Solutions Vol. 47, No. 2 / Spring 2016

30.2

1 Exposing a Climate Threat In California, EDF’s infrared images revealed the biggest known methane leak in U.S. history. How do we stop the next one? Page 8

2

14.5 ω Dist = 1.0 Trefl = 20.0 = 0.95

6 Putting the 13 Bringing 16 Artists 18 Today’s Mississippi back the emerge as special: guilt- to work monarchs climate warriors free seafood Ancient mariners Sea turtles can live more than 50 years and migrate thousands of miles. To protect endangered species such as this hawksbill, EDF helped lay the groundwork for the first formal environmental agreement between the United States and Cuba in almost 60 years. Under the pact, officials from marine parks in both countries will join forces to develop science, educational and management programs to conserve their shared biological resources.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK LOOKING FORWARD

EDF, then and now When he’s asked how Environmental Defense Fund got its start, EDF co-founder Art Cooley likes to quote Alexis de Tocqueville: “As soon as several Americans have conceived a senti- ment or an idea that they want to produce be- Environmental Defense Fund’s mission fore the world, they seek each other out... is to preserve the natural systems thenceforth they are no longer isolated indi- on which all life depends. Guided viduals, but a power conspicuous from the by science and economics, we find practical and lasting solutions to the distance whose actions serve as an example.” most serious environmental problems.

It was 50 years ago that Art, then a high school biology teacher, sat Our work is made possible by the support of our members. down with some fellow scientists and an attorney in his living room on Long Island to talk about bringing into court the evidence against Solutions On the cover: DDT, the pesticide Rachel Carson had warned about in her 1962 Vol. 47, No. 2 / Spring 2016 30.2 When an old natural

1 book Silent Spring. Exposing a gas well above Climate Threat In California, EDF’s infrared images revealed the biggest known methane California’s San Fer- leak in U.S. history. How do we stop the next one? Page 8 That meeting, and the legal actions that it sparked, led to the forma- 2 nando Valley began tion of EDF in 1967 and the banning of DDT in 1972, which saved the 14.5 spewing methane ω Dist = 1.0 Trefl = 20.0 = 0.95

6 Putting the 13 Bringing 16 Artists 18 Today’s and toxic gases, bald eagle and other great American birds of prey. It also began the Mississippi back the emerge as special: guilt- to work monarchs climate warriors free seafood partnership of science and law that helped pave the way for the mod- no one knew how ern environmental movement. bad the leak was. EDF’s Tim O’Connor helped expose the magnitude of the It all began in a living room. disaster. He shot the infrared cover image of the otherwise invisible plume. The environmental issues we face today may seem more daunting Senior writer Leslie Valentine followed the unfolding story and what it meant for ‘‘than EDF’s first case against a single chemical. But ’’then, as now, nearby residents (see page 8). everything is connected. In October, the nation’s worst known natu- ral gas leak erupted in Aliso Canyon, CA—and remained unplugged Cover photo: Timothy O’Connor for four months—spewing methane and toxic gases into the air. It was not only a health crisis for the residents of Porter Ranch, but an extreme example of the methane leaks that are endemic to oil and Solutions gas operations around the globe. Methane accounts for about one- quarter of the global warming we are now experiencing (see story, p. 8). Editor Peter Klebnikov Art Director Janice Caswell I’m proud of EDF’s leadership in exposing and investigating the per- Environmental Defense Fund 257 Park Ave. South fectly avoidable problem of methane leakage, and in fighting to New York, NY 10010 change industry practices and get strong regulations in place. Main number 212-505-2100 Research shows that nearly half of methane leaks globally could be Membership questions 800-684-3322 repaired at a cost of about one-half of 1% of the price of natural gas. or [email protected] The benefit to the climate over 20 years would be equivalent to shut- ting down one-third of all coal-fired power plants. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Send feedback to address above or email [email protected] In March, our efforts paid off. In an announcement with huge poten- tial for the climate, matched an earlier U.S. pledge to reduce CONNECT WITH US ONLINE methane emissions by 40–45% from 2012 levels by 2025. And both edf.org countries agreed for the first time to cut methane pollution from oil facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund and gas facilities—which produce the vast majority of emissions. twitter.com/envdefensefund Key to our climate efforts, and many other initiatives, are EDF econo- linkedin.com/company/ mists. They have found that if you make environmental protection environmental-defense pay, people will invent all kinds of ways to make it happen. We’ll be celebrating the role of economics in environmental protection in a ©2016 Environmental Defense Fund. new regular feature in Solutions, honoring the legacy of longtime Published quarterly in New York, NY EDF supporter and trustee Robert W. Wilson (see p. 13). ASSN 0163-2566 New York / Austin / Bentonville, AR / Boston / Boulder / Raleigh / Sacramento / San Francisco / Washington, DC / Beijing, China / La Paz, Mexico / London EDF President

Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 3 FIELD NOTES GETTY The existing coal leasing program amounted to an unfair federal subsidy for‘‘ coal. —EDF President Fred Krupp, commenting on the decision ’’ by the U.S. to block coal leasing on public land.

Penguins diving for krill, a staple of their diet. Krill, the canary of the sea 4 in 10 Americans face The small, shrimp-like crus- crustaceans such as krill to seere water scarcity at least taceans called krill sustain build shells and exoskeletons. much of the marine life in the If oceans continue to acid- one month each year Southern Ocean. They form ify, new research predicts ater use is double the amount replenished by rain oer the year. schools that are miles long there could be a 20% to 70% SOURCE: SCIENCE ADVANCES 12 FEB 2016 and serve as the primary food reduction in Antarctic krill by source for whales, penguins, 2100. That would be a tragedy. sea birds and fish. “All of us—fishermen, fish- WIKIPEDIA But there’s a problem: ery managers, NGOs and con- krill are at risk from global cerned citizens—need to warming. push for reductions in the Higher levels of carbon di- carbon emissions that are oxide in the water mean causing acidification,” says greater levels of ocean acidifi- Dr. Rod Fujita, EDF’s director cation, which interrupts the of oceans research and devel- physiology of krill. It stops the opment. “We also need to ad- eggs from hatching and the just harvests to account for larvae from developing. these changes so that krill and As the ocean takes up the magnificent marine spe- more carbon dioxide, it be- cies that depend on them can comes difficult for stay healthy.” Shuttered: three units at the Allen coal plant in North Carolina. EDF court win closes plants EDF—one of the nation’s best EDF and three other environ- more than a million tons of mental groups have settled a carbon dioxide. The lawsuit EDF was rated one of the lawsuit against Duke Energy was initially filed by EPA, but most effective environmental after the company rebuilt a it was EDF who took the case groups in an annual ranking dozen coal-fired power plants to the Supreme Court and of best and worst charities. without the required pollu- won a unanimous decision, See how we did in tion controls. The settlement paving the way for the histor- Consumer Reports! requires Duke Energy, the na- ic settlement. tion’s second biggest utility, to “Millions of people in Thank you members for your close three polluting coal North Carolina will be better support! units near Charlotte, NC, that off when these dirty coal in 2014 emitted thousands of plants are shuttered,” said ››› READ THE REPORT ››› tons of sulfur and nitrogen Michael Regan, associate vice bit.ly/1UJzhEC pollutants into the air, and president at EDF.

