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☆ Central banks are fighting a war on inflation. They're not done yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

London CNN —One of the main jobs of central banks is to keep prices under control, allowing households and businesses to plan for the future with some certainty on what things will cost. Tolga Akmen/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockPolicymakers face difficult questions about exactly when to pause interest rate hikes. The European Central Bank’s main rate is 2%, while the Bank of England’s is 3.5%. Still, investors are becoming increasingly confident that major central banks will change course soon. “Central banks are relatively close to the end,” Sels said.

☆ EPA’s $100 Billion Climate-Aid Windfall Spurs Turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Eric Niiler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Congress has given the Environmental Protection Agency more than $100 billion to spend on climate-related projects over the next 18 months, but the massive sum is triggering controversies. The money, which comes from the 2021 infrastructure package and last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, is aimed mainly at setting the U.S. economy on a path to cut planet-warming greenhouse gases 40% by 2030.

☆ Amid high levels of contamination, Puerto Rico town's residents plead for action
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

SALINAS, Puerto Rico — Shuttered windows are a permanent fixture in Salinas, an industrial town on Puerto Rico’s southeast coast that is considered one of the U.S. territory’s most contaminated regions. Salinas also has one of the highest incidence rates of cancer in Puerto Rico, with 140 cases reported in 2019, the newest figures available from the island’s Central Registry of Cancer. Those measures have a limited effect, however, and residents continue frustrated that their complaints about contamination have been ignored for years. That has been hailed by many in Puerto Rico, which has one of the highest asthma rates in a U.S. jurisdiction and whose power generation system is 97% based on fossil fuels. Although she has been the target of protests organized by frustrated residents, she said she is pushing for corrective measures.

Jan 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan is considering stepping down, according to four sources familiar with the matter. "No plans imminently, but I do know it's been on the radar screen for the past few weeks," the source said. The EPA said Regan had no plans to depart. He's committed to continuing to advance President Biden's historic climate and environmental agenda," said Maria Michalos, an EPA spokesperson and one of Regan's top aides. Regan, the first Black man to run EPA began designing the green bank in October.

☆ These are the 11 cheapest electric cars you can buy in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

We've found the 11 cheapest new EVs you can buy in 2023. Chevrolet Bolt EVThe 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV. ChevroletRetail price: $27,800EPA-estimated range: 247 milesQualifies for EV tax creditChevy recently introduced a big brother for the Bolt EV, the Bolt EUV. MazdaRetail price: $34,110EPA-estimated range: 100 milesMazda's first electric model disappoints in the all-important range department. KiaRetail price: $39,550EPA-estimated range: 253 milesThe Kia Niro gets bold new looks for the 2023 model year.

President Joe Biden on Thursday is expected to criticize the fiscal proposals of House Republicans in his first major economic speech of the year, which he will deliver at a steamfitters union hall in Springfield, Virginia. Biden will talk about his goals of growing the U.S. economy with new factories and construction in communities across the country and creating well-paying jobs for the middle class that don’t require a four-year degree, a White House official said. Biden also is expected to announce a new “Invest in America” Cabinet comprised of the secretaries of commerce, labor, transportation, treasury, energy, and health and human services; the EPA administrator; and senior White House advisers, a White House official told NBC News. In his remarks, Biden will contend that the House GOP's economic agenda would pose a threat to the economy and the working class, the official said. Biden is expected to characterize the House GOP’s economic proposals as a “MAGA economic plan,” the White House official said — a reference to former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” 2016 campaign slogan.

☆ New technique from U.S. national lab promises to strip carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and factories at record-low cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Just as importantly, industrial processes such as making iron, steel, cement, fertilizer, pulp and paper, and bioenergy could all reduce their carbon dioxide emissions this new technique. "We have the technology to be able to capture carbon dioxide from those industrial point sources. PNNL's technique removes carbon dioxide at the source, rather than sucking it out of the air. The technique of vacuuming up existing CO2 out of the air is known as direct carbon capture, and is exemplified by the Swiss company Climeworks. Graphic courtesy Nathan Johnson at Pacific Northwest National LabWhat happens with the rest of the carbon dioxide?

☆ Premarket stocks: Tech earnings could wreck Wall Street's party
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Big Tech earnings are here, and investors are hoping they don’t wreck the good vibes on Wall Street. Three giant tech earnings reports this week — Microsoft (MSFT), Tesla (TSLA)and Intel (INTC) — could change that. In the year-ago quarter, earnings were $2.48 per share on $51.73 billion in revenue. Still, Wall Street expects Tesla’s earnings to grow, if not at the explosive pace of the past few years. Analysts at Goldman Sachs predict that tech growth will slow to 9% between 2021 and 2024 while the sales growth of the overall S&P 500 reaches 7%.

