That’s no coincidence.

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring launched the modern-day environmental movement and changed the world we live in.

In her book, Carson discussed the widespread and detrimental use of certain pesticides – especially DDT, a toxin that almost wiped out our national symbol, the bald eagle. EPA banned the use of that pesticide in 1972.

Rachel Carson’s writing helped Americans see the connections between their health and the health of the environment. Her efforts helped ignite the conversation on environmentalism in America.

One of my priorities as administrator of EPA has been to continue what Rachel began by working to expand the conversation on environmentalism. Bringing people together around environmental issues is essential. We want mothers and fathers to know how important clean air, water and land are to their health and the health of their children. We want to continue to engage African Americans and Latinos and expand the conversation on environmental challenges, so we can address health disparities resulting from pollution that affects low-income and minority communities. Environmental justice will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.

Though we’ve made a great deal of progress since Silent Spring, we still have much work to do. Heart disease, cancer and respiratory illnesses are three of the top four most fatal health threats in America. They account for more than half of the deaths in the nation – and all three have been linked to environmental causes. Environmental issues are critical health issues, and we need all Americans to participate in this conversation.

Rachel Carson helped show many Americans that, though they may not think of themselves as environmentalists, environmental issues invariably play a role in their health and in the future of the nation.

Her message remains as true and as critical today as it was 50 years ago.

Summertime is coming to an end, and kids are heading back to school. And even though they’ll be spending less time outdoors, we should still be thinking about how to protect the environment and safeguard our children’s health. Fortunately, small actions can turn into big results for protecting the environment, and can even save extra money for the school year.

For example, try to cut down on waste. More than 30 percent of what we throw away comes from cardboard and plastic packaging. Look for pens, pencils, and other supplies that are packaged with recyclable materials. That goes for spiral notebooks and notebook paper, too. For every 42 notebooks made from 100 percent recycled paper, an entire tree is saved.

Buying school supplies every year can get expensive. A good way to save money is to conserve energy use around the house. Energy Star products – from lightbulbs and laptops to televisions and air conditioners – are more energy efficient, which means you’ll pay less in utility bills every month. In 2011, the use of Energy Star products helped Americans save $23 billion on their utility bills, and prevented more than 210 million metric tons of green house gas emissions.

There are also ways to make sure our schools are environmentally friendly. In addition to choosing products made from recyclable materials and using energy efficient appliances, check to make sure the products used to clean your child’s classrooms carry the “Design for the Environment” label. This label means those products are safer for students and better for the environment.

Every child deserves a clean and healthy place to learn – and all parents should be able to trust that their children’s health is not at risk when they send them off to school. The EPA is working hard to reduce health threats in the air we breathe and the water we drink, and we want to make sure schools and parents have what they need to minimize pollution in and around classrooms and give all of our kids healthy places to learn.

Last but not least, these actions help teach children the importance of a clean, healthy environment. Making “green” a part of everyday learning – both inside and outside the classroom – is an easy way to engage our kids in the efforts to safeguard the planet they will inherit, and protect their future.

Lisa P. Jackson is the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Previously posted at WhiteHouse.gov.

Freely-available data from the Federal government and other sources can be a powerful input to private sector innovation. Open data can spur entrepreneurship, empower citizens, and create jobs. As just one example, data from the US Global Positioning System have been utilized by entrepreneurs to power navigation systems, precision crop farming tools, and other innovations that add over $90 billion in value to our economy each year and have improved the lives of Americans in many ways.

The Obama Administration recently launched a series of Open Data Initiatives—in health, public safety, education, and energy. The Energy Data Initiative aims to help Americans benefit from entrepreneurial innovation enabled by open energy data from the US government and other sources. By working to make energy data more available and useful to entrepreneurs, we’re confident that new products and services will continue to emerge to help American families and businesses save energy and money, protect the environment, and ensure a reliable energy future.

With this goal in mind, staff from the White House, Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency participated in an “Energy Data Jam” on Monday at the Google offices in New York City. This week’s event was the second “Energy Data Jam” this year and included approximately 50 private-sector leaders from energy companies, finance firms, real-estate developers, Web start-ups, and other digital innovators.

