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☆ Boeing’s Starliner launch delayed for valve replacement
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The long-awaited first crewed mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will be delayed for more than a week after engineers identified an issue that halted launch preparations on Monday. Starliner’s next opportunity to lift off on its maiden voyage from NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida is at 6:16 p.m. Veteran NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore had already taken their seats aboard the Starliner capsule when the operations team called for a scrub Monday night about two hours before launch. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, right, and Suni Williams will remain in quarantine until the launch. Terry Renna/APWilliams and Wilmore have each ventured to space on two previous journeys aboard the NASA space shuttle and Russian Soyuz missions.

Persons: Starliner’s, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Tory Bruno, Bruno, Williams, Wilmore, SpaceX’s, Terry Renna, Bill Nelson, “, Butch, Suni, Nelson, —, ” Williams Organizations: CNN, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Veteran NASA, United Launch Alliance, Atlas V, NASA, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Kennedy Space Center, Boeing, International Space Station, Russian Soyuz, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo Locations: Florida, Russian, United States

☆ Boeing Starliner launch set to kick off long-awaited mission with NASA crew
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Two NASA astronauts have reached the final hours before a long-awaited launch attempt aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, marking the first crewed mission of the brand-new spacecraft. This mission, dubbed the Crew Flight Test, could be the final major milestone before NASA deems Boeing’s spacecraft ready for routine operations as part of the federal agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Suni Williams (left) Butch Wilmore pose after they arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on April 25, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, ahead of the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test. The two will then return home aboard the same Starliner capsule, which is expected to parachute to a landing at one of several designated locations across the southwestern United States. SpaceX ultimately beat Boeing to the launchpad, carrying out its crewed flight test of the Crew Dragon capsule in May 2020.

Persons: SpaceX’s, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Terry Renna, Bill Nelson, “, Butch, Suni, Williams, Starliner, ”, Mark Nappi, ” Nappi Organizations: CNN, NASA, Cape Canaveral Space Force, International Space, Russian Soyuz, Kennedy Space Center, Boeing, Atlas, SpaceX, International Locations: Florida, United States, Russian, Cape Canaveral , Florida, Starliner

Diamondback Energy will attempt to buy rival Endeavor Energy Resources to create an energy giant in the Southwestern United States worth more than $50 billion. A tie-up between Diamondback and Endeavor, if it succeeds, would create a player in the massive Permian Basin oil and gas field that straddles Texas and New Mexico. Photos You Should See View All 22 ImagesEndeavor is the largest private operator in the Permian Basin. Lower oil prices are good for U.S. drivers, as it means they'll pay less at gas pumps. Shareholders of Diamondback Energy Inc. will own about 60.5% of the combined company, while Endeavor’s equity holders would own approximately 39.5%.

Persons: Hess, Diamondback, Travis Stice, ” Stifel's Derrick Whitfield, ” Stice Organizations: Diamondback Energy, Endeavor Energy Resources, Southwestern United, Exxon Mobil, Mobil, Diamondback, Endeavor, Exxon, Chevron, Drillers, OPEC, U.S, International Energy Agency, Diamondback Energy Inc, Chesapeake Energy, Southwestern Energy, Occidental Locations: Southwestern United States, U.S, Texas, New Mexico, United States, Israel, Midland , Texas

Opponents of the aid say U.S. taxpayer money should be spent at home, but majority of Republicans and Democrats in Congress still support aid to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government. Assistance for Israel, which already receives $3.8 billion per year in U.S. security assistance, typically passes Congress with strong bipartisan support. "I know both sides genuinely care about approving aid to Israel and Ukraine and helping innocent civilians in Gaza. 'DANGEROUSLY BROKEN'Republicans said a security bill without border money was a non-starter. Congress has approved $113 billion for Ukraine since the invasion began in February 2022.

Persons: Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Chuck Schumer, Lindsey Graham, Biden, Hakeem Jeffries, Patricia Zengerle, Richard Cowan, Doina Chiacu, Simon Lewis, Don Durfee, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S, Congress, Russia, Republican, Democratic, Democrats, Reuters, Hamas, Assistance, Israel, Republicans, Senate, MSNBC, Biden, State Department, Thomson Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Kyiv, Congress, Mexico, Gaza, United States

☆ Human Material Loop is making fabric from human hair
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Flo Cornall | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Human Material Loop hopes to transform the fashion industry by turning human hair into a textile. According to Human Material Loop, 72 million kilograms of human hair waste end up in European landfills every year, the equivalent in weight of seven Eiffel Towers. Human Material Loop used hair to insulate this jacket. For Kollar, it’s not simply about wearing a jumper made from human hair for the novelty or sustainability aspect; she argues that human hair is an incredibly durable material. Visser says ultimately the implementation of human hair in our products isn’t simple.

