Climate Change News - February 11, 2013 | Newsletter

The President to Outline Parts of His Climate Plan in the State of the Union Address

According to people familiar with President Obama’s plans for climate action, the president will outline his intention of exercising regulatory authority through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants in the February 12 State of the Union Address. An unnamed source told The Wall Street Journal, “How [the president] talks about it in the State of the Union could be anything from, ‘We've taken important steps and we need to take more,’ to “We need to make more [progress] and the next one on the chopping block is existing sources.’” The source stated, “You will ultimately see a proposal from EPA to regulate existing power plants.” A White House spokesperson said that no decisions about language in the State of Union had been made and stated that any decision about EPA regulation “would come later in the year." The comments are in line with the remarks the president made to House Democrats at their retreat in Lansdowne, Virginia on February 7. According to Rep. Sandy Levin (D-MI), the president stated that jobs and the economy are the priority and said about the climate, “It’s very serious, and he wants it on the agenda. But you can’t do everything at once.”

Coal utilities are looking to have a hand in shaping Obama’s proposed plan for curbing emissions. In a 2007 ruling, the Supreme Court mandated the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. The EPA is slated to finalize emissions standards for new power plants by the end of March, after which they will face pressure to develop regulations for existing plants. On January 28, National Mining Association (NMA) president Hal Quinn told reporters, “We are looking at it internally here with our members to see if there are particular pathways that work better and can keep coal as a vibrant part of the electricity portfolio. . . That’s a very important question.” Looking at the rulemaking that will come out of the EPA in the president’s second term, Ryan Frazier, a spokesman for Virginia-based electric company Dominion, says, “We plan to work with various stakeholders – including the president, Congress, environmental advocacy organizations and industry groups – to address the issue [of climate change].” Manik Roy, vice president for strategic outreach at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, stated, “Now that the president has raised this as such a high issue, you’d be absolutely nuts not to be in there trying to engage constructively.”

For additional information see: The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Washington Post

President Obama Nominates Sally Jewell to Be Secretary of Interior

On February 6, Obama nominated Sally Jewel, the chief executive of outdoors store REI and a former oil engineer at Mobil, as his pick for Secretary of the Interior. Jewel has won several environmental awards and worked as a banker for 19 years. The president stated his belief that her past experience will allow her to balance the use of natural resources with conservation of American national treasures. Introducing Jewel at a White House ceremony, Obama said, "She is an expert on energy and climate issues that are going to shape our future. She knows the link between conservation and good jobs. She knows there is no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and economic progress.” Jewel will replace the retiring Secretary Ken Salazar, who assumed the position in 2009.

For additional information see: Guardian, New York Times, White House Release

Biden Reaffirms Importance of Climate to Administration

After meeting with French President Francois Hollande on February 4 in Paris, Vice President Joe Biden praised Hollande’s views on climate change, saying they were a lot like President Barack Obama’s. Biden said he and Hollande agreed “there is an obligation here that extends way beyond these administrations,” and there is a need to “set out a vision for the young people in both our countries that we understand.” According to Biden, “It’s a rallying cry that can be a call for a united effort and support in both our countries to deal with global warming.”

For additional information see: Politico, The Hill

Sen. Murkowski Energy Blueprint Does Not Include Reduction of Carbon Emissions

On February 4, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released “Energy 20/20,” her proposed blueprint for the future of American energy. The goal behind the plan is to increase energy and economic security by focusing on using the cheapest means of producing energy. The plan mostly focuses on expanded domestic extraction of oil and natural gas and does not include a measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2007, Sen. Murkowski co-sponsored a carbon cap that was limited in scope, but she has moved away from that position because it was developed in better economic times. “I’m looking at it from the perspective of what’s going to create jobs, what’s going to help the economy,” Murkowski said. “A carbon tax or a cap and trade proposal or something that is going to make energy more expensive is not going to help us.” Although the plan is structured around expanded extraction of fossil fuels, it does also include a call to increase annual investment research into technologies that will reduce emissions in the long run to $16 billion and increase energy efficiency.

