Preview Newsletter
ACC PM 01/08/18
-
(ACC Mentioned) Podcast: Chemistry Caught in the Crossfire
Aug 1, 2018 | Center for Strategic and International Studies
By Scott Miller, Bill Reinsch, H. Andrew Schwartz, and Ed Brzytwa
In this episode, the Trade Guys welcome another special guest. -
EPA’s Wheeler Gets Warmer Welcome at Senate Hearing
Aug 1, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Timothy Cama
Senators of both parties gave acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Andrew Wheeler a notably warmer welcome Wednesday compared with how they treated his predecessor. -
Wheeler Jokes with Senators, Talks Policy
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Kevin Bogardus
Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler sat down for his first congressional hearing as head of the agency this morning. -
Wheeler Vows to Continue Deregulatory Agenda 'Post Haste'
Aug 1, 2018 | PoliticoPro - Whiteboard
By Anthony Andragna
Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler today vowed to continue the aggressive agenda of his predecessor Scott Pruitt while striking a conciliatory tone toward the mission of his agency. -
Senate OKs First Interior-EPA Bill in Years
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By George Cahlink
The Senate backed its first spending bill for EPA, the Interior Department and other environment-related agencies in nearly a decade, paving the way for potentially contentious negotiations over a final version of the legislation with the House. -
White House Nominating New Science Adviser with Extreme-Weather Background
Aug 1, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Miranda Green
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night his plans to nominate a new White House science and technology adviser with a background in extreme weather events. -
Senate Committee Approves Trump Environmental Nominees Without Support of Democrats
Aug 1, 2018 | ThinkProgress
By Mark Hand
In party-line votes, a Senate committee on Wednesday voted to approve three top Trump environmental nominees, allowing their nominations to head to the full Senate for a vote. -
Furniture Group to Seek ‘Waiver’ from San Francisco Flame Retardant Ban
Aug 1, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Leigh Stringer
The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (Bifma) says it plans to apply for a ‘waiver’ for electronics products covered by San Francisco’s recently introduced ban on flame retardants. -
Ewire: EPA Gears Up for Attack on Obama-Era Methane Rules
Aug 1, 2018 | Inside EPA
As EPA is putting the finishing touches on its proposal to aggressively roll back Obama-era vehicle greenhouse gas standards, the agency is also crafting a plan that would scrap Obama-era methane standards for the oil and gas sector, according to a news report. -
Wheeler: Climate Rule Proposal Public Within 2 Months
Aug 1, 2018 | PoliticoPro - Whiteboard
By Emily Holden
EPA's draft replacement to the Clean Power Plan will be out within the next two months, acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler told lawmakers today. -
Artificial Intelligence Has Its Sights Set on America's Oil and Gas Fields. Here's What to Expect.
Aug 1, 2018 | Environmental Defense Fund
By Evan Patrick
Large swaths of Wyoming are being developed today by extractive industries eager to tap into the state’s rich deposits of coal and natural gas. -
3 Emerging LNG Markets
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Energywire
By Nathanial Gronewold
China's not the only nation that's thirsty for rising exports of U.S. natural gas. -
DHS Center Takes Aim at 'Sea Change' in Cyberthreats
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Energywire
By Blake Sobczak and Peter Behr
Top Trump administration officials unveiled a cybersecurity center yesterday aimed at countering threats to America's most critical computer networks. -
Grid Leaders Clear the Air Around Russian Hacking
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Energywire
By Blake Sobczak
A wind power generator fell into Russia-linked hackers' crosshairs last year, but the attackers never managed to put the wider U.S. grid at risk, officials confirmed yesterday at a Department of Homeland Security cybersecurity conference here. -
U.S. Senate Must Act Quickly to Get Freight Rail Reforms Moving
Aug 1, 2018 | Daily Herald
By Mark A. Biel
U.S. chemical production is surging, helping to power our economy and our country. However, widespread problems with America's freight rail system threaten to derail this progress. -
House Democrat Calls Curbelo Carbon Tax Bill 'Missed Opportunity'
Aug 1, 2018 | Inside EPA
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), who co-founded the bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus in 2016 with Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) is calling newly introduced carbon tax legislation floated by Curbelo “a missed opportunity” for producing bipartisan carbon pricing legislation. -
State Regulators Blast EPA's 'Good Neighbor' Stance
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Sean Reilly
Regulators from Northeastern states today faulted EPA's plan to address "good neighbor" requirements for its 2008 ground-level ozone standard, saying the agency relied on overly rosy modeling and failed to account for the potential impact of Trump administration regulatory rollbacks already in the works. -
Adding Up the Cost of Climate Change in Lost Lives
Aug 1, 2018 | The Wall Street Journal
By Greg Ip
Scorching heat waves have gripped the world in recent weeks from the Pacific Northwest to Northern Europe and, most tragically, Japan, where more than 100 mostly elderly people have died.
Industry and Association News
LCSA News - There are no clips to report at this time.
Chemical Management News
Energy News
Chemical Security News
Transportation and Infrastructure News
Environment News
-
(ACC Mentioned) Podcast: Chemistry Caught in the Crossfire
Aug 1, 2018 | Center for Strategic and International Studies
By Scott Miller, Bill Reinsch, H. Andrew Schwartz, and Ed Brzytwa
In this episode, the Trade Guys welcome another special guest. Ed Brzytwa is the director of international trade at the American Chemistry Council and a former United States Trade Representative negotiator. He joins the Trade Guys in the studio to talk about how the trade war is affecting both producers and consumers of chemical products— everything from plastics, to cosmetics, to liquified natural gas. Hosted by H. Andrew Schwartz and produced by Yumi Araki at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
For Full Podcast Recording:
https://www.csis.org/podcasts/trade-guys
-
EPA’s Wheeler Gets Warmer Welcome at Senate Hearing
Aug 1, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Timothy Cama
Senators of both parties gave acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Andrew Wheeler a notably warmer welcome Wednesday compared with how they treated his predecessor.
While pushing him on their policy differences with the Trump administration, senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee were glad to have former EPA head Scott Pruitt gone and made it clear to Wheeler.
“I’m encouraged that there will be a number of differences between Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Pruitt and the way they approach this important leadership role,” Sen. Tom Carper (Del.), the panel’s top Democrat, said at the hearing.
“I don’t expect to hear as much as a peep from Mr. Wheeler today about used mattress shopping, Chik-fil-A franchises or fancy moisturizers,” Carper continued, eliciting laughs about the scandals that pushed Pruitt out less than a month ago.
“But what we do need to hear from Mr. Wheeler today is how he plans to differentiate himself from Mr. Pruitt across a range of environmental policies that are far more consequential.”
Carper offered Wheeler a gift: a bottle of Diet Coke from the Senate cafeteria with the name “Wheeler” on it. Wheeler collects Coca-Cola memorabilia.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the committee’s chairman, was so happy with Wheeler that he called on Trump to nominate him for confirmation to the post.
“I would encourage President Trump to nominate Mr. Wheeler to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Wheeler is very qualified for that position,” Barrasso said.
“I believe Andrew Wheeler would make an excellent administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency.”
Some of Pruitt’s fiercest opponents expressed gratitude at his departure and at Wheeler’s ascension.”
“I viewed your predecessor’s tenure as one characterized by tawdry personal behavior in office, a desire to do damage to the agency that he led, a flagrant absence of transactional integrity and horrible environmental policies. And I see a remedy to three of those four. So in that sense, I welcome you,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
The hearing, Wheeler’s first since his confirmation as deputy administrator in April, was a sort of homecoming for Wheeler. He previously worked for the Environment Committee under Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) for 14 years before he left to work at a lobbying firm.
Wheeler told the lawmakers that he plans to largely continue to carry out Pruitt’s policy agenda, while making changes in areas like process and transparency.
“As you can see, we are continuing the president’s agenda post haste,” Wheeler told the senators. “The combination of regulatory relief and the president’s historic tax cuts continues to spur economic growth across the country, particularly the communities that were previously and wrongly ignored and forgotten.”
While lawmakers were generally friendler to Wheeler than they were to Pruitt, they nonetheless weren’t afraid to press him on policy differences.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) became animated when he asked Wheeler about car fuel economy and emissions standards, which the EPA will soon propose to roll back.
Markey framed the issue as being driven by the oil industry, afraid to lose sales when cars get more efficient.
