Preview Newsletter
PM ACC Clips Report - January 18, 2019
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Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Nomination of Andrew Wheeler as EPA Administrator
Jan 17, 2019 | National Law Review
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Christopher R. Bryant
On January 16, 2019, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Andrew Wheeler to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Mr. Wheeler currently... -
Federal Register Eases Publishing Guide for Government Shutdown
Jan 18, 2019 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Cheryl Bolen
The Trump administration just made it easier to publish rules during the government shutdown, which could open a logjam that’s blocked federal regulations such as those addressing what credit monitoring agencies can charge... -
Ewire: A 'Crippled' Judiciary Could Add to Shutdown Pressure
Jan 18, 2019 | Inside EPA
As the partial government shutdown grinds on, one important consequence is likely to manifest itself in the coming days -- the federal judiciary will soon run out of funding, significantly hobbling courts across the country and stalling... -
Plastics Industry Launches Waste Initiative
Jan 17, 2019 | Chemical and Engineering News
By Alexander H. Tullo
In what is being billed as the largest-ever effort of its kind, 28 companies have formed the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, which plans to invest up to $1.5 billion over the next five years on projects to keep plastic trash out of the ocean. -
Flossing Increases Exposure To Chemicals – Research Shows
Jan 18, 2019 | Health Journal
By Klaire Miller
The developments in medical science are the reason the world you live in today is better in terms of health. Not only are there not more treatment options but many of the past diseases no longer are life-threatening. You also have a... -
Study: This Morning Ritual Is Linked to Cancer and Decreased Fertility
Jan 18, 2019 |
By Alexandra Villarreal
Does your dentist tell you to floss every time you visit? Well now, you can have a rebuttal at the ready. Flossing is one of those daily chores that’s just gross. Very few people enjoy removing the gunk from between their teeth. The visual... -
Farmer’s Daughter: Glyphosate Isn’t Scary. the Movement to Demonize It Is, Though
Jan 18, 2019 | AG Daily
By Amanda Zaluckyj
Dad encountered the glyphosate smear machine while paying rent checks. The landlord in question has a farming background, isn’t prone to conspiracy theories, and is normally quite rational. But he asked dad whether there was an... -
Bipartisan Duo Emerges as Senate Panel Sets Course on Energy
Jan 18, 2019 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Dean Scott
Both senators come from rural, fossil-fuel-producing states with large swaths of poverty. Both have angered climate advocates. And both have backed President Donald Trump’s energy and environment nominees. But Sens. Lisa... -
Greens Formally Object to Trump Administration Approving Oil Drilling During Shutdown
Jan 18, 2019 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Timothy Cama
Three environmental groups are filing formal objections against the Trump administration’s decision to keep processing permits and taking other actions to further oil and natural gas drilling during the partial government shutdown. -
Dems, Green Groups Tell Interior to Halt Oil Leasing During Shutdown
Jan 18, 2019 | Houston Chronicle
By James Osborne
Pressure is mounting on the Interior Department to halt its plans to continue oil and gas leasing during a partial government shutdown now almost four weeks long. House Democrats on Wednesday told the Interior Department... -
Republicans Keep Subcommittee Assignments Largely Intact
Jan 18, 2019 | E&E - Greenwire
By George Cahlink
Energy and Commerce Republicans are only making a few changes to the lineups for subcommittees with an energy and environment focus. Ranking member Greg Walden (R-Ore.) announced this morning that most of the returning... -
IEA Sees Oil Demand Growth Defying Economic Slowdown for Now
Jan 18, 2019 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Grant Smith
Global oil demand remains on course to be stronger this year than in 2018 as a boost from lower fuel prices counters slowing economic activity, according to the International Energy Agency. “We have seen prices fall very significantly... -
ILTA Praises Congressional Reauthorisation of CFATs Programme
Jan 18, 2019 | Tank Storage Magazine
The Senate unanimously approved the measure on January 17 and the House unanimously approved it on January 18. Kathryn Clay, president of the ILTA, says: 'ILTA applauds Congress for extending—on the day it was set to expire—this... -
House Leader Names Transportation Subcommittee Ranking Member
Jan 18, 2019 | Progressive Railroading
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) yesterday announced the ranking members of the panel’s six subcommittees for the 116th Congress. The ranking members and their... -
Balderson Named to Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure
Jan 18, 2019 | The Delaware Gazette
By Joshua Keeran
The House Republican Steering Committee on Wednesday tapped Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12) to serve on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 116th Congress, pending ratification by the House... -
By Mapping Its Own Air Pollution, London Can Help Cities Worldwide
Jan 18, 2019 | Environmental Working Group
By Fred Krupp
We do not all breathe the same air. In fact, varying levels of pollution mean the quality of the air we breathe differs sharply from country to country, from state to state – even street to street. In West Oakland, California, for example... -
Under Trump, Our Public Lands Are Spewing Carbon Dioxide
Jan 18, 2019 | Roll Call
By Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva D-Ariz.
The Trump administration tried to sneak two alarming climate change reports past the public last year just after Thanksgiving, apparently hoping everyone would be shopping or sleeping off a turkey hangover. The attempt...
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Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Nomination of Andrew Wheeler as EPA Administrator
Jan 17, 2019 | National Law Review
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Christopher R. Bryant
On January 16, 2019, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Andrew Wheeler to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Mr. Wheeler currently serves as the Acting Administrator, having taken the reins of EPA after former Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned in July 2018. An archived webcast of the hearing is available online. In introducing Mr. Wheeler, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Chair of the EPW Committee, stated: “under Acting Administrator Wheeler’s leadership, the agency has taken a number of significant actions to protect our nation’s environment, while also supporting economic growth. Acting Administrator Wheeler has led efforts to: issue common-sense regulatory proposals, like the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, and the revised definition of ‘Waters of the United States’; implement this Committee’s 2016 bipartisan reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act [(TSCA)] in an effective and efficient manner; reduce lead exposure, including through the Federal Lead Action Plan; provide greater regulatory certainty to states, to Tribes, localities, and to the regulated community; and improve enforcement and compliance assistance. Acting Administrator Wheeler is very well qualified to run the [EPA].” Republicans on the EPW Committee were supportive of his nomination and actions while serving as the EPA Acting Administrator. They noted with praise his deregulatory efforts, the repeal and replacement of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, the proposed replacement of the Waters of the United States rule and the proposed repeal of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.
