By Mandy Warner

The comment period for the Tier 3 vehicle and fuel emission standards has now closed and hundreds of thousands of Americans have weighed in to support these important, lifesaving clean air standards.

Many, many thanks to the almost 336,000 of you who submitted comments through EDF's website or through our friends and colleagues' websites.

Those friends and colleagues include numerous groups representing health care, the environment, faith, business, labor, and moms — and they've all stated their support of the Tier 3 standards.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) now has to get to work reviewing and responding to the comments and crafting the final standards.

We expect EPA will finalize the standards by the end of the year, enabling automakers to gear up to meet the standards.

Organizations representing domestic and international automobile interests were among the many groups I mentioned that submitted comments to EPA. Their comments demonstrate the ability of the industry to meet strong vehicle and fuel emission standards.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers also commented on the benefits of strong Tier 3 standards — benefits that begin from day one:

“Sulfur inhibits the catalytic converter’s ability to reduce vehicle emissions, so lower sulfur at the pump means fewer exhaust emissions in the air. And because lower sulfur reduces emissions from all vehicles, the proposed sulfur reductions would achieve Day One benefits, immediately reducing emissions from every gasoline-powered vehicle on our roads, no matter how old.”

Labor groups like the United Auto Workers also weighed in:

“[Tier 3] standards will create jobs and are estimated to prevent thousands of deaths each year, in turn providing billions of dollars in public healthcare savings …We call for an immediate finalization of the proposed Tier 3 rules and the use of similar widely-beneficial regulations to ensure our commitment to creating the next generation of clean and efficient vehicles.”

A broad coalition of health organizations – including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the American Public Health Association, the American Thoracic Society, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Trust for America’s Health, Healthcare Without Harm, and the National Association of City and County Health Officials – had this to say:

“These standards are urgently needed and will help protect the health of millions of Americans who continue to breathe unsafe air … Abundant scientific evidence exists on the health effects of ozone, particulate matter and other pollutants from tailpipe exhaust. Tier 3 standards will be effective tools to reduce such pollution and improve air quality.”

The broad support for these common-sense standards demonstrates, once again, the unique intersection of clean air as a value for diverse American citizens, communities and businesses – a value that will have benefits for all, from day one.

By EDF Blogs

This commentary, authored by Robert Fares, originally appeared on Scientific American's "Plugged In" blog.

Modeled after the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) uses small grants to bring transformative energy technologies to commercialization. (Source: ARPA-E)

Last month, a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives quietly voted to gut funding for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) efforts to promote innovative energy research. The DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) was first on the chopping block. The subcommittee voted to slash its funding from the current level of $252 million to just $50 million—an 80% cut. On top of that, the subcommittee cut funding for the DOE’s work on renewable energy in half.

ARPA-E was created by the 2007 America COMPETES Act, signed into law by then President George W. Bush. The agency is modeled after the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)—credited for transformative innovations like GPS and computer networking. ARPA-E is intended to facilitate small government grants for basic research into transformative energy technologies that are too risky for the private sector. Since its first funding allocation from the Obama administration in 2009, ARPA-E awardees have already doubled the world-record energy density for a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and pioneered a near-isothermal compressed air energy storage system.

With help from a $4 million ARPA-E grant, Envia Systems doubled the world-record energy density for a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. (Source: Envia Systems)

ARPA-E’s numerous success stories and proven funding model have given it a measure of bipartisan support. ARPA-E is a major component of the Obama administration’s push for clean energy jobs, drawing high praise from Vice President Biden. Notably, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney agrees with the administration on this point: “Government has a role to play in innovation in the energy industry. History shows that the United States has moved forward in astonishing ways thanks to national investment in basic research and advanced technology.” In addition to Romney, other key Republican lawmakers have voiced support for ARPA-E: Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee both spoke at ARPA-E’s annual summit in February. Considering the fact that ARPA-E has already attracted over $450 million in private sector funding, its bipartisan support should come as no surprise.

This recent move to axe clean energy funding does nothing to truly address our budget woes and hurts our footing in the international race towards a clean energy future. As President Obama laid out in his landmark speech on climate change, it is time for Americans to come together and create a smart, clean, low-carbon economy that protects future generations from the threat of climate change. Programs like ARPA-E provide the vital funding needed to see innovative energy technologies through to commercialization.Now is not the time to cut these vital programs. We must continue supporting clean energy research and inspiring the next great generation of scientists and engineers.

Robert Fares is a Communications Intern at Environmental Defense Fund and a Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Robert’s research at The University of Texas looks at how energy storage models can be used with large-scale data and optimization for economic operational management of battery energy storage. Through his research, Robert hopes to demonstrate the marketability and technical compatibility of emerging storage technologies.

