Environment – Winnipeg Free Press

Climate change a polarizing topic in the province, poll reveals

Julia-Simone Rutgers 6 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 29, 2023

Climate change remains a polarizing and partisan issue for Manitobans, but new polling suggests more rebates and incentives for reducing emissions would resonate across party lines.

Advertise With Us

Weather

This morning:

-8°c Cloudy with sunny breaks This afternoon:

-2°c Cloudy with sunny breaks

Winnipeg MB
-9°C, Light snow

Full Forecast

Ottawa signs cement carbon capture deal in Alberta

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Ottawa signs cement carbon capture deal in Alberta

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:42 PM CDT

EDMONTON - The federal government has signed a deal to work with an Edmonton cement manufacturer to keep carbon dioxide generated at the plant from entering the atmosphere.

Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday with Heidelberg Materials to help with the construction of a carbon capture and storage facility.

Champagne said negotiations on a federal role in the $1.4-billion project, expected to be operational by 2026, are well advanced.

"The government of Canada will be a significant partner," he promised.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 4:42 PM CDT

Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Francois-Philippe Champagne attends a US-Canada summit hosted by the Eurasia Group, in Toronto on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Champagne has signed a memorandum of understanding with Heidelberg Materials to help with construction of a carbon capture and storage facility. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Toxic cesspools, bribery at center of Hawaii lawmaker’s case

Audrey Mcavoy, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Toxic cesspools, bribery at center of Hawaii lawmaker’s case

Audrey Mcavoy, The Associated Press 5 minute read 12:13 AM CDT

HONOLULU (AP) — A former Hawaii lawmaker is expected in court Thursday for sentencing in a federal corruption case that's drawn attention to a perennial problem in the islands: the tens of thousands of cesspools that release 50 million gallons of raw sewage into the state's pristine waters every day.

Cesspools — in-ground pits that collect sewage from houses and buildings not connected to city services for gradual release into the environment — are at the center of the criminal case against former Democratic state Rep. Ty Cullen. He has admitted to taking bribes of cash and gambling chips in exchange for influencing legislation to reduce Hawaii’s widespread use of cesspools.

The toxic pits proliferated in Hawaii in the '50s, ‘60s and ’70s. when investment in sewer lines didn't keep up with rapid development. Today Hawaii has 83,000 of them — more than any other state — and only banned new cesspools in 2016.

Now Hawaii is in a rush to get rid of them because of the environmental damage they do and the risk of groundwater contamination.

Read

12:13 AM CDT

FILE -- This Jan. 26, 2015 photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources shows a partially exposed cinderblock cesspool pit with a lid on a badly eroding shoreline in Punaluu, Hawaii.A former Hawaii lawmaker is expected in court for sentencing in a federal corruption case that's drawn attention to a perennial problem in the islands: the tens of thousands of cesspools that release 50 million gallons of raw sewage into the state's pristine waters every day. (Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources via AP)

Senegal struggles with loss of fish central to diet, culture

Grace Ekpu And Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Senegal struggles with loss of fish central to diet, culture

Grace Ekpu And Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:14 PM CDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — In Senegal, the national dish of thieboudienne is entwined in the country’s history and culture. It’s a rich dish of fish, rice and vegetables that literally brings people together - traditionally eaten in communal fashion around a single dish.

But the preferred species for the dish is white grouper, and the fishery has collapsed in the face of aggressive fishing by locals and foreign poaching. And there are few other fish to turn to, as overfishing has “greatly diminished” other species in Senegal, where one in six people work in the fisheries sector, according to a report from the United States Agency for International Development.

Overfishing like that which has threatened thieboudienne is seen across the planet. In the Bahamas, scientists and government officials are working to save conch, a marine snail central to the island nation’s identity. In the Philippines, overfishing has depleted small fish such as sardines used in the traditional raw dish of kinilaw.

___

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 10:14 PM CDT

The Fall family gathers to share lunch, a large bowl of Senegal's national dish, thieboudienne, in Diamniadio, Senegal, on May 31, 2022. Thieboudienne is entwined in the country’s history and culture. It’s a rich dish of fish, rice and vegetables that literally brings people together - traditionally eaten in communal fashion around a single dish. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)

Coal capacity climbs worldwide despite promises to slash it

Sibi Arasu, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Coal capacity climbs worldwide despite promises to slash it

Sibi Arasu, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 2:00 AM CDT

The capacity to burn coal for power went up in 2022 despite global promises to phase down the fuel that's the biggest source of planet-warming gases in the atmosphere, a report Wednesday found.