Democrats on the EPW Committee, however, expressed their disapproval of Mr. Wheeler, as he faced sharp questions from them. EPW Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-DE) expressed his concern that Mr. Wheeler failed “to moderate some of Scott Pruitt’s most environmentally destructive policies,” adding that “upon examination, Mr. Wheeler’s environmental policies appear to be almost as extreme as his predecessor’s.” When questioned on his views on climate change by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mr. Wheeler admitted that he believed it was a “huge issue” that should be addressed internationally, but he stopped short of agreeing with it being “one of the greatest crises facing our planet.” Despite the seeming Democratic opposition to his nomination, Mr. Wheeler is expected to be approved by the EPW Committee and, eventually, the Senate, and likely soon.
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/senate-committee-holds-hearing-nomination-andrew-wheeler-epa-administrator
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Federal Register Eases Publishing Guide for Government Shutdown
Jan 18, 2019 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Cheryl Bolen
The Trump administration just made it easier to publish rules during the government shutdown, which could open a logjam that’s blocked federal regulations such as those addressing what credit monitoring agencies can charge consumers and the public release of an EPA power plant emissions standard.
Significant rules from across the government have been stuck since the partial shutdown closed the office that publishes the U.S. government’s official journal, which has been unfunded. Under previous guidance, the office could only publish emergency regulations, such as ones needed to safeguard human life or protect property.
An Office of the Federal Register bulletin updated Jan. 16 notified agencies they can bypass that high standard by certifying that delaying publication until the government reopens would prevent or significantly damage funded functions.
The office said it received new guidance on Jan. 11 from the Justice Department regarding what types of documents may publish during the appropriations lapse. Neither the Justice Department nor the Office of the Federal Register responded to requests for a copy of the guidance document.
The new standard appears to be based on a Dec. 13, 1995, opinion by the Office of Legal Counsel, which applies in the case of a partial government shutdown.
The opinion said agency operations needed for government functions that do have appropriated funding may continue during a partial shutdown if the funding lapse would “prevent or significantly damage the execution of those funded functions.”
In response, a rule from the Department of Veterans Affairs that was cleared by the Office of Management and Budget on Dec. 21 is now set for publication in the Jan. 18 Federal Register.
The rule is needed to ensure that VA’s regulations dealing with claims and appeals comport with changes to relevant statutes enacted by the new Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, the department said in a summary of the rule.
Likewise, a major proposed health care rule that cleared OMB on Jan. 16 and is already set to be published in the Jan. 24 Federal Register would set payment parameters and other provisions for federally facilitated and state-based health insurance exchanges in 2020.
There is concern that the Trump administration is interpreting the law and rules surrounding lapses in appropriations too broadly, such as calling back furloughed employees from the Internal Revenue Service to issue tax refunds.
“The standard that DOJ applies should set a high bar; whether the rule absolutely needs to go out during the shutdown or it would significantly damage the program,” said Sam Berger, a senior adviser at the Center for American Progress and a former senior counselor at OMB during the Obama administration.
“But given that the administration ignored this same standard in directing IRS to illegally make refund payments, people are right to doubt how strictly it will be applied,” Berger said.
Rules on HoldFour rules finalized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have been on hold since the partial shutdown began, all of which are set to become effective on their date of publication in the Federal Register. It is unclear whether the rules can be published under the new standard.
One rule, for example, would amend the regulation implementing the Fair Credit Reporting Act to establish a maximum allowable charge for disclosures by a credit reporting agency to a consumer. Another rule would set a new threshold, adjusted for inflation, for banks, savings associations, and credit unions to determine if they are exempt from collecting housing-related lending data in 2019.
Separately, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rule, cleared on Dec. 21, that would revise an Obama-era standard for mercury and air toxins emitted by power plants. Litigation was put on hold, yet the public cannot read or comment on the EPA’s proposal until it is published in the Federal Register.
A list from the Department of Homeland Security must be published in Federal Register each year identifying the countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A agricultural worker visa program and H-2B non-agricultural worker visa program for the coming year. That rule was cleared Jan. 14, but not published yet.
The Department of Health and Human Services issued a proposed rule that was cleared Dec. 26 to update retail pharmacy standards. The rule would allow for proper record keeping when less than the full amount of a prescription for controlled substances is distributed by the pharmacy, critical in light of the opioid crisis, it said.
https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/environment-and-energy/federal-register-eases-publishing-guide-for-government-shutdown
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Ewire: A 'Crippled' Judiciary Could Add to Shutdown Pressure
Jan 18, 2019 | Inside EPA
As the partial government shutdown grinds on, one important consequence is likely to manifest itself in the coming days -- the federal judiciary will soon run out of funding, significantly hobbling courts across the country and stalling many civil cases including some involving EPA rules.
The dynamic is a latent effect of the shutdown, given that the court system has been able to operate on fees and other funds since its federal funding lapsed alongside EPA and several other agencies in late December. But those funding sources are expected to dry up around Jan. 25 -- depending on the particular court -- meaning many employees will be furloughed and courts will scale back to “essential” activities.
“A crippled judiciary, with all the consequences that would entail for businesses and citizens alike who come before its courts, would only add to the pressure on President Trump and lawmakers to find a way to reopen the government,” the New York Times reports.
The article chronicles a range of possible problems, including delayed payments for jurors and courts having to scramble to arrange mundane things like lunch for jurors while they are deliberating and contracts for building safety and maintenance work.
Inside EPA examined the court-related consequences yesterday in a roundup of problems stemming from the ongoing shutdown.
We reported that cases involving EPA have received mixed treatment, with some courts like the federal district court in New Mexico, suspending or postponing cases governing EPA and other agencies.
