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☆ Remaking the River That Remade L.A.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Michael Kimmelman | Photographs Adali Schell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +33 min

Remaking the River That Remade L.A.February 1938 was a wet month in Los Angeles. Reservoirs overflowed, dams topped out and floodwaters careered down Pacoima Wash and Tujunga Wash toward the Los Angeles River. The Los Angeles River was never a storybook river of the kind that, like the Hudson or the Seine, we associate with great cities. Among the naysayers is a venerable organization called Friends of the Los Angeles River, founded by the Texas-born poet and performance artist Lewis MacAdams. “With all the problems L.A. is facing,” he said, “even if it costs $50 billion to fix the river, we should just effing do it.”The headwaters of the Los Angeles River aren’t easy to find.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Cheniere seeks 18 months to upgrade LNG turbines that failed pollution tests-document
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Cheniere is one of only two LNG providers with turbines subject to the rule, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data. He asked the state for 18 months to make changes to and retest the turbines. In the meantime, the company said it would take steps to minimize formaldehyde emissions, including taking a turbine offline or replacing components. In September, Cheniere submitted test results to Texas regulators that showed formaldehyde emissions at that facility were well below the EPA threshold. Cheniere has big plans to expand the Texas and Louisiana plants in coming years.

Industry data show business travellers are taking longer trips than before COVID-19, leaving airlines adjusting flight plans. Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) and Virgin Australia say higher airfares have so far offset any revenue impact from fewer business trips. Ajit Chouhan, a Texas-based human resources executive, used to go on one-day business trips to San Francisco at least once a month before the pandemic. "If I'm on a business trip, do I want to stay an extra day if my partner's at home?" One-day journeys accounted for around 4% of domestic business trips globally in 2019, according to CWT data, versus 3% now.

☆ 'Harry Potter' fans warned to stop leaving socks at Dobby's grave on a beach in Wales
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

“Harry Potter” fans are being urged not to leave socks at the site of a memorial for the house elf Dobby at Freshwater West Beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The location is where the production of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1” shot Dobby’s death scene. In the “Harry Potter” novels, Dobby dies in Harry’s arms and tells him the beach is “such a beautiful place to be with friends.”After “Harry Potter” fans erected a memorial for Dobby at the filming location, many more fans were inspired to visit Freshwater West Beach and leave socks at the site. A memorial to Dobby erected by fans at Freshwater West Beach in Wales. Martin Williams / Alamy“Harry Potter” fans have left so many socks at the Dobby memorial that it started to become an environmental concern for Freshwater West Beach.

The move to expand sales of E15 would be a win for the ethanol industry, which wants to increase sales of the corn-based fuel and which argues the product would reduce gasoline prices by expanding the volume of available supply. However, critics of the idea - including those in the refining industry - have voiced concerns that a piecemeal approach to growing E15 sales could introduce logistical distribution challenges. The EPA could start seeking comment as soon as this month, said the sources. In April, governors from major corn-producing Midwestern states including Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois requested that the EPA effectively lift the ban in their states. The biofuel industry has faced legal hurdles in expanding U.S. E15 sales in the past.

Nov 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. government will award state and local governments, housing authorities and non-profits on the front lines of air pollution 132 new grants totaling $53.4 million for air quality monitoring projects, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday. The grants, which the EPA called the largest investment in air pollution monitoring in its history, come after federal investment in air quality monitoring has waned over several decades. President Joe Biden's administration has a target to cut pollution in poor and minority communities that often take the brunt of industrial emissions. "It's time that we empower American communities with the tools and the resources they need to track critical data about the air that they breathe," said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Last year, the agency announced $20 million in grants to communities to help them monitor their air for pollutants.

☆ SEC pushes ahead with slate of proposals to boost corporate reporting, disclosure requirements
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A flag outside the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. While Washington is consumed with the elections next week, the Securities and Exchange Commission is continuing to consider numerous rulemaking proposals that could significantly increase the reporting and disclosure requirements of corporate America. The SEC is considering two proposals Wednesday. These proposals are moving slowly from the "proposed" stage to the "adopted" stage; all or part of his agenda could be adopted in 2023. There is likely to be vociferous pushback on more controversial proposals such as climate disclosure.

☆ This startup seals your leaky home so you waste less energy and reduce your bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Leaky homes and buildings are some of the greatest climate offenders, but a Dayton, Ohio-based start-up is making big gains in shoring up the problem. Aeroseal, which seals both air ducts and building envelopes, is now available across America and in 29 countries. Leaky airducts and walls are the single largest reason for wasted energy in homes. Reducing that wasted energy not only lowers consumers' bills, but also reduces emissions associated with energy production, which are a significant contributor to climate change. Aeroseal has so far raised about $30 million in venture capital from the likes of Breakthrough Energy, Energy Impact Partners, Building Ventures and 2150.

