Environmental News For The Week Ending 05June 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:

• 06 Jun 2021 – Coronavirus Disease Weekly News 06Jun 2021

• 06 Jun 2021 – Coronavirus Economic Weekly News 06June 2021

The number of new cases of Covid continues to decline briskly in most countries around the globe, despite the prevalence of more infectious strains in most regions. Deaths attributed to the virus are also falling, albeit not quite as rapidly.

In the US, new cases during the week ending June 5th were 34.0% lower than those recorded during the week ending May 29th, with new infections occurring at barely 5% of the rate we were seeing during the worst week of January. New US cases are also lower than any time over the history of the pandemic in the US after March 2020, before the virus really took hold in this country. Similarly, US deaths attributed to Covid-19 this week were down 30.4% from the prior week, and lower than any time after March 2020.

New Covid cases worldwide over the past week were 14.7% lower than the prior week, and down 46.1% from the late April peak. Global deaths from the virus were 10.9% lower this week, and down 27.4% from the end of April. Again, lower cases and deaths in India, which still accounts for 31.2% of new cases worldwide, underpins the drop globally; India’s new cases were 32% lower this week than last, while their Covid deaths fell by 19% over the same period. New cases continue to rise in South America, with new cases in Brazil, Argentina, and Columbia accounting for more than 25% of the global total, while they’re also rising in a handful of southeast Asian countries.

We should note that new cases in the UK are also now higher for the 3rd consecutive week, rising by 40% this week alone. The highly contagious Indian variant (now called “Delta”) is responsible for the latest surge there, as it has become the dominant strain, replacing the Kent strain (“Alpha”) which itself was said to be more than 50% more infectious than the original. That Delta strain now accounts for 7% of US cases. Since vaccination rates in the UK are similar to those in the US, that should be a warning to us that we’re not out of the woods just yet.

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 June 1):

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 08 June. 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):

A man in China is found to have H10N3 bird flu, a reminder of a continued ‘concern for pandemic flu.’ – A 41-year-old man in China’s eastern Jiangsu Province is the first known human to be infected with a strain of bird flu known as H10N3, China’s National Health Commission said on Tuesday – a development that experts said merited close monitoring because of an underlying continued risk of pandemic flus.Avian viruses do not typically spread among humans, but they can pose a danger if they mix with a human virus, said Raina MacIntyre, the head of the biosecurity program at the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales in Australia.“If someone has human flu and is infected with bird flu, the two viruses can swap genetic material,” she said. “That’s why you see the concern for pandemic flu arising in countries where humans and livestock have very close contact.”The Health Commission’s announcement said that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission in the Jiangsu case. Contact tracing and surveillance have not uncovered any other infections, officials said. Influenza viruses differ from coronaviruses, and the World Health Organization is working with the Chinese government to monitor the case, according to a statement from the W.H.O. division in Beijing.The man began feeling feverish at the end of April and was hospitalized on April 28, the Chinese government statement said. On May 28, genome sequencing by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention determined that he had been infected with H10N3. The government announcement did not say how the man had been infected, and the W.H.O. said the source of infection was still unknown. Professor MacIntyre said that usually the people infected by avian viruses are those who are in prolonged close contact with the birds, such as poultry handlers. “As long as avian influenza viruses circulate in poultry,” WHO said, “sporadic infection of avian influenza in humans is not surprising, which is a vivid reminder that the threat of an influenza pandemic is persistent.”

A man in China may be the world’s first human to be infected with H10N3 strain of bird flu. What we know. — A man in eastern China may be the first confirmed human case of infection with the H10N3 strain of bird flu, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said Tuesday. The 41-year-old man from Jiangsu province, located northwest of Shanghai, was hospitalized April 28 after developing fever and other symptoms.He was diagnosed with the infection on May 28, according to Reuters, but is now stable and ready to be discharged from the hospital.The health commission said the infection was a result of accidental cross-species transmission. The risk of widespread transmission is low, Chinese officials said, and there are no other human cases of H10N3 reported elsewhere in the world. Avian influenza Type A viruses infect the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts of birds and have been found in more than 100 different species of wild birds around the world, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While these viruses don’t normally infect humans, birds can shed virus in their saliva, mucous and feces, the CDC says. Human infections can occur if enough virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose, or mouth.The CDC says two strains of bird flu viruses have been mostly responsible for human infection and mortality: H7N9 and H5N1. Symptoms of avian influenza A virus infections can range from mild to severe and include conjunctivitis and influenza-like illness such as fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches. Symptoms can also be accompanied by nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and severe respiratory illness, according to the CDC.

UCalgary study shows BPA exposure below regulatory levels can impact brain development – Humans are exposed to a bath of chemicals every day. They are in the beds where we sleep, the cars that we drive and the kitchens we use to feed our families. With thousands of chemicals floating around in our environment, exposure to any number is practically unavoidable. Through the work of researchers like Dr. Deborah Kurrasch, PhD, the implications of many of these chemicals are being thoroughly explored. The latest study out of Kurrasch’s lab, published in Science Advances, suggests that continued vigilance is needed. A postdoctoral researcher in her lab, Dr. Dinu Nesan, PhD, examined the impact of low levels of BPA exposure to pregnant mice and the brain development of their offspring. “Our goal was to model BPA levels equivalent to what pregnant women and developing babies are typically exposed to,” says Kurrasch. “We purposefully did not use a high dose. In fact, our doses were 11-times and nearly 25-times lower than those deemed safe by Health Canada and the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration), respectively. Even at these low levels, we saw effects on prenatal brain development in the mice.” Using this BPA exposure model, Nesan found striking changes to the brain region responsible for driving circadian rhythms, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, located in the hypothalamus. When prenatally exposed to these low levels of BPA, the suprachiasmatic nucleus failed to develop properly. This change can have implications for sleep, activity levels, and other behaviours. “Previously we showed embryonic exposure to low-dose BPA can affect the timing of when neurons develop in zebrafish, but it was unclear whether a similar effect would be observed in a mammalian model with more similarities to humans,” says Nesan, first author on the study. When neurons develop, they rely on proper signals to guide them. If neurons develop too early, the cues they experience are different, which can lead to developmental errors such as migrating to the wrong location, becoming the wrong type of neuron, or forming inappropriate connections. These errors can lead to altered behaviors later in life. “Our study shows that in pregnant mice, prenatal exposure to BPA affects the timing of neuron development in the fetal brain, which has lasting effects on behaviours. Offspring that are exposed to BPA during gestation are awake longer and exhibit hyperactivity. The prenatal BPA exposure seems to change the brain’s circadian cues, causing the animals to have elevated energy levels and spend less time resting,” says Nesan.

Food Additive in Starbursts, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, +3,000 Others No Longer Considered Safe – A study conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has deemed that titanium dioxide, an additive found in more than 3,000 ultra-processed foods, including Starbursts, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Jello, and Little Debbie snack cakes, may cause cell mutations and damage DNA.This conclusion came after the review of hundreds of scientific studies. Titanium dioxide is a synthetic white pigment used to color processed foods. It’s extracted through a chemical process that utilizes sulfate or fluoride.Titanium dioxide consists of nanoparticles that not only exist in certain food products but also topicals, such as sunscreen that we put on our skin. The additive has the ability to give foods a smooth texture on the tongue, Arizona State University professor Paul Westerhoff said.Even though titanium dioxide is in many processed foods, particularly sugary, processed foods that attractchildren, the pet store, Petco, banned the sales of pet foods that contain titanium dioxide in May of 2019.”It’s sometimes hard to stomach that my 9-year-old cat is more protected than my 9-year-old son,” Aurora Meadows, licensed dietician and nutritionist at The Environmental Working Group said. The EFSA is currently reviewing the safety of all food additives, in addition to titanium dioxide. Researchers could not determine a safe level of exposure of the additive, coming to the opinion that it is not safe to use in foods.In 1969, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of titanium dioxide as a food colorant – this approval hasn’t been reevaluated since. Unlike the FDA, every five years the USDA reviews synthetic ingredients added to USDA Organic products. The Environment Working Group called on the FDA to reevaluate the safety of using titanium dioxide as new research from the EFSA has emerged. Currently, the FDA allows more than 10,000 chemicals to be added to foods, without requiring reevaluation of using certain additives, even when new research emerges.

Forever Chemicals Found in Home Fertilizers – From the looks of it, “forever chemicals” could also be called “everywhere chemicals.” Toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have shown up in everything from drinking water to mothers’ milk. And, most recently, in the fertilizers home gardeners use to grow food.A report published last week by the Ecology Center and the Sierra Club tested home fertilizers made from sewage waste for PFAS and found the chemicals in all nine of the fertilizers they tested. Further, eight of the nine fertilizers contained PFAS levels greater than the limit set by the state of Maine, which currently has the toughest regulations for PFAS concentration in agriculture.”Spreading biosolids or sewage sludge where we grow food means some PFAS will get in the soil, some will be taken up by plants, and if the plants are eaten, then that’s a direct route into the body,” report co-author and Ecology Center senior scientist Gillian Miller told The Guardian.PFAS are chemicals used by a variety of industries to make products resistant to stains, water or grease. Their wide use is a problem, however, because they persist in the environment for an extended period of time and have been linked to health impacts including cancer, birth defects and liver disease.One of the ways that PFAS can enter the environment is through wastewater, as companies in most states are not prevented from flushing PFAS-containing wastewater into treatment plants, the report explained. Wastewater treatment plants, however, do not remove the chemicals, which then adhere to solid waste.This waste, known as sewage sludge, is often used as fertilizer for agriculture because it contains nutrients like nitrogen. In fact, almost half of U.S. sewage is spread on farms, pastures or wild areas. It also ends up in home fertilizers under the ingredient name “biosolids,” as a Sierra Club press release explained.The report tested nine fertilizers containing “biosolids” that are sold at nationwide chains including Lowe’s, The Home Depot and Ace Hardware. The researchers tested the products for 33 PFAS compounds and found 24 of these in at least one product. Further, between 14 and 20 different PFAS compounds were found in every fertilizer.

Monarch Sequoias Can Live 3,000 Years, But Earth Lost 10% of Them All in 2020 – Scientists have known last year’s Castle Fire was probably the most destructive for California’s famously fire-resilient sequoias in at least 700 years, but a draft National Park Service report obtained by the Visalia Times-Delta puts a quantitative measurement on that fire’s climate-fueled toll.Between 7,500 and 10,000 monarch sequoias – about 10% to 14% of the world’s mature sequoia population – perished in the fire. “I cannot overemphasize how mind-blowing this is for all of us. These trees have lived for thousands of years. They’ve survived dozens of wildfires already,” Christy Brigham, chief of Resources Management and Science at Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, told the Times-Delta.Redwood forests are some of the world’s most efficient when it comes to removing carbon from the atmosphere, and also provide critical wildlife habitat and watershed protection for farmers and communities in the San Joaquin Valley. The loss numbers, derived from satellite data, will be confirmed visually when scientists are able to hike the high-elevation groves still covered in snow.”Not much in my life in the natural world has made me cry, but this did,” Nate Stephenson, a research ecologist for the U.S. Geological Survey who works in the park and has been studying sequoias for years, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “It hit me like a ton of bricks.”

South Korea to Plant 3 Billion Trees to Help Reach Carbon Neutrality by 2050 -World Economic Forum’s global initiative the Tree Trillion campaign aims to plant one trillion trees by 2030. The South Korean Forest Service is planning to contribute to this initiative by planting 3 billion trees over the next 30 years.Minister Park Jong-ho of the Korea Forest Service (KFS) announced this plan, intended to help the country reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. In 2016, South Korea ranked 11th in greenhouse gas emissions.The estimated cost for the project is around 6 trillion won, about $5.3 billion. Restoring Korean forests by planting new trees could help seize around 34 million tons of carbon emissions, according to The Korea Herald. According to KFS, trees that are over 30 years old are not as effective at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The last period of intensive forest planting in Korea was in the 1970s and 1980s, according to Newsworld. KFS noted that native trees like the Korean Pine don’t absorb carbon as well as other species, so it plans to plant yellow poplars and other non-native trees. The trees planted will cover around 2.34 million hectares, equivalent to almost 6 million acres, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

Substantial carbon dioxide emissions from northern peatlands drained for crop cultivation – A new study shows that substantial amounts of carbon dioxide were released during the last millennium because of crop cultivation on peatlands in the Northern Hemisphere. Only about half of the carbon released through the conversion of peat to croplands was compensated by continuous carbon absorption in natural northern peatlands. Peatlands are a type of wetland which store more organic carbon than any other type of land ecosystem in the world. Due to waterlogged conditions, dead plant materials do not fully decay and carbon accumulates in peatlands over thousands of years. Therefore, natural peatlands help to cool the climate by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and trapping carbon in soils. However, artificial drainage of peatlands for agriculture aerates the soil and enhances the decay of organic matter, rapidly releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Peatlands are a missing piece of the carbon cycle puzzle; little is known about how much carbon has been released due to drainage and conversion of peatland to cropland during the historical sprawl of agriculture, and about the role of cultivated peatlands versus natural peatlands. The new international study, led by INRAE and LSCE, and including the University of Exeter, quantified CO2 fluxes in natural and cultivated peatlands between 850 and 2010. The study provides the first detailed estimates of historical carbon losses from cultivated northern peatlands. “We incorporated peatland hydrological and carbon processes into a process-based land surface model,” “This model is one of the first to simulate natural peatland and the conversion of peatland to cropland and resultant CO2 emissions. “We also looked at how the carbon emission rates of cultivated peatlands vary with time after conversion. “High CO2 emissions can occur after the initial drainage of peatland, but then, the emission rates decrease with time because of depletion of labile carbon and increasing recalcitrance of the remaining material.” “This study highlights how much carbon is lost if you drain peatlands, as we have done to many peatlands in Europe, but it also reminds us how important it is to make sure we manage peatlands appropriately.” “Carbon emissions from drainage of peatlands are a source of concern for national greenhouse gas budgets and future emission trajectories,” “However, we have only a very few observations, and peatland drainage and cultivation are not explicitly considered by bookkeeping models and dynamic global vegetation models used to compute the annual carbon budget.

Lakes Are Losing Oxygen, Major Global Study Finds — Climate change is contributing to falling oxygen levels in lakes across the world, according to a study published in the journal Nature Wednesday.Previous studies have shown falling oxygen levels in individual lakes, but this study is the first to look at so many lakes globally, as researchers gathered data from nearly 400 lakes in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and South America. The study found that in the past 40 years, oxygen levels have fallen nearly 19% in deep waters and 5% in surface waters, which is up to nine times faster than the oxygen loss in oceans.Low oxygen levels in lakes can suffocate wildlife and threaten drinking water quality. In some lakes, oxygen levels increased at the surface, likely because warmer temperatures can drive algal blooms, which temporarily release oxygen. This oxygen increase does not benefit deep waters, though, and algal blooms can release toxic chemicals and produce methane, further contributing to climate change.”This study proves that the problem is even more severe in fresh waters [than in oceans], threatening our drinking water supplies and the delicate balance that enables complex freshwater ecosystems to thrive,” said Curt Breneman, dean of science at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which led the study.As reported by The Associated Press: The authors said their findings suggest that warming temperatures and decreased water clarity from human activity are causing the oxygen decline.“Oxygen is one of the best indicators of ecosystem health, and changes in this study reflect a pronounced human footprint,” said co-author Craig E. Williamson, a biology professor at Miami University in Ohio.That footprint includes warming caused by climate change and decreased water clarity caused in part by runoff from sewage, fertilizer, cars and power plants.