☆ 'Concerning' map reveals where fish caught in the US are full of hazardous 'forever chemicals'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fish in lakes and streams across the US are contaminated with hazardous "forever chemicals." Since their invention in the 1930s, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have multiplied and spread. They found PFOS — one of the most notorious substances — was the largest contributor to PFAS contamination in fish. Last year, the EPA lowered the level of PFOS in drinking water it considers safe to 0.02 parts per trillion. He said he's also seen PFAS contamination advisories for fishing spots in Sweden, where he lives.

In the months since the most recent water woes began in Jackson, Mississippi, national attention has died down, donations have dwindled, and volunteers have been hard to come by. Thanks to donations and the national attention, grassroots organizers were able to distribute hundreds of cases of bottled water to panicked residents after the O.B. Michael Goldberg / AP fileJackson has one of the oldest water systems in the country, with authorities routinely directing residents to boil their water for safety, and residents often reporting brown water, leaking sewage and low water pressure. Since the water outage over the summer, residents have largely relied on bottled water for eating and drinking — and some for bathing as well. Months before the water outage in August, residents endured a cold snap in 2021, with extremely low temperatures freezing pipes and leaving many without water.

☆ The Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is the first-ever hybrid Corvette
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Exactly 70 years after the very first Chevrolet Corvette was unveiled in January, 1953, General Motors revealed the first Corvette with an electric motor on Tuesday. The Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is 3.6 inches wider than the base model. General MotorsUnlike some other high-performance hybrid cars, the Corvette E-ray is not a plug-in hybrid. A button inside the cabin of the Corvette E-Ray changes how the car’s electric motor is used. While fuel economy is secondary to performance in the Corvette E-Ray, it is expected to be more efficient than other Corvette models.

☆ Check out the exclusive pitch deck food waste startup Mill used to raise $100 million from Google Ventures and others
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The startup has already raised about $100 million from investors like Google Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Lowercarbon, and Prelude. "There's a lot of parallels to the story of Nest," Rogers said. However, because Mill handles the entire process from homes to farms, it faces many challenges not found in other food waste startups, Rogers said. And although the company's coffers are well-stocked in a tough market environment, Rogers told Insider that he's always open to conversations with investors. Here's an exclusive look at the 7-slide pitch deck Mill used to raise $100 million from Google Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Lowercarbon, and Prelude:

☆ Walmart bans single-use bags in more stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Walmart will eliminate single-use paper and plastic carryout bags at the register from stores in New York, Connecticut and Colorado this month. The company previously stopped giving out single-use plastic bags in New York and Connecticut and in some areas in Colorado. Plastic-bag bans reduce the number of these bags in stores and encourage customers to bring reusable bags or pay a small fee for paper bags. In New Jersey, a ban on single-use plastic and paper bags has meant grocery delivery services have switched to heavy-duty bags. Reusable bags — cloth totes or thicker, more durable plastic bags — aren’t a perfect solution, either, unless they are actually reused.

☆ U.S. agency plans to propose new fuel economy standards in April
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) plans to propose new fuel economy standards for the 2027 model year and beyond in April which could dramatically reshape new cars on America's roads. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it plans to introduce companion stringent vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards from 2027 through at least the 2030 model year by March. In March 2020, Trump's Republican administration rolled back then-President Barack Obama's standards to only 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026. In March, NHTSA reinstated a sharp increase in penalties for automakers whose vehicles do not meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements for model years 2019 and beyond. The company then known as Fiat Chrysler paid $152.3 million in total CAFE fines for 2016 and 2017 model years.

Regan, who has spent the past year visiting communities struggling with water infrastructure crises — including in Alabama, Mississippi and West Virginia — acknowledged that the need is much greater. Engineers also had the forethought to build separate waste and drinking water infrastructure in Baltimore. Weather events routinely overwhelm the system, causing sinkholes that can lead to water main breaks and sewer backups in homes. Blue Water Baltimore filed a federal lawsuit against Baltimore in late 2021 over the issue. Two separate sinkholes, caused by the collapse of a stormwater tunnel and a leaking water main, led chlorination levels in the water system to drop.

☆ Mississippi agency denies NAACP’s water discrimination claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A Mississippi environmental regulator has denied claims that the state agency he leads discriminated against the capital city of Jackson in its distribution of federal funds for wastewater treatment. Most of Jackson lost running water for several days, and people had to wait in lines for water to drink, cook, bathe and flush toilets. The EPA announced on Oct. 20 that it was investigating whether Mississippi state agencies discriminated against the state’s majority-Black capital city by refusing to fund improvements to the water system. EPA Administrator Michael Regan has visited Jackson multiple times and has said “longstanding discrimination” has contributed to the decline of the city’s water system. The federal agency could withhold money from Mississippi if it finds wrongdoing — potentially millions of dollars.

☆ A US federal agency is considering a ban on gas stoves
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —A federal agency is considering a ban on gas stoves as concerns about indoor pollution linked to childhood asthma rise, Bloomberg first reported. A US Consumer Product Safety commissioner told Bloomberg gas stove usage is a “hidden hazard.”“Any option is on the table. The CPSC has been considering action on gas stoves for months.Trumka recommended in October that the CPSC seek public comment on the hazards associated with gas stoves. The study found that almost 13% of current childhood asthma in the US is attributable to gas stove use. Trumka told Bloomberg the agency plans to open public comment on gas stove hazards.

