Environment
For offshore wind aspirations to become reality, transmission hurdles must be cleared
President Joe Biden’s administration laid out ambitious additional goals last month to boost offshore wind power generation, one of the American renewable energy industry’s emerging wide open frontiers. The federal announcements come as coastal states across the country are increasingly setting offshore wind energy targets, seeking to capture not just clean energy but the potentially […]
A new justice at the U.S. Supreme Court, and an Idaho wetlands case up first
When the U.S. Supreme Court opens its fall term on Monday, a few things will be different. A Black woman, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, will hear oral arguments for the first time ever. And the public will be allowed into the room for the first time since early 2020. The content of the term’s first […]
Louisiana Higher Ed: Crime up at LSU, tenure task force update
The Louisiana Illuminator takes a weekly look at news from universities and colleges around the state. Have a tip or want to submit a Louisiana Higher Ed news item? Contact [email protected] Crime on the rise at LSU New data released in LSU’s 2022 annual security and fire safety report indicated that reports of crime on […]
Manchin seeks bipartisan ‘sweet spot’ for a new try at his energy permitting bill
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators from both parties said Wednesday they hope to negotiate an energy permitting reform bill yet this year, reviving efforts to streamline the process after West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III had to pull back his plan amid broad opposition. The Manchin proposal was attached to a must-pass government funding bill […]
Stopgap spending bill advances in U.S. Senate after Manchin pulls his energy plan
The U.S. Senate pulled Sen. Joe Manchin's energy proposal from a stopgap bipartisan spending bill its members approved Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. (File: Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
Jeff Landry gets Republican AGs to oppose Manchin’s energy permit reforms
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is leading a group of 18 Republican attorneys general in opposition to U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s proposed Energy Independence and Security Act — a bill that would reform the federal permitting process for major energy infrastructure projects. Manchin, D-West Virginia, released the text of his legislation last week following weeks […]
Baton Rouge traffic study shows locals create interstate congestion
The results from a traffic pattern analysis released Monday for the Greater Baton Rouge Mississippi River Bridge South project surprised some experts and officials. Its findings indicate local drivers account for the vast majority of the 126,000 vehicles who cross the Interstate 10 bridge. The Capital Area Road and Bridge District Commission met Monday to […]
Louisianans have sought to tame the Mississippi River for decades. Now they may set it free.
POINT À LA HACHE – Don Beshel walks out of his office and looks out on his marina. Where once were dozens of boats now sit only a few. The levee has more boats washed up from flooding than line his docks. The air here used to have salty undertones. Now fresh water from the […]
Supreme Court will revisit a wetlands question it has struggled with in the past
The U.S. Supreme Court opens its new session on Oct. 3, 2022, with a high-profile case that could fundamentally alter the federal government’s ability to address water pollution. Sackett v. EPA turns on a question that courts and regulators have struggled to answer for several decades: Which wetlands and bodies of water can the federal […]
Louisiana Higher Ed: Eco-sensors, cybersecurity and an apology
The Louisiana Illuminator takes a weekly look at news from universities and colleges around the state. Have a tip or want to submit a Louisiana Higher Ed news item? Contact [email protected] FUTURE is here Louisiana Tech, LSU Shreveport and four partner universities have received a $6 million award from the National Science Foundation to create […]
Soaring Entergy bills, storm recovery costs dominate PSC District 3 candidate forum
LUTCHER – The River Parishes lie within District 3 of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and it was here that Hurricane Ida inflicted some of its worst damage last year. Entergy customers in the district now face monthly bills that have doubled in the interim, a combination of pass-along utility storm repair costs and higher […]
Groups shift to registering, turning out young voters through issues like climate crisis
While polls show economic issues and particularly inflation are top of mind for likely voters, some groups are hopeful that political messaging focused on climate issues will help drive first-time voters — especially young ones – to the polls. On Tuesday, as part of National Voter Registration Day, the Nevada Conservation League and Chispa held […]