Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) manages the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station on Lake Maurepas, which lies directly west of Lake Pontchartrain and is known for its miles of brackish water and an abundance of wildlife.

The Research Station provides research opportunities for university students and educational events for community members. Located on Pass Manchac on the eastern side of the lake, SLU recently began the Lake Maurepas Monitoring Project (LMMP) to implement third-party monitoring of the lake’s conditions as a potential carbon sequestration project is developed.

This project, part of a larger endeavor called the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex, is unpopular with locals who remain skeptical of hydrogen and carbon management technologies and wary of the impacts they could have on the environment and commercial and recreational opportunities in the lake.

It is important to note that while the LMMP is funded by Air Products, the project developer, it remains an independent, third-party research group. NWF visited Turtle Cove in March 2024 to learn more about the environmental monitoring conducted by the LMMP and why it is important (read the blog post here).

Communication with the public is an integral part of this project since many Louisianians are skeptical of carbon management technology, especially on the ecologically valuable Lake Maurepas. 

Community engagement and education

On June 21st, SLU hosted an open house event at Middendorf’s restaurant in Manchac to engage with and educate community members on the LMMP. The event, supported by funding from the National Wildlife Federation, originally included a boat tour of the monitoring project, however, coastal flooding from Tropical Storm Alberto caused this section of the open house to be canceled.

Attendees mingled and dined on jambalaya and fried catfish before Dr. Rob Moreau, manager at Turtle Cove, opened the event by welcoming visitors and recognizing community and industry leaders present.

Dr. Kyle Piller, the LMMP Director and professor of biological sciences at Southeastern, gave a thorough presentation on the project, beginning by emphasizing the importance of pre-project monitoring. Dr. Piller stressed that more data is always better and any data collection before the sequestration project begins will be beneficial, especially to establish a baseline for the lake’s ecology. 

The presentation outlined the variety of monitoring conducted by the research team: aquatic biodiversity, wetland, physiological ecology, and chemical monitoring.

Each type of monitoring provides different types of helpful information. The wetland team assesses marsh quality and cypress and tupelo populations while the chemical team monitors arsenic and lead levels, learning how storms and potential dredging projects affect chemical changes in the lake.

Dr. Piller revealed that new discoveries have already been made, such as seasonal blue crab hotspots and the presence of a new fish species, the Gulf sturgeon, which had previously never been spotted in the lake. 

Community concerns & resources

The presentation concluded with a showcase of the outreach and engagement conducted by Turtle Cove and the LMMP. For those who can come to Turtle Cove in person, boat tours are available to showcase the monitoring buoys deployed in the lake and the research station.

For those interested but unable to visit, SLU has developed a documentary to teach people about the work at Turtle Cove and the group is currently working on a short form documentary to pique interest in the project.

Dr. Piller discussed their dedication to public transparency and that all research, including collected data, finished papers and real-time monitoring buoy information, is open to the public online.

After the presentation, attendees were welcomed to ask questions, and many brought forward important concerns. Senator Bill Wheat (R-District 37) asked if the research team needed more time to get a true baseline recording of the lake’s norms and another attendee asked if an app could be developed to make the buoy data more accessible.

Another community member asked if there was a “worst case scenario” plan for the lake if the sequestration project causes negative impacts or if researchers have ideas on what data may be “red flags” for the state of the lake. Although not all the questions could be answered at the event, these are valid concerns that should be addressed.

NWF has curated resources on carbon management in Louisiana, including a Carbon Management: Community Takeaways Toolkit and Louisiana Carbon Management Q&A for community members to utilize.

Unmatched ecological and recreational value

Lake Maurepas is surrounded by protected areas, with the Joyce Wildlife Management Area (WMA) to the north, Manchac WMA to the east (nestled between Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain) and Maurepas Swamp WMA to the south, which will be restored by the River Reintroduction to Maurepas Swamp project.

Tickfaw State Park sits seven miles from the shore on the tributary Tickfaw River, and the Blind River enters Lake Maurepas from the West, sustaining one of the nation’s largest cypress and tupelo swamp habitats. These protected areas within and around Lake Maurepas showcase Louisiana’s marshes and estuarine ecosystems, providing recreational opportunities such as birding, fishing and boating. 

