47 Senators, Introduce Resolution to Nullify Expanded WOTUS Definition

<> 47 Senators, Introduce Resolution to Nullify Expanded WOTUS Definition - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), along with 46 Senate co-sponsors, introduced a joint resolution disapproving the rule submitted by EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) that expands the scope of federal authority over land and waterways in the United States under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, commonly known as WOTUS. The Joint Resolution On WOTUS

Senate EPW Oversight Hearing on the Cause, Response, and Impacts of EPA's Gold King Mine Disaster

<> Senate EPW Oversight Hearing on the Cause, Response, and Impacts of EPA's Gold King Mine Disaster - Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Majority & Minority statements, Member remarks, testimony of Gina McCarthy, EPA Administrator and webcast

EPA Updates Gold King Mine Response Website with Sampling Results, Documents

<> EPA Updates Gold King Mine Response Website with Sampling Results, Documents - EPA has posted new surface water and sediment sampling results, along with additional documents related to the Gold King Mine incident.

U.S. - China Climate Leaders Summit

<> Fact Sheet: U.S. – China Climate Leaders Summit - The U.S. – China Climate Leaders Summit fulfills a key element of the U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change by Presidents Obama and Xi last November, and helps to ensure that the ambitious actions to address climate change that both leaders committed to will be implemented at the state and local level, where they matter most. U.S.-China Climate Leaders' Declaration Cities And States From The World's Biggest Emitters Just Pledged New Carbon Reductions EDF, China Climate Leader Hail New Era of U.S.-China Climate Cooperation

State Perspectives: How EPA's Power Plan Will Shut Down Power Plants

<> State Perspectives: How EPA's Power Plan Will Shut Down Power Plants - The House Science Committee, Subcommittee on Environment hearing on EPA's Clean Power Plan -- background, statements, testimony [OR, OH, TX] DEMS statements & webcast GOP gropes for way to kill climate rule States Object to EPA Power Plan

62 Billion Winter Recreation Industry Presses For COP21 Climate Deal

<> $62 Billion Winter Recreation Industry Presses For COP21 Climate Deal - Over 92 global brands, 53 resorts, 50 professional athletes, 13 snow sports trade groups and associations have signed a letter to President Obama, to send him to Paris with our collective support -- we'll deliver this letter to The White House in October.

D.C. Circuit Court Says "No" to Emergency Stay for the Clean Power Plan

<> D.C. Circuit Court Says "No" to Emergency Stay for the Clean Power Plan - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit  denied two petitions seeking an emergency stay of the Clean Power Plan, the historic clean air standards that will reduce climate-disrupting air pollution from power plants In re: State of West Virginia, et al. Federal Court Again Rejects Arkansas Attorney General's Attempt to Stop Clean Power Plan

Reducing freshwater use in hydraulic fracturing and thermoelectric power plant cooling

<> GAO Report: Water in the energy sector: Reducing freshwater use in hydraulic fracturing and thermoelectric power plant cooling -  In this report, GAO assessed advanced and emerging technologies that can reduce water use in hydraulic fracturing and thermoelectric power plant cooling -- also the impact of regional differences in thermoelectric power generation on water use in water-stressed versus unstressed areas of the United States was examined

Government Shutdown Looms

<> Government Shutdown Looms – With just 10 legislative work days to resolve issues, in his weekly address the  President stressed that to continue the country's progress, Congress needs to avoid a government shutdown that would hurt middle-class Americans and pass a responsible budget before the end of September. Prospect of Another Shutdown Looms as Congress Girds for Fights Over Spending Ted Cruz to Star in Government Shutdown, the Sequel

OIG Report On Environmental Justice Guidance In Agency Rulemaking

WIMS will not be publishing on Monday, September 7, 2015, in observance of the Federal Labor Day holiday.

<> OIG Report On Environmental Justice Guidance In Agency Rulemaking - OIG: "Continued delays in issuing or finalizing Environmental Justice (EJ) guidance limits the EPA's ability to broadly and consistently consider EJ during the rulemaking process, potentially impacting susceptible populations at high risk of suffering effects of environmental hazards."

President Obama Announces New Investments to Combat Climate Change and Assist Remote Alaskan Communities

<> President Obama Announces New Investments to Combat Climate Change and Assist Remote Alaskan Communities - President announces a Federal coordinator for building climate resilience in Alaska, launches a remote Alaskan Communities Energy Efficiency Competition, and announced a city-led public-private partnership to achieve 99.7 percent clean energy on Kodiak Island. Smith Statement on President's Climate Change Remarks in Alaska - Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) said, "The president and his EPA have become travelling salesmen, touring the world to push their extreme climate change agenda. But the science doesn't support the president's exaggerated claims linking climate change to severe weather events." Rubio vows to undo Obama climate policies - Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) pledged Wednesday to reverse President Obama's major energy and climate policies if he's elected to the White House in 2016.

Remarks by the President After Roundtable with Alaska Native Leaders

<> Remarks by the President After Roundtable with Alaska Native Leaders - ". . .one of the biggest things I heard during this discussion was the need for us to work more intensively and more collaboratively with communities, particularly in rural areas, that are burdened by crippling energy costs, that are obviously continually concerned about hunting and fishing rights and their ability to sustain their way of life in the face of profound climate change that's taking place -- taking place, in fact, faster -- twice as fast here in Alaska as it is in the Lower 48."

