EJToday: Top Headlines

Court Pauses Uinta Basin Railway Project That Would Ship Oil Through Colorado [9]

"A federal board erred when it gave approval to a railway project in eastern Utah that could ship billions of gallons of crude oil along the Colorado River, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled on Friday.

The Uinta Basin Railway project would have connected oil drilling in Utah with major rail networks with 88 miles of new tracks. The project drew widespread criticism from environmental groups, local officials in Colorado and U.S Senator Michael Bennet, which raised alarms about safety and environmental risks from increased oil traffic.
Energy & Fuel [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Pollution [12]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [14]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [15]
Source: Colorado Public Radio [16], 08/21/2023
- Read more about Court Pauses Uinta Basin Railway Project That Would Ship Oil Through Colorado [9]
"No More Radioactive Dumping In Hudson River: NY Gov. Hochul Signs Ban" [17]

"Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the “Save the Hudson” bill into law on Friday, banning any further radioactive waste dumping in the Hudson River."

Laws & Regulations [11]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [18]
Pollution [12]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [14]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [19]
Source: Gothamist [20], 08/21/2023
- Read more about "No More Radioactive Dumping In Hudson River: NY Gov. Hochul Signs Ban" [17]
NOAA Plans to Radically Expand Offshore Aquaculture; Not Everyone Is Onboard [21]

"NOAA’s five-year plan to strengthen the domestic seafood market includes establishing dozens of open-pen fish farms up to three miles offshore. But some experts worry about the well-being of marine mammals, the expansion of dead zones from fish excrement, and infringement on wild fishing grounds."

Fish & Fisheries [22]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Natural Resources [23]
Pollution [12]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [24]
Source: Civil Eats [25], 08/21/2023
- Read more about NOAA Plans to Radically Expand Offshore Aquaculture; Not Everyone Is Onboard [21]
"Mexico Announces 13 New Protected Areas, With More To Come" [26]

"Mexico introduced six new national parks and seven flora and fauna protection areas covering 17,918 hectares (44,276 acres) to be overseen by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp)."

Laws & Regulations [11]
Natural Resources [23]
Public [14]
Mexico [27]
Source: Mongabay [28], 08/21/2023
- Read more about "Mexico Announces 13 New Protected Areas, With More To Come" [26]
Indian Floods: More Rain, Less Snow Are Turning Himalayas Dangerous [29]

"Torrential rains and unabated construction are frequently triggering disasters in India's Himalayan region."

Climate Change [30]
Disasters [31]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [14]
Asia [32]
Source: BBC News [33], 08/21/2023
- Read more about Indian Floods: More Rain, Less Snow Are Turning Himalayas Dangerous [29]
"Inside The Narwhal: An Existential Threat To Online News In Canada" [34]

"Meta and Google’s moves to block news in Canada undermine democracy." Scrappy Canadian investigative startup The Narwhal finds tech giants blocking news sites because of the Online News Act.

Journalism & Media [35]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Public [14]
Canada [36]
Source: The Narwhal [37], 08/21/2023
- Read more about "Inside The Narwhal: An Existential Threat To Online News In Canada" [34]
"These Animals Are Already Adapting to a Changing Climate" [38]

"Climate change is one of the top five drivers of extinction, but it’s not always a zero-sum game. In general, scientists expect species will have to move upward in elevation or latitude to cope in a warming world. However, in California, many animals have been adapting to their mutating environments in ingenious ways."

Biodiversity [39]
Climate Change [30]
Natural Resources [23]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [24]
California [40]
Source: Sierra [41], 08/21/2023
- Read more about "These Animals Are Already Adapting to a Changing Climate" [38]
"The Toxic Aftermath Of The Maui Fires Could Last For Years" [42]

"Lahaina is plagued by hazardous debris, chemicals and undrinkable water. A big storm could worsen and spread the wildfire contamination."

Biodiversity [39]
Climate Change [30]
Disasters [31]
Environmental Health [43]
Natural Resources [23]
Pollution [12]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [24]
Alaska and Hawaii [44]
Source: Washington Post [45], 08/18/2023
- Read more about "The Toxic Aftermath Of The Maui Fires Could Last For Years" [42]
Drinking Water Of Millions Of Americans Contaminated With PFAS Chemicals [46]

"Drinking water consumed by millions of Americans from hundreds of communities spread across the United States is contaminated with dangerous levels of toxic chemicals, according to testing data released on Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)."

Chemicals [47]
Consumer [48]
Environmental Health [43]
Pollution [12]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [24]
Source: Guardian [49], 08/18/2023
- Read more about Drinking Water Of Millions Of Americans Contaminated With PFAS Chemicals [46]
"Major US Blackout Anniversary Renews Call for Power Grid Updates" [50]

"Transmission developers are marking 20 years since the biggest blackout in North American history with calls for US energy regulators to finalize a rule to make it easier to invest in making the power grid more resilient."

Energy & Fuel [10]
Infrastructure [51]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [24]
Source: Bloomberg Environment [52], 08/18/2023
- Read more about "Major US Blackout Anniversary Renews Call for Power Grid Updates" [50]
"Here’s Where Water Is Running Out In The World — And Why" [53]

"A growing population and rising temperatures will strain the world’s freshwater supplies over the next 30 years, jeopardizing available water for drinking, bathing and growing food, according to new research."

Agriculture [54]
Climate Change [30]
Disasters [31]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [14]
International [55]
Source: Washington Post [56], 08/18/2023
- Read more about "Here’s Where Water Is Running Out In The World — And Why" [53]
"Standards Still Murky for Disposing Oilfield Wastewater in Texas Rivers" [57]

"Researchers are still studying the chemical makeup of produced water from the Permian Basin. But regulators say they’re ready to issue permits to discharge the water into rivers and creeks."

Energy & Fuel [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Pollution [12]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [14]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [58]
Source: Inside Climate News [59], 08/18/2023
- Read more about "Standards Still Murky for Disposing Oilfield Wastewater in Texas Rivers" [57]
"New Top Cop at the E.P.A. Aims to Get Enforcement Back on Track" [60]

"Under President Biden, the Environmental Protection Agency has closed fewer civil cases against polluters than any administration in the last two decades and has overseen a drop in criminal investigations of environmental crimes. David M. Uhlmann hopes to change that."

Environmental Health [43]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [24]
Source: NYTimes [61], 08/18/2023
- Read more about "New Top Cop at the E.P.A. Aims to Get Enforcement Back on Track" [60]
"UN Climate Summit Host UAE Failed To Report Methane Emissions To UN" [62]

"The United Arab Emirates, which will run the crucial Cop28 UN climate summit in December, has failed to report its emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane to the UN for almost a decade, the Guardian can reveal."

Climate Change [30]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Politics [63]
Public [14]
International [55]
Middle East [64]
Source: Guardian [65], 08/18/2023
- Read more about "UN Climate Summit Host UAE Failed To Report Methane Emissions To UN" [62]
"SoCalGas Said Its Natural Gas Was ‘Renewable.’ Now, It’s Paying Penalties." [66]

"More than 95 percent of the gas the utility delivers to customers is derived from fossil fuels."

Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Politics [63]
Journalism & Media [35]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [24]
Source: Grist [67], 08/18/2023
- Read more about "SoCalGas Said Its Natural Gas Was ‘Renewable.’ Now, It’s Paying Penalties." [66]

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