But other courts, like the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, are taking a different approach. In a Jan. 16 order without comment, it denied an unopposed EPA request to delay its filing of a final brief in Idaho Conservation League, et al. v. Andrew Wheeler, et al., a case where environmentalists are seeking to compel the agency to reverse course and establish Superfund financial requirements for the hardrock mining sector.
The order maintains Jan. 18 as the deadline for the parties' final briefs to be filed.
Similarly, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California lifted a stay on litigation governing her order requiring the agency to release thousands of emails from Wheeler and other top officials within one year, giving government lawyers just three days to work out a schedule with environmentalists.
In a Jan. 16 order in Sierra Club v. EPA, Judge Elizabeth Laport lifted the Jan. 2 stay she had imposed and directed the parties “to meet and confer, and within three business days of the date of this Order, file the status update and adjusted schedule” she ordered late last year but which she had stayed until after the shutdown ended.
https://insideepa.com/daily-feed/ewire-crippled-judiciary-could-add-shutdown-pressure
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Plastics Industry Launches Waste Initiative
Jan 17, 2019 | Chemical and Engineering News
By Alexander H. Tullo
In what is being billed as the largest-ever effort of its kind, 28 companies have formed the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, which plans to invest up to $1.5 billion over the next five years on projects to keep plastic trash out of the ocean.
The alliance includes some of the world’s largest chemical companies, including BASF, Dow Chemical, and LyondellBasell Industries, as well as consumer product giants like Procter & Gamble and Henkel. But critics say the industry should have acted on plastic waste sooner and that this effort by itself won’t solve the problem.
The initiative launched with a sleek video presentation viewed on the web by more than 500,000 people its first day. It featured British television presenter Hannah Vaughan Jones in a roundtable discussion with CEOs such as Dow’s Jim Fitterling, P&G’s David S. Taylor, and LyondellBasell’s Bob Patel.
“I think everyone agrees that plastic waste does not belong in the ocean or the environment, and this demands swift action and leadership from all of us,” Taylor said.
The initiative will emphasize waste infrastructure, recycling, and other programs in developing countries, where it believes the investment will have the most impact. The alliance cites a 2017 study in Environmental Science and Technology saying that between 88 and 95% of river-borne plastics originate from just 10 rivers in Asia and Africa (DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b02368). It also cites work by the Ocean Conservancy suggesting that more than 60% of ocean plastics come from just five countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The alliance will work with local jurisdictions to establish waste collection and disposal. It will engage in education and cleanup efforts. And it will help develop recycling and energy-recovery technologies.
Among the initiatives the alliance will support is Renew Oceans, an affiliate of the plastic-to-fuels start-up Renewlogy. Next year, Renew Oceans plans to deploy special fencing in India’s Ganges River to collect a portion of the 550,000 metric tons of waste dumped into the river each year.
It will also fund the Incubator Network, which was set up by Circulate Capital and SecondMuse to provide “catalytic capital” to entrepreneurs to reduce the risk of waste-reduction investments.
The alliance marks a shift from the old attitude that plastic waste is the responsibility of consumers, says Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president of the advocacy group As You Sow. “It’s a change in that it shows the petrochemical industry is acknowledging some initial financial responsibility for cleaning up the mess created by plastics packaging waste,” he says.
Yet MacKerron notes that the alliance stands in “sharp contrast” to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, launched in October and joined by some 250 companies and organizations, including his. The alliance doesn’t call for a reduction in the use of single-use plastics, as the commitment does. It also endorses energy recovery, which the commitment shuns in favor of reuse and mechanical recycling. He notes that a few companies in the alliance, such as Dow and P&G, were absent from the commitment.
Dianna Cohen, CEO of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, an environmental group, has harsher words. “This announcement from the industry is too little, too late,” she says. “Plastic production is slated to increase by 40% over the next decade. Recycling fails to address the problem, and single-use plastic is filling our waterways, oceans, and environment.”
https://cen.acs.org/environment/sustainability/Plastics-industry-launches-waste-initiative/97/i3
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Flossing Increases Exposure To Chemicals – Research Shows
Jan 18, 2019 | Health Journal
By Klaire Miller
The developments in medical science are the reason the world you live in today is better in terms of health. Not only are there not more treatment options but many of the past diseases no longer are life-threatening. You also have a choice to look up your symptoms on time and visit your doctor.
In fact, this is a combination of research, better healthcare facilities, and technological advancements in general. Various studies still continue to work to find a solution to the new challenges of today’s age.
For example, flossing is a popular act around the world. The main reasoning behind it is that it protects the health of the teeth and gums by removing the trapped food particles and tartar. As a result, you can have fewer chances of tooth decay and a better overall appearance.
Is this really true? Some research from the past concluded that flossing does not work. But there was little evidence on the subject. Now, a new study claims that flossing may, in fact, increase the chances of exposure to certain chemicals known as Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Researchers from the Silent Spring Institute and the Public Health Institute in Berkeley, CA, conducted this research and published their findings in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.
How Was the Research Conducted?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are now a common part of daily life. These usually travel to the human body through the use of containers and fast food packaging. Data present on chemical shows that they are everywhere from your frozen food packs to your daily takeouts.
The most concerning thing about these substances is that they do not breakdown in the human body once they enter. Research links them testicular and kidney cancer, high cholesterol, and thyroid disorders.
The new research’s original claim was to see whether this chemical had any connection with the common human behaviors. For this purpose, the scientist recruited 178 middle-aged women. These women were also previously part of Child Health and Development Studies, during the years 1959-1967.
Blood samples collected from these women between the years 2010-2013. Up to 11 different types of PFAS were studies.
Then, these women were questioned about their exposure to the chemicals in 2015-2016 and about their behaviors that could be linked to PFAS.
For example, contact with stain-resistant furniture and carpets, food consumption, and dental flossing. Other factors like contamination of water in the areas where the women resided were also considered.What Did the Research Find?
