Preview Newsletter
ACC PM Test 27/6/17
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(ACC Blog) California Housing Market Shortage Presents Opportunity for New Builders and SPF Insulation
Jun 27, 2017 | American Chemical Matters
By Lee Krinzman
Research from the past several months has shown a shortage in the California housing market, with home sales down 14 percent compared to the average month across the last 30 years. -
Industrial Sector Lauds Obama-Era Chemical Regulation
Jun 27, 2017 | Greater Baton Rouge Business Report
Here’s a switch: New Obama-era regulations are going into effect, and the regulated industry seems pretty happy about it. -
Green Biotech Enters Partnership to Advance the Infinite Recycling of Plastics
Jun 27, 2017 | LABIOTECH.eu
By Melanie de Almeida
French Carbios is looking to combat the limits of current thermo-mechanical recycling processes using an enzyme-based degradation process that paves the way to infinite recycling of PET. -
Pediatricians’ group ‘deeply alarmed’ at EPA’s pesticide decision
Jun 27, 2017 | The Hill E2 Blog
By Timothy Cama
A national group representing pediatricians says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put children at significant risk by refusing to restrict uses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. -
Calif. Dubs Roundup Chemical a Carcinogen
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Greenwire
Effective July 7, glyphosate, an herbicide and active ingredient in Monsanto Co.'s popular Roundup weed spray, will be listed as a carcinogen in California. -
(ACC Mentioned) Even Shale’s Secondary Effects Are Staggering
Jun 27, 2017 | The American Interest
Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal well drilling have given American companies access to vast new reserves of oil and gas, and have dramatically increased the production of hydrocarbons here in the United States. -
U.S. Supply Glut May End This Fall
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Energywire
Despite forecasts of cooler weather this summer, the supply glut weighing on the U.S. natural gas market could disappear by the fall, according to a new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. -
U.S. Shale Revolution Affects Plastics
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Energywire
The U.S. shale revolution has had a huge impact on the petrochemicals industry. -
Trump's Anti-NAFTA Stance at Odds with Industry
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Energywire
President Trump's threat to terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement has big implications for natural gas trade between the United States and Mexico. -
US Mayors Pass Resolution to Target 100% Renewable Energy by 2035
Jun 27, 2017 | Utility Dive
By Robert Walton
The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) on Monday approved a resolution supporting a 100% renewable energy goal by 2035, and launched the Ready for 100 campaign to support the utilization of more clean power. -
Ewire: EPA Touts Early Energy Enforcement Case
Jun 27, 2017 | Inside EPA
As the Trump administration talks up its effort to achieve energy “dominance” by promoting fossil fuel exports, EPA and other federal officials are touting a just-filed enforcement case against a Colorado oil drilling company as one of the first public actions against an energy company since the start of the administration. -
Deadline Looms for Major Cap-And-Trade Vote
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Climatewire
By Debra Kahn
Negotiations over the future of California's cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases are coming down to the wire, with Gov. Jerry Brown (D) seeking consensus among industry, business and all stripes of environmentalists. -
Dems Seek Probe of Alleged Pressuring of Scientist
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Greenwire
By Sean Reilly
Top Democrats on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee want an investigation into whether a top aide to U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt pressured the chairwoman of a key advisory panel to give misleading testimony at a hearing last month.
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Jun 27, 2017 | American Chemical Matters
By Lee Krinzman
Research from the past several months has shown a shortage in the California housing market, with home sales down 14 percent compared to the average month across the last 30 years. It’s not just California either. In the spring, the National Association of Realtors reported the supply of homes across the United States at the lowest level since the group began keep tabs on inventory almost 20 years ago.
Fewer homes on the market creates an opportunity for builders to distinguish themselves by ensuring their new homes are energy efficient and meet the needs and desires of today’s home buyers.
Building new homes means deciding what products and materials to use in the construction. And with the latest regional trade show, PCBC, starting this week, it’s a great time to focus on the benefits of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation. With building energy codes trending toward more energy efficiency over time, it’s more important than ever to look toward building materials that can help to meet these increasingly rigorous standards.