4 Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 FIELD NOTES

U.S. bans FOR THE RECORD BOOKS IN THE COURTS SOURCES: NASA, U.S.SOURCES: NASA, FOREST SERVICE PHOTOS: CORBIS microbeads, 2015 2015 was the hottest year on  In a win for public health, the U.S. Supreme aiding oceans record globally, breaking the mark set in

FREE IMAGES 2014. Without global warming, the chances of Court upheld a federal rule back-to-back hottest years are one in 1,500. allowing customers to get paid for using less power at times of peak demand. On hot days when demand skyrockets, utilities fire up polluting “peaker” plants. With “de- 1890 1920 1950 1980 2010 mand response,” customers are paid for using less power at times of peak demand, Sailing through Congress with reducing the need for peaker rare bipartisan support last plants. Power companies year was a bill to ban micro- originally challenged the beads nationwide by 2017. policy, and EDF defended it as President Obama signed the The 2015 U.S. fire season a friend of the court. “This is a bill into law in December. was the costliest ever, crucial tool against global Found in consumer products at $1.71 billion, as drier soils turned warming,” says EDF attorney such as toothpaste and cos- Western forests into kindling. Michael Panfil. metics, microbeads are min- ute plastic particles that wash into waterways and oceans. Toxic chemicals like PCBs Where EDF founders first met, 50 years ago... stick to the microbeads. The contaminated particles are Fifty years ago this May, a scientists agreed to testify, then consumed by fish and group of scientists met with and the lawyer, Victor pass up the food chain to a lawyer in the living room of Yannacone, won an injunc- people. An estimated 11 bil- science teacher Art Cooley’s tion ending the local spraying lion microbeads are released house on Long Island. Was it of DDT. To continue this every day in American water- possible, they wondered, to promising partnership, they ways. Moms Clean Air Force, sue the county mosquito launched EDF 17 months lat- an EDF-backed group, commission for dumping the er. Watch for more 50th anni- mounted strong pressure on pesticide DDT into Yaphank versary coverage in upcoming Congress to take action. Lake, causing a fish kill? The issues of Solutions.

The energy report card: How does your state rank? A new report ranks states according to their invest- ments in and how well their poli- cies increase efficiency and reduce pollution. More details at edf.org/statereport.

NORTH CAROLINA TEXAS Has more solar capacity than Generates so much wind all the other Southeast states energy that some utilities offer combined. free electricity overnight.

HAWAII NEW JERSEY Is the first state in the nation Has more solar businesses than to commit to 100% renewable tanning salons. Solar employs energy, by 2045. more than 7,000 people.

Top 10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 SOURCES: GRIDWISE ALLIANCE, SEIA, SOLAR JOBS CENSUS 2015, NY TIMES SOURCE:

Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 5 MINDEN PICTURES Making the Gulf Coast whole again

Tens of millions of birds, including these roseate spoonbills, depend on a healthy Mississippi River Delta.

When BP reached a settlement to pay $20.8 billion to sediment diversion projects—mid-Baratar- ia and mid-Breton—in the works. The di- mitigate damage from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil version projects will reintroduce fresh disaster, all parties agreed that most of the money would water and sediment from the Mississippi River into its surrounding wetlands to sup- go to restore the battered Gulf ecosystem. But today there’s port and rebuild land over time. intense pressure to divert funds for other purposes. EDF is Since the 1930s, the Louisiana coast has lost 1.2 million acres. Wetlands that fighting for the environment and local communities. had grown from Mississippi River sedi- ment for centuries have been chopped oondoggles are part of the of the BP money is being spent properly, and channelized for oil and gas opera- American political landscape. as Gulf states realize the urgent need to tions and cut off from the river that built BBut even jaded pundits raised restore their shared coastline. and nourished them. Today more than eyebrows this winter when Alabama Gov. Neighboring Louisiana—itself no an acre of land slips away every hour. Robert Bentley decided to use up to $1.8 stranger to political scandal—has re- The BP spill made things worse. A recent million in BP funds to restore the dilapi- mained committed to using oil spill set- study found that oiled marshes erode at dated governor’s mansion on the Gulf tlement money for coastal restoration. twice the rate of healthy ones. Coast. This old house has been falling Wetlands help protect New Orleans from “Diversions are the backbone of coast- apart since 1997, well before the BP hurricanes, provide habitat for wildlife al restoration,” said Governor Edwards. disaster. and tens of millions of migrating birds, EDF is helping ensure that local commu- This sort of diversion of funds is re- and nurture the Gulf region’s $5.5 billion nities and businesses can manage during grettable. But the good news is that most fishing industry. the transition. For example, we’re helping After the BP blowout, which spilled the area’s shrimp and oyster industries, GETTY 3.2 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of on which thousands of jobs depend, Mexico, EDF and partners helped win bi- adapt to a changing coastline. partisan support for the RESTORE Act, EDF has long worked with state lead- which dedicates 80% of BP civil penalties ers and the Army Corps of Engineers to to the Gulf economy and restoration. restore the delta. Our scientists, attorneys Without this legislation, penalties might and policy staff have focused on making have gone to unrelated federal projects. sure that sediment diversions are built Prior to the election of Louisiana Gov. soon and managed well. John Bel Edwards in November, we led a “Nature’s power can be more effective campaign to ensure that any candidate than bricks and mortar,” says Steve elected would support restoration and Cochran, director of EDF’s Mississippi pledge not to divert funds for other uses. River Delta program. “If we let it do what Gulf bounty: Louisiana’s $1.3 billion shrimp The world’s largest coastal restoration it naturally does, the river can help heal industry requires a healthy Gulf. effort is now moving forward, with two this ecosystem.”

