Climate Change News - March 18, 2013

Members of the House and Senate Release Draft Carbon Fee Legislation

On March 12, four Democratic Members of Congress released a new bicameral carbon fee proposal. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) joined with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) to solicit public comments regarding the details of the bill. The plan puts forth potential carbon prices of $15, $25, or $35 per ton of carbon dioxide, and a potential annual price increase of between 2 to 8 percent. The lawmakers plan to return the tax revenue to the American public, either through reductions in cuts to social programs, lower tax rates, utility rebates, or through clean energy technology research and development as a means of further mitigating carbon emissions. “Putting a price on carbon could help solve two of the nation’s biggest challenges: preventing climate change and reducing the budget deficit. There have been carbon tax proposals made by others. What’s unique about this one is its novel design,” stated Rep. Waxman in a press release. “We are seeking to craft a system in which each agency does what they are good at and that minimizes compliance burdens and administrative costs.” Public comments can be submitted to legislators at [email protected] until April 12. This is the second carbon bill floated in the 113th Congress, as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced legislation pricing carbon dioxide in February (see February 18 issue).

For additional information see: Washington Post , New York Times , POWER Magazine , Press Release

U.S. Admiral Says Climate Change Top Threat to Pacific Naval Operations

During a trip to New England, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, chief of U.S. Pacific Command, said he believes climate change is the top threat facing the Navy in the Pacific. Adm. Locklear explained that climate change is likely to “cripple the security environment, probably more likely than the other scenarios we all often talk about. [. . . ] You have the real potential here in the not-too-distant future of nations displaced by rising sea level. Certainly weather patterns are more severe than they have been in the past. We are on super typhoon 27 or 28 this year in the Western Pacific. The average is about 17.” Adm. Locklear also spoke about how the U.S. military is working with other nations to plan for the effects of climate change. “We have interjected into our multilateral dialogue – even with China and India – the imperative to kind of get military capabilities aligned [for] when the effects of climate change start to impact these massive populations. If it goes bad, you could have hundreds of thousands or millions of people displaced and then security will start to crumble pretty quickly.’’

For additional information see: Boston Globe

Carbon Emissions Standards for New Power Plants May Be Amended, Could Delay Finalization

According to several sources briefed on the situation, the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new power plants proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in March 2012 could be revised. The standards, which would set the maximum CO2 emissions from a new power plant at 1,000 pounds per megawatt-hour of electricity – the average amount for a new gas power plant – are supposed to be finalized by April 13, 2013, but could be delayed. The EPA is reportedly reviewing the standards to ensure that they would withstand an inevitable legal challenge and considering changes, including separate standards for coal power plants.

For additional information see: Washington Post , Letter

House Republicans Introduce Resolution Opposing a Carbon Tax

On March 14, 105 Republican Members of Congress, led by Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), introduced a concurrent resolution (H.Con.Res.24) opposing the passage of a carbon tax. The resolution states, “a carbon tax will increase energy prices, including the price of gasoline, electricity, natural gas, and home heating oil,” and disproportionately impact certain segments of the country, including the poor and elderly as well as the manufacturing industry. Among the co-sponsors of the resolution are House Energy and Commerce Chair Emeritus Joe Barton (R-TX) and House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX). Similar resolutions were previously introduced in the House and Senate in January (see January 21 and February 4 issues).

For additional information see: H.Con.Res.24 , Press Release

The President Calls on Constituents to Talk to Congress about Climate

On March 13, President Obama spoke at the Organizing for Action “Founder’s Summit” and urged the crowd to help provide lawmakers support to promote climate change legislation. “If you have a Senator or a Congressman in a swing district who is prepared to take a tough vote – or what they consider to be a tough vote – on immigration reform, or legislation around background checks for guns, I want to make sure that they feel supported and that they know that there are constituencies of theirs who agree with them, even if they may be getting a lot of pushback in that district.” Obama said. He continued, “If we move aggressively on an issue like climate change – that’s not an easy issue for a lot of folks, because the benefits may be out in the future. And I want to make sure that a Congressman, Senator feels as if they've got the information and the grassroots network that’s going to support them in that effort.”

