Clean Air in Jeopardy by Kathy Gapa

Even though the LWVUS started supporting all laws

concerning the environment in the 1920’s-the Clean

Air Act, the Clean Water Act. Through the years

assaults have occurred to undermine these laws.

In April 2011, an assault was attempted to gut the

Environmental Protection Agency, including the Clean Air Act.
Local and state Leagues and the national LWV honored Earth Day

(April 22) as a day of action, engaging our communities
to help safeguard the EnvironmentalProtection Agency’s

ability to establish the urgently needed protections

called for by the Clean Air Act.

In a recent statement, League President Elizabeth

MacNamara strongly voiced the League’s concern

about protecting Clean Air. Earlier, the League and

coalition partners had sent a letter to members of

the House of Representatives urging them to oppose

H.R. 910, which would put America’s health,

prosperity, and national security at risk!

Also, the League, with the American Lung

Association and the Sierra Club, has been

conducting a series of phone briefings that target

women in seven states about the health risks

inherent in stripping the EPA of its authority over

clean air. The first “Talking about Toxics Program”

was held in Ohio on April 14 with a second on

April 20 in Michigan. Future briefings will be

conducted in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri,

Colorado, and Massachusetts.

Clean Air Act: A New Approach to Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions

With the demise of cap-and-trade legislation during the 2010 session of Congress, the climate action spotlight has shifted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Clean Air Act (CAA). But efforts are now underway to block EPA regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Clean Air Act of 1970

In the aftermath of the first Earth Day in April 1970, Congress passed the Clean Air Act and created the EPA to implement the new law. Over the 40 years that the CAA has been in effect, it has yielded dramatic public health and environmental benefits.

CAA programs have achieved major reductions in dangerous air pollutants that cause smog, acid rain, and lead poisoning. The EPA reports that this has prevented hundreds of thousands of premature deaths, has helped millions avoid developing respiratory ailments and heart disease, and (by banning leaded gasoline) has greatly reduced the incidence of low child IQ.

The benefits of these advances have far exceeded the costs of compliance. An EPA analysis of the CAA's first 20 years found that the dollar value of the human health and environmental benefits amounted to more than 40 times the costs of regulation. For the 1990-2010 period, as requirements have become more stringent, the EPA estimates a benefit-to-cost ratio of four to one.

At the same time, CAA programs spurred significant growth in the U.S. environmental technologies industry. By 2007, the industry was generating $282 billion in revenues, producing $40 billion in exports, and supporting 1.6 million jobs. Innovations include catalytic converters, scrubbers, and low-VOC paints and consumer products.

U.S. Supreme Court Ruling

Despite these achievements, concerns about global warming pollution led Massachusetts and 11 other states to sue the EPA over its failure to regulate GHG emissions from the transportation sector. They charged that human-influenced global climate change was causing adverse effects, such as sea-level rise, to the state of Massachusetts.

In a 5-4 decision in April 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that carbon dioxide and other GHGs meet the definition of "air pollutants" under the CAA. The Court directed the EPA to determine whether or not GHG emissions from new motor vehicles (the sector cited in the lawsuit) cause or contribute to air pollution that may endanger the public health or welfare.

In 2009, the EPA responded by conducting an extensive examination of the scientific evidence and, in December 2009, made a determination — the "endangerment finding" — that GHG concentrations in the atmosphere do threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations. The EPA also found that GHG emissions from new motor vehicles contribute to the atmospheric concentration of these gases and, thus, to the threat from climate change.

Once the EPA had issued its endangerment finding, the agency moved ahead to finalize proposed GHG emissions standards for light-duty motor vehicles.

The Clean Cars Rule

The EPA partnered with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to set increasingly stringent standards for GHG emissions and fuel efficiency for passenger cars and light-duty trucks for model years 2012-2016.

The federal rules mirror California's Clean Car Standards, also adopted by 13 other states, and set a target of 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) for 2016 model-year vehicles. The auto industry welcomed the uniform national standards.

The new standards surpass the 2007 federal fuel economy law, which required an average fuel economy of 35 mpg in 2020. The EPA estimates that the new rules will cut GHG emissions by 960 million metric tons over the regulated vehicles' lifetime, equivalent to taking 50 million cars and light trucks off the road in 2030. Consumers can expect to save $3,000 over the lifetime of a model-year 2016 vehicle.