Not only do these areas provide recreation outlets, but they also provide extensive ecological value as they provide habitat for a diverse range of species, flood control during extreme weather events, enhance water quality and buffer the coast from storm surges and erosion.

Community is key in carbon management

While Southeastern’s outreach efforts and the Lake Maurepas Monitoring Project do not eliminate all community concerns surrounding the carbon management project in Lake Maurepas, they are important steps in transparency and public outreach. This “Lunch and Learn” event succeeded in engaging community members and is an example of what private-public partnerships can look like as carbon management projects like these are developed in communities across the country. 

Drawbacks of Carbon Management 

Carbon capture, if not implemented alongside thorough emissions mitigation tactics and targets, has the potential to perpetuate fossil fuel use instead of facilitating the transition towards clean energy. The impacts of this could include allowing industry to continue polluting communities, dismissing the harms communities face and welcoming new industrial developments to already overburdened areas.

Furthermore, state primacy (when a state is given primary authority to implement a federal program) over Class VI carbon sequestration wells is largely supported by fossil fuel interests as a means of speeding up the carbon sequestration permitting process. This furthers the view that energy companies value carbon management technology for its ability to extend fossil fuel dependence under the guise of sustainability rather than as a transitional technology.

Some advocacy organizations critique the 45Q tax credit for economically incentivizing fossil fuel perpetuation and misappropriating public funds that should be invested in renewable energy. Class VI well primacy is also a contentious subject given the existing regulatory and environmental justice concerns around carbon management in Louisiana.  

Carbon dioxide pipelines are also a source of discomfort when discussing carbon management in Louisiana. While pre-existing carbon pipelines are useful, there is concern that as the carbon management sector grows, pipelines would be expanded through fragile wetland ecosystems and communities.

Although existing pipeline regulations are stringent and adapting to regulatory incidents and CO₂ pipeline incidents are uncommon, pipeline safety is a major concern of residents. This fear has been bolstered by incidents that have drawn wide-spread public attention, such as the rupture in Satartia, MS. As such, establishing trust between residents and industry is a difficult task.  

Community Reactions  

Carbon management in Louisiana has received varying public responses, with many local environmental groups coming out against CCUS in Louisiana and other groups supporting CCUS conditionally (often determined by location and impact).  

For example, residents near Lake Maurepas have taken a firm stand against carbon sequestration under Lake Maurepas, which is a heavily recreated area. During the public comment hearing on well permitting for this project, concerns were raised over drinking water contamination if sequestered carbon leaks and reacts with underground minerals, the safety of drilling near abandoned wells in Lake Maurepas and fault lines in Lake Pontchartrain, and the lack of regulations ensuring liability for long term problems.

Many of these concerns were echoed with a call for an Environmental Impact Statement, which would slow the project and increase community trust. While these comments are often addressed by industry representatives and in-state scientists, this continued opposition to the project reveals the extent to which communities distrust emerging carbon management technology and developments.  

In response to community concerns, legislation has been proposed in Louisiana and NWF has developed a “Carbon Management: Community Takeaways” toolkit to summarize common concerns Louisiana community members have and present methods for industry, government, and community stakeholders to create a holistic decision-making process.

Overall, Louisiana communities are hesitant about supporting carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology in the state and desire strong regulatory safeguards, proven project efficacy from other CCUS success stories, and a role in carbon management decision making processes.  

Carbon Management Moving Forward

Carbon management is likely to be a part of Louisiana’s future as the state adapts to climate stressors and strives to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Despite this, many of the proposed carbon management projects are not sustainable long-term since they extend fossil fuel use and without government support, such as energy transition timeline requirements, will likely hinder the transition to clean and renewable energy.

To remedy this, CCUS development plans need to account for phasing out abatable industries, such as gas power plants and oil refineries, and establishing clean energy alternatives. NWF focuses primarily on non-energy sector CCUS development, however, in Louisiana there are at least five projects focusing on utilizing CCUS to capture carbon from liquid natural gas (LNG) processing. Like with all conservation and climate programs, strong public education and engagement is critical to success.

