The Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign

Invites You to Attend the

OYSTER REEF WORKSHOP

 

When: August 7 and 8, 2013

Where: University of New Orleans
Research and Technology Park
Lindy Boggs International Conference Center, Room 152
2045 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70122

The workshop is free to attend, however, please register by sending an email to therynhenkel@gmail.com including your name and affiliation.

Conference materials will be archived at saveourlake.org following the workshop.

Presented by:

 

Agenda August 7

8:30 am:   Opening Remarks, Loren Coen, Research Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University

9:00 am – 10:10 am: 

Session 1: Historic and current extent of oyster reefs in Louisiana and geologic setting

9:00 am     R. Condrey (Retired – LSU DOCS) – Louisiana’s vast offshore oyster reef ca. 1519-1807, an internationally prominent navigational hazard defining, building, and protecting the coast: Independent eyewitness accounts of Barroto, Evia, Dumain, and Lafon supported by Charlevoix and Chavez

9:15 am     E. Melancon (Nicholls) – A Review of major oyster habitat studies in Louisiana from the Late 19th through the 20th century

9:30 am    P. Banks (LDWF) – Geographic extent of public oyster areas and private oyster leases in Louisiana

9:45 am    S. Gagliano (CEI), M. Gagliano and B. Kappel – Oysters as a geological agent

10:00 am  Questions/Discussion

10:10 am BREAK

10:20 am – 11:30 am

Session 2: Oyster reef ecology and ecological benefits to other fisheries

10:20 am   L. Coen (FAU) - An overview of current oyster reef ecology and restoration efforts across the U.S. with a focus on related goals, metrics and methodologies

10:50 am   A. Humphries (Rhodes U), L. Schwarting and M. LaPeyre – If you build it, will they come? Oyster reef restoration and associated fishery use

11:05 am   K. Brown (LSU) – Effect of artificial reef substrate on nekton and commensal abundance

11:20 am    Questions/Discussion

11:30 am   LUNCH

Key Note Speaker: John Tesvich, President of the Louisiana Oyster Task Force: A Louisiana Oyster Industry Perspective on Charting a Path Forward in Uncertain Times

12:30 pm – 1:40 pm

Session 3: Technical nature of reefs

12:30 pm   T. Soniat (UNO) - Oyster reef restoration and sustainable fishing: shell budgets as a confluent methodology

12:45 pm   J. Risinger (MWH Americas Inc.) – Artificial reefs as coastal breakwaters

1:00 pm     B. Webb (USA) – Laboratory measurements and field observations of wave attenuation by living shoreline reefs

1:15 pm     N. Love (TNC) and B. Piazza - Different approaches to assess the shoreline stabilization function of bioengineered reefs

1:30 pm    Questions/Discussion

1:40 pm    BREAK

1:50 pm – 3:00 pm

Session 4: Project Development

1:50 pm     S. Blitch (TNC) – How TNC has selected sites in the past, and what we will do differently in the future

2:05 pm     A. Freeman (EDF) and H. Roberts – A geological approach to the evaluation and creation of oyster habitat

2:20 pm     L. Baggett (USA) – Developing universal metrics and criteria for judging the performance of oyster restoration projects

2:35 pm     L. Coen (FAU) – Developing "restoration-goal based metrics" for judging the performance of oyster restoration projects

2:50 pm     Questions/Discussion

3:00 pm     BREAK

3:10 pm – 4:05 pm

Session 5: Permitting, legality and liability for artificial reefs

3:10 pm     K. Morgan (LDNR) - Permitting for Oyster Reef Projects

3:25 pm     S. Blitch (TNC) and L. Robinson - Assessing Risk in Oyster Restoration Projects

3:40 pm     I. Brown (LSU) - Artificial Reefs and Liability

3:55 pm     Questions/Discussion

4:05 pm     BREAK

4:15 pm – 5:15 pm

Plenary: Oyster Reefs and the State Master Plan

4:15 – 4:35  Natalie Peyronnin, CPRA –  Oyster reef restoration as a tool in the 2012 and 2017 Coastal Master Plans

4:35 – 4:50  John Lopez, LPBF – Value of oyster reefs in the context of the Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy

4:50 -  Discussion Panel – Panelists: Natalie Peyronnin, John Lopez and Sherwood Gagliano

Questions:

• Should the State Mater Plan expand the definition of oyster reefs to all reef types?
• What should the State consider when siting a new oyster reef project?
• Since the decision drivers of the State Master Plan are risk and land building, how should we evaluate reefs ability to provide habitat for specific species?
• Where should the Sate target oyster reef restoration?
• Should the State protect critical oyster reefs?                    

August 8

9:00 am – 11:30am

Session 6: Indepth review of three oyster reef restoration projects

9:00 am     M. LaPeyre (LSU), A. Humphries, S. Casas and J. LaPeyre – Development of ecological services on created shell oyster reefs in coastal Louisiana

9:45 am     BREAK

9:50 am     A. Smith Kyle (TNC), L. Schwarting (LSU), M. Gagliano (CEI) – A partnership to protect Louisiana coastal shoreline and create jobs by building oyster reefs

10:35 am   BREAK

10:40 am   E. Melancon (Nicholls) and G. Curole – Mid-Term assessment of CWPPRA Project TE-45: Shoreline stabilization and oyster reef development

11:30 am LUNCH

Key Note Speaker: Loren D. Coen, Ph.D. Research Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic  University

An Overview of Approaches for Mapping and Assessing Intertidal and Subtidal Oyster Habitat: Don't We Need to Know What We've Got Before Its Gone (or We Need to Know What We Have Before We Can Assess What We Lost and Begin to Restore Reefs).

12:30 pm – 1:55 pm

Session 7: Oyster reef restoration: Hatchery, ecological and commercial programs and perspectives

12:30 am   J. Supan (LA Sea Grant/LSU) – Hatchery production in oyster restoration

12:45 pm   P. Banks (LDWF) – History of Commercial Oyster Reef-Building Activities by LDWF

1:00 pm     T. Ortego (Wayfarer Environmental Technologies) – Engineered Oyster Reef Wave Attenuation on the Gulf Shoreline

1:15 pm     M. Lapeyre (LSU), J. Furlong, L. Brown, B. Piazza and K. Brown – Oyster reef restoration in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: extent, methods, outcomes

1:30 pm    Dennis Barkemeyer (HESCO) - Constructing submerged living breakwaters with oyster shells

1:45 pm    Questions/Discussion

1:55 pm    BREAK

2:10 pm – 3:10 pm

Session 8: Plenary – Lessons learned from oyster reef restoration projects

Panelists: M. LaPeyre, A. Smith Kyle, E. Meloncon, P. Banks, M. Gagliano

3:10 pm      BREAK

3:20 pm – 4:20 pm

Session 9: Wrap up discussion – Future of artificial reefs

Study finds high levels of methane emissions in Utah oil-and-gas producing basin EDF President calls for action in wake of new report on natural gas climate concerns Tue, 2013-08-06 Contact:  Lauren Whittenberg, 512-691-3437, lwhittenberg@edf.org

(New York - August 6, 2013) Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp called for action in response to a new scientific report published this week in the Geophysical Research Letters. The study reported high levels of climate-altering methane emissions observed on one day in Utah’s Uintah Basin, the state’s largest oil and gas producing region. Methane, the main ingredient in natural gas, is a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Researchers at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) led the study, which reported a methane leak rate between 6.2 to 11.7 percent of total production for an area of about 1,000 square miles. Findings are based on aircraft overflights on February 3, 2012 that measured methane in the air and estimated the proportion of those emissions from the oil and gas operations—production, gathering systems, processing and transmission. Measurements were taken over twelve days but due to poor weather conditions, estimates are based on a single day.