The EPA and DOT have since proposed emissions and fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty trucks and buses, beginning in the 2014 model year, and will also set further standards for light-duty vehicles for model years 2017 and beyond.

Stationary Source Regulations

The EPA is also phasing in regulations for major stationary sources of GHG emissions (e.g., power plants, industrial facilities). As of January 2, 2011, rules requiring new or substantially modified facilities to obtain permits that address their GHG emissions have begun to take effect. These facilities must make use of "best available control technologies" to minimize GHG emissions.

The EPA has taken steps to ensure that the new rules do not affect small stationary sources, such as small businesses and farms, schools, or churches. CAA permitting requirements apply to facilities that emit more than 100-250 tons/year of a regulated pollutant such as lead, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. But GHGs are emitted in much higher volumes than these pollutants.

The EPA, therefore, issued a "tailoring rule" that raises the threshold for GHG emissions so that only the largest sources would be subject to the permitting requirements. The thresholds for GHG emissions are 75,000-100,000 tons/year.

In addition, the EPA has established a timeline for setting limits on GHG emissions for both new and existing power plants and oil refineries. The EPA will propose new rules for power plants in July 2011 and for refineries in December 2011. Final rules for power plants will be issued in May 2012 and for refineries in November 2012. Together, power plants and refineries account for about 40 percent of all U.S. GHG emissions

Challenges to EPA Regulations

Opponents of the new rules are working to block or delay EPA regulation of GHG emissions. Several dozen legal challenges to EPA's recent actions have been filed by a variety of business and industry groups and by several states and members of Congress.

In Congress, bills have been introduced that would, for example, amend the CAA to exclude regulation of GHGs, limit the use of EPA funds, and delay regulation of GHG emissions for two years.

The League of Women Voters strongly opposes efforts such as these to undermine the EPA's ability to establish the urgently needed clean air protections called for by the CAA. It's time for action -- time to reduce dangerous global warming pollution and safeguard "the public health and welfare of current and future generations."

By Eleanor Revelle (LWVIL and LWVUS Climate Change Task Force Member)

For more details, see the Clean Air Defense section of the LWVUS Toolkit for Climate Action (www.lwv.org/climatechangetoolkit).

Produced by the LWVUS Climate Change Task Force

© 2011 by the League of Women Voters of the United States

"Environmental Crisis on your Plate" Cont'd

We had a very informative meeting with the Dearborn Sustainability Roundtable on Feb 15th. Thank you to everyone who came to the program. We had a potluck too, with soup, bread, appetizers, fruit, salad and dessert - YUM! Everything was excellent and we had a lot of people attending.

Kathleen Gapa and Mary Bugeia started the meeting with a brief overview of the League of Women Voters. The League's record for environmental causes showed the significant progress that has been made in the last century by grassroots advocacy, and yet there continues to be a battle to protect our natural resources and public health. What a strange era we are in now as hard-won environmental protections are under attack. We need to move forward on new fronts as we've learned in these round tables, yet we find ourselves also holding the line for protections that should be a given. For example, clean air is not an optional preference, it is a necessity. We should be able to focus solely on healthy sustainable foods, but find that even in the 21st century clean water and air are being jeopardized by misguided policy makers.

Lynna Kaucheck, of Food and Water Watch www.fwwatch.org spoke at this event as well. Not only does Ms Kaucheck work with that organization, but she also serves on the Ferndale Environmental Sustainablity Commission. Since Dearborn is in the early stages of sustainability as a city-wide policy, we can learn a lot from Ferndale's example. If you'd like to learn more about Dearborn's activities, visit their website.

The keynote speaker for this 3-part series has been HFCC Professor Lourdes Lore, a highly credentialed and interesting speaker. We are thankful that she has shared her expertise and vast knowledge with us in the series "Environmental Crisis on your Plate." The problems with our food supply would be overwhelming if we didn't have suggested ways to tackle the issues. Katie Hetrick, reporter for the Dearborn Press & Guide, has written a great article on this particular evening, Dinner bell is call to action at roundtable.

