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More than 100 Gulf Coast cities, municipalities, economic development groups and chambers of commerce urge Congress to pass RESTORE Act

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:14:21 +0000

Gulf Coast leaders discuss the importance of passing the RESTORE Act at a press event in Tallahassee. Photo credit: Kevin Cate.

Yesterday, 118 leaders representing cities, municipalities, economic development groups and chambers of commerce from all five gulf states sent a joint letter to House and Senate leadership urging them to pass the RESTORE Act. If passed, the RESTORE Act would direct the majority of fines paid by those responsible for the 2010 gulf oil spill back to Gulf Coast communities.

Both the Senate and House have passed versions of the RESTORE Act as part of their transportation bills. The legislation would dedicate 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties from the gulf oil disaster to Gulf Coast environmental and economic restoration.

“Though the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill was two years ago, many in the fishing and oil and gas communities are still building back after suffering tremendous economic and personal loss,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “The RESTORE Act provisions in the final transportation bill are vital to Louisiana. These funds will help rebuild our precious wetlands, which provide our country national, energy and economic security. It’s imperative that the RESTORE Act receives passage by both chambers and is sent to President Obama’s desk for signature.”

At a press conference at The Wharf Express in Tallahassee, Fla., local leaders spoke to the media about the importance of restoring Florida’s economy after the oil spill and passing the RESTORE Act as soon as possible. Photos from the event can be viewed here.

“In Panama City Beach, our economy depends on beautiful natural resources that were injured in the BP oil disaster, including our alluring beaches and fresh Gulf seafood, which drive tourism to our restaurants, resorts, and businesses,” said Beth Oltman, president and CEO of the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce in a statement released yesterday. “Passage of the RESTORE Act will not only put the Gulf Coast on the path to revitalize our precious natural resources but also to mend our economy.”

“The long-term viability of the Gulf is dependent upon preserving its coast. The economy and security of the nation is significantly dependent upon the Gulf,” said Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. in a written statement. “With this interdependence in mind, passing the RESTORE Act is both a regional and national imperative.”

Related news:

Letter to House and Senate leadership from 118 Gulf Coast leaders
Video: Gulf Leaders to Congress: Pass RESTORE Act
Photos: Local Leaders Meet to Discuss Gulf Coast Restore Act – SLIDESHOW (WCTV)
Officials support the Restore Act: Group meets at Wharf to express needs (Tallahassee Democrat)
Gulf Coast coalition urges Congress to pass RESTORE Act (Mobile Press-Register)
Gulf Coast cities, counties and business groups offer support for federal oil spill legislation (The Florida Current)

Little Colorado River featured as Arizona's River of the Month

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:10:33 +0000

Five conservation groups celebrate Arizona’s rivers during its centennial year

The Little Colorado River was celebrated today as the third "River of the Month" in a year-long series in honor of 100 years of Arizona statehood.

Wed, 2012-05-30

Contact:

Jennifer Witherspoon, 415-293-6067, jwitherspoon@edf.org

Jocelyn Gibbon, (602) 510-4619-c, jgibbon@edf.org

Steve Pawlowski, (602) 254-9330, steve.pawlowski@sierraclub.org

Nikolai Lash, (928) 266-5606, nlash@grandcanyontrust.org

Ian Wilson, (520) 290-0828, x.1106, iwilson@sonoraninstitute.org

Linda Stitzer, (520) 488-2436, linda.stitzer@westernresources.org

(Phoenix, Ariz.—May 30, 2012) The Little Colorado River was celebrated today as the third "River of the Month" in a year-long series in honor of 100 years of Arizona statehood. Five conservation groups released a short profile of the Little Colorado River detailing its ecology, geography and use, as well as threats to the river. The profile is available here.

The “Celebrating Arizona’s Rivers” series profiles a different Arizona river each month to raise awareness about rivers in a state not often thought of for its river resources. It also encourages people to get involved by joining a local watershed group or by communicating with elected officials about the value of the state's water resources. The series is produced by Environmental Defense Fund, Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Trust, Sonoran Institute, and Western Resource Advocates.