“The oil industry is scared to death that the billions of barrels of reserves that they are claiming on their balance sheets to the Securities and Exchange Commission will end up as so-called stranded assets,” Markey said.
He pushed Wheeler to acknowledge estimates that rolling back the rules would increase fuel costs and oil consumption.
“Do you agree that freezing the standards at 2020 levels would mean would consumers would pay more to fill up their gas tanks than the current standards,” Markey asked.
Wheeler said he did not know, but consumers would save $500 billion from cars being cheaper.
Some Midwestern senators were angry that Wheeler is continuing Pruitt’s policy under the federal ethanol mandate of granting waivers to small refineries.
“You’ve taken care of the small refineries. What about the small farmers,” asked Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)
“What about the folks who are producing on a year to year basis just enough to get by at a time when we’ve got trade issues in front of us, at a time when they’re expecting that the [renewable fuel standard] would be honored by the federal government that we made several years ago,” he continued.
Wheeler said EPA is working to improve transparency on refinery waivers and trying to determine what it can do to make up for the biofuel volume that gets waived.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/399883-epas-wheeler-gets-warmer-welcome-at-senate-hearing
-
Wheeler Jokes with Senators, Talks Policy
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Kevin Bogardus
Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler sat down for his first congressional hearing as head of the agency this morning.
Appearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Wheeler faced a number of policy questions about how he plans to run EPA. He took over last month after Scott Pruitt resigned under heavy scrutiny for alleged excessive spending and misuse of his office.
Senators expressed relief that instead of asking Pruitt about his various scandals, they were greeted with a familiar face in Wheeler, who had served as the panel's staff director in the past.
"I'm even more pleased that our acting administrator is sitting in front of us instead of his predecessor," said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the committee's ranking member. He noted that he read a report that Wheeler likes to collect Coca-Cola memorabilia and offered a bottle of the soft drink with the word "Wheeler" printed on it.
"You will probably need something stronger before we're finished," Carper joked.
"Thank you for the Coke. I need to clear it with our ethics in-house, but thank you," Wheeler would later say to the lead Democrat, garnering laughs from the hearing's attendees. "I will buy it off you if I have to."
Carper praised Wheeler for the change of tack at EPA from Pruitt's management of the agency, including posting daily calendars, inviting the press to cover EPA events and a renewed respect for career staff. He pushed Wheeler, however, to also reverse Pruitt's environmental policies, which observers expect the new acting chief to carry on.
Wheeler may one day assume the EPA post permanently, if nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate.
At the start of today's hearing, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the committee's chairman, encouraged the president to nominate Wheeler for administrator. He said he has been impressed by Wheeler's actions so far and that he is well-qualified for the job.
"I believe Andrew Wheeler would make an excellent administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency," Barrasso said.
Barrasso would later ask Wheeler to address what had been a main sticking point during his confirmation process over the past year to be deputy EPA administrator — his lobbying past at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP.
The chairman noted that Wheeler had met with some of his former lobbying clients. E&E News reported last week that Wheeler had at least three meetings with past clients since he joined EPA in April as its deputy chief (Greenwire, July 26).
Wheeler said he was committed to following Trump's ethics pledge and other ethics regulations. He also said he had not met past clients one-on-one that he worked with during the two years prior to him joining EPA. He noted other clients had gone to widely attended speeches by him, not solo meetings, which should be in line with ethics rules.
"I cannot control people who attend a public speech," Wheeler said.
The acting EPA chief took opportunities during today's hearing to hit a familiar theme for the Trump administration — rollbacks of environmental rules as relief to industry. Wheeler touted "certainty" as how he wants to approach EPA's rulemaking.
"My solution is to provide more certainty not just to the regulated economy but the American people, too," Wheeler said.
Wheeler also faced several questions regarding the Trump administration's plans to reverse tougher Obama-era clean car standards. Carper said the administration was considering a "lose-lose-lose" proposal that will result in more pollution.
"The largest source of air pollution in our country today is not coal-fired utilities, it is not manufacturers, it's not cement plants, it's mobile sources. If you were presented a proposal that both the auto industry and the state of California — and 12 states aligned with them — could support, would you welcome such a compromise?" Carper asked.
Wheeler replied he would welcome a compromise and noted the agency was taking comments on proposals that ranged from a flatline approach to those proposed by President Obama, "with a number of steps in between."
"Could we assume if there was such a deal, essentially a 50-state deal, that there would be no effort to pre-empt California?" Carper asked.
Wheeler replied that both his and the administration's goal was to have a 50-state solution and they did not want an answer that would "necessitate pre-empting" California.
"However, it's important there are a number of goals in the proposal. There are important goals on highway safety. So we have to make sure those are met. The proposal will save 1,000 lives per year, which I think is very important we maintain that in the final regulation that goes forward," Wheeler said.
Carper stated that automakers in his state were unanimously asking for more predictability and certainty and would accept more rigorous standards as long as they would not be spending years in court battles.
Wheeler was also pressed on the renewable fuel standard. The biofuel mandate proved troublesome for Pruitt, especially after he granted waivers to refiners from the RFS, which whittled away at Republican support for the last EPA chief.
Today, farm-state Republicans on the panel asked for Wheeler to open up the process, showing it will remain a concern for the acting administrator.
"You have taken care of the small refiners, but you haven't taken care of the small farmers," said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.).
Wheeler responded, "We're looking at what we can do to not only provide more flexibility in the program but assistance to the agricultural community."
Other senators pushed Wheeler on their own parochial interests at this morning's hearing. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) asked Wheeler if EPA would continue to support the federal role in the Chesapeake Bay cleanup program.
Wheeler said it remains "a high priority," noting he planned to meet with leaders involved with the program next week, and he even lives in an area affected by the body of water.
"I don't consider that a conflict, so you can do whatever you want to protect our bay," Cardin said.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) asked Wheeler if he could commit to submitting EPA's proposal to ban methyl chloride — a deadly chemical used in paint strippers — to the Office of Management and Budget within two weeks. Wheeler wouldn't commit to that timeline but did offer, "We are trying to move it forward quickly as we can."
In response to questions from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Wheeler defended EPA's enforcement program, saying its numbers are beginning to improve after Susan Bodine took charge last December as enforcement chief. Enforcement figures had lagged during Pruitt's tenure.
Whitehouse made note of Wheeler's industry ties and appealed for him to consider climate change, given the impact it is having on the coastline of his state of Rhode Island. Please take into account the concerns of "those who will have to redraw the maps," Whitehouse said.
Prior to its hearing with Wheeler, the committee approved several of Trump's nominees, including his pick to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality and two EPA officials (see related story).
Reporter Niina Heikkinen contributed.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2018/08/01/stories/1060091869
-
Wheeler Vows to Continue Deregulatory Agenda 'Post Haste'
Aug 1, 2018 | PoliticoPro - Whiteboard
By Anthony Andragna
Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler today vowed to continue the aggressive agenda of his predecessor Scott Pruitt while striking a conciliatory tone toward the mission of his agency.
"We haven’t slowed down and we haven’t missed a step," he told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "We’re continuing the president’s agenda post haste."
EPA has halted or sought to reverse Obama-era rules on climate change and air and water pollution since President Donald Trump came into office. Wheeler vowed the push would not let "polluters off the hook" nor would he mandate certain permits be deemed approved after a certain period of time lapsed. He also praised the agency's mission and its staff.
"I believe in this agency, I believe in its mission and I believe in its personnel," Wheeler said.
His opening remarks were briefly interrupted by three protesters who held up signs reading "Pruitt Puppet." They were then escorted out.
https://subscriber.politicopro.com/energy/whiteboard
-
Senate OKs First Interior-EPA Bill in Years
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By George Cahlink
The Senate backed its first spending bill for EPA, the Interior Department and other environment-related agencies in nearly a decade, paving the way for potentially contentious negotiations over a final version of the legislation with the House.
The Senate this afternoon voted 92-6 for a $152.4 billion minibus, containing the fiscal 2019 Interior-EPA, Agriculture, Transportation-Housing and Urban Development, and Financial Services-General Government spending bills (E&E Daily, June 7; E&E News PM, May 24; Greenwire, June 7; E&E News PM, June 19).
It's the first time since fiscal 2010 that the Senate debated and advanced an Interior-EPA measure without negotiating it as part of a year-end omnibus spending package behind closed doors.
