Environmental News For The Week Ending 23May 2019

Written by rjs, MarketWatch 666

This is a collection of interesting news articles about the environment and related topics published last week. This is usually a Tuesday evening regular post at GEI (but can be posted at other times).

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Note: Because of the high volume of news regarding the coronavirus outbreak, that news has been published separately:

• 23 May 2021 – Coronavirus Disease Weekly News 23May 2021

• 23 May 2021 – Coronavirus Economic Weekly News 23May 2021

Covid totals continue to fall, both in the US and worldwide. New US cases during the week ending May 22nd were down 22.0% from those testing positive during the week ending May 15th, and down 64.2% from our mid-April surge high; this week’s new cases were also the lowest for a 7 day period since that ending June 19th of last year. US deaths attributed to Covid this week were down 7.1% from the prior week, and less than a sixth of the death rate during the peak weeks of January. US Covid deaths were also the lowest since the first week of last July.

Globally, this week’s new Covid cases were 12.9% lower than the prior week, and down 27.3% from the late April peak; however, they are still higher than any time other than during the post holiday’s surge and during April of this year. Also worldwide, this weeks’ Covid deaths were 2.5% lower than last weeks’, and down 10.2% from the peak at the end of April. However, since India’s case counts and deaths are still such a large percentage of the total, those global figures tend to hide what’s going on elsewhere. New cases in most South American and most southeast Asian countries other than India are still rising; in fact, after a 45% jump in new cases this week, Argentina passed the US and became the country with the 3rd most new cases, after India and Brazil. Likewise, new cases in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were all up by double digit percentages this week, and all moving up on the global charts.

Some of the COVID-19 graphics presented in the articles linked at the beginning of this post have been updated below.

Summary data graphics:

Below is a copy of today’s graph of new US cases from WorldOMeters so you can get a visuallization of what the growth and decline of this thing looks like (data through May 25):

New cases and deaths data globally are shown in the Johns Hopkins graphics below (first two graphics).. These graphics shows the daily global new cases (red) and deaths (white) since the start of the pandemic up through 25 May. The third graphic shows the cummulative total vaccine doses delivered to date.

Here’s the week’s environment and energy news (Ohio corruption stories at the end):

Moderate-to-high TV viewing in midlife linked to later cognitive and brain health decline — – Spending moderate to high amounts of time watching television throughout midlife was linked to greater cognitive decline and lower gray matter volumes in the brain later in life, according to preliminary research from three studies (P149, MP24 and MP67) to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2021 (EPI). The meeting is virtual, May 20-21, and offers the latest science on population-based health and wellness and implications for lifestyle. “While studies have shown the benefits of exercise to support brain health, less is known about the potential consequences of prolonged sedentary behavior such as television viewing on brain structure and function. This is important to look at because other studies have shown that physical activity and sedentary behaviors may have different effects on health and disease,” said Kelley Pettee Gabriel, M.S., Ph.D., FAHA, lead author of one of the studies and a professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Engaging in healthy behaviors during midlife, between ages 45 to 64 years in the context of our study, may be important factors to support a healthy brain later in life.” Cognition includes one’s abilities to remember, think, reason, communicate and solve problems. Life expectancy is increasing in the United States, which experts believe will likely be associated with an increase in the prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia. An aging population with multiple factors that do not support a healthy brain may lead to an increased number of people with dementia. Worldwide, more than 7 million new dementia cases are diagnosed annually. By 2050, the prevalence of dementia is expected to increase by 116% in high-income countries and 264% in low-income countries. “There are currently no medications available to cure or stop dementia. However, a recent report showed that nearly 40% of worldwide dementia diagnoses may be prevented or delayed by modifying twelve risk factors including exercise,”

Delhi: Nearly 200 cases of black fungus reported so far — In the national capital Delhi, a total of 197 cases of black fungus were reported till Wednesday night (May 19), Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Friday said. “There were 197 cases of black fungus across all hospitals in Delhi till Wednesday night. These included patients who have come from other states for treatment,” Jain told media. All Mumbai is spending tens of millions of dollars to build the pediatric units and is already procuring ventilators, monitors, and other medical equipment. India’s Covid-19 crisis: How this city is gearing up fo …. Meanwhile, India has seen an unabated rise in fresh covid-19 cases in the last few days, with daily additions touching over two lakh Delhi airport facilitates 100 air ambulance movements s …. He added that there is an acute shortage of Amphotericin-B injections used in the treatment of black fungus or mucormycosis in the entire country. The Centre is likely to provide 2,000 injections to Delhi, which will then be given to hospitals. The Delhi health minister further cautioned Covid-19 patients against taking steroids without a doctor’s advice. People who have been on steroids should take care of these things. They should exercise caution, not get out of home or meet people for at least a week, the minister said. It is imperative to control blood sugar levels. Any virus, fungus, or bacteria multiplies rapidly when blood sugar level increases in the body, he said. It is better to take precautions because the black fungus is hard to cure, Jain added. “This is very dangerous. A patient’s immunity becomes zero when he/she takes steroids. Black fungus, which is found in soil or decaying matter inside homes, doesn’t affect healthy people. Chances of infection are more in those with low immunity,” Jain added. Yesterday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also said the city government will declare black fungus an epidemic if the need arises. Black fungus, the rare fungal infection is on the rise in several parts of the country, including Delhi. As per the Union Health Ministry, mucormycosis or black fungus is a complication caused by a fungal infection. People catch mucormycosis by coming in contact with the fungal spores in the environment. According to AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, the Covid-19-linked infection has claimed more than 7,000 lives in the country.

China reports H5N8 avian flu outbreak in wild birds in Tibet (Reuters) – China’s agriculture ministry on Wednesday said it had confirmed an outbreak of H5N8 avian influenza in a flock of wild birds at a wetlands park in the city of Nagqu in Tibet. The outbreak infected and killed 268 of the birds, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement.

CDC urges against kissing, snuggling poultry in salmonella warning -The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an advisory on Thursday warning people against getting too close to backyard poultry, citing concerns that the chickens may be spreading salmonella. In an investigation notice, the CDC noted that backyard poultry owners should take precautionary measures when handling their animals after 163 confirmed cases of salmonella were reported in 43 states. “Don’t kiss or snuggle backyard poultry, and don’t eat or drink around them,” the CDC wrote. “This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick.” According to the CDC, no one has died from the reported salmonella cases, and children under 5 made up one-third of the cases that have been recorded. More cases could go unreported, the CDC noted, as few people are tested for the bacterial infection that can cause fever, stomach cramps and diarrhea. The public health agency advised backyard poultry owners to frequently wash their hands after handling poultry, carefully handle eggs, and supervise children around the poultry. “Don’t let children younger than 5 years touch chicks, ducklings, or other backyard poultry. Young children are more likely to get sick from germs like Salmonella,” the CDC wrote.

Epigenetic mechanism can explain how chemicals in plastic may cause lower IQ levels –The chemical bisphenol F (found in plastics) can induce changes in a gene that is vital for neurological development. This discovery was made by researchers at the universities of Uppsala and Karlstad, Sweden. The mechanism could explain why exposure to this chemical during the fetal stage may be connected with a lower IQ at seven years of age – an association previously seen by the same research group. The study is published in the scientific journal Environment International. “We’ve previously shown that bisphenol F (BPF for short) may be connected with children’s cognitive development. However, with this study, we can now begin to understand which biological mechanisms may explain such a link, which is unique for an epidemiological study.” The speaker is Carl Gustaf Bornehag, Professor and head of Public Health Sciences at Karlstad University. He is the project manager of the Swedish Environmental Longitudinal Mother and Child, Asthma and Allergy (SELMA) study, from which the data were taken. External factors can cause changes in gene activity through an “epigenetic” mechanism. This means that individual genes are modified by means of “methylation”. Increased methylation in a DNA segment makes it more difficult for the cellular machinery to read that specific part. As a result, expression of methylated genes is often impaired. The scientists measured BPF levels in urine from pregnant women in the first trimester and subsequently monitored their children after birth. DNA methylation was measured in the children at age seven, and their cognitive ability was investigated. Since the fetus comes into contact with the mother’s blood via the placenta, it is also exposed to substances in the mother’s body. The analyses demonstrated that in fetuses exposed to higher levels of BPF, methylation increases in a specific part of the GRIN2B gene, which has a key neurological role. Further, higher methylation was associated with lower IQ in the children. However, the study also found that there appears to be a sex difference in these children’s susceptibility to BPF. The epigenetic link between BPF and cognition was observed only in boys. “The fact that we’ve been able to identify DNA methylation as a potential mechanism behind BPF’s effect on IQ adds an important piece of evidence in work to understand how environmental chemicals affect us on a molecular level,”

Just 20 companies are responsible for over half of ‘throwaway’ plastic waste, study says – Just 20 companies are the source of more than half of single-use plastic items thrown away globally, according to a study that highlights the devastating impact on the environment.The Plastic Waste Makers Index, published Tuesday, names the companies that are at the forefront of the plastic supply chain and manufacture polymers, known as the building block of plastics. It also highlighted that the firms identified are supported by a small number of financial backers.Single-use plastics, such as bottles, bags and food packages, are the most commonly discarded type of plastic. Made almost exclusively from fossil fuels, these “throwaway” plastics often end their short lifecycle polluting the oceans, being burned or dumped into landfills.The study says 20 petrochemical companies are responsible for 55% of the world’s single-use plastic waste.The findings were published by the Minderoo Foundation, one of Asia’s largest philanthropies. The research was conducted by academics from the London School of Economics, the Stockholm Environment Institute, Wood Mackenzie, among others. U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil tops the list, contributing 5.9 million metric tons to global plastic waste, closely followed by U.S. chemicals company Dowand China’s Sinopec. The study says 100 companies are the source of 90% of global single-use plastic production.Nearly 60% of the commercial finance funding the plastic waste crisis comes from just 20 global banks, the study said. A total of $30 billion of loans from these institutions, including Barclays, HSBC and Bank of America, has supported the sector since 2011. The research also assessed the countries that are the biggest contributors to the single-use plastic crisis, based on per head of population. Australia and the U.S., respectively, were found to produce the greatest amounts of “throwaway” plastics, at more than 50 kg per person per year in 2019.South Korea and the U.K. were found to generate 44 kg of single-use plastic waste per person. By contrast, the average person in China – the largest producer of single-use plastic by volume – produces 18 kg of single-use plastic per year. For India, that figure is as low as 4 kg per year, the study said. “As awareness of the toll of plastic pollution has grown, the petrochemical industry has told us it’s our own fault and has directed attention toward behavior change from end-users of these products, rather than addressing the problem at its source,”

Who’s Making – and Funding – the World’s Plastic Trash? – ExxonMobil is the world’s single largest producer of single-use plastics, according to a new report published today by the Australia-based Minderoo Foundation, one of Asia’s biggest philanthropies.The Dow Chemical Company ranks second, the report finds, with the Chinese state-owned company Sinopec coming in third. Indorama Ventures – a Thai company that entered the plastics market in 1995 – and Saudi Aramco, owned by the Saudi Arabian government, round out the top five.Funding for single-use plastic production comes from major banks and from institutional asset managers. The UK-based Barclays and HSBC, and Bank of America are the top three lenders to single-use plastic projects, the new report finds. All three of the most heavily invested asset managers named by the report – Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and Capital Group – are U.S.-based.”This is the first-time the financial and material flows of single-use plastic production have been mapped globally and traced back to their source,” said Toby Gardner, a Stockholm Environment Institute senior research fellow, who contributed to the report, titled The Plastic Waste Makers Index.The report is also the first to rank companies by their contributions to the single-use plastic crisis, listing the corporations and other financiers it says are most responsible for plastic pollution – with major implications for climate change.“The trajectories of the climate crisis and the plastic waste crisis are strikingly similar and increasingly intertwined,” Al Gore, the former U.S. vice president, wrote in the report’s foreword. “Tracing the root causes of the plastic waste crisis empowers us to help solve it.”The world of plastic production is concentrated in fewer hands than the world of plastic packaging, the report’s authors found. The top twenty brands in the plastic packaging world – think Coca Cola or Pepsi, for example – handle about 10 percent of global plastic waste, report author Dominic Charles told DeSmog. In contrast, the top 20 producers of plastic polymers – the building blocks of plastics – handle over half of the waste generated.

Waste Watch: Turkey Bans Plastic Waste Imports – Jerri-Lynn Scofield — Turkey on Tuesday moved to ban most plastic waste imports. The move follows BBC and Greenpeace investigation that showed British recycling dumped or left to be burnt in Adana, in southern Turkey.The ban will cover to ethylene polymer plastics and will take effect in 45 days, according to theAssociated Press. Plastic drinks bottles, which are made of polypropylene, are not includedAccording to the Guardian:Greenpeace visited 10 sites in the southern city of Adana in March. Investigators found waste including British supermarket packaging in waterways, on beaches and in illegal waste mountains. Under both UK and EU rules, plastic waste should only be exported if it is destined to be recycled or incinerated in a energy from waste facility. The AP elaborated on the Turkish government’s actions:The environment minister, Murat Kurum, said 152 waste facilities were audited in southern Adana province after “undesirable images were revealed.” Twenty-nine of them shut down, 32 were fined and criminal complaints filed against businesses that were causing pollution. He said Wednesday monitoring would continue in all recycling processes.Kurum added Turkey didn’t import garbage and added that the import of mixed plastic waste was outlawed in 2021. Companies importing recyclable plastics to process into raw materials for use in Turkey are required to hold an identification code that allows for monitoring.“Our goal is a national industry that can get a 100% of its raw materials from the domestic market and end imports of waste from the world and a very clean Turkey,” he said. Yet the Turkish policy alone will not solve the plastics problem. Much more can – and must- be done to reduce creation of plastic waste. The UK produces more plastics waste per capita than any other country except the United States. The Greenpeace report on its investigation. TRASHED: HOW THE UK IS STILL DUMPING PLASTIC WASTE ON THE REST OF THE WORLD, includes details how the UK still relies unduly on the ineffective recycling fairy as the primary solution to its plastics crisis.

EPA Admits to Faulty Glyphosate Review Under Trump but Still Won’t Take It off U.S. Market -The Center for Food Safety on Wednesday denounced the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for arguing that Roundup should remain on U.S. shelves for an undisclosed period of time even after admitting that the Trump-era review of glyphosate – the key ingredient found in Roundup, the world’s most widely used herbicide – was flawed and requires a do-over. In its federal court filing requesting to redo the Trump administration’s faulty assessment of glyphosate, the EPA failed to provide a deadline for a new decision; instead, the agency maintained that Roundup – created by agrochemical giant Monsanto, which was acquired in 2018 by the German pharmaceutical and biotech company Bayer – should stay on the market in the meantime. The EPA’s request comes as it faces two lawsuits, including one brought by a coalition of farmworkers and environmentalists represented by the Center for Food Safety (CFS), that seek to reverse the Trump EPA’sapproval of glyphosate, a decision that was made despite evidence that the substance – described by the World Health Organization as “probably carcinogenic” – poses threats to human health and to pollinators such as bumblebees and monarch butterflies.”Rather than defend its prior decision, at the 11th hour EPA is asking for a mulligan and indefinite delay, despite having previously spent far too long, over a decade, in re-assessing it,” CFS legal director George Kimbrell said Wednesday in a statement. “Worse, EPA admits its approval risks harms to farmers and endangered species, but makes no effort to halt it.” According to CFS:EPA is required by law to re-assess each pesticide every 15 years in a process known as registration review. EPA completed part of its registration review of glyphosate in 2020, designating it an “interim” decision because it had failed to assess glyphosate’s impacts to endangered species, or complete other key assessments, such as glyphosate’s potential to disrupt hormonal systems and harm pollinators. The 2020 interim decision represented EPA’s first comprehensive assessment of the herbicide since 1993. Some of the harmful effects of glyphosate, according to CFS, include a heightened risk of cancer among farmworkers and others who spray glyphosate-based herbicides or are nonetheless subjected to it as a result of “off-field drift.” Moreover, farmers must contend with the development of glyphosate-resistant superweeds, the organization said.In addition, CFS noted, because Roundup kills the milkweed on which monarch butterflies rely for survival, it poses a danger to the once-ubiquitous pollinators.

9th Circuit Upholds $25 Million Judgment Against Monsanto for Glyphosate Liability Jerri-Lynn Scofield – Last Friday, a three-judge panel of the United State Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Court upheld a $25 million judgment against Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, the world’s best-selling herbicide, of which glyphosate is the active ingredient.This decision, Hardeman v. Monsanto, is the first appeal of a glyphosate verdict to be decided thus far. From the summary of the opinion:The panel affirmed the district court’s judgment in favor of Edwin Hardeman in his action alleging that Monsanto’s pesticide, Roundup, caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.Roundup is pesticide with the active ingredient glyphosate. Since 2015, thousands of cancer victims sued Monsanto in state and federal court. This appeal arose out of the first bellwether trial for the federal cases consolidated in a multidistrict litigation. The jury awarded Hardeman $5,267.634.10 in compensatory damages, and $75 million in punitive damages. The district court reduced the punitive damages award to $20 million.Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018 for $63 billion , in what The Wall Street Journal has since described as one of the worst corporate deals in recent memory. Bayer assumed all Monsanto’s outstanding legal liabilities, including those related to glyphosate litigation. Bayer’s spectacular miscalculation of the value of such liabilities will be a prime topic for future study in business and law schools.In June 2020, Bayer agreed to a $10.9 billion settlement (see my earlier post, Bayer Agrees to $10.9 Billion Glyphosate Settlement). Bayer faced liability for about 125,000 lawsuits throughout the United States. The settlement included between $8.8 billion and $9.6 billion set aside to settle claims brought by lawyers representing some 95,000 plaintiffs. For the remaining 30,000 potential glyphosate plaintiffs who had yet to file lawsuits, the original settlement included $1.25 billion to cover their claims, and a controversial provision to allow a specially-created scientific panel to decide whether glyphosate causes cancer and at what levels, thus taking that decision away from future juries. Bayer and other litigants would nonetheless be bound by the panel’s determination in future proceedings. In July the presiding federal district court judge, Vince Chhabria, disallowed the controversial provision of the settlement, and Bayer withdrew the part of its original settlement proposal that focused on future lawsuits (see my earlier post, Federal Judge Nixes Part of Glyphosate Settlement That Would Allow a Panel of Scientific “Experts”, Rather Than Juries, to Decide Whether the Chemical is Carcinogenic for Future Claims.Bayer has since sweetened its settlement offer, setting aside $2 billion for these claims. The plaintiffs agreed to these settlement terms and this proposal is now pending before Judge Chhabria for preliminary approval (see Reply Brief Filed in Support of Motion for Preliminary Approval of Proposed Class Settlement). A hearing on this proposal is scheduled for May 19, according to Agri-Pulse, Roundup verdict of $25M upheld by federal appeals court:

How Environmentally Friendly Are Balcony Plants? – Deutsche Welle – From violets and pansies to kitchen herbs, the longer spring goes on in the northern hemisphere, the more diverse our options are for outdoor flowers and plants. According to the German environmental nonprofit BUND, about a billion garden and balcony plants are sold in the country each year.And those splashes of spring color on balconies and in gardens across Europe leave a lot of environmental damage elsewhere. Particularly cheap plants, which many people grab while shopping in the supermarket or hardware store, are often not grown sustainably.”Most of them come from countries like Ethiopia, Kenya or Costa Rica,” said Corinna Hölzel, a pesticide expert at BUND.The climate in these regions is particularly suitable for cultivation, but young plants or cuttings are then flown from there to be grown further in the countries where they will be sold. Transport by plane releases CO2greenhouse gases, but that’s not the only problem, Hölzel said.”Many pesticides are used in the countries of origin, sometimes even some that are banned in the EU because they are dangerous to our health,” Hölzel explained. “In many companies there is hardly any protective clothing. The workers often work long days, have no fixed contracts, no trade unions, and often don’t know what substances they are coming into contact with.” According to BUND, so-called compressing agents are also used in the cultivation of ornamental plants. These chemicals slow growth so the plants are neither too big nor in bloom before they can be sold. It is an example of using chemicals just for aesthetic reasons.

