Utility Agrees to Pay DC $57M in Record Environmental Settlement
Litigation
Utility Agrees to Pay DC $57M in Record Environmental Settlement
2023-10-05 18:13:44
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — The Washington, D.C., area’s biggest electrical utility agreed this week to pay a $57 million settlement that will be used to clean up contaminants it dumped into the Anacostia River. The settlement with the D.C. attorney general was... Read More

Honey Bees Faithful to Their Flowers
Environment
Honey Bees Faithful to Their Flowers

MADISON, Wis. — Once a honey bee gives its heart to a flower patch it is far more faithful than the roving bumble bee. In fact, 76% of honey bees in a recent study revisited the same plot of alfalfa... Read More

Trillions of Liters of Drinking Water to Be Harvested From Plants
Science
Trillions of Liters of Drinking Water to Be Harvested From Plants
2022-09-14 14:02:46
by Kate Michael

LOS BANOS, Calif.— “We like to say that we grow water. We harvest the water that naturally occurs in plants,” Terry Paule, co-founder and chief executive officer of Botanical Water Technologies shared during a rare look inside BWT’s globally patented,... Read More

Senate Seeks to Cut Greenhouse Gases While Holding On to Jobs
Climate
Senate Seeks to Cut Greenhouse Gases While Holding On to Jobs
2022-09-07 20:39:00
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — It was smoke and more smoke that consumed a Senate hearing Wednesday on how to prepare for wildfires and whether to grant limited exceptions to the Clean Air Act. The four bills discussed at the Senate Environment and... Read More

Utah Tries to Block Biden From Restoring 2M Acres of National Monuments
Environment
Utah Tries to Block Biden From Restoring 2M Acres of National Monuments
2022-08-29 17:58:34
by Tom Ramstack

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s attorney general filed a lawsuit last week to roll back President Joe Biden’s order that restores land and protections for two national monuments in the state. Former President Donald Trump slashed 2 million acres from... Read More

More Land Leased for Carbon Capture in Western Louisiana
Climate
More Land Leased for Carbon Capture in Western Louisiana
2022-08-22 16:16:51
by Dan McCue

HOUSTON — 1PointFive and Manulife Investment Management have entered into a lease agreement for approximately 27,000 acres of timberland in western Louisiana for a carbon capture and sequestration project. The agreement provides 1PointFive with access to subsurface pore space and... Read More

House Questions Crypto Mining’s Environmental Impact
Cryptocurrencies
House Questions Crypto Mining’s Environmental Impact
2022-08-19 19:37:43
by Madeline Hughes

WASHINGTON — Four of the largest crypto mining companies are facing questions about their environmental impacts from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. “The energy consumption and hardware required to support [proof of work–based] cryptocurrencies may, in some instances,... Read More

Congress’ Despair Over Climate Change Makes Carbon Capture More Likely
Climate
Congress’ Despair Over Climate Change Makes Carbon Capture More Likely
2022-07-27 21:44:55
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — The desperation wrought this summer by record heat and drought across parts of the United States were obvious during a Senate hearing Wednesday on how to capture and reuse greenhouse gases. Only a few years ago, carbon capture... Read More

Canada Passes Single-Use Plastics Ban
International
Canada Passes Single-Use Plastics Ban
2022-06-21 15:11:48
by Kate Michael

OTTAWA, Ontario — After several years of work toward the goal, Canada is officially moving forward on a plan to ban the use, manufacture, import, and eventual export of single-use plastics. "We promised Canadians we would deliver a ban on... Read More

EPA Rule Reversal Gives States Power to Block Polluting Projects
Environment
EPA Rule Reversal Gives States Power to Block Polluting Projects
2022-06-03 17:33:45
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency plans to return authority to the states to cancel pipeline, coal and other infrastructure projects that risk polluting waterways. The Trump administration removed the authority in 2020 under what environmentalists said was an incorrect... Read More

High Court Declines to Block Biden Greenhouse Gas Policy
Supreme Court
High Court Declines to Block Biden Greenhouse Gas Policy
2022-05-27 14:01:14
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to block a Biden administration policy that directs federal agencies to assess the societal costs of greenhouse gases as part of their decision-making processes. As is their custom, the justices did not... Read More

Countries Negotiating First Legally Binding Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution
Environment
Countries Negotiating First Legally Binding Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution
2022-05-16 16:05:05
by Kate Michael

WASHINGTON — Countries have been negotiating limits on plastic use for years, but China’s 2018 announcement that it would stop accepting 24 kinds of plastic scrap import waste from foreign countries was undoubtedly a spark that ignited 175 countries of... Read More

Environmental Groups and Labor Merge for Climate Rally in Lafayette Park
Climate
Environmental Groups and Labor Merge for Climate Rally in Lafayette Park
2022-04-24 15:08:45
by Kate Michael

WASHINGTON — Taina Lipwak came with elaborate canvas artwork that she attached to the fence around Lafayette’s statue. She wanted the crowd to see it, but she hoped President Biden might see it too.  “This is the center of government... Read More

National Park Week Kicks Off With Themes, Day of Free Admission
National Parks
National Park Week Kicks Off With Themes, Day of Free Admission
2022-04-15 14:30:47
by Kate Michael

WASHINGTON — National Park Week kicks off on April 16 with a day of free admission to any of America’s 423 National Park Service sites and other programs in communities across the country. The week continues with a variety of... Read More

Chinese Vehicle Manufacturers Fined $1.6M for Catalytic Converters
Environment
Chinese Vehicle Manufacturers Fined $1.6M for Catalytic Converters
2022-04-14 21:50:23
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON — Three Chinese manufacturers of motorcycles and recreational vehicles must pay a $1.6 million fine after a federal court in Washington, D.C., found they did not comply with U.S. environmental standards. The Environmental Protection Agency imposed the fines on... Read More

