"Anti-China Fervor Casts A Dark Cloud Over Solar And U.S. Climate Goals"
"In Congress, there is sudden bipartisan momentum to reinstitute tariffs on Chinese components. The U.S. solar industry is alarmed."
Source: Washington Post, 04/28/2023
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Flooding on Upper Mississippi River To Halt Barge Traffic For Weeks: USDA
"All barge traffic will be halted across a wide swath of the Upper Mississippi River for weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday, as record winter snowfall in the upper Midwest is now melting and flooding into waterways."
Source: Reuters, 04/28/2023L.A.’s Water Lifeline Faces Unprecedented Flood Threat, Calamity
"More than a month after heavy storms eroded a section of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, work crews are still scrambling to complete repairs and shore up flood defenses in the face of a weeklong heat wave that threatens to trigger widespread snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada."
Source: LA Times, 04/28/2023"Drop The 'Natural' In Natural Gas, Climate Activists Urge US Officials"
"Since almost two centuries ago—not long after it was identified bubbling up in a creek in western New York—the flammable below-ground substance composed of methane and other hydrocarbons has been called "natural gas" in the U.S. Now, some environmental activists say it's time to ditch that label."
Source: Bloomberg, 04/28/2023"Coral Reefs Are in Crisis. Could a Controversial Idea Help?"
"To preserve habitat for fish and benefits for humans, some scientists suggest we need to explore the need for assisted migration."
Source: The Revelator, 04/28/2023"House Republicans Pass US Debt Bill, Push Biden On Spending"
"House Republicans narrowly passed sweeping legislation Wednesday that would raise the government’s legal debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for steep spending restrictions, a tactical victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he challenges President Joe Biden to negotiate and prevent a catastrophic federal default this summer."
Source: AP, 04/27/2023"In the Game of Musical Mines, Environmental Damage Takes a Back Seat"
"Jeff Hoops built Blackjewel into the nation’s sixth largest coal company by acquiring bankrupt mines. When it declared bankruptcy, he pivoted to other ventures, leaving polluted streams and mud-shrouded roads in his wake."
Source: ProPublica, 04/27/2023Scientists: "Record Ocean Temperatures Put Earth In ‘Uncharted Territory’"
"Temperatures in the world’s oceans have broken fresh records, testing new highs for more than a month in an “unprecedented” run that has led to scientists stating the Earth has reached “uncharted territory” in the climate crisis."
Source: Guardian, 04/27/2023"Senate Votes To Overturn Biden Truck Pollution Limit"
"The Senate on Wednesday passed a Republican-led effort to undo a Biden administration rule that aims to cut pollution from heavy-duty trucks."
Source: The Hill, 04/27/2023"Home Efficiency Plans Run Up Against Lack of Qualified Workers"
"The White House’s plan to reduce energy waste from American homes is about to run into a stumbling block: a lack of skilled tradespeople who can actually do the work, industry veterans say."
Source: Bloomberg Environment, 04/27/2023"GM Kills Another Electric Car. It’s Different This Time."
"For years now, the Chevrolet Bolt has held a unique slot in America’s auto fleet: an affordable little electric vehicle that proved Detroit could actually make such a thing. On Tuesday, the Bolt’s maker, General Motors Co., said that the last copies of the electric compact will roll off the production lines by the end of the year."
Source: E&E News, 04/27/2023Canada Oil Sands Leak Heightens First Nations' Calls To Clean Up Tailings
"In early February, Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in northern Alberta started fielding calls from community members after the provincial regulator revealed toxic wastewater had been leaking for months from a tailings pond at Imperial Oil's Kearl oil sands mine."
Source: Reuters, 04/27/2023Ex-Federal Officials Slam WHO For Misleading Guidance On ‘Forever Chemicals’
"The World Health Organization’s (WHO) draft drinking water guidelines for “forever chemicals” disregard best available science and require extensive revisions, two former federal officials argued in a new position paper."
Source: The Hill, 04/27/2023Justice Gorsuch Sold House to Guy Whose Firm Brought Clean Power Plan Suit
"Politico reported this week that Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch has found himself in a small ethics conundrum—one tied to the oil and gas industry."
Source: Earther, 04/27/2023"Will California’s Big Melt Be A Slow-Moving Disaster?"
"Good news: California has a near-record snowpack in the Sierra, which could ease the impact of our deep drought. Bad news: There’s a heat wave coming this week. Really bad news: If the snow melts too fast, it could help cause devastating floods in the Central Valley."
Source: CalMatters, 04/27/2023