6 Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 High court CORBIS throws a curveball

By Vickie Patton, EDF general counsel

ebruary brought one of the most radical legal decisions I’ve wit- Fnessed in my 25 years as an environ- mental attorney. The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to grant a “stay” of the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of our nation’s effort to reduce climate pollution from power plants. Never before in our nation’s Supreme disappointment: The high court’s decision was unprecedented. history has the Supreme Court imposed a stay on an administrative action before The stakes in the legal battle couldn’t The case is in court because powerful a lower court had ruled on the merits. be higher. power plants are coal interests and their allies are litigating We are determined, with our allies, America’s single largest source of climate to obstruct progress. But a broad coali- to fight for these safeguards. Millions of pollution. The Clean Power Plan will, for tion is fighting to defend the Clean Power Americans have worked together to put the first time, limit that pollution, by set- Plan, including 18 states, the U.S. these protections in place for the climate ting state targets for emissions reduc- Conference of Mayors, numerous cities, security of our communities. tions and giving each state the flexibility power companies, leading medical and The Supreme Court did not explain its to develop its own compliance measures. public health associations and environ- reasoning. Its damaging order is set out in The plan catapulted the United States mental groups. just a few sentences. The decision puts the from laggard to leader on Next, the Court of Appeals will hear Clean Power Plan on pause while the U.S. and, together with action by China and oral arguments on June 2 and is expected Court of Appeals in Washington, DC, re- others, helped convince 195 countries to to reach a decision by this fall. Then the views the case, but join the Paris climate agreement. case will likely move back to the Supreme we remain confident Because of the court decision, EPA Court. we will prevail. The cannot enforce these protections. But At EDF, our focus is on defending the Supreme Court itself fortunately, many states and power com- merits of the Clean Power Plan—and we has repeatedly up- panies are pressing ahead with plans to will fight through the full arc of this held EPA’s authority cut carbon emissions from high-emitting litigation. We need your support. and responsibility to power plants and investing in clean ener- limit climate pollu- gy. The Court’s “stay” decision does not ››› HELP FIGHT THE COAL LOBBY ››› tion under the Clean stop the climate progress under way in Donate to EDF’s legal defense fund at Vickie Patton Air Act. communities across America. edf.org/defend.

Remember when you first realized we have to protect our environment? It still needs you.

Make a gift to EDF in your will or from your IRA. Please contact Katherine Brown [email protected] Toll-free: 877-677-7397 Direct: 212-616-1201 Getting serious about methane

By Leslie Valentine COVER STORY

An October blowout at a natural gas storage field outside November 5, but SoCalGas demanded they call back the plane, citing the risk of Los Angeles poisoned the air for months, sickening explosion. EDF contacted state officials families and polluting the climate. It’s time for strong rules about the urgency of the situation, and the plane went up two days later. When to control methane—and EDF is leading the charge. pilot Steve Conley, a UC Davis atmo- spheric scientist, saw what the numbers ast december, tim o’connor, living in the nearby community of Porter were, he was flabbergasted: “I thought director of EDF’s oil and gas pro- Ranch. They reported a putrid smell and my instruments were broken.” gram in California, found himself mysterious illnesses—especially in chil- L flying sideways through turbu- dren and the elderly. While methane itself Shining a light on the industry lence in a single-engine Cessna manned is odorless and harmless to health in low Ultimately, more than 4,000 households in by a 25-year-old amateur stunt pilot. concentrations, other chemicals in the Porter Ranch were relocated. By the time Along with a colleague from Earthworks, leak were suspect (see p. 10). the well was plugged in February, it had they were above California’s Aliso At first, SoCalGas downplayed the sit- released about 100,000 tons of methane. Canyon, just 28 miles from downtown uation. When Jacki Swift, a Porter Ranch Over the next 20 years, the methane that Los Angeles, circling a giant natural gas resident and mother of four, called the leaked from Aliso Canyon will cause as storage field. Fighting air sickness and utility to report that her children were much global warming as burning more the rotten-egg smell of leaking gas, suffering unusual headaches and rashes, than 900 million gallons of gasoline. O’Connor looked down at the field the customer representative assured her As a climate problem, the Aliso through an infrared video camera and that the foul-smelling fumes came from Canyon leak was exceptional only in its saw a huge black plume of methane, in- mercaptans, chemical additives used to scale. Methane pollution is all too com- visible to the naked eye, pouring from a make the otherwise odorless methane mon throughout the oil and gas industry. ruptured well. “It looked like a volcano,” detectable, and posed no long-term “There are tens of thousands of mini- says O’Connor. health risks. “They promised the leak Aliso Canyons across the country and The resulting footage—the first aerial would be fixed quickly, but they weren’t they add up to a big climate problem,” view of the gusher—went viral, with wide- telling the truth,” Swift says. “It’s scary, says O’Connor. Methane is leaked or spread broadcast coverage and more than and I want the truth.” vented at every stage of the oil and gas 1.3 million YouTube views (you can watch At a community meeting shortly after supply chain, from wellheads to pipe- it at edf.org/aliso). Soon the entire nation the leak began, O’Connor listened as lines to the gas utility lines under our was aware that a climate and public frightened and angry parents recounted streets. EPA’s estimate of the annual total health disaster was occurring in South- how their young children were vomiting of those emissions is nearly 100 times the ern California. On January 6, California and suffering from coughs and nose- amount of the Aliso Canyon leak. Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of bleeds. “I have two young boys of my EDF has taken a lead role in investi- emergency. Within a month, California own, and I felt the same fear and anger gating the problem of methane leakage regulators proposed rules to reduce meth- they did,” says O’Connor. within this vast system and is fighting to ane pollution across the state’s oil and gas That night, O’Connor and his EDF change lax industry practices and get industry and took steps to better regulate team decided they needed to get a spe- strong regulations in place. the 14 gas storage facilities operating in cial plane in the air to measure the leak. Cheap, plentiful natural gas, which is the state. After the faulty well was finally They attempted the first overflight on mostly methane, is marketed as a cleaner plugged 112 days later, the disaster would turn out to be the largest known methane PETE DRONKERS, EARTHWORKS leak in U.S. history.

The human cost For O’Connor, the infrared footage was the culmination of weeks of persistent work to document the scope of the disas- ter, which began on Oct. 23, 2015, when a 62-year-old, 7-inch-diameter steel pipe failed in a well deep underground. Early on, O’Connor suspected that the leak was serious. Just days after it started, he got wind that senior engineers and natural gas experts were being flown in from across the nation by Southern California Gas (SoCalGas), owner of the Aliso Canyon storage facility, to check out

AP IMAGES the situation. Then he spotted an article in the Los Angeles Daily News that report- The right stuff: EDF’s Tim O’Connor with the infrared video camera he used to reveal the ed nearly 200 complaints from families cloud of methane leaking from the Aliso Canyon gas field.

Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 9 COVER STORY

alternative to coal to generate electricity for our homes, and

LISA WHITEMAN lately as a cleaner fuel than diesel—but is it? When burned, natural gas emits half the carbon dioxide and far less air pollu- tion than coal. But every ton of unburned methane released into the atmosphere creates a large and immediate problem for the climate. That’s because methane is 84 times more po- tent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Methane is responsible for about a quarter of today’s global warming. In 2012, EDF scientists Ramón Alvarez and Steven Hamburg published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences warning that the potential benefits of natural gas as a substitute for coal or oil could be lost entirely if too much was leaking. It caused a sensation. Because data on the actual amount of leakage was sorely lacking, EDF then launched the biggest research project in its history, a series of 16 field studies of the entire natural gas system, with more than 100 academic and industry partners. We wanted answers to some fundamental questions: How much methane is leak- ing from oil and gas infrastructure? What are the biggest sources of this problem? What steps can be taken to reduce it? “The scale and speed of EDF’s research is unprecedented,” says Dr. Stephen Pacala, a professor of ecology at Princeton An activist’s story and an EDF trustee. To date, more than two dozen papers have been published Living downwind from Aliso Canyon, Vanessa Bulkacz worries in peer-reviewed journals, the most recent on the Barnett about her five-year-old twin boys, Franklin (right) and Cassidy. Shale gas fields in North Texas. The conclusions from that Even eight miles away, her neighborhood had a strong natural study are startling—and disturbing. The researchers looked at gas smell, and Franklin, who has asthma, began having severe all phases of oil and gas development in the region and found coughing fits. Bulkacz, a climate activist, suspected the gas was that methane emissions in this huge field are 90% higher than causing his flare-ups. “My kids asked me what ‘the stinky smell’ EPA estimates. A major cause of the problem, it turns out, are was,” she recalls. “It was frightening.” At her job closer to the leaks due to equipment malfunctions and failures, and inat- leak, she suffered continuously from headaches and nausea. tention to operations.

She was appalled to learn that companies are allowed to scrimp Fixing the system on inspections and maintenance of massive storage facilities The Aliso Canyon disaster is a such as Aliso Canyon. So Bulkacz, a blogger for the EDF-backed grim reminder of the human Moms Clean Air Force, traveled to Washington, DC, to join other costs of poorly regulated oil and moms meeting with EPA administrator Gina McCarthy to push IN A VAST OIL AND GAS NETWORK, LEAKS CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE for strong federal regulations. “We need infrared cameras putting gas activities. In Porter Ranch, out live web streams at these facilities,” she says. “Moms across thousands of families have seen the country should be outraged that the oil and gas industry puts their lives disrupted, their chil- profits before our children’s health.” dren sickened and their home values at risk. Porter Ranch could be Anytown, USA. There are 413 Why people are getting sick underground storage facilities across the United States that Besides methane, which is generally nontoxic, numerous hold supplies of natural gas. The pollutants leak from oil and gas operations. These include: Aliso Canyon facility is the fifth largest. Many, like Aliso, are old BENZENE Linked to leukemia and kidney cancer facilities in populated areas, and the problems they encounter NITROGEN OXIDES Contribute to the formation of smog, which can trigger asthma and damage lungs are both predictable and pre- ventable. States have primary MERCAPTANS (chemicals added to natural gas for odor) responsibility for regulating well Cause symptoms such as headaches, nausea and rashes integrity at gas storage facilities, but most states, including Pipelines Health officials attribute the symptoms reported by residents near California, have weak standards Oil and gas wells Aliso Canyon to odorants, but exposure to toxic pollutants pose and lax enforcement. The feder- health risks as well. Says EDF toxicologist Elena Craft: “There al government, under the juris- Storage facilities are so many unknowns. We need detailed monitoring data for all diction of the Department of communities near oil and gas operations.” Transportation, has some SOURCES: EIA, EPA

10 Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 COVER STORY AP IMAGES responsibility for the safe and environ- To fix leaks mentally sound operation of gas storage quickly, companies facilities as well, but is only now begin- need to locate ning to act. “The regulation of these facil- them. To make ities is essentially an afterthought until continuous moni- catastrophe strikes,” says O’Connor. toring in the field State and federal agencies must im- cost-effective and prove oversight of gas storage facilities commonplace, and ensure proper design and construc- EDF challenged in- tion of wells. If a well is built badly, it’s not ventors around the a question of whether, but when it will world to design in- leak. And when things go wrong, commu- expensive real-time nities must be compensated and climate methane detec- damages fully mitigated. To make the cli- tors—like carbon mate whole, SoCalGas should finance at monoxide alarms. least an equal amount of methane reduc- Four technologies In a historic pact, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and President tions from oil and gas operations. are being tested; Obama pledged to reduce methane emissions from existing oil and the next step will gas facilties, which account for the lion’s share of the problem. A teachable moment be bringing the To truly tackle the problem of oil and gas best to market. new standards that require companies to methane pollution, we need to reduce Yet many in the industry are fighting detect and fix leaks. This will prevent the emissions across the entire oil and gas regulations. Industry trade groups call for release of more than 100,000 tons of system by at least 45%. The good news is a voluntary approach, which can never methane annually. Operating under the that methane leaks can be fixed at reason- be a substitute for strong rules. new rules, one producer, Noble Energy, able cost. Recent studies by the consulting “Industry’s track record with volun- spent about $3 million on compliance in firm ICF International show that existing tary efforts is not impressive,” says 2015, out of total capital expenditures that technology can cut leaks up to 45% at an Brownstein. Less than one in a hundred year of about $1 billion. Fixing those leaks average cost of a penny per thousand cu- oil and gas companies participate in also cut 90,000 tons of smog-forming and bic feet of gas produced—about one-half EPA’s voluntary program. toxic pollutants every year, as much as of 1% of today’s market price. Working with big energy producers, are emitted by all of Colorado’s cars and “It’s not rocket science,” says Mark EDF has shown that regulatory safeguards trucks. Ohio and Wyoming also took Brownstein, director of EDF’s oil and gas can deliver climate benefits at low cost. In steps to rein in methane pollution, and in program. “It’s simple plumbing.” Colorado, for example, we helped develop January, with Colorado’s rules as a model, Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf an-

CAROL ZUBER-MALLISON nounced plans for strong rules. But a national problem needs a na- IN A VAST OIL AND GAS NETWORK, LEAKS CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE tional solution. Last year, the Obama ad- ministration pledged to reduce methane emissions 40% to 45% from 2012 levels by 2025, and EPA proposed rules for new or modified facilities. There are 1.3 million And recently, in a landmark pact with active oil and gas Canada, President Obama pledged to wells in the U.S. close a huge loophole—by controlling the methane pollution from the millions And 305,000 miles of of existing wells and infrastructure in the natural gas pipeline. United States. This will mean addressing the biggest part of the methane problem 9.3 million from oil and gas, since new facilities will metric tons represent only a small fraction of emis- of methane sions in the years ahead. For EDF, it was escape each a hard-fought victory. We’ve long pressed year. the goverment to require systematic leak- detection and repair for existing facilities. That’s the same But more needs to be done. We need 20-year climate strong rules to regulate natural gas stor- impact as more age facilities like Aliso Canyon. than 200 coal-fired Says Brownstein: “Cutting emissions power plants. of methane is the most effective action we can take today to slow warming over the next several decades.”

Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 11 Overdue repairs for the chemical safety net SHUTTERSTOCK

Congress is near agreement on a new law that, for the first time, will require the testing of chemicals before they go on the market.

recent article in the new york PFOA was one of about 60,000 chemicals and advocated its reform. times magazine exposed a “bra- already on the market. These chemicals EDF’s experts advised Congress on the A zen, decades-long” secret held by were “grandfathered”—presumed safe first TSCA reform bill introduced in 2005. DuPont. For years, according to the arti- without any review. In the years since, Working with the late Senator Frank cle, the chemical company withheld evi- the chemical industry has introduced Lautenberg (D-NJ), we continued to bring dence of health problems caused by one more than 20,000 new chemicals. Yet be- forward new bills each session. These of its signature chemicals, PFOA. cause of TSCA, EPA has been able to re- failed for lack of bipartisan support. Today, PFOA—used to manufacture quire testing of only about 3% of Unfazed, EDF continued to work with DuPont’s popular Teflon line—is every- chemicals available for use today. Just EPA, states, and health, labor and busi- where. “If you are a sentient being read- nine have been banned. ness groups to push for chemical safety. ing this article in 2016,” author Nathaniel “After 40 years, we still have thou- Gradually, the reform movement Rich wrote in the Times, “you already sands of untested and, in some cases, un- gained traction. In 2013, Senator have PFOA in your blood.” safe chemicals that surround us, in the Lautenberg reached across the aisle to This disturbing story shows the impor- furniture we’re sitting on, the carpet be- work with Senator David Vitter (R-LA), tance of EDF’s efforts to reform the na- neath our feet, the paint on the walls a staunch ally of the chemical industry, tion’s weak chemical safety law, the around us, and the cleaning products un- leading to the first bipartisan TSCA re- 40-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act der our sinks,” says EDF biochemist Dr. form bill. Similar efforts were launched (TSCA). In 1976, when TSCA was passed, Richard Denison. “And the great majority in the House, and, in 2015, both bodies of these chemicals have never been re- finally passed TSCA reform bills. CORBIS viewed to determine if they are safe for At a Capitol press conference, Tom human health and the environment. This Udall (D-NM), the lead sponsor of the law hasn’t worked since day one.” Senate bill, said, “I attribute a lot of our progress to Environmental Defense A long road to reform Fund. This is an organization that likes For decades, EDF has been drawing the results.” public’s attention to the issue of unregu- EDF’s bipartisan stance means that lated chemicals. In 1986 we helped write we’ll be actively involved as House and California’s Proposition 65, which requires Senate staff work to reconcile the bills. manufacturers to label products sold in As EDF vice president for health Dr. the state that contain known carcinogens Sarah Vogel puts it: “We’ll be there every or reproductive hazards. In 1997 we pub- step of the way to ensure the process A home should not be a haven for unsafe lished Toxic Ignorance, a seminal report yields a strong final bill that protects our chemicals. that detailed the shortcomings of TSCA health.”

12 Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 EDF ONLINE THE WILSON LEGACY

SHUTTERSTOCK Creating habitat at one-eighth the cost By Frank Convery, Chief Economist

Dr. Gene Murph is one of my heroes. He is playing a key role in protecting the golden- cheeked warbler, a species whose exis- tence in the United States is threatened because its sole breeding habitat is shrink- ing. Dr. Murph operates a 1,300-acre ranch in prime warbler habitat near Fort Hood, TX.

This is how he got involved: The Army at Fort Hood needed to expand training into habitat favored by the warbler. To do so, the Department of Defense needed to Protecting the monarch’s special places secure high-quality habitat elsewhere. How to ensure that this habitat would leave the Growing up in California, I found my- bird better off at minimal cost to taxpayers? Eric Holst, associate vice president of EDF’s working self migrating each summer to the lands program, develops beaches of Santa Cruz to escape the EDF worked to create a habitat exchange, strategies for environmental sweltering inland heat. Now, as an in which the Army would pay nearby ranch- management of working adult, I’ve learned that the monarch ers to improve habitat. We invited land- forests, farms and ranches. butterfly is drawn to the same place, owners to bid what they wanted to get but only during winter. paid to provide habitat on their land.

The western population of monarchs winters along the California coast, protected by its Dr. Murph is a hero because, when others temperate climate and coastal forests. Last December, I paid a visit to my old summer hesitated, he made the imaginative leap and signed up, committing to habitat- stomping grounds to see this iconic North American butterfly. I wanted to catch a enhancing practices on his land. His glimpse of the monarchs before they dispersed across the West. leadership encouraged others. Quickly, a rare bird became a valuable asset to At Natural Bridges State Park, I discovered a half-dozen orange clusters of monarchs nurture, like a crop. clinging to branches in a protected eucalyptus grove. Soon, they would head inland to mate and search for milkweed on which the females would lay eggs. Their larvae feed The result? The known population of only on the milkweed sap, which is toxic to most organisms. Monarchs have a unique warblers nearly doubled from 5,000 to capacity to sequester the toxins, which makes the butterflies unpalatable to many pred- 9,000 birds. The cost? One-eighth of what ators. Unfortunately, milkweed is in decline across the United States, largely due to hab- easements would have cost. The market itat loss and increased use of pesticides. This accounts for a significant portion of the delivered high-quality protection at low monarchs’ population decline. Climate change poses an additional threat. cost. And the experience provided solid evidence that habitat exchanges can Efforts are under way by organizations like the Xerces Society and the U.S. Fish and benefit a variety of imperiled species, Wildlife Service to plant milkweed throughout the range. EDF recently joined the effort including monarch butterflies—and help by applying our own market-based approach—through habitat exchanges—to bring landowners too. more of these conservation efforts to private working lands owned by farmers, ranchers and forestland owners, who manage much of the habitat appropriate for milkweed. ››› READ MORE ››› edf.org/protectwildlife

››› READ MORE ››› edf.org/butterflies

Moms know best Don’t blame El Niño Advice from a mom on how Califor- 2015 was by far the hottest year since nians can help the record-keeping environment and began. And we can’t their pocketbooks blame it on natural by buying cleaner climate cycles such electricity at lower as El Niño. This regular column honors the memory of Robert cost. edf.org/moms edf.org/nino W. Wilson, a longtime EDF supporter and cham- pion of harnessing market forces to drive environmental progress. See edf.org/wilson. Harnessing high tech for the planet

By Charlie Miller

Citizen scientists are helping track endangered humpback whales.