Biden administration pitches $2.8 billion in funding for outdoor recreation and conservation projects – – The Biden administration on Thursday proposed funding for dozens of conservation and recreation projects across the country as it allocates $2.8 billion in grants and programs authorized by a landmark conservation law enacted last year. Congress approved the Great American Outdoors Act by wide, bipartisan majorities with a mandate to support rural economies, boost outdoor recreation and improve access to public lands. The law authorizes $900 million per year – double previous spending – for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and $1.9 billion per year on improvements at national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and rangelands. Projected spending in the next fiscal year includes $19.4 million to rehabilitate the popular Ahwahnee Hotel at Yosemite National Park in California, and $91.3 million at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming to replace the Yellowstone River Bridge and upgrade the wastewater treatment system at the park’s famed Old Faithful geyser. On the other side of the country, the National Park Service is set to spend $27.4 million to repair historic structures at the Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, Massachusetts, and $32.8 million to improve the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. Minute Man is among those that will be featured in upcoming commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The Interior Department also plans to spend a total of $77 million at Big Bend National Park in Texas to rehabilitate a water system and repair the Chisos Mountain Lodge, and $24.9 million at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio to stabilize its riverbank and support its well-used towpath trail. All are popular tourist destinations that expect to see an increase in visitors as restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic ease.

As Tourism Returns, We Can’t Allow Cruise Companies to Destroy Coral Reefs for Profit -As summer approaches, reports of the return of leisure travel are beginning to emerge following the unprecedented shutdown during the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the world’s most popular tourism destinations have begun to plan an eventual reopening, exploring what their “new normal” will look like. In April 2020, the global pandemic shut down Grand Cayman Island’s port, which normally saw the arrival of dozens of cruise ships and thousands of tourists every month. The Cayman Islands was the only Caribbean nation to voluntarily halt its cruise economy, prioritizing the safety of its residents. Local businesses, hurt by the loss of tourism dollars, have already started going under; iconic local spots that make up much of the community’s social fabric, for tourists and locals alike, are being lost. Soon, though, the ban on cruise ships will undoubtedly lift, and tourism will slowly return. And when that happens, the residents of Grand Cayman and nearby islands may find themselves worrying about another major threat posed by these cruise companies, one that runs the risk of being drowned out by the disruption caused by the pandemic. In 2019 the Cayman Islands government announced a plan to move forward on a massive new port project in George Town Harbor, supported by two major cruise-ship operators. Without this project, cruise ships visiting the island must anchor offshore and shuttle passengers back and forth with smaller vessels – an important aspect of the local economy with historic roots in the coastal community. The new project, estimated to cost $200 million, would allow cruise ships to come all the way to shore by building deep new docks capable of accommodating four cruise ships at a time, each of which could bring thousands of additional visitors to the island, according to the cruise companies and government supporters. But getting to this point would require dredging 22 acres of George Town Harbor’s seabed, destroying 10 to 15 acres of fragile coral reefs in the process. If that happens, another vital part of the fabric of Grand Cayman life would be lost.

Climate Crisis and Negligent Policymakers Blamed for ‘Record Sickening Levels’ of Manatee Deaths in Florida –Conservation advocates in Florida are warning that 1,000 manatees in the state’s water could die this year – hundreds more than in recent years – due to starvation driven by water pollution, the climate crisis, and other man-made harms to the mammals’ ecosystem.As The Guardian reported Monday, 749 manatees died between January 1 and May 21, compared with 637 deaths in all of 2020, qualifying as an “unusual mortality event” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).Experts in the state point to the death of seagrass, manatees’ primary food source, including the majority of 80,000 acres of the plants in the Indian River Lagoon due to blue-green algae blooms – “which have themselves been caused by decades of human nutrient pollution from wastewater and runoff that continues unabated to this day,” Bob Graham, a former Democratic Florida governor and co-founder of Save the Manatee, wrote in the Tampa Bay Times last month.Runoff containing fertilizers, microplastics, and other chemicals has been linked to the growth of blooms.Warmer water temperatures linked to the climate crisis have also been known to foster the growth of algae, which cover the water’s surface and deprive sea grasses of sunlight. In response, manatees overgraze the remaining seagrass.As The Guardian reported, toxic wastewater leaks into Tampa Bay from the Piney Point fertilizer plant in Manatee County, Florida has led to water-poisoning red tide algae blooms, with the FWC linking at least 12 manatee deaths to the algae.A study by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) in March also found traces of pesticides in more than 55% of the manatees the group tested.”Our beloved chubby sea cows are dodging boat strikes, reeling from red tide and starving in the Indian River Lagoon because of water pollution,” Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director for the CBD, told The Guardian. “It’s heartbreaking to add chronic glyphosate exposure to the list of factors threatening manatee survival.” With just 7,500 manatees remaining, the unabated threats could mean the species is wiped out within a few years, as well as killing off other marine species and causing disaster for Florida’s beaches and tourism industry.

15 Elephants Are on a Mysterious, Epic Journey Across China – Fifteen Asian elephants are in the middle of an epic journey across a Chinese province, and no one knows why. The herd of elephants first left their home in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve in the spring of last year. Since then, they have covered a distance of more than 300 miles in what experts say is the longest-ever trek made by elephants in China.”It makes me think of the movie ‘Nomadland,'” Zoological Society of London consultant Becky Shu Chen toldThe New York Times.The elephants have been traveling northward through the southern Chinese province of Yunnan, Al Jazeera reported. Along the way, they have captured the hearts and attention of Chinese social media users, but also gotten into their fair share of trouble. They have eaten more than $1 million worth of crops, and there are reports that at least one of the elephants got drunk on fermented grain, BBC News reported.The herd set out with 17 or 16 elephants originally, but over the more-than-a-year journey, two have turned back and one was born. As of 9:55 p.m. Wednesday, they had made it to the outskirts of the city of Kunming, which has a population of 8.5 million people, according to The New York Times.One social media user joked that the elephants might have headed towards the city to attend the UN Biodiversity Conference slated to take place in Kunming in October, as BBC News reported. While this was said in jest, the elephants might have serious grievances to bring to such a gathering. Some argue that the unusual journey was set off by habitat loss.”The main driver is the decrease and fragmentation of the rainforest, where they live,” Pan Wenjing of Greenpeace East Asia told Al Jazeera.” And the reason is because of the expansion of human activities such as plantations, for example, tea and rubber as well as constructions.”

Record cold grips eastern U.S. over the Memorial Day weekend – Numerous cold temperature records have been broken in parts of the eastern U.S. over the Memorial Day weekend while a heat wave is forecast to reach dangerous levels for some locations in the west, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). In addition to the unseasonal cold in the east, some of the highest elevations saw fresh snow. Meanwhile, in the west, Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories are in place for areas where heat-related illnesses are possible.Much of the eastern half of the United States, particularly the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, experienced a cold Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, May 29, numerous locations in the east set records for their coldest high temperatures or came very close.”More than two dozen locations from Ohio and Kentucky, eastward to southern New England either broke or tied daily records for lowest high temperature on May 29,” AccuWeatherreported.”In addition, record low temperatures were broken or tied across portions of the Great Lakes, Northeast and other areas in the northern tier of the country.”Boston’s 10 °C (50 °F) was colder on Saturday, May 29 than it was on either Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day.Washington’s 15 °C (59 °F) was the second coldest on record for May 29 and the coldest high temperature this late in the spring since 1997, when the temperature was 14.4 °C (58 °F) on June 3.Baltimore’s 14.4 °C (58 °F) was its coldest on record (since the late 1880s), as well as Philadelphia’s 12.2 °C (54 °F) and Pittsburgh 10.6 °C (51 °F). New York City’s 10.6 °C (51 °F) tied the coldest temperature on record, while Albany’s 10 °C (50 °F) was its coldest.Several areas in the Northeast also had record cold minimum temperatures, while the snow was observed in the mountains of Vermont.”In addition to the unseasonable chill and rain, some of the highest elevations in the Northeast even woke up to a fresh coating of slushy snow to start the holiday weekend,” AccuWeather added.By Sunday, May 30, the cold was diminishing over the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, centering around Washington and Baltimore.”A cool, damp northeasterly flow that wrapped around a storm tracking through the Northeast is generally to blame for the cold and gray weekend,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.”As moisture-laden air from the Atlantic Ocean wrapped around the storm, it tended to get wedged in areas from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Coast, resulting in cloudy skies, drizzle, and in some cases, a steady rainfall,” he explained.

Memorial Day heat breaks records in Northern California – – The unofficial start to summer brought record heat to the Sacramento Valley.For the first time this year, highs warmed to the 100s for many places in Northern California. The quick warm up into the triple digits came as a high pressure system set up over much of the West Coast.A record high at Sacramento Executive was set with a high of 104°, breaking the old record of 103° set back in 2011. Downtown Sacramento tied the record for the date at 106°, falling just short of the monthly record high of 107° set on May 28, 1984.Even more extreme highs were reached in the northern Sacramento Valley.Redding hit a record high of 109° which broke the daily and monthly record. Red Bluff reached highs of 108° breaking the daily record. That temperature in Red Bluff also tied the highest monthly temperature record of 108°, set back on May 28, 1984.

Western States Sizzle Under Triple-Digit Temperatures – NY Times – Temperatures in parts of California could reach well above 100 on Wednesday, and areas across Nevada and Washington State will continue to see sweltering conditions. Dangerously hot conditions and triple-digit temperatures are forecast for the Western United States this week, leading to a wave of excessive-heat warnings and heat advisories from Central California and Nevada up to Washington. Temperatures were forecast to hit 107 on Wednesday in the San Joaquin Valley in the center of California, according to the National Weather Service. While temperatures in Fresno were 16 to 18 degrees above normal for this time of year, they fell short of breaking records. The high temperature in Fresno on Tuesday was 104 and was forecast to reach similar heights on Wednesday. In Redding, in Northern California, temperatures reached 107 on Tuesday, a day after peaking at 109 and breaking the previous record of 103 set in 2016, meteorologists said. An excessive-heat warning will remain in place over portions of the valley and foothills through Thursday with highs around 100 to 105. In Nevada, Las Vegas saw its first 100-degree day of the year on Monday, followed by another triple-digit day – 103 – on Tuesday. It’s forecast to hit 105 on Wednesday and 106 on Thursday. Areas around the city and just across the California state line in Death Valley will be under an excessive heat warning through Friday night, the Weather Service said. Temperatures may climb up to 119 in Death Valley. An expanded heat advisory is also in effect through Thursday night for the central and southeastern portion of Washington, the Weather Service said. High temperatures could reach the upper 90s or lower 100s. Similar sweltering conditions are forecast forportions of Oregon, where temperatures could reach 105. Hot weather is also forecast for Montana over Wednesday and Thursday with high temperatures climbing into the upper 80s and upper 90s. High temperatures could reach 15 to 25 degrees above normal, meteorologists said. Warmer-than-average temperatures have been the trend in recent memory. Last year tied 2016 as the hottest year on record, according to European climate researchers. To complicate matters, a severe drought is ravaging the entire western half of the United States, from the Pacific Coast, across the Great Basin and desert Southwest, and up through the Rockies to the Northern Plains. A recent study published in the journal Nature Climate Change suggested that more than a third of heat-related deaths in many parts of the world can be attributed to the extra warming associated with climate change. The research found that heat-related deaths in warm seasons were boosted by climate change by an average of 37 percent, in a range of a 20 to 76 percent increase.

Parts of southeast Australia shiver through coldest May mornings on record – Parts of southeast Australia saw record cold temperatures on Sunday and Monday, May 30 and 31, 2021, with many inland areas plunging below freezing temperatures. Temperatures in Melbourne City, Victoria, plunged to 1.7 °C (35 °F)– its coldest May morning for 71 years. Renmark and Adelaide in South Australia also recorded their coldest May morning since 1927, with temperatures dipping to 3.5 °C (38.3 °F).It was a frosty Sunday across southeast Australia, with temperature records tumbling across the region. Residents in the city of Melbourne woke up to their coldest May morning for 71 years and 364 days, with the mercury dropping to 1.7 °C (35 °F). The area’s coldest ever recorded May morning was -1.1 °C (30 °F) set on May 29, 1916.In Victoria, Adelaide dipped to 3.5 °C (38.3 °F)– the equal coldest May morning since 1927. Some of the lowest overnight minimums included Mt. Hotham with 6.2 °C (43.2 °F), Yunta with 4.8 °C (40.6 °F), Rutherglen with 4.7 °C (40.5 °F), and Horsham with 4.3 °C (39.7 °F).Other areas in states such as New South Wales, ACT, and Tasmania also saw their lowest minimums, including 5.2 °C (41.4 °F) at Mount Hope, 4.1 °C (39.4 °F) at Canberra, 3.9 °C (39 °F) at Fingal, and -0.3 °C (31.5 °F) at Launceston.In South Australia, the town of Renmark recorded its coldest May morning as the mercury dropped to a chilling -5.1 °C (22.8 °F). The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) declared a record-breaking low for the town’s airport before 21:00 UTC on Sunday (07:00 LT on Monday).Early Monday morning, May 31, the towns of Loxton and Lameroo registered below freezing temperatures of -3.5 and -1.1 °C (25.7 and 30 °F), respectively. Near Adelaide, Nuriootpa hit exactly 0 °C (32 °F), while Strathalbyn plummeted to 0.3 °C (31.5 °F). “

Rare Level 5 warning for disruptive snow issued for parts of South Africa – The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a rare Orange Level 5 warning for disruptive snow over the Drakensberg regions for June 2, 2021, with mountain passes expected to be closed. A Yellow level 2 warning for disruptive rain is expected over extreme eastern parts of the Eastern Cape and the southern half of KZN on June 2. Flooding of susceptible roads, informal settlements as well as low-lying bridges can be expected.There is a likelihood of a significant impact to occur due to the accumulation of snow combined with extremely cold weather which may include the following: Danger to life and property due to hypothermia and the collapsing of infrastructure, widespread loss of livestock and crops, closure of all major routes. Melting snow towards the end of the event will cause small streams and rivers in the low-lying areas to flood. Freezing overnight temperatures will cause water to freeze on road surfaces resulting in extremely hazardous driving conditions.A week of very cold temperatures is expected across the majority of South Africa from today, June 1, lasting well into the coming weekend, SAWS said in a media release.The cold temperatures follow in the wake of a cold front that moved over the eastern parts of the country on Sunday evening, sustained by the development of a cut-off low pressure system over the south-eastern parts of the country.The cut-off low pressure system will be responsible for the majority of adverse weather expected over the next three days.This includes snowfall accumulation of between 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6 inches) over Lesotho and the southern Drakensberg mountains in the Eastern Cape, rainfall of a disruptive nature along the Wild Coast and northeastern KwaZulu-Natal as well as wet conditions accompanied by very cold temperatures over the high lying areas of the Eastern Cape, Free State, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal.

