Bipartisan Policy Center Release Surface Transportation System Plan

Jun 16: The Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) National Transportation Policy Project (NTPP) held a press conference to release a new report, Performance Driven: Achieving Wiser Investment in Transportation, which they said is a bold set of recommendations for creating a more effective and efficient federal surface transportation system given the current fiscal realities facing the nation.

 

    BPC Board Member, and NTPP Co-Chair, Chairman Emeritus, Dickinson Wright, PLLC and Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer said, "The economic strength of the country is dependent on our ability to invest effectively in our transportation infrastructure. In the context of severe fiscal challenges and budgetary constraints, we need to make difficult choices and to consider trade-offs. But these constraints and limits can also provide us with the opportunity to accomplish significant programmatic reforms and to do more with less. What NTPP proposes in this report is a framework for ensuring that, no matter the amount of resources available, we should invest in a targeted and performance-driven way. Such an investment strategy can bring both short and long-term benefits. But, as the Report notes, '. . . no matter how much money is available for transportation at the federal level, it needs to be invested wisely.'"

 

    Co-Chair Congressman Martin Sabo (D-MN), former Chairman of the House Budget Committee said, "This report being issued today retains and builds upon the principles contained in our June 2009 report, translating that long-term vision for the nation's surface transportation policies into an immediately implementable and streamlined programmatic structure that can manage within existing revenue levels. As recommended in NTPP's 2009 report, it is nearly impossible to imagine that the comprehensive reforms that we recommend can be achieved without fundamental reform in the transportation planning process. Such changes will enable almost everything that we recommend in this new report, including, importantly, our capacity to invest scarce resources in the most beneficial programs and projects. A more outcome- and performance-driven planning process is fundamental to ensuring that better investment decisions will be made."

 

    According to summary information, the aim of this report is to reform, consolidate, and scale the Federal transportation program to maximize progress toward a set of clear national objectives, within a budget constrained by existing revenue levels. "NTPP continues to believe that any amount of federal investment in transportation should advance specific national purposes in the areas of: economic growth, national connectivity, metropolitan accessibility, energy security and environmental protection, and safety. NTPP evaluated existing transportation programs based on the extent to which each is able to advance these national purposes and leverage non-federal funding." The "Key Legislative Recommendations" include:

• Streamline over 100 programs, by consolidation and elimination, into ten core programs
• Eliminate programs that lack a specific national purpose
• Clearly articulate national purposes and a suite of overarching national goals
• Prioritize the management and preservation of existing transportation system assets
• Put a more robust, outcome-oriented, better funded transportation planning process in place
• Develop a National Freight Strategic Plan
• Make bonus funding available to incentivize effective performance
• Put in place incentives for investments that are able to leverage non-federal resources
• Support, promote and reward states and metropolitan regions that secure sustainable revenue
• Reduce restrictions, regulations, and barriers to non-federal investment in transportation
• Restructure and adjust the existing match funding requirements
• Provide funds for pilot programs that help refine performance metrics and develop improved user-based funding mechanisms

    The report indicates that, "We found a major streamlining and downsizing of the current suite of programs can be achieved if one rigorously aligns spending priorities with the advancement of compelling national interests. By cutting more than $14 billion in annual expenditures from the existing program, we are able to propose a consolidated structure with ten core programs that are all clearly focused on advancing our nation's most important transportation related interests. . . In the long term, the programmatic framework proposed in this report allows for the achievement of wiser investments. It offers a sound strategy for securing broad public support for policies and resource commitments that will allow the U.S. to continue to achieve high standards of living and remain competitive in a highly mobile, global economy. It provides a way to make substantial investment and tangible improvement to the vital transportation systems on which our nation depends."

 

    Access an overview and link to the full report, executive summary, key recommendations, and a Powerpoint presentation (click here). Access the statements from Archer & Sabo (click here). Access the BPC website for more information (click here). [*Transport] (click here for information on getting the links and more information about eNewsUSA).

 

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Senate EPW Hearing On Clean Air Act & Public Health

Jun 15: The Senate Environment and Pubic Works (EPW) Committee, Chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), with Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK), held a hearing on, "The Clean Air Act and Public Health." Witnesses included U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and representatives from: American Nurses Association; the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health & the Environment at the Children's National Medical Center; University of North Texas; MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company; and Washington Adventist Hospital.

 

    Chairman Boxer indicated that she held the hearing to "conduct oversight on one of the most successful and significant public health statutes in our nation's history, the Clean Air Act" signed by President Richard Nixon in 1970. She cited numerous incidents of severe air pollution problems in the past and said, "While the Clean Air Act has dramatically improved health safeguards, more work remains to be done. A 2011 report by the American Lung Association shows that 154 million people live in areas with levels of toxic soot and smog pollution that current science demonstrates is dangerous."

 

    She said, "Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is required to strengthen protections if scientific data indicates that pollution adversely impacts public health, including children's health. Recently, EPA proposed much-needed federal safeguards to reduce toxic air pollution from old power plants by requiring the use of modern pollution controls. These proposed safeguards would reduce mercury, lead, and chromium, which are known to cause cancer and birth defects. When EPA reduces toxic air pollution, it helps families and children in communities across our country. . . In contrast to the unsupported claims by some polluters who argue that health threats from mercury and other air pollutants are "exaggerated," we will hear today from EPA Administrator Jackson and representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Nurses Association, and the American Thoracic Society, who are experts on the issue. These witnesses will describe the critical steps that have been taken to reduce dangerous air pollution, and the important work that remains to be done."

 

    Senator Inhofe said, "Over the past two years, the Obama EPA has moved forward with an unprecedented number of rules that will have enormous consequences for families, businesses, and the nation's fiscal well-being. Take for example, EPA's new greenhouse gas (GHG) cap and trade regulations. Administrator Jackson, you have admitted that regulating GHGs in the U.S. will have no impact on global GHG concentrations, yet your rules will come at an estimated cost of $300 to $400 billion annually. The Agency's voluntary reconsideration of the national ambient air quality standards for ground-level ozone -- a decision based on outdated data that could lead to significant economic constraints on the country -- is an another Agency action of dubious merit. EPA projects the cost of this rule in the order of $90 billion. Meanwhile, the Agency is planning to tighten the standards again in just two years. The Obama EPA is aggressively moving forward to regulate nearly all aspects of American life -- it now has regulations covering dust on farms and puddles of water along the side of road.  And it is businesses and working families who will pay the price. . ."