“Though the sample size is small, these emissions estimates are alarming,” said Krupp, who served on the U.S. Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board for natural gas. “Regulators and industry must take immediate steps to address methane emissions in the Uintah Basin, by evaluating industry practices in the region and strengthening regulations to keep up with best available technologies. Reducing methane emissions is a critical issue not only for the industry, but for everyone concerned about climate change.

“Urgency is building. In June President Obama identified methane as a key priority in his Climate Action Plan. Federal and state regulators have an obligation to ensure that strong rules are in place and enforced. This study suggests that methane emissions may be a serious problem in Utah, but we need more data to pinpoint exactly where emissions are coming from and to identify the opportunities are to reduce them. When it comes to methane, we know enough to get started. We can’t afford to wait.”

Specifically, Krupp called for the following measures to be taken:

• Both federal and state air regulators need to publically account for the current status of regulation and enforcement in the Uintah, and conduct an audit of enforcement practices and procedures, including an assessment of current resources;
• Utah is to be commended for publishing a list of best practices for oil and gas production, but should be putting leading practices into law;
• EPA should act immediately to close the loophole for ‘associated gas production,’ require regular maintenance and control technologies on compressors, replacement of high bleed pneumatic controls with low or no-bleed pneumatics, flares or vapor recovery units at condensate tanks, as well as apply leak detection and repair technologies where feasible;
• EPA should prepare a federal implementation plan (FIP) to address air pollution on Ute tribal lands in the Uintah, using steps taken in the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota as a strong model for progress; and
• The federal government, as part of a comprehensive methane emissions measurement program, should routinely survey emissions in each producing basin in the United States to measure progress over time.  

The task of reducing methane emissions does not fall on regulators alone. “Industry must step up to the plate when it comes to minimizing methane lost to the atmosphere,” said Krupp. “While there are companies that should be commended for trying to get practices and technologies right, it is in all companies’ best interest to prevent the loss of a natural resource escaping into the atmosphere. The public deserves a full accounting of practices that contributed to methane emissions during the time of this study.”

The study in question, “Methane emissions estimate from airborne measurements over a western United States natural gas field,” was published in Geophysical Research Letters.

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Ads will run in four states EDF launches new TV ad campaign calling on local communities to take action on climate change Tue, 2013-08-06 Contact:  Keith Gaby, 202-572-3366, kgaby@edf.org Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

(Washington, D.C. – August 6, 2013) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is launching a new TV ad campaign today calling on local communities to take action on climate change.

The ads highlight the dangerous effects of climate change on local communities and say, "doing nothing is no longer an option." 

Since President Obama announced his national climate action plan in June, businesses, farmers, faith leaders and local governments have highlighted the actions they have already been taking to address climate change, as well as pledging their support for the President's plan, which includes the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from power plants. 

“We've always known the support for action on climate change was broad, but President Obama's leadership has brought out voices from diverse and influential leaders,” said EDF’s Carol Andress. “We are only going to successfully address climate change if we have leaders who understand the real and costly impacts on local communities. From small businesses in South Carolina and tourism leaders in New Orleans, to faith leaders in Chicago and farmers across the Midwest, we've seen thousands of Americans stand up and say 'I Will.' ”

The 30-second ad will run in four states: Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire and Ohio. You can watch the online version here.

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Carol L. Andress

By Robert Parkhurst

Yesterday the California cap-and-trade program hit another milestone. The American Carbon Registry, an approved Offset Project Registry, issued the first compliance offset credits, a significant breakthrough because these offset credits are the first ones that can be used by California companies to comply with the requirements of AB 32, California's greenhouse gas law. The credits were issued for a refrigerant destruction project which collected refrigerants from residential, commercial, and industrial sources. While these gases came from a variety of geographic areas, a significant amount came from California sources like kitchens, garages, basements, and attics.

This is the first of many goals we expect from the offset market in 2013.  Earlier this year, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) planted a seed when it launched a process to develop a carbon offset protocol for rice growers. California is the second-largest rice growing region in the U.S., and the ground that is being plowed here, both literally and figuratively, will set the stage for the development of future agricultural offset protocols across the country with practices such as fertilizer management for lettuce and corn.

As the largest uncapped sector under the cap-and-trade program, agriculture represents a major potential to reduce near-term greenhouse gas emissions.  Unlike refrigerants, offsets generated by agriculture are perennial and a grower can get a long-term income stream for their practices. Because the U.S. has more than 442 million acres of cropland, agriculture has many opportunities to reduce greenhouse gases.

EDF's research and pilots have demonstrated that it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease input costs, maintain yields, and generate revenue – all at the same time – creating a win-win for both farmers and the environment.

Consider this: If just 5% of U.S. agricultural land were able to reduce or sequester half a ton of CO2e per acre, more than 11 million tons could be reduced – equivalent to taking more than 2 million cars off the road for a year.  By approving the rice offset protocol this fall, the ARB will take the first step toward unleashing this potential.

By Elena Craft, PhD

(This post originally appeared on our Texas Clean Air Matters blog)

I’ve written extensively about the potentially grave health effects of ground-level ozone (smog) and the need for stronger standards to address ozone pollution.  In 2008, the EPA set a national standard for ozone at 75 parts per billion—despite the fact that the nation’s leading medical societies and the EPA’s own Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) warned that the standard was not stringent enough to protect Americans from adverse health effects.  A number of U.S. cities and counties petitioned the EPA to amend the standards to sufficient levels.  EDF joined the call for common-sense ozone standards, partnering with the National Resources Defense Council, American Lung Association, National Parks Conservation Association, Appalachian Mountain Club and Earthjustice to press for a more protective standard.

Last week, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected petitions for a more protective air quality standard for ground-level ozone.  The decision is deeply disappointing and in direct contradiction of ample scientific evidence showing the health hazards of ozone pollution at levels below the current standards.

Reasonable ozone standards are of particular importance to Texans.  Ozone tends to form from vehicle tailpipe emissions on hot sunny days—so it’s no surprise that a typical Texas summer day is a perfect incubator for ozone gas.  Texas has some of the highest ozone levels in the nation.  The American Lung association identified a number of Texas cities and counties as ozone danger areas—including Houston and Dallas, two of the largest cities in the United States.

Millions of Texans are exposed to dangerous ozone levels every summer.  Ozone can cause inflammation of the lungs, making breathing difficult or painful.  Increased lung irritation from ozone exacerbates asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases—increasing the risk of asthma attacks and other dangerous respiratory events.  Just a short period of moderate ozone exposure can push breathing problems over the edge; a 2010 study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology reported a 19% increase in ICU admissions on higher ozone days.  Another study published in Environmental Research Letters linked short-term exposure to ozone with increased hospital emissions among the elderly.  And in Houston, researchers have demonstrated a significant increase in risk of heart attacks within just a few hours of exposure to ozone.

