Power Cost Meters - How & Why

Jennifer Witherspoon, (415) 293-6067, jwitherspoon@edf.org

(Sacramento – December 16, 2008) The Final Report of the California Green Chemistry Initiative today was praised by one of the initiative’s scientific advisers for providing six key recommendations for advancing chemicals policy reform and the development of a safer, more sustainable chemicals economy in the state.

“This report usefully recommends a number of the key building blocks that can move us toward the kind of fundamental reform we need in how we design, make, use and manage chemicals across their lifecycles,” said Dr. Richard Denison, Environmental Defense Fund senior scientist and a member of the Green Chemistry Initiative’s Science Advisory Panel. “While many critical aspects remain to be worked out through implementation, the report provides much of the needed framework.”

In particular, Denison applauded several key provisions aimed at increasing the amount of information about chemicals accessible to the public and the marketplace, including:

• A requirement that manufacturers disclose the chemical ingredients, including nanomaterials, present in their products through a publicly accessible online data network.• Development of a toxics clearinghouse intended both to compile existing information and to serve as a basis for identifying key data gaps on chemicals of concern for which data need to be generated.• Establishment of agreements with other governments to gain access to chemical information they possess.• Development of a framework and practical tools that can be used to expeditiously assess and spur the adoption of alternatives to chemicals of concern, with an emphasis on avoiding overly cumbersome and data-intensive analyses that could impede prompt action to address chemicals of concern.

Contact:
Dan Cronin, 202-572-3354, dcronin@edf.org
 
(Washington - December 19, 2008) Environmental Defense Fund’s Transportation Director Michael Replogle, an advisor to the U.S. Department of Transportation and a former consultant to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and the World Bank, issued the following statement about President-elect Obama’s nomination of retiring Republican Illinois Congressman Ray LaHood to be Secretary of Transportation:

“We’re are encouraged that Secretary-designate LaHood said President-elect Obama’s ‘agenda for the Department of Transportation is my agenda’ and we look forward to working with Transportation Secretary-designate LaHood to carry out that agenda.

“We also commend him for highlighting his priorities as mass transit, light rail, Amtrak, then roads; acknowledging that ‘local folks know best their transportation needs;’ and his commitment to working with governors, mayors and local officials.”

“We urge Secretary-designate LaHood to lead the Obama Administration’s efforts to adopt new transportation policies to help solve the critical economic, climate and environmental problems facing our country. It is vital that the economic recovery package and the next transportation bill focus investment on expanding low-carbon transportation options, repairing existing infrastructure, and improving freight and passenger transportation system performance.

“Secretary-designate LaHood has an opportunity to shape transportation policy for a generation in a way that cuts traffic, global warming and toxic pollution, and helps us achieve energy independence.  We hope he will work closely with Obama’s strong environmental team of Carol Browner, Steven Chu, and Lisa Jackson. We look forward to working with Secretary-designate LaHood to make these important changes a reality.”
 

(Washington – January 6, 2009) President George W. Bush will make marine conservation history today when he announces strong new protections for a vast area of the central Pacific Ocean that includes nine distinct tropical coral islands and their surrounding waters, ranging from Wake Island in the west to Palmyra Atoll in the east.  The three new protected areas will be called MarianasMarineNational Monument, PacificRemoteIslandNational Monument, and RoseAtollNational Monument.  In total, approximately 195,000 square miles will be protected, an area larger than California. Having established the first U.S. marine national monument in 2006 in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which comprises 139,797 square miles, President Bush has now protected more of the ocean than any other president.

Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have worked cooperatively with the Bush administration for over two years to nominate, justify and develop scientific and public support for two of the three areas and eight of the nine sites protected:  Wake, Howland, Baker, Palmyra, Kingman, Johnston, Jarvis and Rose Atoll.  The Pew Charitable Trusts worked to secure protection for large, important ocean areas off the Northern Mariana Islands.

"Today’s announcement marks an enormous step in conserving the biodiversity of our planet. These new marine monuments rank right up there with our nation’s greatest national parks,” said David Yarnold, executive director of Environmental Defense Fund.  Yarnold added that the executive decision was based on findings by over 200 leading scientists from EDF and other organizations that the islands and their surrounding ocean waters must be protected because they are some of the few remaining, relatively pristine islands left on Earth.  "We are gratified that the president has given careful consideration to the scientific evidence and our recommendations to protect these areas."

Elliott A. Norse, President of Marine Conservation Biology Institute, echoes these feelings: “To the President and First Lady, to my colleagues in the scientific community, to the fishes of the Pacific and to all Americans who care about our oceans, I offer congratulations.  President Bush has now protected more ocean sites than anyone else in the history of the world,” said Dr. Norse.  “We greatly appreciate this bold, visionary action.”

“President Bush has laid the foundation for a national system of ocean reserves just as Theodore Roosevelt laid the foundation for our national park system,” said MCBI vice president for government affairs, William Chandler.  “The islands will be havens for all kinds of marine life, and a bulwark against the degradation and decline of the tropical Pacific,” Chandler predicted.

“President Bush is giving the world a Texas-sized gift," said Diane Regas, associate vice-president for oceans at Environmental Defense Fund. "These are places time forgot.  They still look as they did hundreds and even thousands of years ago."

Contacts: 

Dr. Elliott Norse, president MCBI, cell 425-985-6355;

Bill Chandler, vice-president government affairs MCBI, cell 703-851-9931; office 202-546-5346

Diane Regas, associate vice-president, Oceans program, EDF, cell 202-607-4657

To access video and photographs, please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/edf.  Media can access standard definition and high definition broadcast quality video for editorial use, free of charge.

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Marine Conservation Biology Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the science of marine conservation biology and securing protection for ocean ecosystems.

Environmental Defense Fund is a leading national nonprofit organization, which represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org  

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