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WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday launched two competitive grant programs with $20 billion in funding that aim to spark clean energy investments across the country especially in low-income communities. A $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator competition will provide grants to support up to seven nonprofit groups that will deliver funding and technical assistance to build the clean financing capacity of local lenders working in lower income and disadvantaged communities. Not everyone supports the green bank, which stemmed from the IRA legislation's $369 billion in incentives for fighting climate change that no Republicans voted for. In June, the administration launched a $7 billion grant program to give low-income communities access to residential solar panels. The deadline for applying to the programs launched on Friday is Oct. 12.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Kamala Harris, Michael Regan, Gary Palmer, Timothy Gardner, Lincoln, Frances Kerry Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, Reduction, Clean Investment, Communities Investment, Republicans, U.S, Thomson Locations: Michigan, Maryland

☆ US fines Texas oil company Callon Permian over emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday said Callon Permian LLC was fined $1.3 million for excess emissions from tanks, flares and other equipment at company's oil and gas facilities in the West Texas Permian Basin. The EPA said it identified emissions using a helicopter equipped with a special infrared camera that detects hydrocarbon leaks. The company failed to comply with requirements for flares, tanks, and combustors as well as general requirements of the federally approved Texas State Implementation Plan, the EPA said. Callon will perform corrective actions at 13 of its oil and gas facilities in the West Texas Permian Basin, resulting in an estimated reduction of over 1.2 million pounds of volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions, the agency said. Reporting by Daksh Grover and Rahul Paswan in Bengaluru; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Callon, VOCs, Daksh Grover, Rahul Paswan, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Thomson Locations: West Texas, Texas, Bengaluru

☆ California, truck manufacturers strike deal on emissions rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Tesla's new electric semi truck is unveiled during a presentation in Hawthorne, California, U.S., November 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandria Sage/File PhotoWASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - California state air regulators and truck and engine manufacturers said on Thursday they had reached an agreement on state emissions rules that will give companies more flexibility to meet requirements. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) said the "Clean Truck Partnership" with the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) includes new flexibility for manufacturers to meet emissions requirements while reaching state goals for reducing emissions. Newsom said "today truck manufacturers join our urgent efforts to slash air pollution, showing the rest of the country that we can both cut dangerous pollution and build the economy of the future." California said Thursday it agreed to modify elements of the 2024 NOx emission regulations for which manufacturers will provide offsets to maintain California emission targets.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Newsom, Jed Mandel, David Shepardson, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, California Air Resources Board, Manufacturers Association, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Twitter, Cummins, Daimler Truck North, Ford Motor, General Motors, Hino Motors, Volvo Group North America, EPA, Thomson Locations: Hawthorne , California, U.S, Alexandria, California, CA

[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

☆ Factbox: A look at the US Supreme Court's major rulings this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Industry Insight | Corporate Attorneys Don T Want To Pay Law Firms For Chatgpt When They Could Use It Themselves | Zach Warren | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Here is a look at some of the rulings issued by the court this term. STUDENT LOANSThe justices on June 30 blocked President Joe Biden's plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt. The court elected not to further roll back protections contained in the Voting Rights Act as it had done in two major rulings in the past decade. The ruling against Republican state legislators stemmed from a legal fight over their map of North Carolina's 14 U.S. House districts. The court ruled that state prosecutors had not shown that he was aware of the "threatening nature" of his statements.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Constitution's, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, Biden, Joseph Percoco, Andrew Cuomo, Louis Ciminelli, John Kruzel, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Harvard University, University of North, Harvard, UNC, Black, Republican, U.S . House, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Biden, Democratic, Postal Service, New, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, University of North Carolina, Alabama, U.S, Idaho, Texas, Louisiana, Washington, Colorado

☆ Ex-Tesla engineer builds Aigen robots to eliminate weeds without pesticides
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Aigen founders: Rich Wurden (CTO) and Kenny Lee (CEO) Courtesy: AigenThe Aigen Element looks like a drafting table on rugged tires. The company behind the robots, Aigen, was founded by Rich Wurden, an ex-Tesla engineer, along with former Proofpoint executive Kenny Lee in 2020. The Aigen Element uses computer vision to spot and eliminate weeds without pesticides. Typically, a fleet of the Element robots would pass over the field continuously, gathering data each time. Aigen's farm robots run on solar and wind power, with a lithium iron phosphate battery pack.

