Preview Newsletter
PM ACC Clips Report - February 4, 2019
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(ACC Mentioned) Chemistry and the Economy: 2019 outlook
Feb 4, 2019 | Gas World
By Agnes H. Baker
Every six months, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) does a survey of the chemical industry. Resident economist Paul Hodges, Chairman of International eChem, and Bill Carroll of Carroll Applied Sciences, recently presented their... -
(ACC Mentioned) Washington Insider -- Monday
Feb 4, 2019 | The Progressive Farmer
Two groups this week will urge the end of metal tariffs on U.S. allies Canada and Mexico. The Alliance for Competitive Steel and Aluminum Trade plans to meet with lawmakers Feb. 4-5 and press on the need to remove U.S. metal tariffs... -
(ACC Mentioned) The Plastics Issue We Seem to Ignore
Feb 4, 2019 | Deutsche Welle
By Jamie Wilson
The day my close childhood friend turned 2 years old, The New York Times published an in-depth article entitled "The Promise and Perils of Petrochemicals." It offered an insight into the complexities and "alchemy" of synthetics... -
(ACC Mentioned) 12 Ways Your Fellow Angelenos Are Reducing Their Plastic Waste
Feb 4, 2019 | LAist
By Jill Replogle
My family recently made an effort to cut out single-use plastic from our life. Or at least, to reduce it significantly. We're certainly not the first people to do this. We wanted to draw on the collective knowledge and experience of our... -
The Energy 202: Senators from Both Parties Press EPA to Limit Two Toxic Chemicals
Feb 4, 2019 | The Washington Post
By Dino Grandoni
One-fifth of the Senate is pressing the Environmental Protection Agency to do more to prevent two toxic chemicals from getting into Americans' drinking water — after a report last week indicating the agency is not going to restrict them... -
US Government Sued for Delaying Dichloromethane Paint Stripper Ban
Feb 4, 2019 | Chemistry World
By Rebecca Trager
Two years after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed banning methylene chloride (dichloromethane) in paint strippers, the agency has finally proposed new regulations to prohibit consumer use and limit commercial... -
Schumer Demands EPA Set Drinking Water Standards for 2 Chemicals
Feb 4, 2019 | News 12 Long Island
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer is demanding the federal government set standards for dangerous chemicals seeping into Long Island's water supply. As News 12 has previously reported, PFOS and PFOA are leaking into wells in... -
Limits on Rocket Fuel Chemical in Drinking Water Delayed a Month
Feb 4, 2019 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Amena H. Saiyid
Blame the government shutdown: The EPA won’t make the court-mandated deadline yet again to issue a long-awaited drinking water standard for perchlorate, a key rocket fuel chemical. Instead, the Environmental Protection Agency is... -
EU Committee Lists Persistent Mobile Substances as Emerging Issue
Feb 4, 2019 | Chemical Watch
An EU science committee has identified persistent, mobile and toxic substances (PMTs) as one of 14 emerging issues that could impact on human health or the environment in the future. The list of emerging issues comes in a statement... -
U.S. Challenges Court Ruling That Blocked Keystone XL Pipeline
Feb 4, 2019 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Rachel Adams-Heard
The Trump administration is appealing a federal court in Montana’s decision to block TransCanada Corp.’s $8 billion Keystone XL crude pipeline project. The State Department and Interior Department Feb. 1 gave formal notice that they... -
Trump Admin Appeals Injunction over Pipeline
Feb 4, 2019 | E&E - Greenwire
By Pamela King
The Trump administration is appealing a recent court order that temporarily halted construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. U.S. District Court for the District of Montana Judge Brian Morris last year ordered a stop to the long... -
Why Does the Energy Department Downplay the Future of Renewables?
Feb 4, 2019 | Environmental Working Group
By Grant Smith
In 2050, the EIA predicts, natural gas and coal will still dominate the energy mix, representing 56 percent of all electricity generation. The agency says the expansion of wind power will slow down after the expiration of a federal tax... -
STB Installs Fuchs as Vice Chairman for 2019
Feb 4, 2019 | Progressive Railroading
By Alan Levin and Ryan Beene
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has designated Patrick Fuchs as vice chairman. The vice chairmanship rotates among board members each year. Fuchs was sworn in last month as an STB member. Prior to that, he... -
Ewire: Climate Hearings, Wheeler Vote on Tap for Busy Hill Week
Feb 4, 2019 | Inside EPA
Environmental issues are poised for a big week on Capitol Hill, with House Democrats and environmentalists scheduled to make their first concerted push on climate change policy in the new Congress, while the Senate... -
It’s time for a Green ‘True’ Deal
Feb 4, 2019 | Roll Call
By Jason Grumet
Democratic congressional leaders did not intend to focus on climate change in 2019. Midterm exit polls reinforced voter concern over health care and the economy, and House veterans remember the fallout from their last major...
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(ACC Mentioned) Chemistry and the Economy: 2019 outlook
Feb 4, 2019 | Gas World
By Agnes H. Baker
Every six months, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) does a survey of the chemical industry. Resident economist Paul Hodges, Chairman of International eChem, and Bill Carroll of Carroll Applied Sciences, recently presented their semi-annual look at the factors impacting global markets, with a focus on chemicals, writes Agnes H. Baker.
