Advanced Search
January 30, 2017
The Environmental Protection Agency was the focus of multiple executive actions by the Trump administration over the past week, including widespread communication restrictions for federal employees. Image courtesy of Ken Lund via flickr.com.
On January 25, the Trump administration's EPA transition communications director, Doug Ericksen, said all new and existing content on the agency's website was currently under review, with a "temporary hold" placed on the publication of new scientific data. When asked whether scientific data collected by EPA scientists, such as routine air and water pollution monitoring, would be vetted in this fashion, Ericksen replied, "Everything is subject to review." Ericksen later clarified that he was not implying political appointees would be reviewing data, saying, "Any changes will be science-based." EPA's scientific integrity guidance states scientific studies should be publicly communicated and "uncompromised by political or other interference." George Gray, an assistant EPA administrator under President George W. Bush, said studies were typically reviewed at the branch or laboratory level, rarely appearing before political appointees. Meanwhile, the administration ordered EPA employees to get transition team approval to hold previously planned public webinars and speaking engagements. Employees at the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Health and Human Services have also had restrictions placed on the release of publications, the use of official social media accounts, and external correspondence. Andrew Light, a senior fellow at the World Resources Institute's Global Climate Program, said, "It's certainly the case that every administration tries to control information, but I think that what we're seeing here is much more sweeping than has ever been done before."
For more information see:
Associated Press, NPR, The Hill, Politico
The Trump administration has instituted an agency-wide freeze on EPA grants and contracts. These funds can rival the agency's own annual budget and support environmental testing, cleanup, and research for private sector, state, and municipal projects nationwide. In 2013, the cumulative value of these grants and contracts was around $10 billion. Reports are unclear as to whether the freeze affects only new transactions or if it also involves the $6.4 billion in existing federal contracts for EPA. A long-time EPA employee stated the freezes on grants and contracts were extremely unusual. In an email exchange obtained by the press, one EPA contracting official wrote, “The new EPA administration has asked that all contract and grant awards be temporarily suspended, effective immediately. Until we receive further clarification, this includes task orders and work assignments." Regional EPA managers and state government officials are asking for additional guidance from federal officials and trying to sort through the confusion.
ProPublica, The Hill, Denver Post
Secretary of Commerce nominee Wilbur Ross has gone on record that he will not stand in the way of the scientific research conducted at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA falls under the Department of Commerce, giving Ross authority over the agency's climate and earth sciences work. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) announced he had received a written commitment from Ross, confirming that the nominee "intends to leave science to the scientists and to support their ability to disseminate peer reviewed data to the public.” Nelson added that the letter provides assurances the Department of Commerce "will continue to research, monitor, and report climate information to the public." However, Ross would not directly address the causes of climate change, a common refrain from Trump administration nominees. Instead, Ross said, "We [should] put aside for now the question of what is causing these changes, and agree to focus on addressing the impacts of those changes."
Mashable, CNN
The Republican-controlled Congress has a limited window to repeal two notable environmental regulations issued by the Obama administration. Regulations published in the Federal Register within 60 legislative calendar days are subject to the Congressional Review Act, a tool Republican leadership hopes to use to prevent such regulations from ever taking effect. The House and Senate majority leaders have said they will issue the required "resolution of disapproval" and seek the simple majority necessary to halt the rules. Under examination are two Interior Department actions: the Stream Protection Rule, impacting the coal mining industry, and a venting and flaring regulation meant to control methane emissions from oil and gas wells. Congress already missed the deadline to block the EPA's industry methane rule, which was finalized prior to Interior's. The Trump administration's proclaimed deregulation strategy stands to increase the public profile of the Congressional Review Act, despite its current obscurity in national politics.