Persons: Rich Wurden, Kenny Lee, Glyphosate, Lee, Wurden, Hodgkins, he's Organizations: U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Proofpoint, Farmers Locations: U.S, Minnesota, Seattle, cybersecurity

The liberal justices, including Biden's appointee Ketanji Brown Jackson, found themselves in the role of the dissenting minority in some of the nine-month term's biggest cases. The conservative justices invoked the "major questions" doctrine, a muscular judicial approach that gives judges broad discretion to invalidate executive agency actions of "vast economic and political significance" unless Congress clearly authorized them. In those cases, the conservative justices were unified in the majority and the liberal justices dissented. In that case, the liberal justices were joined by one conservative justice, Trump appointee Brett Kavanaugh, in dissenting on the new test. The justices on Friday agreed to decide whether a 1994 federal law that bars people under domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms violates the Constitution's Second Amendment.

Persons: Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M, Gorsuch, Brett M, Kavanaugh, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas, John G, Roberts, Jr, Samuel A, Alito, Elena Kagan, Read, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump's, Erwin Chemerinsky, Trump's, Chemerinsky, Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Roe, Wade, Jackson, Justice Jackson, Adam Feldman, Biden's, John Kruzel, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: Supreme, U.S, Republican, Harvard University, University of North, University of California Berkeley Law School, U.S . Environmental, Alabama, Senate, Consumer, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, WASHINGTON, University of North Carolina, U.S, Texas

☆ Auto industry seeks to soften Biden vehicle emissions proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 28 (Reuters) - The trade group representing nearly all major automakers wants the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to soften its proposal to sharply cut vehicle emissions through 2032 saying it is "neither reasonable nor achievable." The EPA, which declined to comment immediately, said the proposed 2027-2032 standards would cut emissions by 56% compared to the existing 2026 requirements. The group called the proposal a "de facto battery electric vehicle mandate." The group said the EPA proposal "substantially underestimates the cost of batteries while overestimating the availability of consumer and manufacturing tax credits." Environmentalists are pressing the Biden administration not to soften the proposal.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, David Shepardson, Howard Goller Organizations: . Environmental Protection Agency, Alliance, Automotive Innovation, General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota, EPA, Thomson

☆ Wildfire smoke hits New York again: 'We are truly the first generation to feel the real effects of climate change,' Gov. Hochul says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A screenshot of a map from AirNow.Gov shows air quality and smoke plumes on June 28, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. The AirNow Fire and Smoke map is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service. Kathy Hochul tweeted Wednesday afternoon that air quality health advisories were in effect for the state. City administrators will be working to alert residents of the hazardous air conditions on public transit and via cell phone alert systems. But Hochul advised residents to look up their zip codes on AirNow.gov for localized air quality readings.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Hochul Organizations: U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, U.S . Forest Service, New York Gov, Western Locations: Canada, New York, U.S . Forest Service ., York, Western New York, Central New York, Eastern Lake Ontario

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters) - Reckitt's (RKT.L) Lysol disinfectant brand said on Tuesday that it would start selling in the U.S. an "air sanitizing spray" that kills 99.9% of airborne viruses and bacteria. The spray, which Reckitt said helps reduce the spread of airborne pathogens such as cold, Influenza and Coronavirus, has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Reckitt, Clorox (CLX.N) and other disinfectant makers benefited from a boom in sales of surface cleaners and wipes. At the time, there were no products suited to sanitizing air, though some anxious consumers took to spraying surface cleaners into their surroundings. The formula contains active molecules that are hygroscopic in nature, which allows the molecules to attach to microorganisms suspended in the air.

Persons: Reckitt, We'd, Chris Jones, Richa Naidu, Louise Heavens Organizations: U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ The wife of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito leased a plot of land to an oil and natural gas company while the judge was weakening the powers of the Environmental Protection Agency, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In June 2022, Justice Samuel Alito's wife leased a plot of land in Oklahoma to an oil and gas company. Alito in several rulings before the court has been part of majority decisions to reduce the scope of the EPA. There are thousands of oil and gas leases across Oklahoma, where the energy sector is a critical economic driver. But the oil and gas lease troubles many environmentalists given Justice Alito's role in weakening the scope of the Environmental Protection Agency in several cases that have come before the court. And last year, the Supreme Court in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency limited the federal agency's ability to control the level of carbon emissions from power plants.

