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By Maria Doa, PhD, Senior Director, Chemicals Policy, and Lauren Ellis, MPH, Research Analyst What Happened:  We recently expressed concern to EPA about its conclusion that “distribution in commerce” (including the transportation of chemicals) does not contribute to the unreasonable risk for any of the first 10 chemicals evaluated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  In …

By Maria Doa, PhD, Senior Director, Chemicals Policy, and Lauren Ellis, MPH, Research Analyst SUMMARY: We explore the connection between the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the risks of toxic chemicals from transportation accidents, and the pathway to better protect communities. Last month, a Norfolk Southern freight train hauling several railcars carrying toxic chemicals derailed …

Five things you can do to help limit your climate impact of online shopping.

If you want to get a clear picture of where an industry’s biggest players think the market is headed, go to their annual trade show. I attended Work Truck Week 2023 in Indianapolis this week, and the picture was unmistakable: Work trucks are going electric. Now’s the time for fleet managers and state and local …

It’s the beginning of a new year and this year – despite some opposition – can be the year Virginia turns the corner to embrace a clean energy economy future. Virginia has already taken critical steps in its clean energy transition to make communities more resilient and to address climate change. Steps like joining the …

A new climate law offers a big boost to sustainable aviation fuels – but the details matter. The Biden administration must avoid subsidizing fuels whose production would do more harm to than good.

Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)

By Elizabeth B. Stein and Cole Jermyn Back in December, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities released a revised straw proposal for the development of charging infrastructure for zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles throughout the state. This proposal comes over a year after the preliminary proposal was released in June 2021. When it comes …

Broad electrification initiatives propel New Jersey to a clean energy future

There is extraordinary excitement today over zero and low carbon hydrogen. But can it live up to the silver-bullet hype?  To understand the tradeoffs, we compared the total energy required to perform the same tasks using either green hydrogen or direct electrification.

EDF's Climate Tech Convening in San Francisco was split between decarbonizing the transportation sector and carbon removal.

In 2023, zero-emission truck adoption will receive a boost from policy wins, transformations in technology, and an emergence of new business models.

Electric heavy-duty vehicles have come a long way in a pretty short time. Back in 2018, we were excited about prototype vehicles and trucks with 60-mile range. Today there are scores of truck models available at ever increasing ranges, clear market segments where these vehicles can thrive today, and ever-growing fleet interest in deploying these …

By Lauren Navarro & Pamela MacDougall California air regulators are currently considering adoption of the Advanced Clean Fleets rule — a purchase requirement for medium and heavy-duty fleets to adopt an increasing percentage of zero-emission trucks. This rule has the potential to be transformative. California has some of the worst air quality in the country;

New York Governor Hochul announces sweeping climate and electrification initiatives

New Proposal Sets New Jersey on the Road to Truck and Bus Electrification

U.S. Postal Service Makes the Right Choice for America's Future with Clean Vehicles

EDF Welcomes EPA’s Important Clean Trucks Plan and Urges Swift Action

Last month, EDF co-hosted a workshop in Houston on the state of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles in Texas. Partnering with Evolve, the Houston-Galveston Area Council and Port Houston, we met at the NRG Center with dozens of industry experts, government officials, fleet managers and drivers to talk about the economic and environmental opportunities that transitioning to …

Here’s one reason for holiday cheer: millions of packages will be arriving on doorsteps this holiday season via electric delivery vans that don’t produce any tailpipe pollution. In fact, zero-emission trucks of all shapes and sizes are starting to hit U.S. roads, with thousands expected to roll out in the next few years.

By Michael Colvin and Larissa Koehler Last month California took another significant step forward in advancing the deployment of zero-emission vehicles, with the adoption of a Transportation Electrification Framework by the state’s Public Utilities Commission.  The framework establishes a $1 billion, 5-year suite of programs, and it provides a pathway for the state’s large electric …

By Sam Yarrow-Wright The International Maritime Organization knows that the shipping industry needs to change course to address the climate crisis. By committing to the Initial Greenhouse Gas Strategy in 2018, which requires the shipping industry to reduce emissions by 50% by 2050, it formally recognized this. Such a declaration, despite being forged through difficult …

EDF Granted Consultative Status at UN’s International Maritime Organization

Joint study released by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Ricardo PLC, examines the potential marine environmental impacts of ammonia spills during its use as a shipping fuel.

Study finds that spills of ammonia as a shipping fuel could negatively impact certain habitats and species more than others, and that the likelihood and gravity of such spills are highly dependent on ship type, hole size, temperature or even time of the day.