FEMA should halt excessive flood insurance rate hikes: Editorial
By The Times-Picayune Editorial Board (New Orleans, La.). July 7, 2013.
"As Congress moves toward a one-year reprieve for some property owners facing outlandish flood insurance rate increases, California Rep. Maxine Waters and more than two dozen colleagues are asking FEMA to put a hold on the higher bills administratively…" (Read more).

Restore Act: one year later
By U.S. Representative Steve Scalise. The Daily Comet (Thibodaux, La.). July 6, 2013.
"One year ago, the Restore Act was signed into law, marking a historic opportunity to revitalize the Louisiana coast and secure the future of our state for future generation. The Restore Act directs 80 percent of BP Clean Water Act fines to Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states for purpose of oil spill recovery and ecosystem restoration…" (Read more).

BP to challenge oil spill settlement payments Monday in 5th Circuit
By Richard Thompson. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). July 6, 2013.
"Lawyers for BP will argue Monday before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that what could amount to billions of dollars in settlement payments to Gulf Coast businesses and residents who lost money in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill should be halted…" (Read more).

Student developing Louisiana land-loss app
The Associated Press. July 6, 2013.
"HOUMA (AP) — A researcher is seeking help from residents to develop a web-based app to document land loss in Terrebonne Parish. Sandra Maina, a graduate student at Florida International University in Miami, has been working since last year to develop an app she calls 'Vanishing Points…'" (Read more).

Another tool for restoration
The Daily Comet Editorial (Thibodaux, La.). July 5, 2013.
"There is only one hope for south Louisiana and the people who live here: We have to act and act quickly to reverse the trend of erosion that is attacking our coast.  Although the state has approached the problem piecemeal the best it could in the past, what is needed is an all-out offensive using a dedicated stream of federal money that can be counted on to stay in place for years to come…" (Read more). 

 