For full story, subscription required...
https://www.gasworld.com/chemistry-and-the-economy-2019-outlook/2016464.article
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(ACC Mentioned) Washington Insider -- Monday
Feb 4, 2019 | The Progressive Farmer
Here's a quick monitor of Washington farm and trade policy issues from DTN's well-placed observer.
Push to End US Steel, Aluminum Duties Against Mexico, Canada Continues
Two groups this week will urge the end of metal tariffs on U.S. allies Canada and Mexico.
The Alliance for Competitive Steel and Aluminum Trade plans to meet with lawmakers Feb. 4-5 and press on the need to remove U.S. metal tariffs on Canada and Mexico before congressional vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
USMCA supporters say the steel and aluminum tariffs are diverting industry attention that should be focused on getting the new agreement with Mexico and Canada passed. The metal industry alliance includes businesses ranging from automobile manufacturing to pet food makers and farm groups such as the U.S. Grains Council.
The group Tariffs Hurt the Heartland is leading its own effort Feb. 6-7 with a message that tariffs are a bad weapon to use in trade skirmishes because consumers and industries are hurt.
Major associations participating in this second group include the National Retail Federation, Toy Association, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, National Fisheries Institute, American Chemistry Council, and the American Apparel and Footwear Association. Businesses participating include IBM, Hasbro Wicked Cool Toys, Walmart, and Hewlett Packard.
AFIA Updates Biosecurity Guidance Due To ASF Outbreak
Updated biosecurity guidelines were released by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) amid outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) -- including one currently affecting China.
The recent ASF outbreaks motivated AFIA to "create a multi-pronged action plan," the group said. The effort aims to develop "science-based solutions for mitigating the risks of virus transmission through feed" and the "communicate any new information and recommendations to the industry and producer groups." Updated biosecurity guidelines are one product of the effort.
"AFIA's biosecurity guidelines were originally written to help safeguard manufacturing facilities following 9/11, but were always meant to serve as a 'living document' that could be updated based on what we know about new and emerging threats," said AFIA Director of Quality, Animal Food Safety and Education Paul Davis. "While some threats aren't at the back door yet, it doesn't mean we can leave the door unlocked. Our industry must be vigilant about continually improving its biosecurity programs for the protection of animal and human health."
Regression to the mean was not flawless in 2018, but the long-term evidence is still persuasive.
To develop the updated guidelines, AFIA collaborated with the pork industry, government and academia. It incorporated changes "based on new information regarding how viruses can potentially spread throughout the feed manufacturing process."
Washington Insider: Bated Breath in DC
There's an unusually significant moment for the United States ahead of Tuesday's State of the Union Address. That highly-charged address, delayed by the aftermath of the government shutdown, now falls on week jam-packed with U.S. and global economic and political reports, announcements and speeches.
For one, this week marks Jerome Powell's first anniversary as chairman as the Federal Reserve. The chairman, Bloomberg reminds us with reporting, is under pressure to deliver on his commitment to "explain what we are doing and why we are doing it."
His anniversary comes amid uncertainty over U.S. economic and trade policies, tough negotiations with China and significant global decisions about important policy positions. Powell will host a town hall meeting with educators in Washington on Wednesday, a day after he celebrates his anniversary.
He does so after a year, which witnessed four interest rate hikes by the Fed, and numerous unappreciative tweets from President Trump. The year did end with policy makers delighting markets by signaling they may not tighten monetary policy again for a while.
Powell's Feb. 6 appearance will be live-streamed to the public who will also be able to join the discussion via social media. It gives the Fed chairman a chance to flesh out his reasoning for the dovish turn amid questions over what necessitated such a dramatic shift.
"Monetary policy makers may have been spooked by economic and financial developments at their first meeting of the year, but the labor market remains on very sound footing," said Carl Riccadonna, chief U.S. Economist at Bloomberg Economics. "Policy makers will be satisfied to let the data do the heavy lifting, rather than Fed communications, in terms of convincing market participants of the need for further action."
Powell isn't alone in speaking. Loretta Mester of the Cleveland Fed is scheduled for Monday and Vice Chairmen Randal Quarles and Richard Clarida speak on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. James Bullard of the St. Louis Fed has an appearance on Thursday and Mary Daly of the San Francisco Fed speaks Friday.
Elsewhere, there are monetary policy decisions in the UK, India, Mexico, Australia, Brazil and across eastern Europe.
Data delayed by the government shutdown in the U.S. are scheduled to be published in the near future, while numbers in the euro area will shed more light on how fast its economy is slowing.
Bloomberg notes the U.S. will start to publish economic reports delayed by the shutdown, including the Census Bureau's November's trade balance.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg project the deficit will narrow to $54 billion from $55.5 billion the prior month. Eyes will also turn to the imbalance with China as the two largest economies continue to negotiate the future of their trade relationship. Those talks are likely to come up in Trump's State of the Union address tomorrow and the final reading on November factory orders is scheduled for release Monday.
Bloomberg highlights additional industrial data from Germany along with services purchasing managers index from Italy and Spain that will provide the final such readings for the region and a further glimpse into the health of the euro-area economy after a torrid end to 2018. The European Commission will also release fresh economic predictions.
In the UK, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will present his final set of forecasts on Thursday before Brexit is due to happen on March 29, although they will be clouded by the unknowns of what that might entail. Iceland, Poland, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Russia and Romania all set rates too although the betting is each will make no changes. Turkish inflation is seen staying around 20.3%.