Roads and highways disrupt bee pollination –The planet is sliced into pieces by millions of miles of roads, which have, unsurprisingly, caused some problems for the nonhuman, non-drivers among us. The ecological impacts of roads are vast, from habitat fragmentation to direct traffic collisions with wildlife (AKA “roadkill”). One understudied relationship is how roads affect insects, and pollinators in particular. A new study, recently published inThe Journal of Applied Ecology, examines how roads may limit the movement of plant pollinators like bees. “Especially in urban areas, our roads are basically going through a lot of different habitats,” says study coauthor Chatura Vaidya, a PhD candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan. Roads can act as a barrier, preventing the typical flow of DNA between populations of pollinators as well as the plants they pollinate, Vaidya says, leading to lower genetic diversity, and even extinction. Working in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the summer of 2020, the researchers placed two species of potted flowering plants at 47 sites near roads that had a range of speed limits as well as a variety of sizes, from pedestrian sidewalks and bike paths to five-lane roads. The scientists doused the flowers with a fluorescent pigment, a stand-in for pollen, which would be picked up by a visiting pollinator and deposited at their next flower destination. A second, un-pigmented set of plants were placed across the road from the first, and a third set of un-pigmented plants were situated the same distance away on the same side of the road. These plants were checked at night using UV lights to track whether they’d picked up any pigments. The researchers found that plants on the opposite side of the road ended up with far less pigment than the plants placed on the same side of the road as the plants that had the pigment added to them. ForCoreopsis plants, those on the other side of the road had 50 percent less pigment transfer (again akin to pollination) than those plants on the same side of the road as the plants with the added pigment. ForMonarda plants, that pigment reduction was 34 percent.

Judge cites threat to sea turtles, halts Georgia dredging plan — U.S. District Judge R. Stan Baker on Thursday ordered an immediate halt to a dredging plan in Georgia due to the threat it posed to sea turtles nesting on a nearby beach. Baker issued the injunction to the Army Corp of Engineers, which is trying to overturn a policy that has limited the dredging of sand and mud in harbors in Florida and the Carolinas to only the winter months for the past 30 years, The Associated Press reports. The policy had been enacted in order to protect sea turtles from being killed by the dredging equipment, the AP notes. The Army Corps claims that the seasonal policy is now irrelevant, pointing to a report released last year in which federal government scientists found sea turtles could endure around 150 deaths per year from dredging. The corps argued that seasonal limit focuses too much on the turtles. However, Baker argued against that assertion. “Frankly it’s a stretch to believe the Corps would have abstained from spring and summer dredging in the area for decades if it did not believe there was a significant danger to loggerhead sea turtles during that time,” he said, according to the AP. Baker issued the injunction after conservation group One Hundred Miles filed a lawsuit in federal court over the proposed change to the policy. The judge stated that dredging efforts would be limited to December unless the agency could use a different type of dredging that was less harmful to the turtles. “There is a strong likelihood that a substantial and appreciable number of those turtles would be killed by hopper dredging during those months,” Baker said at the end of a hearing on Thursday, the AP reports. Giant loggerhead sea turtles, which nest on beaches in Florida and the Carolinas during the spring and summer, are a federally threatened species. Small numbers of green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles also lay eggs in this region, the AP notes.

Coffee, Oranges at Risk as Brazil Runs Out of Water – Brazil, the world’s biggest exporter of coffee, sugar and orange juice, just had a rainy season that brought hardly any rain.Soils are parched and river levels are low in the nation’s Center-South region, a powerhouse of agricultural output. The drought is so severe that farmers are worried they’ll run out of the water reserves that help keep crops alive over the next several months, the country’s dry season.Mauricio Pinheiro, 59, started irrigating his arabica-coffee crops in March, two months earlier than normal, after his 53-hectare (131-acre) plantation got less than half of the rain it needed. He’s using so much water for the plants that there isn’t enough left for his home. In order to keep the showers and faucets running, he’s had to search for another well.“My irrigation reservoir is drying up now — that usually happens in August,” said Pinheiro, who lives in Pedregulho in the Alta Mogiana region, in Sao Paulo state. “I’m really concerned about running out of water in the coming months.” The prospect of withering orange trees and coffee plants is coming at a time when agricultural crops are rallying to multiyear highs, which has fanned fears of food inflation. Higher food costs may exacerbate hunger, a problem around the globe that the Covid-19 pandemic has made more acute. Coffee and raw-sugar contracts on the ICE Futures exchange in New York have already touched four-year highs.If even irrigated areas can’t get enough water, Brazil’s coffee and orange output may decline for a second year in a row. Brazil’s current orange crop shrunk 31% from the previous season, the most in 33 years, and production of arabica coffee, the high-end kind used by chains like Starbucks Corp., is also dropping sharply. Rainfall was disastrously low for many areas in Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais from January to April, said John Corbett, Chief Executive Officer at aWhere Inc. The worst hit areas received less than half of normal precipitation, at a critical time when coffee plants need moisture for the beans to grow. It is also a period when the soil stores water to cope with the dry season.That came on top of adverse drier-than-normal conditions in some parts last year, notably in Sao Paulo and Parana, .“The levels of rivers and lakes has been very concerning,” “The situation is affecting most of Sao Paulo state and still harming next season’s crop.”

La Nina Turbocharges Drought In Brazil Putting World’s Coffee, Sugar, & Oranges At Risk — Global crop and food prices are skyrocketing to multi-year highs, and the culprit could be due to La Nina, a weather pattern characterized by the cooling of the equatorial Pacific and triggers atmospheric shifts that cause droughts in some regions of the world and wetter conditions in others. The prospect of a severe drought in the US has already be outlined in previous notes. Now it appears the worst drought in 20 years has struck agricultural rich Brazil.Over the last month, Brazil has been faced with drought during its traditional rainy season. “Soils are parched, and river levels are low in the nation’s Center-South region, a powerhouse of agricultural output. The drought is so severe that farmers are worried they’ll run out of the water reserves that help keep crops alive over the next several months, the country’s dry season,” said Bloomberg. The cost of this year’s drought could severely impact coffee, sugar, and orange crop yields. Coffee farmer Mauricio Pinheiro, 59, began irrigating his arabica-coffee crops in March, more than two months earlier than usual after his 131-acre farm received only half the rain it needed. He’s using so much water that his wells are running dry. “My irrigation reservoir is drying up now — that usually happens in August,” said Pinheiro, who resides in Pedregulho in the Alta Mogiana region, in Sao Paulo state. “I’m concerned about running out of water in the coming months.”One of the worst droughts to hit the country in decades is coming at a time when agricultural prices have rallied to multi-year highs, fanning fears of food inflation.

40 percent fruit crop loss after days of intense hailstorms hit Kashmir Valley, India – -Intense hailstorms affecting Kashmir Valley over the past couple of days have caused extensive losses to apple orchards and other fruit crops. While damage occurred almost everywhere in the valley, more than 40% of fruit crops were destroyed in the districts of Kulgam and Kupawara.After above normal maximum temperature during most of May 14, the weather suddenly changed in the evening, with strong winds, rain, and hailstorms in many parts of the valley.Manzoor Ahmad, a fruit grower from the Kulgam district said that the frequent hailstorm has left the entire community anguished as it has led to huge losses yet again.”In the last couple of years, the growers have been suffering huge losses due to one reason or another,” Ahmad told The Dispatch.Director Horticulture, Kashmir Aijaz Ahmad Dar told KNO that South Kashmir’s Kulgam district and Handwara area in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district have suffered 40% losses due to the hailstorm.The worst-hit villages in the districts include Awgam, Zazripora, and Puniwah where damage to the maximum extent has taken place.Other areas where moderate hailstorm damage has been reported are Nowpora, Daderkoot, Checki Hanjan, Hanjan, Sheganpora, Sofipora, Akipora, Behibagh, Srandoo, Arreh, Mohammadpora, Tazipora, Khandypora, Batapora, Jadipora Dedipora, Shurath, Laroo, Kharvot, Sangus, Akipora, and Awhatoo.

Impressive hailstorm leaves 50 cm (1.6 feet) of ice on roads, causes severe damage to crops, Albania – – video – An impressive hailstorm lashed Shkodra in northern Albania on Friday, May 14, 2021, leaving about 0.5 m (1.6 feet) of ice on roads and causing severe damage to crops.The storm lasted for around 50 minutes, covering the entire city, as well as some surrounding areas. The hail caused problems to traffic for a few minutes but had a major impact on agricultural lands. In Kuc, Guri i Zi, the hail destroyed significant cultures of fruits and vegetables.

Czech Republic sees extreme snow as another Arctic front descends on Europe – Wide swaths of the Czech Republic, including Labska Bouda, have been buried in extreme snowfall this late in the season. The unseasonal winter weather conditions were brought by a cold Arctic air mass descending on Europe and keeping much of the continent under below-average temperatures.Extreme snowfall engulfed vast regions of the Czech Republic, including Labska Bouda in the Krkonose Mountains in mid-May.Jaroslav Palivoda, a snowplow driver in the area for almost 40 years, said he has only experienced this level of accumulation on three occasions and never this late in the season.Ales Hnizdo, operations director of Labska Bouda, pointed out that there has been “an extreme amount of snow” this year. The rare Czech snowfall was due to a descending Arctic air mass on Europe, which was swept unusually far south by a weak meridional jet stream flow. Meanwhile, weather forecasts suggest that northwest Russia will be swept by a cold blast as another powerful Arctic front engulfs much of the European continent.This setup is expected to persist for the rest of the month of May and may further intensify. Late-May frosts may hit major growing regions, such as France and Ukraine.Unprecedented snowfall is also forecast to cover the continent’s higher elevations, including the northern UK.Record cold recently invaded parts of Europe in early April, following an unusually warm March which also saw historic temperatures.

Sydney records coldest run of May nights since 1967, Australia – A record-breaking cold snap is affecting eastern Australia this week, with Sydney, NSW recording its coldest run of May nights since 1967. The minimum temperatures in the city dropped to 8.6 °C (47 °F) on Thursday morning, May 20, 2021, marking the coldest run of May nights (5 in a row) since 1967, when the temperature fell below 9 °C (48 °F) for six nights in a row. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), the past 5 days also marked the coldest run of nights this early in the year since 1955.The cold air mass that swept through northern parts of NSW on May 16 brought record low temperatures this early in May, including -7.5 °C (18.5 °F) in GlenInnes, -5.2 °C (22.6 °F) in Tenterfield, 2.5 °C (36.5 °F) in White Cliffs, and 5 °C (41 °F) in Ballina.The temperatures are expected to drop again on Friday morning, May 21, and continue over the weekend, with parts of NSW ranges dropping below freezing.Frosts are forecast across parts of the Southern Downs in Queensland, through the northern ranges of New South Wales, the ACT, northern Victoria, and Tasmania.Meanwhile, two cold fronts are expected to arrive this weekend in Western Australia’s South West, bringing showers, possible storms, and even the potential for snow, BOM meteorologists said.The first front on Saturday, May 22 will bring widespread rain to the South West of the state, while the second cold front, arriving on Sunday, will be the coldest front experienced in WA this year.Snow is possible on Sunday night on Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges. Temperatures will drop from 6 – 9 °C (11 – 16 °F) through inland parts of the southwest between Friday and Sunday. Perth will only get to a high of 19 °C (66 °F) on Sunday, 17 °C (62.6 °F) on Monday and cold conditions will continue throughout early next week. The wind chill will make it feel even colder, BOM said.Monday is forecast to be the coldest day. Katanning is expected to record the coldest temperature of 11 °C (51.8 °F), with several other places in the Great Southern expected to only reach 12 °C (53.6 °F).The coldest morning is forecast to be Tuesday, May 25. Areas in the Wheat Belt and Great Southern may only reach 2 – 3 °C (35.6 – 37.4 °F) overnight.A vigorous southerly air stream from the Southern Ocean is driving this early taste of winter, particularly with the second, stronger cold front. The last time we had snow was on September 21, 2020, at Bluff Knoll. Typically when snow falls in WA it’s between July and September, but has arrived as early as April.

At 23 degrees, Delhi records lowest temperature in May since 1951 –A record 119.3 mm of rainfall pounded Delhi under the impact of cyclonic storm Tauktae and a western disturbance in 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Thursday, breaking all the previous records for May, the IMD said on Thursday. The city had also recorded a maximum temperature of 23.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, 16 notches below normal and the lowest in the month of May since 1951, it said. “A record 119.3 mm rain fell in Delhi between 8:30 am on Wednesday and 8:30 am on Thursday, which is a new record for May. The capital had recorded 60 mm rainfall in a 24-hour period on May 24 in 1976,” an Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of India Meteorological Department’s regional forecasting Centre said. The rainfall in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, northern Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Wednesday was a result of interaction between the remnant of cyclonic storm Tauktae and a western disturbance, the IMD said. Rainfall recorded below 15 mm is considered light, between 15 and 64.5 mm is moderate, between 64.5 mm and 115.5 mm is heavy, between 115.6 and 204.4 is very heavy. Anything above 204.4 mm is considered extremely heavy rainfall. R K Jenamani, senior scientist, national weather forecasting centre, said, “May remains generally dry. Normally, Delhi gets maximum of 30 mm or 40 mm (24-hour rainfall) in this month. The rain lasts only an hour or less. But this is completely different system coming from Arabian Sea and meeting with a western disturbance. Because the feature is rarest, so this much rain is not a surprise.”

Delhi records highest 24-hr May rainfall on record and lowest May temperature since 1951 – Under the impact of remnants of Cyclonic Storm “Tauktae” and Western Disturbance, the Indian capital Delhi recorded 60 mm (2.36 inches) of rainfall from 08:30 to 20:30 LT on May 19, 2021 — its highest 24-hour rainfall for the month of May since May 24, 1976.However, since there was more rain after 20:30 LT, ‘the record has already been broken,’ R K Jenamani, a senior scientist at India’s weather forecasting center, said.”May remains generally dry. Normally, Delhi gets a maximum of 30 mm or 40 mm (1.1 to 1.6 inches) of 24-hour rainfall in this month. The rain lasts only an hour or less. But this is a completely different system coming from the Arabian Sea and meeting with a Western Disturbance. Because the feature is rarest, so crossing 60 mm (2.36 inches) is no surprise,” he said.The city also recorded a maximum temperature of 23.8 °C (74.8 °F) on the same day, 16 °C (28.8 °F) below normal and the lowest in the month of May since 1951, according to data provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Tropical Cyclone “Tauktae” made landfall over the coast of Gujarat on May 17 with winds reaching 200 km/h (124 mph), making it the strongest cyclone to hit the region since 1998.Some 16 500 homes were damaged in Gujarat as the storm forced evacuations of more than 200 000 people and cut power for millions in the affected region.The death toll rose to 118 on May 20, with 37 confirmed deaths from a barge that sank off Mumbai and 81 more in other parts of India’s western coast. 38 people who were on the barge are still missing.

Severe storms lash Texas and Louisiana, flood emergency declared -Severe storms lashed parts of Texas and Louisiana over the past days, prompting the National Weather Service (NWS) to declare a flash flood emergency. Widespread flooding was reported throughout Lake Charles, which saw its third wettest day on record on Monday, May 17, 2021. Multiple days of heavy rainfall will likely continue to cause considerable flash and urban flooding impacts across portions of eastern Texas, Oklahoma, western Arkansas, and extreme western Louisiana this week. New and renewed widespread minor to isolated major river flooding is expected, and will continue into next week on slow-to-drain rivers. Severe weather and heavy rains doused much of the southern Plains over the recent days, intensifying on Monday night. Hailstorms struck several areas in Texas late Sunday, May 16, with some stones exceeding 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter. In Lake Charles, more than 300 mm (11.8 inches) of rain was recorded in 24 hours ending Monday afternoon, making it the city’s third wettest May day on record. A flash flood emergency has been issued for the city and surrounding areas. “This is a particularly dangerous situation. Seek higher ground now,” the NWS warned. “The flash flooding throughout Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana is dangerous and potentially life-threatening,” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards stated. The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office also asked residents to stay off the roads. “CPSO has deployed high water vehicles and boats on both sides of the parish and we are prepared to handle any flood-related call we receive,” said Sheriff Tony Mancuso. “We are urging all residents to be vigilant and keep an eye on the evolving weather situation. We are also urging residents to stay put and do not travel on the roadways; driving on the roadways at this time is putting yourself in danger, along with causing damage to other residents’ property from the rising water.” By night, cities in Texas registered more than 254 mm (10 inches) of rain, with up to 406 mm (16 inches) reported in Fannett.Images and videos on social media showed homes, roads, and businesses inundated in the same areas hit by both hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2019.Heavy rains are expected to persist across the central and southern Plains this week, with the potential for substantial flooding.According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda, “The combination of high pressure over the Southeast and a storm in the Southwest are going to work together to funnel a lot of moisture into the southern and central Plains this week.””The flow out of the Gulf of Mexico will act as a fire hose, bringing a constant stream of moisture into the region for several days, leading to rounds of rain and thunderstorms each day.”