NWF’s role in Louisiana is to educate communities on carbon management and advocate for inclusive decision-making processes while recognizing that CCUS projects in Louisiana must be carefully reviewed to ensure their long-term sustainability and success in emissions reduction.  

California appears set to become a national leader in carbon dioxide removal (CDR)—a climate strategy that removes CO2 directly from the ambient air and sequesters it in a form where it is prevented from re-entering the atmosphere. CDR addresses the climate crisis by targeting excess atmospheric CO2, a result of societal industrialization, and can range from natural solutions like reforestation to more technological processes like direct air capture (DAC). 

Carbon Removal Projects in California Receive Federal Support

When the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the first round of awardees for its $3.5 billion Direct Air Capture Hubs (DAC Hubs) program in August 2023, no fewer than four projects in California were selected, the most of any one state. The most advanced project, led by a subsidiary of fossil fuel company California Resources Corporation, will receive up to $11.8 million to conduct a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study to explore the potential for a DAC hub in Kern County, California.

The other three—led by Aera Energy, Chevron, and the University of California—will receive up to $3 million each to explore the feasibility of their proposed projects. All projects are located in the southern part of California’s Central Valley, in and around Bakersfield and Kern County. 

What Goes On in the Central Valley?

The Central Valley is no stranger to economic sectors of national importance. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Central Valley is among the main agricultural regions in the U.S., producing a quarter of the nation’s food, including 40% of the fruits and nuts consumed. Alongside agriculture, fossil fuel extraction dominates the landscape. 

In 2019, Kern County was the leading oil producing county in the state, and the seventh largest in the country. While these industries helped build a city like Bakersfield into what it is today, participants at a carbon removal workshop convened earlier this year in Bakersfield, were quick to point out the environmental degradation and human health consequences those same industries have brought with them. 

Though these consequences impact nearly all residents of Bakersfield and the broader Central Valley, the burden falls especially on low-income communities and communities of color. Bakersfield, a city of over 400,000 people, is located 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Census data shows around half of the residents identify as Latinx, 7% Black, 7% Asian, and around 30% as white (these numbers may not be fully representative of the population, due to Kern’s large population of undocumented people). More than 16% of county residents live below the poverty line. 

The CDR spotlight shines so brightly on the Central Valley because its landscape fits the criteria set forth by Congress guiding DOE’s selection process, including: access to geological storage reservoirs for CO2, ongoing economic reliance on the fossil fuel industry, proximity to low-carbon electricity sources, and location as an economic opportunity zone. 

However, given the ongoing history of this region, the characteristics that make the Central Valley an attractive site for DAC in the federal government’s eyes are the same characteristics that may make communities in the area skeptical of DAC. 

Indeed, “economic opportunity zones” refer to areas identified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) where developers are offered tax benefits to “spur economic growth and job creation in low-income communities” but the environmental degradation and public health consequences of the fossil industry’s boon in particular, are frequently centered by Kern residents, even if they also acknowledge the jobs that come with the industry’s presence. 

Given DOE’s mandate to prioritize applications for these areas, and the mandate’s demographic overlap with vulnerable groups, it is likely that most or all of the DAC Hub locations will have large shares of BIPOC populations, along with those of low socioeconomic status. This is true of Kern County, where nearly 70% of residents are BIPOC and the average income is one third of the state’s average. 

The long history of unjust infrastructure siting and legacies of environmental injustice in the United States may bolster and inform skepticism and resistance to further projects, particularly in the communities that have borne the brunt of hosting extractive industries.  

Hope & Skepticism

So, how are different groups and actors in California approaching the prospect of a new carbon removal industry blossoming in the state? At the state level, California has positioned itself as a leader in developing CDR policy—it is the first US state to incorporate specific quantitative targets for CDR with its latest Scoping Plan for reaching carbon neutrality, and there have been a flurry of state bills recently passed supporting CDR. 