In addition, Venezuela will continue to capture the headlines with pressure mounting on Nicolas Maduro at home and abroad. On Wednesday, Brazil's central bank is expected to keep its key interest rate at a record low of 6.5% in what is likely the last meeting under President Ilan Goldfajn.
The next day, Mexican policy makers are set to keep their benchmark at the highest level in a decade as they meet for the first time since President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's two appointees joined the board. They will have new inflation data that comes out that day. In Canada, consumer confidence data on Monday and the employment report on Friday will signal how soft the economy is.
Those are a dizzying amount of data points on the state of the global economy to pack into a week. Combine all that with the possibility the U.S. government could again be closed if the administration's recommendations for border policies are not followed, and you have a lot of developments producers should pay close attention to as the week progresses and debates emerge and intensify, Washington Insider believes.
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/perspectives/columns/washington-insider/article/2019/02/04/bated-breath-dc
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(ACC Mentioned) The Plastics Issue We Seem to Ignore
Feb 4, 2019 | Deutsche Welle
By Jamie Wilson
The day my close childhood friend turned 2 years old, The New York Times published an in-depth article entitled "The Promise and Perils of Petrochemicals."
It offered an insight into the complexities and "alchemy" of synthetics manufacture, and claimed that products such as plastics are often created more to meet the needs of industry than those of the consumer. In the same breath, it warned that large-scale production could, in years to come, become an environmental hazard.
That was in 1977. Fast forward to the here and now, and that prophecy is graphically borne out in abundant images from across the world of clogged waterways, dead wildlife and trash heaped as far, high and wide as the eye can see.
Even the author of the decades-old caution might have struggled to imagine how, in the intervening 40 plus years, global and globalized society would go from an annual production of some 50 million tons — equivalent in weight to around 150 Empire State Buildings — to 335 million tons in 2016, as figures from Statista show.
Yet it has. And despite the fact that of the overall 8.3 billion tons of plastic we've churned out to date, 91 percent has not been recycled. According to a 2016 report by the World Economic Forum, we're on track to quadruple our total output by 2050.
Given that plastics, left to their own devices and exposed to even the very worst extreme weather, can take many hundreds of years to break down, environmentalists are calling for a solution that goes beyond cleanups and bans on selected single-use items.
Petrochemical companies to the fore?
In the first weeks of this year, the newly-minted Alliance to End Plastic Waste ventured a proposal it says could help. It aims to remove plastic from the environment with a five-year, €1.32 billion ($1.5 billion) plan that focuses on waste management, recycling infrastructures, innovation, education and cleanup.
At the alliance's launch event in London, the group of almost 30 member companies, which includes some of the world's largest petrochemical multinationals — BASF, Dow Chemical and Exxon Mobil — as well as consumer goods manufacturers such as Proctor & Gamble, said it would be collaborating with governments and NGOs in an effort to live up to its name.
There was much talk about circular economies, value chains and missed recycling opportunities, but conversely not a word on the option of scaling back on the production of virgin plastics.
And in light of recent International Energy Agency (IEA) findings that say direct CO2 emissions from the petrochemical sector, which is "rapidly becoming the largest driver of global oil consumption," are on course to reach 30 percent by 2050, it's that omission that reads like the real missed opportunity. Because a primary use of oil in the petrochemical industry is the manufacture of plastic.
Prevention better than a cure
"We're never going to solve the plastic pollution crisis if we don't stop the expansion of the petrochemicals industry," Delphine Levi Alvares, European coordinator of #breakfreefromplastic, a movement of more than 1,400 organizations pushing for a lasting solution to the plastic pollution crisis, told DW.
"We're talking about companies that are extremely powerful, and most decision-makers are afraid to have this conversation. But we need to."
Levi Alvares regards the Alliance to End Plastic Waste as "just another industry-led initiative" that's putting money in the wrong place.
"The main message we have is definitely around prevention, because we're not going to recycle our way out of plastic pollution. This is really about redesigning our relationships to plastics."
Martin Baxter, chief policy adviser of UK-based Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) says that while there are some "very good uses for plastic," it's important to understand the drivers that will allow societies around the globe to de-materialize.
"It is about a hierarchy of action," he told DW. "Do I need to use any of this material, how do I reduce the amounts of material I'm using, can I select materials that can easily be recovered, can I design my products so they can be disaggregated at the end of their life?"
Plastics as supply-driven products
But for Levi Alvares, the issue is also about making consumers understand to what extent the overuse of plastic is driven by the needs of petrochemical companies.
"As long as we keep extracting fossil fuel, and in a context where producing plastic is more lucrative than producing oil for transport or energy, we're going to use plastics," she said.
According to independent environmental organization Recycling Network, petrochemical companies in the new alliancebegan investing billions in 2014 and plans to do so through2030 in rolling out plastic production capacities. Their €1.32 million solution fund pales in comparison.
The Alliance to End Plastic Waste had yet to comment on any plans to scale back on the production of virgin plastics by the time of publication.
For its part, German chemical giant BASF is "placing strong emphasis on developing innovative packaging solutions that contribute to sustainability," according to Christian Zeintl, of BASF's media relations team.
