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☆ Ron DeSantis' past views could come back to bite him in Iowa, a critical state for any GOP challenger to Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ron DeSantis' potential bid to dethrone former President Donald Trump could hit a critical snag in Iowa, home to the first-in-the-nation caucuses. "If you come to Iowa, you're going to talk about agriculture," Monte Shaw, the executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, told Insider. DeSantis won't be alone in facing questionsTrump's own administration was hammered over its handling of the renewable fuel standard. Like Iowa's senators, he was also deeply frustrated by how Trump's EPA enforced the renewable fuel standard. Chris Carlson/APTexas Sen. Ted Cruz was hammered for months on the campaign trail for wanting to phase out the Renewable Fuel Standard.

☆ The Gaslighting of East Palestine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( William Mcgurn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ever since a Norfolk Southern train loaded with chemicals went off the rails in Ohio, residents of East Palestine have wondered if their home will ever be safe to live in again. On the one hand, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio EPA and a private contractor hired by the railroad say the air and water are safe. On the other, residents are experiencing symptoms such as skin rashes and nausea, and there are thousands of dead fish in local streams. On top of this, some activists claim that authorities who say it is safe are covering up.

☆ Major Questions in the Student-Loan Forgiveness Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Oral argument didn’t go well Tuesday for President Biden’s decree wiping out $400 billion of student-loan debt, as most Justices were skeptical of such sweeping action without Congressional assent. But give Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar points for audacity in trying to diminish a Court precedent from last year. The current Court has been vigorous in enforcing the separation of powers when an administrative agency tries to hang an expansive new program on a tiny peg of legislative authorization. This has become known as the “major questions doctrine,” which the Court fortified in last year’s landmark West Virginia v. EPA ruling that struck down an Obama Administration plan to re-engineer the electric grid.

☆ I'm an EPA worker who's responded to more than 100 toxic spills and chemical fires, and I'll never forget one that got my adrenaline going
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kelly worked on disasters like the BP oil spill and lead drinking-water crisis in Flint, Michigan. I'm one of the 220 emergency responders that the EPA has across the country who's on call when there's a major oil spill or chemical fire, like after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. There are also smaller events, like fires at oil refineries and paper mills and hazardous waste left behind by mines. EPA on-scene coordinators sample air, water, and buildings for toxic chemicals to determine public-health risks. Brian KellyThe EPA issues an enforcement order to the companies responsible for a spill or fire to take over the cleanup.

REUTERS/Rebecca CookFeb 27 (Reuters) - Ohio residents suing Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC.N) over a train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals urged a U.S. judge on Monday to block the company from destroying the wreckage without first giving them ample opportunity to inspect the crash site. The derailment of the Norfolk Southern operated train in East Palestine on Feb. 3 forced thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off toxic chemicals. They asked the judge to give their experts more time before Norfolk Southern removes and destroys the wreckage, which was slated to start on Wednesday. She asked whether Norfolk Southern could remove low-priority cars to an offsite storage location for later inspection, or if other options were available. The EPA on Saturday announced it was temporarily pausing Norfolk Southern's shipment of material from the crash site, but promised those efforts would resume soon.

☆ Chinese companies have rushed to fill the gap in Russia left by brands exiting from the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Chinese manufacturers were already popular in Russia before the war, accounting for approximately 40% of the smartphone market in December 2021. Tough times for consumersAlthough Chinese brands are reaping the rewards of the Western embargo, the Russian market is shrinking as its economy slumps. If the war in Ukraine ends, Apple and Samsung will likely rebuild operations in the country — and quickly recapture smartphone sales, Stryjak said. Even then, with the return of international brands, Chinese players could retain their foothold, particularly given how long it could take to rebuild supply chains. “Stating this a bit harshly, but the Russian brands and the Chinese brands are kind of stand-ins for the real players,” said Le at Sino Auto Insights.

☆ I drove Mercedes-Benz's $135,000 Tesla rival and experienced the electric, screen-filled future of luxury SUVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

I drove the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, the brand's first electric SUV for the US market. What the EQS SUV does right: An amazingly luxurious interiorThe 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

☆ US 2022 power plant emissions fell on switch from coal to gas -EPA
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Timothy Gardner | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Us Power Generating Company, Llc FollowWASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. power plant emissions of pollutants that harm human health and warm the planet fell last year as the industry continued a switch from coal to natural gas, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday. The EPA said emissions of smog components nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide last year dropped 4% and 10%, respectively, compared with 2021. "Communities that live near power plants deserve the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards as everyone else,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Emissions from power plants of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, fell 1% compared with 2021, the EPA said. The EPA data did not mention emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane from the natural gas industry, an emissions source that environmentalists say is important to decrease as the United States is on track to become the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, or LNG.