Perhaps the most shocking discovery by the researchers was that dental flossing led to increased levels of PFAS. This was also confirmed later by checking 18 different flosses for the presence of fluorine. Both glide and non-glide flosses had PFAS.
Furthermore, many of the women who used certain brands had elevated levels of both PFHxS and PFAS in their blood. Some other things the researchers noted were that women living in areas with contaminated water also had higher exposure to the chemicals.
In a similar way, buying foods with certain packaging and having more takeouts also increased the chances. The good news, according to the researchers, is that people can reduce the effects of dental floss by using safer and more trustworthy brands. The lead author Katie Boronow concludes by saying:
“This is the first study to show that using dental floss containing PFAS is associated with a higher body burden of these toxic chemicals. The good news is, based on our findings, consumers can choose flosses that don’t contain PFAS.”
https://tophealthjournal.com/4803/flossing-increases-exposure-to-chemicals-research-shows/
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Study: This Morning Ritual Is Linked to Cancer and Decreased Fertility
Jan 18, 2019 |
By Alexandra Villarreal
Does your dentist tell you to floss every time you visit? Well now, you can have a rebuttal at the ready.
Flossing is one of those daily chores that’s just gross. Very few people enjoy removing the gunk from between their teeth. The visual is cringe-worthy, and life would be much better if it was something we didn’t have to do at all.
And now, this: New research suggests that flossing is more than just nasty. It can lead to decreased fertility, kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, low birth weight and effects on the immune system, all because you’re following your dentist’s orders.
Why, you may ask?
Oral-B Glide dental floss — likely that green-colored tube you picked up when you decided to try adulting — is one of the products that “contribute to elevated levels in the body of toxic PFAS chemicals,” according to a press release from the Silent Spring Institute. PFAS can often be found in waterproof clothing or stain-proof carpeting — it’s a substance that’s water- and grease-repellent.
According to a study of 178 middle-aged women, published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, flossing with Oral-B Glide is associated with higher levels of the PFAS called PFHxS in your blood. Researchers went a step further to test 18 different flosses for fluorine, a PFAS marker. All three Glide products that were tested came back positive for fluorine, as did some of the competitor flosses.
“The safety of the people who use our products is our top priority,” a representative for Oral-B Glide’s manufacturer told Elite Daily. “We have confirmed none of the substances in the report are used in our dental floss. Our dental floss undergoes thorough safety testing and we stand behind the safety of all our products.”
Whether you believe the scientists or the big corporation, sadly it doesn’t matter — you do still have to floss. Illness-inducing substances aren’t always a cop-out. All you have to do is find a brand that doesn’t have harmful chemicals in it, and you should be good to go. Just remember: your dentist will be so proud.
https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/study-this-morning-ritual-is-linked-to-cancer-and-decreased-fertility
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Farmer’s Daughter: Glyphosate Isn’t Scary. the Movement to Demonize It Is, Though
Jan 18, 2019 | AG Daily
By Amanda Zaluckyj
Dad encountered the glyphosate smear machine while paying rent checks. The landlord in question has a farming background, isn’t prone to conspiracy theories, and is normally quite rational. But he asked dad whether there was an alternative herbicide to Roundup that Dad could use, because he’s heard some pretty bad stuff about glyphosate.
This concern should send chills down our spines. Because it no longer lingers on society’s fringes where people are prone to conspiracy theories about “Big Ag” and “Big Chemical.” Glyphosate fears have officially sprung up in our small rural communities with people who understand agriculture.
The campaign against glyphosate started a few years ago. The fairly benign herbicide was so closely tied to Roundup Ready crops it became inexorably tied to biotechnology. Activists tried hard to ban cultivating GMO crops. And they attempted to impose scary skull-and-crossbones labeling. But when bans failed and the federal government passed national labeling requirements, their focus shifted to more and more to glyphosate.
Their efforts paid off when the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer designated glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. The decision was immediately controversial and decried by scientists around the world. And we now know IARC’s committee was stacked with particular peopleset to make sure it found a particular result.
After IARC’s announcement, regulatory agencies around the world decided to review their positions on glyphosate. Every single one concluded IARC was wrong. These have included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the European Food Safety Authority, the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Authority, and the European Chemical Agency. Even the World Health Organization stated IARC got it wrong.
Most recently, Canada Health released a statement on its review of glyphosate. The statement reads: “Currently, no pesticide regulatory authority, including Health Canada, considers glyphosate to be a carcinogenic risk of concern to humans.”
Scientists have even conducted additional research on glyphosate and its potential link to cancer. In November 2017, the Journal of the National Cancer Institutepublished a large long-term study that found no link between exposure to glyphosate by agricultural workers and cancer.
But IARC’s decision had consequences. In August 2018, a California jury awarded Dewayne Johnson a multi-million dollar verdict. Johnson claimed his exposure to glyphosate during his job as a school’s groundskeeper caused him to develop lymphoma. He based his claims on IARC’s decision. There are now over 5,000 other lawsuits pending against Bayer’s Monsanto with similar claims. And now television commercials airing around the country urge potential plaintiffs to contact class-action law firms to get in on the action.
These developments aren’t the product of some random coincidence. I’ve long warned “Big Green” knows exactly what they’re doing and that we shouldn’t underestimate them. These activist organizations, like the Environmental Working Group and the Organic Consumers’ Association, are rich, organized, and powerful. What they’ve accomplished in just a few short years against glyphosate should remind us of their capabilities.
On a positive note, we now have a better grassroots effort to speak directly to consumers, shoppers, and eaters. And more people are now aware of how these organizations operate, and how they win. I hope next time — and there will definitely be a next time — our side is a little more successful.
https://www.agdaily.com/insights/farmers-daughter-glyphosate-isnt-scary-the-movement-to-demonize-it-is-though/
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Bipartisan Duo Emerges as Senate Panel Sets Course on Energy
Jan 18, 2019 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Dean Scott
Both senators come from rural, fossil-fuel-producing states with large swaths of poverty. Both have angered climate advocates. And both have backed President Donald Trump’s energy and environment nominees.
But Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, say the latter’s elevation to the ranking Democrat slot is going to shift the committee’s focus over the next two years in some surprising ways.
One is a step that has been a rarity in the Senate since Republicans took control in 2015: a Senate committee hearing on climate change.
“Keep in mind that while I come from a producing state. I am also from a state that is seeing the most immediate impact from warming,” Murkowski said, citing melting sea ice and thawing permafrost, the normally frozen subsurface layer of soil in polar regions.
“I can’t be in a position where we just ignore the issue and pretend that it just goes away,” Murkowski said.
Climate change caused Manchin some headaches months ago when climate advocates tried, but failed, to derail his promotion to top Democrat on the committee.
That opposition was triggered by Manchin’s pro-coal views and animosity to climate legislation, perhaps best demonstrated by a 2010 ad in which he vowed to take “dead aim” and then fired a gun at a copy of a President Barack Obama-backed cap-and-trade bill.
Manchin rejects the notion he is an obstacle to any climate legislation, but wants to ensure that economic costs of any climate action are being considered. He wants to avoid “our emotions getting ahead of us and what the facts are,” he told Bloomberg Environment.
New Energy BillMurkowski said Manchin’s arrival as ranking Democrat comes at a time when the committee likely will have to start from scratch on an energy bill, given the enormous changes in the sector since the last energy law was signed, in 2007.
“We are going to have to do a new energy bill, in my view,” Murkowski told Bloomberg Environment. “But when you think of how the energy sector has changed in past 10 years, it’s extraordinary and our policies haven’t kept pace.”
Manchin succeeds Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, who left the ranking energy position to be top Democrat on the Senate commerce panel, though she still has a seat on the energy committee.
A bipartisan energy bill shepherded by Murkowski and Cantwell languished in December 2016, after passing the Senate but not the House. The bill covered a broad range of energy efficiency measures, power grid modernization, and cybersecurity provisions.
Action is needed on climate and energy, environmentalists say. They call for better use of natural landscapes for climate resilience, clean energy incentives but also “efficiency improvements, carbon capture, all of it,” Collin O’Mara, CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said.
Manchin said his “conciliatory” nature will help him build support for comprehensive legislation, including measures to bolster carbon capture and storage, which isn’t yet deployable at commercial scale for power plants because of cost.
“West Virginia energy and natural resources are something that we have an abundance of; we have been a great provider in the country and want to continue to do that,” he said.
He told Bloomberg Environment he’ll back “an all-in energy policy” from a variety sources.
Geography LessonManchin also said he’ll be a natural fit with many Western senators from states that are large fossil fuel producers. Historically, differences over energy policy often broke along regional rather than political lines.
Many of the committee’s recent leaders have come from the West, including Oregon (Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden), New Mexico (former Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman and GOP Sen. Pete Domenici), and Alaska (Republican Frank Murkowski, Lisa Murkowski’s father).
“I’m going to work with my colleagues on the Western” issues, he said.
Cantwell said all senators need to seek alignments, whether geographic or based on the industry mix in their states, particularly in reaching out to members across the aisle.
“I think he’s thinking of an alignment based on, you know, product, or energy source, versus regional interests,” she said. But regional interests “are, you know, famous around here, writ large.”
Murkowski’s Climate RecordMurkowski’s record on climate change is mixed: She has long worried about how a warming planet is affecting Alaska, but also led efforts targeting the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under Obama.
Largely forgotten is her 2007 backing of the Low Carbon Economy Act, a cap-and-trade bill she co-sponsored with four Democrats and three Republicans that she likened at the time to purchasing “an insurance policy against catastrophic climate effects at relatively little cost.”
But having the House controlled by Democrats presents an opportunity, Murkowski said. GOP control of both chambers didn’t translate into passage of her 2016 energy bill, which died in the closing weeks of the 114th Congress after negotiators couldn’t reach deals on differing versions that had already passed both the House and Senate.
House Democrats ready to push climate change and clean energy legislation is an opportunity, she said, “and what I have to do is make the absolute best of every opportunity I am given.”
https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/environment-and-energy/bipartisan-duo-emerges-as-senate-panel-sets-course-on-energy
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Greens Formally Object to Trump Administration Approving Oil Drilling During Shutdown
Jan 18, 2019 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Timothy Cama
Three environmental groups are filing formal objections against the Trump administration’s decision to keep processing permits and taking other actions to further oil and natural gas drilling during the partial government shutdown.
WildEarth Guardians, Western Watersheds Project and the Center for Biological Diversity say the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is breaking the law by processing drilling applications and preparing for upcoming drilling rights lease sales on federal land.
In addition to violating a prohibition on spending money Congress hasn’t appropriated, the groups say that since the BLM cannot post information about the applications, the public cannot fully participate in the process through objections or other means.
“In short, it is impossible for the public to inspect or otherwise provide meaningful feedback on any pending [applications or environmental reviews] related to these applications,” the groups wrote in a formal filing Thursday with the BLM.
“Instead, the public is entirely locked out of the process,” they wrote.
The groups often fight individual drilling applications and lease sales, as well as larger efforts to increase drilling on federal land.
“It’s absolutely outrageous, not to mention illegal, that Trump is rolling out the red carpet for the oil and gas industry while the American people can’t even reach an agency staffer by phone,” Rebecca Fischer, climate and energy program attorney with WildEarth Guardians, said in a statement.
“We’ve been completely shut out of decisions affecting our public lands, and we won’t stand for it.”
Most of Interior has been shut down since congressional funding lapsed. But the Trump administration declared that staff processing drilling applications and preparing for future lease sales can keep working because they have funding.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/426009-greens-formally-object-to-trump-administration-approving-oil
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Dems, Green Groups Tell Interior to Halt Oil Leasing During Shutdown
Jan 18, 2019 | Houston Chronicle
By James Osborne
Pressure is mounting on the Interior Department to halt its plans to continue oil and gas leasing during a partial government shutdown now almost four weeks long.
House Democrats on Wednesday told the Interior Department to stop plans to bring back furloughed staff for an offshore lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico in March. Thursday, environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Resources Defense Council, urged Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to stop all oil and gas lease sales.
