Monday, June 16, 2014

WIMS Environmental HotSheet 6/16/14

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National / International News

 

<> President Obama announces the National Disaster Resilience Competition - the nearly $1 billion competition will support innovative resilience projects at the local level while encouraging communities to adopt policy changes and activities that plan for the impacts of extreme weather and climate change and rebuild affected areas to be better prepared for the future.

  • HUD's CDBG Disaster Recovery Assistance Program - All states and local governments that experienced a Presidentially-declared major disaster in 2011, 2012, and 2013 will be able to compete for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds

<> Things To Know About Rep. Kevin McCarthy's Energy Policies – Wall Street Journal: The likely new House majority leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), says energy is the issue he cares the most about.

<> UNFCCC Bonn Meeting Concludes: Rising Number of Initiatives by Cities and Better Land Management Show Pathways Towards Carbon Neutral Future - the Co-Chairs of the Working Group tasked to construct the 2015 agreement said in a joint statement: "The cooperative and positive atmosphere so self-evident here in Bonn has now translated into a significant step forward towards the elements of a draft treaty that needs to be a key outcome by the end of the year in Lima, Peru."

<> The freeze is on – Kasich signs S.B. 310, halts renewable and energy-efficiency standards - Heated opposition to the bill has come from all directions. Big manufacturers that use energy efficiency to save on power costs told Kasich the law could hurt them. Critics voiced concern that the rules will make it harder for the state to meet new clean-air regulations from the EPA. Scientists from across the country wondered aloud why Ohio chose to be the first state to renege on its renewable standards.

<> EPA's Proposed Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Existing Power Plants: Frequently Asked Questions - Congressional Research Service …EPA faced a number of issues in developing the proposed regulations: • How large a reduction in emissions would it propose, and by. . .

<> Pollinators More Important to Crop Yields than Fertilizers - (Beyond Pesticides, June 16, 2014) As pollinator week begins, the critical importance of pollinators is exemplified in a recent study out of the University of California, Berkeley. Not only do pollinators help increase crop yields. . .

<> BLM Approval of Fracking Project on Public Land Jeopardizes Human Health - Center for Biological Diversity highlights the Noble Energy's Mary's River Project that will drill 20 wells on BLM-managed public lands four miles northwest of Wells, NV 

<> Secretary Jewell Announces First Step in Robust and Open Public Process to Develop a Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022 - Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Acting Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Walter Cruickshank today announced the first step in a robust public engagement process to develop the next schedule . . .

<> Secretary Jewell to Announce Coastal Resilience Grants for Local Communities to Protect Atlantic Coast Residents from Future Storms - Queens, N.Y. – On Monday, June 16, 2014, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will announce more than $100 million in competitive matching grants under the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resilience Grant Program. . .

<> How Energy Works: Explaining Game-Changing Energy Technologies - How Energy Works: Explaining Game-Changing Energy Technologies Introducing How Energy Works: a new series that breaks down the inner working of innovative technologies key to driving the Energy Department's. . .

<> National Lab Shows RPS Pays Off at Low Cost - Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) have been tremendously successful in driving both renewable energy investment and deployment of renewable resources in the U.S. Two-thirds of all non-hydro renewable capacity. . .

<> Powerful New TV Ads Focus on Plight of Polar Bears in Warming World  - More than 450 television stations around the country this week are receiving a powerful new public service announcement from the Center for Biological Diversity highlighting the global climate crisis and its devastating effects on polar bears.

 

U.S. Appeals Court Environmental Decisions

 

¨     Sierra Club v. U.S. EPA - 6/13/14. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, Case No. 13-1014. Petitioners challenge the Memorandum re: the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule on procedural and substantive grounds. The Panel ruled, "The court lacks jurisdiction to consider their challenge because petitioners fail to show they suffer injury that is imminent or certain as a result of the Memorandum, and therefore they lack standing to sue. Accordingly, we dismiss the petition for review."

 

Federal Register Highlights 

The following is an alert of Environmental Federal Register announcements that may be of interest for: Day, Month, date, 2014.  (Click here to access today's complete Federal Register index with links to complete announcements).

 

1. Air, Energy - Final Rule. U.S. EPA. Fuels and Fuel Additives: - Extension of Compliance and Attest Engagement Reporting Deadlines for 2013 Renewable Fuel Standards PDF | Text |

(click for the complete Energy & EPA announcements)