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"A new 9-month long cross-border investigation exposes the flaws of “green” forestry labels. Environmental auditors overlook harm by “sustainable" companies, hindering climate efforts."
"Railroads including the one whose train derailed and caught fire in Ohio would have to follow new safety rules under bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday by the state’s two U.S. senators, even as regulators plan to step up inspections on tracks carrying the most hazardous materials."
"Six fossil fuel companies funneled more than $700m in research funding to 27 universities in the US from 2010 to 2020, according to a new study. Such funding at universities that conduct climate research can shift not just research agendas, but also policy in the direction of climate solutions the industry prefers, the report’s authors argue."
"The Inflation Reduction Act offered bigger grants under a rural clean energy program. Now, advocates want Congress to bring the rest of the program in line with those ambitions as part of the latest Farm Bill reauthorization."
"A new group aims to spend up to $10 million to sway Congress to loosen federal rules for both fossil fuel projects and green power. A major element: putting "the right pressure" on vulnerable Senate Democrats."
"The plan to stop companies from fudging their climate goals is fundamentally flawed."
"The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has voted to seek public input on gas stoves, a potential first step in regulating the appliances."
"It’s been a widely accepted trend in financial circles for nearly two decades. But suddenly, Republicans have launched an assault on a philosophy that says that companies should be concerned with not just profits but also how their businesses affect the environment and society."
"Drive traffic-clogged Interstate 10 through Phoenix's West Valley suburbs and you'd hardly know the Southwest is as dry as it's been in 1,200 years. Water gulping data centers, large warehouses and distribution centers have sprouted in the barren desert. Housing development after housing development is slated for construction."
"Gov. Wes Moore’s nominee to the Maryland Public Service Commission withdrew from consideration on Tuesday, after environmentalists criticized the appointment of someone who was an official in the fossil fuel industry."
"The train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, is renewing concerns about the safety of moving natural gas by rail and whether existing federal rules governing the industry should be changed."
"Almost two decades after the Williamson’s sapsucker was listed as endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, the B.C. government continues to sanction logging in the bird’s old-growth forest critical habitat".
"House Republicans are taking action on numerous bills that will make for part of their sweeping energy and permitting reform package, which they hope to put on the floor for a vote by the end of March."
"Critics are describing the Biden administration’s opening position in a United Nations effort to reach a global treaty or agreement to end plastic waste as vague and weak, despite its recognition of a need to end plastic pollution by 2040."
"The White House is touting Banga’s experience with financial inclusion and climate change".
"The Biden administration on Thursday nominated Ajay Banga, a former Mastercard executive who is now vice chairman at the private equity firm General Atlantic, to be the next president of the World Bank.
Banga is still subject to a months-long confirmation process before the bank’s board reaches a final decision. As the bank’s largest shareholder, the United States has typically chosen its leader, although other countries could still put forward nominations of their own.