 

    Senator Inhofe also highlighted the recent announcement from American Electric Power (AEP) saying that because of EPA's proposed rules they would be forced to close nearly 6,000 Megawatts of "low cost (coal) power generation" and nearly 600 power plant workers will lose their jobs, totaling nearly $40 million in annual wages. He said, "These are good paying jobs in rural areas of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Texas. These jobs won't easily be replaced." [See WIMS 6/10/11]. It should be noted, however, that the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Energy Project released a 56-page report on June 13, entitled, Environmental Regulation and Electric Sector Reliability, that concluded among other things that the, "impacts on the reliability of the electric system due to retirements and retrofits necessary to comply with EPA regulations are manageable.

 

    Joe Kruger, Director for Energy and Environment, BPC Energy Project indicated in a cover letter to the report, "Overall, the report finds that the impacts on the reliability of the electric system due to EPA regulations are manageable and that there are tools available at the Federal, state, and local levels to address localized reliability risks. Nevertheless, the electric power sector and its regulators face significant planning challenges if the aim is to avoid localized reliability problems and minimize impacts on electric rates. Further, while recognizing the political difficulties, the report finds that there may be an opportunity to enact a legislative fix that could guarantee the environmental benefits of the Clean Air Act and provide a lower cost transition for the power sector." [See WIMS 6/14/11].

 

    Administrator Jackson testified that, "All Americans should be very proud of the significant progress we have made cleaning up our air. However, we still have more to do. For example, about 25 million people now battle asthma. One of those 25 million is my youngest son. I am reminded on a regular basis about the importance of cleaning up our air. . . The Clean Air Act saves lives and strengthens the American workforce, and, as a result, the economic value of clean air far exceeds the costs. Expressed in dollar terms, the benefits of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 alone are projected to reach approximately $2 trillion in 2020 with an estimated cost of $65 billion in that same year – a benefit to cost ratio of more than 30 to 1. . ."

 

    She reviewed the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards proposed on March 16 [See WIMS 3/16/11], to regulate mercury and other toxic air pollution from power plants. She said The Clean Energy Group, a coalition of electric power companies, said, "Since 2000, the electric industry has been anticipating that EPA would regulate hazardous air pollutant emissions, and as a result, many companies have already taken steps to install control technologies that will allow them to comply with requirements of the rule on time. The technologies to control emissions at coalfired power plants, including mercury and hydrochloric acid, are available and cost-effective."

 

    She also discussed the "Clean Air Transport Rule," proposed on July 6 of last year [See WIMS 7/6/10], which she said "would significantly improve air quality in cities throughout the eastern half of the U.S. by requiring 31 states and the District of Columbia to reduce their emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) which contribute to ozone and fine particle pollution across state lines. . . we estimated that the rule would result in more than $120 billion annually in health benefits. . ."

    Access the EPW hearing website for links to all testimony, opening statements and a webcast (click here). [*Air]

 

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BPC Says EPA Rules Are Manageable For Electric Reliability

Jun 13: The staff of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Energy Project released a 56-page report on Environmental Regulation and Electric Sector Reliability. The report follows last week's release by American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) of a lengthy and detailed plan for complying with a series of EPA proposed air and climate proposed regulations which it said would impact coal-fueled power plants. AEP indicated it would have to prematurely shut down nearly 6,000 megawatts (MW) of coal-fueled power generation (25 percent of its current coal-fueled generating capacity), cut hundreds of power plant jobs, and invest from $6 billion to $8 billion in capital investment [See WIMS 6/10/11]. 

 

    The BPC report's main findings are:

• The impacts on the reliability of the electric system due to retirements and retrofits necessary to comply with EPA regulations are manageable;
• Compliance with regulations will drive noticeable cost increases and produce significant health benefits;
• The industry and its regulators face significant planning challenges, but there are a number of tools and policies available for addressing localized reliability concerns; and
• Legislation may be able to facilitate a smoother, lower cost transition without jeopardizing health and environmental protections.

    Over the course of several months, the BPC hosted a series of three workshops to assess the possible impacts of regulation and identify a range of strategies for managing associated reliability concerns. The workshops featured presentations and panel discussions by nearly 60 energy experts, including representatives of the electric utility industry, environmental organizations, labor unions, state regulators, regional transmission organizations, federal agencies, and Congressional staff. The report's findings and recommendations build on the expert presentations and public dialogue at these workshops, BPC's review of a range of existing analyses, and BPC's own analytic work.

    According to a cover letter for the report from Joe Kruger, Director for Energy and Environment, BPC Energy Project:

"A smooth and cost-effective transition to a cleaner, more reliable power generation fleet is essential for our economy. Balancing protection of public health and the environment with concerns about the economic impacts of new regulations is always controversial, and the suite of recent EPA regulations of power plants has reinvigorated this familiar debate. The report issued today by the BPC, Environmental Regulation and Electric System Reliability, is the product of an extensive effort by BPC to examine reliability and cost issues associated with forthcoming EPA regulations.

 

"Over the course of several months, the BPC collaborated with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), and Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) to host three day-long workshops. These workshops featured presentations and panel discussions by nearly 60 energy experts, including representatives of the electric utility industry, environmental organizations, labor unions, state regulators, regional transmission organizations, federal agencies, and Congressional staff. These stakeholders contributed to a vigorous, fact-based discussion of the regulatory and technical challenges at hand and available strategies to manage reliability concerns surrounding forthcoming EPA regulations. To supplement these discussions, BPC staff conducted its own independent analysis and thoroughly reviewed the range of existing analyses.