According to the Little Colorado profile released today, the Little Colorado River watershed spans over 27,000 square miles and covers 19 percent of the state of Arizona – a significant drainage area that also includes a small portion of western New Mexico as well as Navajo, Hopi and Zuni tribal lands. The Little Colorado River watershed supports over 5,000 acres of streamside wildlife habitat, varying from alpine meadow to desert cottonwood groves. The river originates in the White Mountains in eastern Arizona and flows for 315 miles before meeting the Colorado River in Grand Canyon in a spot that is also “a place of cultural and historical confluence,” according to the profile. Threats to the river include extended drought and wildfires, continued decreases in flows due to diversion and groundwater pumping, and loss of native vegetation and springs.

Previous Arizona River of the Month profiles have featured the Colorado River and the Salt River. “From the mighty Colorado to the smallest ephemeral streams, these waterways have supported Arizona’s people and places for thousands of years,” said the groups in the “Celebrating Arizona’s Rivers” introduction. “With good stewardship and thoughtful planning, they will continue to flow into Arizona’s next 100 years.”

The next river featured by the groups will be the Santa Cruz River. The University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) has provided technical assistance in preparation of the profiles.

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.

EDF Bowes Fellow Works to Revolutionize Nitrogen Use in Farms

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:57:57 +0000

By Ben Ratner

When was the last time you enjoyed a chicken sandwich for lunch, chicken wings at a bar, or grilled chicken at a family cookout? If you’re like many Americans – myself included – the answer is recently. We all know poultry is a staple. But what many don’t know is that poultry’s environmental harm traces all the way back to corn fields.

The reason? Poultry diets are heavily corn-based, and corn farming depends on huge amounts of nitrogen fertilizer. That’s not a problem in itself, but here’s the rub: many farmers don’t closely match how they apply nitrogen fertilizer and what their crops actually need. This results in wasted nitrogen seeping off the fields into rivers and streams, causing dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico. And there’s more: nitrous oxide – a greenhouse gas – escapes into the atmosphere just as surely as dirty tailpipes spew CO2.

That’s a bleak picture, but luckily there’s a proven solution. Farmers from Iowa plains to North Carolina hills are approaching fertilizer differently. Armed with technology like GPS and aerial imagery, they are getting trained and becoming masters of their fields, using the right fertilizer amounts in the right places at the right times. Those advances slash nitrogen runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. And they bring something equally important – cash savings for farmers who can cut fertilizer costs without hurting the yield they and their families depend on.

The exciting news is that the solution is known. The challenge is that we need to take it to scale on the over 90 million acres of American corn farmland. As EDF’s inaugural William K. Bowes Fellow, I will use my McKinsey consulting expertise and Stanford training to help make that happen. If you have an appetite for this kind of progress, I hope you’ll stay tuned and share your voice.

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Louisiana Senate Finance Committee actions could derail future coastal restoration funding

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:22:03 +0000

A proposed constitutional amendment introduced this week in the Louisiana Legislature that would require fines from the gulf oil spill to go into a coastal protection and restoration fund has been radically changed while under consideration by the Senate Finance Committee. The committee added language in the form of an amendment offered by Senator Edwin Murray in coordination with Senate President John Alario that would give legislators authority to redirect money to other pursuits, effectively derailing the intent of the legislation, which was to use oil spill fines to repair the damaged wetlands around the Mississippi River Delta.

Louisiana residents should contact their state senator today and tell him or her that the Senate Finance Committee amendment must be removed from HB 812. The committee has burdened the proposed legislation with unnecessary bureaucracy and has broadened the use of these funds beyond the original intention. The oil spill damaged the delta’s wetlands. It’s only right that the fines collected from BP and other responsible parties be reinvested into making the coast whole again. Contact information for state senators can be found here: http://senate.la.gov/senators/CurrentMaps.asp.

Last week, we commended the Louisiana Legislature for unanimously passing the 2012 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, a bold step forward that outlines a suite of restoration projects that could create up to 800 square miles of wetlands around the Mississippi River Delta over fifty years. With projected costs for the plan totaling some $50 billion, the state must now tackle funding for the projects. One potential source of funding is the RESTORE Act, a Congressional bill that, if passed, would dedicate 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from the gulf oil disaster to Gulf Coast states for restoration.

