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☆ 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

☆ Tens of thousands march to demand end to fossil fuels ahead of UN climate summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"If you want to win in 2024, if you do not want the blood of my generation to be on your hands, end fossil fuels." The March to End Fossil Fuels featured such politicians as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and actors Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Kyra Sedgewick and Kevin Bacon. "If you don't stop fossil fuels our blood is on your hands." And the march, unlike others, was more clearly focused on fossil fuels. Signs included "Fossil fuels are killing us" and "I want a fossil free future" and "keep it in the ground."

Persons: Spencer Platt, it's, Joe Biden, Emma Buretta, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Kyra Sedgewick, Kevin Bacon, Antonio Guterres, Athena Wilson, Maleah, Athena, Alexandria Gordon, Biden, Sharon Lavigne, Jean Su, Eve Ensler, Anna Fels, Vanessa Nakate, Megan Bloomgren Organizations: United Nations, Ambition, UN, Assembly, Getty, Sunday, U.S, Broadway, U.N, Boca, Center for Biological Diversity, New Yorker, American Petroleum Institute Locations: New York, New York City, Brooklyn, Alexandria, Sunday's, Boca Raton , Florida, Florida, Houston, Louisiana, U.S, United States, China, New, Vietnam

“If you want to win in 2024, if you do not want the blood of my generation to be on your hands, end fossil fuels.”The March to End Fossil Fuels featured such politicians as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and actors Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Kyra Sedgewick and Kevin Bacon. “It is frustrating.”Protest organizers emphasized how let down they felt that Biden, who many of them supported in 2020, has overseen increased drilling for oil and fossil fuels. "You need to phase out fossil fuels to survive our planet,” said Jean Su, a march organizer and energy justice director for the Center for Biological Diversity. And the march, unlike others, was more clearly focused on fossil fuels. “The elephant is that fossil fuels are responsible for the crisis.

Persons: it's, Joe Biden, ”, Emma Buretta, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Kyra Sedgewick, Kevin Bacon, Antonio Guterres, Athena Wilson, Maleah, ” Athena, “, Alexandria Gordon, Biden, Sharon Lavigne, Jean Su, Eve Ensler, Anna Fels, That's, Vanessa Nakate, Megan Bloomgren, Seth Borenstein Organizations: Sunday, U.S, Broadway, United Nations, U.N, Boca, “, Center for Biological Diversity, New Yorker, American Petroleum Institute, Twitter, AP Locations: Brooklyn, Alexandria, Sunday's, Boca Raton , Florida, Florida, Houston, Louisiana, U.S, United States, China, New, Vietnam

The heat is about to be turned up on fossil fuels, the United States and President Joe Biden. It features a special U.N. summit and a week of protests and talk-heavy events involving leaders from business, health, politics and the arts. Guterres has repeatedly aimed his criticism at fossil fuels, calling them “incompatible with human survival.” He and scientific reports out of the United Nations have emphasized that the only way to curb warming and meet international goals is to “phase out” fossil fuels. “We know the use of fossil fuels is the main cause of the climate crisis, coal, oil and gas,” Hart said Friday. “We need to accelerate the global transition away from fossil fuels.

Persons: Joe Biden, — William —, ”, Jean Su, Antonio Guterres, won’t, Biden, Guterres, ” Su, Bill Hare, he’s, Hare, Mohamed Adow, “ We’ve, Selwin Hart, ” Hart, Thomas Pyle, Brandon Wu, Su, Seth Borenstein Organizations: United Nations, General Assembly, Center for Biological Diversity, Ambition, United Arab, International Energy Agency, American Energy Alliance, Environmental, United, Biden, ActionAid USA, Twitter, AP Locations: United States, China, United Kingdom, Russia, France, New York, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Paris, Canada, Australia, Norway, America

Now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Interior Department should work together to ease the damage, the GAO said. A Customs and Border Protection spokesman said Wednesday that the agency is working on a response to the report. An Interior Department spokeswoman said the agency would have no comment. “The wall saved lives and disrupted the cartel’s ability to improve their operational control of our country’s borders.”Environmental groups said the GAO report confirmed their earlier complaints. They said future repair work could benefit from more involvement by the Interior Department, a lead manager of the federal land where much of the damage occurred.