One of the goals of the half-day workshop was to brainstorm how publicly available datasets might be put to use in the continuing transition to a clean energy future. Participants brainstormed ingenious new ideas for products, services, features, and apps that could be built using open energy data as an input. If you have an idea or an example of an innovation (a product, service, website, app, or feature) that uses open data as an input, you can let us know by sending an email to: DataInnovation@hq.doe.gov

Open data can also include companies that make private-sector data more accessible to their own consumers using open industry formats. A recent example is the Green Button Initiative, a White House catalyzed, industry-led effort that provides electricity customers with easy and secure access to their own energy usage information in a consumer-friendly and computer-readable format. Thanks to commitments from industry to date, over 31 million households and businesses will be able to securely download the details of their own energy usage with a simple click of an actual “Green Button” on websites of electric utilities and retail electric providers.

The Energy Data Jam also highlighted the role energy data can play in lowering the cost of and improving access to energy financing, especially around commercial building upgrades. Accurate and robust building energy performance data can help investors and lenders better gauge risk and gain confidence to finance building energy upgrades, ultimately leading to new construction jobs.

Later this year, we plan to hold an event to celebrate private-sector energy and environmental innovation fueled by open data.  If you’d like more details about this upcoming “Energy Datapalooza,” please send an email to: DataInnovation@hq.doe.gov

Todd Park is U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the President. David Danielson is Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. Richard Kauffman is Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy.

Left to right Tuskegee University President and Council of 1890 Universities Chair Gilbert Rochon, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lisa Jackson sign the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding among the department, agency and council on Friday, June 29, 2012, in Washington, DC. It has been150 years since the first Morrill Act of 1862, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. The action established land-grant universities in every state and territory. The second Morrill Act of 1890 provided funding to designate separate institutions of higher learning for blacks in those states that did not open the doors of their universities to black students. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Previously posted at the USDA Blog.

One hundred fifty years ago – just two months after the creation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture – President Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, a historic measure that created the land-grant university system. Twenty-eight years later, Congress enacted a second Morrill Act to establish African American land-grant universities.

Commonly referred to as 1890 Universities, these schools have remained the custodians of access to and opportunity for higher education in underserved communities, as well as leaders in agricultural, environmental and public health studies.

Understanding the special role 1890 Universities play in preparing the next generation of American leaders, on Friday, June 29, we signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between USDA, EPA and the Council of 1890 Universities, an organization comprised of presidents and chancellors of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), to help build upon their rich history.

Originally, 1890 Universities taught agriculture, military tactics, and the mechanical arts, as well as classical studies. Over time, as those studies evolved to incorporate the breadth of college academics, HBCUs have proven to be a vital link between African Americans and higher education. HBCUs represent about 3 percent of colleges in the United States – but they enroll 12 percent of all African American college students, produce 23 percent of all African American college graduates, and confer 60 percent of all engineering degrees earned by African American students. HBCUs also educate half of the country’s African American teachers and 40 percent of all African American health professionals.

The MOU we signed today represents a five-year commitment to increase cooperation between EPA, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and all 1890 Universities. EPA and USDA will support internships, training, technical assistance, faculty exchange opportunities, increased mentoring and other collaborative environmental and public health activities.

In addition to career-building programs such as the USDA/1890 National Scholars Program, we believe this MOU will help to give students of the 1890 Universities the skills they need to succeed in a modern American economy that’s built to last. Affordable access to our public colleges and universities is a key component of our nation’s future success. And that is why the Obama Administration believes we must reward hard work and responsibility by keeping interest rates on student loans low. When Americans get a fair shot at an affordable college education, they can obtain skills they need to find a good job and a clear path to the middle class.

This MOU will also assist in giving more Americans a fair shot by expanding the conversation on environmentalism. Too often, America’s lowest income communities are also the communities burdened by the most pollution. Illnesses like heart disease, cancer, and asthma are linked to air pollution and other environmental threats – and all have had a tragic impact on African Americans and other minority communities. Removing the barriers poor environmental conditions can pose to overburdened communities is essential to providing all Americans with the opportunities they deserve. This MOU will help increase public engagement and listening sessions with the underserved and historically underrepresented communities so that we are better equipped to fight for environmental justice.

The benefits of expanding access to higher education are clear. For more than 100 years, federal scientists and university researchers have supported farmers and ranchers who produce a safe and abundant food supply for our families. This work has helped sustain an agricultural trade surplus since the 1960s and led to the record farm income we’re enjoying today. This research also helps preserve and protect our environment. Together, we have helped develop no-till farming practices and new crop rotation systems tailored to meet the needs of American farmers and increase their bottom line. At the same time, these practices – and other new techniques like using wood chips as part of a sub-surface drainage system – reduce runoff of soil and chemicals that can negatively impact our water supply.

