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☆ We Are Blowing the Fight to Contain Bird Flu - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Zeynep Tufekci | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza among U.S. dairy cows, first reported on March 25, has now spread to at least 33 herds in eight states. Federal authorities say the milk supply is safe, but this latest development raises troubling questions about how widespread the outbreak really is. Rick Bright, an expert on the H5N1 virus who served on President Biden’s coronavirus advisory board, told me this is the crucial moment. That’s when I told him what I’d heard from Sid Miller, the Texas commissioner for agriculture. The commissioner speculated that back then, as much as 40 percent of the herds in the Texas panhandle may have been infected.

Persons: Rick Bright, Biden’s, ”, it’s, I’d, Sid Miller, Bright, I’m, what’s Locations: Texas

☆ Tesla is facing a lawsuit alleging it mishandled hazardous waste
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewTesla was hit with a lawsuit on Tuesday that alleges the electric-car maker mishandled hazardous waste at its factories in California. District attorneys representing 25 counties in California filed the lawsuit in San Joaquin County Court and are requesting the court force Tesla to properly take care of its hazardous waste going forward and pay a series of civil penalties. Tesla disposed of hazardous waste into trash sites "not permitted to accept hazardous waste" and "failed to properly mark, label, and store containers and tanks of hazardous waste" at its facilities, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also alleges Tesla didn't properly train its employees on how to deal with hazardous materials. In 2019, Tesla paid the Environmental Protection Agency a $31,000 settlement over alleged hazardous waste violations at the Fremont Factory.

Persons: —, Tesla, It's, Elon Musk's Organizations: Service, San Joaquin County Court, Business, Reuters, Environmental Protection Agency, Fremont Factory, Elon Musk's The Boring Company, Texas Commission Locations: California, San Joaquin County, Texas, Bastrop , Texas, Colorado

CHANNELVIEW, Texas — For nearly 20 years, Texas environmental regulators have kept a disturbing secret. AdvertisementTexas Community Health News; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality"Any exposure to a carcinogen increases your risk of developing cancer. AdvertisementTim Doty, a former TCEQ mobile air monitoring expert, at the industrial edge of River Terrace Park in Channelview, Texas. In fact, the agency rarely fines companies that violate Texas air pollution laws. Mark FelixHoneycutt's toxicology division soon took an even more dramatic step to weaken Texas' benzene guidelines.

Persons: Loren Hopkins, Hopkins, Mark Felix, TCEQ, AirToxScreen, AirToxScreen Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, Menefee, Tim Doty, Doty, Solv, He'd, Glenn Shankle, Kelly Keel, Todd Riddle, Riddle, Lopez, Joe Lopez, Dora, Joel Lopez, Randy Lopez, It's, Joel, Felix Benzene, wildcatters, Houston —, Forbes, Lorenzo de Zavala, Alison Cohen, Cohen, Tim Doty's, Houston Mayor Bill White, Shankle, Michael Honeycutt, Valerie Meyers, Meyers, Mark Felix Meyers, Richard Hyde, John Sadlier, Ryder, Hyde, hadn't, Russell Allen, Matt Baker, Jacintoport, Cloelle Danforth, Public Health Watch —, Danforth, Mark Felix Honeycutt's, Eric Schaeffer, Schaeffer, Honeycutt, Jim Tarr, polluters, upended, Mark Felix Fracking, Barnett, Glenn Shankle —, —, Rick Perry, Perry, Sadlier, David Bower, misstep, Baker, Bower, Michael Burgess, Greg Abbott, Abbott, Mark Felix Meanwhile, Randy, That's, Carolyn Stone, Stone, Carolyn Stone's, Mark Felix The, Cynthia Benson, Benson, Mark Felix Tim Doty, Mark Felix K, Jordan Gass Organizations: Public Health Watch, Texas Commission, Environmental, American Petroleum Institute, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, U.S . Navy, Geospatial - Intelligence Agency, General, Health, Public Health, Rice University, Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Community Health, AirToxScreen Harris County Attorney, polluters, Mark Felix Public Health, TCEQ, Solv, Mark Felix Public Health Watch, myelodysplasia, Houston, Oil, Gas Watch, Texas, Houston Ship, University of California, Houston Mayor, ., . Texas Community Health, NASA, Exxon Mobil, Public, Watch, Environmental Defense Fund, Management, Civil, Air Alliance Houston, Republican, Fort, United, Texas toxicologist, EPA, Texas Tribune, Google, Land Office, . Geological Survey, National Oceanic, Firefighters, U.S . Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Channelview, Improvement Coalition, Health Watch, San Jacinto, K, Texas Legislature, Solv Group, Services Locations: , Texas, Texas, Houston, Channelview's Jacintoport, San Jacinto, California, Jacintoport, Channelview , Texas, AirToxScreen Harris County, Channelview, Harris County, United States, North Channelview, Gulf, Terrace, Joel's, Houston , Texas, Spindletop, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Port of Houston, San Francisco, . Texas, That's, polluters, lacquers, Dallas, Fort Worth, Fort Worth City, Austin, Round, Minnesota, Galveston, U.S

