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September 15, 2014
House Energy Committee Holds Hearing on Clean Power Plan
On September 9, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan. The Clean Power Plan is a draft regulation which puts forward state specific goals for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide from currently operating power plants. The hearing featured a panel of energy officials and utility regulators from the states of Texas, Montana, Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, and Washington, who discussed how implementing EPA’s draft rule would affect their states. The officials from Maryland and Washington expressed confidence in achieving the carbon emissions reductions outlined in the EPA plan, while other state officials said they had concerns about the plan. Travis Kavulla, Montana Public Service Commissioner, said the EPA’s rule could reduce the state’s ability to integrate clean sources of energy and implement energy efficiency measures, by applying limitations without fully understanding the state’s current situation. He said, “My concerns regard the approach EPA is taking in fulfilling this responsibility [to reduce climate change]. . . The EPA essentially ignores the details of a state's situation, and instead applies a cookie-cutter formula.” In an email to Cronkite News Online, EPA said it will continue “to engage with a broad variety of stakeholders – including states – to help inform the final rule.” No EPA witness was invited to the hearing.
For more information see:
House Energy & Commerce Committee, Cronkite News, Great Falls Tribune, Politico
15 Republican Governors Say EPA Climate Rule Is Unlawful
On September 9, 15 Republican governors submitted a letter to President Obama saying that the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed regulation on carbon emissions from existing power plans –the “Clean Power Plan” – violates the Clean Air Act (CAA). The governors say EPA does not have authority to regulate existing power sources under Section 111(d) of the CAA, because it already regulates these sources under another section of the Act. Furthermore, the letter states, “even if the Agency did have legal authority to regulate power plants under 111(d), it overstepped this hypothetical authority when it acted to coerce states to adopt compliance measures that do not reduce emissions at the entities EPA has set out to regulate.” The letter describes five multi-part “practical problems for state compliance,” including whether EPA would either illegally force a state to issue a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) or interfere with a state’s option to change an RPS’s goals after its initial introduction; how EPA could reconcile possible discord between the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and land requirements for implementing renewable energies; and how the Obama Administration will help states develop natural gas infrastructure, as required by the Plan. The letter also asks how the Administration will address some states’ existing ban on new nuclear plants, which may be required by the Clean Power Plan in order to replace baseload power generation of retiring coal plants. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, one of the letter’s authors, commented, “The goal of this letter is for governors to identify the concerns we have with the proposal and encourage the President to develop an energy policy that pursues affordable and reliable energy.”
Letter, POLITICO, Birmingham Business Journal
Virginia Governor Convenes Climate Change Panel
On September 10, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) held the first meeting of the recently formed state Climate Change and Resiliency Commission in Richmond, Virginia. At the meeting, McAuliffe raised the vulnerability of Virginia’s coast to climate change by mentioning the flooding in Norfolk after heavy rains on Tuesday, saying, “You cannot bring in a new business if your roads are closed every time it rains.” McAuliffe constituted the commission earlier this summer with the goal of maintaining and enhancing economic development under the threat of sea-level rising and other natural disasters associated with climate change. The commission has more than 30 members from diverse backgrounds, including climate scientists, officials from the utility sector, and environmentalists. Before the meeting, Jim Redick, Norfolk’s emergency preparedness director, said, “Those who don’t believe that’s occurring just have to look out our doors. We are experiencing flooding just during our lunar high tide. It doesn’t take a storm anymore.” McAuliffe highlighted the need to develop renewable energies and improve energy efficiency to confront climate change and sea level rise. He urged the commission, which is chaired by two of his Cabinet secretaries, to submit a report with recommendations by next summer.
Claims Journal, News Leader, WTOP
Mid-Atlantic Carbon Auctions Have Generated $1.8 Billion in Revenue
On September 8, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) announced that the nine participating Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states have successfully raised $1.8 billion overall in carbon auctions since its inception six years ago. The most recent auction, held last week on September 3rd, saw all 18 million carbon allowances available sell for $4.88 each, $87.8 million in total. RGGI sets a cap on the total permissible greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from electric power generators in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, which then pushes them to buy allowances for any excess emissions. The funding raised in the carbon auction is then put to use through “energy efficiency, renewable energy, consumer utility bill assistance, and other consumer programs.” According to the environmental commissioner for New York State and one of the participants in the RGGI auction, “The initiative is a national model for reducing carbon pollution and transitioning to cleaner energy sources.”