Zeintl told DW that plastics "help improve and maintain living standards, hygiene and nutrition around the world." Referring to a 2016 plastics and sustainability report by Trucost and the American Chemistry Council , he argued that replacing them with alternatives could raise environmental costs nearly fourfold, and therefore ultimately "do more harm than good."
"Even as we work aggressively to reduce plastic waste in the environment, we must maintain the critical benefits that plastics bring to people and communities," he told DW. "It is not either/or. With a thoughtful, comprehensive and strategic approach, we can do both."
Levi Alvares challenges both the mutual inclusion of such a conclusion, as well as the use of material substitution modelling to predict environmental damage, because that, she says, is missing the point.
"The conversation is about how we use our resources and what kinds of products we package," because pollution as a result of plastic manufacture is a long, pervasive and multifaceted journey.
"It starts when they extract the raw materials from the ground," she says, "then you have greenhouse gases emissions, pollution of the waters, and the way it is handled at waste management stage and if it ends up in the environment, it will have an impact on the ecosystem."
It will, it has, and it does. Just as a forward-thinking article gently warned it would. All those years ago.
https://www.dw.com/en/the-plastics-issue-we-seem-to-ignore/a-47307954
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(ACC Mentioned) 12 Ways Your Fellow Angelenos Are Reducing Their Plastic Waste
Feb 4, 2019 | LAist
By Jill Replogle
My family recently made an effort to cut out single-use plastic from our life. Or at least, to reduce it significantly.
We're certainly not the first people to do this. We wanted to draw on the collective knowledge and experience of our fellow Southern Californians. So we asked you to share your thoughts on plastic waste and strategies for reducing it.
In general, while many recognized the incredible usefulness of plastic for some things, many respondents voiced concerns about the effects of plastic waste on sealife, human health and the urban environment around us.
Recycling is great, but waste management leaders recognize that a lot of plastic simply isn't or can't be recycled.
Not littering is, well, obvious. But who hasn't stuffed a granola bar wrapper into their pocket only to find later that it fell out? I have.
"Take a walk outside, anywhere you live in L.A. You'll find something made of plastic within seconds — something that probably has not been deliberately littered, but something that has blown out of a trash can or broken down into smaller pieces," wrote L.A. resident Kim Riley.
Here are some strategies you suggested for reducing our personal and collective plastic waste:
Refuse first: Do you really need those plastic forks from the take-out place when you were planning to eat at home anyway? Many of you told us to "just say no." When LAist reader Les Amer ends up with plastic utensils, "I give them a wash or at least a rinse, and then use them over again."
Buy produce in reusable bags: Lots of Angelenos suggested using cloth bags or washing and reusing plastic bags. Tamar Christensen said if she forgets her bags, she puts vegetables right in her shopping cart. "In either case, I have no need for disposable bags, even when I forget (reusables)," she said. (Just make sure you wash them regularly.)
Buy in bulk: Many grocery stores have bulk sections. Reusable containers or cloth bags work great for everything from granola to sugar to pistachios. But many of you said you wished more products were available in bulk.
"I have been to other countries where people take their containers with them to the store to buy products such as milk and detergent," said Pasadena resident Reynold Watkins. "I would be 100% willing to do the same if the option were available."
Be prepared: Carry a reusable water bottle, hot drink mug and set of utensils. Keep shopping bags in your car. What else might you need to avoid throw-away plastic items? "Planning out my day and bringing things that I think I will need has helped dramatically," wrote Burbank resident Kelsi Payne.
L.A. resident Raj Patel said he's adopted a "BYO (Bring Your Own) mentality." He even carries a tiffin container for leftovers when he goes out to eat.
Recycle smartly: Find out what is actually recyclable from your city or waste management company. Burbank resident Tracy Larson said she has educated herself about what can and can't be recycled.
"I clean out what can be recycled and don't wishfully recycle things that I know can't go in the bin," Larson said. She added that she tries to reuse containers a few times before recycling. Also:Take clear, clean plastic bags back to grocery stores for recycling. The American Chemistry Council has guidelines for recycling plastic bags and film.Check out TerraCycle for hard-to-recycle items.
Collect pet waste with used bags: Devin Berman from Buena Park said she uses chip bags or other used plastic bags to pick up dog poop and kitty litter. Laura Santos uses newspaper to pick up and dispose of pet waste.
Be conscious of the plastic in your clothes: Many synthetic fibers include plastic. Seek out clothes made from cotton and other natural fibers, buy used clothing or swap with friends. L.A. resident Nicole Robertson said her concerns about clothing waste led her to stop buying clothes eight years ago. "It also inspired me to start a clothing swap business to help other people mix up their wardrobes in a more sustainable way," Roberton said.
A number of clothing stores also let you drop off used clothing for recycling.
Vote with your dollar: Cheryl Procaccini from Laguna Beach said that she asks restaurant owners, farmers' market vendors and other businesses she frequents to find sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic. "We refuse to do business with those who don't," Procaccini wrote. "We write bad reviews for businesses that are using plastic, and say why, and write positive reviews for businesses using sustainable products."
Spread the word: Jillian Mayo said her main strategy for trying to live more sustainably is "doing so out loud. Voicing your values, engaging with local businesses to encourage earth-friendly practices, and welcoming discussion with others who have knowledge to share, are curious about living more sustainably, or for whom the subject has never crossed their minds."
Encourage producers to be responsible for waste: Several people mentioned the concept of "extended producer responsibility," or holding product makers accountable for the lifespan of their product.