SPF is a high quality, versatile insulation product that can be added to a new home or installed during a renovation or retrofit job. It is a multi-purpose product that insulates and acts as an air barrier. Certain types of spray foam can act as a vapor barrier, weather barrier, or even as a sound barrier. SPF has been shown to reduce energy consumption needs, help prevent allergens and some sources of moisture from entering a building where it is applied, and provide additional building strength. SPF can do all of these things while offering design creativity and flexibility.
In fact, SPF was featured in one of the winners of this year’s U.S. Department of Energy’s Race to Zero Student Design Competition. The team from Georgia Tech, the first-place winner in the small multifamily housing contest, used SPF in their design.
You can find all this information and more on our newly redesigned WhySprayFoam.org.
So as we participate in this year’s PCBC, we’ll be answering questions and raising awareness about the benefits of using SPF and encouraging our friends and colleagues to visit the revamped WhySprayFoam.org.
The Spray Foam Coalition (SFC) was formed in December 2010 under the American Chemistry Council’s Center for Polyurethanes Industry (CPI).
https://blog.americanchemistry.com/2017/06/california-housing-market-shortage-presents-opportunity-for-new-builders-and-spf-insulation/
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Industrial Sector Lauds Obama-Era Chemical Regulation
Jun 27, 2017 | Greater Baton Rouge Business Report
Here’s a switch: New Obama-era regulations are going into effect, and the regulated industry seems pretty happy about it.
As Business Report details in a feature from its latest issue, former President Barack Obama signed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act last summer, with both Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California and Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana—a key sponsor—looking on approvingly.
The Lautenberg Act amends the Toxic Substance Control Act. It creates clear processes, authorities and timelines to give EPA, chemical manufacturers, retailers and the public more confidence in EPA decisions about chemical safety, says Edward Flynn, vice president for health, safety and security with the Louisiana Chemical Association.
Under the Lautenberg Act, widely used chemicals will undergo safety reviews, and the EPA will have to declare new chemicals safe before they hit the market.
The process has the potential to get bogged down in bureaucracy, but Flynn is hopeful it will work as Congress intended.
“Given the complexity and importance of making sure chemicals that are brought into commerce are deemed generally safe, that’s not something that can be rushed,” he says of the nascent legislation. “I want to see the process move forward as effectively and efficiently as possible, and I believe that’s the case.”
The original act’s chemical inventory didn’t distinguish between chemicals in use and those no longer produced, Flynn says. The new law requires EPA to focus on chemicals still being sold and used.
For existing chemicals deemed “high priority,” EPA is required to do a detailed risk evaluation based on factors like environmental exposure and risk to vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly. The agency might clear those chemicals for continued use, require additional safety measures—such as detailed labeling or handling instructions—or even issue an outright ban.
https://www.businessreport.com/article/industrial-sector-lauds-obama-era-chemical-regulation-2
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Green Biotech Enters Partnership to Advance the Infinite Recycling of Plastics
Jun 27, 2017 | LABIOTECH.eu
By Melanie de Almeida
French Carbios is looking to combat the limits of current thermo-mechanical recycling processes using an enzyme-based degradation process that paves the way to infinite recycling of PET. The annual production of PET, one of the most widely used components of plastic, is set to reach 100M tons in the next 10 years and Carbios is working to make its life cycle much more sustainable. Now, the green biotech has teamed up with TechnipFMC, a global player in the energy industry, to take its PET recycling process to the next scale.
Carbios’ technology hinges on enzymes, which are able to depolymerize all PET-containing plastics to yield monomers that can be used to regenerate virgin PET directly from plastic waste. “In the future, we expect to have enzymes for each type of polymer. So we could have an iterative process to recycle any type of plastic, without the need for sorting, and we can recover the monomers that interest us,” Emmanuel Maille, director of Strategy and Development at Carbios, told us in an interview.
