Coal Ash

 

Indiana Coal Miner Hires Ex-EPA Head Scott Pruitt To Lobby Against Plant Closures. According to Utility Dive, “An Indiana coal mining company has hired former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to lobby against the closure of coal-fired power plants in the state. Terra Haute-based Hallador Energy announced Sunday it had hired Pruitt to ‘protect’ Indiana power customers from rate increases caused by coal plant shutdowns. The Indianapolis Star reported last week that Pruitt had registered as a lobbyist in the state. Hallador said Indiana utilities are closing coal plants ‘based on Obama era rules that Trump and his EPA are in the process of unwinding,’ but utilities say it is because natural gas and renewables are cheaper options. State lawmakers this month rejected a plan aimed at saving coal plants, but Hallador wants the language added to the state budget. … Hallador, however, argues the utilities only think coal is expensive due to the expected cost of Obama-era regulations on carbon emissions, mercury pollution and releases of coal ash and wastewater. The Trump administration aims to replace each with less stringent standards. ‘[The utilities’] argument is that no one knows what the new rules will look like so we should hurry and make permanent decisions today,’ Hallador said in a release. ‘Who better than Scott Pruitt to aid the Indiana legislature on what Trump energy policy will look like?’” [Utility Dive, 4/22/19 (=)]

 

Toxic Algae

 

County Sues EPA Over Erie Algae Blooms. According to E&E News, “Commissioners from Ohio’s Lucas County sued EPA last week over algae blooms that regularly taint Lake Erie and threaten the Toledo area’s drinking water in the summertime. The three county officials say the agency is not adequately following the Clean Water Act, a ‘long-standing and indefensible failure.’ ‘The U.S. EPA’s inaction has abetted the equally longstanding failure of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to discharge its legal duties under the CWA,’ says their complaint, filed in U.S. district court. The western shores of Lake Erie, where Toledo is located, feature comparatively warm, shallow waters, making them especially prone to blooms. The Lucas County commissioners want to force EPA to require Ohio’s environmental agency to set limits on pollution such as farm runoff in western Lake Erie. Ohio Farm Bureau Federation spokesman Joe Cornely said farmers also want ‘a cleaner Lake Erie’ but differ on strategy. They say the kind of program the commissioners want takes years to implement and can get tangled up in court. He would prefer nonbinding pollution targets.” [E&E News, 4/22/19 (=)]

 

Misc. Waterways

 

Trump Highlights Economy In Earth Day Message. According to E&E News, “President Trump emphasized economic growth in an Earth Day proclamation issued today. ‘Environmental protection and economic prosperity go hand in hand. A strong market economy is essential to protecting our critical natural resources and fostering a legacy of conservation,’ Trump said in the proclamation issued by the White House. ‘My Administration is committed to being effective stewards of our environment while encouraging opportunities for American workers and their families,’ he added. The president went on to tout the country’s air and water quality, echoing a common talking point from EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. ‘At the same time that our Nation is experiencing historic economic and job growth, our air and water quality ranks among the highest in the world,’ Trump said. ‘Under my Administration, we are improving the quality of life for communities across America by strengthening the security and reliability of our drinking water and accelerating spending on water infrastructure,’ he said.” [E&E News, 4/22/19 (=)]

 

Wheeler Announces Weeklong Focus On Water. According to E&E News, “EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler today highlighted the agency’s work on water in his Earth Day message to staff. Wheeler said in an internal email obtained by E&E News that EPA this week is promoting its work to ensure clean water. ‘From providing access to clean and safe drinking water, to cleaning up rivers and waterways, to improving water infrastructure, we are elevating our efforts to address these important issues,’ he said in the email sent this morning. The EPA chief said today he will be joining DC Water and the Japanese ambassador to the United States, Shinsuke Sugiyama, on the Anacostia River to showcase one of those EPA efforts — recycling and reducing marine litter. The agency will also promote its work on water throughout this week on its social media accounts. ‘Today, and throughout the rest of the week, EPA senior leadership and staff will be participating in events to highlight our work to address water issues, celebrate our accomplishments, and serve our communities,’ Wheeler said. Wheeler was also at the White House Easter Egg Roll today, according to a tweet from his EPA account. Wheeler’s focus on water comes as the agency pushes forward on its deregulatory agenda. During the Trump administration, EPA has often proposed to roll back clean water standards.” [E&E News, 4/22/19 (=)]

