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We’re Just Starting to Learn How Fracking Harms Wildlife

We’re Just Starting to Learn How Fracking Harms Wi...

In January 2015 North Dakota experienced one of the worst environmental disasters in its history: A pipeline burst, spilling nearly 3 million gallons of briny, saltwater waste from nearby oil-drilling operations into two creek beds. The wastewater, which flowed all the way to the Missouri River, contained chloride concentrations high enough to kill any wildlife that encountered it. It wasn’t the first such disaster in...
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USGS Estimates 214 trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas in Appalachian Basin Formations

USGS Estimates 214 trillion Cubic Feet of Natural ...

USGS Estimates 214 trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas in Appalachian Basin Formations www.usgs.gov USGS Updates Appalachian Basin Natural Gas Assessments New Estimates for Marcellus and Point Pleasant-Utica Shales The Marcellus Shale and Point Pleasant-Utica Shale formations of the Appalachian Basin contain an estimated mean of 214 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous resources of natural...
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HB 6 is headed to defeat if it makes it to the November 2020 ballot, but that’s the if

HB 6 is headed to defeat if it makes it to the Nov...

Ohio voters will kill House Bill 6 – a bill that would require Ohio’s electricity customers to subsidize the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear power plants – if they get the chance. That’s a big “if.” And it’s why the powerful interests who rammed House Bill 6 through the General Assembly last summer are doing all they can to keep voters from signing petitions to place HB 6 on Ohio’s November 2020 ballot. The nuclear plants are...
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Amazon’s Move to Electric Trucks Is a Very Big Deal

Amazon’s Move to Electric Trucks Is a Very Big Dea...

I see a lot of announcements from companies touting their goals for reducing emissions. Too often, these plans are light on details and leave most of the heavy lifting until well after their current leaders have retired. This week, we start with a plan that has the makings of a standard-setter because it thinks big and will be taking meaningful steps soon. I’m Dan Gearino, your guide to the clean energy economy. Send me news...
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No bidders for coal leases inside Ohio national forest

No bidders for coal leases inside Ohio national fo...

NELSONVILLE, Ohio (AP) — The federal government says it received no bids during a competitive lease sale for coal underneath about 430 acres of Ohio’s Wayne National Forest. The Bureau of Land Management-Eastern States released the results of last week’s offering on Tuesday. Leases involved seven tracts in Perry and Morgan counties that contain an estimated 1.4 million tons of sub-surface mineable federal coal. The sale came...
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There’s Evidence that Climate Activism could be Swaying Public Opinion in the US

There’s Evidence that Climate Activism could be Sw...

There’s evidence that climate activism could be swaying public opinion in the US Climate activists walked out of classrooms and workplaces in more than 150 countries on Friday, Sept. 20 to demand stronger action on climate change. Mass mobilizations like this have become increasingly common in recent years.I’m a scholar of environmental communication who examines how people become engaged with solving dilemmas such as...
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The Hope of the Green New Deal

The Hope of the Green New Deal

There is significant talk in the U.S. now concerning the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources to reduce the U.S. impact on global warming.  Politically, a Green New Deal is being promoted for achieving the goal of full replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy. The Green New Deal sounds like an admirable endeavor but, realistically, once fully implemented the U.S. would still consume huge volumes...
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Even Small Spikes in Air Pollution Can Threaten Children’s Mental Health, Research Suggests

Even Small Spikes in Air Pollution Can Threaten Ch...

Climate change is making air pollution worse and is exacerbating smog-related health risks such as heart and lung diseases, pregnancy complications and development issues. Now, a study by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has identified another health risk associated with rising air pollution: childhood psychiatric issues. According to the study, published in the journal Environmental Health...
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These Scientists Were Disbanded by the EPA — They Plan to Meet Anyway

These Scientists Were Disbanded by the EPA — They ...

A group of 20 scientists charged with reviewing the nation’s air quality standards plans to convene and to issue a report on the country’s air pollution regulations, even though the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disbanded their panel. In a move that is consistent with the administration’s skepticism towards science and expertise, the EPA administrator, Andrew Wheeler, disbanded the Particulate...
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Trump Admin Ignored Its Own Data Linking Migrant Crisis to Climate Change

Trump Admin Ignored Its Own Data Linking Migrant C...

The Trump administration ignored its own evidence on how climate change is impacting migration and food security when setting new policies for cutting aid to Central America, NBC reports. An internal Customs and Border Protection research report obtained by NBC documents how the areas in Guatemala with the most migration to the U.S. are areas where there has been widespread crop failure and a lack of farming jobs. NBC...
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Money Is the Oxygen on Which the Fire of Global Warming Burns

Money Is the Oxygen on Which the Fire of Global Wa...

What if the banking, asset-management, and insurance industries moved away from fossil fuels? I’m skilled at eluding the fetal crouch of despair—because I’ve been working on climate change for thirty years, I’ve learned to parcel out my angst, to keep my distress under control. But, in the past few months, I’ve more often found myself awake at night with true fear-for-your-kids anguish. This spring, we set another high mark...
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Dangerous oil and gas industry exemption slipped into highway bill

Dangerous oil and gas industry exemption slipped i...

A landmark five-year, $287 billion highway bill moving in the Senate contains a poison pill provision that must be eliminated. The measure — which would be the largest highway legislation in history — is noteworthy for its inclusion of the first climate title in a surface transportation bill. The climate provisions are an important step toward addressing the urgent need to reduce transportation emissions and invest in...
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States hit electric vehicle owners with high fees, Consumer Reports says

States hit electric vehicle owners with high fees,...

Key Points A new Consumer Reports analysis shows that of the 26 states have EV fees, 11 charge more than owners of gas-powered cars pay in gas taxes. The move in some states to higher EV fees has been led by the American Legislative Exchange Council a think tank advocating policies of limited government, free markets, and federalism. Electric vehicles accounted for 1.8% of the market share in the U.S. in March of 2019....
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Solar Company Sees Some Benefit From Ohio’s Nuclear Bailout Law

Solar Company Sees Some Benefit From Ohio’s ...

While critics of Ohio’s recent nuclear bailout are moving toward a referendum to repeal the law, the new policy has won some support from an unusual source. Greg Kuss, president of Solar Vision in Worthington, says that increased charges to electric customers will make solar an economical option. “Now, the price of installing solar is comparable with what you’d be paying your local utilities,” Kuss says. Kuss says the cost...
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Here are the winners and losers on climate policy in 2019

Here are the winners and losers on climate policy ...

State lawmakers across the country either have wrapped up their legislative sessions or are on the verge of what they refer to as sine die. The result is a panoply of policy that’s mostly good, but also bad and ugly when it comes to our nation’s economy, environment and sustainability. For the most part, states continue to be beacons of hope lighting and leading the way for our nation on climate and clean energy amid lack of...
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