 

"Overall, the report finds that the impacts on the reliability of the electric system due to EPA regulations are manageable and that there are tools available at the Federal, state, and local levels to address localized reliability risks. Nevertheless, the electric power sector and its regulators face significant planning challenges if the aim is to avoid localized reliability problems and minimize impacts on electric rates. Further, while recognizing the political difficulties, the report finds that there may be an opportunity to enact a legislative fix that could guarantee the environmental benefits of the Clean Air Act and provide a lower cost transition for the power sector.

 

"Going forward, BPC will continue to examine the challenges and opportunities facing the electric power sector as it transitions to a cleaner, more modern fleet. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions about this report or future BPC initiatives in this area."

    The report indicates, "Key benefits of the suite of EPA regulations include the avoidance of tens of thousands of premature deaths annually, reductions in pollution-related illnesses, and improved visibility and ecosystem health. These new conditions in the power sector are expected to increase the number of coal-fired power plants that will be retired in the next several years; in fact, a number of plant shutdowns have recently been implemented or announced."

 

    The report highlights a number of recent developments that it says are especially relevant from the standpoint of addressing reliability concerns:

• EPA's proposed cooling water regulations are far less stringent than assumed in the vast majority of analyses, many of which considered worst-case scenarios in which cooling towers would be required on all existing units.
• Some commercially available, lower-cost technologies (e.g., dry sorbent injection) for treating hazardous air pollutants were not factored into most previous analyses. Including them significantly reduces retirement projections.
• Most of the units projected to retire are small, older units that are already operating infrequently. Some of these units may be needed to meet peak demand on the hottest and coldest days or to provide voltage support. In some cases, there may be viable mechanisms, other than one-to-one capacity replacement, available to serve these needs.
• The industry has significant amounts of existing natural gas generating capacity that is currently underutilized and may be available to take up the slack, depending on the region.
• Some previous assessments do not account for market responses to future retirements, specifically to the potential for adding new capacity to meet reserve margins. Assuming timely permitting, the need for modest new capacity resources could be met with quick-to-build natural gas turbines, as well as demand side resources.

    The report analyzed the various forthcoming U.S. EPA regulations including:

• Transport Rule – On July 6, 2010, EPA proposed the Transport Rule, a replacement for the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) which was previously remanded in a 2008 court decision. The newly proposed Transport Rule would require 31 states and the District of Columbia to meet state pollution limits for sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) as a means to ensure compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter (PM).
• Utility Air Toxics Rule – On March 16, 2011, EPA proposed its Utility Air Toxics Rule under a court-ordered deadline to control hazardous air pollutants, including mercury, acid gases and nonmercury metals. As specified by the Clean Air Act, the Utility Air Toxics Rule provides that plants must com ply with emission limitations for hazardous air pollutants within three years, but allows an additional year for plants to come into compliance if such time is necessary to install pollution controls.
• Coal Combustion Waste Disposal Regulations – On June 21, 2010, EPA published a proposed rule to take comment on whether or not coal combustion waste should be regulated as hazardous waste.9 These wastes, which primarily consist of coal ash, are generated in large quantities by the power sector. According to the proposal, ash could be regulated as "special waste" under the Clean Air Act's hazardous waste provisions (Subtitle C). Alternatively, EPA could deem the coal ash non-hazardous and regulate under Subtitle D, with self-implementing requirements that are not subject to federal enforcement.
• Clean Water Act Section 316(b) Cooling Water Intake Structures – To protect fish and aquatic ecosystems, EPA proposed regulations on March 28, 2011 for cooling water intake structures at electric generating units (EGU) and other industrial facilities that draw large amounts of water out of rivers, lakes, and oceans. This proposed regulation responds to a settlement agreement that was reached after EPA's earlier cooling water proposals were litigated.
• Greenhouse Gas Performance Standards – On December 23, 2010, EPA announced that it will propose greenhouse gas performance standards for power plants by July 2011 and finalize standards by May 2012. This action is being taken under a settlement agreement. At public "listening sessions" to inform this rulemaking process, EPA indicated that its greenhouse gas performance standards would not be designed to induce "game-changing" technology improvements; rather the Agency aims to bring older plants up to modern standards of efficiency.

    The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a think tank that was established in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell "to develop and promote solutions that can attract public support and political momentum in order to achieve real progress. The BPC acts as an incubator for policy efforts that engage top political figures, advocates, academics and business leaders in the art of principled compromise. Too often partisanship poisons our national dialogue. Unfortunately, respectful discourse across party lines has become the exception - not the norm.

    "To confront this challenge, the BPC seeks to develop policy solutions that make sense for the nation and can be embraced by both sides of the aisle. After reaching shared solutions through principled compromise, we work to implement these policies through the political system. The BPC is currently focused on the following issues: health care, energy, national security, homeland security, financial services, and transportation. Each of these efforts is led by a diverse team of political leaders, policy experts, business leaders and academics. The BPC provides a bipartisan forum where tough policy challenges can be addressed in a pragmatic and politically-viable manner."

       Access an overview and link to the complete report, executive summary, cover letter, technical appendix (click here). Access Information from all three workshops (click here). Access links to videos from the workshops (click here). Access an online form to comment on the report (click here). Access the BPC website for more information (click here). [*Energy/Coal, *Air, *Climate]

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Senate To Vote On Ending Ethanol Tax Credit Tomorrow

Jun 13: U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released a statement regarding the Senate's plan to vote this tomorrow on his amendment No. 436 to S.782, the Economic Development Revitalization Act of 2011, sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer. Sen. Corburn's amendment, which is identical to S.871 which he has introduced with Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to repeal the ethanol tax earmark and tariff. Sen. Coburn indicated that the amendment would save $3 billion for the remainder of this year and $6 billion annually. The amendment would end the current ethanol tax credit on July 1, 2011.

 

    Senator Coburn said, "The days of placing spending programs in the tax code and giving them holy status are over. Economic conservatives and leading free-market groups like the Club for Growth understand that using the tax code to pick winners and losers kills economic growth and job creation. Today's way of doing business is a tax increase on anyone who can't hire a tax lobbyist or make large donations to special interest groups in Washington. Taxpayers are tired of this game and expect us to eliminate wasteful special interest spending in all of its forms. Eliminating the ethanol tax earmark and tariff would be a big step toward restoring fiscal sanity in Washington. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment on Tuesday. Ethanol is bad economic policy, bad energy policy and bad environmental policy."