More encouraging news came with the introduction of House Bills 812 and 838, the amendments that would go before Louisiana voters to dedicate RESTORE Act fines to the Coastal Master Plan. The idea of a constitutional amendment enjoys wide public support. In a poll conducted in April by Southern Media and Opinion Research, 79% of voters surveyed indicated they would vote yes on a constitutional amendment to dedicate RESTORE Act fines to Coastal Master Plan projects.

The proposed change to the House Bill that the Senate Finance Committee has put forth, however, could disrupt the progress the state has made thus far by allowing legislators to use funds that would otherwise go to coastal restoration for other purposes.

With Congress currently considering the RESTORE Act, which is so close to passage, Louisiana’s message to Congress must be clear — that oil spill penalty money will be spent on coastal restoration and nothing else. Louisiana must show its strong commitment to ease and reverse its staggering land-loss rates through funding the broad-based restoration projects in the Coastal Master Plan.

Latest news: May 30, 2012

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:59:04 +0000

Officials support the Restore Act
By TaMaryn Waters, The Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat. May 30, 2012.
"The Deepwater Horizon oil disaster two years ago was a gut check for the Gulf Coast, particularly for Florida fishermen and small businesses, who have yet to get over it…" (Read more)

Pressure builds over plan for BP oil spill cash
WTSP-TV. May 29, 2012.
"Tallahassee, Florida – A coalition of business and government groups is urging Congress to take final action on the RESTORE Act, which aims to help restore the Gulf Coast from the BP oil spill…" (Read more)

Louisiana Senate panel modifies proposal on use of Gulf oil spill fines
By Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). May 29, 2012.
"Baton Rouge — A proposed constitutional amendment that would have required all the money the state receives from fines resulting from the BP oil spill be put into a coastal restoration fund gained a significant alteration Tuesday, with a Louisiana Senate panel tacking on a provision that legislators can redirect the money with a two-thirds vote of both chambers…" (Read more)

Orleans, Jefferson environmental losses could double by 2030, Entergy report says
By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune. May 29, 2012.
"If nothing is done to restore and protect coastal wetlands, annual storm losses in Orleans and Jefferson parishes could double by 2030, according to a new report from Entergy. The report estimates that the two parishes now face $878 million in economic losses a year because of storm surge, subsidence and land use expansion and development. By 2030, the losses could balloon to more than $1.5 billion a year in 2010 dollars, if the area experiences the worst-case sea-level rise and climate change…" (Read more)

Council told breakwater work near
By Vic Couvillion, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). May 30, 2012.
"AMITE — The Tangipahoa Parish Council learned Tuesday that construction of a $5.9 million stone breakwater to help halt coastal erosion in the historic Pass Manchac area could begin as early as August…" (Read more)

Northshore protection included in coastal plan
By David Freese, The St. Tammany (La.) News. May 30, 2012.
"The Louisiana House of Representatives approved a 50-year, $50 billion plan last week that will help combat Louisiana’s eroding coast while enforcing protection in numerous locations, St. Tammany Parish included…" (Read more)

The Missing Link: Energy Efficiency Data And The Capital Markets

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:32:53 +0000

By Brad Copithorne

EDF And Bloomberg New Energy Finance Host A Successful Conference

Last week, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Bloomberg New Energy Finance (“BNEF”) hosted 150 property owners, energy efficiency project developers, ESCOs, banks, institutional investors and other thought leaders to discuss how improved datasets could spur the market for energy efficiency (EE) investment. Dan Doctoroff, Bloomberg’s CEO, kicked off the morning by discussing the company’s plans to provide this data and how similar efforts have spurred financial innovation in the past.

Three types of energy efficiency data were the basis of most of the conversation:

Project Performance Data – Accurately forecasting the energy savings from a retrofit project remains an elusive goal due to wide variance in benchmarking and forecasting standards. Chris Lohmann of the Department of Energy discussed a large database that he is developing that will attempt to provide comparisons to historical projects. Elizabeth Stein of EDF discussed a project that she is leading to develop a standardized methodology for estimating savings and pointed out that robust standards for comparing projects will substantially enhance the value of an EE project performance database.

Benchmarking Data – New York, San Francisco and other cities have taken steps to benchmark energy usage for commercial tenants. Riggs Kubiak of Honest Buildings discussed how his company is publishing this data on the web and believes it will allow prospective tenants to compare properties and spur landlords to invest in EE projects.