FuelFix, Environmental Leader, NJ Herald
NATO Summit Confirms Climate Change Will Be Security Issue
On September 5, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) published the Wales Summit Declaration, in which it acknowledged climate change as a security threat to its member states. The declaration states, “Key environmental and resource constraints, including health risks, climate change, water scarcity, and increasing energy needs will further shape the future security environment in areas of concern to NATO and have the potential to significantly affect NATO planning and operations.” Although the wording is the same as in the Chicago Summit Declaration of 2012, it is still significant for NATO to explicitly state that it considers climate change an issue that will shape the security landscape. Jamie Shea, deputy assistant secretary general of emerging security threats at NATO, said, “[Climate change is] there and I know that sometimes in the NGO community people may not be very impressed by that, but it’s important for us because it gives us a so-called hook that we can use to put these issues more into the agenda.” Furthermore, the Wales Declaration underlined the security benefits of developing renewable energy and energy efficiency for the military forces. In particular, as the European Union (EU) relies heavily on Russia for gas, developing domestic renewable energy resources and increasing energy efficiency can help the EU to establish a strong position in negotiating recent political tension with Russia. NATO is an alliance of 28 independent member countries, with the “essential purpose. . . to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.”
RTCC, NATO Wales Summit Declaration, NATO Wales Summit Guide
Carbon Capture and Enhanced Oil Recovery Project Breaks Ground
On September 5, NRG Energy, partnering with Japan’s JX Nippon, began work on the new Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project at the WA Parish power plant in Fort Bend County, near Houston, Texas. This billion dollar project, expected to be completed in 2016, will capture 90 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the coal plant, keeping it from entering the atmosphere and contributing to climate change. Instead, the CO2 will be shipped 82 miles to the West Ranch oil field, where it will be used in a process known as “enhanced oil recovery” to help push oil out of the ground. This will be the first large scale carbon capture project of its kind. “The best way for us to avoid the harmful consequences of emitting carbon into the atmosphere is to turn it into a productive asset here on Earth,” stated David Crane, president and CEO of NRG. “By piping captured carbon exhaust into domestic oil fields, we both protect the environment and enhance domestic oil production benefitting our national energy security.” NRG and JX Nippon will both invest $300 million in the project, with $167 million of additional financing coming from the Department of Energy’s Clean Coal Power Initiative Program grants. The remaining $250 million will be loaned from Japanese banks. “Unconventional partnerships have driven innovation and disrupted the old ways of seeing things to create a project that could change the world,” said John Ragan, President of the Petra Nova power plant. "What's happening here has global implications," added U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman, during the project’s opening. The project was originally announced July 15, 2014 (see Climate Change News July 21).
E&E News, Reuters, Houston Business Journal, Market Watch
Charges Dropped Against Activists Who Blocked Coal Shipment in Massachusetts, Attorney Says They Were Right
On September 8, the felony charge against two environmental activists, Ken Ward and Jay O’Hara, were dropped just before the trial began. The prosecuting district attorney, C. Samuel Sutter, agreed with them that climate change is “one of the gravest crises our planet has ever faced,” and said he dropped the charge with the “children of Bristol County and beyond in mind.” They will retain three counts of misdemeanor, which will be settled as civil offenses. All penalties and fines have been dropped, except for a $2,000 fee each man will pay to local police to reimburse their costs. Ward and O’Hara had four charges filed against them by the district police in Massachusetts because they used a lobster boat to block a shipment of 40,000 tons of coal to Brayton Point Power Station on May 15, 2013, citing the risks of climate change. “We were trying to shut down Brayton Point,” O’Hara said. “The odds of doing it that day were low. . . [but] it was absolutely necessary for public well-being and public safety to shut this plant down.” District Attorney Sutter commented, “In my humble opinion, the political leadership on [climate change] has been sorely lacking . . . I am also extremely pleased that we were able to reach an agreement that symbolizes our commitment at the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office to take a leadership role on this issue.” Ward and O’Hara were pleased, with O’Hara saying, “This is the response we need to be getting from elected and appointed officials if we’re going to change our trajectory on the climate.” Matt Pawa, lead defense attorney for Ward and O’Hara said, “What they did was the right thing to do under the circumstances. If there is a threat that’s looming to property or life, to yourself or a loved one, or, in this case, to all of our loved ones, you can act in ways that would otherwise be considered criminally illegal.”