 

    The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) issued a statement in advance of the cloture vote on the Coburn amendment. RFA said the tax credit, known as VEETC, is already set to expire at the end of this year. They said the association has been working "in good faith with leaders in Congress to transition and transform ethanol tax policy to address budget concerns while providing for the continued growth and evolution of American ethanol production." RFA reported that Sen. Coburn was the recipient of some $250,000 in oil and gas industry donations since 2005. 

 

    RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen said, "This is the same kind of political gamesmanship that nations like Iran and Venezuela are exercising to keep consumer energy prices artificially high and Americans addicted to oil. If this were truly about sound policy and concerns over energy tax subsidies, then this amendment would include efforts to repeal the billions of taxpayer dollars oil and other mature energy industries receive each year while posting tens of billions of dollars in profits quarterly. As few observers give this bill any chance of getting to the president's desk, Sen. Coburn's efforts are yet another example of oil-patch politics trumping sound national energy policy. We encourage Sen. Coburn to lay down his arms and work with the ethanol industry to craft thoughtful and fiscally responsible legislation that allows for continued innovation and growth of domestic biofuel production and use without pushing the industry off a cliff.

    "Ethanol is the only alternative to imported oil available today and the only technology keeping money out of bank accounts in Caracas and Tehran. Pulling the rug out from under a still maturing industry would force consumers to pay more at the pump, do nothing to mitigate impacts of rising food prices resulting from exorbitant oil prices, and jeopardize the commercialization of promising new ethanol and biofuels technologies. This is an amendment meant with an eye toward reelection, not deficit reduction." 

    In a second release issued today, RFA said, ". . . pro-oil and environmental lobbyists are spending millions of dollars on a smear campaign against ethanol in Washington, New Hampshire, and around the county. The mud-slinging by some special interests and the flood of misinformation being propagated about ethanol aside, the focus on ethanol at this point in time provides an opportunity for a much more comprehensive and adult conversation about America's energy future – beyond 'Drill, baby, drill.'"

 

    Access a release from Sen. Coburn with links to the amendment, background, letter of support, Club for Growth's statement, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste letter (click here). Access a 6/10 release from RFA (click here); and a 6/13 release (click here). Access legislative details for S.782 including amendments and roll call votes (click here). Access legislative details for S.871 including amendments and roll call votes (click here). [*Energy/Biofuels]

AEP Releases Air Regs Compliance Plan & Devastating Impacts

Jun 9: In a move designed to draw attention to U.S. EPA's proposed air and climate rules, American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) announced in a lengthy and detailed company press release its plan for complying with a series of proposed regulations which it said would impact coal-fueled power plants. AEP said that based on the regulations as proposed, its compliance plan would retire nearly 6,000 megawatts (MW) of coal-fueled power generation; upgrade or install new advanced emissions reduction equipment on another 10,100 MW; refuel 1,070 MW of coal generation as 932 MW of natural gas capacity; and build 1,220 MW of natural gas-fueled generation. The cost of AEP's compliance plan could range from $6 billion to $8 billion in capital investment through the end of the decade. The company said that high demand for labor and materials due to a constrained compliance time frame could drive actual costs higher than these estimates. AEP noted, "The plan, including retirements, could change significantly depending on the final form of the EPA regulations and regulatory approvals from state commissions."

    According to the release, the retirements and retrofits in the plan are in addition to more than $7.2 billion that AEP has invested since 1990 to reduce emissions from its coal-fueled generation fleet. "Annual emissions of nitrogen oxides from AEP plants are 80 percent lower today than in 1990. Sulfur dioxide emissions from AEP plants are 73 percent lower than in 1990." The company currently owns nearly 25,000 MW of coal-fueled generation, approximately 65 percent of its total generating capacity. Coal would fuel approximately 57 percent of AEP's total generating capacity by the end of the decade.

    Michael Morris, AEP chairman and chief executive officer said, "We support regulations that achieve long-term environmental benefits while protecting customers, the economy and the reliability of the electric grid, but the cumulative impacts of the EPA's current regulatory path have been vastly underestimated, particularly in Midwest states dependent on coal to fuel their economies. We have worked for months to develop a compliance plan that will mitigate the impact of these rules for our customers and preserve jobs, but because of the unrealistic compliance timelines in the EPA proposals, we will have to prematurely shut down nearly 25 percent of our current coal-fueled generating capacity, cut hundreds of good power plant jobs, and invest billions of dollars in capital to retire, retrofit and replace coal-fueled power plants. The sudden increase in electricity rates and impacts on state economies will be significant at a time when people and states are still struggling."

    The company said although some jobs would be created from the installation of emissions reduction equipment, AEP expects a net loss of approximately 600 power plant jobs with annual wages totaling approximately $40 million as a result of compliance with the proposed EPA rules. Morris said, "We are deeply concerned about the impact of the proposed regulations on our customers and local economies. Communities that have depended on these plants to provide good jobs and support local services will face significant reductions in payroll and property taxes in a very short period of time. The economic impact will extend far beyond direct employment at power plants as thousands of ancillary jobs are supported by every coal-fueled generating unit. Businesses that have benefited from reasonably priced coal-fueled power will face the impact of electricity price increases ranging from 10 percent to more than 35 percent just for compliance with these environmental rules at a time when they are still trying to recover from the economic downturn."

    "Although discounted by some, the potential impacts on the reliability of the transmission system, particularly in the Midwest, are significant. The proposed timelines for compliance aren't adequate for construction of significant retrofits or replacement generation, so many coal-fueled plants would be prematurely retired or idled in just a few years. AEP's compliance plan alone would abruptly cut generation capacity in the Midwest by more than 5,400 MW. Depending on the year, another 1,500 MW to 5,200 MW of AEP generation would be idled or curtailed for extended periods as pollution control equipment is installed," Morris said.