Our work to protect human health and the environment, and to sustain and improve the incredible productivity of our farmers and ranchers relies heavily on America’s innovative leaders in scientific development. The strong partnerships between our federal agencies and our nation’s land-grant system are an essential part of training those leaders so our country can meet the challenges of today – and those of tomorrow.

Over the years, land-grant colleges and universities have had a tremendously positive impact on our nation, graduating more than 20 million students. In partnership with the federal government, more than 100 land-grant institutions and other research partners have helped conduct the groundbreaking research that remains the envy of the world. In the years and decades to come, science can – and must – do so much more. It can provide the keys to good health and nutrition for our families, lead to clean energy solutions to power our cars, trucks, homes and offices, and promote sustainable food production to feed the world.

USDA and EPA are proud to partner again with our nation’s 1890s Universities. Together, by bringing advancements in science and technology, we can make a positive difference in the lives of Americans and people around the world.

Tom Vilsack is Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Lisa P. Jackson is the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Domestic natural gas and oil will continue to play a critical role in America’s energy future. Since 2008, domestic oil and gas production has risen every year, while imports have fallen. Unconventional oil and gas production has been a key factor in this emerging trend.  As President Obama has made clear, the U.S. must develop all of America’s energy resources, while giving American families and communities confidence that natural and cultural resources, air and water quality, and public health and safety will not be compromised.

The Steering Team is leading a multi-agency collaboration to coordinate research and development to address the highest priority challenges associated with safe and responsible development of domestic unconventional shale gas and tight oil resources.  Each agency has a different set of experiences and research competencies relevant to this challenge, and the three agencies coordinate research efforts.  The steering team announced today will enhance the on-going cooperative activities and will oversee a multi-year, inter-agency research plan under which the three agencies will cooperate on research topics as appropriate.

As per the memorandum, the Steering Team consists of two members from each of the three agencies, one member focused on policy and one member focused on research and technology.  In addition, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy provides a member to serve on the committee.

The Department of Energy will serve as the lead agency of the Steering Committee for the first year, with DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Natural Gas Christopher Smith serving as chair.  The Steering Team may establish technical subcommittees as appropriate to analyze research gaps, prioritize topics, create a multi-year research plan, and accomplish other tasks as established by the joint memorandum.

Steering team representatives are as follows with biographies below:

Department of Energy

Policy: Christopher Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Natural Gas

Technical: George Guthrie, Focus Area Leader for Geological and Environmental Sciences at DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory

Environmental Protection Agency

Policy: Bob Sussman, Senior Policy Counsel to the Administrator

Technical: Kevin Teichman, Senior Science Advisor to the Office of Research and Development Assistant Administrator

Department of the Interior

Policy: Elizabeth Klein, Associate Deputy Secretary

Technical: Dave Russ, Regional Executive for the Northeast, U. S. Geological Survey

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy:

Kevin Hurst, Assistant Director for Energy Research and Development.

Christopher Smith

Christopher Smith is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Natural Gas in the Office of Fossil Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy. In this position, Mr. Smith is responsible for domestic and international oil and gas programs, including research and development, policy analysis, and natural gas/ LNG import and export licensing.   Prior to his appointment in October of 2009, Mr. Smith served in managerial and analytical positions of increasing responsibility in the private sector.   He started his career as an officer in the United States Army.  Mr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Cambridge University.

George Guthrie, Ph.D.

Dr. George Guthrie is the focus area leader for geological and environmental sciences at DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory.  He leads NETL’s intramural research activities across a range of fossil-energy related challenges.  As technical director for the National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP), he leads a multi-national-lab initiative to predict potential risks for engineered-natural systems.  Dr. Guthrie is a mineralogist/geochemist with a research focus in the interactions between minerals and fluids.  He received his AB from Harvard University and PhD from Johns Hopkins University and was a postdoctoral fellow and subsequently staff member, deputy group leader, program manager, and program director at Los Alamos National Lab.