The coal fleet grew by 19.5 gigawatts last year, enough to light up around 15 million homes, with nearly all newly commissioned coal projects in China, according to a report by Global Energy Monitor, an organization that tracks a variety of energy projects around the globe.

That 1% increase comes at a time when the world needs to retire its coal fleet four and a half times faster to meet climate goals, the report said. In 2021, countries around the world promised to phase down the use of coal to help achieve the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).

“The more new coal projects come online, the steeper the cuts and commitments need to be in the future,” said Flora Champenois, the report's lead author and the project manager for GEM’s Global Coal Plant Tracker.

Read

Updated: 2:00 AM CDT

FILE - Steam rises from a power plant located by the Turow lignite coal mine near the town of Bogatynia, Poland, Jan. 15, 2022. The burning of coal for electricity, cement, steel and other uses went up in 2022 despite global promises to phase down the fuel that's the biggest source of planet-warming gases in the atmosphere, a report late Wednesday, April 5, 2023, found. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

Head of RBC defends climate plan to shareholders

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Head of RBC defends climate plan to shareholders

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:12 PM CDT

TORONTO - RBC chief executive Dave McKay defended the bank's climate plan at its annual shareholder meeting Wednesday as numerous attendees criticized it for not doing enough.

Speaking at the event held this year in Saskatoon, McKay emphasized the importance of an orderly net-zero transition since instability in food, energy or security will throw off efforts to rein in climate change.

"Where any of those, one or more of those elements, aren't present, then the focus on this critical climate journey is put aside."

He also said there needs to be a wider shouldering of the burden of change.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 5:12 PM CDT

Royal Bank president David McKay speaks at the Royal Bank of Canada annual meeting in Toronto on April 6, 2017. McKay defended the bank's climate plan at its annual shareholder meeting Wednesday as numerous attendees criticized it for not doing enough. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

States and companies compete for billions to make hydrogen

Jennifer Mcdermott And John Flesher, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

States and companies compete for billions to make hydrogen

Jennifer Mcdermott And John Flesher, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:13 PM CDT

As fossil fuel emissions continue warming Earth’s atmosphere, the Biden administration is turning to hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles, manufacturing and generating electricity.

It's offering $8 billion to entice the nation’s industries, engineers and planners to figure out how to produce and deliver clean hydrogen. States and businesses are making final pitches Friday as they compete for a new program that will create regional networks, or “hubs,” of hydrogen producers, consumers and infrastructure. The aim is to accelerate the availability and use of the colorless, odorless gas that already powers some vehicles and trains.

How can enough hydrogen be produced to meet demand — in ways that don’t worsen global warming? And how can it be moved efficiently to where users can get it? Such questions will be tackled by the hubs.

Nearly every state has joined at least one proposed hub and many are working together, hoping to reap the economic development and jobs they would bring. The governors of Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma came up with the “HALO Hydrogen Hub” to compete for funding, for example.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 4:13 PM CDT

FILE - A 2021 Toyota Prius that runs on a hydrogen fuel cell sits on display at the Denver auto show Sept. 17, 2021, at Elitch's Gardens in downtown Denver. As fossil fuel emissions continue warming Earth’s atmosphere, the Biden administration is turning to hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles, manufacturing and generating electricity. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Alberta regulator confirms toxins in waterbody

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Alberta regulator confirms toxins in waterbody

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:39 PM CDT

Alberta's energy regulator has confirmed hazardous chemicals are present in a small waterbody after two releases of tailings-contaminated wastewater from Imperial Oil's Kearl oilsands mine.

In an update released Tuesday, the agency said hydrocarbons and naphthenic acids have been found in an unnamed fish-bearing lake located almost entirely within Imperial's lease about 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray.

"Test results on April 3 identified the presence of F2 hydrocarbons and naphthenic acids at the two sampling sites closest to the seep location," said a statement from the regulator. "These components are potential indicators of industrial wastewater within ... a fish-bearing waterbody on the northeastern edge of Imperial's Kearl lease."