Approval came after the Senate adopted a package of 58 amendments last night, including ones expanding federal efforts aimed at fighting lead in drinking water, combating algae blooms and requiring the Transportation Department to report on developing "intelligent" transportation systems (E&E Daily, Aug. 1).
A proposed amendment to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund was not included, despite some bipartisan backing.
All told, the Senate approved fewer than 20 percent of the more than 280 amendments introduced.Heading to conference
The legislation will now head to conference with the House, which passed its version of an Interior-EPA spending bill last month that contains similar spending levels but also add-on policy riders the Senate avoided (Greenwire, July 19).
The Senate's $35.9 billion proposal for Interior, EPA and other environment agencies is about $600 million higher than the House version. The Senate would maintain current EPA spending of $8.1 billion while matching the House's cut of $200 million for Interior to $13.1 billion.
"We're going to have to deal with our colleagues on the other side, the House of Representatives, as we move into conference. But you can't get to conference until you've take the first step" by passing the bill, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who chairs the Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee.
Murkowski said the bill was able to move after years of setbacks because of a bipartisan truce to avoid attaching contentious policy riders. She acknowledged both parties had to drop some proposed amendments to get the legislation passed.
Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico, Murkowski's Democratic Appropriations counterpart, said the bipartisan support for the minibus sends a strong message ahead of talks with the House.
"Unfortunately, there are still scores of riders in the House bill," Udall said. "We are as a body telling the House we will reject those poison pill riders once again."
While the House is on recess until September, staff-level negotiations over spending are expected during August to give lawmakers a chance to have the funding in place before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
Among the riders the House may press are for a rollback of several Obama-era environmental regulations, including the Clean Water Rule, and loosening Endangered Species Act restrictions.
Similar provisions were proposed by the House last year but were dropped in the final fiscal 2018 omnibus amid Senate opposition. Appropriators privately expect a repeat this year, although there is some concern at least a few may stick to try to entice House conservatives to back it.Avoiding an omnibus
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) touted the minibus as the latest sign the Senate is eager to return to the process of passing spending bills. He said the Senate wants to "steer clear" of another catch-all omnibus.
McConnell has said the Senate will be in session for much of August in part to work on spending bills.
Appropriators have said the next package could combine the annual Defense, Labor-Health and Human Services, and Education bills, which together account for 75 percent of all discretionary spending.
Members in both chambers concede, though, not all 12 spending bills will be in place when the new fiscal year begins, requiring at least a short-term stopgap funding measure to avoid a chance of a government shutdown.
While GOP leaders have met with President Trump recently over spending strategy, the president has worried some on Capitol Hill by suggesting he would force a shutdown if border wall funding is not included.
It's not clear how much money the president wants for the border or whether he expects the money to be approved by Oct. 1.
Congressional leaders want to delay a contentious wall funding fight until after the elections, saying they want to avoid any chance of a shutdown before facing voters.
Shelby said Trump has been supportive of Senate efforts to pass spending bills in meetings with leadership but doesn't want to end up with an omnibus.
"Shutting down the government is not in anybody's best interest," Shelby said.
Reporter Nick Sobczyk contributed.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2018/08/01/stories/1060091865
-
White House Nominating New Science Adviser with Extreme-Weather Background
Aug 1, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Miranda Green
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night his plans to nominate a new White House science and technology adviser with a background in extreme weather events.
The nominee, Kelvin Droegemeier, is an expert in extreme weather events and currently works as professor of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma and serves as the Oklahoma Cabinet Secretary of Science and Technology. He also previously was a member of the National Science Board, under former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
If confirmed by the Senate, Droegemeier will head the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The office has lacked a full time leader since 2017. The director typically serves as the main science adviser to the president.
Droegemeier's expected nomination has been largely hailed by environmentalists due to his background in science.
In contrast, the science community has critiqued a number of Trump's picks for advisors and nominees--such as Rep. Jim Bridenstine's appointment to head NASA-- for lacking a formal science background.
"He is an experienced scientist with an impressive record of public service. When the appointment happens, the Senate should move quickly to vet and consider his nomination so that the vacuum of science advice within the White House can begin to be filled," Michael Halpern, a deputy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement.
Droegemeier will head the White House's science and technology arm that so far under Trump has focused on investing in emerging technologies, including a federal program launched last year that aims to grow partnerships between cities and states to study the various uses of drones.
The announcement was well recieved by Republican lawmakers.
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) former chairman on the Senate's Environment and Public Works committee called Droegemeier a "proven leader."
“From his time as a professor and service on the National Science Board to his leadership as the Vice President for Research at the University of Oklahoma, he has demonstrated a commitment to the scientific process, an appreciation for investing in research and a dedication to advancing technical achievement," Inhofe said in a statement.
Trump lost his main climate adviser, George David Banks, back in February, after he was forced to resign when he failed to receive a security clearance due to past marijuana use.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/399865-white-house-nominating-new-science-adviser-with-extreme-weather
-
Senate Committee Approves Trump Environmental Nominees Without Support of Democrats
Aug 1, 2018 | ThinkProgress
By Mark Hand
In party-line votes, a Senate committee on Wednesday voted to approve three top Trump environmental nominees, allowing their nominations to head to the full Senate for a vote.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved a pair of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nominees with industry backgrounds — Peter Wright and Chad McIntosh — and a Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) nominee — Mary Neumayr — who previously worked for Republican lawmakers and the George W. Bush administration. Each of the votes was 11-10, with all Democrats on the committee rejecting the nominees.
Sen. Thomas Carper, the top Democrat on the committee, explained that a number of committee Democrats voted against the nominees because what they heard from the nominees in private meetings and in their testimony “did not line up with what we read” in responses to questions sent to each nominee.
For example, Neumayr has signaled an intent to consider significant revisions to the way the National Environmental Policy Act operates. “From her answers to questions for the record, it is unclear whether those revisions will prioritize environmental protection, as is the requirement under current law, or if there will be a rigorous public comment process before any changes are made,” Carper said in his comments at the committee meeting.Advertisement
Carper noted he’s hoping to get clarification from the three nominees. If the responses demonstrate their allegiance to protecting their environment, there’s a good chance many of the Democrats would vote for the nominees when their nominations come to a full Senate vote, he said.
McIntosh, Ford Motor Co.’s former environmental policy chief, was picked to lead the EPA’s international and tribal affairs office. Wright, a former senior attorney at The Dow Chemical Company, now DowDuPont, would lead the office of land and emergency management. The office oversees chemical plant safety rules and administers the federal Superfund program, responsible for cleaning up some of the country’s most contaminated industrial sites.
Democrats go easy on Trump’s nominee for top White House environmental office
Trump nominated Neumayr to serve as CEQ chairwoman. Her Senate committee confirmation comes after a lengthy controversy concerning the fringe scientific views of the previous nominee, Kathleen Hartnett White.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) voted against Neumayr, explaining that he was troubled with responses to questions for the record that were sent to her after her confirmation hearing. Whitehouse in comments prior to the committee vote, said he wasn’t sure if Neumayr actually wrote the responses or if “some White House politburo” wrote them for her.Advertisement
In comments prior to the votes, Carper said Neumayr, in her answers to questions for the record, “refused to support the reinstatement of tools that help American communities become more resilient to extreme weather and climate change.”
“Without extra planning and targeted investments, I know we’ll continue to lose lives, livelihoods and taxpayer dollars,” Carper said. “For these reasons, I will refrain from supporting Ms. Neumayr at this time, although I hope that we can have further discussions to come to some resolutions on these and several other important matters.”
The EPA has already hired Wright and McIntosh as “special counsels” to Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, even though the pair has yet to be confirmed by the Senate and sworn in to fill high-level positions at the agency.
Wheeler is following in the footsteps of former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who also surrounded himself with former officials from regulated industries, including a former consultant to the chemical industry — Michael Dourson — who joined the agency before he had completed the Senate confirmation process. Trump ultimately withdrew Dourson’s name for consideration.
Former industry officials are advising new EPA head before they’re confirmed
Wright, who worked on Dow’s Superfund cleanup program, has meanwhile agreed to recuse himself from working on any Superfund sites that DowDuPont may be responsible for contaminating for at least two years. For DowDupont sites that he personally worked on, Wright agreed to a permanent recusal.
Dow and DuPont merged in August 2017. Together, they are responsible for the cleanup of nearly 200 Superfund sites.
