[WIMS] Environmental HotSheet 4/8/15

 

National / International News

<> Remarks by the President After Roundtable on the Impacts of Climate Change on Public Health - Howard University Washington, D.C. 3:31 P.M. THE PRESIDENT:  I just had the opportunity to have a terrific conversation with our outstanding new Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, our EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, but also some incredible activists from different walks of life in the public health arena.

<> EPA Releases New Website Enabling the Public to Track Compliance Status of Public Water Systems – U.S. EPA released the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) dashboard, a user-friendly website that presents data about violations and the compliance status of public water systems. Access the SDWA dashboard

<> New Maps & Data section on Climate.gov offers easy-to-understand maps and entry-level information on climate data - Easy-to-understand climate maps, a visual catalog of popular climate products, and instructional pages that cover the fundamentals of measuring climate variables and processing and using climate data.

<> EPA, NASA, NOAA and USGS Creating Early Warning System to Detect Harmful Algal Blooms – U.S. EPA announced that it is developing an early warning indicator system using historical and current satellite data to detect algal blooms.

<> Sen. Murkowski Amendment Ensures Smart, Well-Balanced Public Lands Policy - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), issued a response to groups who have been misrepresenting the facts surrounding her amendment to the budget resolution, which was approved by the Senate  on March 26. S.Amdt. 838 to S.Con.Res. 11

<> Smith Requests Advocacy Group's Communications with EPA Administrator - Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today sent a letter to the League of Conservation Voters requesting all communications they have had with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy regarding the Keystone XL pipeline.

<> Analysing the lifecycle of today's mobile phone - It is estimated that in 2014 over two billion mobile phones were sold worldwide -- 1 billion of which were smartphones -- an astonishing 150,000,000 are trashed each year globally.

<> USDA Awards Grants to Address Water Quality, Availablity in Agriculture Communities - WASHINGTON, April 7, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced 21 grants totaling more than $10 million have been awarded to universities to support critical water problems in rural and agricultural watersheds across the United States.

<> Scientists probe methane mystery in Four Corners - A team of scientific investigators is now in the Four Corners region of the U.S. Southwest, an area where the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet at one point, aiming to uncover reasons for a mysterious methane hotspot detected from space by a European satellite.

<> Bloomberg Philanthropies Reinvests in Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign - Building on a successful, state-driven strategy that has made it possible for the U.S. to be a world leader in aggressive emission reductions, the new round of funding builds on a previous commitment of $50 million, raising the foundation's overall investment in the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign to $80 million.

<> China's National Coal Cap Policy Could Save Nearly 50,000 Lives and $6.2 billion Every Year by 2020 - BEIJING (April 8, 2015) – China's proposed national policies to curb coal use will provide enormous air quality and health benefits to the public and coal industry workers, saving 49,000 lives and $6.2 billion in 2020, according to a new study released today by the China Coal Cap Project, a joint initiative of academic, governmental and non-profit researchers, with the support of the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) and World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).

<> Groups Challenge Major USDA Change to Organic Rule - (Beyond Pesticides, April 8, 2015)  Organic stakeholders have filed a lawsuit in federal court, maintaining that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) violated the federal rulemaking process when it changed established procedures for reviewing the potential hazards and need for allowed synthetic and prohibited natural substances used in producing organic food.

<> Ohio TV Ad Criticizes Sen. Portman for Siding with Polluters - (April 7, 2015) – A new statewide television ad chastises Ohio Senator Rob Portman for leading the charge in Congress to let power plants keep fouling our air with pollution that contributes to "catastrophic climate change" and leads to childhood asthma attacks. Portman Offers Amendment Returning Power to the States Regarding EPA Regulations - U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), a member of the Senate Budget and Finance Committees, offered an amendment to the Senate Budget Resolution that would establish a reserve fund for legislation to give any state the option to opt-out of greenhouse gas regulations from U.S. EPA if the state determines the regulations would increase retail electricity prices, threaten electricity reliability, or have a negative impact on the state's economy.

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).