Persons: Samuel Alito's, Alito, —, Samuel Alito, Martha Ann Bomgardner Alito, Alito's, Jeff Hauser, Paul Thomas Anderson, Joe Biden Organizations: EPA, Service, Citizen Energy III, Energy III, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: Oklahoma, Sackett v, West Virginia

Companies Tesla Inc FollowNEW YORK, June 23 (Reuters) - A U.S. Democratic lawmaker plans to reintroduce a bipartisan bill next month that would allow electricity generated from renewable biomass to qualify for credits under the nation's biofuel blending program. The new EV pathway would be a major overhaul of that program by expanding it to include stakeholders in the electric vehicle industry. Garamendi originally introduced the bill in 2021, with bipartisan cosponsors including Representative Jack Bergman, a Republican from Michigan, and Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Iowa. Groups including the Renewable Fuel Standard Power Coalition, the Biomass Power Association and the American Loggers Council have endorsed the impending bill. The bill would also make biomass removed from federal forestlands eligible under the RFS as renewable biomass.

Persons: Biden, John Garamendi, Garamendi, Jack Bergman, Mariannette Miller, Meeks, Stephanie Kelly, Alistair Bell Organizations: Tesla, U.S, Democratic, U.S . Renewable Fuels, . Environmental Protection Agency, Reuters, Republican, Standard Power Coalition, Biomass Power Association, Thomson Locations: California, Michigan, Iowa

June 22 (Reuters) - 3M Co has reached a $10.3 billion settlement with a host of U.S. public water systems to resolve water pollution claims tied to "forever chemicals," the chemical company announced on Thursday. The company said the settlement would provide the funds over a 13-year period to cities, towns and other public water systems to test and treat contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. 3M, which is facing thousands of lawsuits over PFAS contamination, did not admit liability, and said the money will help support remediation at public water systems that detect PFAS "at any level." "The result is that millions of Americans will have healthier lives without PFAS in their drinking water." 3M had been scheduled to face a test trial in South Carolina federal court earlier this month in a lawsuit brought by Stuart, Florida.

Persons: Scott Summy, Stuart, Brendan Pierson, Clark Mindock, Alexia Garamfalvi, Chris Reese, Daniel Wallis Organizations: 3M, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Corteva Inc, Thomson Locations: U.S, South Carolina, Stuart , Florida, New York

☆ GM investing $920 million in Ohio diesel engine plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies General Motors Co FollowWASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) on Tuesday said it was investing $920 million to expand operations at its Ohio diesel engine plant for production of future internal combustion engine (ICE) heavy-duty truck powertrain products. GM on Tuesday said it will build a 1.1-million-square-foot expansion of the its Brookville, Ohio, diesel engine facility and install new technology and equipment, more than quadrupling the current size of the facility, which produces Duramax diesel engines for the Chevrolet Silverado HD and the GMC Sierra HD. GM declined to release "product details and timing related to its "future HD truck powertrain products." GM also announced C$280 million ($210 million) in its Canadian Oshawa Assembly and $632 Million in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for future next-generation ICE full-size trucks. GM did not post an announcement on its website about the $920 million Ohio investment, but sent a press release to Reuters after Senator Sherrod Brown, of Ohio, issued a statement touting the plan.

Persons: Sherrod Brown, David Shepardson, Leslie Adler Organizations: General Motors, Ohio, U.S, GM, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra HD, Canadian Oshawa Assembly, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Reuters, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, Brookville , Ohio, Flint , Michigan, Arlington , Texas, Fort Wayne , Indiana, California, Ohio

[1/2] Choices at the gas pump including ethanol or no ethanol gas are seen in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., January 29, 2020. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to finalize biofuel blending volumes at 20.94 billion gallons in 2023, 21.54 billion gallons in 2024 and 22.33 billion gallons in 2025, the sources said. That compares with the initial proposal announced in December of 20.82 billion in 2023, 21.87 billion in 2024, and 22.68 billion in 2025. But the finalized volumes include just 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels like corn-based ethanol in all three years, plus a 250 million-gallon supplemental amount for 2023, the sources said. Ethanol producers and corn farmers like the mandates because they provide a market for their products, while the oil industry finds the requirements too pricey.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Biden, Emily Skor, Stephanie Kelly, Jarrett Renshaw, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, The, Environmental Protection Agency, Congress, Growth Energy, EPA, U.S . Renewable, EV, Thomson Locations: Des Moines , Iowa, U.S, The U.S, New York, Philadelphia

☆ Canadian Wildfire Smoke Descends in an Unhealthy Haze Over Minnesota
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Anna Betts | Ernesto Londoño | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As a gray cloud and a pungent smell moved through the Twin Cities on Wednesday, normally bustling bike lanes and running trails were largely deserted. The air quality reached unhealthy levels in Minneapolis, St. Paul and much of Minnesota on Wednesday, as the Upper Midwest became the latest pocket of the country to have its air fouled by smoke drifting south from wildfires that have been burning across Canada for weeks. As in New York and much of the East Coast last week, Minnesotans were looking to the skies and to the Air Quality Index to make sense of what was going on around them. On Wednesday, Minneapolis and St. Paul recorded Air Quality Index readings above 250, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advises is “very unhealthy” for most people. The smoke spread across other parts of the Upper Midwest, too.