We expect to post handouts from Professor Lore's presentations so that those who miss any of the series can still review the resources she provided. Don't miss the third and last installment, “Who Really Controls Our Food Supply?" which will be on March 23, 2011 from 6-8pm at HFCC SME building. We will reserve time for the audience to ask questions, discuss solutions, make plans and network to wrap up this winter long focus on Sustainable Food.

written by

Mary Ann Baier and Jennifer Dunn

Dearborn Cool Cities Roundtable

Members of our League recently attended a meeting

put on by the Sierra Club-Dearborn Cool Cities on

January 20 at HFCC’s SME building. The meeting

yielded many innovative and provocative ideas about

ways in which Dearborn is and can be a greener, more

environmentally friendly city.

The evening included presentations by Rick Simek, a

naturalist at the U of M Dearborn’s Environmental

Interpretive Center; Dearborn’s Sustainability

Coordinator Dave Norwood; and Margaret ”Peggy”

Matta, chair of the Detroit chapter of the Green Schools

Committee which is part of the US Green Building

Council.

Rick Simek discussed ongoing projects of the EIC, as well

as the unrecognized opportunities for exploration of

nature provided by such areas as the Henry Ford Estate,

which is located on the campus of UM-Dearborn.

The Environmental Interpretive Center is doing a lot of

programs. “We think of it as an outdoor classroom-a

living laboratory", Simek said, explaining that “although

environmental programming has been happening for

forty years, its community charm has exploded since the

EIC opened ten years ago.” February projects include

Tree Tapping Trek, Saturday, February 19 from1:00 to

3:00pm and Maple Sugaring Stroll, Saturday, March 5,

1:00 to 2:30pm.Registration is required. .If interested,

please call Rick at (313) 583-6371.

Sustainability Coordinator Dave Norwood

discussed both steps the city decided to take when a

Federal grant for sustainability work – like recycling

containers and installing LED street lights. Dave said,

“One thing I’ve learned with my job is that I do have a

plan, but if opportunities arise, I have to take advantage

of them.”For example, the city of Dearborn is working

with Friends of the Rouge on the Fordson Island cleanup

project, which eventually hopes to turn the six acre spot

into a lush natural area with native vegetation. Fordson

Island is located on a channel of the Rouge which

connects it to the Ford plants. Marathon Oil owned it

previously, but no longer needed it. Dearborn received a

NOAH grant to acquire the land. Marine Salvage Co.

removed the boats in the channel. Norwood is also

working with the Southwest Detroit Environmental

Vision which is focusing on improving air quality in

southwest Detroit and the south end of Dearborn which

are high in air particulates due to truck traffic and the

factory and steel mill are located there.

The last topic was presented by Peggy

Matta, chair of the Green Schools Committee in

Michigan, She presented ways in which schools

can go green, including adding more windows and

skylights to cut down on artificial light usage,

switching over to low-flush toilets and urinals.

Other projects include rain gardens and solar

panels which not only help schools to meet LEED

certification standards, but provide for educational

opportunities for students. LEED certification

reflects the amounts of electricity used, waste,

CO2 emissions, and water usage in a school

building.

The next program with Sierra Club-Dearborn Cool Cities,

co-hosted by LWVDDH is part 2 of a 3-part series from
HFCC Professor Lore's "Environmental Crisis on Your Plate."

The upcoming presentation on Feb. 15 is

“Chemical Components in Food & Water with

Special Focus on Pesticides, BPA’s & GMO’s ”

Part 3, “ Who Really Controls Our Food Supply?"
will be presented on March 23rd.

Also speaking on Feb 15th will be Lynna Kaucheck
of Food & Water Watch and the Ferndale Environmental

Commission. She will cover the Alfalfa GMO and

also what Ferndale is doing to become more

sustainable.

These events go from 6:00 to 8:00pm at the SME Building

on the north side of HFCC’s campus - enter the far door
on the north side of the building.

Sustainability Potluck and Presentation

On Dec 1st, Dearborn's Sierra Club Cool Cities hosted an eye-opening presentation and a great-tasting dinner. The curious and concerned gathered at the SME Bldg, north of HFCC, to hear from several speakers and continue the conversation about having a sustainable climate, healthy food, and green cities.

