EPA Proposal For Startup, Shutdown and Malfunction

State Plans to Address Emissions during Startup, Shutdown and Malfunction: Supplemental Proposal – [Fact Sheet] On September 5, 2014, U.S. EPA proposed a rule supplementing and revising its February 2013 proposal to ensure states have plans in place that require industrial facilities across the country to follow air pollution rules during times when the facility is starting up or shutting down, or when a malfunction occurs.

• Prepublication 152-page supplemental proposal
• Sierra Club celebrates clean air victory for communities living near polluting facilities

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BP, found grossly negligent, may face $18 billion in gulf spill

BP, found grossly negligent, may face $18 billion in gulf spill - Energy giant BP's willful misconduct and gross negligence led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, a federal judge said in a ruling Thursday that exposes the company to billions of dollars in civil penalties.

• BP Responds To "Grossly Negligent" Ruling - BP strongly disagrees with the decision issued today by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and will immediately appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
• Sen. Markey Statement on Gross Negligence Ruling against BP for Gulf Oil Spill - Senator Edward Markey (D-MA), who led the congressional investigation into the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, praised the ruling by a Louisiana federal court that BP was "reckless" and guilty of "gross negligence" in their contributions to the spill.
• Conservation Groups React to Ruling that BP Grossly Negligent in 2010 Oil Disaster

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CRS Report: Clean Coal Loan Guarantees and Tax Incentives

Clean Coal Loan Guarantees and Tax Incentives: Issues in Brief - From the Congressional Research Service (CRS): At issue for Congress is the extent to which the private sector has used the financial incentive tools available, and whether they are the right tools for promoting the development of technology to reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuel power plants -- No loan guarantees have been issued to clean coal projects since enactment of Section 1703 of EPACT05.

EPA Extensive Staff Report Proposes Stricter Ozone Standards

EPA Policy Assessment for the Review of the Ozone NAAQS, Final Report - EPA staff 597-page report. The current O3 standards established in 2008 are 75 ppb, and a secondary identical to the primary standard. Staff reaches the overall conclusion that the available health evidence and exposure/risk information call into question the adequacy of the public health protection provided by the current standard.

• EPA staff recommends a health protective standard that ranges between 60 to 70 parts per billion.
• New Ozone Standard Would Squelch Growth - U.S. Chamber: EPA staffers recommended a lower standard despite ozone levels declining by 25% over the last three decades.
• NAM: New EPA Ozone Regulations Could Be Costliest in U.S. History

Global Shale Gas Development: Water Availability & Business Risks

Global Shale Gas Development: Water Availability & Business Risks - This report analyzes water availability across all potentially commercial shale resources worldwide. It also reveals that water availability could limit shale resource development on every continent except Antarctica.

• Access a 9/2/14 release from World Resources Institute

Mapping the Truth - EPA Responds To "WOTUS" Concerns

Mapping the Truth - EPA Responds To "WOTUS" Concerns - Regarding the proposed "Waters of the U.S." (WOTUS) definition rule EPA says, "The idea that EPA can use the Clean Water Act to execute a land grab or intrude on private property rights is simply false."

 

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Climate Change and Existing Law: A Survey of Legal Issues Past, Present, and Future

Climate Change and Existing Law: A Survey of Legal Issues Past, Present, and Future - Congressional Research Service. August 20, 2014. The 42-page report surveys existing law for legal issues that have arisen, or may arise in the future, on account of climate change and government responses thereto.

 

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Obama Pursuing Climate Accord in Lieu of Treaty

Obama Pursuing Climate Accord in Lieu of Treaty - Source: NY Times - The Obama administration is working to forge a sweeping international climate change agreement to compel nations to cut their planet-warming fossil fuel emissions, but without ratification from Congress.

 

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GAO Report On Development of Social Cost of Carbon Estimates

GAO-14-663, Regulatory Impact Analysis: Development of Social Cost of Carbon Estimates, July 24, 2014 - The social cost of carbon (measured in dollars per metric ton of carbon dioxide) is the monetized net effects (damages and benefits) associated with an incremental increase in carbon emissions in a given year. Estimates of the social cost of carbon depend on the data and the models used to calculate them and can include a wide range of damage categories, such as projected changes in net agricultural productivity, human health, and property damages from increased flood risk due to increased carbon emissions.