Persons: Paul Organizations: Twin, Air, . Environmental Protection Agency, N.D Locations: Twin Cities, Minneapolis, St, Minnesota, Upper Midwest, Canada, New York, East, Midwest, Eau Claire, Wis, Fargo

NEW YORK, June 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release a final rule on biofuel blending volume mandates for the years 2023-2025 by June 21, after seeking a one-week extension on a deadline for the rule, according to a court document on Tuesday. The EPA was set to issue a final rule by Wednesday under a court-ordered deadline, but has agreed to an extension with industry trade group Growth Energy, the filing showed. The final rule is set to mark a new chapter of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, which is more than a decade old. The EPA is expected to abandon that part of the proposal in the final rule, Reuters previously reported, citing sources. It is unclear whether those requirements will change in the final rule.

Persons: Stephanie Kelly, Jarrett Renshaw, Paul Simao, Barbara Lewis Organizations: YORK, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Growth Energy, Reuters, U.S, District of Columbia, Renewable, Thomson

☆ Automaker group urges US EPA to 'ease up' on vehicle emissions rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - The head of a trade group representing nearly all major automakers urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to "ease up" on its aggressive proposal to sharply cut vehicle emissions through 2032, saying it could benefit China. Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella said Monday the "EPA should ease up and reassess this rule before it helps cement China’s place in the U.S. auto market." He predicted that if the EPA regulations are too tough, China will gain "a stronger foothold in America’s electric vehicle battery supply chain and eventually our automotive market." Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: John Bozzella, David Shepardson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, China, Alliance, Automotive Innovation, Thomson Locations: U.S, China

☆ Recycling and Regulation Are Hot Issues in Likely Update to U.S. Sustainable Marketing Guides
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

The FTC last updated its guides in 2012 after a review that it launched in late 2007. “For the average consumer, it’s impossible to verify these claims,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in December when the review was launched. “It therefore is critical for the FTC’s framework on environmental claims to stay flexible and nimble,” Nestlé said in its public comment. Published comments from Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal and Unilever support keeping the current 60% threshold and say recyclable claims shouldn’t be based on how much of their products get recycled. Its CEO also said he hopes the Green Guides will be updated more regularly given the rapidly changing landscape of environmental marketing.

Persons: “, Lina Khan, Nestlé, PIERRE ALBOUY, REUTERS Nestlé, Perrier, Johnson, Fisk Johnson, ” Johnson, ”, Sarah Dearman, Ting Shen, L’Oréal, Unilever didn’t, Keith Srakocic, S.C, Dieter Holger Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade, FTC, Green Guides, Justice Department, REUTERS, ” SC Johnson, Sustainable Business, Green, Recycling, Bloomberg, The Recycling, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Greenpeace, Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal, Unilever, ” Unilever, Guides, dieter.holger Locations: North America, Virginia, U.S

☆ Explainer: What health experts say wildfire smoke novices need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Nancy Lapid | Thomson Reuters | Nancy Has Been A Health News Editor At Reuters For More Than A Decade. Previously She Was A Writer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Many in those states are wondering what they need to know about a first-time wildfire smoke event. Are health risks lower during a first-time wildfire smoke event? People in the Northeast may like to think they are not at risk from the wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada because research on health effects comes largely from regions where people are exposed to wildfire smoke for weeks at a time, year after year. Particulates from wildfire smoke enter most buildings in high concentrations, experts say. Bein of UC Davis compared indoor wildfire smoke exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke exposure.

Persons: Doug Brugge, Keith Bein, Jasvinder Singh, Singh, Nancy Lapid, Caroline Humer, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Air Quality Research, University of California, Medstar Franklin Square Medical, Environmental Protection Agency, UC Davis, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S ., Davis, Medstar, Baltimore, U.S, United States, Northeastern

☆ Air quality alert apps see spike in usage as Canada wildfires burn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Some apps run on data crowdsourced from relatively affordable air quality sensors sold by companies such as PurpleAir and IQAir. Air quality apps and mapsOutdoor air quality-monitoring apps like AirNow, AirCare and AirVisual have been among the nation's most used apps in past years when wildfires raged in Oregon and California. Like most air pollution trackers, it uses a color-coded visual system to indicate whether air pollution levels are good to hazardous, or whether there is not enough data to issue a rating. These include a Fire and Smoke Map, which provides information on fire locations, smoke plumes and air quality, and the AirNow Interactive Map shows ozone and particulate matter from air quality monitors across the country. Indoor air matters, tooWhile outdoor air quality is important, society doesn't talk or do enough about indoor air quality, said Richard Corsi, University of California, Davis' incoming dean of the college of engineering, currently a professor and dean at Portland State University.

