Environment
Louisiana modifies statewide burn ban as fires near total containment
Louisiana will modify its statewide burn ban, in effect since late August, to allow each parish to set its own guidelines. Recent rain and the work of firefighters has lowered the risk of additional blazes in the state’s most prone areas. Starting at 5 p.m. Friday, each parish can choose to opt out of the […]
President Biden approves emergency declaration for southeast Louisiana saltwater intrusion
President Joe Biden has approved Gov. John Bel Edwards’ request for an emergency declaration in response to saltwater intrusion on the lower Mississippi River, the governor’s office announced Wednesday. A far reaching drought throughout the upper Mississippi River Valley has slowed its flow to the point where saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico, which is […]
Two Southwest Louisiana fires declared 100% contained
Two of the four fires that have collectively damaged more than 40,000 of woodlands in Louisiana have been brought under control, according to officials who’ve spent weeks on the ground containing the blazes. An update from the Southern Area Complex Incident Management Gold Team posted Tuesday on Facebook that listed the Lions Camp Road fire […]
How carbon stored underground could find its way back into the atmosphere
Generous federal tax credits are driving the onrush of carbon capture and storage projects being proposed in the U.S. But like a game of whack-a-mole, there’s a chance the planet-warming emissions could seep back up into the atmosphere after they are injected underground. How? Through any one of the thousands of abandoned oil and gas […]
Battery storage seen as ‘backbone’ of reliable electric grid but adoption uneven across US
SEARCY, Arkansas — In the decarbonized future envisioned by many states, utilities and the federal government, expect more power plants like Entergy Arkansas’ facility here, where thousands of gleaming panels and banks of batteries spread across 800 acres about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock. The Searcy Solar Energy Center, a 100-megawatt solar and storage […]
‘It’s an emergency.’ Midwest towns scramble as drought threatens drinking water.
SEDAN, Kansas — James Rainbolt typically can tackle most problems at his rural water plant with some extra time or money. But he can’t fix this. “I just can’t make it rain,” he said. Like others across Southeast Kansas, Rainbolt remains helpless as he watches a persistent drought dry up the local water supply. He […]
Federal judge says area for oil and gas leases in Gulf of Mexico must be expanded
A federal judge has ordered the Biden administration to expand next week’s offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico by 6 million acres. His ruling overturned a federal plan released last month that put limits in place to protect an endangered whale species. U.S. District Judge David Cain in Lake Charles […]
In new collaborations, tribes become stewards of parks and monuments
In a rural area of Michigan’s Thumb region, a small state park preserves a collection of sandstone carvings that date back many hundreds of years. One of the carvings, a figure with a bow and arrow, symbolizes ancestors shooting their knowledge ahead seven generations. Some might say that arrow landed in 2019. That year, descendants […]
Saltwater intrusion creates drinking water emergency for southeast Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS — The historic drought currently baking Louisiana has created an emergency for areas in the southeastern part of the state that depend on the Mississippi River for their drinking water. The flow of saltwater upriver from the Gulf of Mexico is expected to reach New Orleans in exactly a month and has already […]
Drought sparks drinking water concerns as saltwater creeps up Mississippi River
NEW ORLEANS — Drought across the midwestern and southern U.S. has left the Mississippi River with such low water levels that saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is creeping upriver in Louisiana, which could impact the drinking water of thousands of residents in the next few weeks. For those who rely on the Mississippi River […]
Louisiana prison officials say they’re ready for wildfires; reform advocates have doubts
Louisiana is experiencing an unprecedented fire season with tens of thousands of acres burned throughout the state. Experts and state officials say that wildfire seasons like this one could become more normal as the state gets hotter and drier due to climate change. And as more wildfires burn, smoke from those fires will likely blanket […]
Consultant spends 13 years, nearly $600,000 drafting energy efficiency rules
A consulting firm has charged state taxpayers over a half-million dollars while trying for 13 years to write energy efficiency policy for the Louisiana Public Service Commission. On Wednesday, it approved giving the firm more money and time because the work is still not complete. In 2010, the LPSC hired Roswell, Georgia-based consulting firm J. […]