Ushuaia hit by heaviest snowfall in more than 20 years, Argentina – A snowstorm has been pummeling Ushuaia City in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, since May 24, 2021. According to the Civil Defense, the storm dumped more than 0.5 m (1.6 feet) of snow over the weekend alone, an amount not seen for more than two decades.”For more than two decades we have not had a record of such a large and prolonged snowfall,” said Cristian Elias, the region’s Civil Defense coordinator.Elias added that if the heavy snow continues, they would be “facing a historical weather phenomenon for the city’s records.”Since late May, snow has been falling continuously in the area. More than 30 cm (12 inches) have fallen in a 24-hour period to May 30.The accumulated snow caused traffic disruptions, but the municipal government said they are carrying out “immense work to allow passability through the most traveled circuits.”The Civil Defense advised residents to avoid going out unless necessary, and if they should, travel with utmost caution and comply with the current regulations amid the severe weather.The snow is accompanied by unseasonal cold temperatures, with some areas recording -9 °C (15.8 °F).

Delhi sees coldest June day amid streak of record-breaking weather since August 2020, India – (videos) India’s capital Delhi has seen its coldest June day on record on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, with temperatures plummeting to 17.9 °C (64.2 °F). The city has been on a streak of breaking weather records since August 2020, with at least one major record busted each and every month.On Tuesday, a dust storm and late-night rain brought Delhi’s temperature down to 17.9 °C (64.2 °F)– the city’s coldest day recorded in June. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the previous coldest minimum temperature in Delhi for the month of June was 18 °C (64.4 °F), set on June 17, 2006.The recent temperature continued the city’s trend of breaking historical weather records every month since last year. As Hindustan Times called it, the capital was “on a weather barrier-breaking streak for at least the last nine months.”In August 2020, Delhi registered 236.5 mm (9.3 inches) of rain– the highest for the month since 2013. In September, the city registered its warmest month in nearly 20 years, with the average maximum temperature hitting 36.2 °C (97.2 °F). It broke the previous record of 36.1 °C (97 °F) set in 2015. The last time Delhi registered a higher average maximum temperature in September was in 2001 when the temperature shoots up to 36.3 °C 97.3 °F). In October, the capital smashed a 58-year-old record by registering a mean minimum temperature of just 17.2 °C (63 °F). In November, Delhi busted an even older record as the month’s mean minimum temperature pummeled to 10.2 °C (50.4 °F). It was a level last witnessed in 1949. A cold wave then gripped the city for eight days in December, the longest streak since 1965. In January 2021, a cold snap lingered over the capita for seven days– the highest number of cold wave days since 2008. During the same month, the city was drenched by 56.6 mm (2.2 inches) of rain, which was the highest January rain in 21 years. The weather abruptly changed in February, when the city recorded its second warmest in 120 years as the mean maximum temperature in the month hit 27.9 °C (82.2°F). The all-time record was 29.7 °C (85.5 °F) set in 2006. Delhi then continued to swelter through warm temperatures in March as it recorded 40.1 °C (104.2 °F) on the 29th– its hottest day in 76 years. Weather conditions suddenly changed again in April, with the capital recording 11.7 °C (53 °F) on the 4th– the lowest minimum temperature in at least a decade. In May, due to the impact of Cyclone Tauktae, Delhi busted the record for the highest single-day rainfall for the month with 119.3 mm (4.7 inches) on May 19 and 20. Now, in June, a new record has been set.

Brazil experiencing worst dry spell in 91 years, prompting emergency drought alert – video – Brazil is experiencing its worst dry spell in 91 years, government agencies warned and declared an “emergency drought alert” for June to September as rains are forecast to remain scarce during that period. The country’s Electricity Sector Monitoring Committee (CMSE) said that water regulator ANA should recognize a situation of “water scarcity” in the Parana River Basin as central and southern Brazil are suffering from the country’s worst drought in nearly a century.”As highlighted by the National Electricity System Operator, in May 2021, significant values of precipitation were not observed, typical behavior of the dry season, a condition that should continue in the coming months, especially in the southeast/midwest region,” the CMSE said in a statement.Separately, a weather monitoring agency linked to the Agriculture Ministry issued its first emergency drought alert for five Brazilian states, from June to September.The lack of rain across much of the country is feared to have negative impacts on livestock, grain cultivation, and electricity generation, as the nation heavily depends on hydro dams for its power.Scientists also warned that the dry spell could spark more severe fires in the Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands.On Friday, May 28, the Ministry of Mines and Energy said it has sought to expand the supply of energy in Brazil, but decided on conducting an emergency process for hiring capacity.”The current situation is challenging. There is no provision for emergency energy contracting,” it said in a statement, citing lower than normal reservoirs.Among the worst-hit sectors in Brazil were sugar and coffee production, which led to price hikes for the commodities. The country is the world’s largest supplier of the said products.

Drought Fuels Conflict in Klamath Basin – The massive drought parching the American West has reached a (dry) boil in the Klamath Basin along the California-Oregon border as climate change drives conflict between Native American tribes, farmers, regulators, and conservationists. Earlier this year, federal officials shut irrigation outflow gates from Klamath Lake, Oregon’s largest, in order to slow catastrophic salmon die-offs. Those salmon are protected by federal law and the federal government guaranteed Klamath Tribes they would be able to fish for them and other native species. Shutting the outflow gates has infuriated farmers, whose crops require irrigation from the Klamath. Twenty years ago, during a similar drought-induced water shortage, three men were charged after going on a racist shooting spree through the town where Klamath Tribes’ offices are located. This year, notorious anti-government militant Ammon Bundy has threatened violence against law enforcement if the gates are not opened for farmers. “These are not things that are going to get better if climate change continues to give us more uncertainty and less reliable supplies of water,” William Jaeger, an economics professor at Oregon State University who specializes in environmental, resource and agricultural policy issues, told The New York Times.

California’s Epic Drought Is Parching Reservoirs and Worrying Farmers (photos) California is an infamously thirsty place. But this year, even by its own standards, the state is shockingly, scarily parched. So far in 2021, the state has received half of its expected precipitation; that makes it the third driest year on record according to California’s Department of Water Resources.This past week, as temperatures from Sacramento up to the Oregon border topped 100º Fahrenheit, the intense heat evaporated the remaining water at an astonishing pace, creating scenes more reminiscent of Hollywood-manufactured dystopias like Mad Max than the lush paradise Americans are used to envisioning on their West Coast.At Folsom Lake, the enormous reservoir that supplies both drinking and irrigation water in the middle of the state, surface levels suddenly dropped to 68 feet below what they were at this time last year. By last week, boat slips that once floated were sitting on a dry lake bed with grass sprouting around them. Folsom is hardly alone in its extremity. The long-lasting lack of precipitation is taxing reservoirs state-wide. On April 21, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency in two northern counties, Mendocino and Sonoma, where water levels had reached record lows. On May 10, Newsom extended the emergency declaration to encompass 41 of the state’s counties, which are home to roughly 30% of the state’s population. And still the water supply shrinks. Nicasio Reservoir outside of San Francisco has been reduced to a cracked dried mud flat, while green algae grows at the edges of the San Luis Reservoir, just south of San Jose. While California has experienced dry spells before, scientists say this one has been amped up by climate change. Drought has afflicted the America Southwest for nearly two decades – the period from 2000 to 2019 was the second-driest in the area since at least 800 C.E. Researchers from Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory estimated that man-made changes to the climate were responsible for 47% of the drought’s severity, in a study published in the journal Science last year. Worse, the researchers predicted that the Southwest could be entering an era of mega-drought, a period when extreme water scarcity lasts for decades rather than years. For agriculture-heavy California that spells big trouble, especially the water-intensive crops such as lettuces and almonds the state is famous for producing.

Fallow Land Plagues California Farmers Hit By Drought – We’ve documented (read here & here) this spring of a “megadrought” sweeping through the western half of the country and could be one of the worst in decades. This is troubling news because major water reservoirs have already dropped to dangerously low levels, cutting off access to farmers. The latest US Drought Monitor map shows nearly the entire western half of the nation is experiencing some level of drought at this moment. Parts of the Southwest could be undergoing their second Dust Bowl as conditions continue to deteriorate. According to Reuters, for farmers like Joe Del Bosque, located in Firebaugh, California, a third of his 2,000-acre farm is unseeded this spring due to extreme drought and the inability to source water. About 40% of California’s 24.6 million acres of farmland is irrigated. State and federal agencies that regulate reservoirs and canals across the state do not have enough water to allocate to farmers. Many of them are leaving their fields unplanted as a result of the water shortage. We’ve explained before, La Nina conditions are turbocharging droughts in North and South America. Agriculture in the state counts for 2% of its GDP and employs hundreds of thousands of workers. The state is a top producer of berries, dairy products, nuts and vegetables. Del Bosque told Reuters he’s “taking a big risk in planting crops and hoping the water gets here in time.” Others are reducing crop acreage as there is simply no water to go around:“I’m going to be reducing some of our almond acreages. I may be increasing some of our row crops, like tomatoes,” said Stuart Woolf, who operates 30,000 acres in Western Fresno County. Woolf said about 30% or 9,000 acres would be fallow this growing season because of water shortages.

Drought ravages California reservoirs, record low levels expected this summer – Severe drought has caused California’s reservoirs to run low, with Lake Oroville expected to reach a record low later this summer. Nearly three-quarters of the state is suffering from the extreme dry spell, with other areas facing a dire water supply situation and fears of wildfires.Each year, Lake Oroville helps water a quarter of the nation’s crops and sustain endangered salmon beneath its dam. However, the lake is seen to be shrinking at a surprising speed amid a severe drought.According to AP, state officials are forecasting it will reach a record low as hot summer looms.If the lake drops below 195 m (640 feet), which is possible by late August, officials would have to close down a major power plant for the second time ever due to low water levels that will strain the electrical grid during the hottest part of summer. The lake’s record low is 197 m (646 feet).While dry spells are common in California, this year is much drier than the previous seasons, with waters quickly evaporating from reservoirs.

The Southwest’s climate warning: Drought, wildfire risk and rising temperatures – One of the fastest-warming regions of the U.S. is the Southwest – and that region, plus the broader West, is stuck in its most expansive and intense drought of the 21st century. Studies show that a warming climate is exacerbating the drought, and in some ways may be triggering it in the first place. That means the Southwest is drying out – and California’s large wildfires could start as soon as next month. And one climate researcher says California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains saw one of the fastest snow melt-outs in history this year. The drought situation is particularly severe in the Colorado River Basin and northern California. Scientists and public officials are warning that the California wildfire season is likely to be severe, due to the combination of dry vegetation and above-average temperatures. This one comes on the heels of the worst fire season in state history, which turned the skies above San Francisco a “Blade Runner” orange last year.: Some parts of the world are already getting close to, or have slipped beyond, the Paris agreement’s temperature limit thatscientists warned about in a report last week. As Earth’s temperatures tick upwards, closer to the Paris guardrail of 1.5°C (2.7°F) above preindustrial levels, some parts of the world are already warming by much greater amounts, from the Southwestern U.S. to the Arctic. These areas are seeing destructive impacts that are mounting. California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains show what climate change can do as it worsens. The mountain snowpack, which provides 30% of the state’s water supply annually, has vanished about two months ahead of schedule.Water runoff from snow melt has been paltry, and major reservoirs like Lake Oroville are running even lower than they did during the record drought from 2012-2016. The worsening drought and potentially devastating wildfire season is not an isolated occurrence for California and other Southwestern states. Climate studies have consistently shown that as the world continues to warm, the Southwest will become drier and hotter. This is worrisome, given the likelihood of increased stress on water resources amid a population boom in states such as Arizona and Nevada. Although it’s interspersed with short intervals of wetter years, parts of the West, including California, are suffering through an emerging, human-caused “megadrought” that began in 2000. Studies show this drought, measured using soil moisture data and tree rings, is the second-worst in the past 1,200 years.

Significant flooding sweeps through parts of New Mexico – Significant flooding swept through parts of New Mexico on Sunday, May 30, 2021, leading to damage and disruptions. Police reported at least one person died after her vehicle got caught in floodwaters in Hondo.Significant flooding hit parts of the state after Sunday night’s storms. Images and videos of the event show water dragging debris through streets.”I started packing up the most important papers and just some things we can put into backpacks in case we had to get out of here,” resident Danielle Thompson told local media. Floodwaters washed away their stairs to the house and damaged the foundation. “We just thank God that the house didn’t really take off and float with this storm,” her husband Blake Thompson added.Other homes and businesses in the southeast region have started dealing with the aftermath of the storms. Asian Market and Taqueria Hagerman, two of the affected businesses, had to close because of the flooding.Some volunteer groups said they hope sandbags can prevent floodwaters from getting inside their establishments. The National Weather Service placed a severe thunderstorm watch for Socorro, Ruidoso, Roswell, Artesia, Carlsbad, and Hobbs through Monday, May 31. The State Police confirmed at least one fatality identified as 47-year-old Heather Garrett of San Patricio. The woman was riding her vehicle when it got swept away by floodwaters in Lincoln County. Rescue crews found her body downstream of Alamo Canyon Road.

Historic rainfall hits New Zealand, causing severe flooding – Hundreds of residents in north Canterbury in New Zealand have been evacuated amid severe flooding fuelled by a one-in-100-year heavy rain over the weekend. According to NIWA, the rainfall was 200 to 400 percent of normal for the month of May, causing rivers to rise and flood. A state of emergency has been declared on Sunday, May 30, 2021, as flooding threatened thousands of homes. The New Zealand MetService has issued a rare Red Warning for Heavy Rain for the Canterbury region prior to the deluge. “This is only the second red warning issued by MetService [for the Canterbury region] and this will be a significant weather event,” the service said in a statement. Heavy rains began soaking the region on Saturday, May 29, causing rivers to rapidly rise, damaging roads and bridges, and flooding many properties. About 300 people have been forced to evacuate in Waimakariri and Timaru, while thousands of others in Ashburton were advised to prepare in case they need to flee. Timaru District Council Civil Defence issued an emergency alert to people living in the Coopers Creek catchment, urging residents to evacuate. In the low-lying areas of Pines Beach, authorities also told residents to evacuate as a stuck floodgate raised the risk of further inundations. According to NIWA, many districts in the region faced two to three months’ worth of rain in just two to three days. Meanwhile, Lismore saw 238 mm (9.4 inches) in the past two days, which was the same amount it had received in the last 187 days. Akaroa registered 188 mm (7 inches) in the previous two days, which was more than the total rainfall for the entire year so far. The New Zealand Herald called the event a one-in-100-year deluge. Authorities have declared a state of emergency and around 75 schools have been closed on Monday.As of Monday, May 31, the Red Warning has been lifted but an Orange Rain Warning remains in place for the far north of Canterbury and southern Marlborough. According to severe weather forecaster, William Nepe, the rain no longer met the criteria for a red warning as it was no longer widespread, but rivers in the region will remain swollen for some time and floodwaters will take time to subside.