Department of the Interior

Elizabeth Klein

Elizabeth Klein is Associate Deputy Secretary at the Department of the Interior.  In this role, she serves as principal advisor to the Deputy Secretary in implementing the highest priorities of the Department of the Interior, particularly those that encompass multiple DOI bureaus.  Klein serves as the Departmental lead on several multi-agency and cross-cutting issues, including unconventional natural gas policy, offshore renewable energy development, and climate change adaptation planning.  Klein joined the Department in 2010 and served as Counselor to the Deputy Secretary before assuming the role of Associate Deputy Secretary.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from The George Washington University and a J.D. from American University.

Dave Russ, Ph.D.

Dr. David P. Russ is the Regional Executive for the Northeast in the U.S. Geological Survey, where he leads 15 USGS science centers in the Mid-Atlantic and New England region.  Dr. Russ serves as the executive leader of the USGS Chesapeake Bay program, leads USGS participation on the Northeast Regional Ocean Council and the Mid-Atlantic Region Council for the Ocean, and is the national coordinator in the USGS for hydrofracture-related research and studies.  Prior to his current assignment Dr. Russ served in technical positions of increasing responsibility in the USGS, to include Deputy Chief of the Office of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Engineering, Assistant Chief Geologist, and Associate Chief Hydrologist.  Dr. Russ received B.S. and PhD degrees from Penn State and an M.S. degree from West Virginia University, with specialties in geomorphology and structural geology.

Environmental Protection Agency

Bob Sussman

Robert M. Sussman is Senior Policy Counsel to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and assists the Administrator with a broad range of policy issues across the agency. During the Clinton Administration, Bob was appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate as EPA Deputy Administrator. Prior to joining the EPA Bob was a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.  As an appellate lawyer he has argued cases before the US Supreme Court and presented arguments before several courts of appeal.  Bob is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale College and a graduate of Yale Law School, where he was an Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Bob clerked for Judge Walter Stapleton of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Kevin Teichman, Ph.D.

Dr. Kevin Teichman is the Senior Science Adviser to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Administrator for Office of Research Development (ORD).  In this capacity, he coordinates ORD’s interagency activities, e.g., devoted to hydraulic fracturing, applications and sensors, and net zero buildings.  Prior to assuming his current position, Dr. Teichman was the ORD Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science, where he was responsible for all of ORD’s research efforts and supervised ORD’s six National Program Directors. Dr. Teichman received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley and his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Kevin Hurst, Ph.D.

Dr. Kevin Hurst is the Assistant Director for Energy R&D at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he works on policy topics related to clean power generation, energy efficiency, and advanced transportation.  His recent work has also addressed the environmental, health, and safety aspects of unconventional natural gas development.  He began at OSTP in 2001 as an American Association for the Advancement of Science policy fellow.  Prior to OSTP, Dr. Hurst worked as a senior engineer for General Motors, where he led development of power converters for hybrid vehicle systems.  He previously served as division officer on a U.S. Navy submarine tender.  He holds degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech.

]]> http://blog.epa.gov/administrator/2012/05/24/obama-administration-announces-members-of-steering-team-to-lead-interagency-coordination-of-unconventional-oil-and-gas-research-and-development/feed/ 0 http://blog.epa.gov/administrator/2012/05/02/the-youth-sustainability-challenge-creating-an-america-built-to-last/ http://blog.epa.gov/administrator/2012/05/02/the-youth-sustainability-challenge-creating-an-america-built-to-last/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 19:16:15 +0000 mmoats http://blog.epa.gov/administrator/?p=1254 By Lisa P. Jackson and Nancy Sutley

Today we are excited to announce a new initiative in partnership with America’s young leaders. We’re asking you, America’s youth, to tell the world how you’re fostering sustainability and creating an America built to last. Starting today, submit your video message for the Youth Sustainability Challenge and share how you’re making a difference.

This June, leaders from around the world will convene in Rio de Janeiro to mark the 20th anniversary of the historic “Earth Summit,” formally known as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The conference is an opportunity for the world to engage in a global conversation and take action to build a healthier and more sustainable future for our planet.

Here at home, we are focused on taking action to protect the health of our families and communities, and build a strong and growing economy and middle class. Americans are already working together to create innovative solutions to our shared global challenges, including through clean energy innovations and investments that support hundreds of thousands of jobs and have put us on track to double renewable energy generation in the U.S. by the end of this year.

The Obama Administration will continue to support American innovation and smart investments that will build a strong and healthy country and economy. We also believe that real progress begins with individuals who take action in their own homes and their own communities. That’s why, as we prepare for the conference in Rio, we are challenging America’s future leaders to do their part.