    AEP said it has shared its compliance plan with PJM Interconnection, Southwest Power Pool and North American Electric Reliability Corp. for use in their evaluation of the impacts of EPA's proposed rules. Morris said, "We will continue to work through the EPA process with the hope that the agency will recognize the cumulative impact of the proposed rules and develop a more reasonable compliance schedule. We also will continue talking with lawmakers in Washington about a legislative approach that would achieve the same long-term environmental goals with less negative impact on jobs and the U.S. economy. With more time and flexibility, we will get to the same level of emission reductions, but it will cost our customers less and will prevent premature job losses, extend the construction job benefits, and ensure the ongoing reliability of the electric system."   

    U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) issued a statement regarding what he said was AEP's "plans to shut down three plants in West Virginia, resulting in 242 lost jobs." He said, "Let me be clear, it's decisions like the one made by AEP today that demonstrate the urgent need to rein in government agencies like the EPA, preventing them from overstepping their bounds and imposing regulations that not only cost us good American jobs, but hurt our economy. Onerous regulations issued by the EPA are the reason that 242 West Virginians will lose their jobs, and that's simply wrong. It is because of out-of-control agencies like the EPA as well as the need to protect American jobs that I sponsored the REINS Act [Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny, H.R.10 & S.299]-- a commonsense measure that will help protect and create jobs by reigning in needless or burdensome regulations, and that will put responsibility back where it belongs -- in the hands of the people who are elected to govern and lead this great nation."

    Access the AEP release with further details including a listing of plants that would be impacted (click here). Access a release from Sen. Manchin (click here). Access legislative details for S.299 (click here). [*Air, *Climate] 

"Bombshell Testimony" From Ex-DOE Employee On Yucca Mountain

Jun 8: Calling it "bombshell testimony," the House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans issued a release saying that during last week's Environment and the Economy Subcommittee hearing, Chaired by Representative John Shimkus (R-IL), on "The Department of Energy's Role in Managing Civilian Radioactive Waste," [See WIMS 6/1/11] "witnesses revealed that Energy Secretary Steven Chu simply ignored the technical components of the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository when withdrawing the project's license application."

 

    According to the release, Christopher Kouts, a former 25-year DOE employee who served as acting director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management and was the point person for the Yucca project, testified that "Secretary Chu ignored technical experts when withdrawing the repository's application. This nuclear insider said DOE's decision to shut down Yucca Mountain was disturbing given the scientific and technical consensus that the site would meet stringent safety regulations." Kouts

retired in early 2010, after 35 years of Federal Service. House Republicans indicated that Kouts' testimony comes on the heels of a Government Accountability Office report [See WIMS 5/11/11] that found "social and political opposition to a permanent repository, not technical issues, is the key obstacle." (See link below).

 

    In his written testimony, Kouts said, "My testimony should be viewed from the perspective of an individual who lived through the experiences of the program [i.e. the Yucca Mountain Project], during virtually its entire existence, and observed how the program and its surrounding policy environment evolved over many years." He said any new process to find an alternative nuclear waste disposal site would experience even more problems than the Yucca Mountain process, primarily because of the Internet and instant communications and the 24/7 news cycle. He also said the Yucca Mountain legal opposition has also established a model of delay that will be repeated.

 

    In conclusion he said, "Because the development of Yucca Mountain has been such a contentious and protracted process, it is being suggested that only consensual siting of these facilities should be pursued. I would submit to the Subcommittee that the U.S. and international experience in this area proves otherwise. In my discussions over the years with the Directors of repository programs abroad, they have consistently expressed their concerns that, due to the very long timeframes repository programs take to develop, any political consensus at the beginning can evaporate with one election, just as it has in the U.S. with Yucca Mountain. At the end of the day, implementing a repository program requires steady, consistent, national leadership.

 

    "In closing, beside its questioned legality, the Administration's decision to terminate the Yucca Mountain Project is disturbing because Yucca Mountain has not failed any technical or regulatory test. The site has not failed in the NRC licensing process. The thousands of scientists and engineers and others that worked on the project over the years believe, as I believe, that the site would meet the stringent regulations of the EPA and the NRC and assure that these materials would not adversely impact future generations and the environment. Given the substantial investment this Nation has made in the site and in the policy that has been supported by every prior Administration since 1982, I believe the Nation deserves a final and definitive answer regarding Yucca Mountain from the NRC licensing process."

 

    On May 13, the President's Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) on America's Nuclear Future held a day-long meeting in Washington, DC, and released its draft recommendations from subcommittees on: Reactor & Fuel Cycle Technology; Disposal of Nuclear Waste; and Transportation and Storage of Nuclear Waste. The draft recommendations indicate in part that, "The United States should proceed expeditiously to develop one or more permanent deep geological facilities for the safe disposal of high-level nuclear waste. Permanent disposal is needed under all reasonably foreseeable scenarios. Geologic disposal in a mined repository is the most promising and technically accepted option available for safely isolating high-level nuclear wastes for very long periods of time." [See WIMS 5/16/11].

 

    The BRC recently released the draft Transportation and Storage Subcommittee report and the draft Disposal Subcommittee report for public comment. The Commission notes that, "These draft reports of the subcommittees represents the work and recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future (BRC) to date. It is important to note that we expect these documents to continue to change and take form as they are merged to create the draft report of the full Commission, and ultimately the final report. The BRC has taken the past year to hear official testimony and public comment, and will continue to do so as these reports are released. The Reactor and Fuel Cycle Technology Subcommittee will be releasing its draft shortly."

 

    According to the BRC draft reports, "A draft of the full Commission's main report will be released by July 29, 2011 in accordance with the schedule set out in our charter. To be considered as the Commission develops the first public draft of its main report, comments on this Subcommittee report must be received by July 1, 2011. All comments will be made publicly available on the Commission website. Any comments received after July 1st will be considered as the Commission prepares its final report, which is due to the Secretary of Energy by January 29, 2012."