House Democrats on Wednesday told the Interior Department to stop plans to bring back furloughed staff for an offshore lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico in March. Thursday, environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Resources Defense Council, urged Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to stop all oil and gas lease sales.
"The administration cares only about the impacts on its favorite industry and not its workers, their families, and ordinary Americans," said a letter from the House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., and other Democrats. "If you refuse, we insist you that you come to Capitol Hill this week for a detailed briefing providing the legal justification for what appears to be a violation of the Antideficiency Act."
A spokesman for the Interior Department said officials there are "happy to meet with the Committee, as appropriate."
"We are confident that we are fully meeting our legal obligations," the spokesman said "We care about our employees, parks, public lands, and border security."
The call for action comes as the oil and gas industry has been allowed to operate relatively unfettered by a government shutdown that has upended industries from air travel to farming to defense contracting. Last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management made plans to bring employees back for an offshore lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico in March. The Bureau of Land Management, meanwhile, continues to issue drilling permits for federal lands — something the Obama administration did not do during the 2013 shutdown.
"American companies who operate in the offshore invest hundreds of millions of dollars in projects and need certainty to see these projects through," said Mallori Miller, senior director of government relations at the Independent Petroleum Association of America. "Preventing business as usual from continuing over a political fight that has nothing to do with our industry doesn't help anyone."
But continuing to allow new oil and gas leasing to continue could constitute a breach of federal law limiting government activity during a shutdown, the environmental groups maintain.
"Due to the partial government shutdown, the Bureau of Land Management lacks the necessary funds and staff to fully comply with applicable legal requirements, which include mandatory environmental reviews and 30-day public comment and protest periods," a letter from the group said.
https://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Dems-green-groups-urge-Trump-to-halt-oil-leasing-13541813.php
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Republicans Keep Subcommittee Assignments Largely Intact
Jan 18, 2019 | E&E - Greenwire
By George Cahlink
Energy and Commerce Republicans are only making a few changes to the lineups for subcommittees with an energy and environment focus.
Ranking member Greg Walden (R-Ore.) announced this morning that most of the returning members from the last Congress would continue to serve on those panels.
Among the few changes, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) will join both the Subcommittee on Energy and the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, while Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) will take a slot on Environment and Climate Change.
Rodgers, an eighth-term lawmaker who previously led the House Republican caucus, has clashed with environmentalists over management of salmon and steelhead fisheries in Northwestern waterways.
Mullin, a fourth-term lawmaker from eastern Oklahoma, has been a regular critic of EPA. He offered amendments to the fiscal 2019 Interior-EPA spending bill last summer seeking to curb the agency's ability to regulate emissions and bar it from studying the social costs of carbon.
Republicans made few changes to the subcommittee because their numbers were reduced by losses and retirements in the election.
House Republicans had only one new slot to fill on the overall committee, naming Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) earlier this week. He did not land on either the energy or environment panels.
The full GOP rosters are below:Energy SubcommitteeFred Upton of Michigan — ranking member.Bob Latta of Ohio.Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington.Pete Olson of Texas.David McKinley of West Virginia.Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.Morgan Griffith of Virginia.Bill Johnson of Ohio.Larry Bucshon of Indiana.Bill Flores of Texas.Richard Hudson of North Carolina.Tim Walberg of Michigan.Jeff Duncan of South Carolina.Environment and Climate Change SubcommitteeJohn Shimkus of Illinois — ranking member.Rodgers.McKinley.Johnson.Billy Long of Missouri.Flores.Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.Buddy Carter of Georgia.Duncan.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2019/01/18/stories/1060117939
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IEA Sees Oil Demand Growth Defying Economic Slowdown for Now
Jan 18, 2019 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Grant Smith
Global oil demand remains on course to be stronger this year than in 2018 as a boost from lower fuel prices counters slowing economic activity, according to the International Energy Agency.
“We have seen prices fall very significantly since the peak at the beginning of October, and that is providing some relief to consumers,” Neil Atkinson, head of the IEA’s oil industry and markets division, said in a Jan 18 Bloomberg television interview. Still, in its monthly report the agency acknowledged “the mood music in the global economy is not very cheerful” and the outlook could change.
Crude prices remain almost 30 percent below the four-year peak reached in October amid concerns over economic growth in China and the U.S., the world’s two biggest oil users, who remain locked in a trade dispute. To prevent markets tipping into oversupply, the OPEC cartel and its partners have announced substantial production cuts.
Oil consumption will expand by 1.4 million barrels a day—about 1.4 percent—in 2019, slightly higher than last year’s expansion of 1.3 million, according to the Paris-based IEA, which advises most of the world’s major economies on energy policy. Brent crude traded near $62 a barrel in London Jan. 18, having surpassed $86 in October.
Faltering manufacturing and slumping exports have stirred concerns that China’s economy, the oil market’s engine of growth for more than a decade, is slowing. A prolonged trade battle with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is only darkening the outlook.
“Our expectation for slightly faster global demand growth in 2019 is maintained even though economic growth is likely to be slower than in 2018,” the agency said. “The impact of higher oil prices in 2018 is fading, which will help offset lower economic growth.”
Output cuts planned by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners should stabilize world markets, though the process will be slow, the IEA said. To fully implement its agreed cutbacks, OPEC would need to cut by a significant 900,000 barrels a day this month, with its allies reducing by a further 370,000.
“The journey to a balanced market will take time, and is more likely to be a marathon than a sprint,” it said. “If the producers deliver on their promises, the market could return to balance in the first half of 2019.”
OPEC CutsWhile OPEC’s biggest member, Saudi Arabia, has made an early start on production cuts, unplanned losses have steadied in fellow members Iran and Venezuela. At the same time, the shale-oil boom is continuing unabated in the U.S., which by the middle of the year will be producing more crude than either Saudi Arabia or Russia is able to.