F2 hydrocarbons are lighter petrochemicals. Naphthenic acids are formed from the breakdown of petrochemicals and are typically found in oilsands tailings.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 4:39 PM CDT

Alberta's energy regulator is confirming that hazardous chemicals are present in a small waterbody after two releases of tailings-contaminated wastewater from Imperial Oil's Kearl oilsands mine. Tailings samples are being tested during a tour of Imperial's oil sands research centre in Calgary on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Challenge to Biden ‘Cost of Carbon’ policy dismissed

Kevin Mcgill And Matthew Brown, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Challenge to Biden ‘Cost of Carbon’ policy dismissed

Kevin Mcgill And Matthew Brown, The Associated Press 3 minute read Yesterday at 12:10 PM CDT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A lawsuit that Louisiana and other Republican-leaning states filed challenging figures the Biden administration uses to calculate damages from greenhouse gasses was dismissed Wednesday by a federal appeals court.

The unanimous decision by three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans was the latest defeat for states challenging the Biden “cost of carbon” policy. It leaves the administration to continue using a damage cost estimate of about $51 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions as it develops environmental regulations. That estimate is under review by the administration and could increase.

The Biden cost estimate had been used during former President Barack Obama's administration. President Joe Biden restored it on his first day in office after the administration of former President Donald Trump had reduced the figure to about $7 or less per ton.

A federal judge in Louisiana had ordered a halt to the administration’s approach early last year after the states filed a lawsuit. The states said the policy threatened to drive up energy costs while decreasing state revenues from energy production.

Read

Yesterday at 12:10 PM CDT

FILE - A flare burns natural gas at an oil well, Aug. 26, 2021, in Watford City, N.D. A lawsuit that Louisiana and other Republican-leaning states filed challenging figures the Biden administration uses to calculate damages from greenhouse gasses was dismissed Wednesday, April 5, 2023, by a federal appeals court. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Carbon price aid for small business lagging

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Carbon price aid for small business lagging

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:54 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Small businesses in Canada have received less than 10 per cent of the financial aid they were promised to help them offset the costs of the national price on carbon emissions.

When the federal Liberals laid out their carbon price plan in 2018, they promised it would be revenue neutral, with 90 per cent of the proceeds from the consumer fuel levy returned to households through cash rebates.

Small and medium-sized businesses were to get seven per cent of the revenues to help fund projects to lower their use of fossil fuels, both curbing their greenhouse-gas emissions and their carbon-price costs.

The government's annual reports on carbon pricing revenues show that during the first three years of federal carbon pricing, between April 2019 and March 2022, Ottawa collected more than $12.8 billion from the carbon levy.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 3:54 PM CDT

People shop in the Glebe community of Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. Small businesses in Canada have received less than 10 per cent of the financial aid they were promised to help them offset the costs of the national price on carbon emissions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

EPA tightens mercury emissions limits at coal power plants

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

EPA tightens mercury emissions limits at coal power plants

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:11 PM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening rules that limit emissions of mercury and other harmful pollutants from coal-fired power plants, updating standards imposed more than a decade ago.

The rules proposed Wednesday would lower emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants that can harm brain development of young children and contribute to heart attacks and other health problems in adults.

The move follows a legal finding by EPA in February that regulating toxic emissions under the Clean Air Act is “appropriate and necessary” to protect the public health. The Feb. 17 finding reversed a move by former President Donald Trump’s administration to weaken the legal basis for limiting mercury emissions.

The proposed rule will support and strengthen EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which have delivered a 90% reduction in mercury emissions from power plants since they were adopted in 2012 under former President Barack Obama, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 5:11 PM CDT

FILE - Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan testifies before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing to examine President Joe Biden's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2024 for the Environmental Protection Agency, on Capitol Hill, March 22, 2023, in Washington. The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening rules that limit emissions of mercury and other harmful pollutants from coal-fired power plants, updating standards imposed more than a decade ago. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana. File)

‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ explores vigilante eco-sabotage

Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ explores vigilante eco-sabotage

Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 11:03 AM CDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the creators of “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” initially set out to adapt the book of the same name, which critiques the docility of climate activism, director Daniel Goldhaber had in mind a very different movie than what they eventually made.

