Land Of The Inefficient: Appliance Standards As Culture War Target
"From ceiling fans to refrigerators, the Department of Energy is updating appliance efficiency standards that would affect millions of consumers."
Source: NPR, 12/22/2023
EJToday: Top Headlines
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"This Antarctic Octopus Has a Warning About Rising Sea Levels"
"Scientists have long wondered whether the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is a ticking time bomb in terms of sea level rise. New evidence from the DNA of a small octopus that lives in the Southern Ocean suggests that the ice sheet is indeed at risk of collapsing, according to a study published on Thursday in the journal Science."
Source: NYTimes, 12/22/2023"How 2023 Changed The Way States Do Climate Policy"
"Minnesota Democrats, newly in control of the state government, began 2023 by enacting a clean electricity standard. Michigan lawmakers followed suit months later — as one of their final acts before gaveling out for the year."
Source: E&E News, 12/22/2023AP Photos Reveal Intensity In 2023 As World Altered By Climate Change
"Punishing heat that" hovered and hung on much longer than usual. Flash floods that washed away large swaths of land and life. And wildfires that burned much of the year, leaving a wake of smoke and charred earth."
Source: AP, 12/22/2023"A Look Back At US Climate Solutions This Year"
"The country may have a long way to go in its decarbonization goals, but these stories show signs of progress."
Source: Grist, 12/22/2023"Congressional Mandates Trumped NEPA Lawsuits In 2023"
"From Alaska to the Gulf Coast, the oil and gas industry and its allies scored key victories in legal battles this year to advance fossil fuel development over green groups’ claims that project approvals violated a bedrock environmental law."
Source: E&E News, 12/22/2023"White Christmas? Most of US Can Keep Dreaming"
"Most of the United States can keep dreaming about a white Christmas, as it likely won’t happen."
Source: The Hill, 12/22/2023"The United States Is Producing More Oil Than Any Country In History"
"As the world grapples with the existential crisis of climate change, environmental activists want President Joe Biden to phase out the oil industry, and Republicans argue he’s already doing that. Meanwhile, the surprising reality is the United States is pumping oil at a blistering pace and is on track to produce more oil than any country has in history."
Source: CNN, 12/21/2023"Supreme Court Takes Up Fight Over EPA Smog Crackdown"
"The Supreme Court will soon consider a case that has the potential to deal a massive blow to the Biden administration’s goals of cleaning the air and weaning power plants off of coal."
Source: E&E News, 12/21/2023"US Faces ‘Adapter Hell’ On Way To A Tesla Charging Future"
"The federal government and the electric vehicle industry are moving to knit Tesla’s charging technology into public networks, positioning the company’s technology as an influential national standard."
Source: E&E News, 12/21/2023"US Gulf of Mexico Oil Auction Is Largest Since 2015"
"A Biden administration auction of Gulf of Mexico drilling rights raised $382 million on Wednesday as oil companies claimed offshore acreage for what is set to be the last time until 2025."
Source: Reuters, 12/21/2023Worried About Safety, Texas Town Challenges Planned Cross-Border Pipeline
"Critics are calling on federal regulators to increase their scrutiny and oversight of the proposed pipeline, which would send gas from Texas to the Mexican coast for export to other countries."
Source: Inside Climate News, 12/21/2023"The Problem With Every Country’s Promise To Phase Out Fossil Fuels"
"Nobody is really planning for a fossil fuel phaseout".
Source: Washington Post, 12/21/2023‘Not Conducive To Our Survival’: Pacific Islands Respond To Cop28 Deal
"The agreement was hailed as a win for climate action, but Pacific campaigners say it is too little too late in a rapidly warming world".
Source: Guardian, 12/21/2023California Exports Hazardous Waste. Mexico Neighborhood Shows Consequences
"An ongoing CalMatters investigation has shown how California companies and governments avoid the Golden State’s strict environmental regulations by shipping toxic waste across state borders. New reporting shows how California exports the risk to Mexico."
Source: CalMatters, 12/21/2023
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