POTUS: Doubling Our Clean Energy Funding to Address the Challenge of Climate Change

<> POTUS Weekly Address: Doubling Our Clean Energy Funding to Address the Challenge of Climate Change - In this week's address, the President discussed climate change and how the most ambitious climate agreement in history is creating private sector partnerships that are advancing the latest technologies in clean power. GOP-Led Congress Unlikely to OK Obama's New Clean Energy Bid - President Obama said Saturday that he will ask the Republican-led Congress to double spending on research and development into clean energy by 2020 -- but, GOP lawmakers scoff at the science behind climate change and dismiss Obama's pleas for the issue to be dealt with urgently. Obama Proposes $10-Per-Barrel Oil Tax - President Barack Obama on Tuesday will propose a $10-per-barrel fee paid by oil companies to fund investments in low-carbon transportation. Oil Fee Proposal a Bad Deal for Manufacturers

WIMS Daily Environmental HotSheet 12/18/15

 

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WIMS Daily Environmental HotSheet Friday, December 18, 2015 National / International News

<> Energy Department Announces Largest Energy Efficiency Standard in History - The U.S. Department of Energy announced historic new efficiency standards for commercial air conditioners and furnaces -- developed with industry, utilities, and environmental groups, these standards will save more energy than any other standard issued by the Department to date -- over the lifetime of the products, businesses will save $167 billion on their utility bills and carbon pollution will be reduced by 885 million metric tons. Manufacturers, Efficiency Groups Praise Largest Energy-Saving Standards Ever Issued Sierra Club praises "largest energy saving standard in history" from DOE NRDC President: Negotiated Groundbreaking Energy Efficiency Standards Another Promising Sign in Fight Against Climate Change

<> Senator Boxer's Statement on Passage of TSCA Legislation in the Senate - The U.S. Senate tonight overwhelmingly passed S.697, the "Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act" as an amendment to the House Passed H.R.2576 -- Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, issued a statement following passage of legislation to reform the nation's toxic chemicals law -- "I am pleased to move forward with the Senate language on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which has been a difficult, multi-year odyssey. . ." Statement from Inhofe, Vitter, Udall on TSCA passage ACC Lauds Passage Of Senate Bill To Reform TSCA Senate's Toxic Chemicals Bill Needs Changes in Conference to Merit Support - NRDC S.697 H.R.2576

<> On Heels of EPA 'Covert Propaganda' Bust on WOTUS Rule, E&C Leaders Concerned with Similar Shenanigans on Climate Rules - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA), and Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY)  sent a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy seeking information regarding the use of social media platforms by EPA to promote the agency's climate rules.

<> NOAA Releases Climate Documents to House Science Committee - Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration handed over about 100 documents relating to climate science research this week in response to a subpoena from the House Science Committee. NOAA Officials FINALLY Surrender Staff Emails To Lawmakers

<> NRC Seeks Public Comment on Draft Guidance for Subsequent Renewal of Nuclear Power Plant Operating Licenses - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission seeks public comment on two draft documents designed to guide the agency's staff in reviewing applications to extend operations of commercial nuclear power plants beyond 60 years -- publication of a Federal Register notice, expected Dec. 22. with comments accepted through Feb. 29, 2016.

<> USGS Estimates 53 Trillion Cubic Feet of Gas Resources in Barnett Shale - The Barnett Shale contains estimated mean volumes of 53 trillion cubic feet of shale natural gas, 172 million barrels of shale oil and 176 million barrels of natural gas liquids, according to an updated assessment.

<> U.S. Reliance on Nonfuel Mineral Imports Increasing - Key nonfuel mineral commodities that support the U.S. economy and national security are increasingly being sourced from outside the U.S., according to a new U.S. Geological Survey publication.

<> November 2015 Global Climate Report - The globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for November 2015 was highest on record for the month since record keeping began in 1880.

<> Report: Boosting Energy Efficiency In Chicago'S Large Buildings Could Save Up To $184 Million Annually, Create Up To 2,000 Jobs - The City of Chicago yesterday released the results of its second annual assessment of energy use in large commercial, institutional, and residential buildings throughout the city.

<> Here's How To Get Investors To Save The Planet - World leaders should tax carbon emissions if they want institutional investors to commit their assets toward clean energy projects, according to a top environmental adviser to U.S. money managers.

<> Scientists can measure drinking water age using atomic bomb fallout - A university research team has discovered a way to measure the age of treated drinking water by testing for residual radioactive fallout from atomic bomb testing.

<> During the Break it's a good time to check out WIMS 24/7 News Blogs: White House News; Congressional News; Federal Agencies News; Industry News; Enviro Group News; Air Quality News; Hazardous Waste News; Transportation News

Federal Register Highlights  The following is an alert of Environmental Federal Register announcements that may be of interest.  (Click here to access today's complete Federal Register index with links to complete announcements).