While today’s decision declined to establish a reasonable, protective standard on national ozone levels, the EPA should move forward with stronger standards as it conducts its legally-required review of the 2008 standard.  There are a number of proven, cost-effective solutions to protect Americans from the dangers of smog.  The EPA should mitigate ozone pollution at the source by finalizing the “Tier 3” tailpipe emission standards, which would have significant benefits for Texans and save billions in healthcare costs going forward.  At the same time, the EPA should strengthen emissions standards for other sources of ozone like oil and gas development activities and coal-fired power plants.

Texas’ combination of steady oil and gas development, hot summers, and millions of cars on the road increases the potential for generation of harmful levels of ozone. The Clean Air Act is our strongest lever to protect public health from the impacts of pollutants like ozone.  I am confident that the latest assessment of the standard will result in a standard that better reflects the scientific literature and more adequately protects public health.

Environmental Groups Seek Stronger Storm Guidelines for Oil and Gas Plants
By Eileen Fleming. WWNO 89.9 (New Orleans, La.). Aug. 6, 2013.
"A coalition of environmental groups is recommending tougher regulations on oil facilities to prevent possible leaks after severe storms. The group looked at damage reports filed after Hurricane Isaac last year.  The Gulf Monitoring Consortium formed two years ago to double check government efforts at preventing pollution…" (Read more).

BP presents evidence of fraudulent claims, demands temporary halt of claims payments again
By Mark Schleifstein. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). Aug. 6, 2013.
"BP on Monday renewed its request for a federal judge to temporarily halt the payment of millions of dollars of economic claims stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, charging it has found new evidence of improper payment of claims by an employee at a Mobile, Ala., claims office…" (Read more).

The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — Funding The Master Plan
By Bob Marshall. WWNO 89.9 (New Orleans, La.). Aug. 5, 2013.
"When Louisiana officials unveiled the $50-billion Master Plan for the Coast, a 50-year program that could prevent most of southeast Louisiana from sinking under the Gulf by the end of the century as predicted, they knew one of their most important priorities would be getting reliable, long-term funding through Congress…" (Read more).

Levee lawsuit already mired in politics
Opinion by Stephanie Grace. The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). Aug. 5, 2013.
"If you’re trying to stay above politics, it’s probably not a great idea to jump into the middle of the great industry-versus-trial-lawyer debate.  That’s where Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East finds itself these days, thanks to its epic lawsuit demanding that roughly 100 oil and gas companies…" (Read more).

Treasury moves ahead with BP spill restoration rule
By Ben Geman. The Hill (Washington, D.C.). Aug. 5, 2013.
"The Treasury Department is getting ready to steer billions of dollars in civil penalties from the 2010 BP oil spill to Gulf Coast states for ecological and economic restoration.  The department sent a proposed rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Friday to implement the Restore Act…" (Read more).

Letter: Why shouldn’t oil and gas companies pay?
Opinion by Alfred Sunseri. The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). Aug. 5, 2013.
"While I have known and become friends with Gov. Bobby Jindal and Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Chairman Garret Graves over nearly 20 years, I have to disagree with the position they have taken opposing the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East’s recent lawsuit…" (Read more).

Whales tell the tale of BP oil spill
By Kimberly Blair. Pensacola News Journal (Fla.). Aug. 5, 2013.
"You might think the BP oil spill disaster is behind us.  But it’s not, according to scientists for Operation Toxic Gulf.  The scientists are out in the Gulf of Mexico trying to determine the long-term impacts of the 2010 oil spill and the controversial use of dispersants used to break up the oil…" (Read more).

 

 

  By: Kendra Karr & Valerie Miller Intro by Dan Whittle: With generous support from the Waitt Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has launched a new initiative to support collaborative field research with scientists from the University of Havana's Center for Marine Research. This initiative is enabling teams of Cuban, U.S. and Mexican scientists to [...]

By Will Lindsey, Environmental Defense Fund

Allied Concrete Company, a 68-year-old firm based in Charlottesville, Va., is creating new business opportunities by partnering with conservation groups to deploy miles of new oyster reefs along the Gulf Coast. These reefs are composed of an innovative concrete product and create both a restored ecosystem habitat as well as a new business opportunity for Allied Concrete.

Allied Concrete builds Oyster Castles to battle declining oyster populations in coastal regions. Photo Credit: Allied Concrete Co.

In 2011, the 100-1000 Coalition began implementing a project to build 100 miles of oyster reefs in Alabama, which would then support more than 1,000 acres of marshland. Coalition member organizations include Mobile Baykeeper, The Nature Conservancy, The Alabama Coastal Foundation, Weeks Bay Foundation, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, The Ocean Foundation, Alabama Wildlife Foundation and Coastal Conservation Association.

A displaced Louisianan, Allied Concrete company president Gus Lorber has a passion for saving the Gulf. “I grew up in Louisiana and worked, played and fished in the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast area my entire life,” said Lorber. “I have seen firsthand the degradation of the coastal wetlands in that area my entire life.”

Founded in 1945, Allied traditionally made concrete blocks, but the company has since diversified its product range in response to ever-changing markets and customer needs. Notably, in 2007, Allied joined forces with The Nature Conservancy and others to develop a solution to the declining oyster populations in coastal regions. The result of this partnership was the Oyster Castle, which is a concrete unit by Allied specially designed to build oyster reefs. The unit is made of a “certified blend of proprietary material conducive to attracting and fostering oyster settlement, attachment, and growth.”

Oyster Castles create habitats and also help to slow coastline erosion.
Photo Credit: Allied Concrete Co.

Significantly, the Oyster Castle has received a gold Cradle to Cradle certification for its environmentally-friendly design. With Gulf Coast restoration projects likely to ramp up in response to potential monies flowing as a result of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster, Allied’s business is expected to increase. “I firmly believe that, as the RESTORE Act monies become available, the monies should be spent on creating economies in the ‘home’ states, and we are prepared to license local manufacturers to make our units to accomplish this goal,” says Lorber.

Allied is proud to be making a product that has a positive impact in the Gulf Coast. “Besides being my passion, all of my employees love what we are doing with Oyster Castles,” said Lorber. “They feel good about this company for helping the environment, they feel good about their part in making a product that plays a part in this, and they always volunteer for whatever hair-brained scheme I come up with to make products that do good things.”

In addition to providing habitat, oyster reef restoration projects provide numerous environmental benefits including water filtration, habitat for other marine life, storm surge attenuation and erosion control.

By Steven Hamburg

Concerns about the methane problem associated with the U.S. natural gas boom are mounting with each study released. This week scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Colorado (UC) at Boulder published a new paper on methane leakage in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. It reports an alarmingly high level of methane emissions in the Uintah Basin of Utah — 6.2 to 11.7 percent of total production for an area about 1,000 square miles. Findings are based on readings from airplane flights that measured methane in the air on a single day and estimated the proportion of those emissions that came from the oil and gas infrastructure —production, gathering systems, processing and transmission of the gas out of the region. The authors calculated the uncertainty of their measurements, finding a 68 percent chance the leak rate is between 6.2 and 11.7 percent, and a 95 percent chance it is between 3.5 and 14 percent.