Persons: Donald Trump, ”, Raul Grijalva, Grijalva, Trump, Mark Morgan, Morgan, Laiken, Michael Dax, Emily Burns, Joe Biden, Damage Organizations: PHOENIX, Government, Office, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, Interior Department, GAO, Customs, U.S, Arizona Democrat, Homeland Security, Forest Service, Border, Heritage Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity, Department of, Wildlands, Sky Islands Alliance, Department of Defense, Kumeyaay Locations: U.S, Mexico, cactuses, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Southwest, California , Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora, California, Rio Grande Valley, Arizona's Sonora, Quitobaquito, Rio Grande

Utah state officials didn't immediately return a request for comment Wednesday. Spencer Cox earlier this year created a position and chose the first-ever commissioner of the Great Salt Lake in an effort to find solutions. The risks of a diminished Great Salt Lake aren't merely beached sailboats and wider beaches. It threatens species extinction and toxic dust clouds ballooning over nearby communities, the lawsuit says. Already, a pelican colony on a Great Salt Lake island has floundered after their island became a peninsula, letting in coyotes, Seed said.

Persons: ”, Brian Moench, didn't, Spencer Cox, Moench, “, Stu Gillespie, Gillespie, ____ Jesse Bedayn Organizations: Utah's Republican, Utah Rivers Council, Utah Physicians, Environment, Republican Gov, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Utah, Mississippi, Environment . Utah, Salt, Earthjustice, Chile, Alaska, North America

☆ The Great Salt Lake has lost half its water, and a new lawsuit says it's Utah state lawmakers' fault
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jesse Bedayn | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Great Salt Lake has shrunk in half since 1847 due to freshwater demand and climate change. Spencer Cox earlier this year created a position and chose the first-ever commissioner of the Great Salt Lake in an effort to find solutions. AP Photo/Rick BowmerThe risks of a diminished Great Salt Lake aren't merely beached sailboats and wider beaches. AdvertisementAdvertisementAs the lake shrinks, it becomes saltierThe sun sets on the Great Salt Lake on June 15, 2023, near Magna, Utah. AdvertisementAdvertisementAlready, a pelican colony on a Great Salt Lake island has floundered after their island became a peninsula, letting in coyotes, Seed said.

Persons: Brian Moench, didn't, Rick Bowmer, Spencer Cox, Moench, Rick Bowmer Stu Gillespie, Gillespie, ____ Jesse Bedayn Organizations: Service, Utah's Republican, Utah Rivers Council, Utah Physicians, Environment, AP, Republican Gov, Chemicals, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Utah, Mississippi, Salt Lake, Magna , Utah, Salt, Marina, Lake, Earthjustice, Chile, Alaska, North America

☆ If you're an American eating beef this weekend, there's a good chance you're a man or age 50 to 65
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Just 12% of Americans are eating half of all the beef consumed in the US in a day, a study found. There's a good chance beef is on the menu, especially for men or people ages 50 to 65. Beef produces an estimated 8 to 10 times more emissions than chicken, and 50 times more than beans. "Beef is an environmentally extravagant protein," Rose said. There's a way to cut back on beef in all of those dishes if you're concerned about your health or the environment."

Persons: Diego Rose, Rose, Erin McDowell Organizations: Service, Labor, Center for Biological, Tulane University School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine, Agriculture Locations: Argentina

REUTERS/Adrees LatifEAGLE PASS, Texas, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The leafy trees on Magali and Hugo Urbina's 350-acre orchard next to the Rio Grande river in Eagle Pass, Texas, should be bursting with pecans this time of year. Migrants for years have forged the river from Mexico to Eagle Pass, part of increasingly higher numbers of people crossing illegally in recent years. He has accused Biden of failing to enforce migration laws and said he has the authority to "defend" Texas' border. Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) tasked with securing the border. ENVIRONMENTAL RISKSIn Eagle Pass, sediment falling into the river from the installation of fences and buoys is already altering the water's flow, according to environmentalists.