Persons: Zsofia Kollar, ”, Kollar, “, ” Kollar, Pablo Betancourt, it’s, Higashi, Sanne Visser, There’s, Visser Organizations: CNN, Eiffel, Southwestern, University of the Arts London, London’s Design Locations: Canada, Aconcagua, Argentina, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Micronesia, Kiribati, Southwestern United States, Japan

ENGLE, N.M. (AP) — While the average lifespan of North America's largest and most rare tortoise species is unknown, biologists have said it could span upward of a century. The “safe harbor agreement” will facilitate the release of captive tortoises on the Armendaris Ranch to establish a free-ranging population. The tortoise is just the latest example of a growing effort to find new homes for endangered species as climate change and other threats push them from their historic habitats. Absent a willingness by wildlife managers to think more broadly, he said, species like the Bolson tortoise could have a bleak future. That work will include getting state and federal permits to release tortoises outside of the enclosures on Turner lands.

Persons: ENGLE, Ted Turner's, Martha Williams, Shawn Sartorius, ” Sartorius, It's, it's, Mike Phillips, Phillips, ”, can’t, ” Phillips Organizations: Fund, Fish, Wildlife Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Turner, Species Fund, Southwestern, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Locations: N.M, America's, New Mexico, U.S, Southwest, Mexico, United States, Texas, Oklahoma, Southwestern U.S, Carlsbad, Turner

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Governors from the Southwestern United States are pursuing stronger business ties with Taiwan in hopes of attracting new foreign investments and jobs to their landlocked states. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Arizona counterpart Katie Hobbs, both Democrats, to the self-governing island of Taiwan. Hobbs said her goal was to encourage ongoing investments to make Arizona a hub for semiconductor manufacturing. She met Monday with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. executives and suppliers, visiting their plant as well as water treatment facilities. At a business conference in Taipei on Tuesday, Lujan Grisham urged entrepreneurs and leaders to consider investment opportunities in her home state, touting a workforce with access to subsidized child care and tuition-free college.

Persons: Michelle Lujan Grisham, Katie Hobbs, Hobbs, Joe Biden, Biden, Lujan Grisham, Cable –, Republican —, Gretchen Whitmer, Eric Holcomb, ___ Tang Organizations: SANTA FE, — Governors, Southwestern, Trade, Gov, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Congress, Tuesday, U.S, America, General, — Democratic, Republican, Republican Indiana Gov, Solar Technologies, U.S . Department of Energy Locations: SANTA, Southwestern United States, Taiwan, New Mexico, Arizona, U.S, Taipei, Santa Teresa , New Mexico, Mexico, Beijing, Michigan, Japan, Singapore, Albuquerque , New Mexico, South Korea, Phoenix

☆ State governors from Arizona, New Mexico seek stronger economic ties with Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Katie Hobbs, Governor of the U.S. state of Arizona, speaks during the 2023 U.S. Business Day and Taiwan-U.S. Supply Chain Partnership Forum in Taipei, Taiwan September 19, 2023. Governors from the Southwestern United States are pursuing stronger business ties with Taiwan in hopes of attracting new foreign investments and jobs to their landlocked states. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Arizona counterpart Katie Hobbs, both Democrats, to the self-governing island of Taiwan. Hobbs said her goal was to encourage ongoing investments to make Arizona a hub for semiconductor manufacturing. She met Monday with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing executives and suppliers, visiting their plant as well as water treatment facilities.

Persons: Katie Hobbs, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Hobbs, Joe Biden, Biden, Lujan Grisham, Cable –, Republican —, Gretchen Whitmer, Eric Holcomb Organizations: Business, U.S, Supply Chain Partnership, Governors, Southwestern, Trade, Gov, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Democratic, Congress, Tuesday, America, General, — Democratic, Republican, Republican Indiana Gov, Solar Technologies, U.S . Department of Energy Locations: U.S ., Arizona, Taiwan, Taipei, Southwestern United States, New Mexico, U.S, Santa Teresa , New Mexico, Mexico, Beijing, Michigan, Japan, Singapore, Albuquerque , New Mexico, South Korea

☆ NASA now has an instrument orbiting Earth that can see major air pollutants across North America, tracing them down to an exact neighborhood
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NASA released test scans from TEMPO, a new Earth-orbiting instrument that measures pollution levels. It takes hourly scans of North America, tracking air pollutant levels down to the neighborhood. NASA has now revealed the first images from a new instrument launched alongside the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory that can track pollution levels with unprecedented precision. Thanks to the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution instrument, called TEMPO, NASA can now track air pollution across North America with enough detail to pinpoint pollutant levels in exact neighborhoods, according to a NASA press release. Credits: Kel Elkins, Trent Schindler, and Cindy Starr/NASA's Scientific Visualization StudioTEMPO will be especially helpful for improving studies on rush-hour traffic pollution, according to researchers.