EE Loan Performance Data – While several EE loan programs have shown strong repayment performance to date, the rating agencies will need a far longer history in order to provide the best terms for securitizations. On-Bill Repayment (OBR) may be able to benefit from the long history of utility bill payments to create a data stream for the rating agencies.

EDF looks forward to working with Bloomberg and other market participants on each of these initiatives.

An Inside Look at EPA’s Carbon Pollution Hearing — the Chicago Report

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:52:22 +0000

By Robert Collier

If you already read my colleague Mandy Warner’s blog, you know that I had the great honor of representing EDF in Chicago last Thursday at one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) hearings for its first-ever proposed carbon pollution standards for new power plants.

EDF's Rob Collier testifies at EPA's Chicago hearing on carbon pollution

It was a day that will always stand out as a milestone in my life.

And, now that I've had the Memorial Day weekend to reflect on everything that happened, I wanted to share some of the stories I heard and the fascinating details I noticed.

Here's what the Chicago hearing looked and felt like:

It was a day of incredible support for EPA’s efforts to control carbon pollution in America. I watched dozens of people testify, and give EPA a symbolic “standing ovation” for taking such a historic step.

In fact, there was such support around the Midwest that EPA had to open a second concurrent hearing room to accommodate all of the speakers – just like at the D.C. hearing.

(That's no surprise. States and cities across the Midwest are carrying out homegrown clean energy solutions that strengthen economic prosperity and job creation, improve our energy security, and provide a healthier environment. You can read more in this new paper [PDF]that examines some of the clean energy policies put in place in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin — and the associated private sector economic activity.)

Back to Chicago, and the day of the hearing:

In the early morning, the room was slow to fill up — primarily because the huge line of people who wanted to get in had to wait through delays as everyone went through a metal detector.

By about 9:00 a.m., a steady stream of people was filtering into the room from towns around Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Those people were concerned citizens with a variety of backgrounds: nurses; doctors; ecologists; physicists; economists; union workers; veterans; parents; grandparents; business leaders and students.

And, almost without exception, all of these people spoke in favor of EPA’s common sense proposal to reduce the huge amount of carbon pollution emitted from fossil fuel power plants.

In fact, during the almost eight hours I spent listening to testimony, I only heard one person speak against EPA’s proposed standards. Clean air advocates carried the day by a wide margin.

Because I work for EDF, I testified about how carbon pollution and climate change are critical issues for the protection of human health and our environment. You can read my full testimony here [PDF].

But others’ testimony reminded me how much those issues affect every aspect of our lives.

People spoke about carbon pollution as a national security issue, an economic problem and a spiritual issue, as well as a public health and environmental threat.

I heard scores of personal and moving stories about how air pollution impacts people’s lives.

There were heart-wrenching moments when mothers and fathers talked about watching their children struggle to breathe because of asthma or other lung diseases.

One elderly woman held up a photograph of her grandson and talked about his difficulty breathing and need to carry a nebulizer on his hip at all times. The audience gave her a rousing ovation.

Asthma attacks can be triggered by ozone pollution, and the warmer temperatures caused by climate change mean we’ll have more ozone pollution.

That’s one reason why EPA’s proposed standards for carbon pollution are so important. They’ll cut the amount of climate-destabilizing carbon pollution emitted by new coal-fired power plants in half, compared to traditional plants.

The crowd at the Chicago hearing seemed to know that. What I took away from the hearing were the messages of hope, excitement, and opportunity.

The day was definitely a resounding victory for clean air.

Latest news: May 29, 2012

Tue, 29 May 2012 17:11:39 +0000

Advancing Louisiana's coastal plan: An editorial
Editorial, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). May 25, 2012.
"Louisiana's blueprint for saving our shrinking coastline was adopted by the state Legislature this week, and that's a significant step forward in the state's fight to survive…" (Read more)

Editorial: RESTORE Act huge step in war to save wetlands
Editorial, The American Press (Lake Charles, La.). May 25, 2012.
"Approval by the state Legislature earlier this week of the 2012 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan presents a monumental step in the war the forces that are eating away at our state’s wetlands…" (Read more)