☆ A potentially cancer-causing chemical is sprayed on much of America’s farmland. Here is where it is used the most.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Danica Jefferies | Danica Jefferies Is An Intern With The Data Graphics Team For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

For those only exposed through food, the EPA says that glyphosate residues on food are safe up to certain thresholds. The chemical giant Monsanto introduced glyphosate in its product Roundup in 1974. “Glyphosate is the most widely used chemical weedkiller in human history because of genetic engineering,” said Dave Murphy, the founder of Food Democracy Now, an advocacy group that tests glyphosate in food. “It’s sprayed ubiquitously and Monsanto has, for decades, just maintained that it’s the safest agricultural chemical ever made.”The EPA’s safety limits for glyphosate exposure from food are twice the levels allowed in the European Union. The company pointed NBC News to other studies — including some that it has sponsored — that either refuted a link to cancer or challenged the relationship between acres sprayed and exposure levels.

Race to Zero members agree to "phase out development, financing and facilitation of new unabated fossil fuel assets, including coal," in line with science-based scenarios. Environmental advocates are concerned that GFANZ members won't be held to that standard or others without their commitment to Race to Zero. The change comes amid tensions between GFANZ and Wall Street firms over how far they should go in their climate commitments. GFANZ said its affiliation with the United Nations will continue. United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell will join a group responsible for setting its strategy and priorities, and monitoring progress, GFANZ added.

☆ U.S. awards $1 billion to electrify school bus fleets
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 26 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled nearly $1 billion in awards to U.S. school districts to replace aging, gas-fueled school buses with cleaner, mainly electric models. The funding is the first tranche of $5 billion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hand out over five years through a clean school bus program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. The EPA's clean school bus program is part of a broader push by the administration to upgrade public school infrastructure and reduce pollution from old buses. Transitioning to an electric school bus fleet nationwide would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5.3 million tons per year, according to a study by the non-profit Public Interest Research Group. Last month, EPA said it would nearly double its planned $500 million in clean bus awards for this year due to overwhelming demand from school districts.

Ed Fischbach, on his farm in Spink County, S.D., said no to the carbon pipeline on his land. But some energy experts say safety is an issue with carbon capture pipelines — carbon dioxide doesn’t like to stay put, and the fear is that a pipeline could rupture and leak. Asked about the Mississippi leak, Hill of Summit Carbon Solutions characterized the event as tragic but anomalous. Braun says she is afraid the Summit pipeline will disturb sacred land around Whitestone Hill. Both Braun and Locke say they are happy to be forging new ties with farmers and ranchers in opposition to the Summit project.

The idled St. Croix refinery, formerly called Limetree Bay, was shut down by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in May 2021 after a series of chemical releases into the environment sickened neighboring residents. The refinery was sold in December 2021 for $62 million to West Indies Petroleum and Port Hamilton Refining and Transportation, following the bankruptcy of its former private equity owners. The owners also failed to provide hazard assessments and other documentation for the facility, the EPA said. The refinery was sold in December 2021 for $62 million to West Indies Petroleum, a Jamaican oil storage company that intends to operate the facility. In June, West Indies Petroleum denied its ownership of the facility, though the EPA has said it does.

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Over 100 U.S. environmental groups on Monday urged top U.S. climate diplomat John Kerry to support the creation of a fund that would compensate countries that have experienced economic and physical loss from climate change, a key demand of vulnerable countries at the upcoming COP27 climate summit in Egypt. The United States and European Union, the world's third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, are facing pressure from lower-income nations to soften their long-standing resistance to compensation for the "loss and damage" wrought by floods, rising seas and other climate change-fueled impacts. "We also think you need to examine the existing institutions and see what the what the gaps are." Egypt, host of the United Nations' climate negotiations, has appointed the environment ministers of Chile and Germany to come up with a plan for including the controversial loss and damage topic on the formal summit agenda. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. EPA opens civil rights probe into Mississippi capital's water crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday opened an investigation into Mississippi state agencies to determine if they violated civil rights in the majority Black city of Jackson in the course of funding of the city's water infrastructure. Representatives of those two departments and the office of Governor Tate Reeves did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Even before that crisis, the city had been under a boil water notice due to "elevated turbidity levels," meaning the water appear cloudy. That followed a string of disruptions to the city's water supply in recent years caused by high lead levels, bacterial contamination and storm damage. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sierra Club says Mountain Valley Pipeline to give up on N. Carolina extension
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 21 (Reuters) - U.S. environmental group the Sierra Club said on Friday that the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is abandoning legal efforts in North Carolina to secure land necessary for its proposed Southgate extension. Were it completed, the Southgate project would have added 75 miles (121 km) of pipeline from Southern Virginia into central North Carolina, the statement by Sierra Club read, adding that without the land, the extension is unlikely to ever be built. Mountain Valley - owned by units of Equitrans (ETRN.N), NextEra Energy Inc (NEE.N), Consolidated Edison Inc (ED.N), AltaGas Ltd (ALA.TO) and RGC Resources (RGCO.O) - is one of several U.S. pipeline projects delayed by regulatory and legal fights with environmental and local groups that found problems with federal permits issued during President Donald Trump's administration. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Seher Dareen in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mississippi Faces EPA Probe of Jackson Water Supply Cutoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday said it has launched an investigation into whether Mississippi state agencies discriminated against the mostly Black city of Jackson by not funding improvements to its crumbling water system. The investigation is in response to a complaint filed with the EPA against the Mississippi Department of Health and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality by the NAACP on behalf of nine Jackson residents who went without running water late this summer.