At least 4 people dead as heavy rains trigger floods and landslides in Nepal – videos – Heavy rains over the previous days, including rain during the onslaught of Tropical Cyclone Yaas, caused flooding and landslides in parts of Nepal, resulting in at least four fatalities.On May 22, 2021, downpours caused damage in Chautara in Naubahini Rural Municipality, Pyuthan District. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) reported at least three people dead and one house destroyed.As heavy rains continued, flash flooding swept through streets, damaging homes and other buildings. On May 28, authorities reported property damage in Chame Rural Municipality, Manang District. A landslide struck Phidim Municipality in Panchthar on the same day, destroying two houses. The fourth fatality occurred in Vyas Municipality, Tanahu District after a house collapsed in a landslide due to heavy rainfall on May 29. During the same period, floods destroyed at least one house in Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality, Rupandehi District.

Tropical Storm “Blanca” forms well to the southwest of Mexico– Tropical Storm “Blanca” formed at 21:00 UTC on May 31, 2021, as the second named storm of the 2021 Eastern Pacific hurricane season. This is the first time that 2 named storms have formed in the eastern North Pacific (to 140°W) prior to June 1 since 2013. Blanca is expected to remain over open waters and weaken into a tropical depression over the next three days.At 09:00 UTC on June 1, Tropical Storm “Blanca” was located about 965 km (600 miles) south of the southern tip of Baja California, and about 530 km (330 miles) south-southeast of Socorro Island.Blanca’s maximum sustained winds were 95 km/h (60 mph) at the time, with gusts up to 110 km/h (70 mph). The minimum barometric pressure was 998 hPa, and the system was moving northwest at 11 km/h (7 mph).A slower west-northwestward motion is expected during the next couple of days, followed by a slow westward motion. Strengthening is possible today, followed by gradual weakening beginning tonight and continuing through late this week. This is a small tropical cyclone with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 75 km (45 miles) from the center.

Powerful tornado hits Shangzhi, damaging 168 homes and wreaking havoc on farmlands, China’s Heilongjiang Province (video) A powerful tornado ripped through Shangzhi, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Harbin, the capital of China’s northeast province of Heilongjiang on June 1, 2021. The twister was accompanied by damaging hail. According to Chinese state media, the tornado was on the ground for around 30 minutes, from 17:30 to 18:00 LT, damaging 168 homes and wreaking havoc on farmlands.At least one person was killed and 16 injured. One person was critically injured and is undergoing care. The others had only minor injuries.More than 240 people were evacuated. The total economic loss was estimated at US$800,000 (5.12 million yuan).

Tropical Cyclone “Choi-wan” (Dante) to make landfall over Batangas Province, Philippines – Tropical Cyclone “Choi-wan” will make landfall over Batangas Province, Philippines at around 09:00 UTC (17:00 LT) on June 2, 2021, and traverse western and central Luzon over the next 2 days. Prolonged heavy rains have already flooded parts of Mindanao, leaving 3 people dead and one missing. DOST-PHIVOLCS has issued lahar advisory for Mayon volcano on June 1, and Taal and Pinatubo volcanoes on June 2, 2021.Tropical Storm “Choi-wan” — known as Dante in the Philippines — formed at 00:00 UTC on May 31 as the third named storm of the 2021 Pacific typhoon season.The storm made its first landfall at 12:30 UTC on June 1 over Sulat, Eastern Samar as a minimal tropical storm. JTWC downgraded it to a tropical depression at 15:00 UTC, two hours before its second landfall over Cataingan. Heavy rains produced by the storm have already flooded parts of Mindanao, leaving at least 3 people dead and one missing on June 1. Classes and government work for parts of Davao de Oro, Eastern Samar, Leyte, and Surigao del Sur were suspended. At 06:00 UTC on June 2, Tropical Cyclone “Choi-wan” (Dante) was about 255 km (160 miles) southeast of Manila, Philippines. Its maximum 10-minute sustained winds were 65 km/h (40 mph) at the time, with gusts up to 95 km/h (60 mph).

Slow-slip earthquake occurring off the east coast of North Island, New Zealand –A large, slow-slip earthquake is occurring off the east coast of North Island, New Zealand. The event began off the coast of Porangahau last week in the same area as the one that occurred shortly after the massive M7.8 Kaikoura Earthquake of November 2016. Based on past events there, the event might last for a week or two. Dr. Laura Wallace of GNS Science said the location of the current slow slip event offshore Porangahau is in the same place that they’ve seen slow-slip events before, and they appear to occur in that area approximately every five years. “The event has so far caused about 2 cm (0.8 inches) of eastward displacement to 3 continuously-operating GNSS sites near the slow earthquake,” Wallace said. “Past slow slip events in this area have involved movement on the plate boundary equivalent to that which occurs in magnitude 6.5 to 7.0 earthquakes, and this one looks like it is shaping up to be similar to previous slow slip events observed near Porangahau.” Luckily, GNS scientists can now make a better analysis of the event taking place as, for the first time ever, they have a network of 26 sensors offshore the Porangahu., “This is the first time that we have had offshore sensors in-place and recording during a Porangahau slow slip event, so it will be very exciting to see that data when we return to retrieve the instruments later this year,” Wallace told the NZ Herald. “Our team also deployed several additional seismometers in the area a few months ago, to be able to detect small earthquakes that tend to occur during these slow slip events.” Dozens of slow-slip events (also known as “silent” earthquakes) have been detected in New Zealand since 2002. They occur up to 60 km (37 miles) below the earth’s surface where the Pacific Plate meets the Australian Plate, along the Hikurangi Subduction Zone (marked by the orange zone on the image below). Slow-slip events can move faults the equivalent of magnitude 6+ earthquakes over a period of weeks to months. Movements caused by these slow-slip events are so slow that they are undetectable by both humans and GeoNet’s seismographs. GeoNet, in partnership with LINZ run a network of GPS stations around the country that are able to detect land movement as little as a few millimeters resulting from slow-slip events.

Massive sinkhole opens in southeastern Mexico – A giant sinkhole measuring 80 m (262 feet) in diameter has opened up on a field in southern Mexico on Saturday, May 29, 2021. No damage or injuries were reported, but a nearby home is at risk of being swallowed as the gaping hole continues to expand rapidly each day. Scientists are considering several hypotheses as the possible causes, including variations in the soil’s water content. The sinkhole appeared in the town of Juan C. Bonilla, Puebla State, in the southeastern region, according to state officials. It is estimated to be about 15 m (50 feet) deep.Authorities said there were no reports of damage to structures or injuries, but a nearby home is at risk of being swallowed. The residents have been evacuated while the public was warned to stay away from the hole.The homeowners said they heard a loud boom that sounded like thunder before the sinkhole appeared. They then saw the ground started sinking and water bubbling.”We have nothing. We’re not from here. We have no relatives. We’re alone,” said homeowner Heriberto Sanchez, who was originally from Veracruz State.According to Beatriz Manrique, Puebla’s environmental secretary, the sinkhole started at about 5 m (15 feet) in diameter, and then expanded over 24 hours. The hole then rapidly grew to 60 m (197 feet) on Monday, May 31.As of Tuesday, June 1, the sinkhole measured 80 m (262 feet) in diameter.The exact cause is under investigation, but local media reported that the sinkhole lies on what’s known as the Alto Atoyac geological fault, which is also being looked into by authorities.Puebla governor Miguel Barbosa said the situation “is a matter of enormous risk.” “It is a geological fault that must be addressed with great care, with technique, and with all the precautions and we are doing it.””It will grow until nature decides when the water stops exerting pressure. The important thing now is public safety”

Large mud volcano eruption in Colombia injures 1 person and forces 150 to evacuate – video – A large mud volcano eruption took place in the municipality of Necocli, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on May 30, 2021, injuring 1 person and forcing 150 to evacuate. This is the strongest eruption of this mud volcano since 2005.According to the municipal risk management authority, the eruption forced the evacuation of the entire village of Los Palmares Cenizosa — around 150 people or 26 families. They are temporarily housed in a rural school in the Piedrecita village, where humanitarian care is provided.One person was injured after falling from his horse near the eruption site. The Volunteer Fire Department and the Civil Defense responded to the emergency, after the volcano expelled ash and boiling mud, as seen in some videos shared by the inhabitants of the area on social networks.An eruption of this strength wasn’t reported since 2005, an official said, adding that villagers will not be able to return to their homes because they are settled in the direct impact zone.Numerous cracks appeared in the village and several homes and a road to their farms were damaged.

Lahar advisory for Mayon volcano under Tropical Storm “Choi-wan” (Dante), Philippines -Prolonged and heavy rainfall produced by Tropical Storm “Choi-wan” — known as Dante in the Philippines — may generate post-eruption lahars on major channels draining Mayon Volcano by incorporating loose material from remnant pyroclastic density current (PDC) deposits from the January – March 2018 eruption, PHIVOLCS said on June 1, 2021.Based on the Tropical Cyclone Bulletin # 11 issued at 03:00 UTC on June 1, 2021 (11:00 LT) by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the province of Albay has been placed under Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 2 due to Tropical Storm “Choi-wan.”Choi-wan is expected to be over the coastal waters of Eastern Albay Province by the morning or early afternoon (LT) of June 2, 2021.Due to its trajectory, and potentially heavy to at times intense rainfall, Choi-wan can be expected to generate volcanic sediment flows or lahars, muddy streamflows or muddy run-off in rivers and drainage areas of Mayon Volcano.On the forecast track, the center of the tropical storm is forecast to make its initial landfall over Eastern Samar between tonight and tomorrow early morning, June 2 (LT). “Prolonged and heavy rainfall may generate post-eruption lahars on major channels draining Mayon Volcano by incorporating loose material from remnant pyroclastic density current (PDC) deposits from the January-March 2018 eruption,” PHIVOLCS said. In addition, older and erodible eruption deposits occupy the watershed areas on the eastern and western slopes of the edifice and can be remobilized as non-eruption lahars by erosion of banks and channel beds.Potential lahars and sediment-laden streamflows may occur along the Miisi, Binaan, Anoling, Quirangay, Maninila, Masarawag, Muladbucad, Nasisi, Mabinit, Matan-ag, and Basud, Bantayan Channels in Albay Province.Mayon lahars can threaten communities along the middle and lower slopes and downstream of these channels with inundation, burial and wash away.DOST-PHIVOLCS strongly advises the communities and local government units of the above identified areas of risk to continually monitor the typhoon conditions and take pre-emptive response measures for their safety.

Lahar advisory for Taal and Pinatubo volcanoes, Philippines –Due to potentially high-volume rainfall produced by Tropical Storm “Choi-wan” — known as Dante in the Philippines” — and its trajectory, DOST-PHIVOLCS has issued lahar advisories for Taal and Pinatubo volcanoes on June 2, 2021.Based on DOST-PAGASA Tropical Cyclone Bulletin No. 18 issued at 00:00 UTC (08:00 LT) on June 2, 2021, Choi-wan will make landfall over Batangas Province today at 09:00 UTC (17:00 LT) and traverse western and central Luzon over the next 2 days.Due to its trajectory and potentially high-volume rainfall, Choi-wan (Dante) can be expected to generate volcanic sediment flows or lahars, muddy streamflows or muddy run-off in rivers and drainage areas on the monitored active volcanoes of Taal and Pinatubo. DOST-PHIVOLCS thus strongly recommends increased vigilance and readiness of communities in pre-determined zones of lahar and related hazards on these volcanoes.Prolonged and intense rainfall may generate non-eruption lahars on major rivers draining western Pinatubo Volcano where significant erodible pyroclastic flow deposits of the 1991 eruption remain on the watershed.Pinatubo lahars will likely be channel-confined and occur on the upper to middle reaches of the Sto. Tomas- Marella and Bucao River systems but may transition to muddy streamflows and floods on the lower reaches and affect adjacent communities of San Marcelino, San Narciso, San Felipe, and Botolan, Zambales Province.Muddy streamflows may likewise be generated along the O’Donnell and Pasig-Potrero River systems draining the Pinatubo edifice to the north and southeast, respectively, and affect downstream communities in Tarlac and Pampanga Provinces.Prolonged and heavy rainfall may also generate muddy streamflow and muddy runoff around Taal Volcano, particularly on the slopes west of Taal Lake where thin remnant ash can be remobilized in streams and roads and overland of the lakeward slopes.In particular, muddy streamflow and runoff can recur on previously affected communities of Agoncillo and Laurel, Batangas Province.DOST-PHIVOLCS strongly advises the communities and local government units of the above-identified areas of risk to continually monitor the tropical storm conditions and take pre-emptive response measures for their safety from the storm.

Nearly 416 000 people displaced after eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, DR Congo – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has estimated the total number of displaced people linked to the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on May 22, 2021, to be 415 700, with 47% of them children. In the city of Goma, more than 500 000 people have been left without access to clean drinking water while some 350 000 people are estimated to be in urgent need of assistance. A mass evacuation order was issued on May 27 after seismicity and soil deformation data indicated the presence of magma under the urban area of Goma with an extension under Lake Kivu.While some residents are starting to return to the city of Goma, the total number of displaced people due to the deadly eruption of Nyiragongo and subsequent seismicity was estimated at 415 700 as of June 1. Residents are spread across more than 10 areas in the interior of the country (Bukavu Ville, Idjwi, Kalehe (Minova), Kabare, Masisi (Sake), Rutshuru, Nyiragongo, Lubero, Goma, Butembo) and in neighboring Rwanda. Displaced persons in some areas are having difficulty finding housing, UN OCHA said.IOM said it’s particularly concerned by the health hazards linked to the eruption itself, the displacement to areas with pre-existing outbreaks, the lack of access to clean water, and the increased burden placed on health facilities. To address the risk of outbreaks – in particular cholera – and mental health and psychosocial needs, IOM is boosting disease surveillance efforts among displaced and host communities, looking for ways to scale up services, and supporting health facilities through donations, training, and more.The UNHCR spokesperson Jackie Keegan said at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva that some 350 000 people in Goma are estimated to be in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.The city has experienced more than a thousand earthquakes and tremors following the eruption, most of them small, but some strong enough to level buildings.Many people’s houses were destroyed by the lava flow, but many more had to leave following the evacuation order for the eight areas of Goma that are most at risk if another eruption hits the city.”The earthquakes have become less intense, but there are still questions about magma streams under the city. If and when a return to Goma will be possible, rebuilding will be challenging – the city is at the foot of an active volcano and on a shifting rift,” Keegan said.