Persons: AirNow, Yanelli Nunez, Anna Kioumourtzoglou, Nunez, Richard Corsi, Davis, Corsi Organizations: CNBC, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, ZIP, Apple Watch, Huawei, Columbia University's Mailman, of Public Health, University of California, Portland State University Locations: North America, Europe, Quebec, Ontario, U.S, New York City, Oregon, California, Mexico, Canada, Macedonia, Australia, Swiss, Greater Los Angeles

☆ Explainer: What are the health risks from wildfire smoke?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Nancy Lapid | Thomson Reuters | Nancy Has Been A Health News Editor At Reuters For More Than A Decade. Previously She Was A Writer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

More toxic than normal air pollution, wildfire smoke can linger in the air for weeks and travel hundreds of miles. Along with particles of soil and biological materials, wildfire smoke often contains traces of chemicals, metals, plastics and other synthetic materials. New data from California also show an increase in fungal infections in the months following wildfire smoke exposure, likely due to fungal spores in the smoke. But the health effects of wildfire smoke exposure over multiple seasons are not yet clear. Doug Brugge, who chairs the Department of Public Health Sciences at UConn School of Medicine, said wildfire smoke can be deadly.

Persons: Kent Pinkerton, Davis, Keith Bein, Doug Brugge, Nancy Lapid, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Center for Health, University of California, UC, Davis . Studies, Environment, UC Davis, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, of Public Health Sciences, UConn School of Medicine, Thomson Locations: United States, Canada, New York City, California, U.S

The judge asked for weekly updates, and said he would reschedule the trial if an agreement is not reached within 21 days. 3M spokesperson Sean Lynch said in a statement the parties are "making material and significant progress toward a resolution of this matter." [1/2] The 3M Global Headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S. is photographed on March 4, 2020. It has said in court documents that PFAS have not been linked with health problems at the levels being discovered in drinking water. Bloomberg News reported last Friday that 3M had struck a tentative $10 billion deal with U.S. cities and towns to resolve the PFAS water pollution lawsuits it is facing.

Persons: Stuart, Richard Gergel, Paul Napoli, Sean Lynch, Nicholas Pfosi, Maria Ponnezhath, Clark Mindock, Juby Babu, Akanksha Khushi, Aishwarya Nair, Kim Coghill, Sonali Paul, Sriraj, Devika Syamnath, Alexia Garamfalvi, Marguerita Choy Organizations: 3M, District, Napoli, 3M Global, REUTERS, Bloomberg News, Environmental Protection Agency, DuPont de Nemours Inc, Corteva Inc, Thomson Locations: U.S, Florida, Charleston , South Carolina, South Carolina, Stuart , Florida, Maplewood , Minnesota, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Column: World can't afford US-style home energy consumption habits
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

HOMES RULEA key driver behind America's outsized electricity consumption is the preference for single family homes over all other types of residences. For many in the United States, owning your own home is a key part of the so-called American Dream. According to the EIA's latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey 57% of electricity used by detached households is used for space heating, and 64% for air conditioning. OTHER WAYS OF LIVINGThe United States is not alone in facing rising living costs while trying to improve the efficiencies of buildings. Similarly, a vast majority of China's population lives in apartments, and apartments are more popular than individual houses in the cities of India, Japan and Southeast Asia.

☆ Carbon Accounting Changes Could Lift Corporate Greenhouse-Gas Emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Changes to emissions accounting rules are being considered that could significantly increase carbon footprints for companies claiming to use 100% renewable power in their efforts to decarbonize. How companies tally greenhouse-gas emissions from their electricity purchases—so-called Scope 2 emissions—was the most popular issue in a recent consultation on updating widely used GHG Protocol carbon accounting rules. A recent review by carbon management firm FlexiDAO of 22 multinationals that bought renewable electricity across 27 countries found that they could be underestimating their electricity emissions by close to 50% under the current system. The GHG Protocol secretariat is reviewing the more than 1,400 survey responses, around 400 of which mentioned Scope 2. Other areas of focus were emissions in the value chain, or so-called Scope 3 emissions, market-based accounting approaches, and corporate accounting and reporting standards.

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