Final 2014 RFS Rule Moves to OMB

Final 2014 RFS Rule Moves to OMB - (August 22, 2014) Washington D.C. – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent the final 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard Renewable Volume Obligation rule. . .

 

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One Month Countdown Until Major Climate Marches

One Month Countdown Until Major Climate Marches in NYC and Around the World - The People's Climate March scheduled for September 21, is expected to be the largest demonstration for climate action in history and will take place just two days before President Obama and world leaders gather for an emergency Climate Summit at the United Nations.

• The People's Climate March website

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EPA Report Shows Progress in Reducing Urban Air Toxics Across the United States

EPA Report Shows Progress in Reducing Urban Air Toxics Across the United States - At 11 AM U.S. EPA released the Second Integrated Urban Air Toxics Report to Congress - the final of two reports required under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to inform Congress of progress in reducing public health risks from urban air toxics. 

Solar plant's downside? Birds igniting in midair

Solar plant's downside? Birds igniting in midair - Federal wildlife investigators who visited the BrightSource Energy plant last year and watched as birds burned and fell, reporting an average of one "streamer" every two minutes, are urging California officials to halt the operator's application to build a still-bigger version.

Draft National Electric Transmission Congestion Study Now Available for Public Comment

Draft National Electric Transmission Congestion Study Now Available for Public Comment - August 19. The draft study is now available for review and downloading and the public comment period will close on October 20, 2014.

Energy Department Reports Highlight Strength of U.S. Wind Energy Industry

Energy Department Reports Highlight Strength of U.S. Wind Energy Industry - August 18, 2014. The U.S. continues to be a global leader in wind energy, ranking second in installed capacity in the world, according to two reports released today by the Department of Energy -- 2013 Wind Technologies Market Report; & 2013 Distributed Wind Market Report

#AskEnergy: Join the Live Q&A on Wind Energy - #AskEnergy: Join the Live Q&A on Wind Energy Energy Department experts will be answering your wind energy questions August 19 at 1 p.m. ET on Twitter.

Can Earth's and Society's Systems Meet the Needs of 10 Billion People?

Can Earth's and Society's Systems Meet the Needs of 10 Billion People? - The Earth's population, currently 7.2 billion, is expected to rise at a rapid rate over the next 40 years -- the Earth will need to support 9.6 billion people by the year 2050,

 

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New Procedures for Liquefied Natural Gas Export Decisions

Procedures for Liquefied Natural Gas Export Decisions – [To be published in the Federal Register tomorrow] Final revised procedures. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will act on applications to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the lower-48 states to countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement requiring national treatment for natural gas only after completing the review required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), suspending its practice of issuing conditional decisions prior to final authorization decisions.

White House Methane Strategy Advances with EPA White Papers' Peer Review

 

White House Methane Strategy Advances with EPA White Papers' Peer Review - U.S. EPA publically released peer-review comments last week submitted by outside experts in response to five  technical white papers on emissions and control strategies for the oil and gas sector, a process started as part of the White House strategy to reduce methane emissions.

• White Papers on Methane and VOC Emissions
• White House strategy to reduce methane emissions

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Journalism, Science Groups Decry EPA Muzzling

Journalism, Science Groups Decry EPA Muzzling - Journalists and scientists are urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stop banning leading national scientists from talking to media outlets and the public -- EPA is placing new restrictions on independent scientists who advise the agency, according to a memorandum from the EPA's chief of staff.

 

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Formaldehyde Confirmed as Known Human Carcinogen

Formaldehyde Confirmed as Known Human Carcinogen - A new report from the National Research Council has upheld the listing of formaldehyde as "known to be a human carcinogen" in the National Toxicology Program 12th Report on Carcinogens (RoC).

• ACC: The Safety of Formaldehyde Is Well-Studied and Supported By Robust Science - "To view today's NRC report in context, it is important to note that formaldehyde can continue to be safely used," said Cal Dooley, president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council (ACC). 

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