 

Dems Announce Environmental Justice Caucus. According to E&E News, “A trio of Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee are launching the chamber’s first caucus focused on environmental justice issues. Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) said the Environmental Justice Caucus is intended to draw attention to the public health challenges associated with pollution issues that ‘disproportionately impact low income communities and communities of color.’ … ‘Our Constitution guarantees every American the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — but none of those things are possible without clean air to breathe and clean water to drink,’ Carper said. ‘The sad truth is that the meaningful progress we’ve made over decades to clean our air and water has not been distributed equally.’ Duckworth, the top Democrat on the panel’s Fisheries, Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, said she wants to highlight the ‘alarming rates’ of public health challenges faced by minorities ‘while too many in power look the other way.’ ‘Clean air and clean water shouldn’t be luxuries for the privileged,’ said Booker, the ranking member on the Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight Subcommittee, who is also running for president in 2020. ‘We cannot achieve economic justice or social justice in this country without also addressing environmental justice.’ League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski applauded the new caucus, which he said all senators should join.” [E&E News, 4/22/19 (=)]

 

As Fish Species Dwindle, Willamette Named One Of The Most ‘Endangered’ Rivers In The Country. According to The Oregonian, “The Willamette River, the aqueous arterial that defines much of Western Oregon, is in trouble. Last week, the advocacy group American Rivers, named the Willamette to its top-10 list of endangered rivers in the country, a dubious distinction that the group hopes will draw attention to the perils facing the waterway. Of course, the river itself is not endangered. The headwaters in the Cascades will continue to channel rainfall and gush snowmelt into the 13 tributaries that contribute to the 187-mile waterway, which drains nearly 12,000 square miles. But while the river itself won’t soon go extinct, the same can’t be said for two endangered species of fish that have come to define its troubles: spring chinook and winter steelhead. The existence of these iconic species is threatened by a number of factors, but their primary threat, according to American Rivers, is loss of access to habitat, cut off by more than a dozen dams that keep the Willamette Valley from flooding. A 2008 federal document mandated changes to those dams to make migration easier for the threatened fish, but according to advocates, the agency in charge of the dams has dragged its feet, delayed projects and failed to allocate adequate funding that could help save the endangered species. ‘It’s like they’ve been operating in slow motion,’ said David Moryc, senior director for public lands policy at American Rivers. ‘The fish can’t wait any more.’” [The Oregonian, 4/22/19 (+)]

 

Justices To Weigh Who Pays For Oil Spill In River. According to E&E News, “The Supreme Court this morning agreed to take up a maritime law case stemming from an oil spill in the Delaware River 15 years ago. The outcome could affect liability for future oil spills and other maritime accidents. The justices will review CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co., a dispute over who was liable for the 2004 spill, which occurred after a Frescati oil tanker named Athos I struck an abandoned anchor and spilled 264,000 gallons, or more than 6,000 barrels, of crude. CITGO had chartered the tanker to deliver oil to its asphalt refiner in Paulsboro, N.J. Frescati was deemed a ‘responsible party’ under the Oil Pollution Act and conducted a $143 million cleanup, but it sought and received reimbursements for $88 million from the federal government. The government and the shipping company sued CITGO, saying the refining firm was responsible for ensuring a safe port and berth for Athos I under the terms of the voyage charter and therefore should be on the hook for cleanup costs.” [E&E News, 4/22/19 (=)]

 

Bay Program Weighs Private Capital For Funding Nutrient Cleanup. According to Inside EPA, “The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), a federal-state partnership, is preparing to decide how to respond to a 2018 report from an EPA financial advisory panel intended to improve access to private equity capital to fund reductions in nonpoint sources of nutrients and sediment, with one expert cautioning the report may not address the whole watershed. The CBP’s Budget and Finance Workgroup is scheduled to discuss the report and corresponding model at an April 24 meeting, including possible action items and next steps. EPA Region 3 requested the agency’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB) help clarify the requirements of private equity capital providers in order to improve access to such capital, such as through water quality trading programs. EPA said that with increasing needs and limited public financing and public/private grant funding available, communities are increasingly required to consider innovative financing approaches that might involve the private equity capital markets to working alongside public finance and grants to finance water quality restoration projects.” [Inside EPA, 4/22/19 (=)]

 

 

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