Washington Examiner, The Hill
President Trump's administration has taken a series of actions designed to facilitate the eventual construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. These efforts represent an about-face from the Obama administration, which had blocked the completion of both pipelines due to environmental impact concerns. Among the documents signed on January 24 was an executive order to accelerate “high-priority infrastructure projects.” Projects that receive this classification from the White House Council on Environmental Quality would get faster reviews through “expedited procedures and deadlines for completion of necessary environmental analysis.” Trump also called for a renegotiation period for the Keystone pipeline, stating he would sit down with all of those involved in the project to make sure the United States got the "best deal possible." While the White House declared this effort would create around 28,000 American jobs, a U.S. State department study estimated the actual amount of long-term jobs would be around 50.
Bloomberg, Guardian, White House Executive Order
On January 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) abruptly canceled its Climate and Health Summit scheduled for three days in February. The agency has not provided an explanation for the unusual move beyond noting the “potential overlap" with an American Public Health Association (APHA) conference covering similar ground and that the decision came amid consideration of "budget priorities for the fiscal year 2017.” APHA executive director Georges Benjamin commented that given the event's proximity to the Trump inauguration, "The chances of it being canceled were pretty real with the administration that was coming in. We should think of this as a strategic retreat.” Edward Maibach, director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, asserted that the conference was "important and should have been held." Maibach added, "As the nation's public health agency, we need CDC to be fully engaged in protecting our health from climate change." On January 26, a trio of non-governmental organizations announced they would fund the summit, which is now being held on a single day at the nonprofit Carter Center in Atlanta.
Washington Post, NBC News, Washington Post (update)
A four-year-old lawsuit brought by the California Chamber of Commerce and private businesses threatens to undermine California’s cap and trade system. The lawsuit asserts the cap and trade program is an unconstitutional tax placed on businesses, since the program was not granted the bi-cameral, two-thirds legislative majority required to implement a tax in California. Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable, said, "The stakes [of the case] are huge" and that cap and trade is "one of the largest programs impacting the California economy." Even if the state government wins the case in the Appellate Court of Sacramento, its opponents may still appeal to the California Supreme Court. An additional concern is whether the program may expire after reaching its originally legislated emission reduction goals for 2020. Gov. Jerry Brown has requested the legislature pass a new bill extending the cap and trade program with a two-thirds vote, but negotiations on a successor bill are expected to be complicated.
LA Times
The state of Louisiana is moving forward with a "Coastal Master Plan" to bolster its coastline against climate change impacts, but it may require federal funding to fully implement its vision. The five-year, $50 billion plan developed by the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) outlines strategic investments in ridges, barrier islands, and marshes, while recommending actions for protecting homes and infrastructure. Louisiana's 7,700 miles of shoreline are degrading at the fastest rate in the country, forcing policymakers to prioritize which communities to devote resources to. Bren Haase, chief of planning at CPRA, said the plan is intended as "a framework to make those tough decisions" and could serve as a model for other Gulf states. Louisiana will partly fund the plan with settlement money from the 2010 BP oil spill, with another portion drawn from state oil and gas revenue and grants. State officials are looking to Congress to provide the rest. Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) has been trying to persuade his colleagues to invest in resilience: "Many members of Congress believe we can’t afford to come in and make these investments in adaptation in these coastal areas. I would argue that we can’t afford not to."
Bloomberg, NPR
On January 24, President Trump met with automobile industry leaders and declared environmental regulations are “out of control.” Trump went on to say his administration will cut taxes for corporations, make the United States more “hospitable” for businesses, and both simplify and shorten the environmental permitting process for the industry. However, the push to slash regulations for the auto industry could have deep policy impacts for the state of California. During his confirmation hearing, EPA Administrator nominee Scott Pruitt would only commit to a “review” of California’s current waiver to have stricter vehicular air pollution standards, leaving the waiver’s future uncertain. Thirteen additional states have followed California’s lead and adopted the stricter pollution standards. Michael Wara, a professor at Stanford Law School, predicted early legal disputes with the Trump White House will focus on automobile regulations. Wara added the administration’s pursuit of such a case in California could “test Scott Pruitt's and the administration's commitment to conservative values,” given Pruitt’s own defense of self-government by the states.
NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Politico
A study published by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) found that not enough businesses are working with their suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with their operations. Many companies set their own climate mitigation goals, but omit emissions generated from the products and components they buy from other entities. “The supply chain is a new frontier in environmental responsibility - an area rich with opportunity that remains mostly unexplored," stated Dexter Galvin, head of the supply chain program at CDP. Galvin added, “The vast majority of emissions of the average company are in the supply chain.” While 29 companies, including General Motors, Bank of America, and Sony, were lauded for their mitigation actions, CDP found only 22 percent of the 4,300 companies surveyed were engaged in reducing emissions within their supply chain. Patricia Espionage, head of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, described the private sector’s current mitigation efforts as “not enough,” given the rapid pace of global warming.
Reuters, Report
In New York City, JDS Development Group is hoping to create buildings that are better able to bounce back from the effects of catastrophic floods and storms anticipated due to climate change. The American Copper Buildings are being built to allow “tenants to live in their apartments for at least a week,” no matter the height of the floods or the length of a power outage. “Rising sea levels and a changing climate present a challenge for our country’s largest city, and also an opportunity to create a more resilient, sustainable and equitable New York City,” stated Daniel Zarrilli, the chief resilience officer of New York City and director of climate policy. The lesson of Hurricane Sandy taught the city that those living in high-rise apartments were not immune to the effects of powerful storms, and may have to face multi-day power outages. As a result, JDS installed emergency generating units into their new buildings above ground level. These new generators possess enough capacity to power the refrigerator in every apartment for as long as necessary and one outlet for mobile phone charging in case of emergencies.
New York Times
A new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reveals that many areas of the United States could experience sea level rise at a rate much higher than the global average. The report details regional impacts more extensively than previous studies, which focused on global estimates. Using six climate change scenarios of varying severity, the report predicts global mean sea levels could reach a range of 8.2 feet to 1 foot by 2100. However, even the "best-case" scenario of a 1 foot increase in sea level could lead to a "25-fold increase in the frequency of damaging floods" for coastal cities. In examining 90 American cities, the authors found that an "intermediate" sea level rise scenario would result in increased flooding for most locales by the year 2030, while the "low" scenario would bring these consequences by 2080. William Sweet, a NOAA oceanographer, said the scenarios were meant to "[give] communities a better sense of what the future might hold with continued sea-level rise so they can plan accordingly and have better insights and make smart decisions."
Washington Post, Report
Executive Orders Underway to Reduce U.S. Role in United Nations and Review Multilateral Treaties
White House Orders Agencies to Cease Progress on Obama-Era Energy Efficiency Regulations
Climate Change Reports Continue to Disappear from Government Websites, This Time at the State Department
European Investment Bank Vows to Continue $20 Billion Annual Investment in Climate Projects
Female Scientists Organize to Advocate for Science-Based Decision Making
National Electric Transmission Infrastructure Summit & Advanced Transmission Technology Expo February 9-10 Mandarin Oriental Hotel 1330 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC The first-ever national policy conference on the need to build out, modernize, and integrate America's high-voltage transmission infrastructure will be hosted by Americans for a Clean Energy Grid from February 9-10. The program begins with a workshop on transmission technology innovations, followed by a conference on transmission challenges, policy proposals, and the outlook for the next administration. Congressional staffers can request a complimentary registration by emailing [email protected] before the end of January. EESI is a partnering organization for this event. Full information is available at http://www.cleanenergytransmission.org/summit.
2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook Friday, February 10 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm Gold Room 2168 Rayburn House Office Building C Street SE and South Capitol Street Lunch will be served For the fifth year in a row, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) have produced the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, which provides the latest industry information and trends from the energy efficiency, renewable energy, and natural gas sectors in the United States. EESI is a partnering organization for this event. Join a panel of executives from BCSE member companies and analysts from BNEF to find out why the experts agree that "sustainable energy is the new normal" in America. A live webcast will be streamed at 12:30 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP.
Writers: Andrew Wollenberg, Ben Topiel, and Brian La Shier Editor: Brian La Shier
Advancing science-based climate solutions
Top-Rated Climate Nonprofit – 4-Star Charity