Persons: Adrees Latif, Hugo Urbina's, Greg Abbott's, Magali, Abbott, Joe Biden, Hugo, breastfed, Biden, Martin Castro, Laiken Jordahl, Daina Beth Solomon, Ted Hesson, Stephen Eisenhammer, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, PASS, Texas, Republican, Star, Democratic, National Guard, Reuters, Watershed, Rio, Customs, Border Protection, of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Center for Biological Diversity, Thomson Locations: United States, Mexico, Eagle Pass , Texas, U.S, Texas, Rio Grande, Eagle, Venezuelan, States, Mexico City

☆ DOT proposes new car standards that would modestly raise fuel economy and push the sale of EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Gregory Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Biden administration on Friday proposed modest increases to fuel efficiency standards for the vehicles most Americans drive. The proposal fits alongside the administration’s push for increasing the share of electric vehicles on the roads. A nearly 700-page document outlined the potential options, including the administration’s proposal for increasing car fuel efficiency standards annually by 2% for cars and 4% for light trucks. The Environmental Protection Agency, which calculates the fuel economy estimates shown on vehicle window stickers, uses different tests that result in more realistic estimates. Soon after taking office, the Trump administration re-wrote the more stringent Obama administration’s proposal.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, that’s, Chris Harto, John Bozzella, ”, Dan Becker, Harto, Pete Huffman, Trump Organizations: CNN, US Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer, EPA, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Center for Biological, Natural Resources Defense Council, Democratic, Republican, Obama

☆ Debt limit bill would speed completion of controversial West Virginia gas pipeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Lengths of pipe wait to be laid in the ground along the under-construction Mountain Valley Pipeline near Elliston, Virginia, September 29, 2019. A bipartisan debt limit bill struck by President Joe Biden and House Republicans over the weekend would expedite approval of all permits for a West Virginia natural gas pipeline and curtail environmental reviews under one of the country's landmark environmental laws. The Mountain Valley Pipeline, which has been promoted by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., would transport natural gas 303 miles from West Virginia to the Southeast, and part of it would cross through the Jefferson National Forest. The construction of the $6.6 billion pipeline is nearly done, though plans have been delayed for several years amid legal setbacks. Proponents say the pipeline is vital to bolstering U.S. domestic energy security, and that the plan was already near completion and set to move forward.

An aerial view of a Starship prototype stacked on a Super Heavy booster at the company's Starbase facility outside of Brownsville, Texas. Elon Musk's SpaceX is set to join the Federal Aviation Administration as a co-defendant to fight a lawsuit brought by environmental groups following the company's first test flight of Starship, the world's largest rocket, which ended in a mid-flight explosion last month. The lawsuit seeks for the FAA to conduct an environmental impact statement (EIS) — a lengthy and thorough procedure that would likely sideline SpaceX's Starship work in Texas for years. The company also wrote in the motion that "the FAA does not adequately represent SpaceX's interests" in the lawsuit, since it's a government agency. The FAA in a statement to CNBC said it "does not comment on ongoing litigation issues."

☆ Environmental groups sue U.S. over SpaceX launch license for Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

May 1, (Reuters) - Conservation groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday, challenging its approval of expanded rocket launch operations by Elon Musk's SpaceX next to a national wildlife refuge in South Texas without requiring greater environmental study. SpaceX had vigorously opposed subjecting its Starbase to an EIS review, a process that typically takes years, even decades. The FAA granted its license following a far less thorough environmental assessment and a finding that SpaceX activities at Boca Chica pose "no significant impact" on the environment. The lawsuit challenges that finding as a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. The lawsuit highlights a history of tension between environmentalists, who have sought to limit development at Boca Chica, and Musk, a hard-charging entrepreneur known for risk taking.