Approval of 2012 Master Plan for the Coast is worth celebrating
By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune. May 27, 2012.
"Congratulations are in order today…" (Read more)

Master plan for La. coast multi-faceted
By Jeremy Alford, The Houma (La.) Courier. May 25, 2012.
"BATON ROUGE — While it’s easy to focus on local projects included in the coastal master plan the Legislature passed this week, it might be more difficult to pick apart and identify policy-related themes…" (Read more)

Working to cope with climate change: A guest column by J. Wayne Leonard and Raymond C. Offenheiser
The Times-Picayune. May 26, 2012.
"When extreme weather hits, communities suffer in myriad ways: homes are destroyed, businesses lost, ecosystems ravaged. As the heads of a national energy company and a global humanitarian organization, we've seen the damages first hand, and engaged in the painstaking and often dangerous work of recovery and restoration. We believe it's time to rally together to recognize the dangers of a changing climate, and to invest in reducing risk and building resilience…" (Read more)

Local Leaders Meet to Discuss Gulf Coast Restore Act
WCTV-TV.
"Tallahassee, Florida – May 29, 2012 – More than 100 leaders from throughout the Gulf region are sending a message to Senate and House leaders. They want lawmakers to pass legislation that could mean and economic boost and more jobs for coastal areas impacted by the BP oil spill…" (Read more)

Gulf leaders want RESTORE Act passed as law
WTXL-TV. May 27, 2012.
"TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) – More than 100 leaders of cities, municipalities, counties, economic development organizations and chambers of commerce throughout the Gulf region will collectively urge legislative officials to pass the RESTORE Act as law…" (Read more)

Nearly 4 times as much sea life in Alabama, Mississippi coastal waters since 2010 Gulf oil spill
By Ben Raines, The Press-Register (Mobile, Ala.). May 26, 2012.
"MOBILE, Alabama — There were nearly four times as many fish, shrimp and crabs in Alabama waters in the fall of 2011 as there were before the BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to scientific data collected by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab…" (Read more)

Women of the Storm to do virtual lobbying of House-Senate committee
By Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune. May 25, 2012.
"WASHINGTON — Since Hurricane Katrina, Women of the Storm have been regular visitors to Capitol Hill, pleading with lawmakers to help the Gulf Coast recover and more recently to ensure the state's decimated ecosystems and wetlands are restored…" (Read more)

Warm winter contributing to growing problem in water
WVUE-TV.
"Mathews, LA – Water hyacinths are a problem on Bayou Lafourche and across southeast Louisiana and biologists say they could be particularly bad this summer…" (Read more)

Hurricane season: Remembering the past and protecting the future

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:23:13 +0000

By Audrey Payne, Environmental Defense Fund

To mark the beginning of the 2012 hurricane season on June 1, the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign will launch a social media event to bring awareness to the importance of storm protection and wetland restoration as a line of defense against storm surge.

Track map of all storms of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. Source: Wikipedia Commons

With another storm season upon us, it’s hard not to think about the possibility of another destructive storm — like Hurricane Katrina or Rita — sweeping across the delta or the Gulf Coast. We should be aware of and prepared for another damaging storm, but it is also important to appreciate the coastline’s ability to provide natural protection from hurricanes. For example, healthy coastal wetlands can provide substantial protection by absorbing storm surge and flooding.

Unfortunately, the wetlands surrounding the Mississippi River Delta are disappearing, and much of what remains is severely degraded — a direct result of manmade measures that have isolated the sediment and fresh water that once built and replenished the rich coastal marshes, swamps and barrier islands.

If and when strong hurricanes come into the gulf, this wetland loss means there is much less protection for coastal communities. We saw how land loss contributed to the damage caused by Katrina and Rita, and it would serve us well to learn from the past and protect our natural storm barriers: coastal wetlands. We must push for wetland protection and restoration in order to protect coastal Louisiana from another horrific disaster.

Please show your support as we work to promote policy and science that will restore and protect Louisiana’s wetlands. “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to show your support and to find out more about what we are working on this hurricane season.

UN climate talks end in Bonn with progress on technical issues, divide over Durban Platform negotiations

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:59:22 +0000

By Jennifer Andreassen

The latest round of United Nations negotiations for a climate change treaty wrapped up today in Bonn, Germany with both familiar drama highlighting the precarious state of international efforts to reach an agreement to curb climate change, and some behind-the-scenes progress on technical issues.