Louisiana State of Emergency: Flooding Traps People in Baton Rouge; Hundreds of Lake Charles Homes Damaged –Widespread flooding that prompted Louisiana’s governor to declare a state of emergency continues to cause problems Tuesday.Several streets in New Orleans were already impassable as were roadways in St. Charles Parish, according to WVUE.Overnight, a flash flood emergency was issued for the southeast Baton Rouge area, where radar estimated up to a foot of rain had fallen.Officials said first responders made more than 250 water rescues in East Baton Rouge Parish alone, according to WBRZ.St. George Fire Department crews rescued several people who drove into high water, spokesman Eldon Ledoux told The Advocate.The department also used boats to evacuate residents of the Siegen Calais apartments after floodwater entered first-floor apartments and swamped cars in the parking lot, WBRZ reported.Water also flowed into homes in Gonzales, southeast of Baton Rouge.East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome issued a disaster declaration about 2 a.m. Tuesday.The flooding also has forced a stretch of Interstate 10 south of Baton Rouge from Highland Road to Siegen Lane to close, according to the state Transportation Department. It remained closed Tuesday.More than 15,000 homes and businesses were without power in East Baton Rouge Parish on Tuesday morning, according to WBRZ.Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Monday after flooding across the southwest corner of the state.Extensive flooding was reported throughout Lake Charles, which is still trying to recover from major damage caused by hurricanes Laura and Delta last year and an ice storm in February. More than a foot of rain was recorded at the airport, while nearly 18 inches was reported southwest of the city. Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said the flooding affected hundreds of homes, some of which were damaged in last year’s hurricanes.

Historic rainfall, significant flood threat continues for south-central U.S., at least 5 fatalities in Louisiana (videos) A widespread and significant flood risk continues across the south-central U.S. from repeated rounds of intense rain and strong to severe thunderstorms. Flash flood watches are in effect for a large part of the ArkLaTex. Officials in Louisiana said Tuesday they are investigating five deaths as weather-related after massive rains and widespread floods hit the region over the past couple of days.Three people died and one is still missing after their vehicles ended up submerged in floodwaters in different parts of the state, officials said. Two people died in a hospital after their oxygen machines failed during power outages.Lake Charles (population 75 000) was one of the worst affected this week, with more than 300 mm (11.8 inches) of rain recorded in 24 hours ending Monday afternoon, making it the city’s third wettest May day on record. In just 2 hours, the city received about 152 mm (6 inches) of rain. A flash flood emergency has been issued for the city and surrounding areas.The city has received more than 406 mm (16 inches) as of May 19, which is nearly 6 times the average amount of rainfall during the first 18 days of the month, AccuWeather Meteorologist Jessica Storm said. Cities like Fannett and Ganado in Texas, received over 330 mm (13 inches) of rain early this week.While Houston, TX reported nearly twice its normal rainfall amount so far this May, New Orleans, LA has had nearly five times its normal rainfall.”Moisture from the Western Gulf of Mexico will continue to flow across the Plains and Mississippi Valley through Friday, May 21,” NWS forecaster Ziegenfelder said.The showers and thunderstorms will produce heavy rain over the region producing numerous areas of flash flooding. Additionally, the heavy rain may cause many streams and possibly larger rivers to flood.The main threats from severe thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gust, hail, and a few tornadoes.

Inslee, Murray, Cantwell reject Simpson’s dam-breaching proposal – – After months of relative silence since Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson unveiled his proposal to breach the four Lower Snake River dams, on Friday Gov. Jay Inslee and Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell made their clearest statements yet rejecting the Idaho Republican’s plan to save Idaho’s dwindling salmon runs. Simpson, who represents most of Boise and the areas east of the Idaho capital, has been angling to include $33.5 billion to fund his proposal in an infrastructure package Congress is crafting, even if the details of the proposal would need to be hammered out in future legislation. But in a joint statement Friday morning, Inslee and Murray said they “do not believe the Simpson proposal can be included in the proposed federal infrastructure package.” “Regional collaboration on a comprehensive, long-term solution to protect and bring back salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin and throughout the Pacific Northwest is needed now more than ever,” Inslee and Murray wrote. “However, a solution must ensure those who rely on the river in the Basin and across the Pacific Northwest are part of the process.” Cantwell, who told The Spokesman-Review in March she didn’t think Simpson’s plan would be part of the infrastructure package, was not part of the joint statement. But in a statement to the Seattle Times, Cantwell joined her fellow Washington Democrats in opposing the GOP congressman’s pitch, though she suggested the infrastructure bill could include pieces of the Simpson proposal. “This proposal has some things we should focus on; diversifying beyond hydro is a great idea, planning for new investment is a great idea, but the rest is not well thought out enough at this point,” Cantwell said. Since Simpson released his proposal in February, it has shaken up the Northwest’s long-simmering “salmon wars.” It drove a wedge between otherwise simpatico GOP lawmakers, with Washington Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Dan Newhouse and Jaime Herrera Beutler taking a strong stance against the plan and Simpson’s collaboration with Oregon Democrats, including Gov. Kate Brown and Rep. Earl Blumenauer.

Major damage after worst flooding in 11 years hits Cuenca, Ecuador – Severe floods swept through Cuenca, capital of Azuay Province in Ecuador on Saturday, May 15, 2021, resulting in major damage that affected around 500 people. According to authorities, it was the worst flood the area has seen since 2010.Nearly 70 homes were damaged or destroyed by floodwaters more than 1 m (3 feet) deep, affecting around 500 people from 100 families, the National Risk and Emergency Management Service (SNGRE) reported.Three of Cuenca’s rivers burst their banks on Saturday afternoon, with the Rio Tarqui registering historic levels. Tarqui River reached 249 cubic m (8 793 cubic feet) on the weekend, which was its highest since 2010, when it hit 200 cubic m (7 062 feet), according to the Hydrometeorological Network of the Municipal Company Etapa.”This is the worst natural disaster we have faced in years and our police, firefighters and public utility personnel are doing all they can to protect human life, livestock, and property,” said Cuenca Mayor Pedro Palacios. Emergency teams reported making nearly 100 rescues through Sunday.

Severe flooding hits Brazil as Amazon rivers rise to near-record levels — Heavy rains in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest have triggered the rise of rivers to near-record levels, flooding towns and threatening Manaus City. According to authorities, the water level at the Rio Negro is the third-highest in history and may surpass the record 2012 flood.More than 400 000 residents have been affected by flooding, said the Civil Defense, many of whom were evacuated as the water levels increased.The Rio Negro was rising by around 3 cm (1.2 inches) per day and as of Monday, May 17, 2021, streets in Manaus were submerged underwater.”The water level is the third highest in the history of the city. If it continues like this, it will pass the record 2012 flood,” said mayoral spokesman Emerson Quaresma.Philip Fearnside, an ecologist at the National Institute of Amazonian Research in Manaus, said climate change has brought heavy rainy years and dry years, impacting farming. Amazon deforestation may also contribute to long-term changes but does not affect rainfall year to year, he added.Authorities have built wooden walkways for pedestrians to access the Manaus market as the area is engulfed in floodwater.Small riverside towns, including Anama, have been totally inundated, forcing residents to evacuate. In Manaus, homes of 4 700 families are in danger.

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm “Tauktae” makes landfall over the coast of Gujarat, India – Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm “Tauktae” has started to make landfall over the coast of Saurashtra, Gujarat, India at around 15:00 UTC on May 17, 2021. This is the first named storm of the 2021 North Indian Ocean cyclone season and the strongest to hit Gujarat since 1998.”The forward sector of the eye is entering into the land. The center of the cyclone will cross the Saurashtra coast to the east of Diu within the next 3 hours. Outer cloud band lies over Saurashtra,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said 15:46 UTC. At the time of landfall, the system had maximum intensity near the center of 165 – 175 km/h (100 – 110 mph), gusting to 195 km/h (120 mph), according to the IMD. At 11:00 UTC, Takutae’s maximum 3-minute sustained winds were 195 km/h (120 mph), gusting up to 215 km/h (130 mph). Maximum 1-minute sustained winds were at 215 km/h (130 mph). The system’s central barometric pressure was 950 hPa. It was moving N at 13 km/h (8.1 mph). Heavy to very heavy rainfall is continuing over north Konkan, including Mumbai, and will continue for the next 12 hours, Rainfall reported from 03:00 to 12:00 UTC today: Mumbai (Colaba) 189 mm (7.44 inches), Santacruz 194 mm (7.63 inches), Alibag 105 mm (4.13 inches), and Dahanu: 73 mm (2.87 inches).

Tropical Cyclone Tauktae Is Fifth-Strongest Cyclone on Record in the Arabian Sea –Extremely dangerous Tropical Cyclone Tauktae made landfall in western India’s Gujarat coast on the Arabian Sea around 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 UTC), May 17.In its last advisory just after landfall, at 18 UTC, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) rated Tauktae a major category 3 storm with 125 mph winds (1-minute average). At 9 UTC, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the official agency responsible for issuing tropical cyclone forecasts in the Indian Ocean, rated Tauktae an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” with peak winds of 115 mph (three-minute average), and a central pressure of 950 mb.Satellite imagery (see Tweet by Scott Bachmeier) showed that Tauktae’s structure had changed markedly just before landfall, with the eye growing more distinct and the thunderstorms in the eyewall growing more intense, with colder cloud tops.As of 11 a.m. EDT May 17, ANI reported that Tauktae had killed six and injured nine in India. A barge owned by the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), moored to an oil drilling platform in the Heera oil fields (110 miles west-northwest of Mumbai), capsized on Monday, after breaking its mooring. Satellite imagery suggests that the eye of Tauktae passed directly over the site. Working in “challenging conditions,” two ships have saved 88 of the 273 people on board the barge; recovery efforts continue. The cyclone likely brought severe wind damage where the eyewall winds hit, a portion of the coast not heavy populated by India’s standards. The largest city in the region, Diu (population 52,000), recorded a wind gust of 83 mph (133 kph) in the weaker western eyewall of Tauktae at 12:30 EDT (9:30 p.m. local time). The winds were strong enough to bring down a cell phone tower in the nearby city of Una, Chintan Gandhi reported in a Tweet.0 Perhaps the biggest threat from Tauktae is its storm surge, a threat that will continue for many hours past landfall. The Gulf of Khambhat, to the east of Tauktae’s landfall location, is a funnel-shaped bay, ideal for concentrating storm surge water. IMD predicted that the storm surge could reach four meters (13 feet) at the head of the bay. Heavy rains causing flashing flooding and river flooding will also be a major concern all across northwestern India through Tuesday. Evacuation and recovery efforts for Tauktae’s impact are sure to complicate India’s ongoing severe COVID-19 pandemic in the region.

New tropical cyclone forming in the Bay of Bengal — Just several days after the very destructive Tropical Cyclone “Tauktae” hit India, claiming the lives of more than 100 people, another tropical cyclone is brewing in the Bay of Bengal. The new cyclone is expected to form by May 24 and be named Yaas, the 2nd named storm of the 2021 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Forecast models indicate the cyclone will reach the Odisha – West Bengal coast on May 26 and make landfall somewhere in the region. A low pressure area (LPA) is likely to form over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Andaman Sea around May 22, intensify into a depression on May 23, and into a cyclonic storm by May 24, RSMC New Delhi said on May 21. The cyclone is very likely to move NW and reach near Odisha – West Bengal coast on the morning (LT) of May 26. While most of the numerical models, including IMD, NCEP, ECMWF, and NCUM, are indicating the formation of LPA around May 22 and intensification up to the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm category, there is still a large divergence concerning landfall location. The mean model guidance currently indicates that the system would reach the Odisha – West Bengal coasts on the morning of May 26 (LT).

Subtropical Storm Ana, First Named Storm of Atlantic Hurricane Season, Forms Near Bermuda —Subtropical Storm Ana has formed near Bermuda, starting the Atlantic hurricane season off to an early start for the seventh straight year. An area of low pressure became better organized overnight Friday into Saturday and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) initiated advisories Saturday morning. Ana is moving toward the west-southwest and is expected to have a slow and erratic motion through Saturday night. Little change in strength is anticipated today but gradual weakening will likely begin. The system is a subtropical cyclone since it is still entangled with an upper-level low but it does have some tropical characteristics. A subtropical storm has features of both tropical and non-tropical systems, including a broad wind field, no cold or warm fronts, and generally low-topped thunderstorms displaced from the center of the system. They are named from the same list the NHC uses for tropical storms and hurricanes. Ana’s track may bring Bermuda some bands of rain and gusty winds, but overall, impacts should be minimal. It will not threaten any other land areas during its existence. A tropical storm watch has been issued for Bermuda, meaning sustained winds of 40 mph are possible as this system sweeps by. Ana is forecast to be short-lived and should meet its demise as it moves back northeastward into the north Atlantic Ocean later this weekend or early next week. Hurricane season in the Atlantic officially begins June 1, but this is the seventh season to have at least one named storm form before that date. The June 1 through Nov. 30 start and end dates for hurricane season were selected to encompass 97% of all Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes, according to NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division. Since 2015, at least one named storm has developed before June 1 each hurricane season, some of which have had impacts in the United States and elsewhere in the Atlantic Basin.The National Hurricane Center has not yet adjusted the start of hurricane season earlier to account for these pre-season storms. However, this year they began issuing routine Atlantic tropical weather outlooks on May 15, rather than June 1.

Hurricane Season Spurs Hog Waste Worries in North Carolina –As North Carolina heads into another hurricane season, some residents and organizations fear the stormy season will again flood communities with hog waste.The state’s hog waste management works by funneling feces, urine, and blood from hog farms into massive open waste lagoons, which let off foul odors and methane gas. When the lagoons become full, the waste water is often sprayed onto fields as nutrients for crops. The waste, which contains harmful bacteria like E. coli or salmonella, can wash off into local waterways and cause groundwater contamination and fish kills.Hurricanes hasten this pollution. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd swept through the region, causing significant damage to swine operations and flooding waste lagoons.In 2018, Hurricane Florence hit, leading to damage or flooding in at least 110 lagoons and putting the problem of hog waste on full display once again.”There is nothing outdated about the lagoon and sprayfield system,” said CEO of the North Carolina Pork Producers Council, Roy Lee Lindsey in a statement to EHN. “It remains the most sustainable manner for us to manage our farms.”But the state, environmental advocates, and community members disagree. And Will Hendrick, environmental justice advocate for the North Carolina Conservation Network and staff attorney with the Waterkeeper Alliance’s Pure Farms program, told EHN the industry has not made “meaningful changes” in response to increasingly frequent and severe storms.Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a higher than averagehurricane season for North Carolina in 2021. On the Atlantic coast the agency estimates 16 to 20 major named storms, seven to 10 hurricanes, and three to five major hurricanes.

Deadly dust storms hit Karachi, Pakistan – Severe dust storms and heavy rains struck parts of Karachi, Pakistan, on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, resulting in at least four fatalities and damaged properties. The storms came amid a severe heat spell in the city and the onslaught of Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm “Tauktae” which made landfall in India.Parts of Karachi– Pakistan’s largest city– have been impacted by dust storms and heavy rains on Tuesday as temperatures rocketed to 43 °C (109 °F) and Tauktae lashed coastal areas in Sindh.At least four fatalities have been reported. In Dabba Colony, a man and a woman died when strong winds caused roofs to collapse. Among the fatalities was a 10-year-old child who was hit by a collapsed wall at the Sher Shah Muhammadi. The fourth casualty was reported in Baladia No. 14.Two people were also injured in separate incidents when strong winds felled a billboard at the Rashid Minhas Road.Power outages were reported in North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, New Karachi, Federal B Area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Scheme 33, Surjani Town, Orangi, Korangi, Landhi, Malir Shah Faisal, and Gadap.According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the dust storms were caused by the influence of the cyclone, combined with local weather conditions.Meanwhile, Tauktae has killed at least 40 people since it made landfall in Gujarat, India, on Monday night. It is expected to weaken further on Wednesday, May 19, as it moves north into Rajasthan state.

Moscow swelters through record May heat, Russia ago -Russian capital Moscow has smashed heat temperature records over 100 years old for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The city saw 29.2 C (84.6 °F), beating the previous record set in 1897. Tuesday’s record temperature came one day after temperatures broke the May 17 record, with 30.4 °C (85.7 °F) beating the past record of 30 °C (86 °F) set in 1897. The rest of European Russia also set dozens of heat records, with temperatures averaging 7 to 14 °C (12.6 to 25.5 °F) higher than the usual, while abnormal heat lingered in the Urals and the Volga regions for about a week. On Wednesday, May 19, temperatures reached more than 30 ºC (86 ºF) in the Arctic Circle, with the western Russian Arctic now 20 to 24 ºC (36 to 43.2 ºF) hotter than normal for this time of May. Further east, in Salekhard, meteorologists forecast the heat to climb to 26 °C (78.8 °F) by Friday, May 21.