☆ US appeals court scraps Sempra's Port Arthur LNG emissions permit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Curtis Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHOUSTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. court has removed an emissions permit for Sempra's (SRE.N) Port Arthur LNG export terminal in Texas, but the company said construction of the facility will continue for now. The approximately 13.5 million-metric-tons-per-annum (mtpa) Port Arthur plant has approval to export LNG to both Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and non-FTA countries, including Europe, and is part of the U.S. LNG expansion to meet growing global demand for the superchilled gas. The decision sends the Port Arthur LNG permit application back to the TCEQ for new evaluation. Investment firm KKR (KKR.N) owns a 20% stake in Sempra Infrastructure while Sempra Energy owns 70% and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority owns 10%. John Beard, executive director of the Port Arthur Community Action Network, which brought the lawsuit challenging TCEQ, said of the ruling: “We’ve won by standing up for Port Arthur communities of color to breathe free from toxic pollution.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Port Arthur, Sempra, John Beard, “ We’ve, –, Biden, Alex Munton, Munton, Curtis Williams, Deepa Babington, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Port Arthur, Free, U.S, U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Texas Commission, Environmental, Rio, Rio Grande LNG, Port, Sempra Infrastructure, ConocoPhillips, Investment, KKR, Sempra Energy, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Port Arthur Community Action Network, Global Gas & LNG Research, Rapidan Energy, Thomson Locations: Port, Texas, Europe, Rio Grande, Port Arthur, Abu Dhabi, Houston

☆ Side-by-side photos show 4 major changes made to SpaceX's Starship rocket system after its first launch ended in an explosion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementMore than a thousand changes have been made to the rocket since and it is now "ready to launch" again Musk recently said. SpaceX's enormous Starship mega-rocket is made of two stages: the Starship spaceship and its booster, the Super Heavy booster. The Starship-Super Heavy launch system is made up of two stages. Instead, for Starship's maiden test flight, SpaceX decided to see if they could absorb the force of the flames with a thick concrete launchpad alone. The FAA will still need to review the changes made to the Starship launch system before it can grant a new license.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, it's, Abhi Tripathi, Starship's, Tripathi, Ashlee Vance, Vance, hushes, —, SpaceX's, LabPadre, SpaceX hasn't, It's, April's, Polly Trottenberg, Jared M, Margolis Organizations: SpaceX, Service, NASA, Super, Mission, University of California's, Sciences Laboratory, Flight Safety, FAA, Bloomberg, Boca Chica, CNBC, Texas Commission, Environmental, Center for Biological Diversity Locations: Wall, Silicon, Starship's, Boca Chica , Texas

☆ Elon Musk is gearing up to launch his Starship mega-rocket in August. Here are 2 changes SpaceX made to stop it exploding.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

SpaceX is adding changes to Starship's launchpad and rocket ahead of its next launch. SpaceX is now gearing up for a second launch, which CEO Musk has predicted could happen by end of August. Here are two crucial changes the firm has made to its Starship launch system, and why it hopes it'll keep the rocket from failing. Because of this change to the launch, SpaceX had to add a "vented interstage and heat shield" to protect the booster. The CEO is now vying for a second launch window by the end of August, he said in June.

