plants, trees and crops during the growing season. EPA is proposing two alternatives -- a standard that would be identical to the "primary" standard to protect public health and a cumulative standard aimed at protecting vegetation during the growing season.
EPA is estimating the health benefits of meeting a range of alternative ozone standards based on published scientific studies and the opinion of outside experts. These findings will be detailed in a Regulatory Impact Analysis to be released in the coming weeks, which will include both the estimated costs and benefits.
Click HERE to access EPA's 2007 Proposed Revisions to Ground-Level Ozone Standards.
Click HERE to read the Proposed Rule.
Click HERE to view a Fact Sheet.
As soon as the Federal Register published the proposed rule, NARC will be submitting comments and offers its coordination with members. Click HERE to learn more about how to properly comment on the proposed rule.
The Dotted Line for Air Quality
Proposed Transportation Conformity Rule for SAFETEA-LU Signed
On April 18, 2007, Ben Grumbles, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, signed the proposed transportation conformity rule to implement SAFETEA-LU in order to make the rule consistent with the Clean Air Act. The ruling is expected to be published in the Federal Register next week. View the signed version of the rule and get a fact sheet.
The Domino Effect
Guidebook Demonstrates Link between Policy and Air Quality
The Center for Clean Air Policy recently published Integrating Transportation, Energy Efficiency, and GHG Reduction Policies: A Guidebook for State and Local Policy Makers. The guidebook is designed to help state and local officials explore the extent to which policy decisions impact air pollution energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Read more information.
To Protect and Serve
Court Upholds EPA Authority to Regulate Motor Vehicle GHG Emissions
On April 2, 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new motor vehicles under the Clean Air Act. After first finding that the appellants had standing, the Court, in Massachusetts v. EPA, turned to address the key issues in the case: whether EPA has authority under Section 202(a)(1) of the Clean Air Act to regulate GHG emissions from new motor vehicles and, if so, whether EPA relied on permissible grounds in rejecting a petition calling for the agency to regulate these emissions. In the 5-4 decision, the Court said the statute contains a "sweeping definition" of air pollutant that "embraces all airborne compounds of whatever stripe," and carbon dioxide (CO2) and other GHGs "without a doubt" fit the statutory definition of "air pollutant" in the Act.
The Court rejected EPA’s contention that regulation of CO2 emissions from motor vehicles would require the agency to tighten fuel efficiency standards, which fall under the purview of the U.S. Department of Transportation. This "in no way licenses EPA to shirk its environmental responsibilities" – the obligations of the two agencies may overlap, "but there is no reason to think the two agencies cannot both administer their obligations and yet avoid inconsistency." Thus finding that GHGs clearly fall within the definition of "air pollutant," the Court then addressed whether EPA acted arbitrarily and capriciously in rejecting a petition calling for it to regulate GHG emissions from new motor vehicles. The Court found that EPA had so acted.
The Clean Air Act gives EPA discretion on regulating, but EPA "must ground its reasons for action or inaction in the statute," said the Court. Instead, EPA provided "a laundry list of reasons not to regulate ... [and] it is evident they have nothing to do with whether [GHG] emissions contribute to climate change." The Court said that if scientific uncertainty on global warming "is so profound it precludes EPA from making a reasoned judgment as to whether GHG emissions contribute to global warming, EPA must say so." That EPA prefers not to regulate because of some "residual uncertainty ... is irrelevant," the Court said. If EPA concludes that GHG emissions contribute to climate change and makes a finding of endangerment, then the agency’s only option appears to be, under the Court’s ruling, to regulate GHG emissions from new motor vehicles. The Court remanded the matter for further proceedings consistent with its opinion, thus sending the petition back to EPA for action. Read the full ruling.
A Solid Definition
EPA Accepting Comments for Solid Waste Revision
The Environmental Protection Agency is extending the comment period on the Proposed Revision to the Definition of Solid Waste, published in the Federal Register on March 26, 2007. In response to several requests, comments will now be accepted through June 25, 2007. A Federal Register Notice announcing the extension will be published shortly. More information is available online.
Scenes from the Paying for Sustainable Water Infrastructure Conference
Special Report by Mayor Ken Fallows
The "Paying for Sustainable Water Infrastructure Conference" held in Atlanta on March 20-24 was attended by more than 650 public officials and water professionals from 48 states and 8 foreign countries. Attendees divided themselves into tracks of specific interests to attend three and a half days of workgroups covering regional solutions, public/private partnerships, federal and state programs, economic implications, best management practices, and sustainable planning and management. Presenters from across the country who have been successful at developing and continuing water and wastewater infrastructure efficiency along with significant leaders of Federal and regional EPA water programs engaged in lively and enlightening interactive discussions over anticipating and meeting the challenges of the aging nationwide water and wastewater distribution and treatment infrastructure. Estimates exceeding $400 billion of repairs and replacements over the next 20 years coupled with declining will and ability at the national and state levels to supply grant and loan monies encourage local leaders to take proactive measures quickly to be able to continue to supply their constituents’ needs in the near and protracted future.
On a related note, efforts of NARC and its members to lobby for and emphasize the need for continued if not increased State Revolving Fund monies seem to be paying off as Congress, Administration, and Agency planning seem to be moving toward increased support for this successful program. Officials should continue to emphasize the effectiveness of these loan programs when talking with their contacts inside the Beltway. Questions or comments about this conference can be directed to Mayor Ken Fallows at kwf1@wcnet.org.
Yesterday President Bush announced a goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that is far less ambitious than S 2191 being discussed in the Senate. The president outlined principles he wants Congress to consider as it takes up climate change legislation and laid out a target for lowering emissions that he believes to be consistent with available technology and economic growth. He announced “a new national goal: to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.” Click HERE to read the President's full remarks.
Updated April 16, 2008
NARC and NEARC Send New England Congressional Delegation Energy Policy Letter
NARC and the New England Association of Regional Councils (NEARC) sent a letter to the entire New England Congressional delegation to solict support for energy policy recommendations that would benefit regional councils nationwide.
Updated April 9, 2008