Meanwhile, Carbios is also working on a process for the production of plastics made from biomass, alongside companies like Dutch Avantium, or Italian Bio-on. Yet, the current production capacity of bioplastics remains limited to below 1% of the total market, making Carbios’ recycling process a more tactile solution.
https://labiotech.eu/carbios-technipfmc-pet-recycling/
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Pediatricians’ group ‘deeply alarmed’ at EPA’s pesticide decision
Jun 27, 2017 | The Hill E2 Blog
By Timothy Cama
A national group representing pediatricians says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put children at significant risk by refusing to restrict uses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos.
In a letter Tuesday to EPA chief Scott Pruitt, the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with the Environmental Working Group, accused the EPA of ignoring its own findings that chlorpyrifos poses specific risks to children, infants and developing fetuses.
“We are deeply alarmed by EPA’s decision not to finalize the proposed rule to end chlorpyrifos uses on food — a decision that was premised on the need for further study on the effects of chlorpyrifos on children before finalizing a rule,” the two groups wrote to Pruitt.
“The risk to infant and children’s health and development is unambiguous,” they added. “The clear statutory language of the [Food Quality Protection Act] requires that EPA revoke tolerances in the face of uncertainty. EPA has no new evidence indicating that chlorpyrifos exposures are safe.”
The letter comes amid continued debate over the safety of chlorpyrifos, a controversial pesticide sold by Dow Chemical Co. that is used on crops like corn, almonds and cotton.
Pruitt in March denied a petition to ban its use on food crops, reversing the Obama administration, which proposed such restrictions in 2015. The EPA had previously found evidence of neurological harm and developmental problems from chlorpyrifos consumption, particularly in young children.
Dow and agricultural interest groups had pressed Pruitt to reject the petition.
Pruitt has defended his decision as being based on sound science.
“We based that decision like we base every decision. It was based on meaningful data, meaningful science,” he told a House Appropriations Committee panel earlier this month. “And it was a decision that we felt was merited based upon that and a collection of information we consider.”
But the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with the Environmental Working Group disagree, saying the scientific evidence clearly pointed in the opposition direction.
“Symptoms in people acutely overexposed to chlorpyrifos can range from runny noses and drooling to nausea, vomiting, headaches, muscle cramps, and even loss of coordination. Severe poisoning can cause unconsciousness, convulsions, difficulty breathing, paralysis and death,” they wrote in Tuesday's letter.
“EPA has consistently found that chlorpyrifos is not safe, particularly in regard to in-utero exposure and exposures to children,” they said, asking Pruitt to reverse his March decision.
“America’s children today and in the future deserve and demand no less.”
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/339609-pediatricians-group-deeply-alarmed-at-epas-pesticide-decision
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Calif. Dubs Roundup Chemical a Carcinogen
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Greenwire
Effective July 7, glyphosate, an herbicide and active ingredient in Monsanto Co.'s popular Roundup weed spray, will be listed as a carcinogen in California.
The company said it will fight the decision by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
The company has faced increasing challenges over glyphosate after the World Health Organization listed it as likely cancer-causing in 2015.
Arkansas is reviewing a different Monsanto weed killer for a possible ban.
Monsanto is appealing a court ruling that denied a request to block California's listing.
"This is not the final step in the process, and it has no bearing on the merits of the case. We will continue to aggressively challenge this improper decision," said Scott Partridge, Monsanto's vice president of global strategy (Karl Plume, Reuters, June 27). — NB
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/06/27/stories/1060056637
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(ACC Mentioned) Even Shale’s Secondary Effects Are Staggering
Jun 27, 2017 | The American Interest
Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal well drilling have given American companies access to vast new reserves of oil and gas, and have dramatically increased the production of hydrocarbons here in the United States. Since 2010, the U.S. has added roughly 5 million barrels of oil per day, and natural gas production is up roughly 33 percent over that same time period.