In comments prior to the vote, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) said confirming Wright to oversee the Superfund program would be “a clear violation of the public trust” because he would “face dozens of conflicts of interest.”
https://thinkprogress.org/senate-committee-approves-trump-environmental-nominees-wright-mcintosh-neumayr-3c3332ba3b10/
-
Furniture Group to Seek ‘Waiver’ from San Francisco Flame Retardant Ban
Aug 1, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Leigh Stringer
The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (Bifma) says it plans to apply for a ‘waiver’ for electronics products covered by San Francisco’s recently introduced ban on flame retardants.
The regulation, which became effective on 1 July, will be enforced from 1 January 2019. It prohibits the sale of upholstered and reupholstered furniture and certain juvenile products that contain, or are made with, an added flame retardant chemical at a level above 1,000 parts per million.
And unlike similar bans elsewhere in the US, it extends to electronic components in them. Products such as massage chairs, gaming chairs, children’s swings and bouncy chairs will therefore need to contain those that are free from all added flame retardants to be compliant.
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted for the measure last October, making it the first city in the US to enact such a prohibition.
However, businesses or trade groups can be granted a product waiver if they can demonstrate that compliance will cause "severe hardship or practical difficulty, or would not be feasible".
And Bifma says that while it strongly supports eliminating flame retardant chemicals in upholstered furniture components, a "waiver will be necessary for the electrical components". Members are now set to meet to determine the details of their application.Deadlines
Two dates have been set for when manufacturers of items covered by the law must comply with the ban. Those products that have no electrical or electronic components, must fall into line by 1 January 2019. Those that do have such components must comply by 1 July 2019.
Manufacturers wishing to apply for a waiver, must do so by:30 September for products without electrical or electronic components; and28 February 2019 for products with electrical or electronic components.
The duration is at the discretion of the director of the environment department and will be "based on the evidence submitted".‘Uniform’ national regulation
Bifma, along with the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), have called for a national regulation to lessen the burden imposed by differing state and local requirements on flame retardants.
"To the extent bans are desired to regulate flame retardant chemicals, it is very important to Bifma that such regulations be consistent in their scope," the organisation says.
And Kelly Mariotti, the JPMA’s executive director, says her organisation believes there is no consumer benefit to local regulation in lieu of broader uniformity.
The association’s members "support preventing exposure to dangerous chemicals via uniform national and statewide regulation as the most efficient means to do so," she told Chemical Watch.CPSC influence
According to a spokesperson for San Francisco’s environment department, the vote on the regulation came after the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued guidance on the use of organohalogen flame retardants in furniture last year.
This cites "overwhelming scientific evidence", when recommending that manufacturers of upholstered furniture, children’s products, mattresses and plastic casings on electronics "refrain from intentionally adding non-polymeric, organohalogen flame retardants".
The CPSC is working on a rulemaking that could see the class of flame retardants banned from those uses.
https://chemicalwatch.com/69101/furniture-group-to-seek-waiver-from-san-francisco-flame-retardant-ban
-
Ewire: EPA Gears Up for Attack on Obama-Era Methane Rules
Aug 1, 2018 | Inside EPA
As EPA is putting the finishing touches on its proposal to aggressively roll back Obama-era vehicle greenhouse gas standards, the agency is also crafting a plan that would scrap Obama-era methane standards for the oil and gas sector, according to a news report.
The forthcoming broader methane plan will come after a soon-to-be released rulemaking that includes more “technical” changes to the 2016 methane new source performance standards (NSPS) for the sector, according to a report in Axios.
Inside EPA noted that the latter proposal began White House interagency review in late April, meaning it could be set to be released shortly.
However, the Axios report suggests the broader proposal would include “a preference for wholly rolling back direct rules on methane and instead relying on” a 2012 NSPS that targeted only volatile organic compounds (VOC) but achieved methane cuts as a co-benefit.
The article also quotes a Trump administration official touting increased voluntary methane cuts from the sector, “indicating a direct regulation may not be necessary.”
As Inside EPA has long reported, the Trump EPA has long been considering regulating methane as part of a “bundle” with VOCs -- an approach that would likely foreclose any future standards of the potent greenhouse gas methane for existing equipment in the sector.
That is because Clean Air Act section 111 -- under which the NSPS is developed -- requires the agency to craft existing source rules after it develops new source standards for a particular source category.
However, that section bars development of existing source rules if the agency is regulating one of six criteria pollutants. VOCs are an ozone precursor, while methane is not a criteria pollutant. That means EPA is prohibited from crafting an existing source standard expressed as a VOC limit, while it would be required to do so if the agency continues to directly regulate methane.
As it stands now, more than a dozen Democratic states and cities are suing EPA to force issuance of standards to limit methane from existing oil and gas operations, claiming the agency has a Clean Air Act mandate to issue such rules after finalizing methane standards for new oil and gas sites but is “unreasonably” delaying such a policy.
https://insideepa.com/daily-feed/ewire-epa-gears-attack-obama-era-methane-rules
-
Wheeler: Climate Rule Proposal Public Within 2 Months
Aug 1, 2018 | PoliticoPro - Whiteboard
By Emily Holden
EPA's draft replacement to the Clean Power Plan will be out within the next two months, acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler told lawmakers today.
The agency's new rule is expected to focus on efficiency improvements coal plants can pursue. The Obama administration's regulation aimed to speed a shift away from coal use and toward lower-carbon natural gas and renewable power. The Supreme Court stayed the Clean Power Plan in 2016. EPA has been asking a federal appeals court to withhold a decision on challenges from states and industry while the agency takes a new approach.
Wheeler said the replacement rule will "follow the four corners of the Clean Air Act," and said the Obama proposal exceeded EPA's authority. The draft will be out for public comment in the next 30 to 60 days, he said. The White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing the proposal now.
Asked how he sees the future of coal, Wheeler told Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) during an Environment and Public Works committee hearing that EPA "will not pick winners or losers between the different fuel sources."
https://subscriber.politicopro.com/energy/whiteboard
-
Artificial Intelligence Has Its Sights Set on America's Oil and Gas Fields. Here's What to Expect.
Aug 1, 2018 | Environmental Defense Fund
By Evan Patrick
Large swaths of Wyoming are being developed today by extractive industries eager to tap into the state’s rich deposits of coal and natural gas.
These energy developments have picked up pace in recent years, raising questions over how people and natural resources will be affected by rising pollution and habitat changes. And soon, new technology coupled with artificial intelligence could provide some more answers.
A technique with applications that soared in recent years, Natural Language Processing, can use trained algorithms to process environmental filings and extract complex information and themes at a critical time.
What that drill project really means
Natural Language Processing pulls out information similar to how humans get information from reading.
If developed and scaled up, it could turbo-charge critical analyses of oil and gas permit applications that companies submit under the National Environmental Protection Act. Other types of development proposals could benefit, too.
This would, in turn, help local regulators and other stakeholders in Wyoming and beyond determine whether a project will pose a threat to wildlife, water or a cultural heritage site – and to better balance industry claims.Getting to the data that matters
Because of the onslaught of permit applications in regions such as eastern Wyoming, it’s a growing struggle to keep up with NEPA filings. The lack of standard formats for such documents makes it even harder to identify and flag potential problems.
This is where artificial intelligence comes in. By combining software and algorithms trained to “scrub” data from government websites, critical and potentially overlooked NEPA filings can be located, downloaded and processed in a matter of hours.
Future impacts of projects – such as pollution of a groundwater basin or habitat loss for an imperiled animal – can be identified and compiled on a spreadsheet, registry or an online map for everyone to see.A new AI application
The prospect appealed to some people in the San Francisco Bay Area whom I first approached with this idea. They had an understanding of the technology and methods behind artificial intelligence, but nobody had considered it in the context of environmental permitting before.
What if local agencies could use it to streamline permitting processes for all kinds of projects? It would allow regulators to focus more of their energy on proposals that really matter.Grueling work, big gains
My colleagues and I laid the groundwork for a Natural Language Processing project earlier this year, planning to use a trained computer program to assess future impacts on greater sage-grouse habitat in the western United States. Progress has been slow, however.
Getting artificial intelligence treatment of NEPA filings off the ground is a question of manpower, plain and simple.
It requires weeks of data entry to train algorithms, on top of high-level math and data processing skills – neither of which your typical watchdog group or local government office possesses. Many people today are too focused and worried about the rush of oil and gas developments to give artificial intelligence much thought.