Martin Stone from Indio wrote that municipal garbage collection services ought not to be responsible for figuring out what to do with a manufacturer's disposable packaging. "I believe that all manufacturers ought to be responsible for everything they produce from cradle to grave."
Pasadena resident Jonathan Levy wrote, "If they were responsible for the disposal of their products, we would see a pretty immediate and dramatic reduction of single-use items from landfill and the environment."
Small changes can make a big difference: Anne Bannon worried that the thought of going completely plastic-free could scare people away from making even small changes.
"We consider this a marathon, not a sprint," she wrote. "Given just how prevalent plastic is, it takes a lot of time and effort to keep it out of the house in the first place. We just keep working at it, making small changes that will stick rather than worry about being perfect."
https://laist.com/2019/02/04/la_tips_to_reduce_plastic_waste.php
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The Energy 202: Senators from Both Parties Press EPA to Limit Two Toxic Chemicals
Feb 4, 2019 | The Washington Post
By Dino Grandoni
One-fifth of the Senate is pressing the Environmental Protection Agency to do more to prevent two toxic chemicals from getting into Americans' drinking water — after a report last week indicating the agency is not going to restrict them under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
In a letter led by Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), 20 senators from both sides of the aisle urged the agency to develop standards for a pair of chemicals — perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, more commonly known as PFOA and PFOS — found in millions of Americans' drinking water. They are demanding the federal government remove these toxic chemicals from drinking water and regularly test for them.
“EPA’s inaction would be a major setback to states and affected communities,” the senators wrote to acting agency administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Therefore, we urge you to develop enforceable federal drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS.”
The letter is the latest escalation of tensions between members of Congress and the EPA over the regulation of a class of chemicals that has proven to be a headache for Trump administration officials at the agency. The EPA came under criticism last year for delaying the release of a health study on the chemicals after a White House officials warned in an internal email that its release could turn out to be a “public relations nightmare.” The EPA earned more bad press after kicking reporters out of a forum on the issue in May.
The letter Friday puts Wheeler in a potentially tough spot. His nomination to officially become the EPA’s head official — and drop the “acting” title — is up for a vote this week in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Capito sits on the panel, where Republicans hold a slim one-vote majority.
Capito met with Wheeler this past week seeking reassurance about the PFOA and PFOS management plan. Capito spokesman Tyler Hernandez said the senator still “plans to support his nomination.”
When asked if she expects the EPA to reverse course, Shaheen said in an interview: “I'm not optimistic but I'm hopeful.”“I hope what they're gonna do is reconsider their decision,” she added. “Safe drinking water, so people feel like they can turn on the tap and they can drink water without having them have an adverse effect on their health or their family's health — I think people in this country believe that's fundamental to being able to live in America.”
In response to Politico's report that the agency was not going to invoke the Safe Drinking Water Act to restrict the chemicals, the agency emphasized it has not finalized its management plan.
David Ross, the assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Water, said in a statement “any information that speculates what is included in the plan is premature.”
Yet the number of senators who signed the letter is an indication of how widespread pollution from this class of chemicals has become. Once considered a wonder for their ability to repel both oil and water, the chemicals were widely used by manufacturers to make products with nonstick surfaces and by the military in specialized foams to put out jet-fuel fires.
But the chemicals also had dangerous downsides for human health, having been linked to increased cholesterol levels, low birth weights, thyroid hormone disruption and various cancers, according to the agency.
And House Democrats, who now control that chamber, are also signaling they may use their new majority power to try to compel the EPA to regulate the chemicals presence in drinking water. Late last month, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the EPA, reneweda request for information from the Trump administration on its efforts to stall the release of the chemical hazard study, while a bipartisan group of House members formed a new task force on the chemicals.
“It is a travesty that we are even having a conversation,” said Rep. Antonio Delgado (D-N.Y.), who helped create the task force. “We're going in the wrong direction.”
His upstate New York district includes the village of Hoosick Falls, whose residents in recent years discovered their tap water had been contaminated with PFOA. Delgado, too, asked the EPA in a letter to determine a maximum contaminant level for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water.
The other Republican besides Capito to sign the Senate letter was Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Both senators face reelection in 2020.
In 2017, Tillis and North Carolina Republican Richard Burr, opposed the nomination of a University of Cincinnati professor and chemical industry consultant named Michael Dourson as the EPA's top chemical safety official. They did so over concerns about his record of finding little or no human health risks for many chemicals.
Drinking water concerns are acute in North Carolina, which is home to a military base whose water supply is contaminated by an unregulated compound known as Gen X — the trade name for a chemical similar to PFOA and PFOS. The latest defense reauthorization bill for a health impact study on the chemicals set to start this summer.
Capito, similarly, represents a state with its own water contamination issues. PFOA used by DuPont to manufacture Teflon in Parkersburg, W.Va. has worked its way into the water supply, resulting in a $671 million payment to settle thousands of lawsuits.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2019/02/04/the-energy-202-senators-from-both-parties-press-epa-to-limit-two-toxic-chemicals/5c57476d1b326b66eb098601/?utm_term=.5194903e44ce
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US Government Sued for Delaying Dichloromethane Paint Stripper Ban
Feb 4, 2019 | Chemistry World
By Rebecca Trager
Two years after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed banning methylene chloride (dichloromethane) in paint strippers, the agency has finally proposed new regulations to prohibit consumer use and limit commercial applications. However, environmental and public health advocates have sued the agency, saying that the rules do not go far enough, and that the EPA’s failure to finalise the rules sooner threatens public health.