This Tuesday, May 8, Obama Administration officials and youth sustainability leaders will gather for an event at the White House to mark the launch of this Challenge. But you can get involved now. Join the conversation. Encourage others to do the same. Demonstrate how you have power to create an America built to last – and to change our world for the better.

• Twitter: Use the hashtag #EarthDayEveryDay
• Facebook: Like Administrator Jackson and The White House Council on Environmental Quality, and update your status and profile image.

Nancy Sutley is Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Lisa P. Jackson is the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Our nation’s environmental laws are the envy of the world. Whether it’s the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act, we have set the standard for environmental and human health protection.

It is EPA’s responsibility to carry out and enforce those laws, and our enforcement program is essential to protecting the health of millions of Americans. It also ensures that companies are playing by the same rules, so that no business is put at a disadvantage because they are complying with the law and their competitors are not.

As we enforce our nation’s laws, a fundamental value is fairness. Vigorously following science and the law is what the American public expects.

It is deeply unfortunate that in a 2010 video an EPA official inaccurately suggests we are seeking to “make examples” out of certain companies in the oil and gas industry. We, and the official involved, regret the statement, for which he has apologized. It does not reflect our record over the last three years. Inevitably, some will try to imply that the unfortunate and inaccurate words of one regional official represent this Agency’s policy. Rest assured that they do not – and no honest examination of our record could equate our commonsense approach with such an exaggerated claim. Any notion that the oil and gas industries have been unfairly targeted simply doesn’t conform to the fact that oil production under this administration is higher than it has been at any time in the last eight years, and that natural gas production has experienced an historic expansion as well.

Our approach to enforcing the laws that govern this sector is evident in a recent innovative settlement with Marathon Petroleum Company that will slash thousands of tons of pollution that threatens nearby communities – while delivering cost savings to the company by improving efficiency and capturing more product that is currently wasted.

I strongly encourage any American who has concerns about our approach to enforcement to take a look at the work we have actually done. As head of the national enforcement program, I am confident you will find that a misguided statement by a regional official does not in any way reflect the three-year record of commonsense actions we have taken to reduce harmful pollution while EPA encourages the development of our domestic energy resources.

This entry was previously posted on EPA’s blog page.

This weekend, people across the US and around the world will celebrate the 42nd annual Earth Day. After four decades, the event that started with 20 million Americans has blossomed into a day of service and celebration for nearly a billion people in every part of the planet. Every year I’m reminded that at the heart of Earth Day there is a simple goal: Help every person see the connections between our lives and the health of our environment.

The first Earth Day was organized as a series of teach-ins to start a discussion about the pollution in our communities, and those small beginnings sparked major changes: the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, which turns 40 this year.

Bringing people together around these issues continues to be essential, and we have been working to expand the conversation on environmentalism to new places. We want mothers and fathers to know how important clean air is to their health and the health of their children. We want African Americans and Latinos to join the conversation about environmental challenges in their communities, so we can address disparities in asthma, cancer and other illnesses, and work for environmental justice. We want you – wherever you live – to start your own conversation about protecting health and the environment.

Fortunately, this Earth Day we have more ways to connect, discuss and act than ever before.

EPA’s Earth Day page offers a range of ways for you to bring your voice to this conversation, and be a part of the work to protect our planet.

• Use our map to find Earth Day events near you – I’m planning to be on the National Mall meeting the young people who submitted cutting-edge projects to EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition.
• While you’re out and about on Earth Day, snap a picture and submit it to our Environment in a Day 24-hour photo collection.
• Take EPA’s Greenquest quiz. Post your score on the wall and you may get a chance to share your story as a guest blogger for EPA.
• Be a part of the Six Words for the Planet micro-essay project.
• Watch the Look Beneath the Surface Earth Day video, then be a part of our EPA Conversations. You can share your ideas for protecting the environment, and vote on others.

We’re counting on you to tell your friends and family, your local officials, and your entire world about protecting our health and preserving our planet. I hope you’ll lend your voice to these important issues, Earth Day and every day.

About the author: Lisa Jackson is the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Last week, EPA proposed a common-sense standard to address carbon pollution from future power plants. It’s disappointing – but not surprising – that the standard was immediately attacked with distortions, half-truths and blatantly inaccurate statements. An editorial in this morning’s Wall Street Journal is just the latest example of this fact-free assault.