Health effects of the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo will be felt for a long time -The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, an active volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), led to the deaths of at least 30 people. There could however be longer term health implications for residents of the area. Patrick DMC Katoto, who has studied the health effects of volcanoes in the DRC, provides insights into the health risks that a volcanic eruption brings.Volcanic eruptions can cause catastrophic destruction. They are responsible for human casualties, infrastructural devastation and can pollute the environment for thousands of kilometers around the eruption sites.There are various attributes that a volcano has that makes it dangerous to human health. During the eruption, lava, gas and volcanic ash are released. The eruption can also cause, or lead to, earth tremors and quakes.The hot lava that erupts from a volcano is lethal. It can move fast and directly cause death or injury. It can also destroy homes and other important structures including electricity and petrol stations (risking massive explosions) and water tanks.Nyiragongo is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of its particularly fast-moving lava. It can flow at a speed of about 100km per hour. It’s reported that, in this recent eruption, about 30 people died when more than 500 houses were flattened by the lava flow. Because of the devastation, there could be mental health challenges for the people affected.Volcanic ash – composed of tiny particles of rocks, minerals, and volcanic glass – is a major health concern. When inhaled it can cause lung damage, for instance one long-term effect of volcanic ash is silicosis a disease that can cause lung impairment and scarring. Inhaling volcanic ash can also cause suffocation, leading to death.In addition, volcanic ash contains strong acids, such as hydrogen fluoride and hydrochloric acid. In small concentrations they can cause skin irritation and eye problems.If the volcanic ash were to land in natural water sources, it would deposit toxic minerals. If ingested these can cause neurological disorders.Ash can also trap toxic gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and fluorine. This can affect crops or lead to animal and human illness or death.Alongside the ash and lava, volcanic eruptions release toxic gases.Mount Nyiragongo is one of the most prolific sources of sulfur dioxide on earth. Since September 2002, this volcano has had a permanent lava lake whichpersistently releases a plume of gases rich in sulfur dioxide and carbon. It therefore produces suplhur dioxide during and after eruption.Sulfur dioxide can irritate the skin and the tissues and mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat. It can also aggravate chronic conditions including asthma and cardiovascular diseases.

A burning ship covered beautiful beaches in plastic ‘snow.’ Now Sri Lanka faces an environmental disaster. Sri Lanka is facing one of the worst environmental crises in its history as tons of potentially toxic debris from a fire aboard a container ship blanket miles of its western coastline. The South Asian country’s military said it had subdued the blaze aboard the MV X-Press Pearl over the weekend, after more than a week of raging flames and billowing black smoke. But officials and scientists warn that the maritime disaster is far from over, with billions of plastic pellets washing up on beaches up to 75 miles to the south. As Sri Lankan sailors scrape the debris from beaches and the ship smolders, scientists are trying to determine how far the flotsam will travel and what the damage will be. “It’s an environmental disaster,” Sri Lankan marine biologist Asha de Vos told The Washington Post. She said she worries currents could eventually carry the plastic pellets as far as the other side of the island nation, killing wildlife and damaging sensitive ecosystems. The crew of the X-Press Pearl first spotted smoke rising from the cargo hold on May 20 while anchored not far from the port of Colombo, according to X-Press Feeders, the company that operates the Singapore-flagged ship. They tried to extinguish the fire by releasing carbon dioxide in the hold, but the fire grew and an explosion rocked the recently built ship on May 22, the company said.The 25-person crew was evacuated as the Sri Lankan navy tried to suppress the blaze, with help from the Indian Coast Guard and firefighting tugs belonging to a Dutch company. Infrared footage of the ship taken over the weekend showed the fires had almost gone out.Sri Lankan authorities suspect the fire was caused by a leak from the ship’s containers, which were carrying 25 metric tons of nitric acid. (The chemical is used in fertilizers as well as explosives.)In an interview with shipping industry publication Splash, X-Press Feeders Executive Chairman Tim Hartnoll said poor packaging was responsible for the leak, which the crew had detected while in the Arabian Sea.According to an X-Press Feeders statement, the ship applied to the western Indian port of Hazira and the Qatari port of Hamad to offload the leaking container, but the requests were denied. “The advice given was there were no specialist facilities or expertise immediately available to deal with the leaking acid,” the company said.

3,000 Shipping Containers Fell Into the Pacific Ocean Last Winter – You’re right if you think you’ve been hearing a lot about container ships lately. One off the coast of Sri Lanka that was carrying 25 tons of nitric acid and other cargo suffered an explosion after containers caught fire on May 20 and burned for more than a week, littering the beaches with plastic pollution. And in March all eyes were on the Suez Canal, where a 1,300-foot-long container ship turned sideways and gummed up international trade with a six-day-long traffic jam. But less attention surrounded a spate of container-ship accidents in the Pacific Ocean this past winter. It included one of the worst shipping accidents on record, which occurred near midnight on Nov. 30 as towering waves buffeted the ONE Apus, a 1,200-foot cargo ship delivering thousands of containers full of goods from China to Los Angeles. In remote waters 1,600 miles northwest of Hawai’i, the container stack lashed to the ship’s deck collapsed, tossing more than 1,800 containers into the sea. Some of those containers carried dangerous goods, including batteries, fireworks and liquid ethanol. “This is a massive spill,” says oceanographer Curt Ebbesmeyer, who has tracked marine debris from container spills for over 30 years. The ONE Apus lost more containers in a single night than the shipping industry reports are lost worldwide in an entire year. It was also only one of at least six spills since October that dumped more than 3,000 cargo containers into the Pacific Ocean along shipping routes between Asia and the United States. They include the loss of 100 containers from the ONE Aquila on Oct. 30 and 750 containers from the Maersk Essen on Jan. 16. Both ships encountered rough weather while delivering goods to the United States. Experts say these types of spills, which tend to fly under the public’s radar, put containers into the sea that pose potential hazards to the health of the ocean and put everything from mariners to wildlife at risk. “They’re like time capsules of everything we buy and sell, sitting in the deep seaThose lost containers may harm wildlife and ocean health, he says, by crushing aquatic habitats or introducing new seabed features that change biological communities or even aid the spread of invasive species. They can also release hazardous cargo such as the 6,000 pounds of sulfuric acid that went into the sea when theMaersk Shanghai lost containers off of the North Carolina coast in 2018.

Arctic sea ice thinning faster than expected – Sea ice in the coastal regions of the Arctic may be thinning up to twice as fast as previously thought, according to a new modelling study led by UCL researchers. Sea ice thickness is inferred by measuring the height of the ice above the water, and this measurement is distorted by snow weighing the ice floe down. Scientists adjust for this using a map of snow depth in the Arctic that is decades out of date and does not account for climate change. In the new study, published in the journal The Cryosphere, researchers swapped this map for the results of a new computer model designed to estimate snow depth as it varies year to year, and concluded that sea ice in key coastal regions was thinning at a rate that was 70% to 100% faster than previously thought. Robbie Mallett (UCL Earth Sciences), the Ph.D. student who led the study, said: “The thickness of sea ice is a sensitive indicator of the health of the Arctic. It is important as thicker ice acts as an insulating blanket, stopping the ocean from warming up the atmosphere in winter, and protecting the ocean from the sunshine in summer. Thinner ice is also less likely to survive during the Arctic summer melt.” “Previous calculations of sea ice thickness are based on a snow map last updated 20 years ago. Because sea ice has begun forming later and later in the year, the snow on top has less time to accumulate. Our calculations account for this declining snow depth for the first time, and suggest the sea ice is thinning faster than we thought.” To calculate sea ice thickness researchers used radar from the European Space Agency’s CryoSat-2 satellite. By timing how long it takes for radar waves to bounce back from the ice, they can calculate the height of the ice above the water, from which they can infer the ice’s total thickness. Co-author Professor Julienne Stroeve (UCL Earth Sciences) said: “There are a number of uncertainties in measuring sea ice thickness but we believe our new calculations are a major step forward in terms of more accurately interpreting the data we have from satellites. “We hope this work can be used to better assess the performance of climate models that forecast the effects of long-term climate change in the Arctic – a region that is warming at three times the global rate, and whose millions of square kilometres of ice are essential for keeping the planet cool.”

Global warming already responsible for one in three heat-related deaths -Between 1991 and 2018, more than a third of all deaths in which heat played a role were attributable to human-induced global warming, according to a new article in Nature Climate Change.The study, the largest of its kind, was led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the University of Bern within the Multi-Country Multi-City (MCC) Collaborative Research Network. Using data from 732 locations in 43 countries around the world it shows for the first time the actual contribution of man-made climate change in increasing mortality risks due to heat. Overall, the estimates show that 37% of all heat-related deaths in the recent summer periods were attributable to the warming of the planet due to anthropogenic activities. This percentage of heat-related deaths attributed to human-induced climate change was highest in Central and South America (up to 76% in Ecuador or Colombia, for example) and South-East Asia (between 48% to 61%).

If countries implement Paris pledges with cuts to aerosols, millions of lives can be saved –Aerosol reductions that would take place as countries meet climate goals could contribute to global cooling and prevent more than one million annual premature deaths over a decade, according to a new study from the University of California San Diego.The landmark Paris Agreement of 2016 does not address emissions of aerosols–fine particulates like soot that cause pollution. Nonetheless, findings from the recent study authored by researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the School of Global Policy and Strategy suggests that aerosol accounting should be explicitly incorporated into international climate policy.It is crucial because as countries implement their greenhouse gas reduction targets under the Paris climate agreement, their choices about which sectors to target will also reduce aerosols that are co-emitted, which will have major impacts to public health and global temperatures.”Joint consideration of greenhouse gases and aerosols is critical,” said Pascal Polonik, a Ph.D. student at Scripps Oceanography and first author of the paper published in Earth’s Future. “Polluting particles, known as aerosols, are emitted in tandem with greenhouse gases but aren’t accounted for. While all greenhouse gas emissions might be thought of as unambiguously harmful, aerosols are more complicated. All aerosols are harmful to human health but they also often help counteract global warming by cooling the Earth’s surface.”It is estimated that emissions of aerosols from burning fossil fuels like coal and diesel are responsible for nine million premature deaths worldwide. Though most aerosols have a cooling effect because they reflect sunlight, certain types, such as black carbon have a warming effect.The UC San Diego team wanted to explore the tradeoffs countries would face by taking aerosols into consideration while concurrently making CO2 cuts to implement Paris pledges. Their model provides a country-by-country breakdown of the impacts of aerosol reductions across the eight economic sectors which cause emissions. For each country, the authors consider three scenarios. The first scenario prioritizes air quality, targeting aerosol cuts to the “dirtiest” sectors that emit the most solid particles. The second prioritizes temperatures by targeting industries that emit aerosols that most contribute to warming and the third, dubbed the “politically expedient” approach, reduces emissions from all economic sectors equally.

Big Oil’s Green-Spending Boost Isn’t Enough, IEA Says – The oil and gas industry is set to boost investments in clean energy this year, but that still won’t be enough to put the world on a path to limit a dangerous rise in global temperatures. That’s the view of the International Energy Agency, which expects traditional fossil-fuel companies to increase climate-friendly investments to at least 4% of their capital spending, up from just 1% last year, according to a report Wednesday. The figure underscores both the rapid pace that investment is tilting toward low-carbon sources as well as the scale of the challenge. The IEA said earlier this year that the world needs to stop development of new oil and gas fields as well as coal mines to limit global temperature increases. “Much greater resources have to be mobilized and directed to clean energy technologies to put the world on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050,” said Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director. “The rebound in energy investment is a welcome sign, and I’m encouraged to see more of it flowing toward renewables.” Overall, the IEA expects global investment in energy to reach $1.9 trillion in 2021, a nearly 10% gain that will almost make up for the decline caused by the fallout from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year. Spending on power generation will increase about 5% this year to a record of more than $820 billion globally. Renewable power sources including solar and wind will make up about 70% of new capacity. Despite the pressure to cut emissions, the IEA expects less than 45% of global investment in the sector to go toward clean energy. That includes spending on renewables, transmission infrastructure, nuclear power, batteries, carbon capture and energy efficiency. Investments in clean energy need to more than triple this decade to maintain the possibility of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. As more pressure comes on private companies to limit their climate impact, state-owned businesses will make up a greater proportion of fossil-fuel investments, the IEA said. Much of the shift that’s set to lead oil and gas companies’ overall investments in clean energy is driven by European firms that have been under the most pressure to cut emissions.

Company proposes carbon-capture pipeline across Midwest, including Nebraska, Iowa -(WOWT) – A Dallas-based company wants to build a 1,200-mile pipeline system across five Midwestern states – including Nebraska and Iowa – that would carry liquefied carbon dioxide to permanent storage sites.Navigator CO2 said in a statement Tuesday the project would provide its industry partners a “holistic” approach” to shrinking their carbon footprints.Navigator said in the statement it had a partnership with BlackRock Global Energy & Power Infrastructure Fund to develop the pipeline across Minnesota, Illinois, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska.The company said its ultimate goal is to expand capacity to 12 million metric tons, or about 26 billion pounds, of the liquified CO2.

With Trump Gone, Old Fault Lines in the Climate Movement Reopen, Complicating Biden’s Path Forward – -As President Joe Biden works to enact his plan for cutting greenhouse gases, a long dormant rift among climate action activists is surfacing.On one side are those who believe that renewable energy – especially solar, wind, and hydroelectricity – will be sufficient to fuel the economy and get the world to zero emissions. On the other side are those who, like the Biden administration, think fossil fuels are likely to have a role in the nation’s energy future, making it important to invest in technology to capture carbon emissions. This dispute was largely buried in recent years, as progressives and moderates bonded together to oppose President Donald Trump’s wholesale unraveling of environmental protections. But now it threatens to complicate the already difficult job that Biden faces in getting his $2 trillion American Jobs Plan through Congress. “These are divisions that reflect, I think, on one side an ideological crusade of the far left versus a pragmatic approach by the Biden administration that is focused on what’s politically possible,” said Paul Bledsoe, a strategic consultant for the Progressive Policy Institute who worked on climate change in President Bill Clinton’s White House.But a series of recent Biden administration decisions have disappointed environmentalists, including the defense of a huge Trump-approved oil drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope;, the issuing of Western oil and gas leases sold during Trump’s final days; and the refusal to shut down controversial oil pipelines. And as Biden searched for Republican support in Congress for his climate plan, tensions among environmentalists were running high.The climate action movement united behind Biden last year after he became the Democratic presumptive nominee. And Biden’s ambitious goals – especially his commitment to put the United States on a path toward 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 – came out of a joint task force he established with his chief rival and avatar of the progressive movement, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) But there is fierce disagreement about what “clean electricity” means.The White House is convinced it is necessary to take an expansive approach in reducing carbon pollution, both to secure the needed votes and to get the nation on track to net zero emissions. That approach would include investments in carbon capture, a technology that pulls carbon dioxide from smokestacks or even directly from the air and buries it underground or diverts it to other uses. Although carbon capture technology already exists, it is expensive, and billions have been spent in the United States on failed efforts to deploy “clean coal” carbon capture power plants. Biden’s American Jobs Plan includes carbon capture demonstration projects, focused on large steel, cement, and chemical production facilities, sectors that are seen as more difficult to decarbonize than utilities.