Persons: Elon, Musk, it'll, SpaceX SpaceX's, didn't, Ashlee Vance, Vance Organizations: SpaceX, Service, Privacy, SpaceX's, SpaceX SpaceX, Federal Aviation Administration, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Texas Commission, Environmental, FAA Locations: Wall, Silicon, of Mexico, Boca Chica , Texas

☆ SpaceX 'flame deflector' system for Starship launches may breach environmental regulations, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

SpaceX failed to apply for an environmental permit for its "flame deflector" system, CNBC reported. SpaceX failed to apply for the permits needed to use its "flame deflector" system used in rocket launches, potentially breaking environmental law, CNBC reported. However, according to a CNBC report, SpaceX failed to apply for the environmental permits needed to use the technology. A representative for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told CNBC that as of Thursday SpaceX hadn't obtained the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit needed to permit such runoff at the launch site. Last week, physicist Jeff Baumgardner told Spaceweather that a SpaceX launch earlier in July briefly punched a hole in the Earth's ionosphere.

Persons: Elon Musk, SpaceX hadn't, didn't, Jeff Baumgardner, Spaceweather Organizations: SpaceX, CNBC, Starship, Morning, Texas Commission, Environmental Quality, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Texas

☆ SpaceX hasn't obtained environmental permits for 'flame deflector' system it's testing in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

(Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)SpaceX ran a "full-pressure test" of a new "flame deflector" system at its Starship Super Heavy launch site in South Texas on Friday. SpaceX hasn't disclosed how much water a system test consumes at the site, where that water will run off and what it contains. SpaceX hasn't said why it went ahead without a permit and didn't respond to a request for comment. Eric Roesch, an environmental engineer, has been tracking how SpaceX and other aerospace companies comply with environmental regulations in Texas via his newsletter ESGHound. "Industrial process water is a regulated pollutant under the Clean Water Act," Roesch told CNBC in an interview.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Elon Musk, SpaceX hasn't, Eric Roesch, Roesch Organizations: BOCA, SpaceX, CNBC, federal, Texas Commission, Environmental, Boca, Space Locations: BOCA CHICA , TX, Texas, Boca Chica, Brownsville , Texas, South Texas, of Mexico, Boca Chica , Texas, U.S, United States

[1/4] Liquified petroleum gas vessel Zita Schulte is seen docked at the port of Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S., May 15, 2023. A hydrogen hub would require access to millions of gallons of water – a challenge in Corpus Christi which is experiencing a multi-year drought. Peter Zanoni, the city manager for Corpus Christi, said the hydrogen project, if approved, all but requires the adoption of seawater desalination. And seawater desalination plants are energy intensive and expensive to build and maintain, energy experts say. Corpus Christi first proposed seawater desalination in 2017 to supply its rapidly growing energy and petrochemicals industries.

Persons: Zita Schulte, Joe Biden's, Read, Jennifer Granholm, Biden, Minh Khoi, Radhika Fox, Peter Zanoni, Zanoni, Paul Montagna, Christi, Errol Summerlin, Brandon Marks, Marks, Charles Zahn, Valerie Volcovici, Richard Valdmanis, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Investment, Jobs, Biden, Coastal Alliance, Corpus, U.S . Energy, Reuters, Rystad Energy, Department of Energy, DOE, Environmental, Corpus Christi, ExxonMobil, Saudi Arabia's Basic Industries Corporation, M University, Harte Research, Gulf of, Gulf of Mexico Studies, EPA, Texas Commission, Texas Campaign, Thomson Locations: Corpus Christi , Texas, U.S, Gulf, Christi , Texas, Corpus Christi, Southern California , Colorado , Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, Corpus, United States, Gulf of Mexico, San Diego , California, Hillcrest, San Antonio

☆ A farmer who lives near Elon Musk's Texas campus says the state's lack of regulations means it's like the 'Wild West' for developers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Texas' is a "Wild West" for developers like Elon Musk's Boring Company, a farmer told The WaPo. The Boring Company and SpaceX both have built sites in Bastrop, a rural area near Austin. A farmer who lives near Elon Musk's Texas campus around 30 miles east of Austin says that the boom in development in the area means it's like "the Wild West." The Boring Company, Musk's construction company — which builds tunnels under cities to help alleviate traffic congestion — began work on its Bastrop facility in 2021. At the public meeting, however, some local residents did show support for the boost to Bastrop's economy that Musk's investments would bring.