Providence Journal, Mint Press News, Climate Central, Video
Competition to Measure Ocean Acidification Announces Teams
On September 4, the XPrize Foundation revealed the 18 teams that will be competing for the $2 million Wendy Schmidt Ocean XPrize, which will be split between the groups that come up with the most accurate and affordable solutions to measure the ocean’s pH levels. As atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves in seawater it reacts to form carbonic acid, a process known as “ocean acidification” which can be measured using the pH scale. Increasingly acidic ocean water eats away at the structure of corals and shellfish, with consequences for commercial fisheries (see Climate Change News August 4). Current techniques for measuring rising ocean acidification levels are difficult to use, not always accurate, and expensive. “Having a cheap, simple device that you can purchase commercially—not build—would revolutionize the science of ocean acidification,” commented marine biologist John Bruno of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The 18 qualifying teams in the competition come from diverse backgrounds, including families, university clubs, scientists, and even engineers from the surf industry. “We know it's not always the experts who have the best ideas,” said biologist Paul Bunje, senior director of oceans at the XPrize Foundation. “What we’re seeing is that anybody can be an innovator.”
Fast Company, CNET, Scientific American, Competition Website
Climate Change Warming Northwest United States, Study Shows
On September 2, Oregon State University announced the results of a study on regional climate change in the Pacific Northwest United States, which was published in the March American Meteorological Society Journal of Climate. The study found the Pacific Northwest annual mean temperature has increased 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit since the early twentieth century, due to human-caused global warming. Scientists used a technique called multi-linear regression to study changes in temperature and precipitation, and differentiate between naturally occurring changes and human impacted changes. By examining four climate-forcing factors (greenhouse gases and aerosols; solar cycles; volcanic eruptions, and naturally occurring cycles such as El Niño events) the scientists determined that human impacts were “the leading contributor to long-term warming.” Lead author of the study, John Abatzoglou, an associate professor at the University of Idaho, stated, “Climate is a bit like a symphony where . . . [these factors] all represent different instruments. At regional scales like in the Northwest, years or decades can be dominated by natural climate variability, thereby muffling or compounding the tones of human-induced warming. Once you silence the influence of natural factors, the signal of warming due to human causes is clear—and it is only getting louder.” Phillip Mote, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University and a co-author of the study, stated, “The amount of warming may not sound like a lot, but we are already starting to see some of the impacts . . . . Just a 1.3 degree increase has lengthened the ‘freeze-free’ season by 2-3 weeks and is equivalent to moving the snowline 600 feet up the mountain.”
KTVZ.COM, Statesman Journal, PHYS.ORG, Study, Press Release
Report Highlights Gap Between Global Climate Goals and Actions
On September 8, the sixth annual Low Carbon Economy Index report, named Two Degrees of Separation: Ambition and Reality, was published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The report highlighted the gap between global carbon emission targets and existing trends of carbon reductions. According to the report, the world needs to cut its carbon intensity by 6.2 percent per year to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees C. However, global carbon intensity only dropped by 1.2 percent from 2012 to 2013. Jonathan Grant, director of sustainability and climate change for PwC, said, “The gap between what we are achieving and what we need to do is growing wider every year. Current pledges really put us on track for 3 degrees. This is a long way from what governments are talking about.” The report did highlight countries which have had recent success: the United Kingdom, China, Italy, and Australia all reduced their carbon intensity between 4 and 5 percent in 2013. The report found that the E7 countries with emerging economies (China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia and Turkey) reduced their average carbon intensity by 1.7 percent in 2013. This bested the G7 countries (G7: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) for the first time, which reduced carbon intensity by 0.2 percent. Grant commented, “What we’ve seen over the past twelve months is a subtle change in the carbon rhetoric. The costs of climate inaction—from flooding to energy costs to commodity pricing, to food insecurity—appear to be growing stronger. A broader recognition is needed by both business and political leaders that taking decisive action to avoid the extremes of climate change is a precondition for sustained economic growth.”