But if we stop and consider what we’d gain – a grasp of what’s really happening in America’s rapidly developing rural areas – we may see just how much such advances could be worth. Advanced computer processing can help us catch problems that now fall through the cracks, and to react more quickly when we do find them.
Importantly, we’d have modern science and reliable data on our side.
https://www.edf.org/blog/2018/08/01/artificial-intelligence-has-its-sights-set-americas-oil-and-gas-fields-heres-what
-
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Energywire
By Nathanial Gronewold
China's not the only nation that's thirsty for rising exports of U.S. natural gas.
The Middle Kingdom will be the focus of the liquefied natural gas market for many years to come as a shift away from coal fuels a boom in LNG imports there. China last year briefly overtook South Korea as the world's second-largest destination for LNG shipments, and a cold winter this year could spur a repeat of that feat. Even as China's LNG imports fell this summer on lower seasonal heating demand, the nation may eventually overtake Japan as the world's largest LNG importer.
But U.S. LNG exporters need not only look to China's burgeoning market.
The shale gas boom, lower gas prices and a change in how LNG is marketed and sold are shaping natural gas into the fossil fuel of choice. Several international energy market forecasts see gas taking a growing share of the world's energy consumption over the coming decades. Even after taking China out of the equation, Asia is dominating LNG demand growth trends.
"Global demand is proving surprisingly robust, especially in Asia Pacific," said S&P Global Platts researcher Marc Howson.
As if to illustrate this, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. is hosting LNG training and technical discussions this summer, with the next meeting slated for August. The nationalities of the participants signal where LNG demand is expected to expand, with experts flying to Tokyo from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam (Energywire, June 21).
A surge in new LNG export capacity has analysts forecasting a market glut through the mid-2020s, with supply largely exceeding demand (Energywire, July 19).
Beyond that time frame, the global LNG market is expected to tighten substantially. In other words, LNG should become a sellers' market, and not only because of Chinese consumption.South Asia
India's Taj Mahal. RonnyK/Pixabay
Beyond China, South Asia arguably holds the greatest long-term promise for LNG sellers.
Pakistan in particular is emerging as an export destination.
The nation is facing severe future energy shortages, and blackouts are increasingly a concern. Pakistan's domestic oil and gas industry suffers from relatively low investment, and its domestic natural gas production is in decline. Thus, there's a heightened scramble within Islamabad to develop new sources of energy as Pakistan competes with India in terms of economic growth.
A government official last year announced at a conference in Singapore that Pakistan is seeking to dramatically expand its LNG imports. The official suggested that plans are afoot to build so much handling infrastructure that Pakistani ports could receive up to 30 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG by 2025, according to Interfax Natural Gas Daily.
Some think that's an exaggeration — 30 mtpa is more than all of neighboring India's existing LNG import capacity. Nevertheless, new infrastructure is being built. Global commodities trader Trafigura Group Pte Ltd., for example, launched a new floating LNG storage and regasification unit (FSRU) off Pakistan's coast last year.
"The new terminal will more than double Pakistan's current LNG regasification capacity, and will be able to supply 90 million cubic feet of gas to private buyers in Pakistan each day," the company said. "However, even after the new terminal reaches full capacity, a significant supply shortfall of the order of 19 million [metric tons] of LNG per annum is expected." Trafigura then announced plans for a second LNG import terminal.
Demand for the gas is swiftly matching these new supplies.
Yesterday, GE Power announced the successful launching of a new gas-fired power plant in Pakistan, a massive facility described as a "regasified liquefied natural gas power project" capable of powering 2.5 million households, according to Rashid Mahmood, CEO of the National Power Parks Management Co., Ltd.
"Balloki is the third RLNG project equipped with GE's HA technology to reach completion in Pakistan, following the Haveli Bahadur Shah and Bhikki power plants," GE Power said in a release.
Bangladesh is also rushing to build new power plants and utility infrastructure, and LNG is an increasingly attractive choice for the nation's energy sector. That nation faces the same challenges as Pakistan — booming demand for new power coupled with a lack of existing capacity and dwindling domestic natural gas production.
Wärtsilä Corp. announced last week that it is still on track to help Bangladesh greatly expand power generation within the coming years as "the Bangladeshi government is anxious to promote economic growth, and a reliable, flexible power supply is an essential element in achieving this goal."
Bangladesh has also recently attracted new FSRU investment, Nicholas Browne, director of LNG research at Wood Mackenzie, wrote in a note to clients.
"An onshore gas pipeline connects the FSRU to the main demand centre in Chittagong, the second largest city in Bangladesh," he said. "There, it will supply existing power plants currently running short of gas."
Bangladesh imported its first LNG cargo from Qatar last April thanks to the delivery of a new FSRU unit by Excelerate Energy LP. Analysts say the nation's second LNG import terminal will be up and running next year. Bangladesh has also been busy singing on for a rash of projects for new gas-fired power generation. Between the end of 2017 and March of this year, the government there inked deals to construct some 4.55 gigawatts worth of new LNG-fueled electricity generation capacity, Wood Mackenzie notes.
But for LNG market boosters, India holds the real key to future demand growth in South Asia.
India's demand growth was flat last year, but no one expects that to last. The country's largest utility company is actively searching for new LNG supplies, though it's looking for shorter-term contracts, according to Bloomberg.
Global consultancy EY reports that India holds about 25 mtpa of LNG import capacity. Some reports say this volume could be expanded to closer to 45 mtpa within a few years and possibly up to 60 mtpa by 2030.
In June, Gail (India) Ltd. celebrated the arrival of the first LNG cargo from Russia, which was delivered as part of a deal with Gazprom OAO. In March, the same Indian energy company welcomed an LNG cargo from the United States, and Gail expressed its eagerness to purchase much more American gas.
Research by Royal Dutch Shell PLC shows that India's actual LNG import growth has tended to exceed forecasts over the past few years.Southeast Asia
Vietnam's Dragon Bridge. Quangpraha/Pixabay
Overlooked for some time, Southeast Asia is fast emerging as another promising LNG destination.
A dearth of infrastructure and the dominant position of Malaysia and Indonesia as energy suppliers to that region have kept Southeast Asia off the LNG radar. Vietnam and the Philippines have yet to trade in substantial volumes of LNG, according to a report by the Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC).
But rising economic growth is fueling new energy demand growth. That brings with it more need for LNG as Southeast Asia's geography of peninsulas and islands makes it difficult to rely on anything other than diesel and heavy fuel generation. Southeast Asian governments are hoping to avoid those sources due to associated pollution and the volatility of oil prices.
Wood Mackenzie thinks Southeast Asia needs $500 billion worth of new investments in power supply to reach its needs, leaving plenty of room for gas to grow as a fuel source.
Though the Philippines and Vietnam are bit players in LNG today, the two economies "are planning the construction of LNG receiving terminals," APERC notes. "The Philippines is expected to start imports around 2019 and Vietnam after 2020."
South Korean firm SK E&S Co. Ltd. recently announced a deal with the government of the Philippines for the construction of 5 mtpa of LNG import capacity for new power generation. The $1.7 billion deal is needed "in response to the rapid rise in LNG demand in the country," the company said (Energywire, July 9).
The Philippines may take lessons from Indonesia.
Long a net energy exporter, Indonesia is fast turning into an energy importer as its economy expands. It still imports no LNG, according to APERC's data, but that could change if Indonesia's history with crude oil markets is any indicator.
Even if it isn't, Indonesia could serve as a model for LNG infrastructure planning and design for island nations like the Philippines or for other Southeast Asian nations with challenging geographies, experts say.
"Indonesia has been the pioneer of island electrification, and is developing small-scale LNG projects across the country," notes Wood Mackenzie. "This is something that can be replicated elsewhere in the more remote areas of [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations], where access to electricity is still unavailable."
LNG imports into the Philippines will start from relatively small volumes but are projected to expand by 727 percent from 2020 to 2030, analysts there say.
The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, thinks Southeast Asia and India together represent some $80 billion in latent LNG infrastructure investment needs.Northeast Asia
Japanese flag. Airman Steele Britton/U.S. Air Force
Northeast Asia remains the center of global LNG demand, even if China is disregarded.
Outside China, the demand outlook for that region is much cloudier, but not entirely bleak.