Production in the U.S. will rise by 1.3 million barrels a day this year, the IEA said. That’s slower than the record 2.1 million increase in 2018, but the agency pointed out that such rapid expansion had been “unexpected” given that its initial estimate was for growth of less than half that amount.
Refiners around the world also face a challenge this year as the industry adds 2.6 million barrels of daily processing capacity, the biggest increase in the records of the agency, which was set up in the 1970s.
“By the end of the year, all industry players, upstream and downstream, may feel as if they have run a marathon,” it said.
https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/environment-and-energy/iea-sees-oil-demand-growth-defying-economic-slowdown-for-now
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ILTA Praises Congressional Reauthorisation of CFATs Programme
Jan 18, 2019 | Tank Storage Magazine
The Senate unanimously approved the measure on January 17 and the House unanimously approved it on January 18.
Kathryn Clay, president of the ILTA, says: 'ILTA applauds Congress for extending—on the day it was set to expire—this important security programme, which regulates critical chemical facilities to guard against terrorist attack.
'This 15-month extension gives us the opportunity to make necessary changes to the programme, while continuing to ensure the security of facilities that store the highest-risk chemicals.
'For the past decade, ILTA has been the leading voice encouraging the Department of Homeland Security to correct the treatment of gasoline and other fuel blends under the CFATS programme. ILTA looks forward to working with Congress and DHS to ensure that fuel blends are treated on par with similar materials under CFATS implementation.
'We urge President Trump to sign this important reauthorisation legislation as soon as possible.'http://www.tankstoragemag.com/display_news/10472/ILTA_praises_Congressional_reauthorisation_of_CFATs_programme/
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House Leader Names Transportation Subcommittee Ranking Member
Jan 18, 2019 | Progressive Railroading
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) yesterday announced the ranking members of the panel’s six subcommittees for the 116th Congress.
The ranking members and their subcommittees will be Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials; Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Subcommittee on Highways and Transit; Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), Subcommittee on Aviation; Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation; Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management; and Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
“These are the type of leaders the Committee will need as we work together in the coming weeks and months on an infrastructure package and other priorities that address the needs of America’s infrastructure and make our transportation network stronger, safer, and more efficient,” Graves said in a press release.
https://www.progressiverailroading.com/federal_legislation_regulation/news/House-leader-names-transportation-subcommittee-ranking-members--56545
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Balderson Named to Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure
Jan 18, 2019 | The Delaware Gazette
By Joshua Keeran
The House Republican Steering Committee on Wednesday tapped Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12) to serve on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 116th Congress, pending ratification by the House Republican Conference.
“My greatest honor is bringing the voice of Ohioans to Washington so that our priorities are represented in Congress. Serving on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will allow me to put Ohio’s priorities at the forefront of our nation’s policies on land, sea and sky,” said Congressman Troy Balderson. “I’m excited to get to work.”
“Infrastructure is a major national priority for the president and Congress, and I am excited to have Troy Balderson on our committee,” said House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO). “I am confident he will be a strong advocate for transportation and infrastructure improvements in central Ohio and the country.”
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation: aviation, maritime and waterborne transportation, highways, bridges, mass transit, and railroads. The Committee also has jurisdiction over other aspects of our national infrastructure, such as clean water and waste water management, the transport of resources by pipeline, flood damage reduction, the management of federally-owned real estate and public buildings, the development of economically depressed rural and urban areas, disaster preparedness and response, and hazardous materials transportation.
In addition, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has broad jurisdiction over the Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard, Amtrak, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Economic Development Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, federal buildings and more.
It is one of the largest committees in Congress, and includes six subcommittees:
• Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
• Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
• Highways and Transit
• Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
• Water Resources and the Environment
https://www.delgazette.com/news/73940/balderson-named-to-committee-on-transportation-infrastructure
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By Mapping Its Own Air Pollution, London Can Help Cities Worldwide
Jan 18, 2019 | Environmental Working Group
By Fred Krupp
We do not all breathe the same air.
In fact, varying levels of pollution mean the quality of the air we breathe differs sharply from country to country, from state to state – even street to street. In West Oakland, California, for example, researchers have shown that air pollution levels can vary by up to eight-fold within a single city block.
Those differences in air quality have enormous public health impacts. Globally, air pollution is responsible for some 7 million premature deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization – more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.
Since the most pervasive air pollutants are invisible to the eye, the risk and the inequity are invisible. But now, a new initiative is making these invisible threats visible, and setting an example for cities around the globe.
The Mayor of London, Environmental Defense Fund, the C40 consortium of 90 cities tackling climate change, and a host of other partners last week launched Breathe London, an ambitious project that will measure and map Londoners’ daily exposure to air pollution using a network of advanced air pollution sensors deployed across the city.
Breathe London will shine a light on air pollution at a hyper-local level and provide data that lets us not only see the problem, but take action to solve it. Armed with hyper-local data, communities, researchers, innovators and policy makers will be empowered to turn the data into solutions that create healthier air.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan was not exaggerating when he declared that his city’s air quality problem “is now a matter of life and death,” with children in particular having severe reactions. A recent five-year study of central London children confirmed that long-term exposure to urban air pollution is related to smaller lung volumes.
Thanks to advances in mobile sensor technology, researchers have shown that air pollution levels in Oakland, California can vary by up to eight-fold within just one city block. Living in areas with the most elevated levels of air pollution increases heart attack risk in the elderly by up to 40 percent, a level similar to a history of smoking.Making the invisible visible
A new generation of mobile sensors and other precise, affordable monitoring technology will greatly expand London’s air quality monitoring network and deliver much richer, more detailed data than currently available.
This information will give Londoners a real-time picture of the air they’re breathing as they move around the city. By visualizing the existing threat – and documenting the benefits of policy interventions – more and better data will lead to more effective policies and ultimately, healthier air.
London is just the beginning. This new model can be adapted and replicated in cities around the world.Mapping of London air quality
Breathe London is using new technology to make the air pollution problem actionable.
It started with the deployment of 100 low-cost air quality monitors, each equipped with up to 10 separate sensor types, in a flexible network throughout London. Thirty of these sensor pods will be moved as needed to react to pollution hotspots identified by mobile monitoring.