Forest fires from last summer rekindle in Siberia, sparking wildfire season early this year – Siberia has started seeing the first forest fires of 2021 this May as wildfires that have not been extinguished since last summer rekindle, becoming the so-called ‘zombie’ fires. Meteorologists forecast ‘red heat’ or above average air temperatures from May to July, exacerbating the fires.Fires that have not been contained last summer have continued to smolder and are rekindled amid milder temperatures and drier weather in Siberia.The zombie wildfires, which have been triggered by an intense spring heatwave this year, kicked off the country’s wildfire season early this year.Some parts of the country have already reported a record number of wildfires as smoke plumes from some blazes have drifted across half the nation, even extending as far as Finland.In late April, the Omsk region saw a record-high number of wildfires, with a day registering nearly a thousand new cases. In Novosibirsk, a thick cloud of smoke caused zero visibility and poor air quality.The Siberian Times also reported that 50 houses were destroyed in the area, as well as another 27 in Kemerovo, with more destruction in other surrounding districts. As summer approaches, Siberian wildfires are not showing signs of slowing down and are even sparking in colder areas in the north. On May 2, images gathered by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites show a group of wildfires near Oymyakon, a rural area known as one of the coldest places on Earth. Other satellite images show fire hotspots growing among snowy landscapes.Roman Vilfand, the scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center, warned that in the Northern Hemisphere, the average air temperatures from May to July will be above normal, with a “red heat” likely to occur from May to July. This may lead to new wildfires across the country.”This is not a definitive forecast. Here are the concepts: above the norm, below the norm, the norm. Everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, it is painted over in red, which corresponds to the probability of more than 70 percent that the class will be above normal.”

Another Dangerous Fire Season is Looming in the Western U.S., and the Drought-Stricken Region is Headed for a Water Crisis – Just about every indicator of drought is flashing red across the western U.S. after a dry winter and warm early spring. The snowpack is at less than half of normal in much of the region. Reservoirs are being drawn down, river levels are dropping and soils are drying out. It’s only May, and states are already considering water use restrictions to make the supply last longer. California’s governor declared a drought emergency in 41 of 58 counties. In Utah, irrigation water providers are increasing fines for overuse. Some Idaho ranchers are talking about selling off livestock because rivers and reservoirs they rely on are dangerously low and irrigation demand for farms is only just beginning. Scientists are also closely watching the impact that the rapid warming and drying is having on trees, worried that water stress could lead to widespread tree deaths. Dead and drying vegetation means more fuel for what is already expected to be another dangerous The U.S. Several types of drought are converging in the West this year, and all are at or near record levels.When too little rain and snow falls, it’s known as meteorological drought. In April, precipitation across large parts of the West was less than 10% of normal, and the lack of rain continued into May.Rivers, lakes, streams and groundwater can get into what’s known as hydrological drought when their water levels fall. Many states are now warning about low streamflow after a winter with less-than-normal snowfall and warm spring temperatures in early 2021 speeding up melting. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said Lake Mead, a giant Colorado River reservoir that provides water for millions of people, is on pace to fall to levels in June that could trigger the first federal water shortage declaration, with water use restrictions across the region.Dwindling soil moisture leads to another problem, known as agricultural drought. The average soil moisture levels in the western U.S. in April were at or near their lowest levels in over 120 years of observations.

Wildfires burning at extremely dangerous levels across Manitoba, Canada – Wildfires are blazing out of control across Manitoba, Canada, some of which have caused evacuations. As of Wednesday, May 19, 2021, the government reported 12 fires at extremely dangerous levels, prompting air-quality warnings for the western and central areas due to smoke.The biggest fire reported is in Homebrook, estimated to be 144 000 ha (355 800 acres), more than 80 km (50 miles) long, and roughly 16 km (10 miles) wide at its widest point.”Important value protection efforts [are] underway to preserve the Manitoba Hydro Bi Pole Lines 1 and 2,” the Manitoba Government wrote on its 10th Fire Bulletin.Smoke from the fire could affect a number of communities in the area, including Grand Rapids, Misapawistik Cree Nation, Homebrook, Skownan First Nation, Waterhen, Mallard, and Gypsumville.The third biggest fire is reported in the Spruce Woods Provincial Park, estimated at 5 600 ha (13 800 acres), which prompted a local state of emergency in the rural municipality of North Cypress and Carberry. “There is also potential for smoke to affect Spruce Woods Provincial Park and Swan Lake First Nation,” wrote the government. “The Spirit Sands Trails in the Carberry desert are closed.””Hikers are urged to avoid the area and should not ignore closed trail signs. The suppression effort continues jointly between the Department of National Defence from Shilo, Manitoba Wildfire Service, and local authorities.”

Significant eruption at Sangay volcano with ash to 12.2 km (40 000 feet) a.s.l., Ecuador – A significant eruption took place at Sangay volcano, Ecuador at 09:40 UTC on Sunday, May 16, 2021, with ash moving north to an estimated height of 12.2 km (40 000 feet) a.s.l., according to the Washington VAAC. The farthest volcanic ash at 11:00 UTC was 55 km (35 miles) to the north, the center said. A significant eruption took place at Sangay volcano, Ecuador at 09:40 UTC on Sunday, May 16, 2021, with ash moving north to an estimated height of 12.2 km (40 000 feet) a.s.l., according to the Washington VAAC. The farthest volcanic ash at 11:00 UTC was 55 km (35 miles) to the north, the center said. Two clouds of ash are seen rising from the Sangay volcano in satellite imagery acquired on May 16, Ecuadors’ Geophysical Institute (IGEPN) said. The main column is directed towards the north, which could potentially generate slight ashfalls in the provinces of Morona Santiago, Tungurahua, and possibly Chimborazo and Cotopaxi. This phenomenon has been persistent within the current eruptive period that began in May 2019, the institute added. On May 15, IGEPN said they received signals associated with mud and debris flows and warned the local population that heavy rains could remobilize accumulated material, generating mud and debris flows that would descend the flanks of the volcano and flow into adjacent rivers. The last significant explosive eruption at Sangay took place from 08:15 to 10:45 UTC on March 11, 2021. According to the Washington VAAC, volcanic ash rose to 12.5 km (41 000 feet) above sea level, and was extending up to 46 km (29 miles) in all quadrants as of 10:50 UTC, with additional volcanic ash up to 12.5 km possible up to 111 km (70 miles) W of the summit.

Ash produced by Sangay volcano rising up to 9.5 km (31 000 feet) a.s.l., Ecuador — (animated satellite view) A new volcanic ash emission produced by Sangay volcano, Ecuador is rising to an estimated height of 9.5 km (31 000 feet) above sea level as of 08:40 UTC on May 20, 2021, according to data provided by the Washington VAAC.The ash is moving SW and was extending about 111 km (69 miles) from the summit at 09:30 UTC. Another volcanic ash emission up to 7.6 km (25 000 feet) a.s.l. is moving S and SE, and extending 75 – 110 km (46 – 68 miles) from the summit.The activity could potentially generate slight ash falls in the provinces of Morona Santiago, Chimborazo, and Azogues, Ecuador’s Geophysical Institute (IG) warns.”This phenomenon has been persistent within the current eruptive period that began in May 2019. It is recommended to take pertinent measures and receive the information from official sources,” IG volcanologists said.A significant eruption took place at the volcano at 09:40 UTC on Sunday, May 16, 2021, with ash moving north to an estimated height of 12.2 km (40 000 feet) a.s.l. On May 15, IGEPN said they received signals associated with mud and debris flows and warned the local population that heavy rains could remobilize accumulated material, generating mud and debris flows that would descend the flanks of the volcano and flow into adjacent rivers.

Strong eruption with large lava fountaining at Sangay volcano, Ecuador – Volcanic activity at Sangay volcano, Ecuador increased significantly at 00:20 UTC on May 22, 2021, producing strong paroxysmal eruptive episode 500 – 1 000 m (1 640 – 3 300 feet) from the crater. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Red at 00:40 UTC and lowered back to Orange at 05:20.Ash plume rose up to 9.1 km (30 000 feet) above sea level, drifting SE, W, and SW.Slight ashfall was reported in the parishes of Alaus’, Tixfln, Sibambe, and very slight in Achupallas. The seismic tremor started decreasing at 01:30 UTC.Ash emissions ended at 02:30 UTC but IG warned slight ashfall is still possible in the provinces of Chimborazo, Bol’var, Los R’os, Guayas, Cañar and Azuay.

Etna volcano erupts again after 6 weeks of relative calm, Italy – Strong Eruption at Stromboli volcano, pyroclastic flow reaches the coastline, Italyactivity resumed at Etna’s Southeast Crater at 00:21 UTC on May 19, 2021, and evolved into the 18th paroxysmal eruptive episode since February 16 and the first since April 1. The entire event lasted about 5 hours.Strombolian activity intensified at 00:34 UTC today, with a sudden increase of volcanic tremor to high values and ash emissions toward the E. The source of the tremor was localized near the Southeast Crater at a depth of about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) above sea level.The activity continued intensifying and evolved into a new paroxysmal episode at around 01:17 UTC, producing a small lava flow at 02:35 UTC.The Aviation Color Code was raised to Red at 01:21 UTC for the first time since April 1.The volcanic ash emissions rose up to 6 km (20 000 feet) a.s.l. at 02:38 UTC.Lava fountaining ended around 05:16 UTC, while the small lava flow that expanded in the SW direction appeared to be poorly feed.Volcanic tremors started decreasing at the time, settling at average levels at depths between 2.8 – 2.9 km (1.7 – 1.8 miles) a.s.l.The Aviation Color Code was lowered to Orange at 05:19 UTC.

Another episode of lava fountaining at Etna, Italy – Strombolian activity increased again at Etna’s Southeast Crater at 23:34 UTC on May 20, 2021, with the eruptive cloud moving in the SE direction. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Red at 00:58 UTC on May 21 and lowered back to Orange at 03:07. The volcanic ash cloud rose to an estimated height of 6 km (20 000 feet) a.s.l.At around 01:04 UTC on May 21, strombolian activity evolved into lava fountaining — the 19thparoxysmal eruptive episode since February 16, just 48 hours after the 18th.Lava fountaining lasted through 02:54 UTC, producing a small lava flow toward the SW. “Lava flow is cooling down and the amplitude of volcanic tremor returned to low values, comparable to those that preceded lava fountaining,” INGV said at 06:33 UTC.

Eruption at Stromboli volcano, pyroclastic flow reaches the coastline, Italy – A notable increase in explosive activity started at Stromboli volcano, Italy at around 12:47 UTC on May 19, 2021, followed by a pyroclastic flow at 12:51 UTC that reached the coastline and traveled 1 km (0.62 miles) over the sea. Explosive activity at the volcano started on May 17, when the Aviation Color Code was raised from Yellow to Orange.A volcanic ash cloud reaching an estimated height of about 1.5 to 2 km (4 900 – 6 500 feet) above sea level was generated during the event.Other lower intensity pyroclastic flows occurred from 13:02 to 13:35 UTC, producing modest clouds of ash, INGV reports. A more intense explosive activity was observed during these events. A flyover is underway with the firefighter helicopter to acquire further information on the phenomenon in progress, INGV said at 14:33 UTC. A new eruption and the 18th paroxysmal eruptive episode since February 16 was also observed at Etna volcano earlier today. Stromboli, the NE-most of the Aeolian Islands, has lent its name to the frequent mild explosive activity that has characterized its eruptions throughout much of historical time. The small, 924-m-high (3 031 feet) island is the emergent summit of a volcano that grew in two main eruptive cycles, the last of which formed the western portion of the island.

Mount Nyiragongo erupts, causing nearby residents to flee in panic, DR Congo – Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo started erupting at around 17:15 UTC on May 22, 2021, producing high lava fountains and lava flows that forced nearby residents to evacuate in panic.According to local media reports, many residents of the nearby city of Goma (population 670 000) grabbed their belongings and evacuated toward neighboring Rwanda.Red glow filled the sky above the city, sending panicked residents fleeing, Reuters reported.Volcanologist Dario Tedesco said Goma does not appear to be at risk because lava is flowing east in the direction of the Rwandan border.According to Reuters, Tedesco earlier said he thought lava might hit Goma, but later he said this was not the case.A source at the United Nations said their helicopter overflew the erupting volcano, adding that lava is not flowing toward Goma or any major population center.

Newly-discovered asteroid 2021 JU6 flew past Earth at 0.17 LD — A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2021 JU6 flew past Earth at a distance of 0.17 LD / 0.00044 AU (65 820 km / 40 900 miles) from the center of our planet at 15:01 UTC on May 14, 2021. This is the 57th known asteroid to fly by Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the 6th so far this month. 2021 JU6 was first observed at Palomar Mountain — ZTF, California on May 14, on the same day it made its close approach to our planet. The object belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and has an estimated diameter between 8.9 and 20 m (29 – 65 feet).

Climate Emissions Shrinking the Stratosphere, Scientists Reveal — Humanity’s enormous emissions of greenhouse gases are shrinking the stratosphere, a new study has revealed. The thickness of the atmospheric layer has contracted by 400 metres since the 1980s, the researchers found, and will thin by about another kilometre by 2080 without major cuts in emissions. The changes have the potential to affect satellite operations, the GPS navigation system and radio communications. The discovery is the latest to show the profound impact of humans on the planet. In April, scientists showed that the climate crisis had shifted the Earth’s axis as the massive melting of glaciers redistributes weight around the globe. The stratosphere extends from about 20km to 60km above the Earth’s surface. Below is the troposphere, in which humans live, and here carbon dioxide heats and expands the air. This pushes up the lower boundary of the stratosphere. But, in addition, when CO2 enters the stratosphere it actually cools the air, causing it to contract. The shrinking stratosphere is a stark signal of the climate emergency and the planetary-scale influence that humanity now exerts, according to Juan Añel, at the University of Vigo, Ourense in Spain and part of the research team. “It is shocking,” he said. “This proves we are messing with the atmosphere up to 60 kilometres.” Scientists already knew the troposphere was growing in height as carbon emissions rose and had hypothesised that the stratosphere was shrinking. But the new study is the first to demonstrate this and shows it has been contracting around the globe since at least the 1980s, when satellite data was first gathered. The ozone layer that absorbs UV rays from the sun is in the stratosphere and researchers had thought ozone losses in recent decades could be to blame for the shrinking. Less ozone means less heating in the stratosphere. But the new research shows it is the rise of CO2 that is behind the steady contraction of the stratosphere, not ozone levels, which started to rebound after the 1989 Montreal treaty banned CFCs.The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, reached its conclusions using the small set of satellite observations taken since the 1980s in combination with multiple climate models, which included the complex chemical interactions that occur in the atmosphere.

Arctic warming three times faster than planet as a whole: research – A new report reveals that the Arctic is warming at a faster pace than the rest of the Earth and could experience its first summer without any sea ice by 2050 under most scenarios where the world is unable to limit climate change.The study, released by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), found that the “vast majority” of climate models predict that the Arctic would begin experiencing summers in which all sea ice in the region melts away by 2050. The Arctic region has also warmed by more than 3 degrees Celsius since 1979, according to the report, compared to about 1 degree Celsius for the world as a whole. The likelihood of such an event occurring, which has not happened in recorded human history, becomes 10-times greater once the Earth warms past 1.5 degrees Celsius, which it is expected to do even if the goal of the Paris climate accord is met in full. “Because the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and some emissions of short-lived climate forcers, are driving Arctic climate change, the Arctic States, Permanent Participants, and observers to the Arctic Council should individually and collectively lead sustained, ambitious, and global efforts to reduce these emissions and fully implement the Paris Agreement,” advise the report’s authors. “Changes in the Arctic have global implications. The rapid mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet and other Arctic land ice contributes more to global sea level rise than does the melting of ice in Antarctica,” the report continued. Sea level rise poses a major threat to coastal communities around the world. It is currently estimated that at least 300 million people live on land that will flood at least once a year by 2050 due to sea level rise.

Arctic Warming 3x Faster Than Earth’s Average Rate, Study Finds — Over the past five decades, the Arctic has warmed three times faster than the world as a whole, leading to rapid and widespread melting of ice and other far-reaching consequences that are important not only to local communities and ecosystems but to the fate of life on planet Earth.The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) issued that warning on Thursday in a new report that summarizes the latest findings on Arctic change and projections of future transformations under different climate scenarios. The publication of AMAP’s report coincides with this week’s meeting of the Arctic Council in Reykjav’k, Iceland, which brings together policymakers from countries bordering the region.According to the report, the Arctic’s annual mean surface temperature surged by 3.1ºC between 1971 and 2019, compared with a 1ºC rise in the global average during the same time period. Arctic warming has been accompanied by a decrease in snow cover and sea and land ice; an increase in permafrost thaw and rainfall; and an uptick in extreme events. “The Arctic is a real hotspot for climate warming,” Jason Box, a glaciologist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, told Agence France-Presse on Thursday. “No one on Earth is immune to Arctic warming,” the report said. “The rapid mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet and other Arctic land ice contributes more to global sea-level rise than does the melting of ice in Antarctica.”Some projections estimate that by 2050, 150 million people worldwide will be displaced from their homes just by rising sea levels.Without an adequate international effort to slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, that number could be far higher.According to the report, the latest climate models indicate that “annual mean surface air temperatures in the Arctic will rise to 3.3 – 10°C above the 1985 – 2014 average by 2100, depending on the course of future emissions.””Under most emission scenarios,” the report said, “the vast majority” of climate models “project the first instance of a largely sea-ice-free Arctic in September occurring before 2050,” and possibly as early as 2040.Because each fraction of a degree of warming makes a difference, the stakes for adequate climate action are immense.If the global temperature rises to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the report pointed out, an ice-free Arctic summer is 10 times more likely than if planetary heating is limited to 1.5ºC, the more ambitious target of the Paris agreement.

World’s largest iceberg forms in Antarctica — Al Jazeera –A giant slab of ice has calved from the frozen edge of Antarctica into the Weddell Sea, becoming the largest iceberg afloat in the world, according to the European Space Agency. The iceberg, dubbed A-76, is about 4,320km square (1,668 sq miles) and is slightly larger than the Spanish island of Mallorca, ESA said in a statement on Wednesday. It is 175km (106 miles) long and 25km (15 miles) wide. The world’s second-largest iceberg is also located in the Weddell Sea – the A-23A, which is approximately 3,880km square (1,305sq miles). Scientists spotted the A-76 in recent satellite images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission. ESA said the iceberg had broken away from the western side of Antarctica’s Ronne Ice Shelf, which is near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. Ronne is one of the largest floating ice sheets that connect to the continent’s landmass and extend out into surrounding seas. Periodic calving of large chunks of those shelves is part of a natural cycle, said Ted Scambos, a research glaciologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the breaking off of A-76 is not linked to climate change. Because the ice was already floating in the sea before dislodging from the coast, its break-away does not raise ocean levels, he said in an email. Some ice shelves along the Antarctic Peninsula, farther from the South Pole, have undergone rapid disintegration in recent years, a phenomenon scientists believe may be related to global warming, according to the US National Snow & Ice Data Center.

