Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced August 18th that it will begin creating clean water protections from nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), a highly toxic, gender-bending chemical widely used in industrial laundry detergents. Exposure to low levels of NPE has been shown to create “intersex” fish, male fish that produce female egg proteins. Cases of such “intersexed” fish have been documented from the Potomac River to the Pacific coast.
Sierra Club, Environmental Law and Policy Center and Workers United/SEIU joined today in praising EPA’s action. The plan announced by EPA includes further health and safety studies of the effects of NPEs on people and the environment, while beginning the process to regulate the chemical under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Future actions would add NPEs to the Toxics Release Inventory and encourage the use of safer substitutes.
“We know these chemicals are highly toxic and we know there are safer alternatives,” said Albert Ettinger, Senior Attorney with the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “If we want to protect public health, then NPEs should stop being used for many of their current applications. This action by the EPA is an important step in that direction.”
“Union members have been demanding government and industry action on toxic detergents for over half a decade. The detergents have been banned in Europe and Canada for almost a decade,” said Eric Frumin, Health and Safety Director for Workers United/SEIU. “We commend Administrator Jackson for acting swiftly on these hazards, and call upon the laundry industry to get rid of these chemicals immediately, as they have already done Canada and in Connecticut.”
“When chemicals in our environment, such as NPEs, affect the gender of fish, it’s a danger sign that more scrutiny is needed for chemicals we produce and use. The action plan for NPEs that EPA announced today is a welcome first step to protect wildlife and human health,” said Ed Hopkins, Director of the Sierra Club’s Environmental Quality Program. “But Congress must give EPA the regulatory tools it needs to control dangerous chemicals more effectively.”
In 2007, Sierra Club, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Workers United (formerly UNITE HERE), Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Washington Toxics Coalition petitioned the EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act to require further toxicity testing of NPEs and to take steps to control it. EPA largely denied the petition, but following litigation and an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, today’s action marks initial steps by the Obama administration to address NPEs health and environmental risks.
Monday, June 14, 2010
A study released by the U.S. Conference of Mayors outlines the economic impact of high-speed rail development on metropolitan areas across the US. The report examined job creation, the effects of improved market access, greater connectivity, travel time savings, as well as increased income and business sales and finds that Chicago stands to gain up to 42,000 new jobs and 6.1 billion in new business from the Midwest High-Speed Rail Network.
“This report emphasizes the opportunity here for Midwest high-speed rail will grow our economy while improving our environment. High-speed rail means good business for Chicago, improved mobility, reduced pollution and job creation,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center.
The report estimates that a Midwest high-speed rail network linking Minneapolis – Madison – Milwaukee, St. Louis, Detroit and other areas will being 3 million new visitors to downtown Chicago each year and will spur new commercial development around Union Station and other areas downtown.
The Environmental Law & Policy Center has worked for over a decade to build support for the Midwest High-Speed Rail Network. Progress toward Midwest high–speed took a major step forward when the Federal Railroad Administration awarded $2.6 billion to jumpstart construction of leading high-speed rail projects in the Midwest.
Click here for more information on ELPC’s high-speed rail program
Download the U.S. Conference of Mayors report here
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The U.S. Senate voted on June 10 on Senator Lisa Murkowski’s Resolution of Disapproval that would have stripped the EPA of its authority to regulate global warming pollution. The resolution was defeated by a vote of 47 to 53.
“The Senate’s defeat of the Murkowski Resolution helps protect our environment, public health and the integrity of the scientific fact-finding process toward global warming solutions,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “It’s time to move forward with the clean energy economy future, not backward. We commend the Senate for siding with the majority of Americans, scientists and the Supreme Court.”
“Our Senators have shown that special interests can’t change the facts. S.J. Res 26, the Murkowski Resolution of Disapproval, would have been a giveaway to oil companies, resulted in more pollution and exacerbated our nation’s dependence on oil. We should be looking for new ways to develop more clean, American energy sources, not subsidizing the polluting energy sources of the past.”
“Today, the Senate defeated a bad bill. This vote should continue a pivot toward our clean energy economy future.”
