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Lauren Ellis, Research Analyst, Environmental Health  We recently submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a subset of proposed Significant New Use Rules (SNURs) published by the New Chemicals program under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). We commend EPA for issuing these proposed SNURs. Our review of some of the SNURs, however, raised concerns about chemical releases to the environment, risks to consumers,

Maricel Maffini, consultant and Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director This blog is the third in our Broken GRAS series where we explore how the Food and Drug Administration’s Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) voluntary notification system for novel chemicals added to food works in practice and why it is broken. In this blog, we examine …

Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director and Lindsay McCormick, Program Manager  Dr. Karen Baehler and her team at American University’s Center for Environmental Policy, with support from EDF, recently published a peer-reviewed case study highlighting the environmental justice issues that arise when water utilities require property owners to pay when they replace lead service lines (LSLs) that connect …

With a new coastal resilience master plan, Virginia leaders have an opportunity to identify and prepare for climate-induced flood risks that impact all Virginians. The post Nearly 1 million Virginians are at risk of flooding by 2080. The state just released a plan to address that risk. first appeared on Growing Returns.

Maricel Maffini, consultant, and Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director A federal district court this fall ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to allow food companies to make Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) safety determinations for novel chemicals added to food without notifying the agency. The decision followed a lawsuit by …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals EDF this week submitted comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), applauding the agency’s recent activities related to its Closer to Zero Action Plan for reducing toxic elements in children’s food and outlining specific steps to strengthen the FDA’s action. The agency’s November 18 public meeting on the …

An upcoming Supreme Court case has major implications for businesses including regulatory certainty, climate commitments and climate risk.

The e-commerce supply chain has a huge environmental footprint. To reduce it, companies need to invest in zero-emissions delivery, advance clean circularity and create more sustainable products.

PepsiCo and Walmart operate collectively over 18,000 freight tractors. So, when these companies make a joint statement on the future of trucking, folks pay attention. In a blog post published earlier this week, executives from PepsiCo and Walmart noted their support for federal policy action on trucks, as well as the importance of state leadership …

Protecting Texas’ vulnerable groundwater supplies raises a challenging dilemma: How can you motivate people to stand up for an underground resource they cannot see? So, we made a video to bring this vital resource to life. The post New EDF video helps Texans visualize and protect the groundwater they cannot see first appeared on Growing Returns.

Effective fisheries management is critical to food security, livelihoods for millions of people and vibrant marine life and biodiversity. By empowering communities to sustainably manage marine resources, we can build resilience to climate change, secure healthy oceans and better protect communities that are vulnerable to extreme weather events. This is especially true in the Philippines,

When it comes to slowing the warming of our planet, there is no substitute for immediate, dramatic reductions in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. But emissions reductions alone won’t be enough to limit warming to the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal at the heart of the 2015 Paris Agreement, or even to the Agreement’s upper limit of …

Coal companies and supporting states recently filed opening briefs in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, a case involving the Trump Administration’s repeal of, and weak replacement for, the 2015 Clean Power Plan regulating carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Although neither regulation is in effect – indeed, EPA has indicated that it plans to adopt …

Last month, Governor Phil Murphy elevated New Jersey’s fight against the climate crisis this decade by signing Executive Order No. 274, which commits the state to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 50% below 2006 levels by 2030. The Governor’s action is a critical step toward putting New Jersey on a path to do what is necessary to avoid …

This blog was co-authored by Jeremy Proville, Director: Office of the Chief Economist, and Ananya Roy, Senior Health Scientist at EDF. New analysis finds that prevalent methods of assessing impacts of air pollution underestimate pollution’s health impacts on people of color. Everyone has the right to breathe clean air. Yet communities of color, falsely labeled …

How coastal cities can better fund natural infrastructure and protect their residents. The post Virginia Beach’s new flood bond can be a model for other cities. Here’s how. first appeared on Growing Returns.

Groundwater management in Texas is headed in the wrong direction, but groundwater agencies have the authorities and tools to reverse this alarming trajectory. The post Wells and springs are drying up in Texas. Here is what leaders can do about it. first appeared on Growing Returns.

Building more resilient supply chains is a business imperative, especially as the likelihood for more disruption increases.

Ugbaad Ali, Community Environmental Health Tom Graff Fellow We all deserve to live in a healthy and vibrant community, yet many residents of Flint, Michigan, are overburdened by a lifetime of toxic exposures and environmental injustice. Recently, a coalition of environmental justice groups and community organizers in Flint used their combined power to organize against …

Jennifer McPartland, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist, and Lariah Edwards, Ph.D., is an EDF-George Washington University Postdoctoral Fellow EPA Administrator Michael Regan recently completed a five-day “journey to justice” tour, highlighting communities across three US states that have been adversely affected by decades of chemical and air pollution. EPA’s focus on protecting those whose health is …

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to withdraw two answers to frequently asked questions about the responsibilities of property management companies (PMCs) to comply with the agency’s Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule (RRP). EDF applauds the agency’s action, which is consistent with the intent of the rule. The agency’s Federal Register notice explaining …

Community activist Lilly Marcelin has dedicated her career to addressing racial and social inequities. In 2012, she founded and is now the Executive Director of the Boston-based organization, Resilient Sisterhood Project (RSP). The organization’s mission is to educate and empower women of African descent about common, but rarely discussed, diseases of the reproductive system that …

The positive impact of conservation tillage was one of the key findings from 2021 report, Conservation’s Impact on the Farm Bottom Line.

By Catherine Ittner and Hongming Liu Despite global efforts to address the climate crisis, the shipping sector is on track to increase its global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions up to 10% by 2050 – unless countries take urgent action. China’s effort to increase investment and economic collaboration by building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime …

The latest results of the Western Climate Initiative’s quarterly auctions were announced today. All current and future vintage allowances sold, and for the second quarter in a row, settled at a record-high allowance price. These results arrive as new data underscores the success of the program’s design and the strength of the market. Auction quick …