President Obama In Alaska Addresses Climate Change

<> President Obama to Announce New Steps to Enhance Administration Collaboration with Alaska Natives, the State of Alaska, and Local Communities - Climate change threatens the way of life of Alaska Natives across the state, from the North Slope to Bristol Bay -- the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, and is experiencing the consequences. Remarks by the President at the GLACIER Conference -- Anchorage, AK Remarks by Secretary of State, John Kerry at the Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement, and Resilience (GLACIER) Conference Opening Plenary Recording climate change from the top of the world - Spring came early this year, breaking several records at the top of the world in Barrow, Alaska, according to a new report that combines observations from NOAA, the North Slope Borough and a scientist who has tracked an Arctic bird for the last four decades -- Barrow experienced its warmest May on record, averaging 28 degrees Fahrenheit, which is nearly 9 degrees above the average for the last 90 years.

ND Fed Judge Blocks WOTUS Rule In 13 States

<> ND Fed Judge Blocks WOTUS Rule In 13 States - Judge Ralph Erickson of the District Court for the District of North Dakota found that the 13 states [ND, AK, AZ, AR, CO, ID, MO, MT, NE, NV, SD, WY, NM] suing to block the rule met the conditions necessary for a preliminary injunction, including that they would likely be harmed if courts didn't act and that they are likely to succeed when their underlying lawsuit against the rule is decided. North Dakota et al v. U.S. EPA - North Dakota et al v. U.S. EPA - 8/27/15. The Judge ordered: "The States have established that the Dataphase factors weigh in favor of injunctive relief. Their motion for a preliminary injunction, enjoining Fed. Reg. 37,054-127, jointly promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is granted." New federal rule protecting streams takes effect in some states, not others Roberts Praises Decision to Halt EPA's - U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, is pleased to announce a decision by a federal judge to halt the damaging 'Waters of the U.S.' (WOTUS) rule from implementation in 13 states.

DOE Selects 16 Transformational Carbon Capture Technologies Projects for Funding

Subscribers & Readers Note: WIMS will be on summer break for the next two weeks. We will resume publication on August 31, 2015.   During the break you can stay on top of many news events and issues with our WIMS Environmental News Blogs which are continuously, automatically updated with the latest news and information from various WIMS sources.   White House News   Congressional News   Federal Agencies News   Industry News   Enviro Group News   Air Quality News   Hazardous Waste News   Transportation News

<> DOE Selects 16 Transformational Carbon Capture Technologies Projects for Funding - The program funds development and testing of transformational carbon dioxide (CO2) capture systems for new and existing coal-based power plants -- research is expected to help overcome limitations of singular, standard gas treatment systems, such as those based on solvents, sorbents, or membranes alone.

Highly Critical Memos Show Need to Slam the Brakes on WOTUS

<> Highly Critical Memos Show Need to Slam the Brakes on WOTUS - As the Aug. 28 implementation date approaches for the U.S. EPA's final rule on the "Waters of the U.S.," the National Corn Growers Association has demanded the EPA postpone implementing its controversial rule and strongly supports congressional efforts to rescind the rule.

NREL Report Examines Energy Use in Cities and Proposes Next Steps for Energy Innovation

<> NREL Report Examines Energy Use in Cities and Proposes Next Steps for Energy Innovation - What U.S. cities are doing to reduce their energy use is outlined in a new report from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that sets the stage for broader discussion and analysis.

Energy Department Reports Highlight Trends of Growing U.S. Wind Energy Industry

<> Energy Department Reports Highlight Trends of Growing U.S. Wind Energy Industry - According to two reports released today by the Energy Department, the U.S. wind energy industry continued growing at an impressive rate in 2014, further solidifying America's position as a global leader in wind energy. 2014 Wind Technologies Market Report 2014 Distributed Wind Market Report Officials highlight need for stable policy to continue growing wind energy - [American Wind Energy Association] Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz emphasized the need for stable policy for wind energy this morning as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released data showing the cost of wind energy has fallen by nearly two-thirds over the last six years. DOE reports good news for wind, but is it enough to save subsidies? - Amidst near-term uncertainty about the federal wind Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credit (ITC), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released two reports that puts the power of wind in perspective.

President Signs H.R. 212, the "Drinking Water Protection Act"

<> President Signs H.R. 212, the "Drinking Water Protection Act" -- The act amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to provide for the assessment and management of the risk of algal toxins in drinking water H.R. 212: Drinking Water Protection Act

Arch Coal Subsidiaries to Make System-Wide Upgrades to Reduce Pollution Entering U.S. Waters

<> Arch Coal Subsidiaries to Make System-Wide Upgrades to Reduce Pollution Entering U.S. Waters - U.S. EPA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Arch Coal Inc., one of the nation's largest coal companies, and 14 of its subsidiaries under the International Coal Group Inc. (ICG) have agreed to conduct comprehensive upgrades to their operations to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act.