This follows two other regional studies conducted by scientists at the same organizations. One released last May in the Journal of Geophysical Research reported a 17 percent methane leak rate for the Los Angeles Basin, which has received quite a bit of attention although, as I’ll explain below, the figure can be misleading.  The second study, conducted over the Denver-Julesburg Basin in 2008, found 4 percent of the methane produced at an oil and gas field near Denver at that time was escaping into the atmosphere. Taken together, these studies are troubling. They should be regarded as alarm bells ringing in our ears. Action by policymakers and industry is needed now.

Any amount of methane lost from the natural gas supply chain should be eliminated whenever possible. That’s because methane retains heat much more effectively relative to carbon dioxide: Over the first 20 years, an ounce of methane traps in heat 72 times more efficient. Even small amounts vented or released as “fugitives” – unintentional methane leaked as gas moves from the field to your doorstep – can reduce or eliminate the climate advantage we think we’re getting when we substitute natural gas for coal or oil.

That said, in order to understand how to reduce the leaks we must recognize that each study offers a snapshot of emissions at a specific time, across a specific basin. Different industry sources make up the emissions profile in these areas, including distinct amounts of oil and gas production, and varying components of the natural gas supply chain (production, gathering, processing and local distribution).  By comparison, the latest estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggest that 1.5 percent of total U.S. natural gas production was lost to venting or leakage in 2011. We have a lot of work to do to understand the apparent disparities between different estimates and studies.

Though Environmental Defense Fund was not involved in any of these studies, we can offer some important context based on our own experience doing research on this critical issue.

Methane emissions can occur from natural gas produced both from oil and gas wells. In order to get a clear understanding of the problem, it is necessary to pay careful attention to the details of each study.  In the Los Angeles study, for example, the authors report a 17 percent leakage for the oil and gas industry, but fail to highlight that the vast majority of total hydrocarbon production in the basin is oil. This led some to the mistaken conclusion that 17 percent leakage applies to the natural gas industry as a whole.

Certainly, this finding still indicates more should be done to better control methane emissions associated with oil production in the Los Angeles Basin.  But it also points to a limitation with methane leak rates: Percentages quoted are not comparable between basins. Regional differences matter.

Further, oil and gas production in the Los Angeles Basin study only accounted for 8 percent of the region’s total methane emissions, compared to 48 percent from natural gas distribution and geologic seeps. The Los Angeles study underscores the importance of looking at the total picture when assessing sources and remedies of methane pollution.

The Uintah study is a slightly different story.  In this case, the basin is made up predominantly of natural gas producing wells, but the overflight captured more than just production activities.  Emissions from gathering, processing, and other various ancillary activities taking place in the basin were also captured in the overflight, with no way to attribute the high emissions among these various elements of the natural gas supply chain.

In other words, there is as of yet no data to tell us whether the emissions are coming from production, gathering, processing or other activities.  We know that industry-wide, the production process known as well completions (the process after hydraulic fracturing when a well is cleared of fluids and sands) may contribute about 10 percent of the total methane emissions if operators are not using “green completion” technologies that capture emissions for sales or beneficial reuse. Under recently enacted federal regulations, which EDF fought to adopt, green completions will be required nationally for any new hydraulically fractured natural gas well starting January 2015. There’s no data on whether operators in the Uintah were using green completions at the time of the study, but there is reason to suspect they were not. The Uintah study authors cite a U.S. Government Accountability Office report that notes higher rates of methane flaring and venting at the time of the study than in surrounding production basins.

More investigative work is needed before we can claim to understand what is driving these apparently large emissions. We don’t know everything we need to about the production and distribution practices employed in the Uintah Basin when this research took place, but there is no reason for the public to remain in the dark.  Producers, gathering and processing companies, and pipeline companies in the Uintah Basin must provide citizens with a clear accounting of what they were doing at the time these measurements were made, what they are currently doing and what they will do to end polluting practices and reduce methane pollution.  Likewise, federal and state regulators governing air rules in Utah need to take a hard look at their regulatory and enforcement practices, and provide evidence to assure the public that they are employing necessary procedures to prevent air pollution from the oil and gas infrastructure.  The evidence would suggest they are lagging. It appears there is a lot of work to do in Utah, and companies and regulators alike should not waste a moment in getting after it – including steps to routinely survey emissions in active basins to measure progress over time.

As to what these studies mean for our nation as a whole, one  need is additional data — a comprehensive and consistent look at methane emissions at various locations across the country — in order to properly characterize methane across the U.S. natural gas supply system. That’s why EDF, along with close to 100 academic, research and industry partners, is working on a series of 16 studies to directly measure methane emissions across the supply chain. Together, these sixteen studies will provide the most complete national picture of methane emissions to date.

The first study, led by the University of Texas and involving nine natural gas producers, will be published in the coming weeks. The UT study is not based on emissions from a single location but on measurements from diverse regions with data collected at the actual source. Direct measurements in the UT study focus on methane lost at the well pad and other natural gas production points, and will provide insights into how effectively specific industry practices can contain methane emissions. But it won’t offer a complete picture of methane emissions across all of the natural gas system. We’ll need the entire series of studies, a project that will continue through 2014, before we can draw comprehensive conclusions about the scope of the problem and the full range of options for minimizing methane emissions.

The Uintah and Los Angeles studies tell us that methane emissions appear to be a serious problem in some regions. Additional data will tell us more about where emissions are occurring and what can be done to reduce them.  But we know enough to get started fixing the problem. There is no reason to wait.

Petition asks state to support levee lawsuit
By Nikki Buskey. Houma Courier (Houma, La.). Aug. 5, 2013.
"Nine environmental groups are circulating a petition asking Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to support a lawsuit filed against nearly 100 oil companies, blaming them for wetlands loss that has made coastal communities increasingly vulnerable to flooding.  The historic lawsuit was filed last week…" (Read more).

A way of life on the brink of extinction in the Louisiana bayous
By David Usborne. The Independent (Bayou Corne, La.). Aug. 4, 2013.
"'It used to be the most beautiful place on Earth. I thought that I'd die down there.' The wistful words of Mike Schaff crackle through the co-pilot headphones as he banks his single-propeller plane to make one last circle over the small jumble of homes and canals deep in the verdant bayou country of Louisiana…" (Read more).

Is the flood board going rogue?
By Kevin McGill. The Associated Press. Aug. 4, 2013.
"In a month full of reminders of the perils and costs of offshore drilling — among them one leaky well, one full-scale blowout and spectacular fire and one corporation’s acknowledgment that some evidence pertaining to the 2010 Gulf oil spill was destroyed — July’s biggest splash was made in Civil District Court…" (Read more).

Suit filed on sinkhole anniversary
By Melinda Deslatte. The Associated Press. Aug. 3, 2013.
"BATON ROUGE — The state of Louisiana is suing Texas Brine for the environmental damage and massive sinkhole officials say was caused by the collapse of a salt dome cavern operated by the company.  Gov. Bobby Jindal and Attorney General Buddy Caldwell announced the lawsuit Friday…" (Read more).

Jindal looks for ways to intervene in levee lawsuit
By Jeff Adelson. The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). Aug. 3, 2013.
"Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration is looking for ways to block a lawsuit accusing oil and gas companies of raising the risk of catastrophic flooding in New Orleans by destroying the wetlands in southeast Louisiana.  The move represents a step forward in the Jindal administration’s opposition to the suit…" (Read more).

