WIMS Environmental HotSheet 3/25/14

National / International News

 

<> Today the Obama Administration proposed a landmark  rule that will clarify which types of water bodies are protected by the Clean Water Act -  National Wildlife Federation's response to the Environmental Protection Agency's announcement

(Note: at press time EPA had not yet released an announcement)

• HOW FAQs "Waters of the United States" rule - The Waters of the United States rule is being issued by the Obama Administration to clarify which waters are protected by the Clean Water Act. Once released, the public will have a period of up to 120 days to comment on the proposed rule.
• EPA Background Clean Water Act Definition of "Waters of the U.S."

<> Biofuel Trade Organizations Ask for Extension of Advanced Biofuel Tax Incentives - Biofuel trade organizations sent a letter to the Senate encouraging extension of critical advanced biofuel tax incentives.

<> IPCC starts meeting to finalize Working Group II report - Japan, 25 March – Government representatives and scientists on Tuesday opened a five-day meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to finalize a report assessing the impacts of climate change on human and natural systems, options for adaptation, and the interactions among climate changes, other stresses on societies, and opportunities for the future.

<> Energy Department Authorizes Jordan Cove to Export Liquefied Natural Gas - Energy Department Authorizes Jordan Cove to Export Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon Authorized to Export Liquefied Natural Gas to Non-Free Trade Agreement Countries. . .

• Following DOE Approval, LNG Opponents Call on Oregon's Governor to Protect the State's Rivers and Ratepayers

<> Upcoming Funding Opportunity for Water Power Manufacturing - March 24, 2014Upcoming Funding Opportunity for Water Power Manufacturing On March 24, 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a Notice of Intent to issue a funding opportunity titled "Water Power Manufacturing."

<> Designing Effective State Programs for the Industrial Sector - March 24, 2014 New SEE Action Publication "Industrial Energy Efficiency: Designing Effective State Programs for the Industrial Sector - an overview of U.S. industrial energy efficiency programs delivered by a variety of entities.

<> Coast Guard Update 5: Texas City "Y" incident response - TEXAS CITY, Texas — As of this evening, the Port of Houston remains closed. The Unified Command continues to assess the situation with oil in the channel to determine when vessel traffic can resume. There are 46 outbound. . .

<> Barnes & Thornburg's Due-Diligence Mini-Series - Next webinar: April 10; US EPA's All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) regulatory updates and how it impacts use of Phase I ESA standards

<> Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on National Agriculture Day - March 25, 2014—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released the following statement. . .

<> USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack Announces Increased Opportunity for Producers as part of New Farm Bill - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced increased opportunity for producers as a result of the 2014 Farm Bill. A fact sheet outlining modifications including an increase of the guarantee amount on Conservation Loans from 75 to 80 percent and 90 percent for socially disadvantaged borrowers and beginning farmers. . .

<> New UNEP/IRP report confirms role of forests & forest products in fighting climate change - Geneva/Jakarta, 21 March 2014 – Building Natural Capital: How REDD+ Can Support a Green Economy, a report by the International Resource Panel (IRP) and the UN REDD Programme, outlines that forests, forest services and. . .

<> EPA Office of Inspector General Report - "EPA Needs to Improve Management of the Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Regulation Program in Order to Strengthen Protection of Human Health and the Environment," March 21, 2014.

<> EPA Office of Inspector General Report - "EPA's Information Systems and Data Are at Risk Due to Insufficient Training of Personnel With Significant Information Security Responsibilities," March 21, 2014.

Federal Register Highlights 

The following is an alert of Environmental Federal Register announcements that may be of interest for: Tuesday, March 25, 2014.  (Click here to access today's complete Federal Register index with links to complete announcements).

 

1. Nothing We're Tracking Today

 

WIMS Environmental HotSheet 3/24/14

National / International News

 

<> Heat-trapping gas concentrations top 400 ppm, two months earlier than last year - Over the last five days beginning on March 16, 2014, carbon dioxide levels have surpassed 400 parts per million at NOAA's Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.

<> Update 3: Texas City "Y" incident response - Houston, Texas — Progress continued throughout the day Sunday in response to a bunker fuel spill in the Houston Ship Channel that resulted in the release of approximately 168,000 gallons of product.