Some background: there is currently no uniform national limit on the amount of carbon pollution new power plants can emit, and the standard we proposed last week is common-sense, achievable and in line with the direction the industry has been moving for a decade.

As the Administrator and I said repeatedly when we announced this proposal last week, this standard only applies to new sources – that is, power plants that will be constructed in the future. This standard would never apply to existing power plants. And we have no plans to address existing power plants.

Despite these basic facts, the Wall Street Journal, and others, continue to misrepresent the standard and distort its impact.

For example, this morning’s Wall Street Journal editorial incorrectly states that facilities that are installing pollution controls to reduce emissions of pollutants like mercury, arsenic and acid gases would have to comply with this standard as well. That is flat-out wrong. The proposed rule explicitly does not apply to facilities making such modifications. In fact, EPA did not propose a standard for any modifications.

Because EPA did not propose a standard for modifications, one cannot be finalized. As a result, there is literally no standard proposed in this rule that could ever be applied to any modified sources under any other part of the Clean Air Act.

Second, the standard reflects a trend in the market towards cleaner power generation that has been happening for a decade – not just for the past three years, as the Journal suggests. In fact, in the past decade – primarily driven by conditions in the market – only 7% of the new electric generating capacity in the US has been coal-fired. This is a trend the Journal’s own newsroom has reported on. A September 2010 article for instance, noted that “Power companies are increasingly switching to natural gas to fuel their electricity plants, driven by low prices and forecasts of vast supplies for years to come” and acknowledged that the trend began in the late nineties and had been “accelerating”- a year and a half before EPA even proposed this standard.

That said, we worked hard to ensure that this standard provides a path forward for new coal plants, with the help of technologies that reduce carbon emissions. Carbon capture and sequestration is an emerging technology – one this Administration has invested in – that is currently being permitted and built at facilities. Like most emerging technologies, it is expected that CCS will become more readily available and cost effective as it is refined over time – which is why the Agency built in flexibilities to the standard so that facilities can move forward now with the ability to implement CCS years from now..

Every projection, including those the rule relies on, makes clear that coal will continue to be the largest single source of electricity in the United States. This standard will not change that.

What this standard will do is provide certainty to the industry as they continue building the next generation of cleaner, more efficient power plants – facilities that will continue to burn a range of fuels. The standard has no projected cost to industry precisely because it is in line with investments industry has already made, and continues to make, in response to realities in the marketplace.

This entry was previously posted on Huffington Post.

Twenty years ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had a bold vision. With the increasing use of electronics in American households and business — including the introduction of personal computers that would soon be in every home and office across the country — the agency saw a need to conserve energy and reduce air pollution to create a healthier climate for all Americans. They saw an opportunity to harness market forces that would encourage both consumers and companies to invest in cleaner, more innovative, more energy-efficient products in sectors across the economy. The result was the Energy Star program.

In the two decades that have passed since it began, Energy Star has become a household name. Its familiar blue label appears on televisions, dishwashers, computers and more — upwards of five billion products sold in the last two decades. We’ve also certified more than 1.3 million Energy Star houses and tens of thousands of buildings across the country. American families and businesses have saved a combined total of nearly $230 billion dollars on their utility bills with help from Energy Star, and prevented more than 1.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions

Administrator Lisa P. Jackson speaks with business leaders as EPA celebrates 20 years of Energy Star, a market-based partnership that helps Americans save money and protect the environment through energy efficiency.

The program’s partnership with leading companies from every sector of the economy is proof positive that we can strengthen our economy at the same time we protect our environment. Consumers know that Energy Star means savings on the power bill, and they drive the change — voting with their dollars to support companies that make products that meet and exceed Energy Star standards. After 20 years, our vast network of partners gives Americans a wide-array of innovative choices for saving energy and cutting costs every day

Energy Star is one of our great success stories, and it will play a vital role in our future. The challenges we face in growing our economy, the threats to our health from air pollution, and the need for action to protect our planet from climate change all demand serious energy and environmental solutions. In a comprehensive energy strategy, improving efficiency is at the top of the list.

Twenty years in, we still have a bold vision, one in which the Energy Star program helps millions of people — in the U.S. and around the world — save money, protect their health and the environment, and strengthen an economy that’s built to last.

Lisa P. Jackson is the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.