<> HAZARDOUS WASTE - Final Rule. U.S. EPA - Response to Vacaturs of the Comparable Fuels Rule and the Gasification Rule [Links to the vacaturs are below] Sierra Club v. EPA - 6/27/14. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, Case No. 08-1144. Natural Resources Defense v. EPA - 6/27/14. In the U.S.Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, Case No. 98-1379.

(click for the complete Energy & EPA announcements)

Michigan News

<> Eagle Mine – Humboldt Mill surface water discharge permit renewed - MDEQ announced it has approved revisions to the surface water discharge permit for the Humboldt Mill near Marquette which they say will safeguard wetlands and the middle branch of the Escanaba River The permit and the responsiveness summary

<> Senator Stabenow Applauds Selection of Michigan State University for Grant to Address Water Quality - U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today applauded the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) announcement that Michigan State University has been awarded a $900,000 grant to work with farmers to address critical water problems in rural communities and agriculture watersheds. USDA Awards Grants to Address Water Quality, Availablity in Agriculture Communities

<>  Consumers Energy warns of looming electricity shortage in 2016 and beyond - Rolling blackouts and electricity shortages may become the new norm, as the state's two largest utilities will shutter coal plants under federal mandates and a partially deregulated market leaves them skittish of new energy investment, officials warned in a recent [last November] report. Electric Reliability in Michigan: The Challenge Ahead report last November by Public Sector Consultants'

<> DNR's Eastern Upper Peninsula Citizens' Advisory Council to meet April 16 in Newberry

<> Public Comment Period for the Draft 2015 Michigan Consolidated Plan - The purpose of the 2015 Consolidated Plan is to describe programs and activities that will be undertake in conjunction with HUD programs funded with Federal Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) dollars.

<> Green Labs Workshop in Grand Rapids, May 11, 2015 - The final workshop of the Michigan Green Labs Initiative and the launch of the West Michigan Green Labs Pilot, participants will learn how green lab programs promote green practices and environmentally-friendly, sustainable technology in laboratories that have been proven to reduce energy use by 30 to 50 percent.

<> Detroit leaders to unveil app for infrastructure complaints - The city of Detroit is launching a cellphone application that will make it easier for residents to file complaints about infrastructure.

<> API-Michigan Hires Katharine Hoeksema to join effort on growing energy priorities in state - LANSING, Mich., April 6, 2015 – The Associated Petroleum Industries of Michigan (API-Michigan) announced that Katharine Hoeksema has joined as legislative analyst.

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).

[WIMS] Environmental HotSheet 4/7/15

 

National / International News

<> FACT SHEET: Administration Announces Actions To Protect Communities From The Impacts Of Climate Change - As part of the Administration's overall effort to combat climate change and protect the American people, this week, the Administration is announcing a series of actions that will allow us to better understand, communicate, and reduce the health impacts of climate change on our communities President Obama is Right to Highlight Health Threats Posed by Dangerous Climate Change

<> Draft USGCRP Climate & Health Assessment Available for Public Review - Public comments are now being solicited on the draft version of The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment -- developed by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), Interagency Group on Climate Change and Human Health as part of the sustained National Climate Assessment and as called for under the President's Climate Action Plan. USGCRP Climate & Health Assessment - The public comment period is open until 12 pm ET on June 8, 2015. The Complete 405-page Report

<> Yale Climate Opinion Maps - The Yale Project on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) released a new interactive mapping tool called "Yale Climate Opinion Maps" (YCOM) and an accompanying peer-reviewed paper that allows users to visualize and explore differences in public opinion about global warming in the United States in unprecedented geographic detail. Access the Yale Climate Opinion Maps – opinions on a number of related topics by state, county, congressional district & nationally

<> Seeing into Water in New Ways: The Visualizing Nutrients Challenge - The U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Blue Legacy International (a nonprofit organization) announce the Visualizing Nutrients Challenge, an innovation competition with $15,000 in cash prizes

<> Sen. Murkowski Welcomes EIA Report on Refining Options - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, praised the recent release of a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), assessing technical options available to refiners to process more light tight oil.