A technological revolution is transforming invisible is now becoming visible.” New technology and improved data environmentalism, offering new solutions to problems analysis can also help stop overfishing. ranging from global warming to species preservation. EDF has championed an approach called “catch shares” in the U.S., which give ntil recently, environmen- killing hundreds of elephants every year fishermen shares of a scientifically deter- talists and regulators often operat- for their ivory. There, conservationists mined total catch. It’s been remarkably Ued in the dark. Precisely where (and have outfitted elephants with GPS collars successful, but fishery managers need when) were Amazon rainforests being cut that transmit data by satellite so rangers reliable data to make good decisions. down? Were too many fish being pulled and law enforcement can track their “Good data are critical to managing a from a particular fishery? Were the na- movements on smartphones. When ele- fishery,” says EDF senior vice president tion’s farmers applying too much chemi- phants stray into areas frequented by Amanda Leland. “Without data, scientists cal fertilizer to their fields? In the past, poachers, the rangers deploy drones to can’t set smart catch limits, or see if their answers came mostly from partial data scare the elephants into safer territory. management decisions are working.” and guesswork. But today, new tools for “Drones are basically the future of In some industrialized fisheries, defining and fixing environmental prob- conservation,” says James Hardy, a man-

lems are being introduced everywhere, ager at Mara North Conservancy, a pri- FLICKR offering benefits that were almost un- vate wilderness area. “One drone can do imaginable only a few years ago. what 50 rangers can do.” For example, across the United States, Even deep in the Amazon rainforest, wind power is surging. That’s a good satellites are beaming information in real thing. But wind energy has a problem: time to indigenous people with laptops the turbine blades kill more than 100,000 or smartphones, allowing them to sum- birds every year in collisions. mon help when they spot illegal logging. The solution? Radar systems originally developed for the space shuttle and Air Making the “big picture” real Force jets are now being used to detect Satellites, inexpensive sensors and approaching birds, determine their alti- wireless technologies have become our tude, analyze weather conditions and de- new eyes and ears. cide whether they’re in danger of flying “Humans react to what we can sense,” into the blades. If they are, the turbines says EDF chief scientist Steven Hamburg. can be programmed to shut down, restart- “We’re not so good at responding to ing once the birds are safely on their way. threats we can’t see, hear or touch. So it’s Mobile apps can help asthma sufferers, Or take Kenya, where poachers are exciting that much of what was once and everyone else, decide on daily activity.

14 Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 IVAN KASHINSKY GETTY observers have been placed on boats to tractors and aerial monitor the catch. But they are costly— or satellite imagery, around $500 a day—take up valuable are the tools of “pre- space on deck and can pose a safety risk. cision agriculture,” Now, with the help of EDF and commer- which is revolution- cial fishermen, fishery managers are izing farming. Some experimenting with electronic data col- predict that 80% of lection and monitoring, a low-cost alter- drones will be used native. Video cameras on board the boats on farms in coming record fishing activity, while GPS data years. By identifying pinpoint where boats have been. Sensors problem areas, such on winches record when nets are lowered as wet areas or low- and raised. All these data are stored on a producing zones, tamper-proof hard drive onboard for an- technology can give alysts on shore to check later. farmers the ability to fertilize and water Big data their fields much One barrier to communicating the dan- more efficiently, With smart phones and computers, the Surui Paiter tribe in Brazil gers of climate change has been scien- minimizing costs documents illegal logging on its land. tists’ inability to point to human finger- and pollution. prints on a specific weather event, like and transmitting the data by satellite. the California or Midwest flood- What’s next Technology will also amplify the pow- ing. Now that’s changing, thanks to more The speed with which technology has ad- er of “citizen scientists” and environmen- powerful computers, sophisticated algo- vanced is remarkable. Thirty years ago, talists to bring about real change. EDF rithms and large datasets known as “big acid rain was harming lakes and forests health scientists are experimenting with data.” Climate scientists can now provide in the eastern United States, killing trees wristbands that detect toxic chemicals in rapid analysis of global warming’s role in and aquatic life. EDF scientists helped our environment. When EDF President extreme weather events such as heat prove that smokestack emissions trav- Fred Krupp wore one last year, the wrist- waves. In the future, the science of “ex- eled hundreds of miles to cause acid band detected 14 potentially harmful treme event attribution” will become rain—an analysis that required all the chemicals, including a pesticide, plasti- even more precise. power of EDF’s entire computer system cizers and a flame retardant. As the wrist- Advanced technology is also helping to carry out. “Today,” one of the scientists bands become less expensive, they may to take on agricultural pollution. About says, “I could do it all on my phone.” become more widely used in scientific 50% of the fertilizer applied to farmland Meanwhile, sensors keep getting research to better understand the toxic in the United States is not absorbed by smaller, processors faster and environ- chemicals in our environment. crops. It often runs off the fields into mental technologies more exotic. The One company is marketing inhalers streams and rivers, causing pollution, National Oceanic and Atmospheric equipped with GPS sensors that transmit algae blooms and “dead zones.” Administration (NOAA) has been work- location data every time the inhaler is Today, however, a farmer can analyze ing with a private company on sailing ro- used. Put together, the data could reveal his soil and crops and determine more bots that could roam the oceans, tracking information and patterns that would al- precisely how much fertilizer to apply. endangered species, collecting informa- low asthma sufferers to avoid hotspots. Such tests, along with GPS-enabled tion on water quality and temperature, Citizen science is also helping save some of the world’s most endangered CORBIS creatures, including North Atlantic humpback whales. Whaling drastically reduced their numbers in the 19th centu- ry, and fewer than 12,000 are left. Today, scientists need to track the whales’ mi- grations while monitoring their recovery. Citizen scientists are helping. They photograph the whales’ flukes, or tails, and submit the pictures and location data to a catalogue. Scientists can identi- fy each individual humpback by scars and the black and white patterns on the flukes. When a new photo is submitted, scientists can compare it to pictures in the catalogue to learn more about the whale’s movements. “Nothing beats an engaged citizen ob- EDF helped introduce technology to reduce fertilizer use by 25% in many Midwest farms. serving the environment,” says Hamburg.

Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 15 Science says climate change is a fact. Art takes us there.

GETTY on how human beings should act in the 21st century. It speaks for the voiceless— the poor, the embattled ecosystems and wildlife. Artists show people how to get involved. Can climate art move us to act in time?

MUSIC Scientists often speak of the rhythms of climate change. Musicians have picked up on that.

A Song of Our Warming Planet Daniel Crawford based this composition on surface temperature data. The piece goes from pleasant bass notes to high- pitched heart-pumping squeals before stopping abruptly in the present. Political art: Olafur Eliasson transported ice from a fjord near Nuuk, , to Paris for bit.ly/1mSKUvB the climate talks, putting the issue in front of the delegates’ eyes. HOME–Heal Our Mother Earth avin schmidt, head of nasa’s scientists,” says playwright and climate New voices—in this case hip-hop stars— Goddard Institute for Space activist Jeremy Pickard. “These are the speak out on climate change and vulner- GStudies, had a problem. He’d give people we try to speak to.” able populations. bit.ly/1QrnENG scientific presentations on exposes people to issues they replete with frightening statistics, and might otherwise ignore. Take Eve people weren’t getting it. Then, on a Mosher’s HighWaterLine art project, LITERATURE hunch, he put up photos of melting sea which uses bold visuals to demarcate An entire genre, “Cli-Fi,” tackles climate ice. “I heard audible gasps,” he says. streets in the United States and UK that disaster. Many works are set not in the Now, he and other scientists turn to will be underwater with accelerated future but in the present day. That’s be- art and music to convey data. “Art goes warming. Climate change is no longer cause climate change is already happen- to a different part of the brain,” says just in remote locations like the Arctic. ing, and writers don’t need to use their Schmidt, who harbors dreams of a cli- It hits people at home. imagination to see what’s already there. mate symphony. “Adding emotion to a It’s taken a long time for climate to en- Other writers look into the future or take message makes that message more ter the cultural mainstream, but today a more personal view. memorable.” It also helps build a public the floodgates are open and interesting movement. work is cropping up all over. Flight Behavior “Most people don’t pay attention to The best work compels us to reflect A colony of migrating monarch

Merce Cunningham Dance Company’s Beach Birds, a Alexis Rockman’s painting Mount Daniel Crawford communicates warming beautiful meditation on the vulnerability of nature. Rushmore: a familiar place transformed by assigning low notes to cool years and bit.ly/1T7S8dj by climate change. bit.ly/1VakK5b high-pitched ones to warm ones. Science says climate change is a fact. Art takes us there.

butterflies arrives in Feathertown, TN, The Years of Living Dangerously What Is Missing? having flown off course due to climate This Emmy-winning series on climate The computer screen in Maya Lin’s latest change. The book by Barbara Kingsolver, solutions is available on iTunes and project opens to colorful icons circling an EDF National Council member, exam- Amazon. In one episode, producers fol- like birds or insects that settle on a map ines how climate change transforms a low EDF Climate Corps fellows on their of the world. Click on them and you’re community. quest to solve energy problems at corpo- transported to stories of creatures and rations. bit.ly/1j3xKHS places that may well disappear if we do Working the Map—Islanders and not protect them. bit.ly/19C9yJu a Changing Environment This collaborative volume looks at how THEATER AND DANCE Illuminating Our Common Home climate change affects the lives of people Theater and dance are being used to in- Beautiful images of our shared natural who live in Britain’s most northerly isles. troduce people of all ages to the urgency world projected onto the graceful façade In drawings and essays, farmers and fish- of climate change. of St. Peter’s Basilica. bit.ly/1TTnKk7 ermen tell of the changes they observe on land and sea, and their concerns for Superhero Clubhouse One Beat One Tree the future. Jeremy Pickard leads a theatre company Naziha Mestaoui’s work projects virtual dedicated entirely to climate change. forests onto city spaces. Viewers connect Eco Poetry Some of his most interesting work is with via their phone to see digital trees grow in This new genre of poetry features a di- children, who hear about the issue from a rhythm with their heartbeat. With each verse field of practitioners addressing the scientist, then write plays inspired by the virtual tree that grows, a physical one is Anthropocene; Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, a talk. EDF economist Jonathan Camuzeaux planted around the world. The project Marshall Islander, addressed a video helps ensure the facts are correct. has already planted 13,000 trees. poem to the UN Climate Summit, electri- bit.ly/1LxooE2 huff.to/21CZo5R fying delegates. bit.ly/1ogtymQ On the Nature of Things Submerged Motherlands Choreographer Karole Armitage stages a This exhibit by the street artist Swoon at TV AND FILM dance under the great blue whale at New the Brooklyn Museum used old sea rafts Climate change has become a staple of York’s American Museum of Natural to address the loss of people’s homelands Hollywood disaster films—call it the ba- History. bit.ly/1DRmN5c due to rising sea levels. bit.ly/OU6iAh nalization of the Apocalypse. But high- quality, science-based documentaries are High Arctic also reaching broad audiences. VISUAL ARTS AND This installation uses text, sound and MULTIMEDIA sculpture, allowing people to interact Climate-centered painting, photography with 3,000 Arctic that will melt Chasing Ice is a stunning documentary and conceptual art is now widespread. entirely by the year 2100 unless we turn that used stationary cameras to produce The best work is often subtle. Meanwhile, back climate change. bit.ly/1T7STTA a time-lapse movie that lets you watch art on the streets targets non-environ- Arctic glaciers disappear before your mentalists—and delivers global warm- PHOTOS L TO R: MICHAEL O’NEIL AND COURTESY OF THE MERCE CUNNINGHAM TRUST; IMAGE COURTESY OF ALEXIS ROCKMAN (MOUNT RUSHMORE, 2005, OIL ON WOOD 40 X 32 INCHES); UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA/ENSIA; PHOTO: ADAM eyes. bit.ly/1TnPIrd ing’s message with a jolt. LEWINTER/EXTREME ICE SURVEY; GIDEON MENDEL; THEMESSENGERDOC.COM

James Balog, on location in Greenland Drowning Worlds. Since 2007, Gideon Mendel The Messenger is a documentary that traces the filming Chasing Ice. has travelled the globe, photographing people worldwide depletion of songbirds due to climate change whose lives have been devastated by floods. and the effect on humans. TheMessengerDoc.com GREEN LIVING FROM OUR MEMBERS

Eat these fish! 123RF

re you tired of being told not to eat your favorite seafood because it’s overfished or unsustainable? AIf so, you’re not alone. Finally there’s some good news. Over the last 15 years, EDF has worked with fishermen, scien- tists and government officials to transform the way U.S. fisheries are managed. Smart management has helped fishermen stay within catch limits, avoid overfished species and stay out of sen- sitive areas. As a result, overfishing has dropped to an all-time low, and more than 100 species are on the path to recovery. EDF has partnered with the National Restaurant Association, Chefs Collaborative and others on a campaign to promote underappreciated American fish that are not only sustainably caught, but also affordable and tasty. We’ve identified 12 species whose populations are healthy and, in some cases, are being caught well below sustainable levels. For recipes and cooking tips from some of the nation’s top chefs, go to EatTheseFish.com. Here’s a sampler. Master chefs provide cooking tips for sustainably caught fish.