For full story, subscription required...
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/us-government-sued-for-delaying-dichloromethane-paint-stripper-ban/3010075.article
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Schumer Demands EPA Set Drinking Water Standards for 2 Chemicals
Feb 4, 2019 | News 12 Long Island
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer is demanding the federal government set standards for dangerous chemicals seeping into Long Island's water supply.
As News 12 has previously reported, PFOS and PFOA are leaking into wells in Wainscott, Westhampton Beach and the East Patchogue area. The chemicals are found in firefighting foam.
Sen. Schumer is on Long Island Monday calling on the EPA to set federal drinking water standards for the chemical. Schumer says the failure to act hurts cleanup efforts and makes it difficult to protect our health.
http://longisland.news12.com/story/39902295/schumer-demands-epa-set-drinking-water-standards-for-2-chemicals
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Limits on Rocket Fuel Chemical in Drinking Water Delayed a Month
Feb 4, 2019 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Amena H. Saiyid
Blame the government shutdown: The EPA won’t make the court-mandated deadline yet again to issue a long-awaited drinking water standard for perchlorate, a key rocket fuel chemical.
Instead, the Environmental Protection Agency is now aiming to sign a proposed drinking water standard for perchlorate on May 28, a month later than the court-mandated deadline spelled out in a 2016 agreement reached with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The agency informed the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Feb. 3 that it needed this extension to make up for the time lost during the government shutdown. The agreement with the NRDC originally required the EPA to issue the proposal Oct. 31, 2018, but a year ago the agency persuaded the court to give it until April 30 to complete its study of the chemical’s effects.
The chemical is a component of rocket fuel and fireworks that also was used to control static electricity in food packaging. It can cause thyroid problems when consumed and it’s been found in drinking water supplies across the country.
A 2005 EPA survey of drinking water systems found perchlorate in the water of around 160 different utilities that serve 11 million people in 26 different states and two territories.
The case is Nat. Res. Def. Council v. EPA, S.D.N.Y., No. 16-01251, notice 2/3/19.
https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/environment-and-energy/limits-on-rocket-fuel-chemical-in-drinking-water-delayed-a-month
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EU Committee Lists Persistent Mobile Substances as Emerging Issue
Feb 4, 2019 | Chemical Watch
An EU science committee has identified persistent, mobile and toxic substances (PMTs) as one of 14 emerging issues that could impact on human health or the environment in the future.
The list of emerging issues comes in a statement from the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (Scheer) on 11 January. The foreword says that this will be used when discussing potential mandates from the European Commission.
Germany's Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has proposed the PMT substances should be identified as substances of very high concern (SVHCs) under REACH. The topic was discussed last year at a two-day workshop run by UBA and the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI).
The aim of the UBA proposal is to protect humans and the environment from substances that have the potential to circulate very widely in water systems and contaminate, in particular, drinking water.
Industry is opposed to it, warning of a rush to regrettable regulation.
In the statement, Scheer says that EU legislation on persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances (PBTs) – such as REACH – "pays insufficient attention to the drinking water function of our surface waters and groundwater. After all, there are substances that do not accumulate very much but that are very difficult to remove from water."
The Scheer member who acted as "initiator" for the entry on PMTs was Pim de Voogt, professor of environmental chemistry at the University of Amsterdam.
Also identified as emerging issues are:chemicals in recycled materials – an issue for a circular economy;drinking water treatment interactions with compounds and potential health effects;per- and polyfluorinated organic substances;micro and nano-plastic in the environment; andnanoparticles released from building materials and construction waste to the environment.
https://chemicalwatch.com/73915/eu-committee-lists-persistent-mobile-substances-as-emerging-issue
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U.S. Challenges Court Ruling That Blocked Keystone XL Pipeline
Feb 4, 2019 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Rachel Adams-Heard
The Trump administration is appealing a federal court in Montana’s decision to block TransCanada Corp.’s $8 billion Keystone XL crude pipeline project.
The State Department and Interior Department Feb. 1 gave formal notice that they are appealing a series of rulings in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. It is the latest legal fight for the decade-old project, which is now facing another environmental review after a U.S. judge said the original assessment was inadequate.
The 1,200 mile (1,900 kilometer) pipeline, which would help carry 830,000 barrels of crude a day from Alberta’s oil sands to U.S. Gulf Coast refiners, has faced staunch opposition from environmental groups and landowners.
https://news.bloombergenvironment.com/environment-and-energy/u-s-challenges-court-ruling-that-blocked-keystone-xl-pipeline-1
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Trump Admin Appeals Injunction over Pipeline
Feb 4, 2019 | E&E - Greenwire
By Pamela King
The Trump administration is appealing a recent court order that temporarily halted construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
U.S. District Court for the District of Montana Judge Brian Morris last year ordered a stop to the long-embattled oil transport line through Canada and Nebraska while the State Department reworks its review (Energywire, Nov. 9, 2018).
The government's appeal, filed Friday, follows appeals by both TransCanada Corp. and environmental challengers, who said they may fight some parts of the November injunction (Energywire, Jan. 17).