The latest UN climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany ended with the now-familiar political drama among countries and some quieter progress on technical issues. (Photo thanks and credit to Flickr user UNclimatechange)

The Bonn negotiations marked the first set of negotiations since December's conference in Durban, South Africa laid the groundwork for developed and developing countries to move forward on a new framework engaging all nations.

During the two-week meeting, countries launched three years of negotiations to develop the new agreement by 2015. Progress on this "Durban Platform" negotiating track and other substantive issues was impeded by a lengthy impasse in agreeing to an agenda for discussion and selecting a Chairperson to run the negotiations.

However, countries did not seem to fall into the typical divide between developed-vs.-developing country, but rather split between nations determined to move forward versus those that weren't — with developing countries on both sides of the debate.

Jennifer Haverkamp, EDF's International Climate Program Director said:

We can only hope the intensity of the battles being fought over issues like what will be on the agenda and who will chair the new negotiating track signifies that countries are taking these Durban Platform negotiations seriously.

If countries didn't deem this new round of negotiations significant, they wouldn't be as invested in these procedural issues.

Smaller negotiating groupings on technical issues, including Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), did make good progress in the Bonn negotiations.

Despite continued limited action at the UN level, there is notable action taking place at the national and "sub-national" levels. Nations concerned about climate change are moving ahead in a variety of ways, including:

individually, like Mexico and South Korea, which both recently passed domestic climate legislation;
at the sub-national level, like California and Quebec; and
in country groups, like Europe, which has had an Emissions Trading Scheme in place for several years.

Haverkamp said:

It's essential countries start taking action at the national and state levels.

A fragmented system of climate laws will necessarily entail strains and is unlikely to add up to what is needed anytime soon. But the alternative, global inaction, risks global catastrophe.

Brazil President Rousseff partially vetoes ranchers’ Forest Code, but forests hanging in the balance

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:27:19 +0000

Future of forests depends on specifics of Rousseff’s executive order, to be released Monday

Brazil's president vetoed some catastrophic provisions in the Forest Code, but Monday's executive order will clarify the vetoes' true significance.

Fri, 2012-05-25

Contact:

Jennifer Andreassen, 202-572-3387, jandreassen@edf.org

NEWS RELEASE

(WASHINGTON – May 25, 2012) Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff today used her veto power to nix a dozen sections of the country’s main forest protection law that would have granted blanket amnesty for past illegal deforestation and allowed tens of millions of acres of currently protected forest to be legally cleared, but the true value of the vetoes is unclear until the president issues her executive order Monday, said U.S.-based Environmental Defense Fund.

The version of the Forest Code that reached Rousseff’s desk earlier this month for a signature or partial or full veto was pushed through the Chamber of Deputies last April with the support of the powerful large landowners and ranchers’ caucus (or “ruralistas”). The provisions of the Forest Code she has just vetoed would have eliminated both incentives for farmers to comply with the law and public access to information on farmers’ and ranchers’ compliance with the law.

“President Rousseff has apparently acceded to Brazilian public opinion in vetoing the most flagrantly irresponsible sections of the ranchers’ Forest Code, but we’re not out of the woods yet,” said Jennifer Haverkamp, EDF’s International Climate Program Director. “What these vetoes really mean for the future of the forest -- and whether the law can be effectively enforced -- will depend on the specifics of the executive order (Medida Provisória) that the President will issue on Monday.”

In a press conference today in Brasilia, Environment Minister Izabela Texeira said the government will not accept amnesty for past deforestation, and proposes to return to the version of the Forest Code passed by the Senate last year. But environmentalists note that the Senate version still allowed partial amnesty for past illegal deforestation. Minister Texeira also affirmed that the government intends to allow more leeway to small farmers than for large landholders in requirements to restore forest areas that were illegally cleared or degraded; the Chamber bill granted amnesty for large and small farmers alike.

The partial veto follows a high-profile national environmental campaign, “VetaDilma” (Veto [it] Dilma), calling on the President to veto the ranchers’ Chamber bill, and featuring demonstrations across the country, viral YouTube videos, and high-trending Twitter posts. Environmental activist and supermodel Giselle Bundchen and other celebrities, including one of Brazil’s most popular cartoon characters, farm boy Chico Bento, supported the campaign.