<> World Water Day: U.S. Tech H2.O Shows the Present and Future of Water Innovation -  U.S. Department of State event and semi-finalists for the Securing Water For Food Grand Challenge For Development, a contest that encourages game-changing water technologies and new water management approaches.

<> Congressional Champions of the PTC and ITC warn colleagues they must act now to keep the U.S. wind industry robust - Senators Mark Udall (D-CO) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Reps. Steve King (R-IA) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA) circulated letters urging Congress to encourage more private investment by stabilizing the U.S. industry and averting another falloff like 2013's 92 percent drop in American wind power installations.

<> Udall, Grassley Lead Bipartisan Effort Urging U.S. Senate Finance Committee to Extend Job-Creating Wind Energy Tax Credits - U.S. Senators Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) pressed the U.S. Senate Finance Committee today to swiftly include extensions of the bipartisan and job-creating investment tax credit and production tax credit for wind energy in an upcoming tax-extenders package.

<> As Listener and Saleswoman, E.P.A. Chief Takes to the Road for Climate Rules - Source: NY Times - Ms. McCarthy is the chief architect and emissary of President Obama's plan to fight climate change.

<> Sulfur Oxides Integrated Plan for National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) - CASAC Augmented for the Sulfur Oxides Review Public Teleconference to Review EPA's Integrated Review Plan for the Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Sulfur Dioxide (External Review Draft available)

<> Making Oil-by-Rail Safer - The growth of North American oil production from unconventional sources has resulted in a dramatic expansion in the volume of crude oil shipped by rail. Unfortunately, as crude oil rail traffic has increased, so have rail accidents. . .

<> Supreme Court Rejects Coal Industry Attack on the EPA's Power to Protect Clean Water – Earthjustice: "Refuses to hear baseless case against the EPA for blocking extreme WV mountaintop removal mine" Today the Supreme Court denied the coal mining industry's request to hear a case against U.S. EPA. . . 

<> U.S. Navy's Dennis McGinn on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Power - Dennis McGinn, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations, and the environment, discusses how the Navy is increasing efficiency and embracing new advanced energy sources will allow the Navy to reduce costs. . . 

<> On World Meteorological Day, UN rallies youth to take on climate change - Seeking to increase awareness among young people about climate change and mobilize them as champions for action. . .

• WMO Annual Climate Statement Highlights Extreme Events

<> DOE Announces Webinars on the Wave Energy Converter Prize, the Best of the Clean Cities Tools and Resources, and More - March 21, 2014DOE Announces Webinars on the Wave Energy Converter Prize, the Best of the Clean Cities Tools and Resources, and More EERE offers webinars to the public on a range of subjects, from adopting the latest. . . 

<> March 24, 1989 : Exxon Valdez Disaster in Alaska - Before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, there was the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska, at the time the nation's largest oil spill. The 987-foot tanker. . .

<> 22nd Festival, March 18-30, 2014, Washington, DC - The theme of the 2014 Festival, Our Cities, Our Planet, will examine the challenges posed by Earth's urban environments and the efforts of the world's cities to balance environmental and economic needs.

 

Federal Register Highlights 

 

The following is an alert of Environmental Federal Register announcements that may be of interest for: Monday, March 24, 2014.  (Click here to access today's complete Federal Register index with links to complete announcements).

1. Nothing We're Tracking Today

 

WIMS Environmental HotSheet 3/21/14

<> World Water Day Celebrations kick off in Tokyo - webcast available - On Friday 21 March, the UN-Water World Water Day celebrations continue in Tokyo, Japan with discussions and debates, the official launch of the World Water Development Report. . .

<> Ethanol Industry files to take LCFS fight to United States Supreme Court - Following the January decision by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to deny rehearing en banc in the litigation regarding California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy are today petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court for certiorari to make a final determination relating to the constitutionally flawed LCFS.

<> CRS Report: Nuclear Energy: Overview of Congressional Issues - Congressional Research Service. March 14, 2014. The policy debate over the role of nuclear power in the nation's energy mix is rooted in the technology's fundamental characteristics.

<> The Truth About Nuclear Power - Part Three - Subtitle: Nuclear power plants cost far too much to construct.  The instant cost plus inflation, escalation, and interest on loans adds up to more than $10,000 per kW. 

<> The Future of Nuclear Power in Tennessee - We are excited to announce that the CASEnergy Coalition is going to be in Tennessee next week! We're looking forward to a number of visits and meetings, including a stop at the University of Tennessee, with leaders in the. . .