Massive iceberg 4 times the size of NYC breaks off in Antarctica – — The world’s largest iceberg, estimated to be 80 times the size of Manhattan, has broken off from Antarctica. The iceberg, called A-76, measures about 105 miles in length and is over 15 miles wide. It broke from the western side of Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea, the European Space Agency said. The iceberg is slightly larger than the Spanish island of Majorca and four times the size of New York City, the ESA said. The iceberg’s break from Antarctica is not attributed to climate change. Scientists say it’s part of a natural cycle, CNN reported. The massive berg was first spotted last week by a polar oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey. When it melts, the iceberg won’t raise sea levels because it was part of a floating ice shelf already in the ocean. By contrast, chunks that break off Antarctica’s ice sheet, which is on land, would raise the sea level. Last month, a Harvard study said a possible collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which has been associated with global sea-level rise, has been underestimated. One simulation showed that global sea rise caused by the melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could increase 20% by the year 2100.

Climate disasters ‘caused more internal displacement than war’ in 2020 – Intense storms and flooding triggered three times more displacements than violent conflicts did last year, as the number of people internally displaced worldwide hit the highest level on record.There were at least 55 million internally displaced people (IDPs) by the end of last year, according to figures published by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).There were more than twice as many people displaced within their own country as forced out of their country as refugees, the IDMC said. The number is the highest on record, but in line with its steady rise over the past decade.During a year that was the warmest on record, 5 million more people were displaced than in 2019.In total, about 48 million people have been uprooted from their homes as a result of conflict and violence, while 7 million have been displaced by disasters. The IDMC said the latter was likely to be a significant underestimate due to incomplete data.About 20 million IDPs were children aged under 15 and 2.6 million were over 65. Most live in low- and middle-income countries.The IDMC report said: “Every year, millions of people are forced to flee their homes because of conflict and violence. Disasters and the effects of climate change regularly trigger new and secondary displacement, undermining people’s security and wellbeing.“The scale of displacement worldwide is increasing, and most of it is happening within countries’ borders.”

Nations Must Drop Fossil Fuels, Fast, World Energy Body Warns – The New York Times – Nations around the world would need to immediately stop approving new coal-fired power plants and new oil and gas fields and quickly phase out gasoline-powered vehicles if they want to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate change, the world’s leading energy agency said Tuesday. In a sweeping new report, the International Energy Agency issued a detailed road map of what it would take for the world’s nations to slash carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050. That would very likely keep the average global temperature from increasing1.5 Celsius above preindustrial levels – the threshold beyond which scientists say the Earth faces irreversible damage. While academics and environmentalists have made similar recommendations before, this is the first time the International Energy Agency has outlined ways to accomplish such drastic cuts in emissions. That’s significant, given the fact that the influential agency is not an environmental group but an international organization that advises world capitals on energy policy. Formed after the oil crises of the 1970s, the agency’s reports and forecasts are frequently cited by energy companies and investors as a basis for long-term planning. “It’s a huge shift in messaging if they’re saying there’s no need to invest in new fossil fuel supply,” said Kelly Trout, senior research analyst at Oil Change International, an environmental advocacy group. Several major economies, including the United States and theEuropean Union, have recently pledged to zero out their emissions responsible for global warming by midcentury. But many world leaders have not yet come to grips with the extraordinary transformation of the global energy system that is required to do so, the agency warned. “The sheer magnitude of changes needed to get to net zero emissions by 2050 is still not fully understood by many governments and investors,” Fatih Birol, the agency’s executive director, said in an interview.

Scrap sale of gasoline cars and stop investing in fossil fuels to meet net-zero targets, IEA says – The world’s pathway to developing an energy sector with net-zero emissions by the middle of the century is a viable but narrow one, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday. In a statement released alongside the publication of a major new report, the Paris-based organization said achieving the net-zero target would require an “unprecedented transformation of how energy is produced, transported and used globally.” And, in a stark sign of how much work needs to be done, the IEA’s report said current pledges fell “well short of what is necessary to reach net‐zero emissions globally by 2050.” According to the IEA’s roadmap to net-zero, over 400 “milestones” will need to be achieved if the 2050 goal is to be met. These include scrapping new sales of fossil fuel boilers by 2025 and ending sales of new internal combustion engine cars by 2035. In addition, from now on there should be “no investment in new fossil fuel supply projects, and no further final investment decisions for new unabated coal plants.” Under the IEA’s scenario, solar photovoltaic and wind will become the planet’s leading sources of electricity before the end of this decade, going on to account for almost 70% of generation by 2050. Solar, according to the IEA’s roadmap, will become the planet’s “single largest source of total energy supply” by the middle of this century. Fossil fuels, by contrast, will see their share “fall from almost four-fifths of total energy supply today to slightly over one-fifth.” And while jobs in “clean energy” will increase by 14 million in the period to 2030, roles in oil, gas and coal would fall by approximately 5 million. “Our Roadmap shows the priority actions that are needed today to ensure the opportunity of net-zero emissions by 2050 – narrow but still achievable – is not lost,” Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said in a statement. “The scale and speed of the efforts demanded by this critical and formidable goal – our best chance of tackling climate change and limiting global warming to 1.5 °C – make this perhaps the greatest challenge humankind has ever faced,” Birol added. The shadow of the Paris Agreement looms large over the IEA’s report. Described by the United Nations as a legally binding international treaty on climate change, the accord aims to “limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.” Cutting human-made carbon dioxide emissions to net-zero by 2050 is seen as crucial when it comes to meeting the 1.5 degrees Celsius target.

‘Overwhelming’ Evidence Facebook Is Failing to Tackle Climate Misinformation – Facebook is “fuelling climate misinformation” through its failure to get to grips with misleading content, according to a new report that calls on companies to boycott the platform until significant action is taken.Campaign group Stop Funding Heat, which produced the report, warns that the problem is likely to escalate in the coming months as the next major UN climate summit, COP26, approaches and wants to see action taken against “repeat offenders.”The social media giant recently announced its operations were now running on 100 percent renewable energy and it had reached “net zero” emissions. But the new report argues this counts for far less than the role Facebook plays in allowing climate misinformation to spread on its platform.Bringing together existing research on the issue, the report calls on the company to incorporate climate misinformation into its policies governing use of the social media platform, which do not make explicit mention of climate change currently.Lead Researcher Sean Buchan told DeSmog: “This year sees the most important UN climate summit since the Paris Agreement in 2015. Important events like this have been derailed by disinformation campaigns before – as seen with “climategate” in 2009 and the recent UN Compact for Migration. Facebook needs to take action before misinformation escalates on its platform at this crucial time.””People should certainly be free to say and post what they want, but freedom of speech does not equate to freedom of reach. Facebook has control of how much it spreads harmful content and our recommendations all focus on reduction, not censorship. The exception is paid adverts, because we firmly believe that no organization, Facebook included, should directly receive money to spread climate misinformation,” he added.Last year, DeSmog revealed a Facebook page called Eco Central, linked to a number of pro-Brexit Conservative MPs, had been running paid adverts claiming climate change was a “hoax.”

Thousands of Australian high school students protest climate change inaction – On Friday, thousands of high school students struck from class and joined protests opposing the refusal of governments to take action on climate change. Some 47 separate rallies were held including in all of the capital cities, as well as a host of regional centres and smaller towns. In Sydney, Australia’s largest city, around 4,000 people attended, while some 5,000 participated in Melbourne. There were crowds ranging from the hundreds to a couple of thousand in cities such as Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart. Attendees expressed the broader popular opposition to the failure of successive Liberal-National and Labor governments to address the mounting environmental crisis. Over recent years, the Australian population has been battered by bushfires, floods, droughts and other disasters. The turnout, however, was substantially lower than at similar climate strikes in recent years. This can not only be explained by concerns over COVID-19. Most restrictions have been lifted, as part of a pro-business reopening of the economy spearheaded by governments and the corporate elite. Rather, the relatively low attendance reflects the impasse of the protest politics advanced by the environmental groups organising the protests, and a growing scepticism among students that appeals to official politicians are of any value.

FLORIDA: State court nixes youth climate case — Thursday, May 20, 2021 — A Florida appeals court on Tuesday affirmed dismissal of a lawsuit filed by eight young people challenging the state’s reliance on fossil fuels.

CAMPAIGN 2021: Sunrise Movement picks favorite in Ohio House race — Tuesday, May 18, 2021 — The youth-driven climate group Sunrise Movement is backing Nina Turner, a progressive Democrat running to succeed former Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) in the House.

Half of emissions cuts will come from future tech, says John Kerry – The US climate envoy, John Kerry, has said 50% of the carbon reductions needed to get to net zero will come from technologies that have not yet been invented, and said people “don’t have to give up a quality of life” in order to cut emissions.He said Americans would “not necessarily” have to eat less meat, because of research being done into the way cattle are herded and fed in order to reduce methane emissions.“You don’t have to give up a quality of life to achieve some of the things that we know we have to achieve. That’s the brilliance of some of the things that we know how to do,” he told BBC One’s Andrew Marr show. “I am told by scientists that 50% of the reductions we have to make to get to net zero are going to come from technologies that we don’t yet have. That’s just a reality.Kerry is visiting London next week to meet government representatives before the UN climate change conference Cop26 due to be held in Glasgow in November.On Saturday Kerry met Pope Francis in Rome, and he described him as “one of the great voices of reason and compelling moral authority on the subject of the climate crisis”.“I think that his voice will be a very important voice leading up to and through the Glasgow conference, which I believe he intends to attend,” Kerry told Vatican News. “We need everybody in this fight. All the leaders of the world need to come together and every country needs to do its part.”When asked by Marr if the US would support an end to all coal-fired power stations if called for by the UK at Cop26, Kerry said Joe Biden had set a goal of making the US power sector carbon-free by 2035 but he could not speak for the president on specific proposals.“What’s the phase-out schedule? Is it reasonable? Is everybody working in the same direction? Those are questions I’m sure President Biden will want answered, but he is leading this charge to move America on to renewable, alternative energy,” Kerry said.The US is the second largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions after China, and has one of the highest per capita CO2 emission rates. “We’re determined to turn that around,” Kerry said. “We are going to be moving very rapidly to a new economy, building out a new grid, moving towards alternative renewable energy, and pushing the curve on the discovery of new technologies.”

Kerry says US examining carbon border tax, sees risks (AP) – U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Tuesday that Washington is looking into the possibility of introducing a fee on imports from countries that don’t tax heavy polluters, but he cautioned that such a move could carry risks “downstream.” Kerry said President Joe Biden had instructed U.S. officials to examine “what are the consequences, how do you do the pricing, what is the impact.” “But he wants to make sure we’ve thoroughly vetted it and thought about it as a matter of policy, particularly because our friends are doing so,” Kerry said. The European Union has indicated it will put forward plans next month for a ‘carbon border adjustment mechanism’ aimed at pushing its trading partners into doing more to cut carbon emissions if they want to sell their goods in the world’s largest single market. Although still vague, the EU’s proposal has drawn significant concern, particularly from major emerging economies such as China, Brazil, India and South Africa. Speaking to reporters in Berlin before talks with his EU counterpart, European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, Kerry said Washington and Brussels had agreed to consult each other on the issue as they also push for greater international efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions before this year’s U.N. climate summit in November. “We want to make sure that it’s not going to have a counter impact, a negative impact on this process,” Kerry said. “Nobody wants their businesses disadvantaged” by introducing carbon taxes that businesses elsewhere don’t pay, he said.

White House environmental justice advisers express opposition to nuclear, carbon capture projects –The White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council expressed opposition to nuclear and carbon capture projects as well as projects that expand capacity for fossil fuel production in a report issued Friday.The volunteer advisory council listed such projects as among “examples of the types of projects that will not benefit a community,” in a set of recommendations issued to the White House. The recommendations issued by the council, w hich is made up of leaders in the environmental justice movement, are meant to advise the Biden administration, but don’t necessarily reflect administration policy. In fact, the opposition appears to be somewhat at odds with policies the administration has backed, like President Biden’s promotion of a carbon capture tax credit in his infrastructure plan. The report did not specify why the advisory panel considers such projects not to be beneficial, but opponents have raised concerns about nuclear waste. Carbon capture’s opponents have expressed skepticism about the still-developing technology aiming to capture the greenhouse gas from activities like burning fossil fuels. They argue that the government shouldn’t be boosting the fossil fuel industry. Proponents of the technologies see them as methods for generating power in a cleaner way. The approximately 90-page report broadly endorsed transformative investments in capacity building, technical assistance and consultation for communities that have been historically underserved. The report also puts forth specific policies and programs that the council believes should be included in President Biden’s pledge to have 40 percent of the benefits of his environmental policies go to disadvantaged communities, called Justice40.

TVA net zero emissions target undercut by new gas – Energy and Policy Institute – The Tennessee Valley Authority announced earlier this month a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, but the goal falls far short of President Biden’s call to decarbonize the electric grid by 2035. The federal utility has proposed more than 1,500 megawatts of new gas construction which would operate well beyond 2035, raising questions about stranding those assets and their costs on the backs of TVA’s consumers. The Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) net zero plan lacked details for how the utility planned to achieve its goal, but TVA CEO Jeffrey Lyash said that TVA will need new technologies such as carbon capture and storage to fully decarbonize by 2050, fifteen years beyond President Biden’s goal. TVA’s failure to align with Biden’s carbon reduction goal comes after Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s presented to the TVA board about the Administration’s goals and offered the Department of Energy’s assistance.TVA has come under fire in recent years for a series of actions suppressing clean energy, its lack of transparency, and weak oversight from its board of directors. The utility is also facing pressure from local power companies, some of which are threatening to drop TVA as their power provider largely due to high wholesale power costs from legacy coal and gas plants and contract inflexibility.TVA has announced plans to build 1,500 megawatts of new gas capacity at shuttered coal plant sites in Kentucky and Alabama and appears to be counting on carbon capture and storage being commercially viable by the mid-2030s. TVA did not include any carbon capture and storage costs into its analysis when determining whether to build its new gas plants. Just to TVA’s south, Alabama Power admitted in an air permit for a new gas-fired power plant that carbon capture and storage costs were “plainly excessive” and could cost the utility, and ultimately customers, as much as $322 million per year. TVA’s gas build-out plans were the second highest of any utility in the nation, according to a recent Sierra Club analysis. An environmental assessment released by TVA on its proposed gas plants did not consider any potential alternatives to new gas, such as renewable energy, battery storage, or energy efficiency and demand response. Previous analysis in TVA’s 2019 integrated resource plan (IRP) showedthat TVA could forego 1,900 MW of gas-fired power plant construction by instead expanding energy efficiency and demand response programs, technologies available and cost-effective today.

Supreme Court Gives Big Oil a Win in Climate Fight With Cities – The New York Times — The Supreme Court handed a victory to fossil fuel companies on Monday in a major climate change case, but gave the industry far less than it had asked for.The decision in the case did not deal with the merits of the lawsuit,which Baltimore filed to try to compel fossil fuel companies to help pay the costs of dealing with climate change. Instead, the justices focused on narrow issues concerning the rules for appealing lower-court decisions that send cases to state courts.By a 7-1 decision, the Supreme Court on Monday sent the case back to the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to reconsider the industry’s demand that it review a lower-court decision to have the case proceed in state courts.The issue of whether to hear these cases in federal or state court has been a major point of contention in about 20 similar cases filed around the country.The fossil fuel companies prefer the federal courts. That’s partly because state and federal laws typically treat cases like these, which depend on the common law of nuisance, differently. Aunanimous 2011 Supreme Court decision said that, under federal law, the Clean Air Act displaced common law of nuisance, giving jurisdiction to the Environmental Protection Agency.But plaintiffs like Baltimore have argued that state laws should take precedence. They may also see the local courts as a friendlier venue.While the companies won the day, “it was a bullet dodged” for Baltimore, said Patrick Parenteau, an expert on environmental law at Vermont Law School. “The oil companies were looking for a kill shot,” he said, in which the justices would vote to throw the Baltimore case and the rest out, or at least use language in the decision that would send a message to the lower court that the cases would get a skeptical hearing at the Supreme Court level.Instead, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch’s opinion focused on the narrow procedural issues.Baltimore filed its suit in July 2018, arguing that the companies’ “production, promotion and marketing of fossil fuel products, simultaneous concealment of the known hazards of those products, and their championing of anti-science campaigns” harmed the city. The lawsuit noted that Baltimore “is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and flooding,” and that it has spent “significant funds” to plan for and to deal with global warming. The case cited the cost of health-related issues associated with climate change, including increased rates of hospitalization in summer.

Big Agriculture Is Leading to Ecological Collapse -Today, there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than at any point in the past 3.6 million years. On April 5, atmospheric carbon dioxide exceeded 420 parts per million – marking nearly the halfway point toward doubling the carbon dioxide levels measured prior to the Industrial Revolution, a mere 171 years ago. Even amid a pandemic-induced economic shutdown – during which global annual emissions dropped 7 percent – carbon dioxide and methane levels set records in 2020. The last time Earth held this much carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, sea levels were nearly 80 feet higher and the planet was 7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer. The catch: Homo sapiens did not yet exist.Change is in the air. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines announced climate change is “at the center of the country’s national security and foreign policy.” Business-as-usual is no longer a viable strategy as more institutions consider a future that will look and feel much different. In this context, it is striking to read a recent piece in Foreign Policy arguing “big agriculture is best.”“Big agriculture is best” cannot be an argument supported by empirical evidence. By now, it is vitally clear that Earth systems – the atmosphere, oceans, soils, and biosphere – are in various phases of collapse, putting nearly one-half of the world’s gross domestic product at risk andundermining the planet’s ability to support life. And big, industrialized agriculture – promoted by U.S. foreign and domestic policy – lies at the heart of the multiple connected crises we are confronting as a species.The litany of industrial agriculture’s toll is long and diverse. Consider the effects of industrial animal agriculture, for example. As of this writing, animal agriculture accounts for 14.5 percent of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions annually. It is also the source of 60 percent of all nitrous oxide and 50 percent of all methane emissions, which have 36 times and 298 times, respectively, the warming potential of carbon dioxide. As industrial animal agriculture has scaled up, agricultural emissions of methane and nitrous oxide have been going in one direction only: up. Efforts to scale industrial agriculture are undermining the planet’s capacity to support life at more local scales too. Consider Brazil, home to the Amazon Rainforest, which makes up 40 percent of all remaining rainforest and 25 percent of all terrestrial biodiversity on Earth. Forest loss and species extinctions have only increased as industrial agriculture has scaled up in Brazil. Farmers are burning unprecedented amounts of forest to expand their operations in pursuit of an industrial model. In August 2019, smoke blocked the sun in São Paulo, Brazil, 2,000 miles away from the fires in the state of Amazonas.