Local government officials are leading calls to bring the burgeoning carbon management industry to the Central Valley with the announcement of a Carbon Management Business Park in Kern County. Lorelai Oviatt, the director of Kern County’s Planning and Natural Resources Department, has stated that the vision is to build a massive solar farm to power DAC plants, so as to replace the county’s declining agricultural revenues due to droughts continuing to plague the Southwest. For Kern alone “at the top end this could produce $68 million a year in county property tax revenue to the county, $25 million to surrounding cities, and 23,000 jobs,” Oviatt noted. “That is hope!”

But it is not so simple. Local residents have expressed opposition to carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in the past. Part of that opposition is centered around the fact that captured CO2 would have been used to extract more oil in a process known as enhanced oil recovery (EOR). 

Today, the California Resources Corporation FEED study has expressly stated that its DAC Hub would not utilize CO2 for EOR, however Chevron and Aera Energy have not yet made statements either way. Some participants in a Bakersfield community DAC workshop signaled that Chevron or Aera Energy involvement in a project would be a red line for them. 

“Chevron and Aera Energy own this town,” stated one participant, and other participants agreed that they did not always trust local elected officials to support the needs of the community over industry. Workshop participants were frustrated that fenceline communities like theirs always seemed to be the first choice for new industrial projects, and voiced skepticism over whether DAC would be any different from past projects that did not pursue a caring relationship with the community.

Climate Change in the Central Valley

Anyone who lives in or has experienced the summer months in the Central Valley likely knows firsthand the extreme heat faced by residents every year, and how it is only projected to get hotter. “By midcentury, the Central Valley is projected to experience average heat-health events that are two weeks longer” states a Summary of Projected Climate Change Impacts on California. 

Experiencing 90° F October days is already a common event for those living in the Valley. Alongside extreme heat, there is also the aforementioned drought. Audrey Alonso, an NWF-American University Carbon Removal Justice Fellow was born and raised in the Central Valley, and personally remembers learning how to deal with drought as a kid and has maintained those water-conserving lessons to this day. 

The Central Valley depends on a functioning irrigation system to maintain arable land, and droughts have put a massive strain on many households and farms in the area. The 2021 drought caused communities to incur $1.7 billion in costs, and led to the loss of over 14,000 jobs. These issues, exacerbated by climate change, are a growing problem that continue to affect the region’s agricultural production and the livelihoods that support it. 

Climate change is bringing increasingly severe and frequent heat waves and droughts to Kern County; creating dusty conditions; exacerbating air quality issues, as the region consistently ranks as one of the worst in the U.S.; and threatening human health, especially that of vulnerable populations like the elderly and those who labor outside, including farmworkers. 

It is important that any Kern County DAC projects acknowledge this context and refrain from becoming a burden to communities as well as limited resources they might share, like water. If they are able to do this, some argue there may be a way forward.

What if We Centered Equity and Environmental Justice?

In the community DAC workshop conducted in Bakersfield “to understand community needs, concerns, and support or opposition for a potential DAC hub in their community,” participants laid out pathways toward an equitable vision for DAC Hubs deployment. 

Such a vision, they said, would need to emerge from ongoing discussions across the community, and would require rooting decision-making power firmly with community groups and local small businesses, include active involvement and oversight from the community, and work with trusted experts. Accountability, transparency, local job guarantees, and integration with the existing local economy would be paramount, and the DAC technology must be renewably powered and sensitive to the region’s water conditions. 

Of all workshop participants, 75% would either strongly support or somewhat support a DAC Hub project in their community if it aligned with their equitable vision by addressing the concerns and needs they outlined, 20% of participants remained indifferent or unsure, and only 5% would oppose such a project. 

This hypothetical buy-in was uniquely high across all four DAC workshops conducted, and signals a real opportunity to pursue a responsible buildout of CDR in California centering equity and environmental justice principles.

This blog is the second installment in an ongoing series examining the intersections of carbon dioxide removal and environmental justice.

Jake Ferrell is the Carbon Removal Justice Fellow at the National Wildlife Federation (LinkedIn).