“I was very much in a place of anger and feeling very powerless and I was like, ‘Let’s make a big old propaganda piece,’” he said.

Goldhaber recalled his writing partners Ariela Barer, who also stars in the film, and Jordan Sjol talking him out of that place and convincing him that idea would ultimately “make for a very boring movie.”

They decided instead on a kind of heist thriller, which opens in theaters Friday, that follows a group of young activists who plot to take down an oil pipeline in West Texas. While the group is composed of people with starkly different backgrounds and reasons for being there, many of its members are personally affected by climate change and are united in their desperation to fight it — not unlike the young creative team themselves.

Read

Yesterday at 11:03 AM CDT

This image released by Neon shows Ariela Barer in a scene from

Senegal’s Baaba Maal returns after years with new album

Lizzie Knight, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Senegal’s Baaba Maal returns after years with new album

Lizzie Knight, The Associated Press 3 minute read Yesterday at 9:56 AM CDT

Amid a changing, modernizing world with climate change threatening his home, Senegalese singer-songwriter and activist Baaba Maal is releasing his first album in seven years, “Being,” on Friday.

The genre-crossing album, released by Marathon Artists, is explores those themes and showcases traditional African instruments along with futuristic electronic sounds.

The first single from the record, “Yerimayo Celebration,” is a jubilant, rabble-rousing celebration of Maal’s roots in the small town of Podor in north Senegal, and the fishing community at its heart. Maal was born into a fisherman class and was expected to follow that career path, but he befriended Mansour Seck, a griot — or traveling storyteller and musician — and was welcomed into his family.

“I never thought I would stay in one place and doing one thing every day in my life. This is why music is a really good opportunity for me to go away, first, like a young person, like going on an adventure,” he said. “And it’s a way to liberate me and the people of my generation of this caste system where you have to stay in this place, do the same thing like your father or grandfather."

Read

Yesterday at 9:56 AM CDT

This undated handout photo shows Senegalese singer-songwriter and activist Baaba Maal. Amid a changing, modernizing world with climate change threatening his home, Maal released his first album in seven years, “Being,” on Friday, March 31, 2023. The genre-crossing album, released by Marathon Artists, is explores those themes and showcases traditional African instruments along with futuristic electronic sounds. (Matthew Donaldson via AP)

Dutch court nixes plan to reduce flights at Schiphol Airport

Mike Corder, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Dutch court nixes plan to reduce flights at Schiphol Airport

Mike Corder, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:23 AM CDT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A judge ruled Wednesday that the Dutch government cannot order Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, one of Europe's busiest aviation hubs, to reduce the number of flights from 500,000 per year to 460,000, dealing a blow to efforts to cut emissions and noise pollution.

The ruling came in a summary case brought by airlines and civil aviation organizations led by Dutch carrier KLM that sought to halt the planned cuts unveiled last year.

The decision by a judge in Haarlem, a city close to Schiphol, came a day after the airport announced plans to phase out all flights between midnight and 5 a.m., ban private jets and the noisiest planes, and abandon a project for an additional runway.

The judge ruled that the Dutch government did not follow the correct procedure when it called on Schiphol to reduce flight numbers, a decision that was hailed last year as a breakthrough by environmental groups.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 10:23 AM CDT

FILE - Travelers wait in long lines outside the terminal building to check in and board flights at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, on June 21, 2022. A judge ruled Wednesday April 5, 2023 that the Dutch government cannot order Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, one of Europe's busiest aviation hubs, to reduce the number of flights from 500,000 per year to 460,000, dealing a blow to efforts to cut emissions and noise pollution.(AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

Yukon ground squirrel found after 30,000 years

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Yukon ground squirrel found after 30,000 years

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:14 AM CDT

WHITEHORSE - The ancient remains of a ground squirrel dug up by miners near Dawson City, Yukon, still has lessons to teach 30,000 years after it died, an expert says.

At first glance, the small, brown discovery looks more like a wrinkly leather ball than a rare archeological find, though a more careful look reveals hair, tiny ears and claws.

It was only with X-rays taken at a Whitehorse veterinarian's office that the discovery of a complete mummified animal was confirmed, said Yukon paleontologist Grant Zazula.