For additional information see: The Hill , Speech Transcript

President to Release New Rules for Agencies about Climate Change under NEPA

President Barack Obama will soon require that all federal agencies produce an assessment of the climate change impact of any new projects they are planning or approving under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 (NEPA). Currently, federal agencies are required to study and publish findings about environmental impacts from new projects under NEPA, so that citizens and stakeholders can provide comments or challenge the assessment in court. However, only some agencies include climate change as a part of the environmental impact assessment. Rebecca Judd, a legislative counsel at Earthjustice, explained that, “Agencies do a pretty poor job of looking at climate change impacts. [. . .] A thorough guidance would help alleviate that.”

For additional information see: Bloomberg

House Republicans Request Information about EPA Climate Plans

Fourteen House Republicans, including House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton (R-MI) and Subcommittee on Energy and Power Chair Ed Whitfield (R-KY), sent a letter to Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Robert Perciasepe requesting information about “climate change actions under consideration” by the EPA. The letter, sent March 14, states, “EPA during the President’s first term issued thousands of pages of greenhouse gas regulations that impose additional costs on all sectors of the economy. We are concerned about the impacts of those regulations and also of new additional regulations that EPA intends to issue that will drive up energy prices of Americans.”

For additional information see: Letter

Annual Presidential Economic Report Links Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency to Emissions Reductions

On March 15, the Obama Administration released the latest Economic Report of the President. The report contained an entire chapter on energy and climate change. The report states, “Policies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases include market-based policies; encouraging energy efficiency; direct regulation; encouraging fuel switching to reduced-emissions fuels; and supporting the development and widespread adoption of zero-emissions energy sources such as wind and solar. And, as the country reduces emissions along this path, it also needs to prepare for the climate change that is occurring and will continue to occur. Together these policies pave the way toward a sustainable energy future.” In addition, the report shows falling carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but not at the level required to achieve emissions reduction targets. The report also shows that the recent drops in CO2 emissions have been due to the recession, and the U.S. economy is still greatly reliant on fossil fuels.

For additional information see: New York Times , Washington Post , Energy Blueprint

U.S. NGOs Call for Task Force to Combat Short-Lived Climate Pollutants

U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are urging the Obama Administration to establish an inter-agency task force to reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), including black carbon, methane, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), as a key strategy to reduce near-term climate change impacts. On March 12, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) released a policy brief outlining steps the federal government can take to reduce SLCPs through existing authorities and executive actions. This follows an earlier letter to the Administration from a coalition of U.S. NGOs organized by Ambassador Nancy Soderberg for the Connect U.S. Fund, including 181 foreign policy experts, calling for an SLCP Task Force along with other fast action mitigation strategies. Possible strategies include: strengthening programs to reduce methane leaks from oil and gas operations, landfill, coal mines, and animal feed lots; expanding programs to retrofit diesel engines; better managing controlled burns in northern states to reduce black carbon emissions; directing federal agencies to purchase products without HFCs; and phasing out HFC-134a in car air conditioners and other applications. "As the nation's largest fleet operator, landowner, purchaser, and property manager, the federal government has the ability and the responsibility to lead by example in limiting its emissions of short-lived climate pollutants,'' stated Stephen Seidel, senior advisor at C2ES. “Fast action mitigation to reduce SLCPs was an important part of Senator Kerry’s climate strategy, and as Secretary of State he's already on record supporting SLCP strategies,” said Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. “It’s now more urgent than ever that the U.S. pursue SLCP mitigation, as this is the only way to reduce near-term impacts.”

For additional information see: PRWeb , C2ES Brief , Connect U.S. Letter

Climate and Clean Air Coalition and Cities Unite to Tackle SLCPs from Solid Waste

Ten major cities from around the world initiated a campaign to reduce short-lived climate pollutants from solid waste on March 12. Municipal solid waste is the third largest source of human-caused methane emissions. The methane comes from decomposing waste in landfills, while open burning of uncollected waste can cause black carbon emissions, contributing to poor air quality and health impacts in many cities. The World Bank estimates the amount of global municipal waste generation will nearly double from 1.3 billion tons per year today to 2.2 billion tons per year by 2025.