Can We Have Both Industrial Civilization and a Habitable Planet? – Not long ago I wrote about the problem of stopping climate change, or at least mitigating its worst results, and concluded:The climate crisis threatens to end our economic system not only if it’s ignored. It threatens to end our system if it’s addressed.This is the Catch-22 that makes the coming climate crisis different from a meteor strike, for example. In the meteor case, the current economic order is destroyed only if the meteor lands. Diverting its impact preserves the economic status quo.Not so the climate. In that case, preserving the economic status quo guarantees collapse, as does the meteor strike, but addressing it effectively also guarantees a different economic and political order, since the current economic and political system cannot address it at all. Quite a dilemma for those presently in charge.But I think the problem is greater than that; it can’t be fixed only by changing the economic order and removing the current ruling class from power. The problem that needs to be fixed is, in fact, modern life itself – specifically, “high energy” life. Watch the trailer for the new film, Bright Green Lies, to see what I mean. There’s a book associated with the film, also called Bright Green Lies, available at a number of places, including here. Its premise is simple: The only way to build the bright green narrative is to erase every awareness of the creatures and communities being consumed. The true facts about supposedly renewable energy are hard, and worse than inconvenient. The first truth is that industrial civilization requires industrial levels of energy. The second is that fossil fuel – especially oil – is functionally irreplaceable. Scaling the current renewable energy technology, like solar, wind, hydro, and biomass, would be tantamount to ecocide. Consider that 12 percent of the continental United States would have to be covered in windfarms to meet current electricity demands. But electricity is only one-sixth of the nation’s energy consumption. To provide for the U.S.A.’s total energy consumption, fully 72 percent of the continent would have to be devoted to wind farms. In reality, solar and wind development threaten to destroy as much land globally as expansion of urban sprawl, oil and gas, coal, and mining combined by 2050.Third, solar, wind, and battery technology are, in their own right, assaults against the living world. From beginning to end, they require industrial-scale devastation: open-pit mining, deforestation, soil toxification that’s permanent on anything but a geologic timescale, extirpation and extinction of vulnerable species, and use of fossil fuels. In reality, so-called “green” technologies are some of the most destructive industrial processes every invented. They will not save the earth. They will only hasten its demise. Don’t miss the detail buried in the second paragraph. First, there’s not enough land left – after the land required to sustain a seven-billion-plus population – to provide solar and wind farms. Second, building those energy farms is itself a high-energy, destructive industrial process.So the question we’re left with is simple: Is industrial civilization incompatible with a habitable planet?

What a rapid transition from fossil fuels to carbon-free energy alternatives looks like | TheHill –If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything it is that an early, science-based response to a rapidly unfolding disaster is critical. In recent years we have witnessed the mounting effects of climate change in the form of droughts, worsening storms, more frequent floods and record wildfires. Many of these burdens fall inequitably on citizens with lower incomes. Although we need to address the many causes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, three-quarters of U.S. emissions come from burning fossil fuels. Thus, the most important thing we must do to halt climate change is rapidly transition from fossil fuels to carbon-free energy alternatives. Fortunately, the solutions at hand have improved markedly in the last 10 years. The costs of electricity from solar and wind energy have declined dramatically and are now the cheapest sources of electricity in much of the U.S. – about one-quarter the cost of new nuclear power. There is growing agreement on a course of action for addressing climate change:

1. Maximize energy efficiency.
2. Deploy low-cost solar and wind electricity as rapidly as possible. Aclean electricity standard (CES) that requires 100 percent of electricity to be carbon-free by 2035 is the best tool to get there, and Congress needs to act.
3. Electrify as many of our energy uses as possible to take advantage of this carbon-free energy.
4. Continue to develop carbon-free and carbon-neutral fuels for those limited applications that are difficult or very expensive to electrify.

How can we have a reliable grid with largely weather-dependent generation? There are a variety of ways we can address this. For almost a decade, NREL and others have developed best practices to integrate variable renewables into the grid at least cost. Options include expanding balancing areas to minimize variability, using advanced weather forecasting and shortening grid dispatch times, adding transmission and storage, utilizing demand flexibility in buildings and many others.Many analysts see a clear path to achieving an 80 or 90 percent renewable electricity grid. Addressing that last 10 or 20 percent will also likely require long-term storage as well as grid modernization including improved market design. Although some observers have called for amassive R&D effort to develop innovative solutions to the climate crisis, the truth is that we already have the technologies we need to solve most of the problem, and our chief focus must be on enabling and deploying them First, the more efficient we make our transportation, buildings, and industrial sectors, the less additional electricity we will need. Another important step is to keep our existing nuclear reactor fleet running for as long as we can safely do so. We can also electrify in stages starting with those energy uses that provide the biggest immediate climate change benefits. Cars and trucksaccount for over 80 percent of our transportation-related GHG emissions, and battery electric vehicles use energy much more efficiently than internal combustion engines, so electrifying that segment is a priority. Following vehicle electrification, using heat pumps to electrify heating in buildings and low-temperature industrial processes is next. Electrifying new buildings avoids the capital investment and long-term commitment in natural gas equipment and piping. (It will take somewhat more effort to economically electrify existing buildings.) Electrifying higher-temperature industrial processes can wait until the grid is sufficiently carbon-free.

Senate Democrats unveil resolution calling for carbon-free electric sector by 2035 – Senate Democrats unveiled a resolution on Tuesday calling for a decarbonized electric sector by 2035 and put forward policies they argue can help reach that goal. The measure, led by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), says the goal should be achieved through mechanisms such as incentivizing deployment of electric heaters and ending fossil fuel subsidies. President Biden has likewise called for a carbon-free power sector by 2035, and House Democrats also laid out this goal in legislation earlier this year. Heinrich said during a press conference Tuesday that he is introducing the plan as a resolution rather than a bill to become law because they want to “create the narrative” for now and put the policies in place at a later time. “What we’re trying to do right here is create the narrative. That’s why this is a resolution about how this must be informing our decisions on infrastructure. And then, as we move forward, we’re going to be working … to put the individual Lego blocks into the bigger picture,” Heinrich said. “We need to figure out all of these friction points and use the jobs and infrastructure package to really be able to solve these friction points,” he said. Specifically, the resolution calls for incentivizing residential and commercial deployment of battery storage, electric heat pumps, electric stoves, electric vehicle chargers and electric water heaters. It also calls for expanding transmission capacity between regions, “improving” permitting and leasing for zero-emissions electricity generation on public lands and offshore sites, and providing seed funding for a clean energy and sustainability accelerator.

Why Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Shouldn’t Use Tax Credits to Encourage Clean Energy – Since they were first introduced in the 1970s, tax credits for renewables have helped scale up and dramatically reduce the cost of clean power in the United States. But in recent years they have also created opportunities for a small handful of major investment banks to skim billions off the top, extracting lavish fees and control over clean energy projects as part of deals shrouded in secrecy. Public power providers – who serve nearly a third of retail electricity customers – have trouble accessing clean energy tax credits at all. The infrastructure package the Biden administration has proposed, and which is currently being debated by lawmakers, presents an opportunity to change that. It could open up incentives to co-ops, municipal utilities, and public power districts while kicking out the rentiers. Or instead, it could apply the current model to a much wider range of green infrastructure, leaving companies to compete for the same, highly concentrated set of investors, and empower those investors to make key planning decisions about how this country tackles an existential threat. The U.S. renewable tax credit system has created a novel model for financing utility-scale wind and solar here. Traditionally, power generation has been financed in a few predictable ways in the U.S. Vertically integrated utilities that build their own power-generating infrastructure – like Southern Company and its subsidiaries in the Southeast – will approach regulators at their public service commission to ask for a rate hike to finance new plants. Co-ops enter into agreements with either independent, for-profit power providers or buy from generation and transmission co-operatives for a certain number of years. That’s intended to provide a guarantee so that whatever entity is responsible for building the plant can recoup its investments down the line.In order to take advantage of the Investment and Production Tax Credits extended in 2015, the Special Purpose Vehicles, or SPVs, that build large renewables projects – typically some combination of independent power producers and third-party clean energy companies like the Danish multinational Ørsted, a major wind developer in the U.S. – generally have to turn to “tax equity” investors in order to “monetize” those tax breaks. Essentially this means they sell off claims on any money they’ll earn from the credit to tax-equity investors in return for the upfront capital needed to build a solar farm or wind project, allowing them to get projects off the ground in the short term. Approximately 65 percent of the capital backing the typical wind project and 35 percent for the typical solar project come from tax-equity investors, with remaining funds raised through either debt or equity financing. That means those benefiting most directly from policies encouraging renewable energy through tax credits are a highly concentrated set of tax-equity investors at major banks, insurance companies, and even companies like Amazon and Google looking for opportunities to shrink their tax bill. Demand for these tax shelters has grown rapidly, up to as much as $18 billion in 2020 from $13 billion in 2019. In both years, JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America accounted for more than half the market. Ironically, the Biden administration raising taxes would be expected to further boost demand for tax-equity deals, with more companies seeking relief.

Biden administration to develop performance standards for federal buildings – The Biden administration announced on Monday that it is taking several actions aimed at making buildings cleaner, including new “performance standards” for federal buildings. A fact sheet released by the White House on Monday didn’t give specific details on what exactly the performance standards would entail but said it plans to “establish metrics, targets, and tracking methods to reach federal carbon emissions goals.” Acting General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Katy Kale made similar comments during a Monday webinar, saying “this administration and GSA believes in leading by example.” Meanwhile, the administration will also create new Energy Star standards for heat pumps, central air conditioners and electric water heaters, according to the fact sheet. Energy Star standards are government-backed indicators of energy efficiency for consumer products. The administration also said it is starting an initiative to increase market adoption of efficient water heaters in residential and commercial buildings, expanding partnership programs with the goal of increasing efficient upgrades in underserved homes. It’s additionally investing $30 million in workforce development to help fund job creation in areas such as constructing, upgrading and electrifying buildings. The Energy Department will put $10 million toward accelerating research and adoption of heat pump technology. “These systems use electricity to strategically transfer heat to make spaces cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter and they’re a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative to gas-powered furnaces and standard air conditioners,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said during the webinar. #160;

Biden Considering Point-of-Sale Rebates for Electric Car Buyers – The Biden administration wants to give consumers rebates for purchasing electric vehicles to help the U.S. compete against China in manufacturing the next generation of automobiles, White House Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy said.President Joe Biden is “looking to invest more than $170 billion and he’s going to build out the electric charging stations that we need for consumers to buy these vehicles and feel confident that they can get where they want to go and back again,” McCarthy said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Bloomberg Technology.”“He’s looking at actually providing consumer rebates at the point of sale,” she said.As part of his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure package, Biden has asked Congress to help pay for 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations and provide consumers with rebates for their electric car purchases.Motorists already have some financial incentive to forgo conventional gas-powered cars for electric models. An existing tax credit is valued at as much as $7,500 for the purchase of an electric vehicle, though Tesla Inc. and General Motors Co. have already passed a 200,000-per-manufacturer ceiling at which the value of those credits phases down. Critics say the current EV tax credit has chiefly benefited wealthy Americans. By contrast, a point-of-sale rebate — which is also championed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — could help encourage more low- and middle-income motorists to buy electric vehicles.

Nebraska’s ethanol production almost to pre-pandemic levels – The head of Renewable Fuels Nebraska says the state’s ethanol production has almost returned to pre pandemic levels. Pam Miller tells Brownfield nearly every plant is back online after many were shut down this time a year ago. “Most plants are back up at full production, which is somewhere near 2.5 billion gallons of ethanol a year that we produce – the second largest producing state in the country,” Miller says. “It’s great to be back. It’s great to be running these plants at full speed making a wonderful product.” During COVID-19 shutdowns many ethanol plants helped produce hand sanitizer for businesses in Nebraska and across the country. She says ethanol helps meet climate sustainability goals. “Ethanol is a very low carbon fuel, and we feel that in Nebraska we feel that already,” she says. “We want to see more ethanol used, higher blends used so that we continue to have greater benefits for the environment and the air we breathe”

Marathon converts Dickinson Refinery to renewable diesel plant; wind turbines to power site – Marathon Petroleum has converted its Dickinson Refinery into a plant that turns soybean and corn oil into renewable diesel, and soon the facility will run in part on wind power.Plans to convert the refinery west of Dickinson have been in the works for years after it opened in 2015 and struggled financially. The facility stopped processing oil in April 2020. The transition took place a few months earlier than planned after the coronavirus pandemic hit and caused demand to fall for motor fuels made at the refinery, said Ray Brooks, Marathon’s executive vice president of refining. “The whole beauty of this thing being located where it is in North Dakota is that the feedstock is in that area,” he said, referring to abundant soybean and corn production in the state. “A lot of the feedstock is brought in from rail cars from facilities, from farms, essentially, in that general area.” Heat and hydrogen are used to process soybean and corn oil into renewable diesel. The fuel differs from biodiesel, which usually made from vegetable oils but is blended into petroleum diesel for use in certain vehicles. Biodiesel can gel up inside a vehicle when the temperature drops in winter, so it tends to make up a smaller fraction of the fuel into which it’s blended, Brooks said. Renewable diesel, on the other hand, flows well even when it’s cold and can be used alone in diesel engines, though it too is often blended.The Dickinson plant began producing renewable diesel late last year and has ramped up to its full capacity in recent weeks. It has the ability to produce 12,000 barrels per day of the biofuel.California is the primary consumer of renewable diesel in the United States, Brooks said. To get its oil there, Marathon is shipping fuel from the Dickinson facility to the West Coast via train. It’s then loaded onto ships that take it south.

Ohio lawmakers want to decrease setbacks for wind farms –Democratic lawmakers want to decrease the minimum setback for utility-scale wind farms in Ohio to boost renewable energy development in the state. House Bill 302 would revert the setbacks for wind farms of 5 megawatts or more to pre-2014 levels. Currently, the minimum setback rule is 1,125 feet from the tip of the turbine’s nearest horizontal blade to the nearest adjacent property line. The legislation would change that back to be measured from the nearest home, not property line. The change in 2014, inserted into the state’s budget bill, hindered new wind development in Ohio. It was inserted at the last minute, with no public input, said Rep. Kent Smith, D-Euclid, and nearly tripled the minimum setback requirements, making it one of the most stringent statewide setback laws for wind power development in the country. Smith introduced the legislation May 19 to the House Public Utilities committee with co-sponsor Rep. Michael Skindell, D-Lakewood. Smith wore a face mask reading “Renewable energy? I’m a big fan” during his testimony. “This bill seeks to ease the regulatory burden on new wind farms in Ohio and provide a more business friendly environment for clean energy,” Smith said. According to American Wind Energy Association estimates from 2017, cited by Skindell, Ohio is missing out on an estimated $4.2 billion in economic benefits because of its restrictive setback requirements. That includes 13,000 jobs, $660 million in tax payments to local governments and schools and $440 million in lease payments to landowners over 30 years. “Plans to generate 3,300 megawatts of new wind projects that would supply electricity to more than 900,000 homes have been on hold or canceled now,” Skindell said.

Renewables supporters unhappy with changes to Ohio local control bills – WKBN.com– Supporters of renewable energy and private property rights are unhappy with changes made to an Ohio Senate bill that proposes giving locals the power to approve utility-scale solar and wind projects. Instead of setting up a referendum process for residents to approve each large renewable energy project, the sub bill added onto Senate Bill 52 and House Bill 118 would let townships set aside certain areas of the community for wind and solar development. The new mechanism for local control, announced last week during the House Public Utilities committee, was created in part to address concerns from the renewables industry that the original bill would have resulted in a de facto moratorium on large-scale wind and solar development, said Sen. Rob McColley, cosponsor of SB 52. The solar industry, though, says it was not involved in the drafting of the sub bill. “It would result in lost jobs, lost revenues, and unfairly harm businesses, workers and farmers,” said Jason Rafeld, executive director of the Utility Scale Solar Energy Coalition, in a statement. “The bill was job-killer to begin with, but last week, behind closed doors, the Ohio Senate redrafted a substitute bill that is no better.” Opponent and proponent testimony and discussion on the legislation went on for three hours May 19 during the Senate Energy and Public Utilities committee. More than 80 people submitted testimony, including many farmers who are against the bills. The original language of House Bill 118 and Senate Bill 52 would have created a referendum process by which locals would approve utility-scale solar and wind projects before they went to the Ohio Power Siting Board. The sub bill would instead allow townships to create a resolution designating certain parts of the township as “energy development districts” where large wind and solar farms could be built. The district could contain the entire township or only parts of it, McColley said. The creation of such districts would be subject to a referendum. Under the proposed legislation, the Ohio Power Siting Board could not grant a certificate to a facility unless it was located in an energy development district of a municipality.

LIA: NYers statewide should share offshore wind costs – The Long Island Association said New Yorkers across the state should share the costs of investing in offshore wind, which is expected to diversify the region’s fuel supply, add jobs and fuel the economy.In a letter to the New York State Public Service Commission, the LIA, the region’s largest business group, said that accommodating the additional renewable energy source would require “substantial investments will be necessary to upgrade the electric transmission system.”The letter comes as stakeholders in the region are striving to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035, a state initiative that the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority says would power up to 6 million homes.In the LIA letter from last week by the group’s vice president of government affairs, Matt Cohen, the group noted that the commission, in March, issued an order that said 75 percent of the “costs of the infrastructure upgrades associated with offshore wind should be borne by those who will benefit most from the upgrades; downstate utilities and their customers.” But last week, the PSC delayed that decision since “hearing more arguments from the Long Island Power Authority (“LIPA”), Con Edison and other downstate utilities.” The LIA said it “unreasonable and unfair” to put “such a disproportionate burden on Long Island residents and businesses when the infrastructure upgrades will benefit all New Yorkers” as the state aims to fulfill the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act objectives to reverse climate change and promote clean energy.