"Arctic ground squirrels are tiny of course, it's curled up in a ball, so just by looking at it it's hard to tell what it is," he said.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 6:14 AM CDT

A person holds a mummified Arctic ground squirrel uncovered near Dawson City, Yukon, in an undated handout photo. The 30,000-year-old animal is set to go on display this May at Whitehorse's Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Yukon Territorial Government, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Missouri tornado kills 5 in latest wave of severe weather

Jim Salter And Scott Mcfetridge, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Missouri tornado kills 5 in latest wave of severe weather

Jim Salter And Scott Mcfetridge, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:49 PM CDT

GLEN ALLEN, Mo. (AP) — A tornado ripped through southeastern Missouri before dawn on Wednesday, killing five people and causing widespread destruction as the third in a series of deadly massive storms over the past two weeks struck the nation's heartland.

Forecasters are keeping a wary eye out for more extreme weather as this year's early severe storm season continues. The storms have spawned dozens of tornadoes, mainly in the South and Midwest, that have killed at least 63 people. Just last weekend, confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least eight states laid waste to neighborhoods across a broad swath of the country.

The Missouri tornado touched down around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday and moved through a rural area of Bollinger County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of St. Louis. Trees were uprooted, homes turned into piles of splinters, and one building was flipped on its side.

Five people were killed and five were injured, State Highway Patrol Superintendent Eric Olson said at a news conference. Residents in the village of Glen Allen said at least some of the victims were members of a family who lived in a trailer along a state highway.

Read

Updated: Yesterday at 8:49 PM CDT

Volunteers clean up at Wynne High School, Saturday, April 1, 2023, near the front entrance of the school on E. Jackson Avenue in Wynne, Ark., following severe weather the previous night. (Nena Zimmer/The Jonesboro Sun via AP)

India’s push for 24/7 clean energy from dams upends lives

Aniruddha Ghosal And Ashwini Bhatia, The Associated Press 8 minute read Preview

India’s push for 24/7 clean energy from dams upends lives

Aniruddha Ghosal And Ashwini Bhatia, The Associated Press 8 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

KINNAUR, India (AP) — The pickup truck jostled away from the roaring Sutlej River and up the steep mountain path flanked by snow-capped Himalayan peaks, some nearly 7,000 meters (22,965 feet) high. The nine passengers, farmers-turned-activists campaigning to prevent more dams from being built, were traveling to the remote Kandar hamlet in India's Kinnaur district.

The few-dozen Indigenous residents were forced to relocate after falling boulders destroyed most of their previous homes in 2005. And villagers believe tunneling for dams was to blame, although authorities deny it.

Indigenous activists like Buddha Sain Negi, 30, went there to learn more about the continued struggles faced by Kandar. Sitting atop a steep slope overlooking a 19-year-old dam, the activists heard residents speak of ways India's hydroelectric push had upended their lives and led to nearly two decades of protest. Some families took shelter in sheds, and more lives were lost because of falling boulders before they got compensation to build new homes, although it wasn't enough to mend livelihoods.

For villagers like Raj Kumari, 48, the fear of that night remains. The farmer said her husband was out when the boulders began rolling down. “My daughter said that we'll get left behind and die, and only her father would survive,” she said.

Read

Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

A tunnel is situated at the site of the Shongtong-Karchham Hydropower Project near Rekong Peo, the district headquarters of the Kinnaur district of the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, India, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. A favorite initiative of Indian governments, the push for dams has skyrocketed as the nation looks for round-the-clock energy that doesn't spew planet-warming emissions. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

NOAA: NJ wind farm may ‘adversely affect,’ not kill whales

Wayne Parry, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

NOAA: NJ wind farm may ‘adversely affect,’ not kill whales

Wayne Parry, The Associated Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's first offshore wind farm may “adversely affect” whales and other marine mammals, but its construction, operation and eventual dismantling will not seriously harm or kill them, a federal scientific agency said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a report Tuesday evaluating an analysis by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management of the Ocean Wind I project to be built off the southern New Jersey coast.

NOAA's final biological opinion examined BOEM's research, and took into account “the best scientific and commercial data available.”

NOAA determined the project by Danish wind power company Orsted “is likely to adversely affect, but is not likely to jeopardize, the continued existence of any species” of endangered whales, sea turtles and other animals. Nor is it likely to “destroy or adversely modify any designated critical habitat.”