BP Says Loss on Spill Claims Appeals Could Scuttle Settlement
By Margaret Cronin Fisk & Laurel Calkins. Bloomberg. Aug. 3, 2013.
"The settlement BP Plc (BP/) reached last year with most private parties over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill could be scuttled if a U.S. appeals court doesn’t throw out the interpretation of payments being used by the claims administrator, the company said…" (Read more).

Researchers gather samples near Hercules blowout
By Xerxes Wilson. Houma Courier (Houma, La.). Aug. 3, 2013.
"A team of coastal scientists is combing through samples taken near the site of the Hercules gas rig that blew out July 23 in the Gulf of Mexico. The rig, owned by Houston's Hercules Offshore Inc., lost control of its well and soon after caught fire. The 44 people on the rig were all safely evacuated…" (Read more).

BP oil spill: Louisiana makes a dash for the cash
By Philip Sherwell. The Telegraph. Aug. 2, 2013.
"Gil Larpenter was turning his mind to dessert after a lunch of fried chicken, okra and red beans with friends at Li’l Miss Winnie’s, an unprepossessing joint in the sleepy town of Springfield, 60 miles north of New Orleans.  The humid stupor of a Southern summer blanketed life outside…" (Read more).

Oyster Shells for the Coast
By Ian McNulty. My New Orleans Magazine. August 2013.
"Whether they’re served on trays of ice or chargrilled, the shells from the oysters you have for dinner at select New Orleans restaurants may soon end up serving a new role along the Louisiana coast.  This fall, the nonprofit Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is set to begin its Oyster Shell Recycling and Reef Restoration Program…" (Read more).

Louisiana's congressional delegation weighs in on coastal lawsuit
By Rob Masson. Fox 8 – WVUE (New Orleans, La.). Aug. 2, 2013.
"New Orleans, La. The state's congressional delegation is at odds over landmark litigation.  U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) says she is willing to let the case run its course. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) thinks it's a bad idea.  The Louisiana marsh glistens in a way never intended.  Hundreds of miles of exploration canals…" (Read more).

La. coastal damage lawsuit long overdue
Opinion by Foster Campbell.  Shreveport Times (Shreveport, La.). Aug. 1, 2013.
"The coastal damage lawsuit against major oil companies by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority — East is long overdue.  For years we have seen how offshore oil exploration and production have damaged our wetlands. Yet no statewide politician except Gov. Dave Treen has tried to hold the industry accountable…" (Read more).

Have We Learned the Lessons from Deepwater Horizon? (Op-Ed)
By Frances Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Aug. 1. 2013.
"A natural gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico blew out last Tuesday night, igniting a fire and forcing the evacuation of 44 workers. Fortunately no one was injured, but natural gas is leaking and a relief well may have to be drilled…" (Read more).

Gulf Rig Fire is Deja Vu for Fishermen Still Reeling from BP Disaster
By Rocky Kistner. Switchboard – NRDC Blog. Aug. 1, 2013.
"When the Hercules Offshore Inc. gas well  blew and caught fire  last week, spewing natural gas and flames into the air 50 miles off the Gulf coast, many in the nearby fishing communities had another sickening feeling of déjà vu. It's been a little over three years since they plugged the volcano of oil…" (Read more).

 

Environmental Defense Fund commends the North Dakota Industrial Commission for quick action in responding to an oil field waste dumping incident that may have contaminated water supplies Fri, 2013-08-02 Contact:  Lauren Whittenberg, 512-691-3437, lwhittenberg@edf.org

(BISMARCK, N.D.) Environmental Defense Fund commends the North Dakota Industrial Commission for quick action in responding to an oil field waste dumping incident that may have contaminated water supplies in Stark County. Halek Operating ND LLC allegedly disposed of salt water, a byproduct of oil production, in an injection well not up to state standards. On Wednesday, the commission levied the largest civil penalty ever issued – $1.5 million – for an oil and gas violation against Halek. Credit goes to Lynn Helms, Director of the Mineral Resources Department for his leadership in taking the necessary steps quickly to protect the water resources of North Dakota. Criminal penalties are appropriate if Halek is convicted of violating the law. Gross violations of public trust should be met with zero tolerance.

# # #

Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook,See twitter.com/EDFEnergyEX; facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund; and http://blogs.edf.org/texasenergyexchange/.  

By Elena Craft, PhD

I’ve written extensively about the potentially grave health effects of ground-level ozone (smog) and the need for stronger standards to address ozone pollution.  In 2008, the EPA set a national standard for ozone at 75 parts per billion—despite the fact that the nation’s leading medical societies and the EPA’s own Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) warned that the standard was not stringent enough to protect Americans from adverse health effects.  A number of U.S. cities and counties petitioned the EPA to amend the standards to sufficient levels.  EDF joined the call for common-sense ozone standards, partnering with the National Resources Defense Council, American Lung Association, National Parks Conservation Association, Appalachian Mountain Club and Earthjustice to press for a more protective standard.

Last week, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected petitions for a more protective air quality standard for ground-level ozone.  The decision is deeply disappointing and in direct contradiction of ample scientific evidence showing the health hazards of ozone pollution at levels below the current standards.

Reasonable ozone standards are of particular importance to Texans.  Ozone tends to form from vehicle tailpipe emissions on hot sunny days—so it’s no surprise that a typical Texas summer day is a perfect incubator for ozone gas.  Texas has some of the highest ozone levels in the nation.  The American Lung association identified a number of Texas cities and counties as ozone danger areas—including Houston and Dallas, two of the largest cities in the United States.

Millions of Texans are exposed to dangerous ozone levels every summer.  Ozone can cause inflammation of the lungs, making breathing difficult or painful.  Increased lung irritation from ozone exacerbates asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases—increasing the risk of asthma attacks and other dangerous respiratory events.  Just a short period of moderate ozone exposure can push breathing problems over the edge; a 2010 study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology reported a 19% increase in ICU admissions on higher ozone days.  Another study published in Environmental Research Letters linked short-term exposure to ozone with increased hospital emissions among the elderly.  And in Houston, researchers have demonstrated a significant increase in risk of heart attacks within just a few hours of exposure to ozone.

While today’s decision declined to establish a reasonable, protective standard on national ozone levels, the EPA should move forward with stronger standards as it conducts its legally-required review of the 2008 standard.  There are a number of proven, cost-effective solutions to protect Americans from the dangers of smog.  The EPA should mitigate ozone pollution at the source by finalizing the “Tier 3” tailpipe emission standards, which would have significant benefits for Texans and save billions in healthcare costs going forward.  At the same time, the EPA should strengthen emissions standards for other sources of ozone like oil and gas development activities and coal-fired power plants.

Texas’ combination of steady oil and gas development, hot summers, and millions of cars on the road increases the potential for generation of harmful levels of ozone.  The Clean Air Act is our strongest lever to protect public health from the impacts of pollutants like ozone.  I am confident that the latest assessment of the standard will result in a standard that better reflects the scientific literature and more adequately protects public health.

