PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Keystone XL oil pipeline won’t use American steel in its construction, despite what President Donald Trump says. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday that’s due to language in a presidential directive Trump issued in January. The directive applies to new pipelines or those under repair. Sanders said it […]
Category: Environmental
3 Million Americans At Risk Of Earthquake Due To Fracking
Three million Americans, primarily in Oklahoma and Kansas, are at risk from human-induced earthquakes this year, the U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday. That’s the conclusion of a new report that cites wastewater disposal from fracking as triggering the quakes. The number of Americans affected this year is less than last year, when the agency reported 7 million […]
Trump To Curb Obama’s Climate And Water Protections Through Executive Order
President Trump is preparing executive orders aimed at curtailing Obama-era policies on climate and water pollution, according to individuals briefed on the measures. While both directives will take time to implement, they will send an unmistakable signal that the new administration is determined to promote fossil-fuel production and economic activity even when those activities collide with […]
Saudi Arabia Investing 50 Billion In Move Towards Renewable Energy
Saudi Arabia is kicking off its $50 billion renewable-energy push as the world’s top crude exporter turns to solar and wind power to temper domestic oil use in meeting growing energy demand. Bidders seeking to qualify to build 700 megawatts of wind and solar power plants should submit documents by March 20, and those selected […]
GOP Moves To Erase Protections For Endangered Species
Today, Senate Republicans are holding a hearing to find out how best to repeal the Endangered Species Act. Republican lawmakers have wanted to “modernize” the Endangered Species Act for years, mainly on the basis that the laws protecting the habitats of various species are inhibiting the potential for drilling, mining, and land development across America. With […]
Trump’s Wall Faces Major Geological Hurdles
President Trump is setting an ambitious timetable for the construction of his promised “big, beautiful border wall.” But aside from potential funding and political complications, geologists and law enforcement officials are pointing to what could be a bigger challenge: the terrain. Citing everything from bedrock depth to soil chemistry, experts say building a wall spanning […]
180,000 People Told To Evacuate Due To Structural Damage To California Dam
More than 180,000 people in northern California have been told to evacuate after two overflow channels at the US’s tallest dam were found to be damaged. The 770ft (230m) high Oroville Dam is not itself at risk of collapsing, but its emergency spillway was close to caving in, officials said. Officials feared the damaged spillway […]
China Surges Past America In Green Energy
China installed almost three times more wind power than the U.S. last year, continuing its clean-energy investment blitz to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase air quality. China led new global wind-power installations with 23.3 gigawatts, compared with 8.2 gigawatts in second-place U.S., according to a report published Friday by the Global Wind Energy Council. […]
GOP Wants To Replace Environmental Protections With A Carbon Tax
Representatives from a coalition of veteran Republican officials — including five who have either served as treasury secretary or as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers — met Wednesday with White House officials to discuss the idea of imposing a national carbon tax, rather than using federal regulations, to address climate change. The newly […]
Water To Be Too Expensive For 33% Of Americans With In 5 Years
Researchers at Michigan State University predict this figure will rise by $49 over the next five years. And if it does, water may become unaffordable for one-third of American households, according to a study, published recently in PLOS ONE, that maps the U.S. areas due to be hit hardest based on local incomes. “The project […]
2016 Hottest Year On Record For 3rd Straight Year
The heat extremes were especially pervasive in the Arctic, with temperatures in the fall running 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit above normal across large stretches of the Arctic Ocean. Sea ice in that region has been in precipitous decline for years, and Arctic communities are already wrestling with enormous problems, such as rapid coastal erosion, […]
Trump Issues Gag Order On EPA And USDA
WASHINGTON – A Trump Administration directive ordering employees at the Environmental Protection Agency to halt external communications and posts on social media fueled news reports Tuesday that a number of other agencies were issuing similar gag orders to their workers. But while the EPA confirmed it was freezing such activity as well as new contracts and […]