Acadian redfish Chilipepper rockfish Skate

Often considered Frequently shunned as “trash fish,” One of at least 60 species of rockfish on bycatch, most of the redfish was common fare in military mess the West Coast, this fish is sometimes longnose skate caught off the West halls during the 1950s; the population called Pacific red snapper, though it is not Coast is exported, but there is growing plummeted during the 1990s, but has technically a snapper. interest in creating a market here, too. since recovered. Kitchen tips: Medium-firm fish, low in Kitchen tips: Skate wings have a mild Kitchen tips: This versatile fish is lean, oil content, suitable for many types of flavor and tender texture, and are flaky and moist, perfect in fish tacos. preparation. sometimes compared to scallops.

Red grouper Silver hake Monkfish

Also known as Atlantic whiting, this fish Monkfish will never win a beauty contest, has been historically ignored in favor of but in the 1980s, the fish became a cod, a close relative. It’s a great alternative favorite of Julia Child’s. Today the fish Long overfished, slow-growing red because, unlike New England cod, its appears on many restaurant menus grouper are recovering, thanks to better population is stable and prices are around the country, though it is rarely catch management. Known as under- moderate. served whole. water architects, they dig large holes in the sea’s sandy bottom, providing places Kitchen tips: This delicate, mildly fla- Kitchen tips: Called “poor man’s lobster,” for coral, sponges and other marine life to vored fish is softer and moister than cod. monkfish is firm and mildly flavored. congregate.

Kitchen tips: With light, flaky white meat, red grouper is a bit milder than other Gulf TASTY WEST COAST EAST COAST GULF OF MEXICO fish, which makes it good for just about chilipepper rockfish, lingcod, monkfish, red snapper, anything from entrées to sandwiches. Gulf of Pacific ocean Acadian redfish, red grouper TWELVE perch, Alaska snow crab, long- Atlantic pollock, BY REGION nose skate, yellowtail rockfish silver hake FISH ILLUSTRATIONS: CHILIPEPPER ROCKFISH: MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM; SKATE: BRENDA GUILD GILLESPIE/ CHARTINGNATURE.COM; ALL OTHERS: FISHWATCH.GOV

18 Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 FROM OUR MEMBERS

Your stories Letters

Members pitch in to save the monarch Hit them where GETTY it hurts My husband and I just read about First En- ergy and its battle in the state of Ohio in the latest Solutions (Winter 2016). After learning that the utility is trying to avoid environmen- tal laws, we sold our First Energy stock today. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of the environment. — Nancy and Howard B., ME

Getting industry to listen RE “New study finds oil and gas methane emissions almost twice what official esti- mates suggest” (edf.org/TXmethane). In Texas, oil and gas rules. Here in the The milkweed plants that monarchs lay their eggs on are vanishing across the United Barnett Shale we have had zero success in States—and the butterflies are paying the price. Solutions asked EDF members to tell us getting the state to accept the facts about how they are helping monarchs on their migration. Here are a few of the hundreds of im- gas drilling and production pollution. If the industry would spend as much money passioned responses we received. on alternative power source research as they do on corrupt government, we’d have One female monarch changed my life. I In rural southern Minnesota, monarchs are the problem of global warming drastically was in the backyard with my dog watch- hardly seen any more, replaced by films of reduced in short order. —Jerry L., TX ing a monarch fly around the milkweed I pesticide on our cars and in our throats. I had planted when she laid an egg! I was miss the days they were plentiful and my hooked. Since that day I have raised and children and I would watch them land on Get out the vote released between 100 and 250 monarchs our flowers and flutter by on a sunny day. every year. I am now involved with several —Linda T., MN I was especially thrilled to read about your butterfly groups and urge everyone to plant Voter Mobilization Project (Winter 2016 milkweed and garden organically. One summer in the early 1980s, a friend Solutions). Getting younger people involved —Judith J., MI and I took a hike in the woods and came and to show up at the ballot box is crucial to the future of our country. How about fea- Every fall, I gather milkweed seeds and upon trees that seemed to be covered with turing a little sidebar with this information: spread them to wild acres and neighboring orange leaves. As we crossed a clearing Are you registered to vote? Visit usa.gov/ properties, looking for fresh dug dirt and to get a closer view, the “leaves” exploded into the air with thousands of monarchs! register-to-vote or registertovote.org. open areas. My granddaughter helps gather ­—Nadine S., Oceanside, CA the seeds and tosses them to the wind. —David S., OR —Vikki H., PA I was impressed that beautiful milkweed AP IMAGES seeds were used in life jackets in WW2 for Many years ago, I planted a milkweed root. buoyancy. Later, the herbicide sprays came Three years later my plant was covered on the market, and the plants could not with monarch caterpillars. I am now an of- survive this. I feel much can be done. ficial Way Station (#04296) for Kansas City —Sue S., IA University Monarch Watch. I have 62 milk- weed plants plus other plants that provide This loss can’t be overstated. It is a very food for the butterflies. —Ronald K., CA sad commentary on mankind’s lack of respect for its home and the home of I am a guitarist for a hardcore rock band something as noble as the monarch. and absolutely adore butterflies. One year, —Emily M., NY I found a peculiar plant near a creek. The butterflies loved it. The next year I propa- Growing up in the Hudson Valley of New gated it. I found out later the white bulby York, I saw thousands of monarchs in a field Young people care about the climate, but they don’t always vote. flowers were milkweed. Now my small across the street. The orange and black furrow in the creek provides hundreds of sight was awe-inspiring. To think how many flowers for these delicate creatures. have been killed from herbicides is heart- We want to hear from you! —Kris P., NV breaking. —Anonymous Email us at [email protected].

Solutions / edf.org / Spring 2016 19 THE LAST WORD

The greatest wonder is that we can see ‘‘ these trees and not wonder more. — Ralph Waldo Emerson’’

PHOTO: CORBIS