Morris found that the Trump administration's State Department had failed to justify why the agency decided to issue a cross-border permit after the Obama administration blocked the project. He called for more analysis of the pipeline's climate impacts and discussion of where the project fits in the current oil market.
The judge, an Obama appointee, simultaneously quashed some environmental challenges, such as a claim that TransCanada fell short of its duties under the Endangered Species Act in its plans to mitigate impacts to animals in the pipeline's path.
The cases now head to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has blocked several Trump administration policies. President Trump, who said the Morris order was politically motivated, has also accused the West Coast court of exhibiting liberal bias.
Following the Keystone XL injunction, Trump vowed to nominate 9th Circuit judges who would issue rulings more favorable to his administration.
His recent round of picks for the court includes Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP attorney Daniel Collins, who defended Shell Oil Co. and other energy operators against climate change challenges (Climatewire, Feb. 1).
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2019/02/04/stories/1060119555
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Why Does the Energy Department Downplay the Future of Renewables?
Feb 4, 2019 | Environmental Working Group
By Grant Smith
In 2050, the EIA predicts, natural gas and coal will still dominate the energy mix, representing 56 percent of all electricity generation. The agency says the expansion of wind power will slow down after the expiration of a federal tax credit, almost flatlining from 2021 to 2028. And it says the pace of shutting down dirty, aging coal plants – after a near-record number of coal plants were closed last year – will slow after 2033.
One day after the release of the EIA forecast, one of the nation’s biggest utilities offered a forecast that could have come from a different planet.
NextEra Energy is the nation’s fourth-largest electric utility, operating in more than half of the U.S. In a call with financial analysts, CEO Jim Robo said the cost of wind and solar power will continue to decline, and with advances in battery storage technology, the old sources will not be able to compete.
Renewables will be “cheaper than the operating cost of coal, nuclear and less fuel efficient oil- and gas-fired generation units,” Robo said. “We continue to believe that this will be massively disruptive to the nation’s generation fleet and create significant opportunities for renewables growth well into the next decade.”
A closer look at trends in wind energy shows how inexplicably pessimistic the EIA’s forecast is. According to a 2018 report by Environmental America and Frontier Group, the cost of offshore wind for projects from the mid-Altantic to the Northeast has dropped by more than one-fourth since 2012. The report said the technical potential for wind exceeds total electric demand for most of the East Coast.
Analysts have criticized the EIA’s bias against renewable energy for some time. In 2016, researchers at Spark Library, in Washington, D.C, and Sussex University, in the U.K., analyzed 12 years of the agency’s annual energy reports, and found that renewables growth was consistently underestimated. After the EIA’s latest forecast, Alex Gilbert of Spark tweeted: “EIA scenarios constantly project this death of the wind industry.”
In a column for The Hill, Dan Cohan, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, said the EIA’s 2015 analysis predicted it would take 25 years for the U.S. to reach 20,000 megawatts of solar power. Instead, that benchmark was reached in two years. Cohan also noted that the EIA’s 2017 forecast predicted the cost of solar power would be double the price that had already been achieved a year earlier.
Another problem with the EIA’s assessment is that it assumes there will be no change in energy regulations. That may be true on the federal level, but states like California and eight newly elected governors have set 100 percent renewable goals, as have more than 100 US cities. In addition, more than 160 large corporations have announced 100 percent renewable goals.
It’s tempting to attribute the EIA’s downplaying of renewables to the Trump administration’s doomed schemes to prop up coal and nuclear power. But the agency’s attitude has been the same under previous administrations. The EIA’s institutional bias conforms to the federal government’s longstanding support for an all-of-the-above energy policy that seeks to keep dirty, expensive 20th century sources of power operating alongside clean, safe, affordable renewable energy.
But these resources are, by and large, incompatible. Maintaining coal, nuclear and natural gas in the energy mix only slows the march to 100 percent renewables and increases the cost of the transition.
https://www.ewg.org/news-and-analysis/2019/01/why-does-energy-department-downplay-future-renewables
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STB Installs Fuchs as Vice Chairman for 2019
Feb 4, 2019 | Progressive Railroading
By Alan Levin and Ryan Beene
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has designated Patrick Fuchs as vice chairman. The vice chairmanship rotates among board members each year.
Fuchs was sworn in last month as an STB member. Prior to that, he served as a senior professional staff member working on surface transportation and maritime issues for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation under Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.).
Fuchs played an integral role in developing and enacting major railroad legislation, including the first reauthorization of the STB since its creation in 1996 and the first passenger-rail reauthorization in more than seven years, according to the STB. He also worked on legislation aimed at improving rail project delivery, rail financing and hazardous materials safety.
Fuchs previously was a policy analyst and presidential management fellow at the Office of Management and Budget, where he managed railroad and maritime regulatory reviews, and worked on regulations pertaining to rail safety technology and railroad operating practices. His early career experience included stints at the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Government Accountability Office, and National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education.
Also last month, the STB swore in Martin Oberman as a member. A trial and appellate lawyer in Chicago for nearly 50 years, he was chairman of Metra from 2014 to 2016. Oberman also had a lengthy career in public service, including 12 years as a reform leader on Chicago's City Council.
https://www.progressiverailroading.com/people/news/STB-installs-Fuchs-as-vice-chairman-for-2019--56662
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Ewire: Climate Hearings, Wheeler Vote on Tap for Busy Hill Week
Feb 4, 2019 | Inside EPA
Environmental issues are poised for a big week on Capitol Hill, with House Democrats and environmentalists scheduled to make their first concerted push on climate change policy in the new Congress, while the Senate environment panel vote on acting EPA chief Andrew Wheeler's nomination to run the agency permanently.