<> Nothing We're Tracking Today (click for the complete Energy & EPA announcements)

Alberta Announces Climate Leadership Plan

<> New Alberta climate-change plan includes carbon tax for individual Albertans, cap on oilsands emissions - Alberta's new climate-change plan, announced Nov 22, will introduce a carbon tax on every Albertan, phase out coal pollution and plants by 2030, set a greenhouse-gas-emissions cap on oilsands production and pump money back into the pockets of Albertans and businesses to help with the transition. Details: Alberta Climate Leadership Plan - News release, Premier Notley's speech, the Climate Change Advisory Panel's Report  Canada's Largest Oil-Producing Province Wants A Limit On Carbon Emissions Alberta Announces Historic Climate Commitment – Sierra Club Alberta to Limit Carbon Emissions from Tar Sands Sector – NRDC Alberta Shows Climate Leadership on Methane as Part of New Climate Plan – EDF Alberta climate plan allows for tar sands growth, export pipelines to proceed - Alberta's new climate action plan would still allow for the Energy East and TransMountain pipelines to proceed.

The President delivers remarks on Clean Power Plan

<> The President delivers remarks on Clean Power Plan - POTUS: "We only get one home. We only get one planet. There is no plan B." [See WIMS 8/3/15] The Final Clean Power Plan: More Ambitious, More Achievable for States - By EPA's Janet McCabe Today, President Obama announced EPA's historic Clean Power Plan EPA's Clean Power Plan: Lower Utility Bills, Billions in Benefits Every Year - EPA says: "They're at it again. Just like we predicted, critics are already claiming EPA's Clean Power Plan will drive up utility rates, or that the cost of climate action isn't worth it. They're wrong." GOP presidential hopefuls blast Obama on climate Q&A: Charles Koch Talks about Politics, Climate Change Resources for the Future Experts on EPA's Clean Power Plan - 10 Things We Looked for in the Clean Power Plan----and What We Found UN chief welcomes climate change plan unveiled by President Obama Boehner on President Obama's National Energy Tax Inhofe: EPA's Final Carbon Mandate a Bad Deal for Americans Upton and Whitfield: EPA's Plan "Lights Out for Jobs and the Economy" McConnell: Finalized EPA Regs: Probably Illegal, Would Hurt the Middle Class and Won't Meaningfully Affect Global Climate Boxer's Statement on Final Version of Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan BCSE Business & Energy Leaders' Statement on Release of Final EPA Clean Power Plan EPA Outdoes Itself with Final Carbon Plan, Consumers Pay the Price API: New power plant rule harms American workers and those struggling to pay for energy Greenpeace: Why President Obama's Clean Power Plan is an exaggeration

[WIMS] Environmental HotSheet 5/13/15

 

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National / International News

<> Obama's plans for trade deals with Asia and Europe in tatters after Senate vote - Senate legislation fails to pass after Democrats put concerns about US jobs ahead of president's argument that trade deals will boost global economy Cloture Roll Call Vote On H.R.1314 Sierra Club Statement on Procedural Senate Vote on Fast Track for Trade Readout of the President's Meeting with Senate Democrats on TPP

<> House passes bill to stop EPA/Corps WOTUS rule – Despite an Administration veto threat, the House voted Tuesday to overturn the Obama administration rule aimed at redefining which streams, ponds, wetlands and other waterways are under its jurisdiction. H.R. 1732: Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015 - Passed House: Last Action: On passage Passed by recorded vote: 261 - 155  Shuster's Legislation to Stop EPA Overreach Passes House - Sponsor, Rep. Bill Shuster's (R-PA) said, "The EPA's latest power grab is a prime example of why Pennsylvanians are sick and tired of the oversized federal government. . ." House Passes Bill Jeopardizing Drinking Water Across the Country EPA WOTUS Rule website

<> Energy Department Authorizes Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project to Export Liquefied Natural Gas - DOE announced that it has issued a final authorization for the Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project (Corpus Christi) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States.

<> Committee Releases Bipartisan TSCA Modernization Act, Markup This Week - Bipartisan leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today unveiled a new draft of the TSCA Modernization Act and announced a subcommittee markup on the legislation for this week. [Links to  updated draft of the legislation and summary; background memo, amendments, and votes posted soon]

<> Nation's Beekeepers Lost 40 Percent of Bees in 2014-15 - Beekeepers across the United States lost more than 40 percent of their honey bee colonies during the year spanning April 2014 to April 2015 -- summer losses eclipse winter losses for the first time on record according to study led by University of Maryland professor

<> Small Businesses: Here's How To Act on Climate and Improve Your Bottom Line - Co-authored from EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy & David Levine, Co-founder and President, American Sustainable Business Council

<> Resistance to pipeline bigger than Keystone thwarts Enbridge in Wisconsin - Pipeline giant Enbridge, Inc., is in a standoff with a Wisconsin zoning committee over the company's plans to vastly increase the amount of tar sands oil pumped through one of its lines -- the Dane County, Wisc. zoning committee, motivated by Enbridge's Kalamazoo River spill in Michigan in 2010, wants added insurance requirements to ensure proper cleanup in the event of a spill.