The Brazilian Academy of Science and Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science, the country's two most prominent scientific organizations, also called for a veto, as did national organizations of judges and São Paulo business leaders. Legal experts, including the Brazilian Association of Magistrates, and environmentalists had called for a veto of the entire Chamber bill, maintaining that partial vetoes could introduce lacunae and ambiguities that would make the new law unenforceable.

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Groups to Louisiana Legislature: Ensure oil spill fines are used for coastal restoration

Fri, 25 May 2012 19:13:08 +0000

Earlier this week, the Louisiana Legislature finalized passage of the 2012 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan. This landmark document lays out a bold, science-based vision for restoring the state’s vanishing coastline. The suite of restoration projects included in the plan promises to ease and then reverse the state’s staggering land-loss rates over the course of 50 years.

However, this aggressive undertaking is not inexpensive. Projected costs for the plan total some $50 billion. But the state has a lifeline in the form of the RESTORE Act, a Congressional bill that, if passed, promises to dedicate 80% of Clean Water Act fines from the BP oil disaster to Gulf Coast states for restoration.

Scientists assess oiled marshes in Barataria Bay, La.

With fine totals projected to fall between $5 and $20 billion, Louisiana’s share could be used to jumpstart the development of critical projects in the Coastal Master Plan.

A motion in the Louisiana Legislature would do just that. House Bills 812 and 838, which would put a constitutional amendment before voters to dedicate RESTORE Act fines to the state’s Coast Protection and Restoration Trust Fund, unanimously passed the Louisiana House and now await action by the Senate Finance Committee. The idea of a constitutional amendment enjoys wide public support. In a poll conducted in April by Southern Media and Opinion Research, 79% of voters surveyed indicated they would vote yes on a constitutional amendment to dedicate RESTORE Act fines to Coastal Master Plan projects.

These amendments represent the best hope for an early start to Coastal Master Plan restoration projects. We strongly urge the Louisiana State Senate to pass HB 812’s and 838’s equivalents — in their current form — as soon as possible.

Left unchecked, coastal land loss threatens the very survival of Louisiana’s coastal communities and infrastructure. For the first time, Louisiana has a tangible, science-based plan in place to tackle this formidable issue. It is up to Congress and the Louisiana Legislature to ensure the projects in this plan move forward. Both can make this happen — Congress by passing the RESTORE Act and the Louisiana Legislature by putting the BP spill money to its best use.

Bonn climate talks make progress on technical issues, but politics remain wobbly

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:13:05 +0000

Meetings reveal divides among countries over new Durban Platform negotiating track

Bonn climate talks make progress on technical issues, but politics remain wobbly

Fri, 2012-05-25

Contact:

Jennifer Andreassen, 202-288-4867, jandreassen@edf.org

(BONN/ WASHINGTON – May 25, 2012) The now-predictable drama and upheavals at the United Nations climate treaty talks underscored the precarious state of multilateral efforts to reach a new agreement to protect the world's climate, but behind the scenes, countries made good progress on a range of technical issues, U.S.-based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) said today at the conclusion of the latest round of negotiations in Bonn, Germany.

Countries in Bonn launched three years of negotiations to develop the new agreement by 2015, at their first gathering since last December's conference in Durban, South Africa laid the groundwork for developed and developing countries to move forward on a new framework engaging all nations.

Progress on substantive issues during Bonn's two-week negotiations was hampered by the continued divide between and among some countries when the talks hit a lengthy impasse in agreeing to an agenda for discussion and selecting a Chairperson to run the negotiations. Instead of cleaving along the traditional developed-vs-developing country divide, however, the division seemed to be between nations determined to move forward, and those seeking to slow-walk the process, with various members of the "G-77+China" (Group of 77 developing countries and China) on each side of that divide.

Meanwhile, smaller negotiating groupings on technical issues, including Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), continued to make good progress.

"We can only hope the intensity of the battles being fought over issues like what will be on the agenda and who will chair the new negotiating track signifies that countries are taking these Durban Platform negotiations seriously," said Jennifer Haverkamp, EDF's International Climate Program Director.