Monday, June 7, 2010
The Iowa Utilities Board has issued final standards for interconnection of wind, solar and other forms of clean energy to the Iowa electric grid. These rules are the culmination of years of advocacy by the Environmental Law & Policy Center and a coalition of clean energy business, agricultural and environmental groups.
Interconnection is the process of linking clean distributed wind power and solar energy sources of electric generation to the grid. The new standards create a clear process for Iowa citizens and utilities to bring their clean energy sources online with standard forms, affordable fees and reasonable insurance requirements. Iowa previously had loose interconnection guidelines that resulted in a complicated patchwork of rules.
The new Iowa standards are built on a model by ELPC in Illinois and South Dakota. The goal is to “facilitate the addition of distributed generation” to the electric distribution system. The rules minimize burdensome insurance requirements and application fees for small systems, and they include standard forms and contracts to streamline and provide transparency to the process.
The Iowa Utilities Board’s Final Order which includes the final interconnection rules, forms and standard agreements is available here: https://efs.iowa.gov/efiling/groups/external/documents/docket/041781.pdf
The Iowa Utilities Board Staff Memo describes the process: https://efs.iowa.gov/efiling/groups/external/documents/docket/041952.pdf
Thursday, May 27, 2010
On May 26, the Illinois General Assembly passed two bills that will create more than 5,000 new jobs and bring more than 3 million kilowatt hours of solar electricity to Illinois consumers by 2014.
“By removing barriers to solar power developers, these measures will create approximately 5,000 new jobs between now and 2015,” said Assistant Senate Majority Leader Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), a chief sponsor of HB 6202 in the Illinois Senate. “The cost of solar power has dropped dramatically, and by investing in solar energy now Illinois will be well-positioned to attract solar manufacturing and installation jobs and businesses.”
“This puts Illinois in a strong position to attract good, clean energy jobs in the growing solar energy industry,” said State Representative Will Burns (D-Chicago), who sponsored HB 6202 in the Illinois House. “Solar power offers potential jobs in communities that need them most, and cleaner air for all of us to breathe.”
“We’ve been talking about a clean energy future for a long time; now that future is here,” said Barry Matchett, Policy Advocate for the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “More than ever, we need to put people to work and create clean, safe sources of energy and that’s what these bills do.”
The Solar Ramp Up bill (HB 6202) sets annual targets for the amount of solar power used in Illinois between 2012 and 2015, these targets give industry a green light to invest in solar power and create new jobs, revenue and clean energy here in Illinois.
“Soon some of the electricity powering our homes will be coming from solar energy, in addition to the wind power we have started using in recent years,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. “We have created thousands of new wind power jobs with those purchases, and now stand to gain up to 5,000 new jobs by growing the solar industry – all while making deep cuts in air pollution.”
Illinois passed a landmark renewable energy standard in 2007 that requires 25% of Illinois’ electricity be generated from renewable sources by 2025. The law requires that at least 6% of the state’s renewable energy come from solar power by 2015, but it didn’t provide a path for Illinois utilities to meet that goal. HB 6202 establishes those targets and sets Illinois on the path to becoming the leading Midwestern state for solar energy. Because of HB 6202 more than 5,000 solar panel installation, manufacturing and maintenance jobs will be created and significant pollution will be avoided.
HB 6202 is the result of an agreement between advocates like the Environmental Law & Policy Center, Sierra Club and the state’s utilities and retail electric suppliers to create a logical schedule to phase in the solar component of renewable energy.
Other supporters of the bill include the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, the City of Chicago, the AFL-CIO, Citizens Utility Board, Illinois Competitive Energy Association, Illinois Environmental Council and the Illinois Respiratory Health Association
Also on May 26, the General Assembly passed HB 5429, the Homeowners’ Solar Rights Act. The legislation clarifies the rights of homeowners living in homeowner or condominium associations to put solar panels on the property and outlines a process for that to occur.
“This legislation removes barriers for many homeowners who want to put solar panels on their roofs, but have been prevented from doing so by outdated restrictions,” said State Representative Sara Feigenholtz (D- Chicago), who sponsored HB 5429, the Homeowners’ Solar Rights Act, in the Illinois House. “Now, Illinois homeowners who want to cut pollution and their utility bills by installing solar panels will be free to do so.”