Reuters, Clean Technica, Report
World Carbon Dioxide Levels Grew at Most Rapid Pace in 30 Years During 2013
On September 8, a report on global carbon dioxide levels was published in the Greenhouse Gas Bulletin of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). WMO chief Michel Jarraud stated, “We know without any doubt that our climate is changing and our weather is becoming more extreme due to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.” The report says carbon dioxide (CO2) atmospheric levels rose to 396 parts per million molecules of air in 2013, a 2.9 parts per million increase over 2012 levels – the largest annual increase since 1984. For the first time in its six years of production, the report included a chapter on ocean acidification. According to the WMO, “The ocean cushions the increase in CO2 that would otherwise occur in the atmosphere. The current rate of ocean acidification appears unprecedented at least over the last 300 million years.” Atmospheric concentrations of methane, which has the second largest effect on climate, also rose to a new high of 1,824 parts per billion in 2013.
Bangkok Post, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Economic Times India, The Globe and Mail
Climate Change Threatens Half of All North American Bird Species
On September 8, the National Audubon Society released a report revealing that climate change is having significant impacts on North American bird populations and their habitats. Over 300 species in Canada and the United States are facing climate shifts, which by 2080 could reduce the habitats where they live and breed by half or more. The US national bird, the bald eagle, was among those studied, and could see its habitat shrink to a quarter of its current size. Although some birds will migrate to new areas of the continent, others will be unable to, as birds with relationships to stationary plant species will encounter difficulties. “What happens to a yellow-billed magpie in California that depends on scrub oak habitat? What happens as that bird keeps moving higher and higher and farther north and runs out of oak trees? Trees don’t fly. Birds do,” David Yarnold, president of the National Audubon Society, explained. Stuart Butchart, head of the science department at BirdLife International, said studies like this “give us a first understanding of how climate change is likely to impact such a range of species.” The report utilized United Nations climate projections for 2050 and 2080, as well as annual surveys of birds done by both the federal government and the Audubon Society since the early 1900s. “What’s important about this particular study,” says Joshua Lawler, an ecologist at the University of Washington, “is that it’s built with a really solid data set.”
LA Times, NY Times, NPR, National Geographic, Study
Study: Ozone Layer Recovering as a Result of International Effort
The hole in the stratospheric ozone layer is slowly repairing itself, according to the Scientific Assessment released September 10 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), prepared by a team of nearly 300 scientists from 36 countries over the last two years. The path to recovery is the result of the Montreal Protocol, a 1987 international agreement (and subsequent amendments) that phased-out the global use of ozone-depleting chemicals. The assessment also calculated that the Montreal Protocol has provided climate mitigation five times greater than the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period - the equivalent of 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year versus 2 billion tons per year. "The Montreal Protocol - one of the most successful environmental treaties - has protected the stratospheric ozone layer and avoided enhanced UV radiation reaching the earth's surface," said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. The assessment warns however, that the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are super greenhouse gases, threatens to cancel the Montreal Protocol’s climate benefits if not controlled soon. Additionally, climate change itself also poses a risk to the recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer, as tropical ozone levels may be depleted by changes in atmospheric circulation driven by climate change. “Fortunately there is a proposal to phase down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol supported now by over 100 countries,” said Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development.
BBC News, Assessment Summary, UNEP Press Release, IGSD Press Release
Headlines
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1. New Jersey May Lose Out on $500 Million by 2020 Since Pulling Out of RGGI
2. Largest Pension Fund in United States Calls for EPA to Quickly Finish Climate Rule
3. 125 World Leaders Confirmed for United Nations Climate Summit in New York
4. 350.org Releases Documentary to Prepare for New York Climate March
5. Dengue Fever Expands Territory, Likely Due in Part to Climate Change
6. Sea Level Rise Will Be Featured in Long-Term Plan for Long Island Sound
6. Christina Figueres Op-Ed in the Guardian on Climate Change
7. Schwarzenegger Speaks About Nonpartisan Action Against Climate Change
Upcoming Events
1. Carbon Accounting and Vehicle Fuels: A Research Update
Thursday, September 18, 2014 Please note the new time: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm 2237 Rayburn House Office Building Free and open to the public
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing examining recent research regarding the carbon dioxide (CO2) intensity of transportation fuels, such as crude oil and ethanol. The panel will also consider the economic costs and benefits of renewable fuels as a CO2 reduction strategy. Please RSVP here to expedite check-in.