The effects of this energy revolution have been felt the world over—they’ve brought gasoline prices down for American drivers while remaking the global oil market. But here in the U.S., they’ve been an enormous boon to an industry most Americans are likely unfamiliar with: petrochemicals. As the WSJ reports, cheap petrochemical feedstocks (a byproduct of oil and gas drilling) are pushing the U.S. petrochemical industry to new heights:
The scale of the sector’s investment is staggering: $185 billion in new U.S. petrochemical projects are in construction or planning, according to the American Chemistry Council. Last year, expenditures on chemical plants alone accounted for half of all capital investment in U.S. manufacturing, up from less than 20% in 2009, according to the Census Bureau. […]
“It’s a tectonic shift in the hemispherical balance of who makes what to essentially feed the manufacturing sector,” said Dow Chief Executive Andrew Liveris, referring to the growth of production in the U.S. His company now plans to double down on its U.S. expansion with a $4 billion investment in a handful of projects over the next five years. […]
The new investment will establish the U.S. as a major exporter of plastic and reduce its trade deficit, economists say. The American Chemistry Council predicts it will add $294 billion to U.S. economic output and 462,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2025, though analysts say direct employment at plants will be limited due to automation.
That’s a lot of money, and it’s a staggering number of jobs. This is one of the unheralded consequences of this new energy renaissance that the U.S. finds itself in, and it’s creating a rosier economic outlook for years to come.
This big win for America has also produced a number of losers, namely Middle Eastern petrostates who in years past had looked to petrochemicals as an important industry to help them diversify away from simply pumping and exporting crude oil and natural gas. But thanks to cheap shale-sourced petrochemical feedstocks, the lion’s share of new investment money in the industry is heading the United States’ way. Once again, shale is lifting the U.S. up even as it puts petrostates in peril.
https://www.the-american-interest.com/2017/06/27/even-shales-secondary-effects-staggering/
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U.S. Supply Glut May End This Fall
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Energywire
Despite forecasts of cooler weather this summer, the supply glut weighing on the U.S. natural gas market could disappear by the fall, according to a new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Many forecasts show unusually cool weather this summer curbing gas consumption in the eastern United States.
But the report by BNEF gives bullish traders reason for optimism.
The report says inventories of power plant fuel may reach 3.4 trillion cubic feet by the end of October — the lowest since 2008 for that time of year.
"If we have low inventory and a normal winter, that basically sets up the stage for a bullish market in 2018," said Tai Liu, an analyst at BNEF (Collins/Malik, Bloomberg, June 23).
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/06/27/stories/1060056594
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U.S. Shale Revolution Affects Plastics
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Energywire
The U.S. shale revolution has had a huge impact on the petrochemicals industry.
The boom in drilling has lowered the prices for the primary ingredients that Dow Chemical Co. uses to manufacture tiny plastic pellets.
In turn, Dow has been able to export more of the pellets to Brazil, where they are reshaped into plastic pouches and filled with produce.
Dow now plans to complete new and expanded U.S. petrochemical facilities worth about $8 billion.
"It's a tectonic shift in the hemispherical balance of who makes what to essentially feed the manufacturing sector," said Dow CEO Andrew Liveris (Christopher Matthews, Wall Street Journal, June 25). — MJ
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/06/27/stories/1060056595
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Trump's Anti-NAFTA Stance at Odds with Industry
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Energywire
President Trump's threat to terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement has big implications for natural gas trade between the United States and Mexico.
Trump said in April that he would terminate NAFTA, which automatically authorizes natural gas trade between the two countries, unless he could get a "fair deal" for the United States.
If Trump follows through on his pledge, both the Mexican and American energy industries would be left in a vulnerable place.
More than a quarter of Mexico's electricity is powered by American natural gas. Meanwhile, American energy companies have accrued billions of dollars by selling natural gas to Mexico.
To emphasize just how crucial this energy relationship is, the American energy industry is lobbying Energy Secretary Rick Perry to uphold NAFTA.
"What we will do is reach out to our own Texan, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and bend his ear," said Steven Pruett, CEO of Elevation Resources, a Texas-based oil and gas company (Krauss/Ahmed, New York Times, June 26). — MJ
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2017/06/27/stories/1060056595
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US Mayors Pass Resolution to Target 100% Renewable Energy by 2035
Jun 27, 2017 | Utility Dive
By Robert Walton
--The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) on Monday approved a resolution supporting a 100% renewable energy goal by 2035, and launched the Ready for 100 campaign to support the utilization of more clean power.