☆ U.S. transportation chief tours Ohio derailment site; NTSB to release initial report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the wreckage of this month's train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as federal investigators prepared to release their initial report of the Feb. 3 incident later on Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board will issue its preliminary findings into the fiery crash in a report to be released after 10 a.m. (1500 GMT) and will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. (1800 GMT). Norfolk Southern's chief executive apologized on Wednesday at a CNN town hall event that highlighted residents' concerns about soil and ground water contamination. The transportation secretary has said he will push major railroads to improve safety and seek bipartisan support in Congress to raise the cap on fines against railroads for violating safety regulations. Some Republicans have criticized the Biden administration over the incident while some Democrats have pointed to regulations rescinded under former President Donald Trump.

☆ Democrats urge EPA to tighten gas flaring restrictions to curb methane emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Congressional Democrats this week urged the Environmental Projection Agency to strengthen its proposal to regulate planet-warming methane gas emissions from the country's oil and gas sector. The letter, led by Sen. Martin Heinrich, N.M. and Rep. Diana DeGette, Colo., and signed by a total of 76 lawmakers, said the agency's proposal needs to tighten restrictions on routine gas flaring, or the process of burning excess natural gas at an oil well. Methane, a key component of natural gas, is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it comes to warming the atmosphere, but it doesn't last as long in the atmosphere before it breaks down. A recent study published in the journal Science suggested that oil field flaring emits nearly five times more methane than previously thought. The process often doesn't completely burn the methane, and in some cases, flares are extinguished and not reignited, causing the methane to release into the atmosphere.

☆ U.S. EPA unveils $550 mln in environmental justice grants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The money is part of $3 billion included for environmental justice block grants authorized by Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration's signature legislation that will drive investment of nearly $369 billion in clean energy and climate priorities. The scale and the vision of this investment that Congress has given us will change these communities," Robin Morris Collin, senior advisor for environmental justice at the EPA, told Reuters in an interview. It will oversee deployment of the $3 billion in environmental justice grants. "We are stepping our processes up to expand what has traditionally not been a very welcoming environment for low income and disadvantaged communities to access financial resources," Collin told Reuters. The block grant program is one of several investments the IRA made focused on environmental and climate justice.

☆ U.S. Supreme Court's 'major questions' test may doom Biden student debt plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

She did not realize she was setting off on a path toward another, less-welcome family first - racking up more than $150,000 in student debt. The major questions doctrine is an outgrowth of an approach favored by many conservatives and business groups to curb what they call the excesses of the "administrative state." Beginning in 2020, the administrations of President Donald Trump, a Republican, and Biden, a Democrat, repeatedly paused federal student loan payments and halted interest from accruing. Two lawsuits - one by six conservative-leaning states and the other by two student loan borrowers who opposed the plan's eligibility requirements - prompted lower courts to block it. 'INSUFFICIENT FUNDS'The major questions doctrine gives judges broad discretion to invalidate executive agency actions unless Congress clearly authorized them in legislation.

☆ Videos show Ohio politicians gingerly sipping tap water near chemical train crash, hoping to convince locals to start drinking it again
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Videos show several Ohio politicians gingerly sipping on tap water near a toxic train derailment. "I'll tell you, we believe in science, so we don't feel like we're being your guinea pig," Regan told Carolyn Brown, whose house they were in. "But we don't mind proving to you that we believe the water is safe," Regan continued. "That's pretty good water," Regan said after drinking from a red plastic cup. "You just saw us all drink a glass of water, our municipal water system here in East Palestine is safe.

☆ Norfolk Southern takes responsibility for Ohio crash environment cleanup, CFO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We take responsibility ... We're fully dedicated to making things right," Mark George, Norfolk Southern's (NSC.N) chief financial officer, said at an investor conference hosted by Barclays. A day earlier, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered Norfolk Southern to "pay for cleaning up the mess" created by toxic chemicals that spewed into the air, water and soil after the accident. Norfolk Southern plans to quantify related costs no later than its first-quarter earnings. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) plans to release a preliminary report on Thursday on its initial findings into the fiery crash. He will be joined by representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

☆ Animals full of PFAS 'forever chemicals' have been found on every continent except Antarctica, new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Animals, birds, and fish across the planet are contaminated with forever chemicals, a new report found. Though they're useful for resisting water, heat, and stains, PFAS do not break down in the environment, earning them the "forever chemicals" nickname. The new report suggests that contamination from forever chemicals may pose yet another threat to many species' survival. Cleaning up these emission sites is key to stopping more forever chemicals from building in the environment. "It will take regulatory action to move the entire market and country away from dependence on these chemicals," Andrews said.

☆ Hyundai's low-cost, long-range sedan is shaping up to be a major pain for Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

For $45,500, buyers can get an impressive 361 miles of range, more than Tesla's Model 3 offers. More importantly, the Ioniq 6 sedan's impressive specs and newly revealed pricing show it's shaping up to be one of the strongest rivals to Tesla's Model 3. The Hyundai Ioniq 6 beats the Tesla Model 3's range. By comparison, the $42,990 Model 3 promises 272 miles of range, while the more expensive Long Range model is rated for 358, just shy of the Hyundai's max. The Hyundai Ioniq 6.