Illinois job impacts were developed by Vote Solar using the Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) model developed by the U.S. Depart. Of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Friday, May 21, 2010
LANSING, MI –Local residents and groups declared victory today in a more than four-year battle against a proposed coal plant in Rogers City. Area residents applauded Governor Jennifer Granholm and the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (DNRE) Director Rebecca Humphries for denying a permit needed to build the controversial plant.
“We in Rogers City are profoundly grateful for this decision,” said Jean Veselenak, a resident of Rogers City. “The cost of Wolverine coal would have meant diminished health, diminished economy, and great injury to our environment which sustains our lives. Wolverine must now put its head to the real thing; wind, solar; and new technology that already exists in Michigan. Our families deserve these jobs and their health after long promises.”
The DNRE decision states there is no need for the proposed power plant, and that alternative methods are available that would supply the customers of the four electric cooperatives that make up Wolverine with electricity at a much cheaper rate than the cost of building a new coal plant. State officials estimated that the proposed plant would increase the electric rates charged by the cooperatives by at least 59.2% even after Wolverine suggested reducing the plant by half.
“With this decision, Governor Granholm reinforced Michigan’s clean energy jobs future by moving away from coal and supporting today’s job creators—renewable energy and energy efficiency,” said Anne Woiwode, State Director of Sierra Club of Michigan. “Coal is an outdated, dirty and dangerous way to generate power and it is a dead end for Michigan jobs.”
“Today, the State of Michigan echoed what we’ve been saying for years: we don’t need to waste millions on dirty, unnecessary coal plants,” said Faith Bugel, Senior Attorney for the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “This is the right decision for Michigan’s ratepayers, for Michigan’s workers and Michigan’s environment.”
Today’s decision arose out of an Executive Order from Granholm last year that instructed the DNRE, with input from the staff of the Michigan Public Service Commission, to evaluate Michigan’s energy needs and the availability of alternatives to coal plants. The guidance arose from provisions in the federal Clean Air Act adopted in the 1970s, which allow states to require consideration of alternatives in weighing whether to issue or deny an air pollution permit. The Michigan Environmental Protection Act, which calls for consideration of alternatives to activities that pollute, impair or destroy the environment, was also cited during public comment as rationale for the state to deny the Wolverine permit, as well as other coal plant air permits also under consideration.
“The denial of this permit clears the way for Wolverine to invest in energy efficiency and electric generation sources that will serve their member cooperatives better by developing cleaner electricity generation and keeping costs lower,” said Susan Harley, Policy Director for Clean Water Action. “We applaud Governor Granholm and Director Humphries for making decisions that will serve Michigan well today and for generations to come.”
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Illinois House and Senate have passed a new bill to control dangerous mercury pollution from an often overlooked source: mercury thermostats. While it is illegal to sell mercury thermostats in Illinois today, tens of millions of mercury thermostats are still in use across the country. Each one of these thermostats contains about four grams of mercury, a potent neurotoxin that has been shown to cause loss of IQ and may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The Mercury Thermostat Collection Act (SB 3346) requires manufacturers to collect and recycle the mercury in older thermostats. SB 3346 was passed unanimously by the Illinois House and Senate.
“This is a common sense approach to keep toxins out of our soil and water,” said Melville Nickerson, Policy Advocate for the Environmental Law & Policy Center, a group that helped to draft the bill. “It’s a bill that environmentalists, manufacturers and the entire General Assembly could agree on.”
“We know the dangers that mercury poses to public health, especially for mothers and young children,” Said Representative Karen May, the bill’s House sponsor. “This bill makes Illinois a healthier place to live.”
“We’re working with manufacturers to keep our land and water safe and conserve our resources for future generations,” said Senator Heather Steans, Senate Sponsor of SB 3346. “This is a policy that Illinois should be proud of.”
“Illinois has passed a significant piece of legislation that holds manufacturers accountable for reducing the environmental impacts of their products,” said Scott Cassel, Executive Director of the Product Stewardship Institute. “Product stewardship laws like these are sweeping the country, and Illinois is a national leader.
The Mercury Thermostat Collection Act requires thermostat manufacturers to establish an out-of-service mercury thermostat collection program and to meet ambitious goals to collect and safely dispose of unwanted mercury thermostats. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) will monitor the collection programs.
