Environment
Ethanol touted at U.S. Senate hearing for possible national clean fuels standard
A national clean transportation fuel standard should include enough flexibility to allow for biofuels and other non-electric-vehicle solutions, bipartisan members of a U.S. Senate panel said Wednesday. The United States doesn’t have a national clean fuels standard, though senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee hinted that one may be in the works. Members […]
Arkansas panel votes to ban state investments with managers who consider ESG factors
Arkansas lawmakers voted on Wednesday to divest state holdings from financial services providers that do not invest in energy or firearms companies. Approval from the House State Agencies and Government Affairs Committee was House Bill 1307‘s first step to becoming law. It now goes before the full House for consideration. The bill directs the state […]
Fossil fuel drilling threatens air and wildlife in national parks, advocacy group finds
WASHINGTON — A “massive” methane cloud forming over Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. Noxious air pollution fouling Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Herds of mule deer and pronghorn at risk of decimation at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Environmental problems like these are already resulting from fossil fuel extraction near four […]
Longtime tensions over federal wetlands rule return in U.S. House WOTUS hearing
A U.S. House panel renewed the decades-long fight Wednesday over how standing waters on farmland and other private property should be defined and regulated by federal authorities, with Republicans calling for a pause until the U.S. Supreme Court can provide more clarity. The definition of so-called Waters of the United States, or WOTUS — wetlands […]
As Southeast states warm, TVA criticized on preparations for dealing with climate hazards
WASHINGTON – Extreme weather patterns have sparked several improvements to the climate resiliency of Tennessee Valley Authority electrical infrastructure over the past two decades. However, a report from a government watchdog found the huge utility still has work to do in mitigating climate hazards to the regional power grid. “TVA has taken several steps to […]
Affordable, reliable and sustainable: report compares utility performance
A nationwide comparison of electric utility performance by an Illinois consumer advocacy group found that customers in states that are heavily reliant on fuel oil and natural gas, as in the Northeast and South, tend to pay more than those with larger amounts of carbon-free generation, among other findings. The report by the Illinois-based Citizens […]
States that limit business with banks that ‘boycott’ fossil fuels could pay high costs, study says
Republican state policymakers’ efforts to boost fossil fuels by prohibiting their governments from doing business with companies that take sustainability into consideration has the potential to cost states millions, according to a study released Thursday. Researchers looked specifically at the possible effects on Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and West Virginia if they passed Texas-like […]
Sanders names directors of economic development, environmental quality
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday appointed two state agency veterans to be directors of the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Caleb Osborne will serve as director and chief administrator of environment at ADEQ, and Clint O’Neal will lead AEDC as executive director, Sanders announced in press statement. Osborne […]
Environmental enforcement has fallen off under Biden, report says
Federal environmental enforcement, as measured by Environmental Protection Agency civil cases closed against polluters, hit a two-decade low in 2022, per a report released last week by a national environmental group that blames budget cuts, staff shortages and the U.S. Senate’s failure to confirm key leaders. The Environmental Integrity Project said the 72 civil enforcement […]
Alaska crab fishery collapse seen as warning about Bering Sea transformation
Less than five years ago, prospects appeared bright for Bering Sea crab fishers. Stocks were abundant and healthy, federal biologists said, and prices were near all-time highs. Now two dominant crab harvests have been canceled for lack of fish. For the first time, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in October canceled the 2022-2023 […]
Butterfield Overland Trail historic designation headed to Biden’s desk
Legislation designating a stage coach route that ran through Arkansas from 1858-1861 as a National Historic Trail is headed to the president’s desk to be signed into law. The bill, authored by Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, passed the House on Thursday, according to a press release from the senator’s office. The law […]
Privatization, more fees among proposals to fix Arkansas’ tire recycling problem
The architect of Arkansas’ waste tire disposal program plans to introduce legislation to dismantle it and privatize the disposal of worn rubber. The state Legislature will be forced to take action on the Tire Accountability Program because it ran out of money to reimburse scrap tire processors in August. The shortfall triggered an ongoing audit […]