Billions Pledged for Commitments at 7th Our Ocean Conference in Palau
Environment
Billions Pledged for Commitments at 7th Our Ocean Conference in Palau
2022-04-14 15:08:29
by Kate Michael

PALAU — The United States alone announced more than 100 commitments, worth more than $2.6 billion to tackle great threats to the Earth’s oceans at the 7th Our Ocean Conference held in Palau, April 13-14, 2022. Throughout six previous conferences,... Read More

WH Environmental Justice Advisors Press for Justice40 Action
Climate
WH Environmental Justice Advisors Press for Justice40 Action

Key members of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council said Tuesday that the Biden administration hadn't done enough to make good on its promise that 40% of all benefits from climate investment go to disenfranchised communities. Speaking at a... Read More

US, Sweden Launch Formal Joint Green Transition Initiative
Climate
US, Sweden Launch Formal Joint Green Transition Initiative
2022-04-01 15:21:34
by Kate Michael

WASHINGTON — Government and industry representatives from Sweden and the United States came together to solidify an alliance to mitigate the impact of climate change at the Atlantic Council on Thursday. The two countries, which already have multiple collaborations to... Read More

Antarctic Marine Conservation Commission at Impasse Over Protected Areas
Environment
Antarctic Marine Conservation Commission at Impasse Over Protected Areas
2022-02-01 18:50:42
by Kate Michael

WASHINGTON — As global conservation and ecosystem protection efforts are gaining traction, discussions for creating dedicated areas for marine conservation around Antarctica are at an impasse, with nations unable to resolve conflicts between protection and rational use, and the future... Read More

Could Video Games Save the Oceans Someday?
Environment
Could Video Games Save the Oceans Someday?
2021-12-20 16:16:40
by Kate Michael

WASHINGTON — Over 227 million Americans play video games, according to a survey of the Entertainment Software Association. But while people want to play games for fun, industry sees games as a powerful communication tool that can inspire players to... Read More

Divided House Debates Dems’ Expansive Social, Climate Bill
Congress
Divided House Debates Dems' Expansive Social, Climate Bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided House finally launched debate Thursday on Democrats' expansive social and environment bill, with party leaders hoping that cost estimates expected from Congress' top fiscal analyst would nail down moderate lawmakers' votes and allow passage by week's... Read More

Experts Weigh Policy Options For Increasingly Costly Wildfires
Emergency Management
Experts Weigh Policy Options For Increasingly Costly Wildfires
2021-09-02 20:29:33
by Daniel Mollenkamp

Wildfires are an increasingly big and increasingly costly reality.  The "severity and overall size" of wildfires has expanded considerably in recent decades, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. California's 2018 fire season, in particular, broke several dubious records, including... Read More

Experts Urge Increase in Environmental Education to Respond to Climate Emergency
Education
Experts Urge Increase in Environmental Education to Respond to Climate Emergency
2021-07-07 20:11:01
by Ansley Puckett

Experts say environmental education needs greater investment if future generations are to be able to fully respond to the climate emergency.   According to an article in Environmental Education Research, co-authored by Alan Reid, editor, and Justin Dillion, Jo-Anne Ferreira and... Read More

EXPLAINER: What’s Behind the Heat Wave in the American West?
In The News
EXPLAINER: What's Behind the Heat Wave in the American West?

PHOENIX (AP) — Much of the American West has been blasted with sweltering heat this week as a high pressure dome combines with the worst drought in modern history to launch temperatures into the triple digits, toppling records even before... Read More

Experts Warn Against Ignoring Ocean Environment
Environment
Experts Warn Against Ignoring Ocean Environment
2021-06-08 13:40:34
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON -- Some of America’s best oceanographers made a plea to Congress Monday to protect the oceans from environmental disaster or risk devastating consequences for the human population. They said global warming was increasing floods and hurricanes, raising sea levels... Read More

Environment, Tourism, Legacy all on the Agenda at Antarctic Treaty Meeting
Foreign Affairs
Environment, Tourism, Legacy all on the Agenda at Antarctic Treaty Meeting
2021-06-02 18:12:47
by Kate Michael

WASHINGTON — Competing claims and diplomatic disputes over Antarctica resulted in 12 countries coming together to create an Antarctic Treaty that came into force in 1961. Now 60 years later, 54 countries are involved, and policies and management of the... Read More

Interior Department Suspends Oil and Gas Leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Environment
Interior Department Suspends Oil and Gas Leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
2021-06-01 21:17:37
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON - The Department of the Interior on Tuesday canceled all oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge pending a new environmental review. The sale of the leases was one of the final acts of the Trump... Read More

Groups Call for Reintroduction of Jaguars in US Southwest
Environment
Groups Call for Reintroduction of Jaguars in US Southwest

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Environmental groups and scientists with two universities want U.S. wildlife managers to consider reintroducing jaguars to the American Southwest. In a recently published paper, they say habitat destruction, highways and existing segments of the border wall... Read More

Nature at its Craziest: Trillions of Cicadas About to Emerge
Environment
Nature at its Craziest: Trillions of Cicadas About to Emerge

COLUMBIA, Md. (AP) — Sifting through a shovel load of dirt in a suburban backyard, Michael Raupp and Paula Shrewsbury find their quarry: a cicada nymph.  And then another. And another. And four more.  In maybe a third of a... Read More

Senate Reinstates Obama-Era Controls on Climate-Warming Methane
Climate
Senate Reinstates Obama-Era Controls on Climate-Warming Methane
2021-04-29 13:27:34
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Wednesday to reinstate an Obama-era regulation intended to reduce methane gas leaks from oil and gas facilities. In September, former President Donald Trump rolled back the regulation, which required facility operators to regularly monitor their... Read More

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