WIMS Environmental HotSheet 1/28/14

<> Energy Choices 2014 – The Choices We Face for a Strong & Secure America- the report developed three critical policy considerations surrounding the United States' energy choices.  Energy Security, Economic Stability, and Environmental Sustainability are all examined in light of three primary energy sources: fossil fuels, nuclear power, and renewable power.

<> Boehner Statement on Farm Bill Agreement - WASHINGTON, DC - House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on the House-Senate agreement on the Farm Bill: "The House-Senate agreement announced this evening is a positive step in the right direction.  The measure will not only save taxpayers approximately $23 billion, it also includes important reforms to both farm and food stamp programs. 

• Chairwoman Stabenow Announces Bipartisan Agreement on Final Farm Bill- U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today announced a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a five-year Farm Bill that will reform farm programs, reduce the deficit, and help farmers and businesses create jobs in agriculture, our state's second-largest industry. The bill includes major reforms like eliminating the. . .

<> Newly Disclosed Documents Show FDA Allows Livestock Antibiotics Use Despite "High Risk" to Humans - WASHINGTON (January 27, 2014) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quietly allowed 30 potentially harmful antibiotics, including 18 rated as "high risk," to remain on the market as additives in farm animal feed and water – despite an internal review that raised significant red flags, according to agency records obtained by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

<> Groundbreaking Legal Agreement to End Use of Toxic Flame Retardant in Foam Furniture and Children's Products - The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) announced groundbreaking legal agreements that for the first time aim for an end to the use of harmful flame retardant chemicals in foam furniture and children's foam products from major companies. The agreement with Playtex (Energizer Personal Care), West Elm (Williams Sonoma), Britax and 11 other companies 

<> Market Efficiency and the U.S. Market for Sulfur Dioxide Allowances: Working Paper 2014-01 – From the Congressional Budget Office; Focusing on the U.S. sulfur dioxide allowance market, this paper models allowance prices to determine the influence of market fundamentals and administrative announcements on allowance price level and volatility.

<> Statement by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on 2013 Solar Jobs Census - Statement by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on 2013 Solar Jobs Census Secretary Moniz issued a statement on the 2013 Solar Jobs Census. The U.S. solar industry employed 142,698 Americans as of November 2013. This figure includes the addition of 23,682 solar workers over the previous year. . .

<> Air Resources Board issues nearly $1 million in fines for failures to report greenhouse gas emissions - The California Air Resources Board has announced nearly $1 million in penalties against three companies for late or inaccurate reporting of their greenhouse gas emissions for 2011. This action marks the second time the Air Resources Board has issued fines for violations of California's Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting regulation.

<> FERC staff issues Energy Infrastructure Update for December 2013

<> Groups Sue Feds for Putting Whales and Dolphins in Crosshairs throughout Southern California and Hawaiian Waters - LOS ANGELES (January 27, 2014) –The federal government illegally granted the U.S. Navy permission to harm marine mammals nearly ten million times in Southern California and Hawaii over the next five years, according to a lawsuit filed today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).  The permitting agency, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), finalized rules last. . .

<> FEMA: Caught Between Climate Change and Congress - The agency has needed Congress to approve extra disaster relief funds every year over roughly the past decade to handle mounting climate-related damage. By Katherine Bagley Thanks to climate change, extreme weather disasters have hammered the United States with increasing frequency in recent years—from drought and wildfires to coastal storms and flooding.

<> Local Climate Solutions - What can an individual city or town do to fight climate change? A lot! View these slides from a presentation by ILSR's Director of Democratic Energy John Farrell to the Northfield Climate Summit on January 18, 2014, to see what one small Minnesota town has done, what other steps it can take as part of the state's GreenStep Cities program, and model local actions from around the 

<> State-sponsored Wolf Killing Ends in Idaho - Faced with a looming deadline to defend its actions before a federal appeals court, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) announced it is halting its wolf extermination program in the Middle Fork region of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.

<> Announcement: Request for Proposals for 2014 Pollution Prevention Grant Program– U.S. EPA has released a Request for Proposals for the 2014 Pollution Prevention (P2) grant competition.