More Americans believe in climate change but still can’t quit fossil fuels – Nearly two-thirds of Americans now believe that climate change is an urgent problem to address, but they aren’t nearly as enthusiastic about giving up oil and gas, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.Only one-third of people surveyed supported completely phasing out fossil fuels. Less than half of respondents are okay with phasing out new gas-powered vehicles. Taking those steps might seem drastic, considering fossil fuels currently make up about 80 percent of the US energy mix. But phasing out most, if not all, fossil fuels is pretty much in line with what’s needed to meet the scale of the climate crisis, according to climate experts.Now that many Americans are taking the threats posed by climate change seriously, the next hurdle for climate activists and policymakers is getting more of them on board for the swift action it will take to limit the damage. “Attitudes towards climate change are hardly a predictor of policy support or pro-environmental actions.”A more gradual shift away from fossil fuels may be something most Americans can get on board with. About 70 percent of people surveyed agreed that future fossil fuel expansion should take a back seat to developing alternative energy sources.Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels need to drop dramatically by the middle of the century, according to leading climate scientists. They’re aiming for “net-zero” – the point where global emissions match up with the amount of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere, after making major reductions to fossil fuel use. Otherwise, say goodbye to 99 percent of the world’s coral reefs and hello to more extreme heat, hunger, and flooded coastlines. In most scenarios, meeting the net-zero goal involves using less energy and swapping out most or all fossil fuels for renewables like wind and solar or carbon-free energy like nuclear.There’s a little more allowance for continued emissions from heavy industry like steel and for ships and planes that are hard to electrify. Those sources of pollution might be paired withemerging technologies that can capture and store the planet-heating CO2 they produce. But reaching net-zero greenhouse gas pollution requires no new fossil fuel development past 2021 and no more sales of gas-powered vehicles past 2035, a major report from the International Energy Agency recently found.

Biden administration, Gov. Newsom open California coast to offshore wind farms – – California and the U.S. government announced an agreement Tuesday to open up areas off the state’s central and northern coasts to the first commercial wind energy farms on the Pacific Coast. The pact that would float hundreds of turbines off the coast of Morro Bay and Humboldt Bay was touted as a breakthrough to eventually power 1.6 million homes and help the state and federal government reach ambitious climate change goals through clean energy production. “California, as we all know, has a world-class offshore wind resource, and it can play a major role in helping to accelerate California’s and the nation’s transition to clean energy,” National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy said. The plan includes floating 380 windmills across a nearly 400-square-mile (1,035-square-kilometer) expanse of sea 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Morro Bay. The site could be finalized next month and could be put up for lease next year. The announcement is part of President Joe Biden’s plan to create 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. The new projects – if approved and built – would provide a major expansion of offshore wind power in the U.S. Currently, there are just two working offshore wind farms – off Block Island in Rhode Island and off Virginia – but more than two dozen others are in development. The projects will require several stages of approval – from an early review by the Coastal Commission to federal and state environmental reviews after a lease sale, said Sandy Louey of the California Energy Commission.

First US-made ship for offshore wind farm construction is coming to New England – Among the challenges facing the country’s nascent offshore wind industry is the lack of a US-made turbine installation ship. That’s because of a century-old federal law requiring that goods shipped between American ports be moved on vessels built in the United States. But that’s about to change. New England utility Eversource Energy and Danish energy company Ørsted on Tuesday announced they reached an agreement to charter the first American-made turbine installation vessel, for two adjacent wind farms that the two companies are developing between Long Island, N.Y., and Martha’s Vineyard. The $500 million vessel, being built by a consortium led by Dominion Energy in a Texas shipyard, will enable Eversource and Ørsted to be the first wind farm developers to use a ship that is qualified under the Jones Act to install offshore turbines. The ship, which can carry up to six turbines at one time, is expected to be ready by the end of 2023.

New England offshore wind could shift Canada-US power trade balance | S&P Global Market Intelligence — A flood of cheap power generated by planned U.S. offshore wind projects could find its way onto Canada’s power grid, reversing a long-standing trend of mostly one-way trade that sees massive exports of Canadian hydropower to the U.S.The Biden administration’s recent approval of the first major wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts kick-started a plan for 30 GW of offshore wind capacity to be installed by 2030. Vineyard Wind LLC’s 800-MW Vineyard Offshore Wind Project and subsequent projects could upset a captive clean energy market for province-owned Hydro-Québec, which has for decades exported power from its network of dams to New York and New England. Infrastructure expansions are already underway to meet renewable portfolio standards in U.S. states, including Central Maine Power Co.’s New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line, which would carry Quebec-generated power to Massachusetts. Central Maine is a subsidiary of Avangrid Inc., which itself is a partner in the Vineyard Offshore project.Even if offshore wind does not reach President Joe Biden’s ambitious goals, with 30 projects proposed in U.S. waters, there will likely be enough power sources to disrupt the traditional import-export market with Canada, industry experts said. Although Bloomberg NEF’s forecast of 23 GW offshore wind installations by 2030 falls short of the U.S. government’s prediction, Melina Bartels, an associate for Bloomberg NEF, said the volume of power flowing onto the Northeastern U.S. grid will be high enough to drive down winter prices and create opportunity to send power north of the border. The extra power in New England could send winter power prices 40% below those seen in the last few years in five years, Bartels said, and multiple transmission connections could create favorable conditions to send power to Canada.”Traditionally, when we think of this connection relationship with Canada, we think of hydropower coming from Quebec and fueling these two different markets in the U.S.,” Bartels said during a recent virtual conference by the Canadian Renewable Energy Association. “I think as this offshore wind begins to flood New England, we actually might see power flowing in the opposite direction as well.”The level of exports would depend on daily price signals, said Bartels, who spearheads Bloomberg NEF’s North American mid- and long-term power system forecasting, but the amount of offshore wind that would be available would be enough to upset the supply-demand balance in certain months. Exports would require coordination between regulators in both countries.

World’s largest offshore wind farm developer to recover, reuse or recycle turbine blades – Denmark’s Orsted said Thursday it would “reuse, recycle, or recover” all turbine blades in its worldwide portfolio of wind farms once they’re decommissioned. The world’s largest offshore wind farm developer said it had “a clear responsibility to help find solutions to the challenge of recycling blades.”The issue of what to do with wind turbine blades when they’re no longer needed is a headache for the industry. This is because the composite materials blades are made from can be difficult to recycle, with Orsted noting that “most” blades, once decommissioned, were landfilled.As governments around the world attempt to ramp up their renewable energy capacity, the number of wind turbines globally looks set to increase.The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said that in the offshore sector alone it wants capacity to hit at least 60 gigawatts by 2030 and 300 GW by the middle of the century.The U.K., which left the EU at the end of January 2020, wants its offshore wind capacity to reach 40 GW by 2030. The U.S. is also looking tosignificantly increase its offshore wind capacity this decade.Given the above, the problem of what to do with turbine blades will become even more pressing going forward. For its part, Orsted explained it would “temporarily store” decommissioned blades if finding a solution to recycling them took “longer to solve than anticipated.” A number of companies involved in the sector have attempted to find solutions to the issue in recent years. In January 2020, wind energy giantVestas said it was aiming to produce “zero-waste” wind turbines by the year 2040.Last December, GE Renewable Energy and Veolia North America signed a “multi-year agreement” to recycle blades removed from onshore wind turbines in the United States. More recently, it was announced that a collaboration between academia and industry would focus on the recycling of glass fiber products, a move that could eventually help to reduce the waste produced by wind turbine blades.

Senate passes bill creating new hurdles for wind, solar development – -The Ohio Senate passed legislation Wednesday granting new powers to county commissions to scuttle wind and solar development projects.Senate Bill 52 would require the green energy developers – before filing a separate application with the state Power Siting Board that currently exists in law – to hold a public hearing with advance notice to local officials.County commissions could then pass resolutions to ban wind or solar projects outright or limit them to certain “energy development districts” in the county.The bill passed on a 20-13 vote, with five Republicans joining all eight members of the Democratic caucus in opposition.A fellowship of unlikely allies opposed the bill, including the green energy industry and its advocates, utility companies like American Electric Power, oil drillers like BP, the Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Farm Bureau, and the Ohio Manufacturing Association.The bill’s critics argued the Ohio Power Siting Board already imposes a rigorousapplication process that spans pricey submissions, environmental reviews, public hearings, staff investigations and a decision from seven voting board members (comprised mostly of the governor’s cabinet heads). SB 52, they said, is simply another layer of bureaucracy that doesn’t apply to coal or natural gas. This is likely to chill interest in potential development. The bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, said fossil fuels like natural gas and coal are more necessary for the reliability of the grid than wind and solar. He said the legislation is about giving the localities a voice. “I think when you’re looking at, for example, a natural gas plant: a natural gas plant is going to be confined within one area, a natural gas plant is not going to affect nearly as many acres in most places as these solar and wind projects are. They’re not as transformative, and they’re not being put primarily in residential areas in rural parts of the state,” he said.

Opponents Say Renewable Energy Referendum Bill Creates Too Much Regulation | The Statehouse News Bureau –The Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee plans to hold a hearing on SB52 Wednesday that would allow local voters the ability to deny a renewable energy project through a referendum. Opponents say it creates unfair regulation on the clean energy industry.A pair of Republican Senators are sponsoring the bill saying they want to allow communities to hold a referendum on wind or solar energy projects, giving voters more of a voice in the process.But Dan Sawmiller, Ohio energy policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, says there’s already a rigorous process in place through the Ohio Power Siting Board that includes ample time for public input.”If there is a sort of double regulatory scheme that’s designed in a way that makes it easy to kill these projects, all the way up to the eleventh hour, it just makes Ohio a state that’s not friendly to that kind of investment,” Sawmiller says.Along with environmental advocates, business groups and energy companies have also opposed the bill saying it creates more barriers to entry for development.The bill is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday when lawmakers could introduced changes to the legislation and possibly hold a vote.

Analysis suggests climate policy in Ohio could save the world as much as $1 trillion – A recent analysis puts a price tag on climate policy in Ohio.Adopting any of three major climate policies in the state – a renewable portfolio standard, cap-and-trade system, or a carbon tax – would help society avoid up to $1 trillion in costs over the next three decades.The figure comes from Scioto Analysis, an Ohio public policy research group thatcalculated the economic stakes of the three policies in the state.Without policy action, the range of expected climate change impacts from Ohio’s energy production include pollution- and temperature-related health problems, costs for infrastructure repairs and upgrades, and agricultural productivity losses.Ohio is vulnerable but wouldn’t bear all or necessarily even most of those costs. Climate impacts are not equitably distributed, and many communities least responsible for global emissions face the most consequences from a warming world. At the same time, emissions from other states affect Ohio.In any case, a federal carbon policy could ultimately force Ohio to reckon with some or all of the economic impacts if the state does not.Scioto Analysis Principal Rob Moore argued that it is in the state’s best economic interest to start considering policies to address its greenhouse gas emissions.“They’re all very effective, and they’re three great choices for policymakers in Ohio to choose from,” he said. The study looked at strong and weak options for each policy choice. The report used Energy Information Administration data from 2008 to 2018 to project annual carbon dioxide emissions from Ohio’s energy production through 2050 under current law, as well as expected emissions under each policy scenario.The team used $30 per metric ton as a conservative estimate for the social cost of carbon and $51 per metric ton as the upper limit. The latter was based on an interim estimate this year from the Biden administration. Cumulative societal benefits by 2050 ranged from low estimates of $650 billion to expected values of $850 billion to $920 billion, with high estimates of $1 trillion for all policy choices.

Texas lawmakers pass emergency pricing, weatherization, oversight body changes – In a flurry of last-minute activity, Texas lawmakers approved eight power-sector-related bills in time for the May 31 regular session deadline, affecting scarcity pricing during emergencies, weatherization of gas and power facilities, and bodies overseeing the state’s power grid. The work was designed to address issues arising during and after the deadly mid-February winter storm that left about 4 million Texas power customers in the dark. Twenty-three other bills were left dead in committee, but 16 of those had their issues addressed in one of the bills that have been signed into law or await Governor Greg Abbott’s signature. Most of the power grid’s systemic and market changes were included in Senate Bill 3, “relating to preparing for, preventing, and responding to weather emergencies and power outages; increasing the amount of administrative and civil penalties.” The legislation that emerged from the conference committee and was passed by both houses May 30 establishes an emergency pricing program to take effect if the $9,000/MWh “high systemwide offer cap” has been in effect for 12 hours in a 24-hour period, ensuring generators are reimbursed for reasonable, verifiable operating costs that may exceed the emergency cap. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ existing scarcity pricing rules requires the HCAP until a “circuit-breaker” threshold is reached – when a hypothetical gas-powered plant has accumulated profit of $315,000, three times the estimated cost of new entry. Once that threshold is reached, the “low systemwide offer cap,” which is the higher of either $2,000/MWh or 50 times the current spot fuel index price, is to be used. During the mid-February winter storm, the “50-times-FIP” LCAP would have topped $17,000/MWh, but the PUC instead suspended the rules to set the cap at $9,000/MWh through the end of the energy emergency. Giuliano Bordignon, a power market analyst at S&P Global Platts Analytics, said the emergency pricing program cap “introduces some uncertainties around price spikes, as its cap is not allowed to exceed the nonemergency high system-wide cap.” “Furthermore, the low non-emergency system-wide cap is not allowed to exceed the high system-wide cap, making the high system-wide cap the de facto maximum price that a generator can capture in the wholesale market,” Bordignon said June 1. Senate Bill 3 also included the following provisions:

• Weatherization of electricity generation facilities and gas facilities to supply electricity generation, with penalties for noncompliance
• Designation of certain natural gas facilities as critical infrastructure
• Notification to electric customers about load-shedding procedures
• Establishment of the Texas Energy Reliability Council
• Registration for distributed generation at the level of the local utility with penalties for noncompliance
• Creation of a power outage alert
• The setting of emergency preparedness standards for water utilities

Texas Power Grid Changes May Not Be Enough To Prevent Blackouts : NPR — Texas state lawmakers had just started a legislative session when deadly blackoutsgripped the state in February. The timing was fortunate. In Texas, legislators typically meet only once every two years. The fact that they were already in Austin meant they could act quickly, and many vowed to shore up the state’s electric grid and create safeguards against future power outages.This week lawmakers approved a sweeping package of measures to address specific problems that threaten electric reliability – some of them despite opposition from the oil and gas industry. But many electric grid specialists, policy analysts and state politicians themselves said they’ve failed to do enough to prevent another blackout disaster.Ever since another major freeze and blackout 10 years ago, experts have said Texas needed to “winterize” or “weatherize” not only its power plants but its oil and gas infrastructure as well. The reason is that cold weather can freeze wellheads and other components in the natural gas supply chain, stopping gas from getting to power plants. Despite February’s deadly disaster, it was not clear that would happen this time either. Industry lobbyists, and regulators often seen as cozy with them, rejected winterization Christi Craddick, the elected Republican chair of the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency, the Railroad Commission of Texas, even denied the large role oil and gas failures played in the blackout.”My industry resolved the problem and didn’t really create it,” she told lawmakers soon after the blackout.Given such pushback, it was a big deal when state Rep. Chris Paddie, a Republican from Marshall, managed to get a sweeping blackout response bill through the Texas House of Representatives. The legislation, known as Senate Bill 3, now awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature.”It is the bill that addresses those fundamental issues that we identified early on … with oversight, accountability, communication failures and weatherization,” Paddie said as he brought the bill for an initial vote.That weatherization part of Senate Bill 3 allows regulators to determine which parts of the natural gas supply chain are critical to electricity production and then requires that they be protected from the cold.Most agree it is progress. But it only applies to equipment linked directly to power plants. Experts said it ignores the interconnectedness of the gas infrastructure. “What I fear, that it’s just not going to be enough,” He said if there’s another big freeze, “whoever has those direct lines into the power plants and winterizes those is going to point upstream and say, ‘Well, those upstream people couldn’t get us enough gas.’ So yeah, it’s hard to see how this is going to provide us full coverage.”