☆ Ohio Train Derailment: EPA Orders Norfolk Southern to Clean Up Site
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Kris Maher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Environmental Protection Agency said it issued a formal order requiring Norfolk Southern Corp. to clean up chemicals spilled in a derailment earlier this month in East Palestine, Ohio, that has drawn concerns from residents about long-term health risks. EPA Administrator Michael Regan appeared in East Palestine on Tuesday alongside Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, as all three pledged that federal and state officials would remain in the village of 4,700 people until the site was fully cleaned up and residents’ concerns were allayed.

☆ Republican Doug Mastriano told supporters he didn't get any money from Ohio derailment train operator Norfolk Southern. Records show he took $1,000.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano is holding a hearing Thursday on the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment. Mastriano, a Republican, recently denied receiving any money from train operator Norfolk Southern. "Biden's in Ukraine and Shapiro's MIA," the user wrote, praising Mastriano for visiting East Palestine over the weekend. Mike DeWine, a Republican, assured East Palestine residents that their drinking water is safe. He lauded the EPA for ordering Norfolk Southern to cover the cost of cleaning up the accident.

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO says Ohio town safe after chemical train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed, igniting a dayslong fire. A company spokesperson told CNBC Norfolk Southern has been in communication with the agency and in compliance with its requests since the incident. He said Norfolk Southern has reimbursed or committed a "downpayment" of $6.5 million to East Palestine and will continue financial assistance to residents. Shaw in the interview denied the lawyer's claims after the company made public statements that doing testing absolved Norfolk Southern of no liability. Shaw said Norfolk Southern is fully cooperating with the NTSB and the FRA to come up with the root cause of the derailment.

The comments by the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were echoed by President Joe Biden later on Tuesday. The EPA also ordered that Norfolk Southern officials attend town meetings about the Feb. 3 spill in East Palestine, Ohio. The EPA order requires Norfolk Southern to submit a work plan for EPA approval for the cleanup associated with the derailment. Norfolk Southern shares closed down 1.6% on Tuesday and have slid almost 11% since Feb. 3. Norfolk Southern did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Shapiro's remarks.

☆ Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says his office made a criminal referral in East Palestine train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Rebecca Shabad | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday said that his office has made a criminal referral in response to the recent train derailment over the border in East Palestine, Ohio, and the aftereffects on the environment and nearby communities. Shapiro shared the information during a press conference in East Palestine with Ohio Gov. Meanwhile, consumer advocate Erin Brockovich is planning a town hall in East Palestine for Friday. In an interview Tuesday on MSNBC, she reacted to footage of Regan and DeWine drinking an East Palestine resident's tap water.

The Environmental Protection Agency order requires Norfolk Southern to submit a work plan for EPA approval for the clean up associated with the Feb. 3 derailment. Norfolk Southern shares were down 1.6% on Tuesday afternoon and have slid almost 11% since Feb. 3. Norfolk Southern did not immediately reply for a request for comment on Shapiro's remarks. Although no fatalities or injuries have been reported, residents have been demanding answers about health risks and blaming Norfolk Southern, state and federal officials for a lack of information regarding the crash. Norfolk Southern said it had consulted with town leaders and was worried about the safety of its employees if they did attend.

East Palestine, Ohio CNN —Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw defended his company’s actions since the disaster caused by the derailment of one of its trains in East Palestine, Ohio, and promised the railroad will pay for the cleanup. “Norfolk Southern is committed to the community and citizens of East Palestine,” Shaw told CNN Tuesday. “From day one I’ve made the commitment that Norfolk Southern is going to remediate the site,” Shaw said. Norfolk Southern “started as soon as the derailment occurred,” he said. If folks in this community want bottled water, they’re going to get it.”

☆ Railroad workers union says workplace conditions such as long hours and lack of sick days will only lead to more tragedies like the Ohio derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Various rail workers unions blame working conditions for the Ohio derailment, per The Guardian. Staff shortages and no paid sick days will lead to more disasters, union leaders said. This comes two months after Congress halted a railroad workers strike. Railroad Workers United, and others claim companies get away with short staffing, long hours and no paid sick days, jeopardizing safety protocol in the name of profit, the Guardian reported. Corners get cut and safety is compromised," Ron Kaminkow, Railroad Workers United secretary and Amtrak engineer told The Guardian.

☆ After driving 22 electric cars, these are the 3 I'd steer clear of
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I've gotten behind the wheel of 22 different electric vehicles. I've enjoyed most of them, but I'd steer clear of three EVs if I was in the market for one. The GMC Hummer EV, Nissan Leaf, and ElectraMeccanica Solo have their pros, but they don't fit my personal needs. While my experiences have overall been positive, three vehicles stand out as ones I'd steer clear of. 2023 Nissan Leaf.

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