Sen. Murkowski and her Democratic counterpart on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), both penned opinion pieces related to U.S. energy policy in the Congressional newspaper The Hill on February 5. Murkowski highlighted the ideas in her energy blueprint about expanded extraction of oil and natural gas, but in addition, stated, “As we rethink our nation’s energy policies, it is important to face questions about the risks of energy and resource development, including questions about climate change. We need to discuss these questions openly and find common ground on prudent steps to take in the face of uncertainty.” Wyden also addressed climate change, saying, “Looming over all of those [energy policy] decisions is the threat of climate change, which is unquestionably the most pressing environmental challenge of our time.”

For additional information see: McClatchy Newspapers, The Hill, Energy 20/20, Sen. Murkowski Op-ed, Sen. Wyden Op-ed

Senators Call on President to Appoint an EPA Administrator with Vision to Address Climate

On January 29, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and 14 other Senate Democrats and one Independent sent an open letter to President Obama asking the president to appoint a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator that will protect human health and environmental safeguards. The letter also addresses climate change, stating, “By working together, we can build on your administration’s efforts to promote a strong and robust economy, foster our nation’s global leadership in clean energy innovation and job creation, and reduce the significant harms posed by climate change.” Letter signees include: Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Foreign Relations Committee Chair Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

For additional information see: Letter

Federal Agencies Release Plans to Prepare for Climate Change

To comply with Executive Order 13514 on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance issued by President Obama in October 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and several other federal agencies issued their 2012 Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans for public comment February 7. For the first time, the 2012 sustainability plans include Climate Change Adaptation Plans that assess the vulnerability of the federal agency’s assets to climate change. The EPA plan calls for modification to the agency’s operations, including the issuance of new regulations. The EPA report states, “It is essential that EPA adapt to anticipate and plan for future changes in climate. . . It must integrate, or mainstream, considerations of climate change into its programs, policies, rules and operations to ensure they are effective under future climatic conditions.”

For additional information see: White House Press Release, Bloomberg BNA, The Hill, EPA Report

EPA Releases 2011 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data from 2011 on February 5. Overall, GHG emissions fell 4.6 percent in 2011. The decline was largely driven by a decrease in the use of coal power and an increase in natural gas and renewable generation. Despite decreased emissions, power plants remain the largest stationary source of GHG emissions in the United States, accounting for 2.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent emissions or 67 percent of total emissions in 2011. Oil and natural gas production was the second largest source of GHG emissions, emitting 225 million tonnes, almost10-times less than power plants. Michael Levi, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, suggested that the emissions from oil and gas production are largely avoidable, stating, “[It] is an area where we have technological answers to our problems. . . We know how to fix many of these problems; we just need to make the decision to do it.” The EPA report tracked emissions data from over 8,000 facilities, among them power plants, chemical facilities, and oil refineries. Four percent of these facilities were responsible for 57 percent of reported U.S. GHG emissions in 2011.

For additional information see: AP, Bloomberg Businessweek, EPA Emissions Data

Wolverines Threatened by Climate Change

On February 1, federal wildlife officials cited climate change as a reason to list wolverines as threatened under theEndangered Species Act. Advocates stated that declining levels of snowfall will decrease the already low number of wolverines remaining in the lower 48 states. Listing the wolverines as threatened will permanently block wolverine trapping in Montana – the only state south of Alaska to permit wolverine trapping. The proposal also stated the intent to reintroduce wolverines to Colorado with the goal of building up their numbers in the wild.

For additional information see: AP

Little Government Support for Native Americans Trying to Relocate Due to Changing Climate

Indigenous Alaskan communities impacted by climate change are finding it difficult to relocate to safer ground. At a January 30 briefing on Arctic Indigenous Peoples, Displacement and Climate Change at the Brookings Institution, Alaskan human rights attorney Robin Bronen laid out the challenges that communities face. Alaska is impacted more heavily by climate change than the contiguous United States, having seen double the average global increase in temperature over the past 50 years. According to a 2003 report from the Government Accountability Office, 86 percent of native Alaskan villages face dangerous flooding and erosion from increased storm surges and melting permafrost, often resulting in a contamination of local water supply. Twelve indigenous coastal communities are attempting to relocate, but this has proved to be almost impossible without a legal government framework or sufficient federal funding. Some villages have been trying to move to other locations for a decade, but have been unsuccessful because the sites they chose were found to be on melting permafrost. Bronen emphasized the importance of expedient government action to create a federal relocation framework, emphasizing that “What's happening in Alaska is really relevant to coastal communities all over the United States. . . If the sea level is going to rise as the scientists predict, we need to think now of what we are going to do.”