<> A Conversation with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on Putting a Price on Carbon - Location: Conference call A tax or fee on carbon is one of the most efficient ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and done right, will stimulate our economy.

<> EPA and DOE Honor 2015 Energy Star Partners of the Year for Leadership on Energy Efficiency, Acting on Climate - EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring 128 businesses and organizations in 33 states with the Energy Star's Partner of the Year award for their commitment to saving energy and protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements.

<> U.S. remained world's largest producer of petroleum and natural gas hydrocarbons in 2014 - (Tue, 07 Apr 2015) The United States remained the world's top producer of petroleum and natural gas hydrocarbons in 2014, according to EIA estimates --  continuing to exceed that of both Russia and Saudi Arabia, the second- and third-largest producers, respectively.

<> Coming Soon: National Centers for Environmental Information  – The NOAA, National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) and its sister data centers are merging into the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

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)

Michigan News

<> Making Michigan the world's freshwater and freshwater innovation center - A new interactive report from the Michigan Economic Center at Prima Civitas, and the Grand Valley State University Annis Water Resources Institute, entitled "Michigan's Blue Economy: Making Michigan the World's Freshwater and Freshwater Innovation Center" — tells the story of how water and water innovation powered the rise of Michigan's economy. Michigan BLUE ECONOMY

<> State departments to merge Friday - The official merger of the state Department of Community Health with the Department of Human Services will happen this Friday.

<> Natural Resources Commission to meet Thursday in Lansing – Link to more information about the Natural Resources Commission, including full agendas and meeting minutes

<> MDEQ Misses Major Deadline to Cut Air Pollution - A release from ... indicates April 6 was the deadline to submit a plan to U.S. EPA that reduces sulfur dioxide emissions in Wayne County where they say the DTE Trenton Channel and River Rouge coal plants are responsible for 80 percent of all sulfur dioxide emissions in the county.

<> A Bridge primer: Untangling the pothole promise of Proposal 1 - Proposal 1, the May ballot question, seeks to raise money to fix this and thousands of other potholes pocking Michigan roads. Who supports, and opposes, Proposal 1

<> Activists To Speak On Fracking and Pipelines - Internationally known activist and environmentalist Winona LaDuke, of Honor the Earth and Colorado activist Shane Davis, who founded the blog fractivist.org, will speak about fracking and pipelines at two events in Bloomfield Hills and Detroit. On April 13 at Birmingham Unitarian Church and on April 14 at Marygrove College, the Committee to Ban Fracking in Michigan and seven other sponsors are hosting "Honor the Earth."

<> Detroit conference to explore farming in highly populated areas - Urban agriculture and hobby farms are growing in popularity -- new guidelines for raising livestock in populated areas will be presented from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 10 in Detroit during a one-day seminar hosted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and MSU Extension -- Detroit Center, 3408 Woodward Ave.

<> Smelt vanishing from Michigan rivers - The smelt population has declined so much, so quickly over the past two decades that most anglers don't even bother trying anymore.

<> Lisa Wozniak: Of the energy proposals on the table, some make more sense - Two state legislators are pedaling an energy plan in Lansing that would make Michigan the laughing stock of the nation.

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).

[WIMS] Environmental HotSheet 4/6/15

 

National / International News

<> Solar, Wind Industries Release 'How-To' Handbook For Cutting Carbon Emissions - For states looking to meet new obligations under the EPA's Clean Power Plan, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) have jointly published a handbook detailing how to incorporate renewable energy into state plans to cut carbon emissions from existing power plants. A Handbook for the States: Incorporating Renewable Energy into State Compliance Plans for EPA's Clean Power Plan – 184-page report released by SEIA and AWEA interprets the more than 1,000 pages of the draft EPA rule and technical support documents and provides step-by-step guidance to states on how to incorporate renewable energy into their state compliance plans.