Japan, the world's largest LNG consumer, isn't expected to expand its needs anytime soon as the government there gingerly works to restart shuttered nuclear power generating capacity. Debate over nuclear energy's future in Japan rages on, with a former prime minister leading a push for the nation to abolish nuclear power. But that campaign appears to have low odds of success — for now.
APERC and a host of other energy market research groups believe that Japan's LNG demand has peaked and may even fall in the coming years as the nation's power needs could dwindle along with its slowly contracting population.
"Going forward, uncertainty arises in forecasting gas demand as Japan pushes to restart nuclear power plants and adopt renewable energies," the research center concluded.
It's largely the same story in South Korea.
Historically the second largest LNG importer, South Korea faces the same combination of stagnant economic growth and declining population trends that challenge economic planners in Japan. Though gas use in the residential sector is rising, overall natural gas and LNG demand is likely to fall.
But debate over South Korea's energy picture could turn the tide in LNG's favor there.
The nuclear power industry throughout northeast Asia has suffered from a public backlash since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. As Japan shuttered its nuclear power plants in the wake of that disaster, the call emerged for South Korea to do the same.
Unlike in Japan, the campaign for zero nuclear power in South Korea has real teeth now that the current president has reportedly signed on. APERC says that a new "National Energy Basic Plan" may be finalized in Seoul this year. If the government in South Korea indeed turns hostile to nuclear energy, then "natural gas is expected to grow again as an alternative energy," researchers said.
Then there's Taiwan.
Though small, Taiwan today is believed to be the sixth largest market for LNG. The island pales in comparison with the LNG market on mainland China, and the growth opportunity for LNG there is limited. But it's not nonexistent.
Earlier this year, Osaka Gas Engineering Co. Ltd. announced that it would assist Taiwan in the development of two new LNG receiving terminals — one for Taiwan Power Co. and another for CPC Corp., the major LNG importer and distributor there. The reason for the renewed interest in LNG is that Taiwan has also shied away from nuclear power in recent years and is moving to shut down its reactors.
The new contract flexibility with which LNG is being traded and shipped globally these days makes LNG an attractive alternative to nuclear power for Taiwan's government. The nation's geography limits the feasibility for renewable energy sources like wind and solar to make up for lost nuclear power generation.
"Structurally, LNG transactions are becoming significantly more flexible and transparent," Howson of S&P Global Platts said in a recent presentation.
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2018/08/01/stories/1060091797
-
DHS Center Takes Aim at 'Sea Change' in Cyberthreats
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Energywire
By Blake Sobczak and Peter Behr
Top Trump administration officials unveiled a cybersecurity center yesterday aimed at countering threats to America's most critical computer networks.
Experts at the newly minted "National Risk Management Center" will first focus on protecting the energy, telecommunications and financial sectors, Department of Homeland Security officials said at a conference here.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said the hub marks a "watershed moment" for the U.S. government's handling of hackers.
"Cyberthreats, collectively, now exceed the danger of physical attacks against us," she said. "This is a major sea change for my department, and for our country's security."
A delegation of senior U.S. officials and CEOs of major electricity, financial and communications firms joined Nielsen in New York. The event marked one of the most vocal efforts by the administration to plant its flag in the area of cybersecurity at both a technical and policy level, an area Vice President Mike Pence claimed has been neglected.
"Gone are the days when America allowed our adversaries to cyberattack us with impunity," Pence said, claiming the Obama administration did not do enough to head off foreign cyberthreats.
Obama kicked off a "name and shame" approach to deterring malicious behavior in cyberspace that has accelerated under the Trump administration. Obama administration officials indicted five Chinese military hackers in 2014, eventually reaching something of a temporary cyber détente with China's leader Xi Jinping on intellectual property theft.
Obama also sanctioned Russia over its cyber espionage in the 2016 presidential campaign that was aimed at assisting Donald Trump, according to U.S. intelligence officials — though he did not publicly call out the activity in advance of the election.
President Trump has cast doubt on U.S. intelligence officials' conclusions about Russian cyber espionage in advance of the 2016 election — including at a recent press conference in Helsinki following a one-on-one summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, members of his administration have sought to highlight Russian aggression in cyberspace, linking Moscow to several hacking campaigns, including a widespread infection of internet routers and a devastating outbreak of a "ransomware" variant called NotPetya.
Pence noted that President Trump would soon sign off on a national strategy for securing cyberspace and pledged to "bring every element of our national power to bear to protect the integrity and security of the American digital domain," from election systems to power grids.
"This is a time for vigilance and resolve, and I can assure you our administration will continue to take strong action," Pence said.Starting small
Despite yesterday's fanfare around cyber solidarity, questions remained about how DHS's center would distinguish itself from past government efforts to share and act on critical information alongside the private sector.
DHS did not announce plans to push for more funding for the risk management hub, instead pledging to shuffle personnel at its existing headquarters in Arlington, Va., where the center will be based.
The new office will also rely on voluntary cooperation from the three industries it sets out to safeguard.
"It's great that the government is putting more focus on coordination and information sharing, but until we define minimum security standards for critical infrastructure, we'll continue to be vulnerable to nation-state threats," said Phil Neray, vice president of industrial cybersecurity firm CyberX, in emailed comments.
The center, which Nielsen cast as a "single point of access to the full range of government activities" in civilian cyberdefense, will initially prioritize defining the most critical pieces of digital infrastructure in the U.S., from the key nodes on the power grid to backbone communications lines.
DHS separately announced it would examine risks to the supply chain via the center.
"We are going to start small," Jeanette Manfra, DHS's assistant secretary for the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, told reporters on the sidelines of the conference. "We don't want to sign up for all sorts of things and fail."
The center will not immediately supplant other sharing centers and agency roles in civilian cyberspace.
The Department of Energy, for instance, recently stood up its own Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER), also cast as a focal point for cybersecurity efforts in the electricity sector.
Mark Menezes, undersecretary of energy at DOE, said his agency would seek ways to break down divisions among the "extraordinarily complicated" federal system for parrying cyberthreats.
"I found that we do have information that we can't give to you," he said at a panel discussion at the DHS conference yesterday. "We have a very cumbersome process to identify the information and to classify or declassify it to share. And it has been a learning experience here."
Last year, news of a Russia-linked hacking campaign targeting the U.S. nuclear and electric utilities sectors stayed locked behind closed doors at U.S. agencies, while Canadian utilities received advance warning of the threat (Energywire, July 26). Power companies north of the U.S. border had 2 ½ weeks longer than many American utilities with which to prepare their network defenses against the energy-focused hacking campaign.FERC weighs in
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also sought to boost the flow of information up from the nation's power utilities, and yesterday grappled with its own handling of the shifting cyberthreat to electricity providers and gas pipelines.
The independent regulator oversees the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), which writes up and enforces binding security standards for the bulk power sector.
While threats to the three critical sectors highlighted the DHS cybersecurity summit in New York City, it was the grid's cyberdefenses that came under the spotlight at a daylong conference sponsored by FERC in Washington, D.C.
Experts at the FERC conference documented the familiar struggles by the commission and power companies on the high-voltage grid to keep regulated cyberdefenses abreast of hackers' tactics.
Carol Hawk, acting DOE deputy assistant secretary for cybersecurity for energy delivery systems, pointed out that new defenses are under development in the department's laboratories.
DOE labs are building defenses that map the unique, limited characteristics and functions of specific grid operating equipment. If an attacker breaches a grid system with malware that tries to operate outside that framework, it would be stopped. If the malware tries to launch an unexpected activity, don't allow it, she said. "I see a great future" in the strategy, she said.
But on other fronts, regulators are not keeping up with grid technologies, witnesses said.
Matt Rathbun, Microsoft Corp.'s chief security officer, said there was "essentially no guidance" on power companies' use of internet cloud services coming from FERC and its security monitor, NERC. Likewise, "visualization" technologies that help control operators manage complex grid operations are still outside the scope of FERC's mandatory federal cyber rules.
He also recommended grid defenders more closely examine the goals of their online adversaries and seek out ways to disrupt them. Such an approach could lead to new analytical tools that test the effectiveness of cyberdefenses against real threats, he added.
FERC Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur acknowledged the complaints about the cumbersome FERC regulatory process but said government and industry just have to try harder to make it work.
"We hear a lot of complaints" about the FERC regulations — thousand of pages of rules backed by stiff fines, LaFleur said. "Yet it does seem like it's not going to go away.
"This is part of our responsibility."