Persons: Kel Elkins, Trent Schindler, Cindy Starr, Kelly Chance, Chance, Kevin Daugherty Organizations: NASA, Service, Smithsonian Astrophysical, Northeast, SpaceX Locations: America, Wall, Silicon, North America, Northeast United States, Angeles, Las Vegas, United States

☆ What to Expect From Hurricane Hilary: Day-by-Day Forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Judson Jones | More About Judson Jones | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Friday: Weather deteriorates along the Baja California peninsula as tropical storm conditions begin late in the day. Saturday: Tropical storm conditions spread northward across the Baja California peninsula. Saturday night into Sunday morning: This is the earliest likely landfall along Baja California peninsula, and hurricane conditions are probable along the west coast of Mexico. Sunday evening: The Most torrential rain begins north of the U.S.-Mexico border as possible tropical storm-force winds arrive in Southern California. Sunday night: Strong winds and heavy rain continue across the Southwestern United States as the storm rapidly moves northward, likely across California.

Organizations: Southwestern Locations: Baja California, U.S, Mexico, California, Southern California, Southwestern United States

☆ Hurricane Hilary: What Travelers Need to Know
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Friday morning, Southern California was placed under its first ever tropical storm watch. While it’s unclear where Hilary will make landfall, this severe weather may disrupt travel and impact flights this weekend, particularly through Los Cabos International Airport in San José del Cabo, Mexico. On Friday afternoon, Hurricane Hilary was moving north toward the Mexican peninsula with sustained winds of up to 145 miles per hour. The storm is expected to weaken in the coming days as it nears the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula on Saturday, and Southern California by Sunday. Currently, there is a hurricane watch in effect for most of the northern half of the Baja California Peninsula.

Persons: Hilary, Hurricane Hilary Organizations: Southwestern, Cabos International, Hurricane, Sunday Locations: California, Southwestern United States, Los Cabos, Mexico, Southern California, San José del Cabo

☆ Tropical Storms Are Rare in California. The Last, in 1939, Killed Nearly 100.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | More About Livia Albeck-Ripka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

More than a dozen boats were declared missing, and the wreckage of an 80-foot yacht washed up near Huntington Beach, a usually picturesque surf spot. Twenty-three people drowned when a sport fishing boat capsized just 500 feet from a pier at Point Mugu, near Oxnard. The overall damage was estimated to be around $2 million, the equivalent of around $44 million in today’s dollars. Besides the 1939 storm, the only other tropical storm to make landfall in the state was on Oct. 2, 1858, when a hurricane shook San Diego, damaging homes, uprooting trees and causing inland flooding. Christopher Landsea, a forecaster with the National Hurricane Center and an author of the paper, noted that there were no reported injuries or fatalities.

Persons: Christopher Landsea Organizations: The Times, Man, Southwestern, Administration, National Hurricane Center Locations: Huntington Beach, Mugu, Oxnard, Los Angeles, Warsaw, Poland, Southwestern United States, California, San Diego, Daily Alta California

☆ Hurricane Hilary expected to strengthen to Category 4 before weakening, dumping rain over California and Southwest US this weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Hurricane Hilary is expected to intensify into a lashing Category 4 storm as it nears Mexico’s Baja Peninsula on Friday and then weaken over the weekend, bringing rain and flooding to parts of the Southwest US. The storm strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane Thursday evening and is likely to build into a powerful Category 4 on Friday, the advisory said. Southern swaths of California and Nevada could see 3 to 5 inches of rain with isolated amounts of up to 10 inches. Smaller amounts of 1 to 3 inches are expected across central parts of those states as well as across western Arizona and southwest Utah. Parched Southwest may see brief reliefAs the rainfall passes through the Southwest, it may help combat prolonged drought and recharge depleted groundwater.