New report shows wildlife tourism is central to Gulf Coast economy New report shows wildlife tourism is central to Gulf Coast economy Mon, 2013-07-08 Contact:  Molly Moore, Sanderson Strategies Group, 202.682.3700, molly@sandersonstrategies.com Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org Part I: Press release  Part II: Comments from participants in release of study  Part III: Key report findings for the Gulf region    Part I: Press release     PRESS RELEASE  EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:00 A.M., TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013
(New Orleans—July 9, 2013) The coastal environment of the Gulf of Mexico supports a $19 billion annual wildlife tourism industry that is highly dependent on critical investments in coastal environmental restoration, according to a survey released today by Datu Research LLC.   “Wildlife Tourism and the Gulf Coast Economy” concludes that wildlife tourism is extremely valuable to the Gulf Coast economy and relies heavily on the health of the endangered Gulf Coast ecosystem in the five states of Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Alabama and Mississippi. Wildlife tourism includes recreational fishing, hunting and wildlife watching.   Key findings of the report show that wildlife tourism: ·         Generates more than $19 billion in annual spending. ·         Attracts 20 million participants annually across the five Gulf Coast states. ·         Delivers $5.3 billion annually in federal, state and tax revenues. The study also found tourism jobs can account for 20-36 percent of all private jobs in in coastal counties and parishes that are particularly dependent on wildlife activities. Those 53 counties and parishes have more than 25,000 tourism-related businesses and nearly 500,000 associated jobs.   The study reported that all forms of tourism generate 2.6 million jobs in the Gulf states, nearly five times the number of jobs provided by the region’s other three largest resource-based industries: commercial fishing, oil and gas, and shipping.   “With so many outdoor adventure opportunities, tourism is a critical industry to our coastal parishes,” Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne said. “Sportsman’s Paradise is more than our state’s nickname. If Louisiana is to remain the Sportsman’s Paradise, we have to ensure that funds Louisiana receives as a result of the Deepwater Horizon spill are properly and wisely spent preserving our paradise.”   Lt. Gov. Dardenne will speak at a press conference Tuesday, July 9, in New Orleans along with Billy Nungesser, president, Plaquemines Parish; Charlotte Randolph, president, Lafourche Parish; John F. Young, Jr., president, Jefferson Parish; Capt. Ryan Lambert, owner of Cajun Fishing Adventures; Mark Romig, president, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation; Alon Shaya, executive chef, Domenica, Besh Restaurant Group and Marcy Lowe, president, Datu Research LLC.   The study’s findings underscore the direct connection between the health of the ecosystem and the economic health of the Gulf region and the urgency for using the pending influx of monies from the RESTORE Act and other payments resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to properly and effectively restore the fragile Gulf Coast ecosystems.   “The conservation solutions that last are the ones that make economic sense and consider the needs of local communities,” said Scott Burns, director of the environment program at the Walton Family Foundation, which helped fund the survey. “This study connects the dots between a healthy Gulf environment, abundant wildlife and the good jobs that depend on tourism. This report adds to the growing evidence that investing in real restoration in the Gulf is the best way to create jobs and build economic prosperity across the region.”   Datu Research LLC is an economic research firm whose principals were part of the Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness. They have previously released three analyses of supply chains associated with the work of coastal restoration, showing that more than 400 businesses in 36 states would benefit from such work.   This study was funded by Environmental Defense Fund with support from the Walton Family Foundation.   Part II: Supporting comments   Comments from participants in release of study: Wildlife Tourism and the Gulf Coast Economy    John Young, president, Jefferson Parish: “This study further supports the direct link between a healthy coastal environment and a robust economy which depends on a $19 billion wildlife tourism industry. The well-being and continued growth of our coastal communities depend on the health of the Gulf, restoring and strengthening our fragile ecosystems, and promoting a wildlife tourism industry which can thrive, not only in Jefferson Parish but in all Gulf Coast states.”   Billy Nungesser, president, Plaquemines Parish: “Plaquemines Parish and Louisiana are the nation’s premier delta coastline. We are strategically positioned as the fishing capital of the world, the sportsmen’s paradise state and the seafood capital of the United States, and these factors which make Plaquemines and Louisiana unique depend on the health of our coast.”   Michael Hecht, President & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc.:  “Tourism overall, including wildlife tourism, provides 2.6 million jobs across the Gulf States – and many of these are with small businesses. To protect this vital economic base, as well as other important coastal industries, we must prioritize large-scale coastal restoration projects that will ensure a stable coast and healthy environment.”   Mark Romig, President of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation: “New Orleans attracts the experiential discover type of tourist, one who enjoys using the city as a base to go out and explore any authentic and unique aspects of the city and region, including the natural world. For the many businesses in this region, the need to restore and preserve our coastal wetlands is not optional; it’s an urgent economic necessity.”   Capt. Ryan Lambert, owner of Cajun Fishing Adventures: “I’ve grown up loving and making a living from the waters of the Louisiana coast and for more than 30 years, my business has been taking people fishing in those waters. But every year, as I see places disappearing from the map, I fear I may be part of the last generation to live off the water.”                                                                  Ralph Brennan, President, Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group: “Family restaurants like mine depend on a healthy Gulf Coast for the fresh seafood that has made New Orleans the culinary capital of the United States. The money states are beginning to receive to repair the damages from the Deepwater Horizon spill are our best – and may be our last real chance – to reverse decades of mistakes.”   Marcy Lowe, President of Datu Research LLC.: “This study shows the vital connection between the health of the ecosystem and the economic health of the Gulf region. Wildlife tourism is a major contributor to the Gulf Coast economy, but its very survival depends on the restoration of an endangered and irreplaceable ecosystem.”   Part III: Key study findings    Report: Wildlife Tourism and the Gulf Coast Economy Key findings for the Gulf region   “Wildlife Tourism and the Gulf Coast Economy,” a survey produced by Datu Research LLC, finds that in the five Gulf Coast states: ·         Tourism generates 2.6 million jobs, nearly five times the number of jobs created by the region’s other three largest resource-based industries combined: commercial fishing, oil and gas, and shipping. ·         In Gulf Coast coastal counties and parishes where economies are particularly dependent on tourism, 20-36 percent of all private sector employment is tourism-related. ·         Wildlife tourism, which includes wildlife watching, recreational fishing and hunting, generates more than $19 billion in annual spending. ·         Wildlife tourism generates $5.3 billion annually in federal, state and local tax revenues, divided roughly equally between local and state tax revenues and federal revenues. In 2011, Gulf Coast state and local governments received $2.5 billion and the federal government $2.8 billion from wildlife tourism. Recreational fishing generates the highest amount of tax revenue at $2.2 billion followed by $2 billion from wildlife watching and $1.2 billion from hunting. ·         Wildlife tourism attracts 20 million participants annually across the five Gulf Coast states. The wildlife tourism industry consists not only of wildlife guide businesses that directly serve wildlife tourists, but also the lodging and dining establishments where they eat and sleep. ·         Gulf Coast tourism – and wildlife tourism in particular – is highly dependent on a healthy coastal environment. ·         More than 11,000 lodging and dining establishments and 1,100 guide and outfitters businesses create business networks that depend on each other for referrals. In a survey of over 500 guide and outfitter businesses, about 40 percent of respondents said clients ask them for hotel recommendations and 55 percent said clients request restaurant recommendations. Likewise, more than 60 percent of guide businesses receive clients based on recommendations from hotels and restaurants. ·         Guide and outfitting operations represent a strong network of small businesses that have a large impact on local tourism. More than 86 percent of these businesses have one to five employees, and nearly 60 percent host more than 200 visitors per year, with many hosting several thousand.

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