<> CRS Report: Cars, Trucks, and Climate: EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources - Congressional Research Service. March 13, 2014. The standards, which will affect trucks beginning with the 2019 model year, are to be proposed by March 2015 and finalized a year later.

<> House To Vote On "No More National Parks" Bill - Responding to President Obama's decision last week to protect a stretch of California's Coast near Point Arena as a new national monument, the House of Representatives is planning to vote next week to overturn a 108 year-old law that presidents of both parties have used to protect iconic American places, including the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Arches National Park. The bill, H.R. 1459, aims to block presidents from using the Antiquities Act of 1906. . .

• H.R. 1459

<> U.S. and South Africa Hold Bilateral Discussion on Building a More Sustainable Energy Future - U.S. and South Africa Hold Bilateral Discussion on Building a More Sustainable Energy Future Pretoria — U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman and South African Minister of Energy Ben Martins met yesterday. . .

<> Four Ways Tokyo's Smart Meter Plan Breaks New Ground - Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s 27-million-unit smart meter project isn't just about smart meters. It's also about creating an end-to-end, citywide energy management platform, meant to link meters, utility enterprise platforms and...

<> Former White House CEQ official Guzy discusses future of air regulations - After leaving his post as deputy director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality earlier this year, how is Gary Guzy now advising industry clients to prepare for the Obama administration's air regulations? 

<> USDA Announces Growth of U.S. Organic Industry and Additional USDA Support Available with New Farm Bill - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced new figures today that show the organic industry continues to grow domestically and globally, with over 25,000 certified organic operations in more than 120 different countries around the world.

<> Ban hails impact of UN climate change treaty, urges renewed commitment to ideals - Over the past 20 years, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has galvanized the world to seek multilateral solutions to the grave threat of climate change. . .

<> Water Management In Post Conflict Countries Critical To Peacebuilding And Economic Recovery New Study - According to the study, some 1.8 billion people are expected to face absolute water scarcity in the next decade.

<> Exxon agrees to disclose 'unburnable carbon' reserves - Oil giant will explore how tougher climate change laws could affect its long term strategy. . .

WIMS Environmental HotSheet 3/20/14

<> Energy, Tax Reform, and Signs of Early Common Ground in Camp and Baucus Proposals - Proposals by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and former Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) reform the tax code in a manner that would significantly impact the American energy system—with some surprising early agreements. . .

<> Carbon Pollution Standards for Existing Power Plants: Issues and Options - Center for Climate and Energy Solutions brief outlines broad considerations in weighing a carbon tax, such as environmental integrity, cost-effectiveness, and distributional equity, as well as fundamental design issues, including who might pay the tax and how to set an appropriate tax rate.

<> Evangelicals Urge Obama To Discuss Climate Change With Pope Francis - A group of faith-based environmental advocates are encouraging thousands of religious Americans to sign a petition asking President Barack Obama to discuss climate change with Pope during March 27 meeting. . .

<> Planned coal-fired power plant retirements continue to increase - (Thu, 20 Mar 2014) The need to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) regulations together with weak electricity demand growth and continued competition from generators fueled by natural gas have recently led several power producers to announce plans to retire coal-fired facilities.

<> Welcome to Climate.Data.gov! - In this new and pilot-stage of Climate.Data.gov, you will find resources to help companies, communities, and citizens understand and prepare for the impacts of coastal flooding and sea level rise. Over time, this community will expand to include more. . .

<> Evaluating the Market for Industrial Energy Service Outsourcing - Many in the industrial sector are unaware of them or unsure how to take advantage. A new report from American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

<> Report From Senate GOP: John Beale, Convicted Con Man, Led the Creation of Costly Air Regulations - John Beale's role in major policy decisions at the Agency.

<> EPA Asked to Protect Bees with Over Half A Million Signatures - (Beyond Pesticides, March 20, 2014)—Today, more than 500,000 signatures were delivered to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, urging the nation's top-ranking environmental leader. . . 

<> API: Gulf Lease Sales Show Benefits of Opening Atlantic to Oil & Gas Activity - March 19, 2014 – Offshore lease sales today in the Central and Eastern Gulf of Mexico highlight what Americans could gain by opening additional areas to offshore oil and natural gas development.

