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Friday, October 11, 2024

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Florida picks up the pieces after Hurricane Milton; Georgia elected officials say Hurricane Helene was a climate change wake-up call; Hosiers are getting better civic education; the Senate could flip to the GOP in November; New Mexico postal vans go electric; and Nebraska voters debate school vouchers.

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Civil rights groups push for a voter registration deadline extension in Georgia, federal workers helping in hurricane recovery face misinformation and threats of violence, and Brown University rejects student divestment demands.

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Hurricane Helene has some rural North Carolina towns worried larger communities might get more attention, mixed feelings about ranked choice voting on the Oregon ballot next month, and New York farmers earn money feeding school kids.

The Inflation Reduction Act allocates more than $369 billion in funding through tax breaks, incentives and grants to combat the climate crisis, addressing the increasing toll of extreme weather and worsening air quality on communities. (Adobe Stock)
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Friday, October 11, 2024
Savannah's leaders are pointing out the ways federal dollars are being used to boost the area's resilience against climate change. In the aftermath …

The financially beleaguered U.S. Postal Service expects to save billions of dollars by using electric rather than gas-powered mail delivery trucks. (USPSoig.gov)
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Friday, October 11, 2024
Neighborhoods across New Mexico and other states will soon be cleaner and quieter as the U.S. Postal Service rolls out its new electric mail-delivery …

Concentrated animal feeding operations make up about 6% of farming operations in Missouri, but are the source of a great deal of air and water pollution due to the concentration of farm animals.(Adobe Stock)
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Thursday, October 10, 2024
A bill pending in Congress would use federal funds to help farmers in Missouri and elsewhere transition from concentrated animal feeding operations…

Buildings are 32% of New York's annual greenhouse gas emissions, making them the state's largest emitter. (Adobe Stock)
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Thursday, October 10, 2024
New York State authorized utilities to develop thermal energy network pilot programs to further its decarbonization goals. Thermal energy networks …

Solar panels are highly reliable throughout their lifetime, within the 80% to 90% range, according to federal data. (Adobe Stock)
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Thursday, October 10, 2024
As parts of the country brace for and continue to recover from hurricanes, flooding and a new normal, research shows wind and solar resources tend to …

Indiana law requires electricity utilities to issue long-term plans for power plants every three years. (Adobe stock)
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Wednesday, October 9, 2024
By Dan Gearino for Inside Climate News.Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public N…

Emergency management officials in North Dakota say dry air with less than 20% relative humidity and dried vegetation are providing plenty of fuel for wildfires this season. (Adobe Stock)
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Thursday, October 10, 2024
From power outages to burnt farmland, North Dakota is coming to grips with the impact of several large wildfires that are linked to at least two …

New federal legislation would allow land managers to prioritize the needs of wildlife during critical times, including calving season. (Adobe Stock)
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Tuesday, October 8, 2024
New legislation making its way through the U.S. Senate would conserve more than 730,000 acres of federal public lands in and around Colorado's …

To date, the Bureau of Land Management has permitted clean-energy projects on public lands adding 29 gigawatts of electricity, or enough to power more than 12 million homes, according to the agency. (Adobe Stock)
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A new federal proposal details which public lands across the West would be open to solar development. Wildlife advocates are glad to see that some - …

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Federal regulations are an area in which the president has significant latitude to affect food policy. (Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr)<br />
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Thursday, October 10, 2024
By Seth Millstein for Sentient.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Colla…

Farm runoff contributes to nitrate pollution in nearby waterways. (Reagan/Adobe Stock)
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By Claire Carlson for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Washington News Service for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collab…

Close to 2.3 million New York kids participated in the school breakfast and lunch program on an average day during the 2022-2023 school year. (Adobe Stock)
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October is National Farm to School Month, and New York schools are using grant funding to participate. School districts statewide have received …

An algal bloom is seen near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in Virginia in August 2021. (Photo courtesy Wyatt Young/Chesapeake Bay Foundation)
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Thursday, October 10, 2024
By Bennet Goldstein for Wisconsin Watch.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for Wisconsin Watch-Public News Service…

Water purification in Orange County's Groundwater Replenishment System involves three steps: microfiltration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation. (Adobe Stock)
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Wednesday, October 9, 2024
By Matt Vasilogambros and Kevin Hardy for Stateline.Broadcast version by Kathleen Shannon for California News Service reporting for the Solutions Jour…