Sen. John McCain criticizes Halliburton's 'paltry' fine in Gulf oil spill plea deal
By Manuel Torres, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Aug. 1, 2013.
"U.S. Sen. John McCain is lambasting the Justice Department for proposing a "paltry" $200,000 fine for oilfield giant Halliburton Energy Services, which is admitting it destroyed evidence after the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster…" (read more)

Gov. Bobby Jindal's top coastal official also raises questions about Halliburton plea deal in Gulf oil spill
By Manuel Torres, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Aug. 1, 2013.
"Gov. Bobby Jindal's top coastal restoration official Thursday raised questions about the $200,000 fine proposed for oil-field giant Halliburton Energy Services, just hours after U.S. Sen. John McCain said the "paltry" fine wouldn't deter destruction of evidence, which is the offense Halliburton is expected to admit in court next month…" (read more)

Jindal looks for ways to intervene in levee lawsuit
By Jeff Adelson, The (Baton Rouge) Advocate. Aug. 1, 2013.
"Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration is looking for ways to block a lawsuit accusing oil and gas companies of raising the risk of catastrophic flooding in New Orleans by destroying the wetlands in southeast Louisiana…" (read more)

Oil and gas industry has Louisiana's best interests at heart
By Chris John, Contributing Op-Ed columnist. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). Aug. 1, 2013.
"The Louisiana oil and gas industry has been on what seems like a remarkable streak lately. Every day, industry reaches new frontiers in areas never thought imaginable because of technological advancements, and it seems like a new economic development project in the manufacturing sector is a regular headline in our state…" (read more)

No easy task to prepare flood protection system if hurricane approaches
By Bob Marshall, The Lens (New Orleans). Aug. 1, 2013.
"As the heart of hurricane season approaches, residents protected by the new Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System can be excused for feeling a little confident. After all, last year while Hurricane Isaac dealt pain and suffering to communities outside the system, those inside endured only power outages and some downed trees…" (read more)

Oil spill deal is being used to enrich plaintiffs' lawyers
By BP Vice President Geoff Morrell, Contributing Op-Ed columnist. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). Aug. 1, 2013.
"Plaintiffs' lawyers have attacked BP for identifying grave problems with the administration of a settlement we reached with them last year that was supposed to compensate people and businesses that suffered actual losses as a result of the Deepwater Horizon accident. We offer the following facts in response to the plaintiffs' lawyers' attacks so Louisianians can make an informed judgment about the settlement and whether it's really compensating the intended beneficiaries…" (read more)

LDWF commission sets 2013-2014 Louisiana oyster seasons
By Melissa Canone, KATC. Aug. 1, 2013.
"Today, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission set the 2013/2014 oyster seasons based on the annual oyster stock assessment provided by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists and comments received from members of the public, including the oyster industry…" (read more)

Congressman Urges Coastal Restoration Projects
By DredgingToday.com. Aug. 2, 2013.
"Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D., (R-South Louisiana) issued the following statement after spending the day focusing on wetlands and coastal restoration projects in Vermilion Parish:.." (read more)

Jefferson Parish to build 17 islands to protect Lake Pontchartrain marshes
By Adriane Quinlan, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Aug. 1, 2013.
"The latest tool to protect and restore the marshes around Lake Pontchartrain is an island — 17 of them, actually, tiny ones made of plastic and planted with grass. They'll be towed into the water at Bucktown, where the hope is that they will help attract fish, crabs, birds and other wildlife…" (read more)

Rep. Scalise questions historic levee authority suit against oil and pipeline firms
By Bruce Alpert, NOLA.com | Times-Picayune. July 31, 2013.
"WASHINGTON – The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East is getting push back from a Republican Louisiana House member for its lawsuit demanding that 97 oil, gas and pipeline companies restore damages to wetlands that make coastal areas vulnerable to flooding…" (read more)

Tab Benoit still jamming — and talking wetlands
By Andre Salvail, Aspen Times. July 31, 2013.
"You can ask Tab Benoit the obvious questions, and he’ll answer them, respectfully and honestly, all while seeming as though he’d rather be discussing something else…" (read more)

By Annie Petsonk

The aviation industry can affordably meet and beat its goal of halting carbon emissions growth from 2020 if it uses high-quality, low-cost carbon offsets, according to a new analysis from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

Airlines’ goal of “carbon-neutral growth from 2020” could be so readily affordable that governments justifiably could hold airlines to a much tighter emissions target. Image source

Our analysis comes on the heels of a consolidated industry call for the governments of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to commit, at their next triennial September meeting, to adopt a mandatory global program to limit aviation’s carbon pollution by 2016 at the latest.

While forecasts are inherently uncertain, best estimates indicate that while new technologies, operations and infrastructure can help industry dampen emissions growth, substantial increases in aviation emissions are likely after 2020. Consequently, to meet their proposed mandatory goal of "carbon-neutral growth from 2020," it is very likely that airlines will need some kind of carbon offsetting mechanism.

An offset mechanism that limits credit supply to high-quality carbon units currently available and expected to come on-line in the future, could let airlines meet their emissions target at very modest cost. If governments adopt tough criteria ensuring that offsets represent real reductions in net carbon emissions, and if industry moves swiftly to capture those carbon units, the costs to airlines could be quite low – e.g., less than 0.5% of projected total international airline revenue in 2015, and less than a third of the fees airlines collected last year for checked bags, legroom and snacks.

In the current round of talks, the aviation industry is asking governments to mandate caps on airlines’ emissions at 2020 levels. Our analysis finds that a well-designed, high-integrity carbon offset program would make carbon-neutral growth from 2020 so affordable, that governments justifiably could hold airlines to a much tighter emissions target. That could mean putting back on the table a target the industry had proposed several years ago, namely cutting emissions 50% by 2050.

As my report co-author, Bloomberg New Energy Finance chief economist Guy Turner, said:

These findings show that the international aviation sector can control its CO2 emissions easily and cheaply by using market based mechanisms. The relatively small cost and ability to pass any costs through into ticket prices, should encourage the international aviation sector to accelerate and deepen its emission reduction pledges. More ambitious emission reductions now look much more doable, than mere stabilization from 2020.

Our analysis offers context to the costs of such a global market-based mechanism using offsets with strong environmental integrity, which the aviation industry called on ICAO last month to adopt to keep the industry’s net emissions stable from 2020 on. Such an offset program would allow the airlines to meet their emissions targets by both making emissions cuts within the aviation sector, and drawing on offsets that represent real emission cuts in other sectors.

Blog-exclusive addendum: effect on ticket prices

A well-designed global offset program, using high-quality offsets that represent real reductions in emissions, could add only a few dollars to a typical international fare:

• From Paris (CDG) to Beijing (PEK): $1.90 – $3.00
• From Paris (CDG) to Delhi (DEL): $1.50-$2.30
• From Paris (CDG) to Cape Town (CPT): $2.40-$3.70
• From Paris (CDG) to Buenos Aires (EZE): $2.70-$4.30
• From New York (JFK) to Buenos Aires (EZE): $2.10-$3.20

Read more in our press release and the full BNEF-EDF analysis, Carbon-Neutral Growth for Aviation: At What Price?

By Kate Zerrenner

This commentary originally appeared on EDF's Energy Exchange blog.

This week the Texas Legislature convened for its third Special Session in a row, yet the state’s electricity market still sits at a crossroads.  The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), Texas’ governing body for electricity, has been at a stalemate since Commissioner Rolando Pablos stepped down in February.  The two remaining commissioners, Chairman Donna Nelson and Ken Anderson, seem to be waiting on a third deciding member to step up and address the looming Texas Energy Crunch.  With the PUC divided and the legislature nearly adjourned, the state looks to Governor Perry to appoint a third commissioner to the PUC—breaking the longstanding stalemate on Texas’ power supply.