Climate will be the focus of a pair of Feb. 6 hearings in the House -- one by the Energy & Commerce Committee's environment panel and another by the Natural Resources Committee.
According to summaries of the sessions, Democrats appear likely to focus on the range of climate-related risks and the need to reduce greenhouse gases to mitigate the worst threats.
The natural resources hearing will feature two governors -- North Carolina's Roy Cooper (D) and Massachusetts' Charlie Baker (R) -- who are pushing climate mitigation policies despite the suite of climate policy rollbacks by the Trump administration.
The witness list for the Energy & Commerce hearing was unavailable at press time.
Meanwhile, various environmental groups are launching a “week of action” to build support for the “Green New Deal” -- a broad proposal calling for rapid decarbonization efforts paired with government investment in the economy -- and it will be worth watching how Democrats address such legislation during the hearings.
Just ahead of the climate hearings, the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee has scheduled a Feb. 5 vote on Wheeler's nomination. While the committee's Republicans are expected to advance the nomination, Wheeler has been facing bipartisan concerns over EPA's expected decision to refrain from establishing enforceable drinking water standards for two of the most common perfluorinated compounds -- putting pressure on the agency to reverse course.
Expect Democrats to leaven such concerns with opposition to EPA's sundry climate rollbacks, as well as its efforts to scrap a key Obama-era finding underlying the agency's power plant mercury standards.
And if the week weren't already busy enough, later that night President Donald Trump will give his re-scheduled State of the Union address -- though it remains to be seen how much airtime energy and environment issues will receive amid his ongoing, high-profile battle with Democratic lawmakers over border wall funding.
https://insideepa.com/daily-feed/ewire-climate-hearings-wheeler-vote-tap-busy-hill-week
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It’s time for a Green ‘True’ Deal
Feb 4, 2019 | Roll Call
By Jason Grumet
Democratic congressional leaders did not intend to focus on climate change in 2019. Midterm exit polls reinforced voter concern over health care and the economy, and House veterans remember the fallout from their last major climate effort in 2010.
But reinvigorated progressives have forced climate change to the top of the House agenda. Unfortunately, the proposals featured in the various expressions of the Green New Deal are likely to drive deeper partisan divisions and diminish the chances for real action.
Several hundred progressive organizations recently sent a letter to Congress calling for the elimination of fossil fuels and requiring 100 percent renewable power in 10 years. The problem with this version of the Green New Deal is that any serious attempt to pursue it would wreck the economy. As a result, lawmakers are forced to choose between offering disingenuous support or dismissing it out of hand. Meanwhile, responsible discussion grounded in science and evidence is becoming more challenging.
Many environmental leaders are caught in the same conundrum, privately acknowledging that eliminating fossil fuels by 2030 is impossible but hoping that support for the Green New Deal will build political power that can somehow be harnessed to achieve more realistic goals. This is a mistake. The Green New Deal reinforces the caricature that climate advocacy is at odds with economic growth. Decarbonizing the economy over the next 30 years is necessary, difficult and achievable. Pretending that it is quick and easy only empowers the uncompromising hard-line elements within both political parties.
After a decade of reckless argument over the existence of the climate problem, we do not have time for a fact-free debate about climate solutions. Instead, the nation needs a Green “True” Deal that allows government and industry to work together to decarbonize our economy by 2050.
The pillars of a Green True Deal need to speak to both parties. It should include tripling federal investment in energy innovation to accelerate real breakthroughs in energy shortage, advanced nuclear power, carbon capture from coal and gas, and technologies that will remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Congress should also consider an ambitious zero-carbon electricity standard that includes nuclear power and carbon capture along with energy efficiency, renewable wind and solar. Efforts to strengthen vehicle fuel economy must be put back on track and augmented with tax and infrastructure policies to enable the widespread deployment of new technologies. Quickly cutting emissions of other climate pollutants such as methane and hydrofluorocarbons must also be part of the package.
While making these investments, both parties must acknowledge the essential role that natural gas, oil and existing nuclear power will play during this this transition and work to cushion economic impacts and worker dislocations.
But to make any real progress, Congress must confront the long tradition of magical thinking in the climate debate. We often talk about the need for political courage to address tough challenges, and one of those moments is upon us. The climate problem is very real, and last year’s storms and horrific wildfires provide a glimpse of the future, absent meaningful action. The protection of the global climate may hinge on whether knowledgeable members of Congress have the integrity to call out the baseless and polarizing positions of extreme elements within their own parties.
For Republicans, the dispute over the existence of the climate problem is demeaning to the party, and it is past time for more members to say publicly what most acknowledge privately.
On the Democratic side, leaders must reject political theater in favor of a fact-based process that focuses on real solutions to a real problem. Fortunately, a growing group of environmental and industry leaders are ready to participate in a debate in which both the climate problem and proposed solutions are grounded in science, engineering and economics.
Over the next few months, we will learn if there are leaders in Congress with the integrity to demand a more honest and constructive climate debate.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/opinion/time-green-true-deal-progressive-environment-climate-change
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