50-car Union Pacific train derails in Minnesota = Local police are ordering people to shelter in place after a 50-car Union Pacific train carrying a mix of unknown substances derailed Saturday afternoon. Authorities in the city of Albert Lea, located about 10 miles north of Minnesota’s border with Iowa, said in a Facebook post that nearby intersections had been blocked and that pedestrians should avoid the area as they responded to the derailed train. Police later updated the post saying that no injuries were reported, with video of the scene showing derailed cars lying on the ground next to Minnesota’s Goose Lake. An officer can be heard in the Facebook footage saying police would need the local fire department come to “figure out what’s in those tanks, and we may need to do some evacuating.” Authorities ordered a local shelter in place, and the police department later said that hazardous material safety officers had arrived at the scene to “assist with material load containment,” though it added that any materials that may be exiting the cars were not airborne. Union Pacific said in a statement to local news outlets that about 28 of the 50 cars on the train had derailed near the lake, adding, “The train crew was not hurt, and the cause is under investigation.” The railway company, which operates one of the largest railroads in the U.S., added that the train was “carrying mixed commodities,” but added it was still “working to identify what is in the derailed cars.” When reached for comment by The Hill, the police department said it had no additional updates as the situation was still developing.

Crews Continue Cleanup After 50-Car Train Derails In Albert Lea – – Union Pacific Railroad says crews worked through the night to clean up a train derailment in Albert Lea. Police in Albert Lea Saturday asked the public to avoid Hawthorne Street and Ulsted Avenue after a 50-car train derailed in the area. Freeborn County officials say the train derailed in the 1300 block of Eastgate Road. There was a hazardous material leak, and local residents were asked to shelter in place. The leak was not airborne, police said. Early Saturday evening, authorities confirmed that the substance leaking from the derailed cars was hydrochloric acid. “Around 1:45 p.m., approximately 28 cars on a Union Pacific train derailed near Goose Lake in Albert Lea. The train crew was not hurt, and the cause is under investigation,” Union Pacific said in a statement. Authorities on the scene say there were no injuries reported as a result of the derailment. The train derailed shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday morning, Union Pacific said about eight cars had been cleared from the track, and heavy equipment had arrived to help the cleanup efforts.

NERC identifies 4 regions facing potential summer energy shortages – A preview of the North American Electric Reliability Corp.’s (NERC) 2021 Summer Reliability Assessment warns several regions are at risk of energy shortfalls in the case of above-normal temperatures. Cybersecurity is also a growing concern, according to NERC, in the wake of recent supply chain compromises. In particular, the report warns California will need 11 GW of late-afternoon energy transfers to meet system demand as solar output declines. Texas, New England and parts of the Midwest could also face shortages. Preliminary summer reliability conclusions were presented to theNERC board of trustees on Thursday. Director of Reliability Assessment and System Analysis John Moura said that despite the risks the report shed light on, there were still positive findings in the assessment, including improved restoration time following outages related to extreme weather and fewer instances of system misoperation. Extreme weather has caused blackouts in Texas and California in the past year, leaving millions without power. NERC said those states could face more problems this summer, and could be joined by New England and part of the Midwest.Texas, New England and the Midcontinent ISO were found to have “elevated risk.” California is the “greatest concern,” said NERC. The 11 GW of energy imports could be necessary to meet late afternoon peak demand – in contrast to the 1 GW needed on a normal day. CAISO officials acknowledge there is cause for concern, but say the system is better situated that it was a year ago.The California Public Utilities Commission in February and Marchapproved measures aimed at shoring up resources, including directing utilities to contract additional capacity from a variety of sources. CAISO “anticipates supply conditions in 2021 to be better than 2020, but continues to see potential challenges in meeting demand during extreme heat waves,” the grid operator said in its 2021 Summer Loads and Resources Assessment. ISO New England issued a statement saying “we expect to have adequate resources to meet demand under normal and above average temperatures this summer. We’ll be releasing our full summer outlook shortly.” The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates most of the state’s grid, has said it anticipates sufficient generation to meet peak loads this summer, but on May 6 also detailed three low-probability scenarios where extreme weather could lead to blackouts.Texas grid officials say they expect record demand for electricity this summer, due to heat as well as population and economic growth in the state. ERCOT is heading into summer with a 15.7% reserve margin, according to the grid operator.

Generac CEO says 5G rollout increases demand for backup power generation – Generac CEO Aaron Jagdfeld told CNBC Monday that the backup power generator company expects to benefit from the adoption of 5G wireless technology. “We think that that’s a space that is going to grow tremendously over the next five years,” he said in an interview with Jim Cramer on “Mad Money.” For Generac, the opportunity particularly lies in the telecommunications arena. The company is already a top provider of backup generation for major wireless providers, Jagdfeld said. The rollout of 5G technology, or fifth-generation mobile network, promises to bring faster network speeds and connect more activities to the internet of things. The way people learn, drive and take care of their health are all expected to be impacted by the new technologies. Because the networks will become even more critical to society, Jagdfeld said demand for power security will only increase. “None of it works without a continuous source of power and what the telecom companies are going to have to do is they’re really going to have to up their game in terms of reliability, and that’s where we come in,” he said.

Legislation Would Help Create Power Line For Renewable Energy Made In Aroostook County – There was early momentum Tuesday for what could be Maine’s next big transmission project linked to renewable energy goals, this one in Aroostook County. The latest plan, as envisioned in legislation before the utilities committee, got a positive review at the State House. Energy analysts say the County has some of the state’s best potential for developing cost-effective wind and other renewable energy resources. But the area lacks a major transmission connection to the regional electricity grid, relying instead on energy routed through Canada. Now lawmakers are considering a bill that aims to get a power line built to unlock that potential and bring cost-effective renewable energy to Maine and beyond. “Aroostook County is really leaning into this. We’ve been waiting for decades to produce our renewable energy up here and get it to the markets where it’s needed,” says Paul Towle, president of the Aroostook Partnership, a public-private economic development group. He says county residents are generally supportive of developing big energy infrastructure. And he says this one – costing as much as a half-billion dollars – would be less contentious than the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line in western Maine. “This would fly through pretty seamlessly in my prediction. The ensuing projects promise to generate millions in economic benefits to a much-needed area in northern Maine through jobs, payroll taxes, local taxes, etc. And climate advantages obviously (are) there – we all know what we’re doing this stuff for,” he says.

New York interconnector riverbed survey starts – US power company Rise Light & Power has begun a survey of the Hudson River’s riverbed for a proposed 1200MW transmission line that will facilitate more renewable energy in New York. The proposed Catskills Renewable Connector will supply approximately 15% of New York City’s electricity needs and help increase the state’s solar generation by nearly 50% wind energy by 15%. Rise Light & Power is working with marine scientists to carry out the riverbed survey to understand river environment and ecology in advance of clean energy development. The data gathered from the surveys – from Ravena to the Harlem River – will help map the submarine cable route and reduce impacts to river ecology. A high-tech vessel will use an instrument suite to map the contours of the seafloor and riverbed, any potential obstructions, and any significant submerged historic cultural resources along the proposed cable route. The Catskills Renewable Program, offered by Rise Light & Power in response to a request-for-proposal from NYSERDA’s newly established Tier 4 REC programme, would create a 1.2GW submarine and underground renewables-transmission line that delivers clean, affordable wind and solar energy from across upstate to the downstate region. If approved by NYSERDA, Rise Light & Power will contract with renewable energy developers in upstate New York to build thousands of megawatts of new wind and solar energy, and it will build the Catskills Renewable Connector to deliver that clean energy to customers in New York City. Collectively, this programme will create more than 5000 jobs for New Yorkers and generate more than $2bn the company said.

State opposes opening up TVA transmission lines for other power suppliers – May 19 – Tennessee’s attorney general claims an effort by local power companies to try to bring cheaper power to their customers along Tennessee Valley Authority transmission lines will hurt most of the state’s electricity users by shifting costs and reducing power reliability. Although the state of Tennessee has no regulatory role over the federally owned TVA, the state’s top legal officer is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to block a motion by four TVA distributors to go elsewhere for their power supplies. Volunteer Energy Cooperative, Athens Utilities and two other TVA distributors are asking FERC to order TVA to carry power from other utilities and power producers along TVA’s transmission lines to deliver what the four local utilities claim will be cheaper electricity than what TVA now provides. In an 11-page brief filed with FERC, Tennessee’s attorney general contends that “granting the petition (to use TVA transmission lines to wheel outside power into the Valley) would create unnecessary risks of significant harm to TVA and the citizens TVA serves” and “may significantly disrupt the health of TVA.” The federal utility bundles both its power generation and transmission into a single delivered price to provide electricity to nearly 10 million people across TVA’s 7-state service territory. The attorney general acknowledged that “Tennessee historically has had a limited role in defining electricity public policy in the state,” but the state decided to intervene “in light of the evolving developments resulting from the electricity crisis in Texas” that left more than 3 million persons in the dark in February. “If FERC approves the petition, other local power companies on the TVA system may reconsider their long-term relationship to TVA,” said Sara Hiestand, senior assistant attorney general in the state’s Office of Attorney General. “Reduced aggregate TVA revenues may shift the burden of cost recovery.”

‘Collective amnesia’: Texas politicians knowingly blew 3 chances to fix the failing power grid – Ten years ago, Texas power plants froze during a fast-moving winter storm, causing rolling electricity blackouts across the state. Outraged Texas regulators and lawmakers, vowing to crack down, debated requiring energy companies to protect their equipment against extreme weather to ensure reliability. But they didn’t. Nine years ago, two state agencies that regulate utilities and the oil and gas industry warned that natural gas facilities that lost power during outages couldn’t feed electricity generation plants, creating a spiral of power loss. The agencies jointly recommended that lawmakers compel gas suppliers and power plants to fix the problem. But they didn’t. Eight years ago, economists warned that the state’s free-market grid left companies with little incentive to build enough plants to provide backup power during emergencies. With the support of then-Gov. Rick Perry, legislators and regulators considered increasing power rates to encourage the construction of more power plants, so that Texas, like other states, would have sufficient reserves. But they didn’t. In the wake of each power failure, or near-failure, over the past decade, Texas lawmakers have repeatedly stood at a fork in the road. In one direction lay government-mandated solutions that experts said would strengthen the state’s power system by making it less fragile under stress. The other direction continued Texas’ hands-off regulatory approach, leaving it to the for-profit energy companies to decide how to protect the power grid. In each instance, lawmakers left the state’s lightly regulated energy markets alone, choosing cheap electricity over a more stable system. As a result, experts say, the power grid that Texans depend on to heat and cool their homes and run their businesses has become less and less reliable – and more susceptible to weather-related emergencies. “Everyone has been in denial,” said Alison Silverstein, a consultant who works with the U.S. Department of Energy and formerly served as a senior adviser at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. “They treat each individual extreme event as a one-off, a high-impact, low-frequency event, which means, ‘I hope it doesn’t happen again.’” With each passing year, the grid has steadily become less reliable. In 1989, Texas suffered a cold snap considered worse if not equal to the winter storm earlier this year yet managed to keep the grid functioning, with only a few hours of rotating outages. By comparison, February’s Winter Storm Uri brought the Texas power grid to within five minutes of complete collapse, officials acknowledged. Millions of residents were left without power for days in subfreezing temperatures; nearly 200 died. “Our system now is more vulnerable than it was 30 years ago,” said Woody Rickerson, vice president of grid planning and operations at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. “With the generation mix we have now, the weather has the ability to affect wind and solar and (the gas supply). Those are things we can’t anticipate.”

New UCS Research: Utilities’ Uneconomic Coal Use Is Being Called Out in 25 States – Union of Concerned Scientists –When I came to UCS three years ago, coal self-commitment – the practice of coal plants running when cheaper (and cleaner) resources are available on the grid – was still a nascent and poorly understood issue. Our analysis highlighting the issue at that time called it the “coal bailout nobody was talking about,” Now, new research from the Union of Concerned Scientists finds that 25 states have taken up substantial discussion of the issue of coal self-commitment in state public utility proceedings.Consumer advocates, environmental advocates, and commercial customers (like Google, Target, and Facebook) have partnered up across the country to address this issue with lots of progress and some very tangible successes to date. And yet, there is still lots to be done.The issue of coal plants running when cleaner and cheaper resources are available has now become a far more commonly understood and talked-about issue. Using Advance Energy Economy’s PowerSuite software, UCS was able to sift through hundreds of public utility dockets across the country and find all the dockets where the issue of uneconomic self-commitment has been raised and substantively discussed by the public and by experts in these proceedings. From public comments in Washington, to expert reports to public utility commissions, this issue is now part of the industry zeitgeist. In “Used but how Useful?” UCS named some of the worst actors in the MISO region after analyzing 2018 as a test year. We found that much of the problem was being driven by a handful of bad actors. Some of the worst actors, like Cleco in Louisiana, quickly made the switch to seasonal operations and eventually opted to retire their uneconomic coal plants. Others, like Michigan-based DTE, remain intractable despite mounting evidence that they are operating the pool of generation resources sub-optimally and that is costing customers tens of millions of dollars and an indeterminant amount in the form of health costs from increased pollution. They still remain as one of the worst actors, based on UCS data.

Environmental groups plan to sue EPA over sulfur dioxide pollution in Detroit Three environmental groups have notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency they plan to sue because the agency has not come up with a plan to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions in areas of Detroit and Baltimore. The Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Environmental Health, and the Sierra club filed a notice this week. “In the case of Detroit, the EPA already disapproved the state’s plan because it wasn’t going to sufficiently clean up the area. And, so, now it’s on EPA to issue a plan,” said Elena Saxonhouse, an attorney with the Sierra Club. She says the EPA should have done something many years ago. Sulfur dioxide contributes to heart and lung diseases, especially among children and the elderly. The groups say EPA’s illegal delay in cleaning up the air pollutant endangers the health of thousands of people. The EPA website indicates the largest source of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuel by power plants and other industrial facilities, but also comes from locomotives, ships, and other engines that burn high sulfur diesel. In Southwest Detroit there are several industries which currently emit sulfur dioxide or did when they’re operating. A steel mill is idle right now. A coal-burning power plant is scheduled to be closed. “This part of Wayne County is an area that’s just absolutely pummeled with multiple pollutants from all kinds of facilities. It’s an environmental justice hotspot. So, it’s really urgent that they implement this plan with speed,” Saxonhouse said. If the EPA does not respond in 60 days, the environmental groups will file the suit, asking the court to set a deadline to devise a plan to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions.

Environmental groups sue federal mining agency over West Virginia mine cleanup process –The Sierra Club and two local environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, alleging that the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) has been derelict in handling mine cleanup in West Virginia. In the lawsuit, filed Monday in the Southern District of West Virginia, the Sierra Club, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and West Virginia Highlands Conservancy accused OSMRE of failing to satisfy requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). The provision of the law in question requires a determination on whether surface mining programs in the state must be improved. The same plaintiffs in 2020 filed a separate lawsuit over the issue, which led the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to notify the Interior Department that its current mine reclamation bonding program was insolvent, according to the Sierra Club. “Because the current West Virginia Special Reclamation Fund is not able to ensure that sufficient money will be available to complete land and water reclamation on all existing and future bond forfeiture sites, in accordance with the requirements of 30 C.F.R. ff 800.11(e), and the Special Reclamation Fund Advisory Council refuses to meet in its responsibility to oversee such fund, the Defendant must determine that a state program amendment is necessary,” the lawsuit states. The plaintiffs seek a declaration that OSMRE has violated the SMCRA and an injunction ordering it to comply. “It’s unfortunate that this lawsuit even needs to be filed. The response from OSMRE last year, following our suit compelling WVDEP to notify the federal agency of the dire financial situation of its reclamation programs, failed to meet the moment,” Peter Morgan, a senior attorney with the Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, said in a statement. “Hopefully, under the Biden administration, OSMRE will be up to the challenge of requiring adequate and reliable reclamation funding not just in West Virginia but around the country.”

Inventory of Unreclaimed Mine Land Grows More Dangerous and Expensive – The Daily Yonder Appalachia has an abandoned mine land (AML) problem, and it’s much bigger and costlier to clean up than people thought. And the time to do it is running out. The federal AML inventory estimates that the cost of cleaning up all abandoned mine land – land that was mined before the passage of the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act in 1977 – is $11 billion. But a new report from the Ohio River Valley Institute shows the cost is more than double what the federal inventory previously claimed – $26 billion. “Anyone at a mine reclamation agency will tell you that the federal AML inventory is a low-ball estimate. And yet it’s the most widely cited figure we have,” said Eric Dixon, the author of the report. “The real size of the problem is two or three times what’s in the official inventory.” Large-scale coal mining began in Central Appalachia in the 1870s, fueling America’s industrial revolution and forming the economic backbone of the region through the 20th century. It wasn’t until a century later that Congress passed the first and most consequential federal law regulating the environmental impacts of coal mining, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). SMCRA created the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) and required that coal companies set aside money to pay for the restoration of all land permitted after the law’s implementation. The law also designated any land mined prior to 1977 as Abandoned Mine Land (AML), and set up a fund to reclaim these sites by collecting a small fee on each new ton of coal produced. The AML Fund has collected a total of $11.496 billion, of which only $2.23 billion remains. But Dixon’s research shows this is not nearly enough. According to the report, of the 1.2 million acres designated as abandoned mine land, only 27% has been cleaned up since the 1970s. The cost of reclaiming the remaining 850,000 acres is an estimated $26.3 billion, a price that will only increase if sites are left to degrade for decades more. Unreclaimed mine lands pose significant threats to nearby communities and ecosystems, and can contribute to global warming. Fatalities caused by falling debris from highwalls, rockslides, and flooding are just some of the dangers posed by unreclaimed land. High rates of water pollution, Acid Mine Drainage, and underground mine fires release harmful toxins which have been linked to cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses and cancer. The pollution from the sites also drastically reduces biodiversity in the region and holds back much-needed economic development. Additionally, abandoned coal mines are a significant source of methane and other greenhouse gasses, which contribute to climate change. This damage is concentrated in Appalachian states, with 82.4% of AML costs and their associated consequences located in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama. 5.5 million Appalachians and 1 in 3 West Virginians live within 1 mile of an AML site, according to Dixon. Such high human, environmental, and economic costs demand decisive action. But at the current rate of AML fee collection, Dixon predicts a revenue gap of $25.6 billion. In other words, the total cost of reclaiming all abandoned mine sites by 2050 will exceed the amount available in the AML fund by tens of billions of dollars.