Persons: Hilary, “, ” Daniel Swain Organizations: CNN, Southwest, National Hurricane Center, Southwestern, National Weather Service, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, US Drought Monitor, University of California Locations: Peninsula, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Baja California Sur, California, Southwestern United States, Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, San Diego, Los Angeles, New Mexico, Valley , California, Death, floodwater

☆ Hurricane Hilary intensifies to Category 2 off Mexico's Pacific coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view of the rough sea along a beach after Hurricane Hilary strengthened into a Category 2 storm, in Manzanillo, in Colima state, Mexico, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on August 17, 2023. Proteccion Civil Estatal Colima (PC_Colima) via X/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMEXICO CITY, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Hurricane Hilary strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Thursday as it barreled through the Pacific toward Mexico's Baja California peninsula, packing winds of up to 105 miles per hour (165 km/h), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Additional strengthening is forecast for the next days, and Hilary is likely to become a major hurricane - defined as a Category 3 or higher - later on Thursday, it added. Hilary is expected to dump 3-6 inches (7.6-15 cm) of rain across parts of the Baja California peninsula through Sunday night. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the south of Baja California by late Friday, and are possible further up the peninsula by early Saturday.

Persons: Hurricane Hilary, Hilary, Valentine Hilaire, Frances Kerry, Isabel Woodford, Alistair Bell Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, MEXICO CITY, U.S, National Hurricane Center, NHC, Thomson Locations: Hurricane, Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico, PC_Colima, MEXICO, Baja California, Los Cabos, United States

☆ Hurricane Hilary forms off Mexico’s Pacific coast and could bring rain to U.S. Southwest
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This satellite image taken at 10:50am EDT on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, and provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Hilary off the Pacific coast of Mexico. Hilary strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane off Mexico's Pacific coast Thursday, and it could bring heavy rain to the U.S. southwest by the weekend. The hurricane center said it could possibly survive briefly as a tropical storm and cross the U.S. border. No tropical storm has made landfall in Southern California since Sept. 25, 1939, according to the National Weather Service. The outlook for excessive rainfall in Southern California stretches from Sunday to Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles weather office.

Persons: Hilary, Daniel Swain Organizations: National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, U.S, National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, Southwestern, UCLA Locations: Mexico, U.S, Baja California, Los, Baja, Southern California, Southwestern United States, arroyo, San Diego , California, Yuma , Arizona, Bakersfield , California, Tucson , Arizona, Angeles, California

☆ At at former Solo cup factory turned wind tower plant, Biden showcases a green energy revolution
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at Arcosa, a wind tower manufacturing facility, in Belen, New Mexico, August 9, 2023. President Joe Biden visited a former Solo cup factory that has been renovated into a wind tower plant in Belen, New Mexico on Wednesday, where he hailed his green energy economic plan at a groundbreaking for the new facility. "For the longest time we've been told to give up on American manufacturing — that it can't happen again," Biden said. The event at the wind tower plant coincided with the year anniversary of the signing of the Chips and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed a week later. The White House said that after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Arcosa received $1.1 billion in new wind tower orders, prompting it to build this new plant.

Persons: Joe Biden, we've, Biden, I've, Arcosa Organizations: Chips, Science Locations: Arcosa, Belen , New Mexico, America, United States, Arizona

☆ Some July Heat: ‘Virtually Impossible’ Without Climate Change, Analysis Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Delger Erdenesanaa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Some of the extreme temperatures recorded in the Southwestern United States, southern Europe and northern Mexico at the beginning of the month would have been “virtually impossible” without the influence of human-caused climate change, according to research made public Tuesday. A heat wave in China was made 50 times as likely by climate change, the researchers said. World Weather Attribution, an international group of scientists who measure how much climate change influences extreme weather events, focused on the worst heat so far during the northern hemisphere summer. In the United States, temperatures in Phoenix have reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 43 Celsius, or higher for more than 20 days in a row. “Without climate change, we wouldn’t see this at all,” said Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial College London and co-founder of World Weather Attribution.

Persons: ”, Friederike Otto Organizations: Southwestern, Imperial College London Locations: Southwestern United States, Europe, Mexico, North America, Asia, China, United States, Phoenix, Xinjiang

☆ The Southwest Braces for Record-Breaking Heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Orlando Mayorquin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

People across the southwestern United States were trying to stay cool on Saturday as a punishing heat wave was posed to break temperature records. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for this weekend that covered more than 31 million people, mostly in Arizona, Nevada and California. Another 61 million people on the West Coast and in the South were under a heat advisory. The Weather Service forecast 45 record-high temperatures across the country ahead of the weekend. Municipalities and community organizations scrambled to provide water and cool shelter to their most vulnerable populations, primarily homeless individuals.