 

    Access the House Committee Republican release with video clips of the Kouts testimony (click here). Access the Kouts written testimony (click here). Access the Republican hearing website for background, statements and testimony (click here). Access the Democrat's hearing website for background, statements, testimony and a webcast of the complete hearing (click here). Access the GAO report (click here). Access the BRC website for the latest reports and information (click here). Access links to the draft BRC reports, related information and a commenting link (click here). [*Haz/Nuclear]

 

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EPA Reveals Identities Of 150+ "Confidential" CBI Chemicals

Jun 8: U.S. EPA announced that in order to ensure the public has as much information as possible about the health and the environmental impacts of chemicals, it has made public the identities of more than 150 chemicals contained in 104 health and safety studies that had been claimed confidential by industry. EPA said the announcement is another in a series of unprecedented actions that EPA is taking to provide the public with greater access to information on the chemicals that are manufactured and used in the United States.

    For these 104 studies, the chemical identity will no longer be redacted, or kept from view. The chemicals involved are used in dispersant formulations and consumer products such as air fresheners, non-stick and stain resistant materials, fire resistant materials, nonylphenol compounds, perfluorinated compounds, and lead. Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention said, "This action to disclose the identity of more than 150 chemicals is an important step in EPA's commitment to give the American people access to critical information about chemicals that their children and families may be exposed to. A health and safety study with the chemical name kept secret is completely useless to the public."

    EPA indicates that in 2010, it challenged industry to voluntarily declassify unwarranted claims of confidential business information (CBI). The Agency also issued new guidance outlining plans to deny confidentiality claims for chemical identity in health and safety studies under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Based on this guidance, EPA notified a number of companies in February 2011 that the Agency had determined that their CBI claim was not eligible for confidential treatment under TSCA and that EPA intended to make the information public. The health and safety studies include some declassified by the Agency and other voluntary declassifications by companies in response to EPA's challenge. EPA is committed to posting new declassified materials under TSCA on the agency website on a regular basis.

    In addition to these actions, EPA said that over the past several months has taken a number of other steps to make chemical information more readily available. The Agency has provided the public, for the first time ever, with free access to the consolidated TSCA Inventory on the EPA and Data.Gov websites. EPA also launched a new chemical data access tool that for the first time gives the public the ability to electronically search EPA's database of more than 10,000 health and safety documents on a wide range of chemicals that they may come in contact with every day. EPA said it will continue to take actions to increase the public's access to chemical information.

 

    Access a release from EPA (click here). Access EPA's Increasing Transparency in TSCA website for links to the policies, tools and databases (click here). [*Toxics]

 

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2-Week Climate Change Meeting Kicks Off In Bonn, Germany

Jun 6: Against the backdrop of new warnings about the rise in greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, the top United Nations climate change official, Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), called on governments to make progress in the fight against global warming, building on commitments made last year. Figueres reminded delegates at the UNFCCC meeting underway in Bonn, Germany, of the commitments made at last year's climate talks in Cancún, Mexico, which concluded with a package of decisions to help countries advance towards a low-emissions future [See WIMS 12/13/10 & WIMS 12/15/10]. More than 3,000 participants from 183 countries are attending the Bonn talks in preparation for the UN climate conference to be held in Durban, South Africa, starting on November 28.

    Dubbed the "Cancún Agreements," the decisions included formalizing climate change mitigation pledges and ensuring increased accountability for them, as well as taking concrete action to protect the world's forests. Figueres told the opening session of the two-week conference, "Governments lit a beacon in Cancún towards a low-emission world which is resilient to climate change. They committed themselves to a maximum global average temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius, with further consideration of a 1.5-degree maximum. Now, more than ever, it is critical that all efforts are mobilized towards living up to this commitment."

    She indicated that last week, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that 2010 emissions from global energy generation returned to record highs, representing an unexpectedly sharp rebound from the effects of the financial crisis. In addition, the United States Government's Hawaii-based Mauna Loa laboratory -- a key scientific monitor for global climate change -- reported last week that carbon dioxide concentrations peaked yet again in May.

    According to a news release issued by the UNFCCC, negotiators at the Bonn meeting are working hard "to provide clarity on the architecture of the future international climate regime to reduce global emissions fast enough to avoid the worst climate change." They are also working on the design of the finance, technology and adaptation institutions agreed in Cancún that will allow developing countries to build their own sustainable futures.

    Figueres highlighted the global climate action which governments need to capitalize on, including new policies that promote low-carbon growth and an increase in low-carbon investment by the private sector, as well as greater use of clean technology. She said, "The clean and renewable energy revolution has already begun -- the challenge is to complete it in time."

    The Bonn meeting follows a 6-day meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, held in April [See WIMS 4/4/11 & WIMS 4/8/11] where an estimated 2,000 participants from 175 countries attended. The meetings are leading toward the culmination at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa at the end of this year. In Bonn the 34th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) are taking place from June 6-16. And, the second part of the fourteenth session of the AWG-LCA [Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention] and the second part of the sixteenth session of the AWG-KP [Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol] are taking place from June 7-17.

    In an opening press briefing by the U.S. State Department the U.S. said it would stand by its commitments made in Cancun and would lower GHG emissions in the range of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. The U.S. said the progress in the previous Bangkok meeting was slow and the negotiations must move forward. The U.S. said by the Durban meeting their should be guideline for monitoring and verification of GHG emissions.

    Access a release from the UN (click here). Access a video of the Bonn opening press briefing (click here). Access a press release from UNFCCC (click here). Access links to all conference documents at for the UNFCCC June meetings (click here). Access the U.S. opening press briefing video (click here). Access the on-demand webcasts of press briefings and various meetings from Bonn (click here). Access the UNFCCC website for background information (click here). [*Climate]

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House Hearing: "A Roadmap for America's Energy Future" (H.R.909)

Jun 3: The House Energy & Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Power, Chaired by Representative Ed Whitfield (R-KY), held the ninth day of its hearing on the House Republican "American Energy Initiative." Witnesses providing testimony included: U.S. Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA); David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy; Thomas Hicks, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy); and representatives from Hudson Clean Energy; The Heritage Foundation; and RAND Corporation.