Audrey Alonso is a 2023 NWF-AU Carbon Removal Justice Fellow, Communications Lead at youth-focused climate organization OurClimate, and resident of the Central Valley (LinkedIn).

The South Fork Wind Farm will contribute 132 megawatts to New York State’s goal of 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2035. Along with the recent approval of the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project approved last spring, it is another concrete step in realizing President Biden’s goal of generating 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind power over the next decade.

In addition to providing an enormous climate solution, offshore wind promises to generate tens of thousands of jobs while also reducing other harmful pollution from dirtier energy sources such as acid rain, mercury, coal ash, and other pollution associated with coal, oil, and gas. Climate change, as well as these other forms of pollution resulting from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, are devastating ecosystems of all kinds, including our oceans which absorb significant amounts of heat and carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.

Watching out for wildlife

However, like any major development, offshore wind does not come without any potential risks. As such, the National Wildlife Federation has been working hard to ensure that impacts to wildlife like whales, birds, and bats are avoided, minimized, monitored, and mitigated as we grow this promising new solution.

Of particular concern are potential impacts to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. This magnificent, slow-moving, baleen whale is down to 336 known individuals that migrate up and down the Atlantic coast. Threats to this imperiled species include vessel strikes, entanglement in commercial fishing lines and nets, and disturbance from noise, which can damage the hearing of whales or cause them to avoid important foraging habitat.

The approval of this project includes several measures to protect the whale from possible threats from the construction of the project. In order to account for these potential impacts, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management — the agency in charge of leasing offshore wind — has required construction only occur in months when the whale is least likely to be there, has placed seasonal vessel speed restrictions, and required that there be constant monitoring for the presence of whales during pile-driving and that pile-driving does not occur or is shut down when a whale is detected with within a certain distance.

Given its dire situation, the National Wildlife Federation will continue to advocate for stronger measures to protect the North Atlantic right whale. We expect and will push BOEM to ensure that protective measures evolve with the changing ocean conditions and improve accordingly. BOEM must follow the science to achieve a favorable outcome for the North Atlantic right whale and wildlife.

The BOEM approval also requires monitoring for birds and bats so that we can better understand and mitigate any potential impacts of offshore wind power on other wildlife. As this clean energy industry continues to grow, it is important we are monitoring and avoid impacts to wildlife wherever possible.

Offshore wind power has the potential to be among the most wildlife-friendly climate solutions. For offshore wind projects to succeed in time to help avoid the worst of catastrophic warning, it is critical that BOEM and other state and federal agencies continue to advance and require measures that protect wildlife along the way.

Learn more about the National Wildlife Federation’s Offshore Wind program.

Climate change isn’t an abstract threat. Its impacts are all too real today and will persist unless we act.

We look to our national leaders to take action and propose solutions that match the magnitude of the threat.

As our leaders wrestle with solutions — from the apparent, like reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to affirming our international commitments — it is essential that we find policies that work for everyone.

We can’t ask vulnerable communities to bear the brunt of economic fallout from the necessary transition to a clean energy-driven economy and resilient ecosystems. We must invest in solutions where people benefit from this transition — including fossil fuel dependent regions that are looking for fair and equitable opportunities to revitalize their communities with new jobs, new industries and a clean environment. 

There are near-term actions that can and must be taken to get our country on the right path, and we need to use every tool we have. Together, the strategies below could reduce U.S. climate pollution by 30 percent.

Invest in clean energy and energy efficiency

The United States has an outdated electrical grid that is in need of significant upgrades. The “grid” includes systems for electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. There is significant opportunity within each of these categories to invest in cleaner, more resilient infrastructure that ensures affordable and reliable energy, and creates family sustaining jobs. First, smart policies can target emissions at their source by incentivizing low- or non-carbon-emitting energy technologies. Second, policies can reduce demand from consumers by encouraging greater energy efficiency in our buildings and industries. This two-pronged strategy will help cut emissions from the grid, and incentivize much needed upgrades that strengthen the economy and save customers money.

Additional policies are needed to stop leaks of harmful methane (a super pollutant) from oil and gas infrastructure, and to spur investment in grid modernization and battery research to support growth in clean energy like solar and wind. 