Next, Google Street View cars equipped with state-of-the-art sensor technology will repeatedly sample the air over a thousand miles of London roads. This mobile mapping strategy has been used effectively in Houston, TX and West Oakland, CA. EDF is expanding this work to include commercial and municipal fleets as well.
Together, this network of stationary and mobile air quality sensors will provide an unprecedented amount of data that will be used by Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants, another partner in the project, to improve the air pollution modelling and forecasting system for London.Data drives action
Identifying pollution hotspots helps bolster and focus public demand for action, and gives policy makers the scientific evidence needed to identify solutions. Businesses, policy makers and city planners will know where to best focus the development of green infrastructure, schools and playgrounds, and how to take steps to reduce harmful emissions from buildings and transportation.
These are just some important steps that can be taken to help improve air quality and reduce the risks of pollution for some of the most sensitive communities.
For example, localized air quality data could lead to the deployment of electric and low emission municipal vehicles in the most polluted neighborhoods. Under a new California law, citizens armed with local air quality data in West Oakland are pushing for cleaner air.Taking the model to cities worldwide
We look to the day when detailed, street-by-street maps of air pollution are available for almost any city. But maps alone don’t save lives: effective, sometimes unlikely partnerships are essential to unlocking the power of these new data.
In 2018, for example, C40 launched an Air Quality Network to help cities identify and advocate for actions that reduce air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. EDF is committed to working with this network to provide best practices for using new technologies to diagnose a city’s air pollution problem, design solutions and share results.
Unprecedented innovation is driving accelerated action. Data-driven solutions that clear the air for communities across London should inspire other cities to take similar action to improve air quality, protect public health and slow climate change.
https://www.edf.org/blog/2019/01/18/mapping-its-own-air-pollution-london-can-help-cities-worldwide
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Under Trump, Our Public Lands Are Spewing Carbon Dioxide
Jan 18, 2019 | Roll Call
By Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva D-Ariz.
The Trump administration tried to sneak two alarming climate change reports past the public last year just after Thanksgiving, apparently hoping everyone would be shopping or sleeping off a turkey hangover. The attempt backfired spectacularly.
One of the reports, the National Climate Assessment, gave a new sense of urgency to climate policy in a way unmatched by other recent scientific analyses. Its projections of huge impacts on people’s health, their homes, and the overall U.S. economy from runaway climate change have spurred fresh calls for action and sharpened House Democrats’ focus on climate policy in the next Congress.
The other report, unfortunately, received far less attention. This had nothing to do with the importance of its findings; it was bad timing, plain and simple. But the U.S. Geological Survey’s conclusion — that public lands and waters are responsible for nearly a quarter of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions — needs to be widely shared and understood.
This administration promotes coal mining and oil and gas drilling at all costs, especially on public lands. As incoming leaders of the House Natural Resources Committee, which is responsible for overseeing energy activities on federal lands and in federal waters, we will work with our colleagues to pursue a better path.
The current government shutdown has meant the almost complete closure of our public lands agencies — except in the Arctic, where Trump’s Bureau of Land Management is still holding public meetings on drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve. We have asked acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to clarify the selective prioritizing of fossil fuels while other missions, including conservation, continue to languish.
Our parks, forests, oceans, and wild, open spaces shouldn’t be used to make our climate crisis worse. These lands must be managed to lead the way to a zero-carbon future.
Our public lands contain some of the sunniest, windiest, and most geologically active places in the country, if not the world. They are often ideal locations for solar, wind, and geothermal energy development. By placing a greater focus on developing low-carbon projects in these locations and capitalizing on the vast renewable energy resources we know exist, we can transform our public lands into an asset that will help us solve the climate crisis.
The opportunities are tremendous. The Obama administration already identified 285,000 acres of public land ideally suited for solar development, enough to generate more than 27,000 megawatts of electricity and power for roughly 8 million homes — roughly four times the amount of solar currently sited on public lands. Millions of similarly promising acres can be used for additional renewable energy. Similar areas ideally suited for wind or geothermal must be identified.
Meanwhile, we’re barely getting started on offshore wind, with an estimated realistic potential of 86,000 megawatts, enough to power 23 million homes. This potential is currently tapped by a grand total of zero turbines in federal waters. Technologies that generate energy from waves, tides, and currents offer even more untapped possibilities.
Development of these technologies and energy sources creates jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that between 2016 and 2026, solar energy installers and wind turbine technicians will be the two fastest growing occupations in the country. In the coming decades, development of renewable energy on public lands can create hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs in manufacturing, construction, installation and finance, among others. Expanding this sector of our economy will go a long way toward our zero-carbon goals, support a sustainable twenty-first century economy, and increase our competitiveness with global business rivals.
Public lands can be further used to tackle the climate crisis by capturing and storing carbon. Such smart land-use management can greatly increase the amount of carbon absorbed by our public lands. One recent study found that by 2050, we could store an additional 8.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the annual emissions of over 2,000 coal-fired power plants, under the best management scenarios.
In addition to storing carbon, wetlands and barrier islands can mitigate the impacts of rising sea levels and help protect against stronger storms. Nearly 40 percent of Americans already live in coastal counties. As this number increases, natural buffers can provide environmentally friendly ways to protect communities and economies from coastal hazards.
None of this will matter if we follow President Trump’s unsafe and unsustainable prescription for drilling, mining, and denying the existence of our climate problems. The president and former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinkehave effectively forbidden federal land managers from taking steps to prepare for changing environmental conditions. Significant legislative reforms are needed to turn back pro-fossil-fuel policies that subsidize companies wishing to drill or mine on our public lands.
As the USGS report pointed out, our public lands are currently hurting our efforts to reduce emissions and achieve a zero-carbon economy. That’s absolutely backwards and unnecessary. Federal lands and oceans can be a model to guide the private sector and the world on smart land use. It’s our responsibility to manage these properties as engines that propel our clean energy future.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/opinion/carbon-zero-future-public-lands
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