☆ FAA sued over SpaceX Starship launch program following April explosion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The SpaceX Starship explodes after launch for a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20, 2023. The groups argue that the FAA should have conducted an in-depth environmental report, known as an environmental impact statement (EIS), before ever allowing SpaceX to move ahead with its Starship Super Heavy plans in Boca Chica. Later, "based on SpaceX's preference," the lawyers wrote, the federal agency settled on using "a considerably less thorough analysis," which enabled SpaceX to launch sooner. The exact impacts of the launch on the people, habitat and wildlife are still being evaluated by federal and state agencies, and other environmental researchers, alongside and independently from SpaceX. Boca Chica land and wildlife there, namely ocelots, are also sacred to the Carrizo-Comecrudo tribe of Texas.

☆ Environmental groups are suing the FAA over SpaceX's failed Starship rocket launch over Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Environmental groups are suing the FAA over SpaceX's giant rocket launch in April. Debris from the Starship explosion was hurled thousands of feet from the launch pad, officials said. SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded over the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 after soaring 24 miles (39 kilometers) into the sky. The launch pad is on a remote site on the southernmost tip of Texas, just below South Padre Island, and about 20 miles from Brownsville. It was the first launch of a full-size Starship, with the sci-fi-looking spacecraft on top the huge booster rocket.

CNN —Environmental groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration in federal court over SpaceX’s launch of its massive Starship rocket last month. ‘All kinds of environmental harm’Ahead of the launch on April 20, the FAA issued a finding that the launch would have no significant impact on its surrounding environment. Margolis told CNN that the SpaceX explosion proves the groups’ legal argument that the FAA erred in its decision-making. The FAA’s roleThe FAA licenses commercial rocket launches and gave the green light for the SpaceX launch attempt after more than a year of back-and-forth. When asked about potential legal backlash from environmental groups on Saturday, Musk was defiant.

Fish and Wildlife Service. Damage to the launch pad, the floor of which was largely demolished during liftoff, was visible in photos of the aftermath. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Fish and Wildlife Service findings. The April 20 launch was days after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted SpaceX a license to launch the Starship via its Super Heavy rocket booster. REUTERS/Joe Skipper 1 2 3The report by the Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the U.S.

☆ SpaceX Starship explosion ignited 3.5-acre fire and sent debris thousands of feet, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Debris litters the ground on April 22, 2023, after the SpaceX Starship liftedoff on April 20 for a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. Fish and Wildlife Service disclosed new details on Wednesday about the aftermath of last week's SpaceX Starship Super Heavy launch and mid-air explosion, including that a "3.5-acre fire started south of the pad site on Boca Chica State Park land," following the test flight. In the agency's e-mailed statement, a spokesperson for the Fish and Wildlife Service said that following the launch and mid-air explosion, "Cameron County closed Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 for 48 hours due to launch pad safety concerns." The road closures prevented FWS staff from "accessing refuge-owned and managed land" until mid-morning on April 22, the agency confirmed. Elon Musk's defense contractor designed its Starship Super Heavy with the ambition of taking people and supplies on a Mars mission one day.

☆ SpaceX Starship explosion spread particulate matter for miles
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Of primary concern is the large amount of sand- and ash-like particulate matter and heavier debris kicked up by the launch. Images captured during the test flight show that the SpaceX launch pad also exploded, with concrete chunks from it flying in multiple directions leaving behind a giant crater underneath. That would translate to a one-square-mile debris field, with debris emanating about three-quarters of a mile away from the site, he said, referencing SpaceX environmental site assessment documents that are public record. Health concernsThe impacts of particulate emissions from the SpaceX launch won't be understood until samples are evaluated and the debris field measured comprehensively. Margolis and Cortez both noted that roads had been damaged, with gates and cordons closed immediately following the SpaceX Starship test flight.