☆ EPA Proposes New Air Pollution Rules to Limit Soot From Power Plants, Vehicles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Eric Niiler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration on Friday proposed tougher rules on airborne soot produced by factories and vehicles, saying the measures would save 4,200 lives annually and billions of dollars in healthcare costs when fully implemented in 2032. The proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency targets tiny particles of airborne pollutants that can penetrate the lungs and cause human health effects, including asthma, heart attacks and premature death.

☆ U.S. EPA tightens soot standards for first time in decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Fine particulate matter, or soot, comes from sources ranging from power plants to cars and trucks. It causes lung and heart damage and has been found to disproportionately affect low-income communities, according to EPA. "Fine particulate matter is both deadly and extremely costly," EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters, adding the decision was "based on sound science and a rigorous evaluation of the data that we have at hand." The EPA said it would also take public comment on revising the level to as low as 8 µg/m3, and as high as 11 µg/m3. The EPA also opted to retain the current primary 24-hour PM 2.5 standard of 35 µg/m3, despite a CASAC recommendation to lower that number to 25 µg/m3.

☆ Biden proposes tougher limits on deadly soot pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Seen from the window of an Amtrak train, smoke billows up from power plants alongside the tracks in Northern Virginia. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed a rule that would strengthen federal limits on industrial soot, one of the country's most deadly air pollutants that disproportionately impacts the health of low-income and minority communities. The proposal is the latest action by the Biden administration to better address environmental justice and air pollution. Studies have also linked long-term exposure to soot with higher rates of death from Covid-19. However, officials said they are also considering public comment on an annual level as low as 8 micrograms per cubic meter and as high as 11 micrograms per cubic meter.

Here are four climate and environment lawsuits that are likely to make headlines in 2023. The oil companies in the nation's high court are hoping to upend a series of circuit court decisions saying the cases belong in state courts where they were filed. If the court takes the appeal and rules for the oil companies, then the cases would be moved to federal court, the preferred venue for the industry defendants. (Bellwether trials are chosen as test cases and are used to work through common legal and factual issues.) "I think it will be a huge year for this issue," Conroy said of 2023.

☆ EPA issues new rule to strengthen water protections in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Lucas Thompson | Lucas Thompson Is A Content Producer For The Nbc News Climate Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

At issue is which types of waterways — wetlands, rivers, lakes, etc. The act regulates water pollutants and empowers the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to define which particular bodies of water are protected by law. Protected bodies of water qualify for federal programs pertaining to oil spill prevention, water quality regulation and more. The new definition announced this week instates similar protections to those that were in place before 2015, while also clarifying certain qualifications for protected waters. "This comes at a time when we’re seeing unprecedented attacks on federal clean water protections by polluters and their allies," said Jon Devine, director of federal water policy for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

☆ I've driven 15 different electric cars this year — these are the 3 I'd buy (if I was rich)
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

My three favorites were the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Rivian R1S, and Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo. The Hyundai Ioniq 5The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited AWD. The Porsche Taycan Cross TurismoThe 2022 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Turbo S. Tim Levin/InsiderThe Taycan Cross Turismo is Porsche's totally badass electric station wagon. The Taycan Cross Turismo showed me why the German brand has been the poster child of impeccable driving dynamics for decades. The Taycan Cross Turismo starts at $97,700, $11,000 more than the regular Taycan sedan.

☆ EPA issues clean water rule that repeals Trump administration changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration on Friday issued a rule that defines which types of waterways in the U.S. will receive federal water quality protections under the 1972 Clean Water Act, repealing a Trump-era rule that federal courts rejected and that environmental groups argued left waterways open to pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army said the revised rule is based on definitions that were in place before 2015, when the Obama administration sought to expand federal protections. Federally protected waters qualify for government programs focused on maintaining water quality and preventing oil spills, among other things. Environmental groups have long argued that efforts to loosen federal water protections would significantly harm the country's sources of safe drinking water. Farming groups, oil and gas producers, and real estate developers have criticized such regulations as overbearing and burdensome to business, and many supported the 2020 Trump administration rule that attempted to dismantle protections.

☆ The U.S. passed a historic climate deal this year — here's a recap of what's in the bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

The IRA's provisions have major implications for clean energy and manufacturing businesses, climate startups and consumers in the coming years. As 2022 comes to a close, here's a look back at the key elements in the legislation that climate and clean energy advocates will be monitoring in 2023. Taking aim at methane gas emissionsSome pumpjacks operate while others stand idle in the Belridge oil field near McKittrick, California. Mario Tama | Getty ImagesThe package imposes a tax on energy producers that exceed a certain level of methane gas emissions. And the bill has a hydrogen production tax credit, which provides hydrogen producers with a credit based on the climate attributes of their production methods.

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