<> Decarbonizing Development: Three Steps to a Zero-Carbon Future - From the World Bank -- The report lays out three steps countries can follow to reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases to zero and stabilize climate change: Plan for the end goal, not just the short-term; get prices right as part of a broad policy package that triggers changes in investment and behavior; and smooth the transition for those most affected.

<> Keystone activists enraged by report that FBI spied on them - According to the Guardian's reporting, which was based on a Freedom of Information Act request, the Houston FBI Office reportedly broke agency rules on numerous occasions by spying on anti-pipeline activists between November 2012 and June 2014. FBI violated its own rules while spying on Keystone XL opponents -  [In WIMS yesterday]

<> NRDC "Sneezing and Wheezing" Report Spotlights Climate Change Links to Asthma and Allergies

Federal Register Highlights  The following is an alert of Environmental Federal Register announcements that may be of interest.  (Click here to access today's complete Federal Register index with links to complete announcements).

<> AIR QUALITY - Notice of Data. U.S. EPA - Release of Risk and Exposure Assessment Planning Document for the Review of the Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Nitrogen Dioxide

(click for the complete Energy & EPA announcements)

Great Lakes News

<> International Joint Commission Newsletter - Catch up on the Spring Semi-Annual, Signs of Spring Campaign and Ballast Water Technology

Michigan News

<> Schuette, Wyant Announce $75 Million Settlement for Enbridge's Kalamazoo River Oil Spill - Settlement invests millions for river improvements and will finalize cleanup and restoration requirements for areas affected by the spill Enbridge settles cleanup of Michigan oil spill for $75M - Five years after an underground pipeline near Marshall ruptured, releasing more than 800,000 gallons of heavy crude oil into a nearby creek, State officials are announcing a $75 million settlement with Enbridge Energy to finalize cleanup terms with the Canadian pipeline owner responsible for 2010's massive Kalamazoo River oil spill. The Consent Judgment with all incorporated exhibits

<> Michigan Senate adds 30 days to session to work on roads bill - The Michigan Senate is planning to remain in session this summer after voters rejected a road-funding proposal on last week's ballot.

<> In Re App of Detroit Edison 2012 Cost Recovery Plan - 5/12/15. In the Michigan Court of Appeals, Case No. 318388. Petitioner Michigan Environmental Council (MEC) appeals by right from an order of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) granting the application filed by Detroit Edison Company (Edison) to implement a power supply cost recovery (PSCR) plan in its rate schedules for the 2012 metered jurisdictional sales of electricity, and for approval of its five-year forecast. The Appeals Court affirmed the decision of MPSC.

<> Next meeting of the Saginaw-Tittabawassee Rivers Contamination Community Advisory Group - 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Monday, May 18 at the Tittabawassee Township Memorial Park Building, 150 Park Street, Freeland Tittabawassee River / Saginaw River / Saginaw Bay Cleanup

<> Sen. Virgil Smith arraigned, removed from committees - State Senator Virgil Smith (D-Detroit) faces felony assault and gun charges in connection with a shooting incident this past weekend --  accused of hitting his ex-wife and shooting at her car.

<> Citizens Guide MI Legislature App - The Citizens Guide to the Michigan Legislature SmartPhone application provides pictures and contact information for all members of the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives, links to their web sites; committee listings; contact information for Senate & House clerks and business offices, as well as caucus staff for both chambers. Android Installer iPhone/iPad

<> Planning begins on transit system connecting Detroit to Ann Arbor, Pontiac, Mount Clemens – At a kickoff rally in Detroit today, officials announced they'll have those plans ready to go in November, in time to get them on the 2016 ballot.   Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan Early Plans

Michigan Legislative Tracking  Newly introduced bills and bills that are moving, if any, are listed below. Click on the bill number for complete status, full text, & analyses. Uppercase is Senate action; lowercase is House action. Otherwise, for a complete list of environmental legislation this session (click here).

 

Daily Activity (5/12/15)

IN THE SENATE

HB 4093 of 2015 Appropriations; zero budget; department of environmental quality; provide for fiscal year 2015-2016. Creates appropriation act. [FLOOR]

IN THE HOUSE

HB 4570 of 2015 Education; financing; definition of turbine for purposes of industrial personal property exemption from school operating millage; provide for.  [Committee]

HB 4571 of 2015 Economic development; plant rehabilitation; definition of turbine; provide for. [Committee]

HB 4572 of 2015 Michigan business tax; credits; definition of turbine in eligible personal property tax credit; provide for. [Committee]

HB 4573 of 2015 Property tax; exemptions; definition of turbine; provide for. [Committee]