CompaniesCompanies Law Firms Conocophillips FollowApril 3 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday rejected a bid by environmentalists to temporarily suspend the U.S. government’s approval of ConocoPhillips' (COP.N) multibillion-dollar oil drilling project in Alaska’s Arctic. Gleason said an injunction was inappropriate because the groups wouldn't be irreparably harmed by the construction that ConocoPhillips has scheduled for this month, which includes building roads and a gravel mine. Bridget Psarianos, an attorney challenging the approval, called the planned construction schedule "aggressive" and said the judge's decision is "heartbreaking." The approvals for the project in northern Alaska give ConocoPhillips permission to construct three drill pads, 25.8 miles of gravel roads, an air strip and hundreds of miles of ice roads. The 30-year project would produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak, according to the company.

Companies Conocophillips FollowWASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - The oil industry on Monday cheered the U.S. government's greenlighting of ConocoPhillips' multibillion-dollar oil drilling project in Alaska's Arctic, but court challenges could mire the plans in further delays. President Joe Biden's administration approved a trimmed-down version of the $7 billion Willow project on federal lands in a pristine area on Alaska's north coast. Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, another group involved in the previous suits, said Monday's approval for the Willow project is "still inadequate in numerous respects." Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, told reporters the state's lawmakers are prepared to defend the decision against "frivolous" legal challenges. Even if Interior could beat back the oil company's challenge, it would probably only mean another delay for Willow, he said.

☆ Newsom unveils bill to protect California's climate-threatened Joshua tree
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Gavin Newsom this week proposed for the first time a bill that would protect the western Joshua tree, a native desert plant, and prohibit anyone from importing, exporting, selling or removing the species without a state permit. The legislation, called the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, comes after the California Fish and Game Commission failed to act on a petition from 2019 that sought to list the tree as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. A rise in development and climate-related events such as drought and wildfires have threatened the western Joshua tree, an iconic and ecologically critical species located across the state's desert region. Recent studies show that Joshua trees are dying off from hotter and drier conditions, and without state protections could be largely gone from the Joshua Tree National Park by the end of the century. Roughly half of the western Joshua tree's range in California is on private land and most of the habitat is not currently protected from development.

☆ Lithium company Ioneer scores $700 million conditional loan from Energy Department for Nevada plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Pippa Stevens | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Lithium company Ioneer said Friday that it's secured a conditional commitment for a loan of up to $700 million from the Department of Energy as the U.S. seeks to develop new supply chains for materials that are critical to the energy transition. Ioneer is developing the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada. When fully operational, the site will produce enough lithium for 400,000 electric vehicles, the company said, while also producing boron. Ioneer's loan from the Department of Energy hinges on several conditions, including that the company receives all of the necessary permits. If approved, the loan, made under the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, will be for Ioneer's on-site lithium processing facility.

☆ 10 of the biggest oil spills in history
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill released 206 million gallons of oilFire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon, off Louisiana US Coast GuardOn April 20, 2010, BP's Deepwater Horizon, a semi-submersible drilling rig, exploded, burned, and subsequently sank in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven people were killed, according to NOAA. The five-month spill leaked approximately 206 million gallons of oil. According to estimates from The Center for Biological Diversity, 82,000 birds, 25,900 marine mammals, and a "vast" number of fish were harmed or killed.

Doug Ducey has agreed to dismantle a makeshift border wall that triggered a lawsuit by the federal government and rankled environmentalists. The agreement comes one week after federal officials filed a lawsuit against Ducey’s administration saying the border project was illegally built on federal land. Protesters spent weeks camping in freezing temperatures along the border wall, and had vowed to stay there until the containers were removed. Karamargin said the assurance from federal officials paved the way for Ducey to agree to remove the shipping containers. The shipping container project cost Arizona at least $82 million, Karamargin said.

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