When appointed, the new commissioner will be in unique position to champion innovative, common-sense solutions to solve the Texas Energy Crunch.  One of the most expedient and cost-effective ways to bolster the state’s electricity supply is to reduce the amount of energy needed to fuel our commercial buildings and homes through energy efficiency upgrades.  In an upcoming post, I’ll discuss innovative ways to weigh the benefits of energy efficiency upgrades versus new fossil-fueled power plants.  For now, though, let’s review where energy efficiency stands in Texas today.

Texas prides itself on establishing the nation’s first energy efficiency resource standard  in 1999.  The standard applies to transmission and distribution utilities, so-called “wires” companies, which are still regulated by the state.  The standard is meant to reduce energy use to offset costly power line upgrades required to send electricity to Texas’ rapidly growing population.  Unfortunately, since 1999, Texas has fallen behind on energy efficiency.  Other states now have more aggressive energy-reduction targets that make ours look mediocre.  At the same time, Texas imposes energy efficiency program cost caps that make it difficult for utilities to meet even our modest energy efficiency goals.  Texas now ranks a sad 33rd on the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy’s (ACEEE’s) state rankings.

Source: LoneStarMike

Texas has the potential to do better.  We should look to the states leading the charge for greater energy efficiency (and beating out Texas in the rankings).  Michigan, for example, set vigorous energy efficiency goals in 2008.  Since then, the state’s largest utility has seen some impressive results.  Customers participating in the utility’s efficiency program have  saved enough electricity to power 142,000 homes for a year—not to mention $365 million in electricity bills.  The driving force behind Michigan’s energy savings is the state’s ambitious energy efficiency goals and streamlined policies.  Weighing in at less than half as ambitious, Texas’ energy savings goals pale in comparison to a state like Michigan.  On top of that, Michigan integrates energy efficiency into their electricity resource planning and provides utilities an option to decouple profits from sales, so they aren’t penalized for the energy they don’t sell.

My message to the new Texas commissioner, as well as all current commissioners and legislators, is this: Creating a market for energy efficiency is cost-effective and prudent.  The cheapest, cleanest, most reliable electricity is the electricity we don’t use.  Energy efficiency creates jobs and saves water—which is more important than ever in this era of prolonged drought.  Simple, cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades can reduce the amount of energy we use (and pay for) every day without affecting our comfort.  Investing in efficiency means taking advantage of innovative technologies in our homes and businesses that make our electricity more reliable, affordable and efficient.

We need, and expect, bold leadership from Texas’ new PUC commissioner.  Leadership that will help unleash the full potential of energy efficiency (a solution that Texas has championed in the past) as a low-cost common sense solution to our state’s Energy Crunch.

By Kate Zerrenner

 

This week the Texas Legislature convened for its third Special Session in a row, yet the state’s electricity market still sits at a crossroads.  The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), Texas’ governing body for electricity, has been at a stalemate since Commissioner Rolando Pablos stepped down in February.  The two remaining commissioners, Chairman Donna Nelson and Ken Anderson, seem to be waiting on a third deciding member to step up and address the looming Texas Energy Crunch.  With the PUC divided and the legislature nearly adjourned, the state looks to Governor Perry to appoint a third commissioner to the PUC—breaking the longstanding stalemate on Texas’ power supply.

When appointed, the new commissioner will be in unique position to champion innovative, common-sense solutions to solve the Texas Energy Crunch.  One of the most expedient and cost-effective ways to bolster the state’s electricity supply is to reduce the amount of energy needed to fuel our commercial buildings and homes through energy efficiency upgrades.  In an upcoming post, I’ll discuss innovative ways to weigh the benefits of energy efficiency upgrades versus new fossil-fueled power plants.  For now, though, let’s review where energy efficiency stands in Texas today.

Texas prides itself on establishing the nation’s first energy efficiency resource standard  in 1999.  The standard applies to transmission and distribution utilities, so-called “wires” companies, which are still regulated by the state.  The standard is meant to reduce energy use to offset costly power line upgrades required to send electricity to Texas’ rapidly growing population.  Unfortunately, since 1999, Texas has fallen behind on energy efficiency.  Other states now have more aggressive energy-reduction targets that make ours look mediocre.  At the same time, Texas imposes energy efficiency program cost caps that make it difficult for utilities to meet even our modest energy efficiency goals.  Texas now ranks a sad 33rd on the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy’s (ACEEE’s) state rankings.

Source: LoneStarMike

Texas has the potential to do better.  We should look to the states leading the charge for greater energy efficiency (and beating out Texas in the rankings).  Michigan, for example, set vigorous energy efficiency goals in 2008.  Since then, the state’s largest utility has seen some impressive results.  Customers participating in the utility’s efficiency program have  saved enough electricity to power 142,000 homes for a year—not to mention $365 million in electricity bills.  The driving force behind Michigan’s energy savings is the state’s ambitious energy efficiency goals and streamlined policies.  Weighing in at less than half as ambitious, Texas’ energy savings goals pale in comparison to a state like Michigan.  On top of that, Michigan integrates energy efficiency into their electricity resource planning and provides utilities an option to decouple profits from sales, so they aren’t penalized for the energy they don’t sell.

My message to the new Texas commissioner, as well as all current commissioners and legislators, is this: Creating a market for energy efficiency is cost-effective and prudent.  The cheapest, cleanest, most reliable electricity is the electricity we don’t use.  Energy efficiency creates jobs and saves water—which is more important than ever in this era of prolonged drought.  Simple, cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades can reduce the amount of energy we use (and pay for) every day without affecting our comfort.  Investing in efficiency means taking advantage of innovative technologies in our homes and businesses that make our electricity more reliable, affordable and efficient.

We need, and expect, bold leadership from Texas’ new PUC commissioner.  Leadership that will help unleash the full potential of energy efficiency (a solution that Texas has championed in the past) as a low-cost common sense solution to our state’s Energy Crunch.

By Richard Denison

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.

Yesterday’s mega-hearing (19 witnesses, 5+ hours!) on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), held by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), lent new urgency to the need for advancing long-overdue reform of this flawed and outmoded law.  And it opened a promising new phase in the long effort to get reform legislation that would protect public health through the Committee and to the Senate floor.

The hearing provided a formal opportunity for witnesses to discuss strengths as well as many of the concerns with the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA), S. 1009, the bipartisan bill authored by the late Senator Frank Lautenberg and Senator David Vitter that now has 25 Republican and Democratic cosponsors.  Notably, despite the concerns, witness after witness called on the Committee (10 members of which attended the hearing) to work to improve this bill. 

There seemed to be a remarkable level of agreement (though certainly not consensus) among both witnesses and members on several points: 

• First, the political opening created by the introduction of CSIA represents the best chance we’ve seen in a long time to fix TSCA, with the bill serving as the starting point for the Committee.
• Second, the compromise bill has significant flaws that need to be addressed. 
• Third, there is a willingness on all sides to address these concerns with the current bill, and to work to keep it bipartisan. 
• And finally, needed fixes can and should be made as the bill is taken up and advanced by the Committee.

I’ll have more to say in future posts about the concerns we and others have with the bill and how we think they can be addressed while keeping the forward momentum that was on display today. 