For additional information see: CCAC Press Release , EcoSeed

Japan Extracts Frozen Methane from Seabed

Japan successfully extracted natural gas from methane hydrate in the seabed off its eastern shore, officials announced on March 12. The gas was found one kilometer (3,300 feet) out into the Pacific Ocean by the Japan Oil, Gas, and Metals National Corporation. This is the first example in the world of offshore development of the potential energy resource. While frozen methane is still more expensive than traditional sources, Japan sees this as an opportunity to develop a commercially viable source of natural gas in the future. Ryo Minami, director of the oil and gas division at Japan's Agency for Natural Resources, was optimistic that methane hydrate could follow the same path as shale gas. "Ten years ago, everybody knew there was shale gas in the ground, but to extract it was too costly. Yet now it's commercialized." he said.

For additional information see: New York Times , Guardian , Washington Post

Study: Current Temperatures Warmest in 4,000 Years

A new study published March 15 in the journal Science finds that temperatures are rising at a faster rate than they have for the past 11,300 years, and that current global temperatures are at their warmest in the past 4,000 years. The researchers, led by Oregon State University climate scientist Shaun Marcott, compiled data from ice cores and sediment from lake bottoms and sea floors to make the most complete reconstruction of climate trends over the current geological Holocene period. The data show that temperatures began to warm around 10,000 years ago before reaching a 5,000-year plateau. Temperatures dropped to a low point in the beginning of the twentieth century and have since begun accelerating towards the warmest temperatures since the last ice age.

For additional information see: New York Times , San Francisco Chronicle , Nature , Study

One-Fifth of Canadian Glaciers Could Melt by 2100

A study published March 7 in Geophysical Research Letters by members of the British Antarctic Survey concludes that one-fifth of Canadian glaciers could melt by the end of the century. The study finds that a three degrees Celsius temperature increase in global temperatures would trigger the glacial melt. This trend is largely irreversible, because as glaciers melt they expose dark tundra below that soaks up the sun’s heat, accelerating melting. Lead author Jan Lenaerts, a postdoctoral researcher at the Utrecht University stated, “even if we assume that global warming is not happening quite so fast, it is still highly likely that the ice is going to melt at an alarming rate. The chances of it growing back are very slim.”

For additional information see: Bloomberg , Sydney Morning Herald , Study

Sea Level Maps Predict Grave Impacts for Southern Florida

Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper filed a report in federal court in February that demonstrated significant future sea level rise in Miami-Dade County. The report was filed as part of a Waterkeeper lawsuit against Miami-Dade’s Water and Sewer Department, in which Waterkeeper is arguing that the county’s 1.5 billion dollar plan to renovate three major sewage plants fails to take into account possible climate effects. The report concluded that, while rising sea levels were unlikely to flood the sewage plants directly, flooding tides and storm surge would affect the neighborhoods around the sewage facilities, turning each of the plants into a virtual island. Brian Soden, a University of Miami professor of atmospheric science, explained the implications of the report, “If you look at downtown Miami, where all the new places have gone up, all the new condominiums, the billions going in there, those places are at some of the lowest levels. It’s a broader impact all of South Florida is going to be facing sooner or later. Right now, a lot of people are choosing not to look at it.”

For additional information see: Miami Herald

Thursday, March 21: The Impact of Public Transportation on Real Estate Values

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) invite you to a briefing on the briefing on the resiliency of residential real estate values located in areas well-connected by public transportation. Although the recent economic crisis had a negative effect on housing prices around the country, property values with good access to public transit remained much closer to their pre-recession levels than properties without access, even within the same city. The speakers will discuss the findings from a new report from APTA and NAR that investigates the relationship between residential real estate and public transportation in five U.S. metropolitan regions. Speakers include: Michael Melaniphy, President and CEO, APTA; Jed Smith, Senior Economist, NAR; and Sarah Kline, Policy Director, Reconnecting America. The briefing will be held Thursday, March 21st, from 12 – 1:30 p.m. in SVC 203-02, Capitol Visitors Center.