Georgia nuclear plant now delayed until 2022 as costs mount (AP) – Georgia Power Co. said Tuesday that delays in completing testing means the first new unit at its Vogtle plant is now unlikely to start generating electricity before January at the earliest. The unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. had in recent years been aiming to complete the first unit in November, but officials told investors last month that it would probably be finished in December. Company officials said Tuesday that testing began in late April, would take three weeks longer than expected and is unlikely to be completed before late June, adding more time to construction and startup. The additional month will add another $48 million to the cost of the two nuclear units being built alongside two existing units near Augusta. The project is now projected to cost more than $26 billion for all its owners, including Georgia Power, electric cooperatives and municipal utilities. Ultimately, most electric customers in Georgia, except those in the northwest corner of the state served by affiliates of the Tennessee Valley Authority, will have to pay for the plant. Florida’s Jacksonville Electric Authority is also obligated to buy power from Vogtle. The further delay was disclosed in a periodic hearing with the Georgia Public Service Commission to discuss spending and construction progress on the only nuclear plant being built in the U.S. Commissioners must ultimately decide how much of Georgia Power’s share of the spending is allowable and how paying the bill will be phased in for 2.6 million ratepayers. Customers are already paying for part of the plant. Rates have gone up 3.4% to pay for earlier costs and Georgia Power projects rates will rise another 6.6 percentage points for a total increase of 10%

Georgia Power customers to find out new tab for Vogtle expansion this fall – On Tuesday, it felt like Groundhog Day for Prenovitz, who posed the same question to Georgia Power executives and project leaders in a virtual hearing as they miss another deadline for the third reactor to come online, which is now expected to happen in the first quarter of 2022. In the coming months, Georgia Power and its parent company Southern Co., and consumer advocacy organizations will make their cases before the Public Service Commission for how much of Vogtle’s ballooned unit 3 costs should be passed onto electric consumers’ bills. The next ratepayer hearing on who will pay for the massive nuclear plant expansion project is scheduled for mid-October. The Georgia Public Service Commission is set to decide on Nov. 2 how much ratepayers or company shareholders will pick up of the tab. The heavily scrutinized project south of Augusta has doubled in cost from early projections of $14 billion and repeatedly missed deadlines set by company officials. During Tuesday’s hearing on Vogtle’s latest monitoring report, Prenovitz referenced his 2012 column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he predicted Vogtle’s expansion would face the same inflated price tag as the first phase. During the 1970s and 1980s, the cost of Vogtle’s first two reactors jumped from $660 million to nearly $9 billion. “Isn’t that still true that basically since it requires more lead time and the company has little control over cost and scheduling,” said Prenovitz, who represents the Concerned Ratepayers of Georgia. “We don’t know how much it’s going to cost moving forward… and this is what we wondered 15 years ago.” Unit 3 was supposed to start delivering electricity by 2016 and Unit 4 was supposed to be complete in 2017. Over the years, Vogtle has been saddled with exploding costs, caused in large part by the bankruptcy of original contractor Westinghouse Electric, the pandemic and many other problems. Company officials said Tuesday the lingering effects of a pandemic added several months of work while electrical and other remediation problems have slowed down progress. The third reactor is nearly complete, and the goal is to still have the final phase finished in the fall of 2022, said Jeremiah Haswell, Georgia Power’s nuclear development director.

Indian Point nuclear plant closure plan wins New York approval — The state Public Service Commission has O.K.’d the sale of the Indian Point nuclear power facility to Holtec International subsidiaries, a key step in a protracted round of approvals needed to lock up the sale.The PSC’s approval came with benchmarks that Holtec must meet, including keeping enough money in a trust to ensure the shutdown and remediation of the site are finished. The state first announced its approval was on track on April 15.Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had been pushing for the shutdown of the plant for more than a decade, announced the PSC ruling on Wednesday.”As Governor and previously as Attorney General, I have been deeply concerned with the safety of the Indian Point nuclear power facility given its proximity to some of the most densely populated areas in the nation,” Cuomo said in a statement. “This is a win for the health and safety of New Yorkers, and the protection of our environment.”The sale of the plant by Entergy to Holtec has been controversial. State and federal leaders and environmental groups had expressed concern that money would run out before the 240-acre site was fully cleaned. The shuttering of the plant will cost hundreds of local jobs and impact the local property tax base.

Chernobyl is showing signs of a possible new nuclear accident, scientists say – Scientists are warning that another explosion could occur in Chernobyl due to the spike in neutron numbers in an underground room called 305/2. The numbers may indicate that new fission reactions are taking place, and there’s a possibility the smoldering nuclear reaction – in a room that’s currently unreachable – could lead to an explosion, Business Insider reported.. “[It is] like the embers in a barbecue pit,” Neil Hyatt, a professor of nuclear materials science and engineering at the University of Sheffield Lecturer, told Science magazine. Fellow scientist, Maxim Saveliev, a senior researcher with the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants (ISPNPP) in Kyiv, Ukraine, agrees with Hyatt, saying “there are many uncertainties, but we can’t rule out the possibility of [an] accident.” The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident near the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, close to the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR. The April 26, 1986 disaster is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history for the amount of money it cost and the number of lives lost. The Chernobyl disaster is one of two energy-related accidents that were rated a level 7, the maximum. About 50 people were killed, and the explosion resulted in thousands of radiation-related deaths. As of now, the New Safe Confinement (NCS), a $1.8-billion protective confinement shelter, was built in 2019 to stop the contamination of radioactive. The NSC was also created to lower the neutron counts, with Saveliev saying the issue of a possible explosion might resolve itself. After 35 years, the evacuated city still resembles a ghost town..

China Furious As Japan Refuses To Address Its Radioactive Fukushima Water Dumping Concerns –Angry that Japan has yet to respond directly to the concerns of the international community, China again urged Japan on Monday to face up to its responsibility and refrain from “wantonly” disposing the radioactive, polluted Fukushima waterbefore reaching consensus with all stakeholders and international agencies through consultations.China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing when asked to comment on Seoul’s request to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) calling for exploring ways to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog to ensure safety in Japan’s planned release of Fukushima nuclear polluted water. Zhao expressed China’s understanding and support for the South Korean side’s actions, saying the international community as well as within Japan have expressed deep concern and opposition over the past month after Japan announced its decision.And in the most harshly worded indication that China will not stand idly by as Tokyo releases 1 million tons of radioactive Fukushima water into the Pacific, Zhao said that “Regrettably, the Japanese government has turned a deaf ear to the protests from many governments, international organizations, environmental groups and people in various countries and has to date refused to respond directly to the concerns of the international community.”He reiterated that Japan’s decision to dump the nuclear polluted water into the sea will endanger the global marine environment and international public health and safety. The spokesperson stressed that Japan’s move lacks transparency and is irresponsible, adding that its attempts would only serve its own selfish gains while leaving the international community and future generations with endless problems.

West Valley contamination concerns – Contractors are in the homestretch of clearing the West Valley Demonstration Project of buildings. Fifty-one of 55 structures have been taken down, and the most contaminatedof them all – the Main Plant Processing Building – is scheduled for demolition this fall.How hot are its five stories of reinforced concrete? A trio of activists said it “could be one of the most radioactive buildings in the country.”The demolition might be welcome news, but the manner in which contractors plan to bring the building down is causing concern, even alarm, in some quarters.Plans call for an open-air demolition of the building. Some experts and local activists want it “tented.” That is, enclosed by a temporary cover to reduce the amount of radioactive dust and debris that can escape into the environment.“You’re dealing with a significant quantity of dangerous material which is dangerous in microscopic quantities,” said Robert Alvarez, a senior advisor to the Department of Energy in 1990s, told Investigative Post “Until we have reasons to trust that nothing can get out, we need to take all the steps that are necessary to prevent the irreversible contamination of our region,” said Diane D’Arrigo, an activist and radioactive waste specialist at the Washington, D.C.-based Nuclear Information and Resource Service.“I’m not aware of any other Department of Energy incident where that many people are exposed or known to be exposed,” said Dr. Ed Lyman, director of nuclear power safety for the Union of Concerned Scientists. “This is not a cotton-candy factory,” he said. “You’re dealing with a high-hazard, nuclear facility that is unique.” The West Valley plant was built in 1963 as part of the federal government’s attempt to spark a commercial nuclear industry. New York officials said it would transform the state economy. Operations began in 1966 under Nuclear Fuel Services. The facility closed in 1972 to expand its capacity and improve safety controls mandated by new government regulations. In 1977, the company decided not to make the necessary investment and pulled out, leaving behind 600,000 gallons of high-level radioactive liquid and 2 million cubic-feet of solid waste. Federal and state governments have been overseeing a cleanup of the site since 1980. Congress split the cleanup obligations between the Department of Energy, which pays 90 percent of the bill, and the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority, which covers the balance. The price tag so far is $3.1 billion, according to a Government Accountability Office report published in January. Work is expected to continue into the 2040s. Costs could reach $10.6 billion, according to government projections.

Matt Borges disputes major portions of House Bill 6 allegations in Ohio Elections Commission affidavit – – For the first time since his arrest, Matt Borges – one of the central figures in the federal investigation into House Bill 6 – detailed his side of the story, denying key portions of the U.S. Justice Department’s case against him.Borges, former chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, along with Republican then-House Speaker Larry Householder, top aide Jeff Longstreth and political consultants Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes, were arrested in July 2020 in what federal prosecutors described as a $60 million bribery scheme to pass HB6 – a ratepayer funded bailout of two nuclear plants formerly owned by FirstEnergy.Borges and Householder deny any wrongdoing. Cespedes and Longstreth pleaded guilty. Clark also maintained his innocence, though died by an apparent suicide earlier this year.As the case moves toward trial, Borges has been limited in what he can share, bound by a protective order on evidence in the federal case.However, in a May 13 affidavit filed with the Ohio Elections Commission following Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s decision to refer aspects of the case for prosecution, Borges – who called LaRose’s filing “absurd” and a “frivolous complaint” – gave specific details of his recollection about the events that transpired between him and Tyler Fehrman, a consultant who became a major informant for the FBI case.“When the Chief Elections Officer decides to make accusations that have serious consequences, you would hope that there would be some investigation rather than just tag-teaming with others,” said Karl Schneider, Borges’ attorney, in a statement. “Apparently no investigation or fact checking was done by the Secretary of State. Matt’s affidavit presents the truth, which will prevail.”In their case against him, the feds allege Borges was instrumental in trying to recruit Fehrman to act as a double agent and help kill a referendum to overturn HB6. That included bribes and threats against Fehrman, according to the indictment against Borges. Fehrman, both to the FBI and in an interview with cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer, described Borges as a “close friend” and “mentor” and has worked both for and with him in the past.

Judge says shareholders can sue FirstEnergy for disregarding ‘red flags’ in House Bill 6 nuclear bailout – cleveland.com— A federal judge has sided with shareholders in a key ruling over lawsuits involving FirstEnergy Corp.’s push to pass House Bill 6. U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley refused to throw out the consolidated cases filed against the company’s board of directors. “This Court finds [the shareholders] have alleged by clear and convincing evidence that [the board] ‘knew or recklessly disregarded reports and red flags that FirstEnergy was paying massive amounts of illicit bribes’” to pass the legislation, the judge said in the 44-page decision. Marbley’s order, filed last week in federal court in Columbus, offers a strong rebuke of the utility. Already, about two dozen state and federal lawsuits have been filed regarding the tainted legislation. Federal records show FirstEnergy and its affiliates paid more than $60 million in bribes to then-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and a group of allies who pushed the legislation. In return, Householder and his colleagues pushed through the Ohio Statehouse a $1.3 billion bailout of two aging nuclear plants, which were then owned by a FirstEnergy subsidiary, according to the records. The bill became law in 2019, but legislators voted earlier this year to repeal bailout subsidies to the plants. “Taken as true, these allegations together support this Court’s inference that a majority of the [board members] recklessly disregarded their duties to the company and allowed the criminal scheme to continue unchecked,” Marbley wrote. A spokeswoman for FirstEnergy declined to comment about pending litigation. Attorneys in the case did not return calls seeking comment. The lawsuits, filed by the Employees Retirement System of the City of St. Louis, the Massachusetts Laborer Pension Fund and others, are shareholder claims brought against the board on behalf of the company. The claims are known as derivative lawsuits. Marbley’s ruling cited that shareholders have made proposals “for increased disclosure, transparency and accountability in connection with the company’s lobbying efforts in March 2017.” The move came shortly after FirstEnergy flew Householder on a private jet to Washington for then-President Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to an FBI affidavit and documents filed by prosecutors.

FirstEnergy calls the millions of dollars spent on House Bill 6 ‘contributions’ that were legal, protected – cleveland.com –Attorneys for FirstEnergy Corp. and its top executives say the millions of dollars used to pass House Bill 6 were political contributions channeled legally through a nonprofit.In hundreds of pages of documents filed Tuesday, the attorneys urged a federal judge to throw out a civil lawsuit alleging securities fraud against the Akron utility. They called the money spent on the legislation “issue-advocacy” donations.Federal investigators have referred to the money as bribes. The payments, which totaled $60 million from the company and its affiliates, ended up in the hands of then-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and a group of friends to steer a $1.3 billion bailout of two nuclear plants by state lawmakers, according to federal court records. A subsidiary of FirstEnergy had once owned the plants.Tuesday’s filings address dark money’s role in House Bill 6. Under federal law, companies can funnel unlimited amounts of money anonymously through nonprofits. In this case, FirstEnergy and its affiliates shipped the money to Generation Now, which served as a bank account for Householder’s clique, authorities say.The documents come as FirstEnergy works with the Justice Department on an agreement of deferred prosecution.Such an agreement often calls for a business to cooperate and pay a fine to avoid charges. FirstEnergy noted the talks with authorities in a regulatory filing earlier this year.The lawsuit involving investors was filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus days after federal authorities arrested Householder and four colleagues on racketeering charges. The suit alleged the company issued false and misleading statements to investors about its internal controls and business practices, including pushing for “legislative solutions” to help solve problems with its nuclear facilities.The solutions, the lawsuit said, came in the form of “an illicit campaign to corrupt high-profile state legislators.”FirstEnergy’s filings stressed that the contributions the company and its affiliates made were legal, saying the First Amendment protects the right to contribute anonymously “to groups that speak or advocate on matters of public concern.”Records show FirstEnergy Solutions, which had owned the plants, contributed $56.6 million to Generation Now, the nonprofit that authorities say Householder controlled.The lawyers for the company said the securities lawsuit brought by investors failed to show a direct link between the contributions from FirstEnergy and its affiliates and the passage of the law. “That FirstEnergy made contributions to Generation Now does not establish a return promise from Householder or anyone else as to any specific official act,” the attorneys wrote.

Are Ohio House Republicans planning to expel Larry Householder? Speaker Bob Cupp still won’t say – cleveland.com – Since the beginning of this year’s legislative session, reporters have asked House Speaker Bob Cupp on a regular basis about whether GOP lawmakers will expel state Rep. Larry Householder, who’s charged with overseeing the largest bribery scheme in state history.Every week, Cupp offers an (non-)answer similar to the one he gave Wednesday: “I have nothing further to report.”It’s not because Householder’s fate isn’t on lawmakers’ minds, as Cupp said when pressed by a reporter. “Members talk about it a lot to each other,” he said. “But there’s nothing further to report.”If there’s all this talk among lawmakers, is there any consensus emerging about Householder’s fate?“I have nothing further to report,” Cupp said.When asked why he has nothing further to report, and why he’s withholding such information from the public, Cupp replied: “I’m not withholding anything from the public. I don’t have anything to report.”The House speaker was similarly tight-lipped when asked whether he saw any issue with Householder continuing to draw a legislative salary of more than $60,000 per year. “As you know, my position is Larry Householder should resign,” Cupp answered without any elaboration.Multiple lawmakers and observers have said a comparatively small – though influential – group of House Republicans is holding up the expulsion of Householder, a Perry County Republican.Householder was arrested last July and accused of using more than $60 million in bribe money from FirstEnergy Corp. entities to secure passage of House Bill 6, which included a $1 billion-plus ratepayer bailout for two Northern Ohio nuclear power plants. Householder has maintained his innocence, though two allies and a dark-money group have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme. Soon afterward, the House voted to remove Householder as speaker. But House Republican said at the time they didn’t want to expel Householder from his legislative seat because they can’t expel a member twice for the same offense — meaning if they forced him out then, they wouldn’t be able to do so again this session.

Your Dominion natural gas fees shot up $1.53. What just happened? – Your next natural gas bill from Dominion Energy Ohio will be $1.53 higher – and that’s not from the cost of gas.Dominion Energy Ohio is in the midst of a 25-year-long massive replacement of its aging pipelines. Ohio law allows regulated utilities to recoup costs the utility spends on infrastructure with some oversight from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, so that means customers pay it.In total, Dominion is replacing 5,576 miles across its Ohio territory, which includes West Ohio and Northeast Ohio. In the Akron area, Dominion serves parts of Summit, Stark, Portage and Medina counties.The project was first approved in a rate case in 2008. Collection of what’s called the Pipeline Infrastructure Replacement Cost (PIR), which is included among other charges in the “Total Monthly Charge” on your Dominion bill, began being collected in 2010. The costs to consumers are always a year behind the actual costs incurred by Dominion, which has to turn in documentation to be audited by the PUCO regulators, said Vicki Friscic, Dominion director of regulator & pricing. They have also been incremental increases. The fee started at 72 cents a month in January 2010 and is now $14.98 a month, effective with May bills after May 12. Last year’s rate was $13.45.

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