That won’t be easy, but as my colleague, Daniel Rosenberg of NRDC, in his testimony yesterday, brilliantly summed up the point we’re at now:  “This is no time to throw up our hands, but to roll up our sleeves.”

 

2013 Hurricane Season: Where do we stand?
By Jay Grymes. WAFB (Baton Rouge, La.). July 31, 2013.
"BATON ROUGE, LA – So far, so good.  But a quick review of the 2013 season through the end of July shows that the tropics are off to a relatively busy start in the Atlantic Basin, supporting the pre-season consensus projections for another busy Atlantic Hurricane Season.  Two storms have already visited the Gulf — T.S. Andrea and T.S Barry…" (Read more).

Halliburton will plead guilty Sept. 19 to destruction of evidence in Gulf oil spill
By Mark Schleifstein.  The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.).  July 31, 2013.
"Halliburton Energy Services Inc. pleaded not guilty in federal magistrate court in New Orleans on Wednesday to a single misdemeanor charge of destroying evidence involving employees erasing results of two sets of computer model tests conducted after the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster…" (Read more).

Ethics and the BP Claim
By Tom Young. The Legal Examiner (Tampa, Fla.). July 31, 2013.
“Much has been made recently about the ethics, or lack thereof, involved in filing a BP claim for a business’s economic loss associated with the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon blowout. While nearly all businesses located in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Florida…” (Read more).

District beefing up Montegut levee
By Nikki Buskey. Houma Courier (Houma, La.). July 31, 2013.
“Work is moving forward to repair a marsh management levee in Montegut that will eventually become part of Terrebonne’s Morganza-to-the-Gulf levee system. The levee was severely damaged during last year’s Hurricane Isaac…” (Read more).

Building A More Resilient Gulf
By Allie Goldstein. Ecosystem Marketplace. July 31, 2013.
"Charlie Broussard, a shrimper on the docks in Cocodrie, Louisiana, has seen the wetlands he paddled through as a kid shift dramatically – literally. In fact, the Louisiana coastline is changing so quickly that fisherman and oil rig workers who have spent their lives navigating the bayou by boat…" (Read more).

Jindal says new levee system 'changed the water flow' and hurricane preparation
By Benjamin Alexander-Block. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). July 31, 2013.
"Gov. Bobby Jindal on Wednesday said that Hurricane Isaac last year provided a stern test of the new federal levee system surrounding much of the New Orleans area, and that those improvements "changed the water flow." During a meeting on hurricane preparation in St. Bernard Parish…" (Read more).

Donelon: Large flood rates could devastate La.
By Ted Griggs.  The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). August 01, 2013.
"Proposed rate increases to the National Flood Insurance Program are so large they pose a threat to the Louisiana economy and could make it nearly impossible for owners to sell thousands of properties that lie outside the New Orleans region’s federal levee system…" (Read more).

Area west of Mississippi River added to impaired waters list
By Amy Wold. The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). July 31, 2013.
"The nation’s top environmental agency has placed the coastline of Louisiana west of the Mississippi River on the list of impaired waterways in Louisiana in what some consider a symbolic move to bring attention to the dead zone problem in the Gulf of Mexico.  The area, covering western Terrebonne Parish…" (Read more).

Protecting the Environment: An Economic Necessity in Texas
By John Michaelson. Texas Public News Service. July 31, 2013.
"AUSTIN, Texas – Industries such as commercial fishing, shipping, and gas and oil often come to mind when thinking about the Texas Gulf Coast – but an even larger economic engine for the region is tourism.  A new analysis finds that people who come to Texas to hunt, fish, hike and camp…" (Read more).

Gulf gas well blowout could spark changes in drilling regulations
By Associated Press. July 31, 2013.
"GULF OF MEXICO — Last week’s blowout on a natural gas rig off the Louisiana coast could shift regulators’ focus to shallow-water drilling and make an overhaul of safety equipment regulations more likely.  The rig, owned by Hercules Offshore and operated under contract to…" (Read more).

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Vice President for Land, Water and Wildlife David Festa released the following statement Wed, 2013-07-31 Contact:  Chandler Clay, (202) 572-3312, cclay@edf.org

(Washington, D.C. – July 31, 2013) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Vice President for Land, Water and Wildlife David Festa released the following statement in response to President Obama’s announced intention to nominate Michael Connor, head of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation and leader on energy, conservation and water issues, as Deputy Secretary of the Interior:

“Michael Connor excels at bringing competing interests to the table and coming up with solutions that keep our land and rivers healthy so that farmers, ranchers and businesses can continue to supply Americans with ample food, water and recreational opportunities in the future. His leadership in developing the Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study, for example, earned him the respect of agriculture, conservation, business and municipal water provider communities across the West. We look forward to working with him in his expanded role as Deputy Secretary of the Interior.”

# # #

Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.

David H. Festa

By Kritee

(EDF’s Mandy Warner co-wrote this post)

This week, experts in science, policy, and industry are meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland at the International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant (ICMGP).

We are honored to join them to discuss international mercury science and policy, and to share EDF’s work on mercury.

The ICMGP has been held periodically for more than 18 years. It has become the pre-eminent international forum for formal presentation and discussion of scientific advances concerning mercury, and gathers between 700 and 1200 experts for the five-day conference and exhibition.

This year’s conference will be of particular importance, because this year will launch the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Legally Binding Treaty on Mercury — which can provide much-needed global action on mercury.

This year, UNEP has also released its new report, Global Mercury Assessment 2013 – Sources, Emissions, Releases and Environmental Transport.

So this year’s meeting is perfectly timed to celebrate the release of the report AND the launch of the international treaty — and most important, to discuss how to put the treaty into practice. It will be a great opportunity for policymakers and scientists to collaborate on solutions that address worldwide mercury emissions.

It is well-known that mercury is an extremely toxic metal.

Mercury primarily exists in three chemical forms in nature: elemental mercury, oxidized mercury and methylmercury.

Methylmercury is the most neurotoxic substance that builds up collects in our aquatic foodchains.

About 400,000 children are born in the U.S. each year with so much mercury in their blood that healthy brain development is threatened.

As they grow, these children’s capacity to see, hear, move, feel, learn and respond is compromised.

While some forms of mercury are deposited near the emissions source, other forms — such as gaseous mercury — are stable in the atmosphere for approximately a year. Gaseous mercury can be deposited far from its source, even thousands of miles away – which is why it has global impacts.

The U.S. is leading the way to reduce mercury emissions from a variety of sources, including coal-fired power plants — the largest remaining source of mercury in America.

The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for power plants are in place thanks in part to strong support from EDF members, and from our partners in the environmental, health, faith, environmental justice, and business communities.

Power companies are working now to meet emission standards by spring 2015, by installing American-made technology.

EDF has helped advance mercury policy at the state and national level in the U.S. over the past several decades.

During the development of the recently finalized Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, we provided technical comments and testimony; worked with EPA, states, companies; collaborated with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to defend protective standards; and worked through the courts to advance strong mercury standards.

Our partner organizations like Moms Clean Air Force have helped engage diverse voices from across America, and bring new constituencies to the forefront of the national policy discussion on air pollution and toxics.

We now have the privilege of highlighting the U.S. experience reducing mercury and advancing technology solutions in the power sector to this important international scientific and policy forum.

We hope to forge new partnerships to advance an international solution to mercury pollution that can protect the health not only of Americans, but people across the globe.