--The group of more than 250 U.S. mayors also passed resolutions to support vehicle electrification, energy efficiency grants and city-driven plans to reverse climate change.The resolutions are symbolic and represent statements of intent for city planning and work with federal and state governments.
--Interest in renewables is already running high in cities: A joint survey by USCM and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions found almost 70% of responding cities already generate or purchase some clean energy, more than 20% are considering the option, and more than 60% are buying low-emissions vehicles for fleets.
The United States has withdrawn from the United Nations climate accord, but the U.S. Conference of Mayors believes its members can meet or exceed the national commitment, highlighting the local level at which clean energy policies must actually be enacted.
Yesterday at the USCM's conference in Florida, leaders from more than 250 cities voted in support of a resolution to move toward 100% renewable energy by 2035. Though symbolic, the mayors framed it and other environmental measures as statements of intent.
“By approving this historic measure, we are showing the world that cities and mayors can and will lead the transition away from fossil fuels to 100% clean, renewable energy,” Columbia, S.C., Mayor Steve Benjamin (D) said in a statement.
According to analysis by Sierra Club, if cities belonging to the USCM moved to 100% clean energy, "it would reduce electric sector carbon emissions by more than that of the five worst carbon polluting U.S. states combined."
If the 100% energy targets were achieved by 2025, the environmental group said the total electric sector carbon pollution reductions would "fill anywhere from 87% to 110% of the remaining reductions the United States would need to achieve in order to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement."
Those are steep goals unlikely to be achieved by 2025, but the resolution shows how governments at different levels are redoubling efforts on climate change, particularly in the wake of President Trump's decision to leave the Paris accord.
About three dozen U.S. cities have already committed to transition to 100% renewable energy, Sierra Club noted.
Earlier this month, a dozen states and Puerto Rico formed the U.S. Climate Alliance and committed to reducing emissions 26% or 28% from 2005 levels, while meeting or exceeding the targets of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan.
The states, led by Washington, New York and California, committed to upholding their end of the United Nations Paris climate accord.
Trump argued that the the Paris agreement is a "bad deal for Americans" that "disadvantages the United States at the exclusive advantage of other countries." The accord was signed by President Obama and aims to limit global warming to 2°C this century, translating into an 80% economywide decarbonization for the U.S. by 2050.
But green energy supporters say that in addition to cleaner air and water, the shift can also fuel jobs growth. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said his city is shifting to clean energy "not only because it supports clean air and water, but because it supports our 21st century economy."
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/us-mayors-pass-resolution-to-target-100-renewable-energy-by-2035/445894/
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Ewire: EPA Touts Early Energy Enforcement Case
Jun 27, 2017 | Inside EPA
As the Trump administration talks up its effort to achieve energy “dominance” by promoting fossil fuel exports, EPA and other federal officials are touting a just-filed enforcement case against a Colorado oil drilling company as one of the first public actions against an energy company since the start of the administration.
The move, coming on the eve of a speech by President Donald Trump to call for scaling back regulations and increasing production to achieve energy “dominance,” suggests the officials are seeking to counter criticisms that the administration is too close to the fossil fuel sector.
According to the Denver Post, EPA and state health officials June 26 filed a complaint targeting PDC Energy, one of the state's largest oil and gas drillers, alleging the company illegally emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs), an ozone precursor, from tanks north of Denver that contributed to the state's exceedances of federal ozone limits.
Pruitt was quoted in a statement signaling that the agency plans to take a tough approach to enforcing environmental requirements. “Violations of environmental law will be pursued and punished,” Pruitt said in a prepared statement. “We will work with our federal, state and local partners to punish those that violate the laws to the detriment of human health and the environment.”
And an EPA official told the Washington Examiner that it was the “first enforcement action taken against an oil driller to be made public in Pruitt's time as administrator.”
And Jeff Wood, the acting assistant attorney general for environment and natural resources, also promised tough enforcement against facilities. "Violating emissions standards endangers public health and can give violators an unfair advantage in the marketplace," he said in the statement.
