"With a record-shattering heat wave receding in California, four extreme heat-related bills are set to become law after receiving Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature on Friday."
In the fine print of the historic Biden climate bill is a controversial commitment to pass legislation on fossil fuel permitting, a measure deeply opposed by the environmental community and calling for heavy political muscle to move through Congress this month. Issue Backgrounder details what’s in it, and what’s not, and takes the measure of the measure’s prospects.
Chicken production in the United States is a colossal industry controlled by a few vertically integrated companies. On a much smaller scale, it’s also heritage breeds and increasingly popular backyard flocks. As the latest avian flu outbreak makes headlines, journalist Christine Heinrichs looks at environmental reporting opportunities related to poultry pathogens, pollution and more.
The auto market is getting supercharged by California’s recent decision to require all-electric vehicle sales in a little over a decade. The latest TipSheet looks at how this big national trend will affect climate change by cutting CO2 emissions, how California came to have such an outsized impact on the U.S. market and how local environmental reporters can plug in for stories around their communities.
"Sen. Bernie Sanders said Thursday he would oppose a stopgap government spending measure that includes forthcoming permitting legislation, underscoring progressive resistance to the bill amid protests by environmental groups."
"A new brand of offsetting allows companies to call themselves "plastic-neutral" while continuing to use plastic themselves. What's it all about?"
"Australia passed its first major climate legislation in more than a decade with a pledge to accelerate emissions curbs, sealing the key polluter's return as a force in global action on planetary warming."
"An environmental group is seeking Endangered Species Act protections for underwater forests of bull kelp along the West Coast." "Bull kelp is critical to Oregon coastal ecosystems that historically supported sea otters, urchins and sunflower sea stars."
"Heat pumps need to be at the heart of any new energy strategy, to keep Britain’s homes warm and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but so far there is little sign of the policy measures needed, one of the UK’s leading heating experts has warned."
"The Democratic National Committee will vote this week on a resolution opposing a push by Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) to overhaul the nation's permitting process for energy infrastructure."
