Environment
Louisiana Bond commission approves Entergy plan to borrow for storm repairs; customers will pay it back
The State Bond Commission signed off Thursday on a plan to let Entergy Louisiana cover its storm recovery costs through a $3.2 billion bond sale that its customers would pay back over the next two decades. The commission’s approval is contingent on Louisiana’s Public Service Commission also supporting Entergy’s proposal. The commission, which regulates most […]
Feds prioritize billions for Louisiana coastal projects
Not all of the projects are fully funded. Those with dollars from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will require 35% in matching money from the state.
Forest Service in ‘paradigm shift’ to use logging, controlled burns to prevent wildfires
The Biden administration will announce Tuesday it is using $3 billion from last year’s infrastructure law to revamp the federal approach to wildfire management, introducing a 10-year plan to deal with the large swaths of the West scientists consider most at risk of destructive blazes. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, is scheduled […]
Some Democrats push to rescue climate plan in Biden spending package
A group of congressional Democrats on Tuesday called for preserving the climate portions of President Joe Biden’s stalled domestic spending bill as Democrats in the U.S. Senate rewrite the measure. U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Tina Smith of Minnesota and John Hickenlooper of Colorado, along with Reps. Kathy Castor […]
Louisiana Public Service Commission awards contracts to man with suspended law license
The Louisiana Public Service Commission has given $220,000 worth of government contracts to a consultant with professional and personal connections to one of its commissioners, even after the consultant’s law license was suspended in 2019. The commission awarded Scott McQuaig two contracts in 2020 worth nearly $180,000 total for consulting work on 5G utility pole attachments […]
The U.S. is making plans to replace all of its lead water pipes from coast to coast
Gabriel Filippelli, IUPUI for The Conversation The Biden administration has released a plan to accelerate removal of lead water pipes and lead paint from U.S. homes. As a geochemist and environmental health researcher who has studied the heartbreaking impacts of lead poisoning in children for decades, I am happy to see high-level attention paid to this […]
Is Santa’s sleigh zero carbon? The answer lies in reindeer poo
Mike Jeffries, Northumbria University, Newcastle for The Conversation Santa’s sleigh is famously pulled by eight reindeer, nine if you include the luminous Rudolf who pitches in when it’s foggy. The classic eight are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Vixen and Blitzen. Those last two are an easy-on-the-ear translation of Dutch, but the whole eight sound […]
Is cutting down a tree for Christmas bad for the environment?
Christmas is a time for celebrating the season and a time for cutting down trees – and that holiday tradition sometimes leads to discussions about what’s best for the environment: Is it greener to buy a real tree or a fake tree, or abstain altogether? UNH forest resources specialist Steven Roberge explained some of the […]
Schumer vows U.S. Senate action on voting rights and social policy, as Manchin rift deepens
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday he plans to force votes on voting rights, a sweeping social policy bill and a change to Senate rules early next year — even as members of his caucus have made clear in recent days Democrats lack the support to pass those proposals. In a letter to […]
Louisiana Public Service Commission approves contracts held up over work with environmentalists
The Louisiana Public Service Commission on Tuesday approved two government consulting contracts that were delayed last month because a commissioner was upset the low bidder didn’t disclose work the consultant had done for an environmental law firm. The commission hired London Economics International to help understand long-term assessments being performed by Entergy Louisiana LLC and […]
‘Hunker down’ is not enough: 2021 hurricane season showed US isn’t prepared
Marina Lazetic, Tufts University and Karen Jacobsen, Tufts University for The Conversation Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2021, 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina flooded the city. This time the levees held. Billions of dollars invested in reinforcing them had paid off – at least for part of the population. […]
Women would sign up for the military draft under defense bill in Congress
WASHINGTON — As the Senate works to finalize a major annual defense measure, there is a bipartisan push to include a requirement that all young Americans — including women — for the first time register for the military draft. The $777.9 billion measure, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, also would allocate millions to […]