<> Energy Department Announces Winners of Student Competition to Drive Innovative Efficiency Solutions - March 19, 2014Energy Department Announces Winners of Student Competition to Drive Innovative Efficiency Solutions The Energy Department has announced the winners of the third annual Better Buildings Case Competition, which challenges collegiate teams to present unique and innovative solutions for reducing energy waste and improving the efficiency of our. . .

<> EDF, UCLA Answer President's Call to Use 'Climate Data' to Grow Economy, Increase Resiliency - The newest version of the "Los Angeles Solar and Efficiency Report (LASER)" a breakthrough climate mapping tool designed to help local leaders identify opportunities to invest in clean energy jobs and strengthen climate resiliency in vulnerable communities. 

<> New Oceana Report Exposes Nine of the Dirtiest U.S. Fisheries - The report titled Wasted Catch: Unsolved Bycatch Problems in U.S. Fisheries, Oceana explains that despite significant progress in the last decade, the catch of non-target fish and ocean wildlife, or "bycatch", remains a significant problem in domestic fisheries.

<> Annual Investment of US $30 Billion in Tropical Forest Conservation Can Support Green and Sustainable Economic Growth - Integrating REDD+ programmes into a Green Economy approach can conserve and even boost the economic and social benefits forests provide to human society.

WIMS Daily Environmental HotSheet 3/19/14

<> White House Launches the Climate Data Initiative - an ambitious new effort bringing together extensive open government data and design competitions with commitments from the private and philanthropic sectors to develop data-driven planning and resilience tools for local communities.

• FACT SHEET: The President's Climate Data Initiative: Empowering America's Communities to Prepare for the Effects of Climate Change

<> 16 Environmental Groups Implore Obama to End Fracked Gas Exports - The heads of 16 national and regional climate advocacy groups don't see how exporting fracked and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fits into a climate change agenda. The group says proposals to expand the country's fracking exports would undermine President Barack Obama's efforts to battle climate change.

<> New NRDC Analysis Shows U.S. Can Slash Carbon Emissions Far More Than Projected Initially Under Plan Shaping Debate on Power Plant Carbon Pollution Standards - March 18, 2014  -- Newer data and expanded analysis to be released Thursday (March 20th) during a National Press Club news event will show that far more carbon pollution can be eliminated than originally projected under the innovative approach for...

<> U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group and Ten-Year Framework for Energy and Environment Cooperation Meetings - U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group and Ten-Year Framework for Energy and Environment Cooperation Meetings March 18, 2014 A delegation of senior Chinese officials is in Washington March 17-18 for bilateral meetings with Administration officials on climate change and other environmental. . .

<> Working with stakeholders - engaging, not enraging! - Malcolm Preston, PwC Global Sustainability leader, reflects on the pressure CEOs are under to do business in the right way.  He cites the results of our on-line vote, in which we asked you to step into the shoes of a CEO, to show decisions are not always clear cut and that it's hard to keep. . .

<> EPA Calls for 2014 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award Nominations / New green chemistry technologies promote new products and markets – U.S. EPA is asking companies or institutions to nominate their innovative technologies for the 2014 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. EPA is looking for nominations from companies and institutions that have developed safer chemica...

<> EPA Celebrates 10 Years of SmartWay Partnerships / Voluntary program saves companies billions in fuel costs while cutting pollution - EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership is celebrating 10 years as a market-driven initiative that empowers businesses to move goods in the cleanest most energy-efficient way possible, saving businesses money while protecting public health and fighting climate change.

<> Exploring Linkages Between National and Corporate/Facility Greenhouse Gas Inventories - National and corporate/facility level GHG inventory systems can help countries address climate change. However, these systems are often developed independently of each other, and confusion exists regarding the purpose of and need for each inventory type. This working paper seeks to describe national and corporate/facility GHG inventories, highlighting major . . .

<> Brownfields K6 Grant Guidelines/Request for Proposals (RFP) - EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) will be hosting an Adobe Connect webinar this Thursday, March 20 from 2:30-4:00 PM eastern time. Proposals are due by April 18.

<> Largest North American Acid ManufacturerAgrees to Reduced NOx Emissions - LSB Industries Inc. (LSB), and four of its subsidiaries have agreed to reduce harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by meeting emission limits that are among the lowest for the industry in the nation at plants in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. . .