☆ Danaher shares slide after knockout quarter. Here's why it's a buying opportunity
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

That trend is expected to continue and result in high-single-digit core revenue growth for the bioprocessing business for the full year. Driving the gains was 30% core revenue growth at Cepheid as the businesses respiratory testing revenue of about $875 million exceeded management's expectations of roughly $325 million. Guidance Management expects overall core revenue growth to be flat to down low-single-digits for the fourth quarter. For the full year 2022, management continues to forecast base business core revenue growth in the high-single-digit percent range. That's better than the 5.9% full-year core revenue growth expected on the Street.

☆ A potentially cancer-causing chemical is sprayed on much of America’s produce. How high is exposure near you?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Danica Jefferies | Danica Jefferies Is An Intern With The Data Graphics Team For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The chemical giant Monsanto introduced glyphosate in its product Roundup in 1974. “It’s sprayed ubiquitously and Monsanto has, for decades, just maintained that it’s the safest agricultural chemical ever made.”The EPA’s safety limits for glyphosate exposure from food are twice the levels allowed in the European Union. Additionally, two reports by organic advocacy groups found glyphosate in food products including cereals, cookies, crackers and sandwich bread. The EPA concluded in 2020 that glyphosate posed “no risks to human health” and was not likely to cause cancer. But a federal appeals court rejected that determination in June, stating that the EPA did not adequately assess the risks to endangered species and human health.

The Supreme Court in June announced it would hear the case in its new term, which begins on Monday. This showed the increasing willingness of its 6-3 conservative majority take on divisive issues as it steers the court on a rightward path. According to Irv Gornstein, executive director of Georgetown University Law Center's Supreme Court Institute, Kavanaugh now wields outsized influence over the speed and limits of the court's rightward shift. In its most recent term, there were 14 rulings decided on a 6-3 tally with the conservative justices on one side and the liberals on the other. The court appears likely to continue to take up cases particularly important to conservatives, Feldman said.

☆ U.S. EPA launches environmental justice office
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced the creation of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, which will be staffed by 200 EPA employees and led by a not-yet announced Senate-confirmed assistant administrator. He launched the new office at an event in Warren County, North Carolina, which was the site of protests 40 years ago that is regarded as the birthplace of the environmental justice movement. It was the latest move by the Biden administration to prioritize environmental justice in its policymaking. The Inflation Reduction Act signed by Biden last month created a $3 billion climate and environmental justice block grant program that the new office will oversee. Overall, the legislation will unleash a $60 billion investment in environmental justice across the government.

☆ These 7 states have the least air pollution in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

That's good news for residents of several states, according to a new U.S. News and World Report analysis, which ranked all 50 states according to how polluted they are and the risk that pollution poses to their population's health. That ranking is consistent with other 2022 analyses: The American Lung Association (ALA) says Vermont's cities are among the cleanest by air quality in the country, and have low levels of the most harmful and widespread types of air pollution. The state's Burlington-South metro area in particular is one of only two U.S. cities that rank as the cleanest for the worst types of air pollution, which include particle pollution and ozone air pollution. In 2022, the ALA said the state's air quality got "mixed grades." Several pieces of research point to the state's poor air quality.

Lauren Taylor Wolfe co-founded Impactive Capital, an activist investment management firm focused on ESG investing for the long run. We've seen a lot of pushback come from some politicians and I think that's simply too risky. Understanding environmental risks and social risks is simply good fundamental analysis and it's simply good investing. We have too many managers, CEOs and boards focus on hitting their quarterly or annual figures and we believe that there's true opportunity to focus on long term returns, long term IRRs. And I think smart ESG initiatives is simply good business.

☆ Energy crisis spurs Britain to end its fracking ban, digging up a long-running debate
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The derrick is seen behind anti-fracking banners at Cuadrilla's Lancashire fracking site. Christopher Furlong | Getty ImagesLONDON — The U.K. government lifted its ban on fracking Thursday, citing the need to increase domestic energy supply following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The divideA 2020 review by Warwick Business School estimated fracked gas could account for between 17% and 22% of U.K. energy consumption between 2020 and 2050. A past study found that shale gas operations themselves would contribute relatively little to greenhouse gas emissions. A report commissioned by the government in April and published Thursday found it was still not possible to accurately predict geological activity as a result of U.K. fracking operations.

☆ U.S. Senator Manchin unveils energy bill that some Democrats slam
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Timothy Gardner | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Senator Joe Manchin on Wednesday released an energy permitting bill to speed approvals for natural gas pipelines and power transmission for renewable energy, legislation that some fellow Democrats criticized and will likely need to be amended in order to gain enough support. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe wider funding bill needs approval of the House and Senate and to be signed by President Joe Biden to become law. Manchin's staff told reporters he believes the funding bill will get 60 votes needed to pass the Senate with the permitting measure attached. The bill also sets a two-year target for environmental reviews on energy projects that need to be completed by more than one federal agency. In the House of Representatives, 77 Democrats this month asked Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a letter to keep the side deal out of the funding bill.

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