Organizations: National Weather Service, Weather Service Locations: United States, Arizona , Nevada, California, West, Southwest

☆ Climate event El Niño could hit the economy from food prices to clothing sales this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But that’s not the only effects expected: Combined with climate change, El Niño this year could dent US economic growth, potentially impacting everything from food prices to the winter clothing sales. Higher food prices are a common theme across El Niño events, according to a recent Deutsche Bank report. Dry weather has parched crops in El Salvador as the El Niño weather threatens food security. The last time there was an El Niño in 2018 through 2019, NOAA dubbed it “The Great Puny El Niño” due to its relatively weak impact on weather conditions. He projects that El Niño weather events could cause $84 trillion in economic losses in the 21st century.

Persons: Niño, that’s, ”, Christopher Callahan, ” Christopher Callahan, El, Lesley, Ann Dupigny, Giroux, Yi Yu, Linh Pham, Winters, Yu, Callahan, Simeon Siegel, “, Chris Scheuring, “ It’s, Camilo Freedman Organizations: CNN, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Dartmouth, Southern, University of Vermont, University of California, Southwestern, Vietnam Electricity Group, Bloomberg, Getty, Deutsche Bank, BMO Capital Markets, Dupigny, US Federal Aviation Administration, California Farm Bureau, La Union, Prediction Locations: Niño, University of California Irvine, Asia, Australia, Southwestern United States, Tri An, Vinh Cuu, Dong Nai Province, Vietnam, United States, rainier, El, Pasaquina, La, El Salvador

☆ How to build a giant? Sauropod dinosaurs did it 36 different ways
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A new study has calculated for the first time the number of different sauropod lineages that achieved whopping proportions - 36 of them in a span of about 100 million years bridging the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The heavyweight champion was Argentinosaurus, which lived about 95 million years ago in - you guessed it - Argentina, and weighed about 76 metric tons. Next were Brachiosaurus, at 63 metric tons, and Barosaurus, at 60 metric tons, both living approximately 150 million years ago in western North America. D'Emic identified 45 species from 36 sauropod lineages that beat those. "I think it's amazing that we are still learning so much about these animals," D'Emic said.

☆ Colorado River deadline passes with no deal on voluntary water cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The proposal, titled the "consensus-based modeling alternative," was jointly submitted by Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The proposal notably excluded California, the largest user of the Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people. The Colorado River has long been over-allocated, but climate change has worsened drought conditions in the region and reservoir levels have plummeted over the past couple decades. As the western U.S. experiences its driest two decades in at least 1,200 years, water levels in the country's two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have reached record lows. Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University, said the states' proposal appeared to be a "very sincere commitment" to advance negotiations over water cuts and keep reservoirs from falling to dangerous levels.

U.S. marginal production (+14.5 million bpd) captured nearly all the increase in global consumption (+14.8 million bpd) between 2009 and 2019. FRACKING TECHNOLOGYIn a narrow sense, the shale revolution refers to the widespread application of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques to increase output from shale and other tight rock formations. Like other technologies, however, shale production has eventually settled into a more mature and conservative phase, hastened by the traumatic shock to oil and gas markets during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022, the Biden administration has tried to cajole domestic oil producers to increase their output, without much success. U.S. shale producers are expected to account for a much smaller share of global growth in petroleum production and consumption in the next few years.

☆ NASA instrument detects dozens of methane super-emitters from space
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The device, called an imaging spectrometer, has identified more than 50 methane "super-emitters" in Central Asia, the Middle East and the Southwestern United States since it was installed in July aboard the International Space Station, NASA said on Tuesday. The newly measured methane hotspots - some previously known and others just discovered - include sprawling oil and gas facilities and large landfills. "Some of the (methane) plumes EMIT detected are among the largest ever seen - unlike anything that has ever been observed from space," said Andrew Thorpe, a JPL research technologist leading the methane studies. Examples of newly imaged methane super-emitters showcased by JPL on Tuesday included a cluster of 12 plumes from oil and gas infrastructure in Turkmenistan, some plumes stretching more than 20 miles (32 km). EMIT, one of 25 Earth science instruments in orbit, could potentially find hundreds of methane super-emitters before its year-long mission ends, NASA said.

☆ Biden unveils plan to pay farmers and cities for Colorado River water cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The program will focus on pushing for voluntary water cuts in the three lower Colorado River Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada, the department said on Wednesday. The plan will pay applicants a set amount of money per acre-foot of water that they voluntarily don't draw from Lake Mead, the country's largest reservoir. Reservoirs in the Colorado River Basin have hit their lowest levels on record after 22 consecutive years of drought made worse by climate change. A one-year agreement will pay $330 per acre-foot, a two-year agreement will pay $365 per acre-foot and a three-year agreement will pay $400 per acre-foot. The federal government in August announced a second round of mandatory cuts for Arizona, Nevada and Mexico from the Colorado River, which supplies water and power for more than 40 million people across the West.

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