For additional information see: E&E Publishing

RGGI Tightens Carbon Cap

On February 7, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) proposed tightening the cap on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Comprised of nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, RGGI was the first regional cap and trade program in the United States. The members of RGGI intend to reduce the 2014 carbon emissions cap 45 percent, from 165 million to 91 million tons. The cap would then decline 2.5 percent each year until 2020. This could reduce CO2 emissions by 80-91 million tons by the end of the decade. Daniel C. Esty, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, noted that “RGGI has been an enormous success in reducing carbon emissions, providing incentives for cleaner power generation, improving air quality, and funding clean energy initiatives – all at a minimal cost to electric ratepayers.” Reducing the RGGI emissions cap is projected to provide $1.6 billion in regional economic benefits by 2020.

For additional information see: Bloomberg, AP, RGGI Press Release

Arctic Ministers: “Urgent Action” on Black Carbon, HFCs, and Methane Needed to Protect the Region

On February 6, Arctic Environment Ministers called for “urgent action” to reduce black carbon, methane, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to help protect the Arctic and reduce climate change. Concluding a two-day Arctic Environment Secretariat meeting in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, the ministers acknowledged “the worrying scientific findings identifying large-scale tipping points in the Arctic, such as collapse of the Arctic summer sea-ice, accelerating melting of the Greenland ice sheet, releases of methane from melting permafrost, all of which, if crossed, may have substantial global effects.” Ministers concluded that “decisive action” on black carbon, methane, and HFCs is needed, and “encouraged coordination and support for international and global efforts to address emissions.” The ministers also encouraged the Arctic Council to consider a new “instrument or other arrangements to enhance efforts to reduce emissions of black carbon from the Arctic States” for decision at the 2015 Arctic Ministerial meeting and stated, “Substantial cuts in global emissions of carbon dioxide and other long-lived greenhouse gases are the backbone of any meaningful global climate change mitigation efforts.” Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD), added, “Reducing black carbon and the other short-lived climate pollutants can cut the rate of Arctic warming by two-thirds. We need a crash course that starts today with black carbon, which is responsible for half of the Arctic warming.” He continued, “We need to reduce HFCs under the Montreal Protocol, as this is the single biggest, fastest, and cheapest climate mitigation available to the world today, avoiding the equivalent of 100 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.”

For additional information see: Responding to Climate Change, IGSD Press Release, Meeting Report

Japan Drops Emissions Reduction Target

In a speech at the United Nations (UN) in 2009, then Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. However, on February 1, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated that those cuts would no longer be possible and instructed energy officials to create a new plan with lower targets by the November 2013 UN conference on climate change. Japan has had to rely heavily on fossil fuels for its energy needs since the devastating 2011 tsunami caused meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, leading to a government decision to take the majority of Japanese nuclear power plants offline in the interest of public safety. With a plan in place to shut down all nuclear power in Japan by the 2030’s, Prime Minister Abe decided that the original emissions goal would not be manageable.

For additional information see: The Japan Times

Report: U.S. Can Use Existing Authority to Meet Climate Target

The United States can use existing authority to help meet its pledge to reduce emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, although Congressional action will be needed to meet the steeper emission cuts needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, according to an analysis by the World Resources Institute (WRI), “Can the U.S. Get There from Here? Using Existing Federal Laws and State Action to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” The WRI report concludes that the U.S. climate target could be achieved by adopting an ambitious “go-getter” approach that includes reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants; phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in air conditioners, refrigerators, and insulating foams; reducing fugitive methane emissions from oil and gas operations; and improving energy efficiency. The report notes that, “Eliminating HFCs represents the biggest opportunity for GHG emissions reductions behind power plants,” and recommends that the United States use both the Montreal Protocol and the Clean Air Act to achieve such reductions. “The WRI report confirms our finding that phasing out HFCs, methane, and other short-lived climate pollutants are necessary steps to meeting both U.S. and international climate targets, which in turn are needed to prevent runaway climate change,” said Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD).