The bill adopts the recommendations of a report Turning Up the Heat on Thermostats written by the Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Mercury Products Campaign.
Illinois’ Mercury Thermostat Collection Act is based on model state legislation developed by the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) with input from thermostat manufacturers, heating and cooling contractors and wholesalers, retailers, environmental groups, and government officials. PSI’s model shares responsibility for safe thermostat recycling among all these groups and provides a menu of options from which states can choose. Illinois is the eighth state to pass legislation based on the model.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Environmental Law & Policy Center has launched a new online FAQ resource to help consumers understand the basics of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles and the choices we’ll soon have in the auto marketplace. As excitement builds around the new hybrid and electric vehicle models expected in 2010 and 2011, ELPC is answering key consumer questions about different types of cars, prices, charging options, driving range and pollution reduction benefits.
“Americans are excited about new, electric cars that can save them money at the pump and help protect our environment by reducing pollution,” said Howard A. Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “ELPC is helping people learn about these innovative technologies that help create good green jobs of the future as American automakers build the cleaner cars of the future.”
Please see the information on electric vehicles posted at www.elpc.org/plug-ins. Following the initial launch, ELPC will continue to update and regularly add new information and respond to public input.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Groundbreaking City Ordinance Would Cut Pollution from Chicago Coal Plants
Clean Power Ordinance Would Make Chicago First City to Regulate Coal Plant Pollution
Chicago -Alderman Joe Moore unveiled an ordinance today that would significantly reduce soot and greenhouse gas pollution from Chicago’s coal plants. The Clean Power Ordinance, co-sponsored by Alderman Sandi Jackson (7th), Alderman Toni Preckwinckle (4th) and Alderman Gene Schulter (47th) and supported by a coalition of more than 30 business and nonprofit groups, would make Chicago one of the only cities in the nation to regulate pollution from coal plants.
“We’re asking these plants to do business in a way that does not endanger the health of Chicago’s citizens,” said Alderman Moore. “I’m asking my fellow council members to protect public health and improve Chicagoan’s quality of life by voting for the Clean Power ordinance.”
“The City Council has the authority and the responsibility to protect the health and welfare of Chicagoans,” said Faith Bugel, Senior Attorney for the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “This ordinance gives them a chance to do just that.”
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have found that Chicago’s two coal plants, the Fisk plant in Pilsen and the Crawford plant in Little Village, are responsible for as many as 41 premature deaths, 550 emergency room visits and 2,800 asthma attacks annually.
“Every day we delay cleaning up these coal plants is a day someone goes to the emergency room,” said Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health Programs for the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. “This ordinance can move us forward to cleaner power and healthier air.”
The Fisk and Crawford plants belch out approximately 2.8 million pounds of soot and 5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year – nearly 2 tons for each of Chicago’s 2.9 million residents.
Little Village Environmental Justice Organizations (LVEJO) and the Little Village Community are very proud to support the Clean Power Ordinance,” said Kim Wasserman, Coordinator of LVEJO, “Our communities have lived in the shadow of these dirty plants for far too long.”
The Fisk and Crawford plants were built in the early 1900’s and are still operating equipment that dates back to the late 1950’s. Because of their age, these coal plants are subject to more lenient federal pollution regulations than more modern plants. Both plants are currently being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Illinois Attorney General for illegally avoiding tighter regulations and even violating some of the relaxed standards they are required to meet. The Clean Power Ordinance would require the plants to install modern pollution controls that would greatly reduce particulate matter pollution from these plants.
The ordinance would create “rate based” limits for particulate matter and carbon dioxide, setting a threshold for how much pollution the plants can create per unit of energy produced. The limits on particulate matter are equivalent to those set for new coal plants being built today. The limits on CO2 are equivalent to the pollution from a natural gas plant. The Fisk and Crawford plants would have one and two years, respectively, to phase in required pollution controls for particulate matter and up to three and four years, respectively, to reduce CO2 emissions.
“Some say that we should leave these acts to the federal government,” said Wasserman, “The federal government was recently struck a blow in the case against Midwest Generation sighting the government has passed the statue of limitations. This is a clear sign to cities and states across the US that we must be involved in the battle against climate change. With the new administration they are fighting what they can and we must do the same to support their efforts. The City of Chicago is taking bold steps in tackling air pollution and Little Village is behind them 100%.”