"If countries didn't deem this new round of negotiations significant, they wouldn't be as invested in these procedural issues," Haverkamp said.

In the absence of action by countries at the UN level, nations concerned about climate change are moving ahead individually, like Mexico and South Korea, which both recently passed domestic climate legislation; at the sub-national level, like California and Quebec; and in country groups, like Europe, which has had an Emissions Trading Scheme in place for several years.

"It's essential countries start taking action at the national and state levels," said Haverkamp. "A fragmented system of climate laws will necessarily entail strains and is unlikely to add up to what is needed anytime soon. But the alternative, global inaction, risks global catastrophe."

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Ohio Energy Bill Falls Short Of Governor’s Vision For Chemical Disclosure

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:21:18 +0000

By Matt Watson

Ohio Governor John Kasich showed real leadership earlier this month when he introduced energy bill with the most comprehensive rules in the country for chemical disclosure during oil and gas operations. The Governor's bill would have required disclosure of not only the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing – as a number of other states have done – but also the full range of chemicals used throughout the lifecycle of a well. Hydraulic fracturing gets all the attention, but the Governor and his team understand that dangerous chemicals are also used in drilling, producing, servicing and shutting down wells. The entire process should be transparent from beginning to end — "from spud to plug," as it’s called.

This was smart policy when the Governor proposed it. And it’s smart policy today. Unfortunately, the energy bill passed yesterday by the Ohio General Assembly fails to fully deliver on that vision. In the face of intense industry opposition, lawmakers eliminated many of the reporting requirements contained in the original bill. EDF is disappointed the final bill does not live up to what Governor Kasich proposed, but we give the Governor credit for putting the idea forward and expanding the terms of the debate – both in Ohio and nationally.

To be fair, even in its scaled-back version, the Ohio disclosure policy breaks new ground. It requires disclosure of the chemicals used in stimulating a well. This includes not just hydraulic fracturing but also other kinds of stimulation techniques – something most states have missed in their disclosure rules.

Additionally, companies will be required to disclose the chemicals used in a well until the surface casing is set in place. As we testified in the Ohio House, this still leaves the public in the dark about a lot of dangerous chemicals that are used to drill and operate a well. But again, it’s a step forward compared to what other states have done.

We’re disappointed, though, by changes the House made to the trade secret provisions in the bill. In the original version, companies would have been required to report trade secret information to the Department of Natural Resources. This would have ensured that the agency had quick access to chemical information it might need to respond to a spill, initiate an investigation or respond to a complaint. Under industry pressure, the Assembly caved on that language, and companies will now be allowed to withhold trade secret information from the regulators.

The bill establishes an unqualified right for certain land owners to challenge trade secret claims in court. So, there’s at least a mechanism in place to police the system and make sure companies aren’t hiding behind bogus trade secret claims. But it would have been far better to have trade secrets turned over to the state – not only in cases where this information is needed to protect public health and safety, but also because it would have given anyone, not just the land owners, a right to challenge trade secrets under the Ohio Public Records Act.

This is a big bill. It addresses a wide range of issues – not just oil and gas – and includes far too much to cover here. It has some good provisions, such as new requirements for companies to report where they’re getting their water from and how much they’re using, and requirements for companies to test the baseline water quality in nearby water wells before they start drilling. The bill also has some really bad provisions – like an egregious one that strips citizens of the right to appeal permits issued to oil and gas operators.

The passage of the energy bill is not the end of the process: the agency rules implementing this bill will be written in the months ahead, and EDF will be working to make sure they are as strong as possible. And we’ll be working on other rules to reduce the risks oil and gas operations pose to communities and the environment.

This includes improving Ohio’s rules for air pollution from oil and gas operations. It means making sure we have tough standards in place to manage the huge waste streams these operations produce. It means putting smart planning in place to preserve landscapes and protect the fabric of local communities. And sooner rather than later, it’s going to mean coming back to the General Assembly and fixing what didn’t get done right the first time.

Latest news: May 25, 2012

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:44:30 +0000

Louisiana hailed for coastal measures
United Press International. May 24, 2012.
"WASHINGTON, May 25 (UPI) — Louisiana legislators were praised by a consortium of environmental groups for outlining a 50-year plan to protect the coastal ecosystem…" (Read more)