Read

Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

The sun sets behind a land-based wind farm in Atlantic City, N.J. on Feb. 10, 2022. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, issued a report concluding that New Jersey's first planned offshore wind farm, Ocean Wind I, will likely have adverse impacts on whales and other marine animals, but will not seriously harm or kill them. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

In a first, EPA survey puts a number on lead pipes around US

Michael Phillis, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

In a first, EPA survey puts a number on lead pipes around US

Michael Phillis, The Associated Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

Some 9.2 million lead pipes carry water into homes across the U.S., with more in Florida than any other state, according to a new Environmental Protection Agency survey that will dictate how billions of dollars to find and replace those pipes are spent.

The survey released Tuesday was the first time the agency asked about lead pipes and gave the best count yet of how many are underground. Florida, with an estimated 1.16 million pipes, was a surprise to one expert. Industrial states like Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania are more typically associated with extensive lead pipe issues.

Illinois ranked second in Tuesday's survey, with 1.04 million lead pipes, followed by Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and New York.

The agency's drinking water infrastructure survey will be used to steer billions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to water infrastructure upgrades like finding and removing lead pipes in states that need it most. Previously, a state's share of lead pipe funds was based on its general infrastructure need and didn't consider how many lead pipes the state had.

Read

Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

FILE - A lead water service line from 1927 lays on the ground on a residential street after being removed on June 17, 2021, in Denver. Some 9.2 million lead pipes carry water into homes across the U.S., with more in Florida than any other state, according to a new Environmental Protection Agency survey that will dictate how billions of dollars to find and replace those pipes are spent. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson, File)

GM passes Ford to take No. 2 spot in EV sales behind Tesla

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

GM passes Ford to take No. 2 spot in EV sales behind Tesla

The Associated Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors rode strong first-quarter sales of the Chevrolet Bolt to bump crosstown rival Ford out of second place in the U.S. electric vehicle sales race.

But GM's EV sales of 20,670 were still far below those of industry leader Tesla, which delivered more than 161,000 vehicles in the U.S. from January to March, according to estimates from Motorintelligence.com.

Ford sold only 10,866 EVs during the quarter, but the company said that's largely because it had to stop making the top-selling Mustang Mach-E electric SUV while it retooled a factory in Mexico to increase production. Spokesman Said Deep said the company didn't build Mach-Es for seven weeks during the quarter, cutting into sales.

Also, Ford was forced to stop making the F-150 Lightning electric pickup in February after a battery caught fire during a pre-delivery quality check. The problem was fixed and production resumed March 13.

Read

Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

FILE - Chevrolet shows off their Chevrolet Bolt at the North American International Auto Show on Jan. 9, 2017, in Detroit. General Motors rode strong 2023 first-quarter sales of the Chevrolet Bolt to bump crosstown rival Ford out of second place in the U.S. electric vehicle sales race. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Average carbon rebates exceeded costs in 2021

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Average carbon rebates exceeded costs in 2021

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

OTTAWA - Most of the Canadians who paid the national carbon price in 2021 got far more back than they paid, a newly released annual report on pollution pricing says.

Based on the numbers in the report, the average amount that people paid in the four provinces where the carbon price applied that year was $555. The average rebate was $804.

"Numbers still show that as of now, most Canadians get more back from pollution pricing than what they pay," Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said in an interview.

Every province must have the same price levied on greenhouse gas-emitting fuels, but only Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario used the federal system that year. Yukon and Nunavut also pay the federal carbon price, but those revenues are returned to the territorial governments directly, not as rebates to households. Northwest Territories and the other provinces opted for their own programs.

Read

Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

A gas pump is shown at a filling station in Montreal, Wednesday, April 12, 2017. The federal government says the average carbon price rebates sent to Canadians in 2021 far outstripped the average amount they paid in carbon pricing to begin with. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Court throws out gas pipeline’s West Virginia water permit

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Court throws out gas pipeline’s West Virginia water permit

The Associated Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A company building a long-delayed natural gas pipeline has lost a key water permit after a federal appeals court ruled that West Virginia didn't adequately assess the impact of building the Mountain Valley Pipeline across streams and wetlands.