Chicago has pledged to become the greenest city in the nation. This ordinance would help the city meet those goals and lead the nation on a path to cleaner air and cleaner energy.
Chicagoans are encouraged to visit www.cleanpowerchicago.org to learn more and to ask their alderman to support the clean power ordinance.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Midwest states should gain direct economic and environmental benefits as the U.S. automotive industry transitions to meet historic new federal clean car standards. Midwest environmental leaders are highlighting the opportunities for job growth and economic development as the new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards are issued. The rules will significantly increase fuel efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas pollution from new cars and trucks.
The shift toward cleaner cars presents an opportunity for Midwest manufacturing centers, as carmakers develop more efficient technologies and better pollution controls.
“The U.S. EPA’s action shows the Clean Air Act working successfully to achieve environmental progress and economic benefits together by advancing clean technologies that provide positive solutions,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “The Midwest should be a leader in capturing the jobs of the future and building the new, cleaner cars of the future that will increase our energy independence and save consumers billions each year at the gas pump.”
Under the new standards, average fuel economy for passenger cars will increase from 27.5 mpg in 2009 to 37.8 mpg by 2016 – an improvement of nearly 40 percent. Building cleaner cars will reduce lifetime greenhouse gas pollution from vehicles produced between 2012 and 2016 by 655 million metric tons. By 2030, the 2012-2016 standards will reduce GHG emissions from the U.S. light-duty fleet by approximately 21 percent.
American automakers have expressed support for the standards, which will make American cars more competitive at home and abroad. American vehicles manufactured to comply with the federal clean cars standards can also meet the stringent greenhouse gas emissions standards for new vehicles that have been adopted by the European Union, Japan, China and Canada.
The new fuel efficiency and emissions rules are expected to cost approximately $52 billion and will generate more than $182 billion in economic benefits. The bulk of new investment by automakers will be for development of innovative fuel efficiency technologies. Those standard-driven research and development investments will create new jobs and put U.S. manufacturers at the forefront of clean car technology.
“Clean car standards and innovative technology will spur new jobs in research and development of pollution control technologies and create new manufacturing opportunities in the Midwest,” said Jack Shaner, Deputy Director of the Ohio Environmental Council.
“Because they reduce fuel consumption, these standards are an important step toward increasing our energy independence and strengthening national security,” said David Gard, Energy Program Director for the Michigan Environmental Council. New standards for cars of the future are predicted to save as much as 11.6 billion gallons of gasoline per year by 2016 (equal to half the oil the U.S. imports from Saudi Arabia) and save consumers up to $31.8 billion annually at the pump.
The coalition working to promote the economic benefits of the new clean car standards includes The Environmental Law & Policy Center, The Hoosier Environmental Council, The Ohio Environmental Council, The Michigan Environmental Council and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.
Estimated annual benefits of the federal clean cars standards for the Midwest (by 2016):
| |
Gasoline Saved (millions of gallons) |
Consumer Gasoline Savings (million $) |
Pollution Reduction Equal to Number of Today’s Cars |
| Illinois |
419 |
$1,152 |
774,034 |
| Indiana |
257 |
$707 |
474,975 |
| Iowa |
124 |
$340 |
228,692 |
| Michigan |
409 |
$1,126 |
756,442 |
| Minnesota |
219 |
$602 |
404,608 |
| North Dakota |
29 |
$79 |
52,775 |
| Ohio |
419 |
$1,152 |
774,034 |
| South Dakota |
29 |
$79 |
52,775 |
| Wisconsin |
209 |
$576 |
387,017 |
| MW TOTAL |
2,114 |
$5,813 |
3,905,352 |
Analysis of NOPR proposed standards from Environment America “State Leadership and the National Clean Cars Program.”
Average fuel economy required under federal clean car standards:
| |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
| Passenger Cars |
30.4 |
33.3 |
34.2 |
34.9 |
36.2 |
37.8 |
| Light Trucks |
24.4 |
25.4 |
26.0 |
26.6 |
27.5 |
28.8 |
| Combined |
27.6 |
29.7 |
30.5 |
31.3 |
32.6 |
34.1 |