Maureen McIlrath opened the evening with an inspiring slide show presentation showing the progress in the Going Green Foundations community garden. The promise of abundant produce from this urban farm has already begun, but their ambitious plans include fruit and nut trees, herb and healing gardens, and gardens for seniors and children. The idea of an organic garden at Crowley Park in Dearborn's west side grew into a vision for a fully organic urban food source. This will benefit

the community, our school children as well as for those who work the soil- tending the plants and contributing to the cause. If you have an interest in helping or just want to know more, visit their website, Going Green Foundation.

After some members of the audience went back for seconds and others went for dessert, HFCC Professor Lourdes Lore delivered the first of a 3-part series "Climate Change: A Crisis on Your Plate". This broad topic was fine-tuned for this evening's short presentation, but a handout with links and summaries assured us that we could learn more as time allowed.

While climate change is a global issue, Professor Lore focused our attention on local CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) with a map of lower Michigan. Factory farming causes numerous problems for the environment and food safety, as well as offending those who care about the health and living conditions of livestock. Learn more at this informative site, www.NoCAFOs.org and www.factoryfarmmap.org.

Another prominent point made in this presentation was the environmental cost of transporting food across the nation and across the globe. Being an informed consumer and purchasing locally means we can support food producers with sustainable practices. Professor Lore wants us to think differently about the value of healthy food compared to cheaply made food that has costly consequences. She suggested getting involved in community supported agriculture farms (CSAs). An audience member cited Calder Dairy as a sustainable local dairy farm which still delivers milk, eggs and other dairy products in the Dearborn area. Although it isn't an organic farm, it is a small locally owned farm (you can visit and see how the animals are living). Another participant spoke of the opportunity to purchase locally grown organic produce from a partnership out of Ann Arbor. Find out more at www.locavorious.com. Purchasing foods locally, reducing meat and buying from earth-friendly producers will reduce the stress on our environment. "Vote with your fork," says 3votesaday.org, which offers several ideas and helpful resources. If you want to be notified of the Winter 2011 schedule, friend us on facebook or send us your contact information via email.

The evening closed with a briefing on the Michigan Good Food Charter by Kathryn Colasanti of MSU. Michigan Good Food Charter outlines a vision for the food system in Michigan and 25 agenda priorities. Ms. Colasanti highlighted the primary goals (as the definition of good food) that can be accomplished as these priorities are put into effect.

Good Food is:

• Healthy - It provides nourishment and enables people to thrive
• Green - It was produced in a manner that is environmentally sustainable
• Fair - No one along the production line was exploited for its creation
• Affordable - All people have access to it

Would you like to get find out more about this 10 year plan or even get involved in implementing these ideas in your own life and in your community? Click here to learn more about it and begin telling others. As the general public, business community, governmental leaders and non-governmental agencies gain awareness, progress can be made.

200 yr old Burr Oak at HFCC

This venerable tree is a must-see and a fine place to take photos. The over 200 year-old Burr Oak was given a plaque donated by our League which is exhibited on the boardwalk across from the tree which is 177 inches in circumference. To save the tree from lightning, workers have placed lightning rods on three places on the tree. Think about it! This tree was a sapling when George Washington was President of the United States.

By Joe Borrajo

Vice President of LWVDDH

The Next Hot Topic is FOOD!

Ater a busy election season, LWVDDH will move on to emphasize our hottest topics. November is all about FOOD! As usual, we study up on the facts and talk it over first. So will you join us for movie night on Thursday, Nov 18th?

We'll begin with light refreshments at 6:30 and an introduction to our topic. Then we'll watch Food, Inc. (Find out more at http://www.foodincmovie.com/) From 8:30 to 9 we will review the highlights and our priorities. Be a part of our grassroots group and you'll be reminded that doing something important can also be lots of fun.

Our office is located at 120 Military at Cherry Hill, inside Christ Episcopal Church. They generously make room for us to host public events. We'll be on the 2nd floor waiting for you!

Then on Wednesday, Dec 1st some of us will go to Sustainable Food Potluck, sponsored by Cool Cities Dearborn and Sierra Club. This will be at UM Dearborn from 6pm to 8pm.

------------
Thursday Nov 18th 6:30-9pm Food Inc Movie Night, LWVDDH office at 120 Military

Wednesday Dec 1st 6 - 8pm Sustainable Food Potluck, UM Dearborn off of Hubbard Dr