Media Statements

Statement: Vineyard Winds clears important federal hurdle on path to major offshore wind farm project

Wind power

Statement: Vineyard Winds clears important federal hurdle on path to major offshore wind farm project

Vineyard Wind's offshore wind project received a huge boost Monday when the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) completed its final environmental impact statement (FEIS), which is a big step toward commencing construction on the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States.

Media Statements  

Statement: U.S. officially rejoins the international Paris Agreement

Fossil fuel pollution

Statement: U.S. officially rejoins the international Paris Agreement

WASHINGTON -- The United States officially rejoined the international Paris Agreement on Friday. The act brings America back into a key accord aimed at reducing planet-warming emissions.  Environment America had called on Biden to prioritize rejoining the Paris Agreement on his first day in office in the "First Things to Fix" report. The report presented 20 actions for the Biden administration to undertake in early days of office to undo the Trump administration’s rollbacks of environmental laws and protections.

Media Statements  

Statement: BOEM decision to resume Vineyard Wind permitting process “a crucial step” towards tapping offshore wind potential

Clean energy

Statement: BOEM decision to resume Vineyard Wind permitting process “a crucial step” towards tapping offshore wind potential

The Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM), which is the agency in charge of leasing and permitting for offshore wind, announced Wednesday its intention to resume the permitting process for Massachusetts-based project Vineyard Wind.

Media Statements  

Statement: Biden administration will make historic commitments to protecting America’s natural heritage

Oceans

Statement: Biden administration will make historic commitments to protecting America’s natural heritage

WASHINGTON -- As part of an executive order, President Joe Biden is expected to announce Wednesday a stop on all new drilling in public lands and waters. The president will also set a goal of protecting 30 percent of U.S. lands and oceans by the year 2030.

Media Statements  

Statement: NOAA proposes important updates to right whale protections that seek to prevent species’ extinction

Statement: NOAA proposes important updates to right whale protections that seek to prevent species’ extinction

Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales may soon see updated protections, after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) posted a draft of their proposed rule to protect the species from fishing gear entanglements online on Wednesday. 

Media Statements  

Statement: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service punts on decision to list monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act

Wildlife & wild places

Statement: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service punts on decision to list monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act

"It’s horrifying that the monarch’s population has fallen so low; it’s great to hear that the Fish and Wildlife Service, after conducting an ‘intensive, thorough review,’ agrees that the monarch deserves new protections. And it’s absurd that the agency is punting on any sort of plan to protect this important species."

Media Statements  

Statement: Dual EPA rollbacks weaken clean water protections against toxic coal waste

Statement: Dual EPA rollbacks weaken clean water protections against toxic coal waste

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released two proposals today to roll back clean water protections against waste from coal-fired power plants. The first proposal would overhaul wastewater rules, drastically weakening safeguards that prevent utilities from discharging toxic pollutants like arsenic, lead and mercury into America’s waterways. The second proposal would significantly extend closure dates for coal ash disposal sites, allowing utilities to continue storing toxic coal debris in ponds that can leak or overflow, for decades.

Media Statements  

Statement: Pennsylvania’s decision to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative big step for state on climate change

Statement: Pennsylvania’s decision to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative big step for state on climate change

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to announce a proposal tomorrow to commit the commonwealth to joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Through the governor’s administrative action, the commonwealth is poised to become a member of one of the largest and most successful programs for tackling climate pollution in the nation.

Media Statements