The messaging appears aimed at countering criticisms that Pruitt and other administration officials are working to roll back environmental rules to benefit their allies in the fossil energy sector. Democrats like Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), ranking Democrat on the Senate environment committee, regularly inveigh against Pruitt for his efforts while Oklahoma Attorney General on behalf of Devon Energy.
For example, in a May 20 letter to Pruitt, Carper raised concerns over a New York Times report that Devon Energy, the target of the ongoing enforcement action, reversed its willingness to monitor and correct alleged Clean Air Act violations at a Wyoming facility five days after Pruitt took over EPA.
Such concerns have also spilled over into confirmation proceedings for top EPA nominees. For example, Carper raised concerns that the Trump administration's support for fossil fuels could stymie efforts by Susan Bodine, EPA's enforcement chief nominee, to pursue actions against violators -- even though her past experience at EPA and in Congress would be “helpful” if she wins confirmation.
“The question is would the folks that she reports to actually allow her part of EPA to enforce. That is the question,” he told Inside EPA.
https://insideepa.com/daily-feed/ewire-epa-touts-early-energy-enforcement-case
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Deadline Looms for Major Cap-And-Trade Vote
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Climatewire
By Debra Kahn
Negotiations over the future of California's cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases are coming down to the wire, with Gov. Jerry Brown (D) seeking consensus among industry, business and all stripes of environmentalists.
Bill language currently taking shape in Sacramento would extend the system through 2030, but it would significantly adjust the program with a firm price ceiling and limits on carbon offsets.
Brown is seeking a two-thirds vote in order to insulate the program from legal challenges. While he has a Democratic supermajority, lawmakers are wary of voting for anything that could be tied to energy price hikes, after they approved a 12-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase in April. One freshman senator in Southern California is facing a recall campaign over his vote; that has spooked other lawmakers.
"There are going to be lots of folks who will try to say any deal here is going to translate into a gas tax, effectively," said Nico van Aelstyn, a partner at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP who represents emitters as well as companies that have developed carbon offset projects.
Two versions of the language released last week would start the maximum allowance price at $55 and $63 per ton, respectively — far higher than lawmakers had initially proposed in May. Both versions would reduce the amount of carbon offsets that businesses can use in place of allowances, from 8 percent of their total emissions to 6 percent.
Mainstream environmentalists are disheartened by the inclusion of a firm price ceiling, which means the system could create more allowances when prices hit the highest level, potentially allowing businesses to exceed the 2030 target of 40 percent below 1990 emissions levels.
"We are really focused on trying to maintain the integrity of the cap and ensure that California can reach its ambitious climate targets," said Erica Morehouse, of the Environmental Defense Fund.
The language that emerged late last week would also set up a monitoring system for conventional pollutants and give the state Air Resources Board sole authority over greenhouse gases from stationary sources, rather than local air districts.
Dealing with conventional pollutants is seen as a crucial concession and is meant to win over lawmakers and environmental justice groups that argue that cap and trade has not resulted in enough direct reductions in poor neighborhoods.
Brown's office has been holding talks around the language with a wide swath of groups but is not endorsing any specific provisions.
"As part of the process during negotiations like this, language from a number of different parties is regularly circulated to see where we can find common ground," spokesman Evan Westrup said in an email. "Our goal is to reach an agreement and that means facilitating the exchange of ideas and language."
Industry and Brown's administration are hoping to reach a deal soon. The Air Resources Board had been planning to vote this week on changes to the program after 2020, including amendments that would specify how many free allowances industry can depend on through 2030. But it has delayed the vote out of deference to lawmakers.
But ARB cannot postpone indefinitely. Under state administrative law, proposed rules cannot be out for consideration longer than one year, so the agency must vote on the amendments by late August in order to avoid restarting the rulemaking process. The Legislature goes into recess July 21.
