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The document criticizes 260 U.S. House members who voted on June 21, 2012, to include a provision in a transportation bill that allows coal ash ponds to operate without basic safety standards and prevents the EPA from establishing national health and safety regulations. It highlights that these members represent districts containing the vast majority of the U.S.'s hazardous coal ash sites and notes a correlation between these votes and campaign contributions from the electric utility and mining industries.

The document argues that claims by Texas Governor Rick Perry and Luminant Generation Co. regarding the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) are misleading. It contends that the rule does not jeopardize grid reliability, as new capacity additions would offset coal plant closures and many plants already possess the necessary scrubbers. The briefing further asserts that Texas was properly notified of its inclusion in the sulfur dioxide (SO2) program and that the compliance deadline is March 2013, not January 2012. It concludes that the rule is necessary for public health, estimating that by 2014 it would reduce premature deaths by 13,000-34,000.

The report argues that transitioning the Midwest to a clean energy economy through renewable electricity and energy efficiency standards would create 85,700 net new jobs, save consumers $42.8 billion on energy bills, and significantly reduce CO2 emissions by 2030.

The Union of Concerned Scientists outlines 23 recommendations to improve U.S. nuclear safety, arguing that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) prioritizes business interests over public safety. Key proposals include extending regulations to cover 'severe' accidents, expanding emergency planning zones beyond 10 miles, and mandating the transfer of spent fuel from pools to dry casks. The report also calls for more realistic terrorist threat assumptions, stricter fire protection enforcement, and an increase in the dollar value assigned to human life in cost-benefit analyses to justify necessary safety retrofits.

The document details the severe health risks of diesel particulate matter, including 21,000 annual deaths and increased cancer risks. It advocates for the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) to clean up the existing fleet of 11 million heavy-duty engines and proposes the Clean Construction Act of 2011 to integrate emission controls into federally funded transportation projects, capping costs at 1% of project totals.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) proposes a 'Clean Construction' policy for U.S. transportation projects, requiring the use of emission control technologies like Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) in PM2.5 non-attainment and maintenance areas. The proposal suggests funding these upgrades through project change orders, capped at 1% of total project costs, to mitigate severe health risks associated with diesel pollution while ensuring a fair bidding process for contractors.

The document outlines the financial hazards of investing in new or retrofitted coal plants in the U.S., citing competition from natural gas and renewables, rising fuel costs, and the likelihood of future carbon pricing. It highlights that coal is no longer the low-cost option it once was and that many existing plants are inefficient and ripe for retirement. The report suggests that the U.S. can replace most coal power with renewable energy, demand reduction, and natural gas within 15 to 20 years.

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that the NRC has inconsistently enforced safety regulations for radioactive releases, allowing numerous accidental leaks to occur without sanction. While the NRC previously issued sanctions for monitoring and control failures, the report claims the agency has tolerated 27 accidental releases over a four-year period with impunity, effectively breaching its safety contract with the public.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the EPA's proposed Transport Rule to replace the judicially invalidated Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) but argues it should be strengthened to further reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). CATF specifically advocates for the passage of S. 2995, the Clean Air Act Amendments of 2010 (CAAA of 2010), asserting it would deliver greater emissions reductions, save more lives, and provide more regulatory certainty than the Transport Rule alone. The testimony details the severe health and environmental impacts of power plant emissions, including premature death from fine particulate matter, acid rain damage to eastern ecosystems, and ozone-related crop losses.

The document argues that implementing fuel-efficiency standards and technologies for medium- and heavy-duty trucks in the U.S. would generate significant job growth, increase GDP, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It highlights that while these vehicles represent only 4% of U.S. highway vehicles, they consume over 20% of fuel, and that widespread adoption of efficiency technologies could save 100 billion gallons of fuel by 2030.

The report argues that improving the fuel economy of medium- and heavy-duty trucks through advanced technologies would create significant net job growth, increase GDP, and reduce global warming emissions, provided that policy interventions overcome existing market barriers.

The document argues that improving the fuel economy of medium- and heavy-duty trucks in the U.S. would create significant job growth, increase GDP, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provided that market barriers are overcome through performance standards and incentives.

The report analyzes the financial burden on U.S. states that rely on imported coal, identifying those with the highest spending and per capita costs. It highlights a trend of increasing dependence on coal from Wyoming and international sources, particularly in the Southeast and Midwest. The authors argue that these states can redirect funds from coal imports toward energy efficiency and homegrown renewables to create local jobs and reduce carbon emissions.

In 2008, Illinois imported 94 percent of the coal used in its power plants, resulting in a net expenditure of $683 million. The document highlights that Midwest Generation and the Baldwin Energy Complex are major contributors to this import dependency. To mitigate these costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the report advocates for the state's energy efficiency resource standard and its renewable energy goals, noting that Illinois has the technical potential to generate over five times its 2008 electricity needs from renewable sources, primarily wind and bioenergy.

The report documents 31 cases of environmental contamination from coal combustion waste (CCW) across 14 US states, identifying that 15 sites have off-site contamination exceeding drinking water or surface water standards, while 16 show severe on-site pollution. It highlights the presence of toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, and selenium, and argues that the lack of federal regulation for CCW disposal poses a significant risk to public health and the environment, particularly in low-income communities.

The report analyzes how carbon pricing may affect the US Midwest, a region characterized by high carbon intensity due to coal dependency and a large manufacturing base. While carbon pricing could increase short-term costs for energy-intensive industries, the report argues it presents a long-term opportunity for the region to lead in low-carbon production and 'green collar' jobs. It highlights the Midwest's significant mitigation potential and the role of the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord in driving this transition.

The report projects that Illinois will face significantly hotter summers, increased flash flooding, and severe threats to agriculture if heat-trapping emissions continue to rise. Under a higher-emissions scenario, Chicago could see more than 70 days above 90°F per summer by the end of the century, and corn yields could decline by as much as 50% by mid-century. The document advocates for a transition to clean energy, including renewable electricity standards and a moratorium on new coal plants, alongside federal cap-and-trade legislation to mitigate these risks.

The report projects that Michigan will face significantly hotter summers, increased flooding, and agricultural disruptions by the end of the century, particularly under a higher-emissions scenario. It highlights risks to public health from extreme heat and ozone pollution, as well as threats to the state's dairy and corn industries. To mitigate these effects, the document advocates for strengthening renewable energy standards, updating building codes, and implementing federal cap-and-trade and fuel economy policies.

The document describes the use of IPCC emissions scenarios (A1fi and B1) and three global climate models (GFDL CM2.1, HadCM3, and PCM) to project climate variables in the U.S. Midwest. It details the distinction between higher-emissions paths, leading to 940 ppm of CO2 by 2100, and lower-emissions paths, leading to 550 ppm. The briefing notes that while these models reproduce historical regional climate features, they may be conservative as they do not capture recent rapid winter warming in the Midwest or the accelerated melting of polar ice sheets.

The report analyzes the EPA's 2007 risk assessment, finding that unlined coal ash ponds and landfills pose severe cancer and non-cancer risks to humans and aquatic ecosystems. It specifically highlights that residents near unlined ponds mixing ash and coal refuse face a 1 in 50 cancer risk from arsenic, 2,000 times the EPA's regulatory goal. The document also notes that boron levels in surface waters can reach 2,000 times safe thresholds for aquatic life. It argues that the EPA underestimated these risks by ignoring direct surface water releases and inhalation pathways, and calls for the phase-out of ash ponds within five years and the mandatory use of composite liners for landfills.