Invest in natural infrastructure

Infrastructure isn’t just about roads and bridges — it also includes the natural systems that provide essential services that benefit people, communities, and industry. Natural infrastructure consists of natural or nature-based systems that provide essential services and benefits to society, such as flood protection, water purification, and carbon storage. Such systems can be natural ecosystems, like forests, floodplains, beaches, and grasslands, or they can be engineered systems that use natural materials and are designed to emulate the functioning of natural ecosystems.

Investment in natural infrastructure can:

• Ensure abundant and clean water for people and wildlife,
• Increase the capture of carbon (carbon sequestration) in soils, forests, and grasslands,
• Maintain existing carbon sinks and protect them from natural disasters,
• Protect and restore wildlife habitat,
• Create and stimulate sustainable local economies, such as ecosystem restoration and outdoor recreation related industries, and
• Improve the resilience of people and wildlife to the impacts of climate change. Climate resilience is defined as the ability of a system (either natural or human) to withstand, adapt to, or recover from the accelerating impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rise, flooding, drought, megafires, and more severe hurricanes.

These investments would benefit wildlife and communities across America in a fiscally responsible way by serving as a smart insurance policy against costly extreme weather and climate effects while also providing a down payment on the low-carbon economy of the future.

Invest in smart transportation

In 2016, transportation accounted for the largest portion of total greenhouse gas emissions. There is tremendous potential to reduce this large source of emissions through investments in infrastructure. We must electrify this sector in order to slash transportation-related air pollution and curb climate-altering emissions. Policy support can speed us to our electrified future, including increased grants, tax credits, and low-interest loans to states, cities, and individuals to install more charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, and swap out dirty public transit and school buses for no-emission electric alternatives. Our leaders must pursue strategies that help the United States catapult low-carbon vehicles and transit alternatives into more widespread use in an equitable way and reduce emissions.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is an association of industry and environmental, social, and developmental NGOs. Our previous article explained that the RSPO was formed to tackle the environmental and social problems that were being created by the palm oil industry. The RSPO’s Principles & Criteria are a set of requirements that companies must comply with in order to be certified as sustainable. The Principles & Criteria are reviewed every five years and this year an intensive review process was undertaken by all stakeholders, including the National Wildlife Federation, giving the RSPO over 11,500 individual comments on how to improve the environmental and social aspects of this standard.

The revised Principles & Criteria were voted on November 15, 2018. The RSPO General Assembly overwhelmingly decided to adopt this improved Standard, with 85 percent of the assembly voting yes. This is a watershed moment in conservation of forest habitat in South East Asia.

NWF welcomed this decision which adopted No Deforestation requirements into the P&C, an addition that is necessary to ensuring the wellbeing of wildlife and habitat. Plantation companies will need to follow the High Carbon Stock Approach (HSCA) which is the first practical, field-tested methodology for distinguishing forest areas that should be protected or restored, from degraded lands that may be developed with an integrated land-use planning approach.

Why is this an important improvement?

In earlier versions of the Standard, growers could label their palm oil as sustainable if they didn’t plant on pristine rainforest, but they could still plant on some degraded rainforest, as long as the areas of high conservation value were protected. This was problematic because even very degraded rainforest can still be vital for biodiversity and carbon storage. For example, the habitat of the Sumatran tiger has been drastically reduced due to agricultural expansion. Deforestation is a major problem, particularly because it fragments the tigers’ dwindling habitat, which splits up the already small population of tigers into isolated pockets, and forces them to encroach into human settlements.

The HSCA saves important fragmented and degraded forest from being cut down, which can in turn provide necessary habitat “bridges” for animals like the Sumatran tiger, as well as protect the carbon captures in those forests.

Further environmental requirements in the new standard include the protection of peatlands, placing a strict ban on new development on all peat soils. Peatlands are a type of wetland that are critical for preserving biodiversity, providing safe drinking water, minimizing flood risks and storing vast amounts of carbon, necessary for meeting the Paris Climate Agreement.