<> HealthyStuff.org announces March Badness tournament to determine the MTP - Most Toxic Product - A new study finds that 7 in 10 (71%) of university-themed products sold at top retailers contain one or more hazardous chemicals, including arsenic, lead, bromine, chlorine and mercury and cadmium.

<> US Mayors Demand Action on Crude by Rail - The mayor of Albany, the capital city of New York State, has become the latest elected official of a major American city to demand that the Federal government increase the regulatory oversight of crude by rail trains. Albany's mayor Kathy Sheehan has now joined the mayors of Chicago, Philadelphia, Kansas City and Madison, amongst others. . .

<> NWF to Honor President Clinton with Lifetime Achievement Conservation Award - President Clinton will receive the award and deliver remarks at the National Wildlife Federation's Conservation Awards and Gala Event on April 30 in Washington, DC.

<> U-M survey finds surprising attitudes toward energy costs, environmental impact - Consumers, on average, believe home energy bills would have to nearly double before forcing them to make lifestyle changes to save on costs, according to ...

WIMS Environmental HotSheet 3/18/14

<> AAAS Kicks Off Initiative to Recognize Climate Change Risks - American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is announcing the launch of a new initiative to expand the dialogue on the risks of climate change. At the heart of the initiative is the AAAS's " What We Know" report, an assessment of current climate science and impacts that emphasizes the need to understand and recognize possible high-risk scenarios.

<> EPA Asks Americans to Join the Race to Stop Water Leaks - WaterSense celebrates Fix a Leak Week Beginning March 17. In the race against water waste, EPA is urging people to fix household water leaks during the sixth annual Fix a Leak Week, March 17 through 23, 2014.

<> API: Happy Birthday Hydraulic Fracturing - With birthday cards and a social media campaign, the American Petroleum Institute celebrated the 65th birthday of the technology that has spurred an energy revolution in America: hydraulic fracturing or fracking. . .

<> NCDC Releases February 2014 U.S. Climate Report - The February 2014 average temperature for the contiguous United States was 32.2°F, 1.6°F below average. . .

<> Conflict Disclosures for Regulatory Science: Slow but Steady Progress at Last - Basic disclosures of conflicts of interest have been required by the top science journals for decades. Yet most regulatory agencies - despite strong urging from a variety of bipartisan sources - have failed to require these disclosures for private research submitted to inform regulatory decisions. This omission is particularly alarming since, unlike journals, agencies

<> GE Crops: Why Did USDA Ignore Environmental and Economic Harms? - Center for Food Safety (CFS) filed a lawsuit demanding the release of federal documents which may uncover undue political pressure over USDA's decision to approve genetically engineered alfalfa. The lawsuit seeks 1179 documents from USDA's Agriculture. . .

<> Will Tesla be a Game-Changer for Battery Energy Storage? - Last week Tesla, an electric car manufacturer based in Palo Alto, made national news by announcing it intends to launch a "Gigafactory" to produce lithium-ion batteries for at least 500,000 vehicles by 2020. This is no small potatoes. The level of battery production Tesla envisions is equivalent to the lithium ion batteries produced worldwide last year.

<> William Koch, pessimistic about coal's future in the U.S., is out of the business - William Koch, CEO of energy and industrial products giant Oxbow Carbon LLC, expressed pessimism about the future of coal in the United States during an interview last week. While not as active in politics as siblings David and Charles Koch, Bill Koch has also donated millions to political candidates, including a large political action committee backing former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney

<> Climate-change agenda heats up - Source: The Jordan Times - For many people around the world this year, the weather has become anything but a topic for small talk.

• Trust deficit blocking progress at UN climate talks - Source: RTCC - Levels of trust between leading developing countries and the USA and EU member states appears to have hit a new low after a week of UN climate talks in Bonn.

<> Climate change webinar - The next in Ohio State University's climate change webinar series is Adaptation and forest management in Great Lakes forests: custom-made, real-world examples. This free webinar takes place on March 25; advance registration is required.

<> USDA Announces Support for Innovative, Sustainable Wood Building Materials to Protect Environment and Create Jobs - March 18, 2014 - At a meeting hosted by the White House Rural Council today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new partnership to train architects, engineers and builders about the benefits of advanced wood building materials, and plans for a forthcoming prize competition to design and build high-rise wood demonstration projects. . .