A study by Women for a Healthy Environment found more than 90% of Pennsylvania school districts that tested for lead in their drinking water reported contamination. (Rafael Ben-Ari/Adobe Stock)
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Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Concerning levels of lead have been detected in the drinking water at some Pennsylvania schools, according to a new report. The investigation …

An initiative on November's ballot in Washington state could slow the transition to electric equipment like heat pumps. (nikomsolftwaer/Adobe Stock)
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Wednesday, October 9, 2024
A diverse coalition of groups is opposing an initiative in Washington that could upend the state's push to make buildings greener and more efficient…

The American Clean Power Second Quarter 2024 Market Report ranked Ohio fourth nationally and first in the Midwest for clean power installations and first in the Midwest for utility-scale solar capacity this year. (AnnaStills/Adobe Stock)
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Tuesday, October 8, 2024
As Ohio continues to embrace clean energy solutions, the debate over its economic and environmental impact remains a focal point for residents…

Climate change, marked by rising temperatures, sea levels and extreme weather, poses significant threats to Tennessee. The environmental shifts are predicted to cause more illness, death and forced relocation of Tennesseans. (michelmond/Adobe Stock)
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As Tennesseans deal with record-breaking heat, hurricanes and prolonged drought linked to a changing climate, a new report showed how American …

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Amtrak is introducing new trains with a focus on safety, passenger comfort, reliability and sustainability. (VPRA)
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Tuesday, October 8, 2024
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority is leading efforts to modernize and expand the state's passenger rail system, with significant projects …

In 1979, cuts to Amtrak included the discontinuation of a long multistate route running through the southern half of North Dakota. (Adobe Stock)
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This week, federal officials announced a new round of funding for passenger rail projects. It is part of a larger push to expand and restore service…

Around 74% of Arizona's electric vehicles are Teslas, according to Recurrent. (Adobe Stock)
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It is National Drive Electric Week and the Arizona Public Interest Research Group Education Fund wants to raise awareness about the benefits electric …

Elkhorn Slough near Monterey is one of many areas likely to be included in the list of protected areas under the state's 30x30 plan.  (Kerstin Wasson)
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California has set a goal to protect 30% of its land and waters by the year 2030, so the Ocean Protection Council is working on which waters should …

The menhaden catch limit in the Chesapeake Bay was set in 2006 and lowered to its current limit in 2017. (Bill Perry / Adobe Stock)
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Forage fish, a critical food source for other species, are in decline up and down the Eastern Seaboard but menhaden decline in Maryland waters has …

A 2021 Atlantic herring stock assessment estimated the population at 39,000 metric tons, or roughly 20% of its biomass target, compared with the late 1960s, when the stock was estimated at more than one million metric tons, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. (Adobe Stock)
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Anglers along the Atlantic coast want stricter regulations to help improve stocks of Atlantic herring, a forage fish vital to a healthy ocean …

Salmon species in the Northwest have been struggling because of increasing temperatures. (Cavan/Adobe Stock)
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Struggling salmon and other fish species could benefit from an updated Northwest Forest Plan. The U.S. Forest Service is set to release a draft …

Critics of PacifiCorp say the company broke a 2004 promise to retrofit its hydroelectric dams to include fish passages. (Kevin/Adobe Stock)
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Coming into the new year, Columbia Riverkeeper is supporting efforts by the Cowlitz Tribe and Yakama Nation to restore salmon migration throughout …

Salmon continue to struggle to migrate from the Pacific Ocean to Idaho to spawn. (NorthwestWildImages/Adobe Stock)
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The Biden administration wants to get serious about restoring salmon populations to the Northwest. A presidential memorandum directs federal …

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Supporters of large-scale aquaculture say it's needed to meet the growing demand for seafood. U.S. per capita consumption of fish and shellfish rose from nearly 16 pounds in 2002 to more than 20 pounds in 2021, a 31% increase, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. (Adobe Stock)
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Ocean advocates are hailing a federal judge's decision that deemed a nationwide permit for industrial aquaculture structures unlawful. The U.S…

Living roots reduce soil erosion and provide food for organisms like earthworms and microbes that cycle the nutrients plants need, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Adobe Stock)
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By Lauren Kobley for Cronkite News.Broadcast version by Alex Gonzalez for Arizona News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Publi…

Viva Farms leases out parcels of more than 100 acres it operates in the Skagit Valley. (Lena Beck)
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By Lena Beck for Modern Farmer.Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Washington News Service reporting for the Modern Farmer-Public News Service Col…