Stricter requirements for the protection of human and labor rights were also included in this vote. The 2018 P&C now requires the prohibition of passport withholding or debt bondage (tactics often used in combination to create modern-day slave labor conditions). All workers must be paid a decent living wage based on the Global Living Wage Coalition methodology and members must have a formal policy and take stricter steps toward the protection of children.

Smallholder farmers – non-corporate local farmers who grow oil palm for their livelihoods on relatively small tracks of lands, often with poor yields – are not covered by the P&C, but play an increasingly large role in the industry, currently growing about 40% of global palm oil. The RSPO’s current smallholder-specific standard is widely seen as too complicated and expensive. But for sustainable palm oil to become the norm, it was recognized that the RSPO needs to become more approachable and helpful to these farmers. Thus, an additional and separate standard is currently in development by the RSPO for independent smallholders (those not under contract with a mill, typically owned by better-resourced companies). The current thinking is that once smallholders meet the necessary set of eligibility criteria, they will receive technical support and partial financial benefits up front to help them reach full sustainability certification. This phased process for reaching and verifying compliance will present a lower burden for entry into the RSPO certification system. The smallholder standard is due for ratification in November, 2019, following an additional round of public consultation.

For everyone else, the new Principles & Criteria comes into effect immediately, however existing RSPO grower members will have a transition period of one year to implement the new standard. Our previous research has shown that RSPO certification can reduce deforestation. Now that some of NWF’s recommended changes to strengthen the standard have been made, we believe it’s time for manufacturers and retailers to start buying RSPO certified palm oil as a tool toward fulfilling their no deforestation, no peat, no exploitation (“NDPE”) commitments. Here at NWF, we will continue to work with both the HCSA and the RSPO to ensure that robust and transparent quality assurance mechanisms are in place, so that “Certified Sustainable Palm Oil” actually stands for something.

That’s why after this summer, the Evergreen State brings a new word to mind: wildfires. Over 1,200 wildfires occurred this past summer, making it the worst wildfire season for the state in recorded history.

“Wildfires directly and indirectly affect all of the reasons to live in Twisp, WA,” says Art Tasker, an active outdoorsman from the North Cascades.

“Not only are humans affected by the wildfires, but the toll on wildlife is staggering due to loss of habit, loss of forage, and direct mortality. This applies to birds, deer, wolves, chipmunks, squirrels, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and more to varying degrees.”

As wildfire season simmers down, Washingtonians are joining together to prevent anomalous wildfire seasons from becoming the new normal through Washington’s Initiative 1631 – or the Protect Washington Act – a policy that provides real climate solutions.

Invest in Climate Solutions

Initiative 1631 would require major polluters of climate-altering greenhouse gases to pay a fee for each ton of pollution released, giving them a strong and clear reason to reduce how much they pollute and to switch over to clean energy alternatives. The money raised from the fees would be used to invest in even more climate solutions for the state, and to help local communities and low-income residents.

One climate solution would be to devote funding to programs which conserve forests, grasslands, and aquatic ecosystems, and require that they be managed for increased carbon sequestration. The Initiative would also create a groundbreaking state funding source devoted explicitly to carbon sequestration projects that provide habitat protection and focuses on habitat connectivity.

Habitat connectivity is crucial around Interstate-5, where conservation easements are bottlenecked. The Initiative would help restore and maintain populations of elk, spotted owls, marbled murrelets, and more.

In short, Initiative 1631 would protect Washingtonians’ health, the environment, help local communities, build a clean energy economy, and benefit wildlife populations. Tasker, a longtime Washingtonian, involved in firefighting for 50 years, says:

“The trend line for more and larger wildfires continues to climb. The prognosis is dire if climate change is not slowed, stopped, or reversed.”

A Remarkable Opportunity

On November 6, 2018, Washingtonians have an opportunity to lead the nation in fighting climate change.

If you want cleaner air and water, healthier forests, happier wildlife, and a stronger clean energy economy in Washington, pledge to vote yes on Initiative 1631.

Pledge Now

For more information, follow the “Yes on 1631” campaign on Twitter and Facebook.