<> Sen. Murkowski: We Will Continue to Fight Administration's Restrictive Actions Against Alaska - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, criticized the Obama administration for unilaterally advancing a new wilderness designation in the coastal plain of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) despite overwhelming, bipartisan opposition from Alaska's elected leaders; she indicated that in a classic news dump late on this Good Friday afternoon, the administration finalized the Record of Decision for its misguided ANWR land management plan and announced its formal transmittal to Congress. Record of Decision (ROD) for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (CCP/FEIS) - Friday, April 3, 2015, Geoffrey Haskett, Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska, signed the Record of Decision (ROD)

<>  New U.S. Chamber Report Highlights Need for Truth in Regulating - A report released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reveals that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has obscured critical details about the specific pollutants that certain rules would control, and how much it actually costs.

<> EWG Calls on Monsanto to Retract Remarks on WHO Weed-Killer Report - "It's unfortunate that junk science and this kind of mischief can create so much confusion for consumers," said Hugh Grant, Monsanto's chairman and CEO, during a call with investors. EWG said Mr. Grant was referring to the unanimous conclusion reached by 17 of the world's leading cancer experts who reviewed hundreds of government and independent studies of the potential health risks from exposure to glyphosate – the main ingredient in Monsanto's top-selling herbicide, marketed as RoundUp.

<> Technical options for processing additional light tight oil volumes within the United States - This report examines technical options for processing rapidly expanding light tight oil (LTO) volumes within the United States which would enable an increase in petroleum product exports from the United States -- unlike crude oil, products are not subject to export limitations or licensing requirements.

<> Moving Beyond Vitriol and Demonization in the Climate Change Debate - A Conversation with University of Michigan's Dr. Andrew Hoffman regarding his new book "How Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate"

<> LEED Recognizes Living Building Challenge Energy, Water Requirements - The US Green Building Council says it will now recognize energy and water requirements from the Living Building Challenge green building system within the LEED green building program -- projects achieving the energy and water requirements in Living Building Challenge will be considered as technically equivalent to LEED.

<> Waste Industry Applauds Arizona Legislation that Promotes Fair Competition Between Municipal and Private Waste and Recycling Services - Law Signed by Governor, Requires Municipalities to Make Payments in Lieu of Taxes When Competing Outside of Their Political Boundary  Arizona Senate Bill SB 1187, Services outside municipal boundaries; requirements

<> Big energy's campaign cash keeps solar down in Florida - The Miami Herald reports that ". . .lawmakers and lobbyists say that anyone who has attempted to expand the rooftop solar industry has been ostracized. The reason, some lawmakers say, is that Florida's largest utilities have invested heavily in state political campaigns to fend off competition.

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).

<> TOXICS - Proposed Rule. U.S. EPA - Chemical Substances When Manufactured or Processed as Nanoscale Materials; TSCA Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements

(click for the complete Energy & EPA announcements)

Great Lakes News

<> EDITORIAL: Congress must reel in Army Corps on dump of toxic dredge in Lake Erie - The Ohio congressional delegation need to show the Corps that following the law, and doing the right thing for public health, are not optional.

Michigan News

<> Environmentalists Outraged By New Mineral Lease To Eagle Mine - MARQUETTE — Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP) has learned MDNR has granted another mineral lease to Eagle Mine, LLC — this time, for a controversial 40 acre parcel along the Yellow Dog River

<> MDEQ Environmental Calendar for April 6, 2015

<> 2015 Renewable Zoo Implementation Grant RFP - The Michigan Energy Office (MEO) is offering grants for renewable energy implementation projects at nonprofit zoological parks in Michigan that have identified energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental sustainability as priorities in their master plan. April 30, 2015 - proposal submission deadline

<> Michigan Sierra Club Chapter Update April 5, 2015 - The Sierra Club Michigan Chapter is calling for a complete ban on high-volume, hydraulic fracturing in Michigan to meet the challenge of climate change and avoid public health and environmental risks -- this and more in the latest issue

<> NRC Schedules Public Meeting Apr. 9 to Discuss Performance of Palisades Nuclear Power Station - A public meeting Apr. 9 to discuss the annual safety performance of the Palisades Nuclear Power Station operated by Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc. and located in Covert, MI, five miles south of South Haven -- 5-6 p.m. EDT.

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).