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2018/08/01/stories/1060091817
-
Grid Leaders Clear the Air Around Russian Hacking
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Energywire
By Blake Sobczak
A wind power generator fell into Russia-linked hackers' crosshairs last year, but the attackers never managed to put the wider U.S. grid at risk, officials confirmed yesterday at a Department of Homeland Security cybersecurity conference here.
Tom Fanning, CEO of utility Southern Co., said the hackers' reach appears to have been "very limited" — perhaps just "one or two wind turbines" at an undisclosed power company.
"Could Putin take down the grid today? I don't think so," Fanning told reporters on the sidelines of the DHS National Cybersecurity Summit in New York. "Is [cybersecurity] something that's urgent and that we're paying attention to? Absolutely."
The 2017 hacking campaign set off alarm bells last summer for its apparent focus on nuclear power plants and electric utilities, among other vital American companies.
This March, DHS and the FBI linked the series of intrusions to the Russian government. The agencies shared a redacted image of a power generation system the foreign spies had managed to compromise.
Last week, the agency kicked off a series of briefings aimed at spreading the word about the hackers' techniques.
"They got to the point that they could turn the switches, but they didn't," said Jonathan Homer, chief of the industrial control systems group at DHS's Hunt and Incident Response Team, during the first briefing on July 23. The last of four unclassified webinars is scheduled for today at 1 p.m.
Homer's stark warnings that the hackers had targeted companies across the U.S. generation, transmission and distribution grid turned heads in the cybersecurity community, prompting DHS officials to offer additional details about the secretive campaign.
"In the initial webinar, I think there was some context that was lacking," said Christopher Krebs, undersecretary for DHS's National Protection and Programs Directorate, the main federal office tasked with helping critical infrastructure operators fend off hackers. "That was a very targeted threat at the electricity subsector; for the most part, the defenses across the system worked."
Krebs noted that the hackers managed to reach the controls at "a renewable source of energy that would not disrupt the grid." The Russian government has denied involvement.
While DHS alerts have cast the threat as "ongoing," Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications at the agency, pointed out that her office has not received word of any additional compromises since the briefings began late last month.
"It's solely about taking what we saw happen last year and helping people understand," she said of the outreach effort. "It's not indicative of another significant threat or anything like that."CRISP kicks in
DHS officials unveiled a new National Risk Management Center yesterday aimed at getting the word out about future threats to the energy, telecommunications and financial sectors (see related story).
The center builds on information sharing and analysis efforts at other agencies, including the Department of Energy, which runs the Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program in conjunction with the private sector.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry said yesterday that his agency is aiming this year to double the number of electric utilities participating in the CRISP program, which sets monitoring devices on the edge of utilities' networks to amass reams of operational data. Analysts can later comb through the information for strange behavior that could precede a cyberattack.
"It was due to that close collaboration that we were able to identify a very dramatic event last year — that Russian intrusion into our energy systems," Perry said.
Had CRISP not been in place, Perry continued, the threat likely wouldn't have been discovered, "to great detriment."
Fanning, who serves as one of the power sector's primary liaisons with the federal government as co-chair of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council, estimated that 80 percent of U.S. electricity consumers are covered by utilities that have already joined the CRISP program.
He welcomed DHS and DOE's efforts to bring other critical infrastructure leaders around the table with power providers at the new National Risk Management Center.
He said recent cross-sector cybersecurity exercises have highlighted the need to work closely with other critical infrastructure areas, including financial and telecommunications firms.
"One of the things that we learn very quickly [in exercises] is that as resilient as we think we may be, the points of vulnerability are always our points of intersection," Fanning said.
https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2018/08/01/stories/1060091819
-
U.S. Senate Must Act Quickly to Get Freight Rail Reforms Moving
Aug 1, 2018 | Daily Herald
By Mark A. Biel
U.S. chemical production is surging, helping to power our economy and our country. However, widespread problems with America's freight rail system threaten to derail this progress. We need freight rail policy reforms to make the system more reliable and competitive. As a first step, the U.S. Senate must act quickly to fill critical vacancies on the Surface Transportation Board (STB).
Chemistry is an essential part of helping to make our lives better, from developing new technologies to saving energy and providing basic needs such a clean drinking water and plentiful food supply. Chemical production is growing again, with the chemical industry on track to grow faster than the overall U.S. economy. Illinois is leading the way, ranking as the fourth largest chemical producing state in the nation. Illinois chemical manufacturers create more than 46,000 jobs, and the business of chemistry supports another 300,000.
Every day, freight rail companies carry goods and chemicals from farms and factories, transporting the staples of life and raw materials for countless consumer products. Railroads are a vital link in our national and global economy.
But the freight rail system is jeopardizing this economic boon with skyrocketing rates and chronic service issues, forcing shippers to pay more for less service. To help address these problems, America needs long-overdue freight rail reform to make the system more accessible, reliable, and competitive while bolstering the U.S. economy.
That is why the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois has joined the Rail Customer Coalition, a collection of trade associations working to support sensible policy reforms that would allow greater access to competitive freight rail service.
The Surface Transportation Board (STB), a federal agency with broad economic oversight of the nation's freight rail system, is the key to that reform and continued success for our country. Because market power is concentrated in a handful of railroads, the STB serves an indispensable role for keeping rates competitive and rail service reliable. The STB is in a unique position to adopt long-overdue free market reforms like competitive switching and rate benchmarking to ensure that everyone benefits.
Competitive switching would remove regulatory barriers and put the marketplace to work. It would allow a rail customer served by a single railroad to request that its freight be moved to another railroad, for a fee, if one is reasonably accessible.
Rate benchmarking would help shippers without competitive options by replacing the STB's overly bureaucratic rate review process with a much simpler process. Benchmarking uses the wealth of existing rate data for shipments in competitive markets. A shipper could challenge a rate that is unreasonably higher than its competitive benchmark.
Unfortunately, with only two of five seats filled, the STB has been at a standstill for more than a year. Now, two nominees, approved by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Hoffman Estates Democrat, and her colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee, await confirmation by the full Senate.
The White House recently nominated a final member, former Metra Chairman and Chicago Alderman Martin Oberman. Mr. Oberman helped rebuild Metra's image and could bring that same reformer's mindset to Washington. The Commerce Committee, and then the full Senate, must first confirm him for the position. We hope the Senate will come together and swiftly confirm these three nominations to the STB.
Competition and free enterprise are American values. We cherish them because they work -- they create jobs, grow businesses, promote innovation, and lower prices for consumers. Let's get the freight rail system back to work for America's manufacturers, farmers, energy producers, and others who rely on freight rail -- and ultimately, all American consumers.
Mark A. Biel is chief executive officer for the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois, a statewide trade association based in Des Plaines representing 205 members with 656 facilities in Illinois.
https://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20180801/us-senate-must-act-quickly-to-get-freight-rail-reforms-moving
-
House Democrat Calls Curbelo Carbon Tax Bill 'Missed Opportunity'
Aug 1, 2018 | Inside EPA
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), who co-founded the bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus in 2016 with Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) is calling newly introduced carbon tax legislation floated by Curbelo “a missed opportunity” for producing bipartisan carbon pricing legislation.
“I just think there is a missed opportunity here since we’ve been working to come up with a bipartisan product,” Deutch said in a July 26 interview with Axios, citing work Deutch has been doing with GOP offices on different carbon pricing legislation.
Deutch, however, expressed hopes that members of the climate caucus will still introduce a bipartisan carbon pricing measure in September when they return from the House's summer recess.
Curbelo's carbon tax measure, formally unveiled July 23, is the first such substantive plan from a Republican lawmaker in almost a decade, and Curbelo has characterized it as a starting point for discussion.
But it is also unclear how a subsequent, bipartisan measure would navigate thorny issues including EPA's current authority to regulate greenhouse gases, amid a yawning gap between the parties' attitude toward the agency.
Curbelo's plan would not eliminate such authority but would instead establish a moratorium on enforcing or finalizing most stationary source GHG rules until as far out as 2033.
https://insideepa.com/daily-feed/house-democrat-calls-curbelo-carbon-tax-bill-missed-opportunity
-
State Regulators Blast EPA's 'Good Neighbor' Stance
Aug 1, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Sean Reilly
Regulators from Northeastern states today faulted EPA's plan to address "good neighbor" requirements for its 2008 ground-level ozone standard, saying the agency relied on overly rosy modeling and failed to account for the potential impact of Trump administration regulatory rollbacks already in the works.