DTE CEO: Michigan could need more electricity generation for EVs – DTE Energy Co. expects electric vehicles could represent a 3% to 4% increase in demand in the 2030s, CEO Jerry Norcia told The Detroit News on Wednesday. Key to the Detroit-based utility’s plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 is decreasing electricity demand by 2% each year. EVs, however, are expected to offset much of those decreases, Norcia said. That means Michigan could need more electric generation in the coming decades even as DTE and other utilities are retiring their coal-fired power plants. “I think the EVs, the electric vehicles, will be a game-changer in terms of demand for the electric industry, and there’s also a push to electrify other uses of energy today in industrial processes,” Norcia said during a meeting with The News’ editorial board. “The demand will be in flux, and that could create incremental needs for generation and certainly incremental needs on the grid and wire system to accommodate all this new load. We’ve been getting ready so that we will be ready.” This comes as DTE saw an 8% to 10% increase in demand from residential customers over the past year when many workers were sent home to work remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Norcia said. With many companies, including DTE, adopting a hybrid model allowing employees to continue to work remotely for some days of the week, that demand is likely to remain heightened. DTE has had to beef up certain areas where capacity already was strained and exacerbated by the pandemic. The company also will have to make updates to much of the grid to accommodate EV charging at home, Norcia said.

Virginia advocates seek path forward for electric school buses despite lack of state funds — An ambitious measure to convert Virginia’s fleet of 17,000 diesel-powered school buses to quieter and cleaner electric models over a decade was praised by health and environmental advocates when it passed the General Assembly at the end of February. But transitioning from yellow to green is expensive. And that hefty price tag became more daunting when House Bill 2118, signed into law by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, was left unfunded. Still, proponents of a bill that drew bipartisan support are optimistic that they can figure out how to tap into state, federal or even private dollars to ensure that fleet turnover is executed in a speedy and equitable fashion. The bill that became law was stripped of its original funding source, a tax on dyed diesel fuel, which is used in farm machinery and other non-highway vehicles. The substitute version creates a grant fund and directs the state Department of Environmental Quality to lead a workgroup to figure out the details.

Abu Dhabi to begin household collection of cooking oil for new biofuel plant – Abu Dhabi’s waste management centre will start recycling waste cooking oil from homes and restaurants to produce biofuels. Abdul Mohsin Al Katheeri, acting director of projects and facilities at Tadweer, said the doorstep project is expected to start in Q1 2022. Residents will be provided with secure containers to safely dispose of their used oil. A licensed recycling company will take these containers to Tadweer’s Waste to Energy Plant, which is currently under construction. The processing unit is being set up with the help of Emirates Water and Electricity Company, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Power Corporation. “The used cooking oil is treated using fatty acid to produce biodiesel. Imagine turning the used cooking oil in your kitchen to biodiesel,” Mr Al Katheeri said. The project’s investors will reach out to restaurants and hotels and ask them to recycle their waste cooking oil. “And for people’s homes, we will have a collection centre with containers to dispose of the oil waste,” he said. Tadweer has already been recycling used lubricant oil to base oil since 2010.

Lawmakers Are Firing Back At Fossil Fuel Divestors –As divestment from emissions-heavy fossil fuels and boycotting of the oil sector gain traction in both the public and private sector, a major backlash is brewing around the United States. Lawmakers in more than a dozen red states around the nation are attempting to push through laws that would pull funding from state-run and large financial institutions that take steps to decarbonize their own investment portfolios. In short, the message is simple: “if you divest from coal and oil, we divest from you.”While there are many economies and communities reliant on fossil fuels in the United States whose current livelihoods are under threat from divestment trends, the latest movement to keep it in the ground may in fact be too little, too late according to experts. Just a couple of weeks ago, the International Energy Agency (IEA) issued yet another warning that if the world has any chance of avoiding the most devastating effects of climate change, the world’s remaining fossil fuels need to remain unextracted. “The pathway to net zero is narrow but still achievable,” Fatih Birol, the executive director of the IEA was quoted by Reuters last month. “If we want to reach net zero by 2050 we do not need any more investments in new oil, gas and coal projects.”These calculations are built on the baseline as agreed upon by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s premiere body of experts on global warming, as well as the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. According to experts, avoiding the very worst effects of catastrophic climate change will necessitate capping the Earth’s rising temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages. Keeping warming to 1.5 degrees (ideally) or 2 degrees (unfortunately more realistically) will require the global community to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by just 2050. All of this is to say that divestment, while divisive, is urgently necessary to reach that goal. “To achieve net zero, global investment in fossil fuel supply should fall from $575 billion on average over the past five years to $110 billion in 2050, with upstream fossil fuel investment restricted to maintaining production at existing oil and natural gas fields,” a Reuters report summarized. One of the most vocal state treasurers among the 15 that are ready to put their weight behind defending fossil fuels from divestment is that of West Virginia, a state that still relies on coal, one of the most emissions-intensive fossil fuels and therefore public enemy number one for climate activists, for a huge portion of the state economy. Other states included in the movement include North Dakota, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, all of which depend on fossil fuels to a large degree to keep their economies afloat. These 15 state officials sent an open letter to John Kerry last Tuesday stating their intention to pull state funding from fossil fuel divestors and their overall stance against the federal government’s efforts to downsize the domestic fossil fuel industry.

US coal-fired power output decline continues with last PSEG coal plant retirement –Public Service Enterprise Group said June 1 that it had retired its last remaining coal-fired power plant, the 400-MW Bridgeport Harbor Station Unit 3 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which operated since 1968, and is part of a continued US trend toward coal plant retirements. Originally designed to be fueled with oil or coal, Unit 3 was converted to a full-time coal unit in 2002 and provided 400 MW of peaking capacity to southern Connecticut, meaning the plant only operated during times of peak energy demand like extreme heat or extreme cold, the company said in a statement. Subsidiary PSEG Power operated the plant. “For PSEG, the retirement of BHS 3 marks the end of our company’s coal era, reflecting a nationwide trend toward the use of cleaner fuels to generate the electricity we need to power our lives,” Ralph Izzo, PSEG president and CEO, said in the statement. The company is still working to sell its remaining mostly natural gas-fired fossil fuel assets by the end of 2021. The natural gas-fired Bridgeport Harbor Station Unit 5 remains operating at the site and is one of the plants the company is looking to sell as part of its shift to being a regulated utility. Following the sale, PSEG Power’s fleet will consist almost entirely of carbon-free electricity, including nuclear plants in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and new investments in offshore wind generation. Interestingly, the coal plant was only dispatched to operate for two days in 2020, and not at all in 2019, before running for nearly two uninterrupted months to supply additional power to the grid during an extended period of cold weather in January and February of 2021, PSEG said. “That remarkable run, even as the unit was just weeks from retiring permanently, reflects the readiness and determination of the entire Bridgeport Harbor 3 team, with support from BHS 5, New Haven and the entire PSEG Fossil organization,” Izzo said.

N.H. now has the region’s last coal-burning electricity plant – Granite Geek — Bridgeport Harbor Station Unit 3 in Connecticut shut Monday, as had long been planned. The 400-MW unit had been in operation for 53 years. That leaves Merrimack Station in Bow as the last coal-burning plant producing electricity in New England. There are still some coal-burning homes,, though!

Wetzel County coal miner dies in accident – – Trenten J. Dille, 26, of Littleton in Wetzel County, was fatally injured overnight Wednesday while working in the underground section of a Marion County Coal Resources mine, according to the office of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.“It is an absolute tragedy to lose this hardworking, dedicated young man,” Justice and his wife, first lady Cathy Justice, said in an emailed statement Wednesday after learning of Dille’s death. “Cathy and I are heartbroken for his loved ones and fellow miners. We ask that you please keep this man in your prayers during this difficult time.” The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training continues to investigate the accident. Initial information indicates the edge or rib of a coal support pillar fell and struck Dille, a section foreman, according to the governor’s release.

Mitchell coal-fired plant supporters dominate Public Service Commission public comment hearing – Marshall County residents, workers, union and government officials sent a clear message to West Virginia utility regulators Wednesday: Keep the Mitchell power plant open as long as possible. Proponents of saving the Mitchell coal-fired generating facility from being closed 12 years ahead of schedule in 2028 dominated the West Virginia Public Service Commission’s videoconference hearing to take public comments on Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power plans to make federal environmental upgrades to three coal-fired generating facilities required to keep them operating through the end of their lifespans. “Please keep it open and let these families survive,” 15-year Mitchell plant employee Edward R. Sincavich of Wheeling pleaded, one of two dozen commenters urging the commission to consider what they said would be catastrophic economic consequences for the upper Ohio Valley if the plant were to close in 2028.The American Electric Power subsidiaries told the commission in a Dec. 23 filing that they could shutter the Mitchell facility rather than invest in it to comply with federal wastewater guidelines.But West Virginia lawmakers argued to the commission that it’d be worth rate increases to pay for compliance work to keep the Mitchell facility from joining the swelling ranks of retired coal-fired generating plants across the state. “I’ve heard from hundreds of constituents about saving the plant and the jobs, and not one person has expressed concern about the rate increases to me,” state Delegate Lisa Zukoff, D-Marshall, said.

West Virginia governor liable for $700M coal company loan (AP) – West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice confirmed on Tuesday that he is personally liable for $700 million in loans taken by his coal companies from a lender in the United Kingdom that went bankrupt. The Republican governor took shots at the bankrupt Greensill Capital U.K. and said “it is a burden on our family beyond belief.” The Wall Street Journal first reported Justice’s debt on Monday. Justice’s businesses face several other woes, including penalties totaling $3.2 million from the federal government and lawsuits over claims his companies failed to deliver coal. Greensill sold the loans to investment funds managed by Credit Suisse Group AG, which froze the funds in March and is in talks with Justice’s Bluestone Resources Inc. and other borrowers to get paid, the Journal reported. Justice said at his regularly-scheduled pandemic news conference that the loans were acquired to rebuild Bluestone after a period of decline. The Roanoke, Virginia-based company is involved in mining metallurgical grade coal used for steel making. Bluestone sued Greensill, a supply chain finance firm, after it went under in March over allegations of fraud. The Financial Conduct Authority, Britain’s financial regulatory body, has announced a formal investigation into Greensill’s collapse after receiving allegations that it said were “potentially criminal in nature.” “If you knew all the details you’d know that evidently Greensill is a bad, bad actor, and you know almost in partnership with the Credit Suisse people,” Justice told reporters. He said he had not read the story in the Journal. “Our companies are good and they’ve done the right stuff,” he added. “It’s very unfortunate and truly it’s a pain, that’s all there is to it.”

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice Is Personally Liable for $700 Million in Greensill Loans – West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is personally on the hook for nearly $700 million in loans his coal companies took out from now-defunct Greensill Capital, according to people familiar with the loans and documents described to The Wall Street Journal.Mr. Justice’s personal guarantee of the loans, which hasn’t been reported, puts financial pressure on the popular Republican governor. He is also dealing with unrelated lawsuits alleging parts of his sprawling network of coal companies breached payment contracts or failed to deliver coal.Greensill packaged the loans and sold them to investment funds managed by Credit Suisse Group AG . Credit Suisse and Greensill ran $10 billion in supply-chain finance funds that extended financing to a range of borrowers.The Swiss bank froze the investment funds in March and is in talks with Mr. Justice’sBluestone Resources Inc. and other borrowers to recoup money to make investors whole, according to the people familiar with the discussions. Credit Suisse is under pressure to recover money quickly and has named Bluestone as one of three large borrowers from the Greensill funds that it has identified in its recovery efforts.Bluestone hadn’t expected to begin repaying the Greensill loans until 2023 at the earliest, it said in a lawsuit brought in March in a New York federal court alleging Greensill committed fraud in its lending practices.

Devaughn: Apco wants customers to pay more for coal – Virginia is among a crop of leading states committed to reducing their carbon emissions to zero by 2050 and all credit belongs to the Virginians who demanded climate action and made their voice and votes heard. And right now, Appalachian Power Company (APCo) is dead-set on powering Virginian homes with dirty coal through 2040 despite a bevy of cheaper and cleaner options more in line with the Commonwealth’s climate commitments. And here’s the even dirtier truth about APCo’s plan: they wantyou to pay a steep price for burning this coal.Columbus, Ohio, headquartered APCo has requested from the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) a rate increase on Virginian customers in order to make pollution control updates at two coal plants over the border in West Virginia.The utility wants to make these upgrades in order to keep the plants running for another two decades. How much are we talking about? According to an energy economist who submitted testimony before the SCC, keeping both plants running through 2040 as APCo wants to do would cost ratepayers up to $1 billion.The economics simply do not make sense. And the prospect of burning the dirtiest fuel for another couple decades goes counter to the direction that not only Virginia is taking on energy and the climate but the rest of the country and the world.Coal is too expensive and too dirty compared to clean energy alternatives that are already more affordable and are only becoming cheaper by the day.The Staff to the SCC recently filed their own testimony on the request, and appear to agree. While officially taking “no position” on whether or not the Commission should approve the upgrades, these experts concluded that “it would appear to be inconsistent with market and industry trends to assume that the Amos and Mountaineer Plants will be able to operate economically in the market through 2040.” And further, that this assumption is “central to the Company’s analysis,” which means it’s fatally flawed.Additionally, this rate increase would come on top of some of the highest electricity bills in the nation. It’s beyond bold for APCo to make this request at a time when working families are struggling to make it through the pandemic and its economic impact. This is deeply unfair and attempting to prop up uneconomic and polluting coal plants is not sustainable. Virginians should not be made to subsidize this $1 billion denial of reality.

