Economy & Business

"EPA Is Struggling to Keep Track of Water Grants, Watchdog Says"

"The EPA doesn’t seem to have a firm grip on a $162 million pot of money meant for water infrastructure grants, the agency’s inspector general said in a Tuesday memo to department officials.

The findings are the latest in a string of reports from the Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general raising red flags about how the agency is doling out its grant money.

The EPA’s drinking water division admitted it “encountered challenges” in trying to provide a list of grants issued under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, according to the memo."

Source: Bloomberg Environment, 06/21/2023

"Offshore Wind Foes In New Jersey Gathering Force Legally And Politically"

"Opponents of offshore wind energy projects in New Jersey are gathering force legally and politically as they seek to snuff out the nascent industry."

Source: AP, 06/20/2023

Power Companies Spend Millions To Fight Maine’s Proposed Non-Profit Utility

"Residents in Maine are about to be bombarded with a multimillion-dollar public relations campaign aimed at saving the state’s two dominant electric utilities from being voted out of existence in November."

Source: Floodlight, 06/20/2023

Watching the Watchers: How Journalistic Teamwork Uncovered Years of Regulatory Failure in Texas

After a massive fire at a Texas petrochemical storage facility, reporters from Public Health Watch and The Texas Tribune worked together to shed light on who was responsible for this disaster and what health threats had been hidden from the public. This behind-the-scenes report from Public Health Watch’s David Leffler and Savanna Strott looks at the challenges the team faced and how they overcame them.

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U.S. Proposes Deep Fee Reductions For Wind, Solar On Federal Land

"A new regulation will formalize a roughly 80% cut in project fees for wind and solar energy developments on federal lands under a proposal by the Biden administration on Thursday as part of a strategy to boost renewable energy to fight climate change."

Source: Reuters, 06/16/2023

Power Firms Quietly Pushed $215m Into US Politics Via Dark Money Groups

"US power companies have made political donations of at least $215m to dark money groups in recent years, according to a new analysis of 25 for-profit utilities, amid growing concerns around how they wield influence." "Donations have helped utilities increase electricity prices, hinder solar schemes and helped elect sympathetic legislators".

Source: Floodlight, 06/16/2023

PacifiCorp Could Owe Billions After Verdict In Devastating Oregon Wildfires

"A jury on Wednesday ordered the electric utility PacifiCorp to pay punitive damages for causing devastating wildfires in Oregon in 2020 — on top of an earlier verdict already expected to amount to billions of dollars."

Source: AP, 06/15/2023

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