2. Event Lineup for Climate Week in New York City
From September 21-28, Climate Week NYC, home to over 100 events and forums, will be held in New York City. Here are some of the top events to pay attention to:
United Nations Climate Summit: 9/23
UN Headquarters
The summit will bring together representatives from UN member states with leaders from diverse sectors, including governments, finance, civil society and business. All participants are encouraged to announce voluntary commitments to mitigate climate change. The event is closed to the public, but will be streamed online the entire day at webtv.un.org. For more information, click here.
NYC Climate Convergence: 9/19 – 21, 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
St. Johns University, Room 112
Considered an alternative to the UN Summit, the goal of Climate Convergence is to challenge the “corporate structure” of the UN Summit and “raise the bar for real solutions to the climate emergency that also solve the crises of economic and racial justice, human rights, democracy and peace.” The event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.
People’s Climate March 9/21, 11:30 am
Will take place in Midtown Manhattan (launching from Columbus Circle on the south end of Central Park).
Called the “greatest march in climate history,” the People’s Climate March’s current participants list includes over 1,000 organizations, such as “community and labor groups to international NGOs and faith organizations.” Bill McKibben of 350.org called the March “[an] invitation to anyone who’d like to prove to themselves, and to their children, that they give a damn about the biggest crisis our civilization has ever faced.” For more information, click here.
Religions for the Earth Conference 9/19 – 21, 12:00pm – 8:30pm
Union Theological Seminary
Over 200 international faith based organizations and speakers will meet to look at the climate crisis and proposed concurrent action from a spiritual standpoint. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.
Clinton Global Initiative 9/21 – 24
Undisclosed location, closed to the public
An annual event, the Clinton Global Initiative is star studded, with speakers including President Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Matt Damon. This year’s theme is “Reimagining Impact,” as the impact of various climate strategies already in effect will be examined. For more information, click here.
People’s Climate Justice Summit 9/22 - 23, 10:00am - 5:00pm
The New School/ UN Church Center
Another alternative to the UN Summit (which the Climate Justice Alliance says “represents the corporate takeover of the UN climate negotiations and the privatization of land, water and air resources under the guise of a global climate compact”) is the Climate Justice Summit. The People’s Climate Justice Summit will incorporate a series of workshops, panels, and videos over two locations, the New School University Auditorium & the UN Church Center. The event is open to the public, but pre-registration for the event at both locations is required. For more information, click here.
Carbon Forum North America (CFNA) 9/23, 8:00am - 6:00pm
Morgan Stanley Headquarters
The Carbon Forum North America bills itself as the “most professional platform for discussing climate policy and carbon markets.” The event will convene NGOs, government, finance and industry sector professionals from the US and abroad. The event is open to the public, but a registration fee is required. For more information, click here.
Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) 9/22 – 23, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Church Center of the United Nations
WECAN is hosting several events during Climate Week, including a delegation at the People’s Climate March, an international panel of women speakers on September 22 “Women Leading Solutions on the Front Lines of Climate Change,” as well as co-sponsoring another forum the “Rights of Nature and Systemic Change in Climate Solutions” with the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature on September 23. The events are free and open to the public, but registration is required. For more information, click here.
Rising Seas Summit 9/24 - 26, 8:30am - 5:30 pm
Crowne Plaza, Times Square
Due to an increasing threat of extreme weather events caused by climate change-induced sea level rise, the Rising Seas Summit convenes 170 professionals from national and local government, industry, universities and NGOs to “share knowledge and work together to reduce and mitigate environmental and social degradation induced by climate change.” The event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.
The Climate Swerve: How to Shift Capital Away From High Risk Fossil Fuel Projects
9/26, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm
New York University School of Law
This event, hosted by the Carbon Tracker Initiative (CTI), will focus on how to achieve complete divestment from fossil fuels, feasible alternatives for ‘capital investors,’ as well as the answers to two questions: “How can we empower investors to shift capital flows from high risk fossil fuel production?”, and “Is Divestment feasible? Is Engagement effective? Where does CTI position itself in the debate?” This event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. For more information, click here.
ClimateWeekNYC.org
Ecowatch
Inside Climate News
Think Progress
Authors: Angelo Bardales, Emily Jackson, Carlos Villacis and Yi Xu
Editor: Laura Small
Advancing science-based climate solutions
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