 

    Chairman Whitfield said the hearing was to discuss "a comprehensive plan to break this logjam and enhance both the amount and the variety of domestic energy production." The legislation H.R.909 is called "A Roadmap for America's Energy Future." H.R.909 was formally introduced on May 31 and is sponsored by Rep. Nunes. Chairman Whitfield said, "The problem is not that the domestic conventional energy isn't there or that it is running out, it is that too much of it has been locked away. The Roadmap expands and streamlines the process of energy production in the federally-controlled Outer Continental Shelf. It also opens up Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, America's single most promising onshore site where an estimated 10 billion barrels lies beneath several thousand acres at the edge of this nearly 20 million acre refuge.

 

    "The Roadmap also seeks to encourage the use of our vast reserves of coal to make transportation fuels. It does this by facilitating the construction of the nation's first coal-to-liquids plant. It also removes the regulatory impediments to the development of oil shale on federal lands in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. In addition, the bill eliminates one key regulatory roadblock to these non-conventional sources of petroleum as well as imports of oil sands from Canada - section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. . ."

 

    Full Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) said, "The problem is not a short supply of energy, but a short supply of fresh thinking on energy policy. . . It should go without saying that we ought to be making full use of the affordable energy we have right here in America. Not only does American-made energy provide greater supplies and lower prices, it also creates thousands of well-paying jobs and keeps more dollars right here in the U.S. This is not the time to put the brakes on our domestic resources or pick energy winners and losers based on political ideology. We need it all. Energy drives our economy and has a direct impact on jobs. . ."

 

    Rep. Nunes testified that, "H.R. 909, would "immediately lower energy prices, and finally deliver on all of the unfulfilled promises of recent decades. . . The Energy Roadmap would first lift restrictions on the development and extraction of resources in ANWR and the OCS. Removing these restrictions could produce up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from ANWR and leasing all federal waters in the lower 48 would provide another 900,000 barrels per day of oil and 1.073 trillion cubic feet of gas per year. This would create from 1.45 million to nearly 2 million jobs. Likewise, removing restrictions on the development of our oil shale resources could eventually result in the production of 10 million barrels of oil per day and create 100,000 new jobs."

 

    He said the bill, "recognizes that dependence on any one fuel source is dangerous and short-sighted. . . Accordingly, the Energy Roadmap would provide the financial resources and structure necessary to transition our economy to renewable and advanced energy alternatives. It would do this by depositing the new federal lease and royalty revenues – estimated to be $500 billion over the next 30 years – into a renewable energy trust fund. . ."

 

    Full Committee Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA) countered the Republican statements saying, "Today we are holding a hearing on a bill that is titled "A Roadmap for America's Energy Future." Our nation faces major energy challenges and we need to have a serious conversation about America's energy future. But the legislation we examine today proposes no innovative solutions to our nation's energy needs; it doubles down on old, ineffective policies. We've seen this roadmap before. This is a recycled version of the plan developed by the secretive Bush-Cheney Energy Task Force and pushed through Congress by Republicans while they were in office.

    "The Bush Administration and congressional Republicans spent eight years following this roadmap. They pushed oil and gas drilling, onshore and offshore. They expedited permits and weakened environmental protections. They opposed efforts to increase fuel economy. They called for nuclear fuel reprocessing. They tried to greenwash proposals for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by implying congressional appropriators could use royalty revenues to support renewable energy. They pushed the dirtiest alternative and unconventional fuels – coal-to-liquids, oil shale, and tar sands. And where did this roadmap lead us? Energy prices soared and carbon pollution increased. And we became even more dependent on foreign oil. . .

    But H.R. 909 would abandon our clean energy future to China. For many reasons, it is unlikely to help renewable energy, including because of flaws in its reverse auction mechanism. The bill does nothing on efficiency, which is the cheapest and most reliable new source of supply. It promotes the form of nuclear energy that risks putting nuclear bomb grade material into the hands of terrorists. It does nothing to develop carbon capture and storage – the technology that coal needs to remain competitive in a carbon-constrained world. . ."

 

    Access the Republican hearing website for links to all testimony, opening statements and background (click here). Access the Democratic hearing website for links to all testimony, opening statements and a video to be posted soon (click here). Access legislative details for H.R.909 (click here). Access a release from Rep. Nunes which includes a section-by-section summary and link to a video of some of the hearing testimony (click here) [*Energy]

 

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CEQ Draft Plan To Protect Water Resources In A Changing Climate

Jun 2: The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)released a 108-page draft Action Plan which it said recognizes that a changing climate will affect the quality and availability of the Nation's water resources. The Plan is designed to help Federal agencies assure adequate water supplies, safeguard water quality, and protect public health and property. The draft Action Plan will be available for 45 days of public comment to allow the public to provide input and feedback before it is finalized. 

 

    The Draft National Action Plan for Managing Freshwater Resources in a Changing Climate recommends Federal agency actions to aid freshwater resource managers in managing and protecting the Nation's water resources. It also outlines ways in which Federal agencies can support state, local and tribal governments in their water resources planning by improving access to quality data and information and best practices. The draft Action Plan responds to a 2010 report from the Obama Administration's interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force that identified freshwater resources planning as a priority [See WIMS 10/15/10].

 

    Nancy Sutley, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality said, "American communities rely on freshwater resources for drinking water, farming, energy production, and a host of activities that directly affect the health of our families and our economy.  The quality and availability of our water resources is vulnerable to significant impacts from a changing climate, demanding smart planning to safeguard these critical resources. By ensuring Federal agencies and state and local partners have the tools they need to assess and plan for risks to water resources and infrastructure, we are protecting our assets across the country so that they can continue to meet the needs of American communities."

 

    The U.S. Global Change Research Program has identified several major impacts of a changing climate on the Nation's freshwater resources, including rising water temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and increasing intensity of rain and storm events. These changes are predicted to result in on-the-ground impacts on communities' water supplies. For example, rising sea levels are expected to degrade coastal groundwater resources and flood water treatment facilities, threatening the health, safety and economic viability of communities.