"Members of the Legislature are being pretty close to the chest right now, which tells me they're in the backroom seeing what they can get," van Aelstyn said.
https://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2017/06/27/stories/1060056630
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Dems Seek Probe of Alleged Pressuring of Scientist
Jun 27, 2017 | E&E Greenwire
By Sean Reilly
Top Democrats on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee want an investigation into whether a top aide to U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt pressured the chairwoman of a key advisory panel to give misleading testimony at a hearing last month.
"Attempting to interfere with or obstruct the testimony of any individual to the U.S. Congress is a matter that should be taken extremely seriously," ranking member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) and two other members wrote in a letter yesterday asking EPA's inspector general to probe allegations that Ryan Jackson, chief of staff to Pruitt, improperly asked Deborah Swackhamer, chairwoman of EPA's Board of Scientific Counselors, to change her prepared testimony on the status of nine board members whose three-year terms were expiring.
In her prepared testimony, Swackhamer, a retired professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Minnesota, said Pruitt had "recently not renewed" the nine for a second term. According to an email exchange cited in the Democrats' letter, however, Jackson asked her beforehand to instead say that the renewal decision had "'not yet been made.'"
In reality, the acting head of EPA's Office of Research and Development had been told two weeks earlier that the nonrenewal decision had been made, Johnson wrote in the letter.
"It seems Mr. Jackson wanted Dr. Swackhamer to reiterate a public relations message that was not factually accurate," Johnson wrote in asking Inspector General Arthur Elkins to probe whether any federal laws or regulations were violated as a result. Also signing the letter were Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Don Beyer (D-Va.), ranking members on the Environment and Oversight subcommittees, respectively.
The alleged episode was first reported late yesterday by The New York Times. The IG's office is reviewing the Democrats' request, spokesman Jeffrey Lagda said this morning.
Jackson, a former aide to Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), did not reply to an emailed request for comment this morning. In a statement, EPA spokeswoman Amy Graham said that "it is customary for the office of general counsel and the chief of staff to provide guidance to an EPA employee testifying in front of Congress, including the importance of providing factual information and to clarify if they are speaking as an individual, rather than on behalf of the agency."
Swackhamer, who apparently did not change her testimony, did not reply to phone and email messages today. She testified at the May 23 hearing, titled "Expanding the Role of States in EPA Rulemaking," at the request of Science Committee Democrats; another question posed by Johnson in yesterday's letter was how Jackson allegedly obtained an advance copy of Swackhamer's embargoed testimony.
In a separate letter yesterday to Pruitt, Johnson and the other Democrats wrote that Swackhamer had made it "exceptionally clear" in her testimony that she was speaking only as a scientific expert and not representing EPA. "We hope that you take these issues seriously and we expect that you will ensure that none of your senior staff attempts to interfere with the personal communications or testimony of environmental experts in their private capacity as scientists in the future," they said.
At a Senate Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee hearing this morning, Pruitt told Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) he hadn't read the Times article but would provide any documents to the subcommittee regarding the incident. In addition, the EPA chief pledged that the agency would give accurate information to Congress.
"Without question," Pruitt said. "Any information regarding this matter we will provide to you."
The Board of Scientific Counselors is charged with advising EPA on its research and development programs. Members, who are named by the EPA administrator, are customarily appointed to two consecutive three-year terms. Since last month, however, Pruitt has opted against renewing the terms of more than three dozen others whose appointments expire later this summer. While Graham last week said those members are welcome to reapply, the moves have sparked accusations from congressional Democrats and some former members that Pruitt is seeking to make room for industry representatives.
In a Federal Register notice published today, EPA also opened a 30-day window for nominations to two other influential panels: the Science Advisory Board and the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC).
In a news release late yesterday, Pruitt said he strongly encouraged "scientific viewpoints from a full range of stakeholders in order to achieve balanced scientific advice."
The release noted, however, that the CASAC, which is mainly responsible for advising EPA on possible changes to the air quality standards for ozone and other major pollutants, has never been asked to provide information "on adverse social, economic or energy effects" related to the standards as its charter allows.
"Moving forward, EPA will ensure the CASAC addresses this serious deficiency and fulfills its complete duties, as spelled out by legislative statute," the release said.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2017/06/27/stories/1060056664
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