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced legislation in 2019 to address the management and conservation of forage fish. Although the bill has been reintroduced in every session since, it has yet to pass either chamber of Congress. (Adobe Stock)
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Connecticut's forage fish population is disappearing. The newest Atlantic herring stock assessment showed aside from overfishing, the species is not …

A multistate outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cows was first reported on March 25, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Adobe Stock)
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved field trials for bird flu vaccines among cattle, but one Utah State veterinarian says to his …

Seventy U.S. Supreme Court decisions and 17,000 lower court decisions have relied on Chevron, a 1984 case that set precedent and that the Supreme Court overruled in June. (Michele Ursi/Adobe Stock)
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By Marlena Williams for Sentient.Broadcast version by Kathleen Shannon for Greater Dakota News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service …

The New England Fishery Management Council is developing new management strategies for important forage fish stock off the Massachusetts coast, with the goal of improving river herring conservation. (Adobe Stock)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
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Members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head are asking federal regulators to help restore the river herring, a forage fish they said is vital to the …

Bobcats were protected in Indiana until 2005, when they were removed from the state's endangered species list. (Adobe stock)
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Indiana is considering a limited bobcat trapping season and the Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input on the proposal. The plan …

Historically, the U.S. had tens of thousands of gray wolves but now fewer than 5,000 remain, spread over a few Western states including California. (Gary Kramer/USFWS)
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Environmental groups are slamming a Biden administration effort to remove federal protections for the endangered gray wolf. The U.S. Fish and …

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates more than one-third of food produced in the U.S. is never eaten, wasting the resources used to produce, process and distribute it. (Adobe Stock)<br />
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A new study found Maine households are a leading contributor of food waste in local landfills, which in turn contributes to climate change. …

Restaurants and food businesses in the U.S. use nearly 1 trillion pieces of disposable plasticware and packaging annually, according to Upstream, a reuse advocacy organization. (Adobe Stock)
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By Meg Wilcox for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for Commonwealth News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public N…

Environmental advocates say the growth of so-called 'fast fashion' is adding to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Buying just one white cotton shirt produces the same amount of emissions as driving 35 miles in a car, according to the climate action group, WRAP. (Adobe Stock)
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By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for New Hampshire News Connection, reporting for the Solutions Journalism …

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act provides lump-sum compensation for illnesses contracted by people working in the uranium industry or exposed to above-ground nuclear tests. (Courtesy Nuclear Threat Initiative)
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A 2,000-mile bus trip has not deterred representatives from Southwest tribes from traveling to Washington, D.C., this week to support expansion of …

New Mexico's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is the nation's only deep geologic long-lived radioactive waste repository. (DOE) New Mexico's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is the nation's only deep geologic long-lived radioactive waste repository. (DOE)
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Public meetings in New Mexico this week will gather input on proposed expansion of a nuclear waste repository. But watchdog groups are urging a …

The federal government began cleaning up nuclear waste in New Mexico's Acid Canyon in the late 1960s, but one scientist said it is not gone. (National Park Service)
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A scientist who said he found extreme plutonium contamination in Los Alamos' Acid Canyon believes concerned residents should invest in monitoring equi…

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is anticipated to save over $350 million annually on electric bills for 900,000 low-income households nationwide and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 million metric tons over five years. (Felix Mizioznikov/Adobe Stock)
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Ohio's most vulnerable communities are set to benefit from more than $312 million in federal funding aimed at reducing energy costs and promoting envi…

If Duke Energy has its way, some Hoosiers may soon face higher electric bills. (Adobe Stock)
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Duke Energy is facing criticism over its proposed rate hikes of up to 16%, while delaying the retirement of its coal-fired power plants in Indiana…

Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)
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Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …

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Human health risks of exposure to PFAS include growth effects on infants and children, obstacles to a person's ability to become pregnant, effects on the immune system and increased risk of certain cancers, according to the South Dakota Department of Agricultural and Natural Resources. (Adobe Stock)
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A new report warned about adverse health, wildlife and environmental impacts of toxic chemicals known as PFAS in states such as South Dakota…

In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the first-ever national drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to PFAS. (Adobe Stock)
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A new report sounded the alarm in states like Utah for the adverse health, wildlife and environmental impacts of toxic chemicals known as "PFAS." …

Environmental groups say there is a need to reduce the use of such chemicals as PFAS and practice farming in ways that their use is no longer needed. (Adobe Stock)
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CLARIFICATION: Neonicotinoids may contain PFAS chemicals, but PFAS chemicals are not neonicotinoids. (12:30 p.m. MDT, Aug. 11, 2024) A class of …

 

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