 

    According to a release, government agencies and citizens should collaboratively manage freshwater resources in response to a changing climate in order to assure adequate water supplies, protect human life, health and property, and protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems. To accomplish that goal, the draft Action Plan identifies specific actions Federal agencies should take, including:

• Establish a planning process to adapt water resources management to a changing climate that includes better coordinating Federal agencies and maintaining strong engagement with state, local and tribal governments, stakeholders and the public.
• Improve the quality of water resources and climate change information available to decision-makers.
• Expand the use of water efficiency practices and technologies.
• Develop a toolbox of the most effective freshwater conservation practices to help state and local officials and facility managers identify and adopt these practices.
• Develop a pilot climate change vulnerability index for a major category of water facilities, such as drinking water systems, to help facility managers prioritize their adaptation responses. 
• Develop a "one stop" internet portal for up-to-date data and information on water resources and climate change.
• Encourage state, tribal and local governments to continue their leadership in developing and implementing climate adaptation plans, and provides information and best practices to support their work. 

    The interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force is co-chaired by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  As called for by President Obama in Executive Order 13514 on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance, the Task Force released recommendations the President in October 2010 outlining actions the Federal Government should take to expand and strengthen the Nation's capacity to better understand and manage climate-related risks.

 

    Access the draft Action Plan (click here). Access the Action Plan website for more information and to submit comments (click here). Access the U.S. Global Change Research Program website (click here). [*Climate, *Water]

DOI Memo Clarifies Continuing Responsibilities For "Wild Lands"

Jun 1: In a memo to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Bob Abbey, Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar confirmed that, pursuant to the 2011 Continuing Resolution, the BLM will not designate any lands as "Wild Lands," and outlined how the Department will work in collaboration with Members of Congress, states, tribes, and local communities to identify public lands that may be appropriate candidates for Congressional protection under the Wilderness Act. Salazar said, "The protection of America's wilderness for hunting, fishing, and backcountry recreation should be a unifying issue that mobilizes us to a common purpose. We will focus our effort on building consensus around locally-supported initiatives and working with Members to advance their priorities for wilderness designations in their states and districts. Together, we can advance America's proud wilderness legacy for future generations."

    In the memo, Secretary Salazar directs Deputy Secretary David Hayes to work with the BLM and interested parties to develop recommendations regarding the management of public lands with wilderness characteristics. Noting the longstanding and widespread support for the designation of wilderness areas, Salazar also directed Hayes to solicit input from Members of Congress, state and local officials, tribes and federal land managers to identify BLM lands that may be appropriate candidates for Congressional protection under the Wilderness Act. Hayes will deliver a report to the Secretary and Congress regarding those areas.

    In the memo, Salazar also confirmed that BLM must continue to meet its responsibilities under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), including the requirement that it maintain inventories of the public lands, their resources and other values that it manages. The BLM currently manages 221 Wilderness Areas designated by Congress and 545 Wilderness Study Areas, comprising approximately 8.8 percent of the nearly 245 million acres managed by the BLM.

    In December, 2010, Secretary Salazar issued Secretarial Order 3310, directing the BLM to use the public resource management planning process to gather public input and designate certain lands with wilderness characteristics as "Wild Lands." On April 14, 2011, Congress passed the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011, which includes a provision (Section 1769) that prohibits the use of appropriated funds to implement, administer, or enforce Secretarial Order 3310 in fiscal year 2011.

    U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), a critic of the Administration's management of wild, wilderness and roadless areas, released a statement regarding DOI's decision to abandon what he called "its sweeping wild lands order (Secretarial Order 3310)." He said, "This Administration's 'wild lands' proposal was misguided right out of the box. Public lands should be managed in a way that provides the greatest benefit to the public. This anti-multiple use order would have severely limited access to public lands and threatened Western economies. I am pleased the Administration appears to finally understand that bypassing Congress and ignoring input from local officials is the wrong way to go. We need to have a balanced approach to managing our public lands that involves listening to folks on the ground who know the land the best. I look forward to working with Secretary Salazar to ensure that we achieve this goal. I will fight any additional attempts by Washington to backdoor designate de-facto wilderness areas."

 

    On May 26, Senator Barrasso and other Senators introduced the Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act (S.1087). According to a release from Sen. Barrasso at that time he said the bill will "fix a broken Washington system that has kept millions of acres of non-wilderness land off limits for decades." Ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) are the lead co-sponsors of the bill. The bill has been endorsed by over 90 different agriculture, recreation and sportsmen organizations [See WIMS 5/26/11]. A similar bill (H.R.1581) was introduced in the House in April by Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

 

    House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) issued a statement saying, "It's welcome news that the Interior Department will follow the law. After this positive initial step of halting the 'Wild Lands' order, we'll be taking a close look at how the Administration proceeds. Congressional oversight has served a vital role in this entire process and the Committee's active oversight on this matter will continue. Attempts to prohibit forms of public access, block job-creating activities and manage land as wilderness, even though they haven't been designated as such by Congress, will be met with a strong reaction by this Committee. It's important that BLM maintains this new promise of an open process, through conversations with interested parties, states, and Congress."

 

    William Meadows, President of The Wilderness Society issued a statement calling the DOI announcement disappointing. He said, "We are deeply disappointed in Secretary Salazar's decision today to undermine his Wild Lands policy. This policy helped provide the guidance needed by the Bureau of Land Management to properly manage lands as required by the Federal Land policy and Management Act of 1976. Today's memorandum ignores the BLM's obligation to protect wilderness values and effectively lets stand former Secretary Gale Norton's deeply flawed decision to prohibit the BLM from properly managing those public lands that harbor wilderness values. Without strong and decisive action from the Department of Interior, wilderness will not be given the protection it is due, putting millions of acres of public lands at risk. It's important to keep in mind that these lands belong to all Americans. This apparent capitulation to opponents of wilderness protection is deeply disturbing -- we hope the Secretary will reassert his previous leadership in recognizing the Interior Department's responsibly to protect our most sensitive landscapes for future generations."

    Access a release from DOI (click here). Access Secretary Salazar's signed memo (click here). Access the BLM Wilderness Areas website for more information (click here). Access a release from Sen. Barrasso with additional information (click here). Access a release from Rep. Hastings (click here). Access a release from The Wilderness Society and link to more information on wild land policy (click here). Access legislative details for S.1087 (click here, posted soon). Access legislative details for H.R.1581 (click here). [*Land]