☆ Texans sound off against Elon Musk's 'horrifying' plans for dumping The Boring Company wastewater into Colorado River
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Boring Company is facing criticism from Texans over its plans to dump treated wastewater. One resident said about 400 people showed up at the public meeting on The Boring Company's plans. "The thought of this happening is horrifying," Erin, who runs an organic farm near the Boring Company facility, told Fox News. The Boring Company. A spokesperson for The Boring Company did not respond to a request for comment from Insider.

☆ Wall Street Journal: Elon Musk is planning to build his own town
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Entities connected to Elon Musk and his companies have reportedly been acquiring thousands of acres of land in Texas with the hope of starting a town where his employees could live and work, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal Thursday. (CNN has not reviewed all of the land and other records cited in the Journal report.) By building out a company town of his own, Musk could take that approach even further. Incorporating a town might also give Musk, who has been known to clash with state and federal regulators, more say over how things are run. The Journal reported that Musk’s team has discussed incorporating the town in Bastrop County.

☆ Houston lifts boil-water order affecting more than 2 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

HOUSTON — Houston officials lifted an order Tuesday that had called for more than 2 million people in the nation’s fourth-largest city to boil their tap water before drinking or using it. The boil order had been in effect since Sunday, when a power outage at a purification plant caused pressure to drop. The order led to the closure of businesses and schools, including the Houston Independent School District, which canceled classes Monday and Tuesday. The city said water quality samples sent to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality confirmed the tap water meets regulatory standards and is safe to drink. The power system at the water plant undergoes regular maintenance, Turner said, but he did not give a timeline for how often.

Although both were caused by power outages — the boil order when an outage Sunday at a water purification plant caused water pressure to drop, triggering concerns of possible contamination — that's where the similarities end, he said. According to Turner, two transformers failed, causing power outages at the East Water Purification Plant, which he said provides water for much of Houston's 2.2 million residents. The East Water Purification Plant is outside the city, in Galena Park. The entrance to the East Water Purification Plant in Galena Park, outside Houston, on Monday. The city issued the boil water notice in an "abundance of caution" after the main transformer and its backup failed, Turner said.

Residents of the country's fourth-largest city were told to boil water Sunday after pump-driven water system pressure dropped because of an electrical outage, triggering concerns of possible contamination. "We believe the water is safe but based on regulatory requirements when pressure drops below 20 psi we are obligated to issue a boil water notice," Turner said. A power outage Sunday at the East Water Purification Plant caused pressure to drop below 20 psi, or pounds per square inch, the state threshold that triggers boil water notices, Houston Public Works said. Water system pressure can use the weight of liquid to occupy cracks and crevices that might otherwise be exposed to outside incursions, such as urban runoff. "Houston’s water system is different than other systems in that we don’t use water towers to provide pressure to the system," it tweeted.

An LNG tanker is guided by tug boats at the Cheniere Sabine Pass LNG export unit in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, U.S., April 14, 2022. “Our turbine engineers determined a repair could improve the emission performance of the turbine," Robert Gray, senior environmental coordinator for the Sabine Pass plant, wrote. EPA spokesperson Tim Carroll said "the agency will work with Cheniere to assure they meet Clean Air Act obligations." Colin Cox, an attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project, said it was important for Cheniere to monitor the turbines to ensure continuous compliance moving forward. Louisiana and Texas regulators are responsible for overseeing compliance with federal clean air laws and regulations for facilities in their respective states.

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