For additional information see: Washington Post, New York Times, IGSD Press Release, WRI Report

2012 U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Emissions Lowest Since 1994

A report on renewable energy recently released January 31 by Bloomberg New Energy Finance shows that energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States are the lowest they’ve been since 1994. The “Sustainable Energy in America 2013 Factbook,” commissioned by the Washington-based Business Council on Sustainable Energy, states that while CO2 emissions from natural gas increased in 2011 and 2012, the decrease in energy from coal has more than offset these emissions. While CO2 emissions in the United States climbed steadily from 1990 to a peak in 2007, they have since fallen 13 percent. The authors note, “The underlying story behind this report has been that the U.S. energy sector is in the midst of a transformation.”

For additional information see: Forbes, Report

OECD Report Finds that U.S. Has Some of the Lowest Energy Taxes Among Developed Countries

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released a report January 28 analyzing energy taxes in 34 developed countries. According to the report, the United States taxes carbon at the second to lowest rate in the developed world, higher only than Mexico. For every tonne of carbon emitted, the United States collects $6.50, dramatically less than the average of $69. Switzerland, which has the highest taxes, collects 141 dollars per tonne of carbon emitted. The study did not incorporate state and local taxes, but even factoring those in, the United States would still remain near the bottom of the list. The importance of this issue is underscored by the study’s finding that nations with higher energy taxes are generally more energy efficient, with lower emissions per unit of GDP.

For additional information see: Washington Post, Study

Study: Cities Taking the Lead on Climate Action and Preparedness

The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute for Technology released a study demonstrating that cities are ahead of nations when it comes to preparing for potential climate change impacts. Worldwide, 68 percent of cities are in the planning stages of climate adaptation strategies. According to the study, cities in Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada are leading development, while the United States is a bit behind with only 59 percent of cities in the planning stages. Although most cities are still developing plans, 19 percent have moved beyond the risk assessment stages and into actual work. The ICLEI suggests that lack of funding is the major issue holding cities back from moving beyond planning stages. “This survey makes it clear that local governments need more federal and state support to accelerate their efforts,” said Brian Holland, ICLEI USA Climate Programs Director.

For additional information see: Sustainable Business, Fact Sheet, Study

Poll: “Belief” in Climate Change Returns to 2007 Highs

According to a Duke University online study, Americans have recently grown more concerned about climate change. Co-author Frederick Mayer, associate professor at Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy, said, “Whether in response to extreme weather events like mega-storm Sandy or the improved economy, public opinion has clearly rebounded from its low point of a couple years ago.” The majority of respondents believed that climate change is occurring, with 50 percent of respondents saying that climate change is definitely occurring and 34 percent saying that it is probably occurring. In addition, 54 percent of respondents agreed that climate change is primarily the result of human activities. There was also an interest in finding ways to address the issues. Sixty-four percent of respondents were either strongly or somewhat in favor of regulating greenhouse gases and requiring expanded use of clean energy, but only 29 percent favored a cap and trade policy.

In related news, a study published in the journal Climatic Change on February 5 reviewed American opinion polls from 1990 through 2010 and found a correlation between the weather and attitudes about climate change. Researchers found that respondents were more likely to state a belief in climate change during unusually hot spells and more likely to doubt climate change during unusually cold spells.

For additional information see: USA Today, Science Daily

Other Headlines

Sen. Rubio (R-FL) on Anthropogenic Climate Change: “I’ve Actually Seen Reasonable Debate on that Topic”
Rep. Whitfield (R-KY) Threatens “Battle” over Regulation of Existing Power Plant GHG Emissions
The Alliance to Save Energy Releases Plan to Cut GHG Emissions 33 Percent Below 2005 Levels by 2030 through Efficiency
Oil Companies Call for Carbon Tax in Canada
LA Converting Street Lights to LEDs to Save Money and Reduce Emissions
Missoula, Montana Acting on Goal of Being Carbon Neutral by 2025
Climate Change Impacting Elephants
Biochar Cookstoves Can Improve Indoor Air Quality and Reduce Carbon Emissions
Climate Science Displayed as Art in New York Exhibit
ALEC Pushing Climate Denial Education Bill
Is Climate Change Affecting the Iditarod?
Study Shows That Amazon Rainforest Less Susceptible to Climate Change than Previously Thought
USDA Study: Climate Change to Impact U.S. Agriculture
Study: Current International Climate Regime Unlikely to Lead to Emissions Reductions of 80 Percent