"I'll be blunt: EPA needs to do the job that it's required to do by the Clean Air Act," Jared Snyder, deputy commissioner for air resources at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said at this morning's public hearing at agency headquarters.
From the perspective of Snyder, as well as counterparts from Maryland, Connecticut and Delaware who also spoke, the agency's approach falls far short of that goal.
"EPA should not rely upon this as a full remedy," Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles said.
The proposed rule, released in late June, would avoid imposition of any new steps to limit ozone-forming pollution that could make it harder for downwind states to meet the 75-parts-per-billion standard. Instead, EPA would rely on its 2016 Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) update, geared to curbing emissions of nitrogen oxides from coal-fired power plants in 22 states (E&E News PM, June 29).
The proposal would apply to 20 of the 22 states covered by the CSAPR update. The two exceptions are Tennessee and Kentucky. EPA officials have already determined that Tennessee's emissions budget will "fully eliminate" the state's contribution to downwind ozone problems outside of its borders, while tentatively deciding that a draft Kentucky plan will fully satisfy the state's good neighbor obligations with respect to the 2008 standard, according to the proposed rule.
As justification for sticking with the status quo, the agency cites modeling forecasts that all of the eastern United States will effectively be in attainment with the 75-ppb standard by 2023. That's well past a Clean Air Act deadline, Grumbles said, adding that Maryland is concerned about "assumptions and oversimplifications" in EPA's analysis.
Ozone — a lung irritant and the main ingredient in smog — is formed by the reaction of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in sunlight. Along with coal-fired power plants, a leading source of NOx is cars and trucks, while oil and gas operations are a major contributor to release of volatile organic compounds.
But EPA's proposal doesn't factor in administration plans to reverse a crackdown on high-emission "glider" trucks, Snyder said. David Fees, acting air chief for Delaware, referenced the agency's intent to scrap Obama-era "control techniques guidelines" put in place to curb releases of volatile organic compounds from oil and gas production.
The half-dozen speakers this morning also included David Foerter, executive director of the Ozone Transport Commission, and Neil Gormley, an Earthjustice attorney representing the Sierra Club and the Appalachian Mountain Club. EPA's proposal raises "serious environmental justice concerns," Gormley said in urging the agency to do a thorough analysis of the potential consequences for minority and poor communities.
Following standard practice, the three EPA officials overseeing the hearing did not respond to the criticism. The hearing, which started 50 minutes late because of a delay in the court reporter's arrival, is scheduled to run as late as 6 p.m. but went into recess after 45 minutes when no other speakers immediately appeared.
One day after acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and air chief Bill Wehrum lauded long-term improvements in air quality, the hearing also raised implicit questions about the immediate outlook for continued progress (E&E News PM, July 31).
In one area near New York City, ozone concentrations recently hit their highest level in a decade, Snyder said.
"Ozone is and remains a public health crisis," he said.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2018/08/01/stories/1060091871
-
Adding Up the Cost of Climate Change in Lost Lives
Aug 1, 2018 | The Wall Street Journal
By Greg Ip
Scorching heat waves have gripped the world in recent weeks from the Pacific Northwest to Northern Europe and, most tragically, Japan, where more than 100 mostly elderly people have died. The usual caveat applies: no single event can be specifically tied to climate change. Nonetheless, it offers an unsettling preview of what may be in store for the coming century.
Just how much should the world worry? Optimists often note that most countries will be richer by the end of this century, and societies are adaptable, both of which ought to reduce the harm from a warming climate. But an exhaustive new study focusing only on heat-related damage reaches a sobering conclusion: by the year 2099, even with economic growth and adaptation, 1.5 million more people will die each year around the world because of increased heat. By comparison, 1.25 million people died in 2013 in all traffic accidents world-wide.
Moreover, adaptation extracts an economic toll, from installing more air conditioning to curbing outdoor activity. The study calculates that such efforts effectively more than double the cost of climate change-induced heat.Deadly HeatA warming climate will raise global mortality and impose an added cost to adapt. Cooler regions are less prepared for extreme heat.
The conclusion comes from a team of economists, scientists, computer modelers and other experts working under the aegis of the Climate Impact Lab, a think tank based at the University of Chicago. Their study—the lead authors of which are Michael Greenstone of the University of Chicago, Solomon Hsiang of the University of California at Berkeley, Trevor Houser of the Rhodium Group and Robert Kopp of Rutgers University—is being published Wednesday by the nonpartisan Becker Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago.
While climate change can have many repercussions from rising sea levels, changed crop yields, drought, migration and potentially civil unrest, this study considers only heat. Excessive heat can lead to brain and kidney damage and cardiovascular stress, especially for those over 64, which is why Japan’s recent experience is relevant. Japan is an aging society and the rest of the world will get steadily older over the coming century.Newsletter Sign-up
To predict the damage from climate change, scholars have relied on large-scale computer models, some originating in the 1990s. One of their problems is that they rely on highly simplified relationships that may not capture how different regions respond. There are now hundreds of empirical studies, for example, of the Chicago heat wave in 1995 or Northern Europe in 2003, but they don’t show how mortality may change as societies get richer and thus have better health care, or adapt for example by working outdoors less.
The Climate Impact Lab approach is more comprehensive. Using data covering 56% of the world’s population, it divides the world into 24,000 regions and then examines how differing climates and income levels influence heat-related mortality. It counts both lives lost to extreme heat, and lives saved from less extreme cold. (It doesn’t project how climate may directly affect income and population, for example via migration.) By treating the world as thousands of regions instead of just one and incorporating adaptation, “They’re making huge advances here,” says Maureen Cropper, an environmental economist at the University of Maryland who isn’t involved in the study.
Not surprisingly, wealthier places fare better: in Houston, each additional day averaging 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), relative to a “normal” day of 20 degrees, raises the annual death rate by 0.5 per 100,000 people. In Cairo, which is as hot as Houston but only one-tenth as rich, a hot day is nearly 10 times deadlier. More surprising, temperate places fare worse, because they aren’t used to heat: in Seattle, a hot day is seven times deadlier than in Houston because fewer homes have air conditioning and people spend more time outdoors.MORE CAPITAL ACCOUNT
There’s No Productivity Miracle Hiding in the Data July 25, 2018Democrats Could Become a Free-Trade Counterweight to Trump July 18, 2018The Supreme Court Won’t Stop Executive Overreach July 11, 2018U.S. Exporters Will Be a Surprise Loser From Tariff Fight July 9, 2018
The study uses these relationships to project the effects of global temperatures rising four degrees Celsius by 2099, which is the scientific consensus of how much temperatures will rise if no steps are taken to slow carbon emissions. Without the benefits of growth and adaptation, mortality rates would rise by 125 per 100,000 people, or 14 million additional deaths. Factoring in rising incomes, that drops to 44. Incorporating adaptive behavior, such as staying indoors, it drops further, to 13, roughly 1.5 million people.
The impacts are highly uneven. Mortality actually drops in temperate, rich cities such as Oslo because they experience fewer dangerously cold days, and their affluence minimizes the harm of hot days. It rises sharply in places like Mogadishu, Somalia, that, despite being used to hot days, aren’t rich enough to withstand the extremes. Within the U.S., mortality drops in the relatively cool northern plains but rises in the southeast.
The toll goes beyond death. Adaptation avoids some deaths but soaks up money and effort that can’t go toward other things such as dental care and vacations. These costs ought to be factored into the effects of climate change. Regulators evaluating new safety rules routinely express human lives in dollar equivalents. The study’s authors do the opposite, expressing the costs of adaptation in death-equivalents. This raises the net impact on mortality to 35 per 100,000, or roughly 3.9 million lives.
Using dollars instead of deaths, the study concludes the heat-related costs incurred by one additional metric ton of carbon dioxide is $39, far larger than existing estimates of around $1.50, according to one popular model, says Mr. Greenstone, who helped developed estimates of the social cost of carbon under President Barack Obama.
It also suggests an even bigger carbon tax is justified than the $24-a-metric-ton that Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo of Florida recently proposed.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/adding-up-the-cost-of-climate-change-in-lost-lives-1533121201?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1
Industry and Association News
LCSA News - There are no clips to report at this time.
Chemical Management News
Energy News
Chemical Security News
Transportation and Infrastructure News
Environment News
Add recipients
Suggested