Siding with environmental groups, the court said Monday the state Department of Environmental Protection’s justifications for its 2021 water quality certification were “deficient,” the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.

The 303-mile (487-kilometer) pipeline across rugged mountainsides in West Virginia and Virginia — which is mostly finished — would transport natural gas drilled from the Utica and Marcellus shale formations in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Legal battles have delayed completion for years, as environmental groups say construction has led to violations of regulations meant to control erosion and sedimentation.

Among other things, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the West Virginia agency didn’t adequately address the project’s history of water quality violations. It also said the agency used the wrong standards to support the decision that in-stream activities would meet state water quality regulations. The permit is required under the federal Clean Water Act.

Read

Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A company building a long-delayed natural gas pipeline has lost a key water permit after a federal appeals court ruled that West Virginia didn't adequately assess the impact of building the Mountain Valley Pipeline across streams and wetlands.

Siding with environmental groups, the court said Monday the state Department of Environmental Protection’s justifications for its 2021 water quality certification were “deficient,” the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.

The 303-mile (487-kilometer) pipeline across rugged mountainsides in West Virginia and Virginia — which is mostly finished — would transport natural gas drilled from the Utica and Marcellus shale formations in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Legal battles have delayed completion for years, as environmental groups say construction has led to violations of regulations meant to control erosion and sedimentation.

Among other things, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the West Virginia agency didn’t adequately address the project’s history of water quality violations. It also said the agency used the wrong standards to support the decision that in-stream activities would meet state water quality regulations. The permit is required under the federal Clean Water Act.

Alberta delayed response to oilsands releases

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Alberta delayed response to oilsands releases

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

EDMONTON - The Alberta government waited a month before calling an emergency response to one of the biggest releases of oilsands tailings in the province's history, a leaked document shows.

The document, obtained by The Canadian Press, shows the province didn't initiate an emergency response until after First Nations chiefs in the area went public about how they were informed of the releases from Imperial Oil's Kearl mine, about 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alta.

The document also sheds new light on official communications and reaction to the spills, now the subject of three inquiries.

"The fact that the province waited over a month before initiating its emergency response is not surprising at all," said Chief Alan Adam of the Athabasca Cree First Nation, which uses the area for harvesting. "We are used to the provincial government letting us down."

Read

Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

Tailings samples are being tested during a tour of Imperial's oilsands research centre in Calgary, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018. The Alberta government waited a month before calling an emergency response to one of the biggest releases of oilsands tailings in the province's history, a leaked document shows. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

US rolls out funding for wildlife crossings along busy roads

Susan Montoya Bryan, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

US rolls out funding for wildlife crossings along busy roads

Susan Montoya Bryan, The Associated Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — Native American tribes, as well as state and local governments will be able to tap into $350 million in infrastructure funds to build wildlife corridors along busy roads and add warning signs for drivers in what federal officials are billing as the first-of-its-kind pilot program to prevent collisions and improve habitat connectivity.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was expected to roll out more details about the program during a visit to Santa Ana Pueblo on Tuesday. Wildlife managers with the New Mexico tribe have documented recent mountain lion casualties along a busy federal highway that cuts through tribal boundaries.

Nationwide, about 200 people are killed each year in collisions involving wildlife and vehicles, federal officials said.

Buttigieg said in a statement issued ahead of his announcement that launching the pilot program marks "an important step to prevent deadly crashes in communities across the country and make America’s roadways safer for everyone who uses them.”

Read

Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks about a federal pilot project to fund wildlife crossing corridors along busy roads during an announcement in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Spain’s prime minister says Europe needs to re-industrialize

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Spain’s prime minister says Europe needs to re-industrialize

The Associated Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Europe must “re-industrialize” to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on third countries for energy and key raw materials, Spain's prime minister said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Petro Sanchez said after talks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in the Cypriot capital that Europe needs to be “strategically autonomous,” especially in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Sanchez, whose country assumes the European Union’s rotating presidency Jul. 1st, said this push toward less reliance on others for defense, as well as high-tech hardware such as semi-conductors and microchips doesn’t mean regression to a state of economic protectionism.

The Spanish premier said the EU needs to reach out to key regions such us the Caribbean and Latin America as well as nations on its southern periphery including Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.

Read

Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023

April 6, 2023

Related