As Illinois Strains to Pass a Major Clean Energy Law, a Big Coal Plant Stands in the Way – After more than a decade of controversy, a move to force the closing of a Southern Illinois coal plant owned by municipal utilities across eight states is one of the final sticking points in the Illinois Legislature over a major energy bill. If the Prairie State plant is forced to shut down by 2035, as legislators have proposed, it would begin the final chapter of a saga that led to the construction of one of the country’s last new coal plants, one that became a major source of air pollution. “Prairie State, by itself, makes up a significant portion of the power-sector emissions in our state,” said J.C. Kibbey, a clean energy advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council in Illinois. Beside being dirty, the plant left the operators of some locally owned electric utilities in the area furious over unfulfilled promises of competitive prices. In exchange for the guarantee of reliable power with predictable pricing, the utilities took ownership in the massive plant, signing up for decades of debt. If the plant is forced to close, they, as owners, will have to continue repaying the debt even as they have to find and pay for replacement sources of electricity that could lead to much higher electricity bills, a scenario that is fueling reluctance by some to pass the bill. Over the past week, the plant emerged as an obstacle to passage of key energy legislation in Springfield – a bill that would include an expansion of subsidies for nuclear plants, more funding for renewable energy projects and a ramping-up of climate targets that would include a phaseout of coal power. Going beyond a May 31 deadline to finish their work, lawmakers are trying to find a way to respond to concerns about the financial ramifications of closing Prairie State. Environmental advocates say the state can’t afford to let the plant continue to operate if Illinois is to meet its climate goals. Lawmakers backed by environmental groups also are considering a state bailout of more than $600 million of three Exelon nuclear plants. Tensions are high because many participants see past clean energy legislation as having fallen short of promises.

Can mining agency keep Biden’s promise to coal country? — President Biden has made the cleanup and restoration of abandoned mines a cornerstone of his effort to reinvigorate the economies of coal communities, earning praise from advocates of a fair transition away from fossil fuels.But while Biden has big ambitions to tackle mine reclamation, he hasn’t yet nominated a director of the cleanup agency, the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.”Right now, we just really need a leader at OSMRE,” said Shannon Anderson, attorney at the Powder River Basin Resource Council, a landowner advocacy group based in Wyoming.”We need somebody who’s going to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, and really get a handle on abandoned mine land issues and the opportunities this administration wants to put forward.”Between Biden’s infrastructure plan and his preliminary budget outline, the White House has proposed spending nearly $17 billion on abandoned mines and orphaned oil and gas wells.Biden’s full budget proposal released last week would see OSMRE receive a $50 million bump for its grant program to create economic activity on former mine lands, such as converting them into commercial spaces or outdoor recreation opportunities (Greenwire, May 28).Activists say these measures could help bridge the gap for workers hurt by coal’s downturn and assist whole communities dealing with the industry’s legacy of degraded land and dirty water.But it is a big task at a pivotal point. Although the White House has created an interagency working group to focus on the needs of coal communities – and appointed Brian Anderson, an Energy Department official, to spearhead it – advocates say strong leadership at OSMRE also will be crucial (Energywire, April 23).

Plunging Payouts on Top U.S. Power Grid Slam Coal, Nuclear –Coal plants, nuclear reactors and other generators will take a hit next year on the biggest U.S. power grid as payments designed to ensure the lights remain on from New Jersey to Illinois plunge 64%.Suppliers to PJM Interconnection LLC’s grid, which serves more than 65 million people, will get $50 a megawatt-day to provide backup capacity for the year starting June 2022, according to the results of an auction released Wednesday. It’s the lowest price in 11 years.The results are an especially harsh blow for coal plants and nuclear reactors already struggling to compete. The PJM auction is the single most important event for generators across the eastern U.S., including Calpine Corp., NRG Energy Inc. and Exelon Corp., because it dictates a big chunk of their future revenue. It also plays a pivotal role in shaping the region’s electricity mix, determining how much the region is willing to stick with coal and natural gas plants or replace then with wind and solar. “I can’t imagine how nuclear is going to be able to cover all their fixed costs with such a low price,” said Brianna Lazerwitz, an analyst for BloombergNEF. Analysts had expected the price to fall, but not nearly so much. A confluence of factors led to the plunge. The demand forecast was lower. Transmission capacity was higher. And a crush of new, cheaper-to-build power plants entered the market, pushing down bids, PJM officials said.. The lower prices could be especially painful for Exelon’s nuclear plants in Illinois, putting pressure on lawmakers to grant them bailouts.Bloomberg Intelligence Analyst Kit Konolige said in aresearch note that Exelon could face a $900 million pretax hit. On Thursday, Exelon issued astatement saying it planned to close two more of its reactors in Illinois unless the state offers subsidies.

Oyster Creek radioactive water splashes on Holtec employee – A Holtec employee was splashed with radioactive water in late February when a lid popped off a storage cask at the defunct Oyster Creek nuclear power plant, the company and nuclear regulators said. The employee, who was wearing protective gear at the time of the incident, was checked for contamination, then returned to work, officials said. The plant, undergoing decommissioning, was cited by federal regulators for a low-level safety violation. While moving spent fuel out of the plant’s cooling pool and into concrete and steel casks for storage, a test of a lid seal resulted in a spill through a cask’s vent, said Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A device, used to test the lid seals on casks, became disengaged after snap rings failed, resulting in radioactive water escaping through the vent, he said. The contaminated water splashed onto a worker and spread to two levels of the reactor building, Sheehan said. The employee’s clothes became contaminated and the worker received a radiation dose of less than 10 mrem, or millirem.

Bill Gates And Warren Buffett Team Up To Build Advanced Nuclear Plant In Wyoming -For the first half of the year, Zero Hedge has been especially constructive on the uranium sector (read: here, here, here), which we believe uranium companies will get a boost as ESG euphoria takes hold. In some of the first signs of a nuclear revival in the US after decades of neglect, billionaire Bill Gates’ advanced nuclear reactor company TerraPower LLC and Warren Buffett’s PacifiCorp have been chosen by Wyoming to build the first Natrium reactor project, according to Reuters. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced Wednesday that the state has partnered with TerraPower, Rocky Mountain Power, and PacifiCorp to build a Natrium reactor at a retiring coal plant within seven years. The nuclear plant will replace one of PacifiCorp’s coal-fired plants, Gordon said. He said the ability to use nuclear power would allow the state to maintain its future goals of becoming carbon negative while using fossil fuels. “I am not going to abandon any of our fossil fuel industries. It is absolutely essential to our state,” Gordon said.Chris Levesque, president and CEO of TerraPower, said, “together with PacifiCorp, we’re creating the energy grid of the future where advanced nuclear technologies provide good-paying jobs and clean energy for years to come. The Natrium technology was designed to solve a challenge utilities face as they work to enhance grid reliability and stability while meeting decarbonization and emissions-reduction goals.”

Columbia Gas of Ohio to seek first rate increase since 2008 — Columbia Gas of Ohio is preparing to ask for an increase in base rates for the first time since 2008. The natural gas distribution company has filed a notice with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio that it intends to seek a rate increase for its distribution service. The increase wouldn’t go into effect until at least next year. The increase would raise the average customer’s monthly base fee about $11 per month to $46 per month. The cost of gas, along with other fees and taxes, would be in addition to that. The rate increase is for pipelines and the system used to distribute natural gas. It does not apply to the commodity itself; Columbia Gas doesn’t profit from the sale of gas. Columbia Gas says a rate increase is necessary to ensure the continued safe and reliable delivery of natural gas and to meet the compliance deadlines for new federal pipeline safety rules. Its work includes upgrading aging pipes and other infrastructure and technology used to inspect and detect pipeline leaks. Columbia Gas says it will continue to invest in programs to help customers save energy and become more efficient. Columbia said it understands the strain of higher bills on customers, but it said now is a good time to make these investments since natural gas prices remain low. Columbia maintains more than 20,000 miles of natural gas pipelines and facilities that serve its 1.4 million customers in 61 of Ohio’s 88 counties. In September 2018, a natural gas explosion in Massachusetts killed one person, injured several others and damaged homes and businesses in three Boston suburbs. The explosion occurred as Columbia Gas of Massachusetts was overhauling its natural gas lines, replacing old cast-iron pipes with new plastic pipes.

Legislators, watchdog want requirement for utility refunds -Two bills in Ohio’s legislature are furthering the push by the state’s consumer watchdog to require the utilities commission to refund millions to customers who paid for charges later deemed improper by the state Supreme Court.Electric customers, since 2009, have paid $1.5 billion in such charges that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio failed to make subject to refunds, Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Bruce Weston said.In a statement, Weston said it’s a “travesty of justice for consumers.” “It would be understandable if Ohioans think the system is rigged against them in favor of utilities with their undue influence,” he said. According to the Office of the Consumers’ Counsel, Dayton Power & Light collected $548 million, AEP Ohio $526 million and FirstEnergy Corp. $456 million in customer charges deemed improper over the last decade. Jenifer French, during a recent confirmation hearing for her appointment as the new chair of the utilities commission, said the Legislature would have to pass a law allowing the commission to include refund provisions. “I think the Supreme Court was very clear on that,” French said.But Republican Sen. Mark Romanchuk, of Ontario, disagreed, saying the Supreme Court already gives the commission the power to order refunds. “That’s $1.5 billion that has been pulled out of our economy, which I would argue is not a good thing,” he said during the hearing. The confusion about what charges are subject to refund is largely a group effort by the utility commission, the court and the Legislature’s arcane state utility laws. The court in a 5-2 vote in 2014 cited a 1957 decision that said improper charges by a Cincinnati telephone company were not subject to a refund. AEP Ohio was allowed to keep $368 million customers paid to recover costs associated with environment-related spending. Fast forward to a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that said the commission improperly gave Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. the authority to collect around $160 million a year for upgrades that both the company and the commission acknowledged would be used to bolster FirstEnergy’s credit rating, not new equipment.The $456 million was placed into a “credit” pool from which FirstEnergy companies, including those located outside Ohio, could borrow from.The PUCO said in its original order that requiring a refund would be counterproductive and defeat its purpose. The ruling said the $456 million could not be refunded because the commission failed to include a requirement for paying back customers.Months later, the utility commission, based on the court’s earlier ruling, ended Dayton Power & Light’s ended charges for a rider similar to FirstEnergy’s from which the company had charged customers $218 million. No refunds were ordered.

SELLING OUT IN THE STATEHOUSE – A timeline deep dive inside HB 6 and the biggest government scandal in Ohio state history. (excerpts) The investigation into Ohio’s largest corruption scheme is all about money and power. The owner of two nuclear power plants in northern Ohio wanted a $1 billion bailout to keep its plants running. A Republican lawmaker hoping to make a comeback wanted help returning to power.The result was a nearly $61 million bribery scheme to elect Perry County Rep. Larry Householder to lead the Ohio House of Representatives, pass House Bill 6 to subsidize the nuclear plants and defend that law against a ballot initiative to block it. In July 2020, Householder and four allies were arrested on racketeering charges and now face up to 20 years in prison for their alleged crimes. In the months since, Akron-based FirstEnergy has fired executives, a state utility regulator has resigned following a FBI search of his home and federal investigators have continued asking questions. How far did the quest for money and power go? (excerpts)

• Nov 2016: FirstEnergy report to shareholders paints grim future and in an earnings call, executives discuss advocating for Ohio’s support for its two nuclear plants.
• Jan. 2017: Householder and one son ride on FirstEnergy’s private jet to DC for President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
• Generation Now and an entity described in court documents as “Energy Pass-Through” are incorporated as 501(c)(4) organizations and start receiving millions of dollars from FirstEnergy and affiliated companies.
• January 10, 2018 The FBI starts recording calls between key targets. It’s unclear if they were listening in before this.
• March 28, 2018 – FirstEnergy Solutions announces it will close two northern Ohio nuclear power plants by 2021. Three days later it files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. FirstEnergy proposes separating from FirstEnergy Solutions.
• April 10, 2018: Republican Cliff Rosenberger resigns as Ohio House speaker. The FBI searches his property May 23.
• Money is wired from Generation Now to a political action committee that supports Householder allies running for legislative seats.
• July 24, 2018$215,000 is wired from the accounts of Jeff Longstreth, a political aide to Householder, to settle a personal lawsuit against Householder.
• Aug. 1, 2018Householder meets with FirstEnergy executives in Columbus; Franklin County court releases and discharges judgment against Householder and Householder Ltd.
• Sept. 21, 2018Dark Money Group 1 incorporated by an Ohio lobbyist. Within days, Generation Now wired $670,000 to Dark Money Group 1.
• Oct 2018-Feb 2020$1 million in FirstEnergy is transferred to a PAC account to a coalition to benefit Team Householder candidates for the 2020 primary election.
• Oct. 10, 2018 – Gov. Mike DeWine attends the Republican Governors Association fundraiser at the Columbus Club, meets with FirstEnergy officials. The next day, FirstEnergy Solutions contributes $500,000 to the RGA. https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/firstenergy-pumped-1m-into-backing-dewine-records-show/ZHCCGM5E6JB4RDNKUKZK7KYKEQ/
• Jon Husted (left) and Mike DeWine celebrate the win for their Republican gubernatorial ticket at the GOP celebration at the Sheraton Hotel on Capitol Square on Nov. 6, 2018.
• Dec 18, 2018 DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones (pictured) and Mike Dowling have dinner at the Athletic Club of Columbus.
• Jan 6, 2019 Householder wins speakership in a 52-46 vote. The next day he pledges to create a special committee on energy generation.
• Jan. 17, 2019 Sam Randazzo applies for a seat on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
• Feb. 4, 2019 DeWine appoints Randazzo as PUCO chair.
• April 12, 2019 Householder unveils House Bill 6, which would provide subsidies for nuclear power plants and overhaul the state’s energy policy, to the press.
• April-May 2019. FirstEnergy sends more than $9 million to Generation Now to run a pressure campaign to pass House Bill 6.
• May 29, 2019 HB6 passes House 53-43 July 17, 2019 HB6 passes Senate 19-12.
• July 23, 2019 House concurs with Senate changes, 51-43. DeWine signs it into law.
• July 30, 2019 Ohioans for Energy Security, described as “Front Company” in federal documents, is organized as a for-profit entity in Ohio. Carlo LoParo is listed on media buy forms as the president.
• July 24 to Oct 22, 2019 FirstEnergy sends more than $38 million to Generation Now. Aug. 5, 2019 Former Ohio Republican Party chairman Matt Borges incorporates 17 Consulting Group, which receives cash from Generation Now.
• Fall 2019 DeWine asks FirstEnergy to contribute to contribute to help his daughter Alice DeWine run for Greene County prosecutor.
• Sept 1 & 2, 2019: Borges contacts Tyler Fehrman and tries to get him to give insider information on the referendum campaign. Fehrman declines and then goes to the FBI.
• Sept 10, 2019: Fehrman wears a wire while meeting with Borges. Days later, Borges gave him a $15,000 check.
• Sept. 23, 2019: Federal officials secretly record Householder, lobbyist Neil Clark (pictured) and others at a dinner club meeting about the referendum.
• Oct 22, 2019 House Bill 6 takes effect. Energy Pass Through sends another $7.3 million in FirstEnergy cash to Generation Now.

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