The Waning Reign of the Wetland Architect We Barely Know (Hint: Not a Beaver)
"Little-appreciated, semiaquatic, and cute-as-hell, muskrats can survive almost anywhere. So where are they?"
Source: Hakai, 04/30/2024
EJToday: Top Headlines
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"How Abrupt U-Turns Are Defining U.S. Environmental Regulations"
"The polarization of politics means that rules are imposed, gutted and restored with each election. Experts say that’s bad for the economy."
Source: NYTimes, 04/29/2024"This New Biden Rule Will Save Americans $2 Billion On Utility Bills"
"The Biden administration has finalized a major rule change that raises the bar for real estate developers who want newly built homes to qualify for U.S. government-backed loans, laying the groundwork for a massive overhaul in the way Americans build houses."
Source: HuffPost, 04/29/2024"A Water Crisis In Mississippi Turns Into A Fight Against Privatization"
"Thanks to a federal judge, residents of Jackson will have a say in how the city resolves its yearslong water crisis."
Source: Grist, 04/29/2024Angry Mexican Farmers Target Avocado Orchards That Suck Up Too Much Water
"As a drought in Mexico drags on, angry subsistence farmers have begun taking direct action on thirsty avocado orchards and berry fields of commercial farms that are drying up streams in the mountains west of Mexico City."
Source: AP, 04/29/2024As Bird Flu Spreads In Cows, Scientists Ask 4 Big Questions
"On Friday, Colorado became the latest state to detect the bird flu virus spreading in dairy cattle. It follows revelations earlier in the week that viral fragments are turning up in retail milk."
Source: NPR, 04/29/2024"Study Says It’s Likely A Warmer World Made Deadly Dubai Downpours Heavier"
"Circumstantial evidence points to climate change as worsening the deadly deluge that just flooded Dubai and other parts of the Persian Gulf, but scientists didn’t discover the definitive fingerprints of greenhouse gas-triggered warming they have seen in other extreme weather events, a new report found."
Source: AP, 04/29/2024"How To Investigate Toxic Lead Lurking In Your Community’s Soil"
"New resources from the Center for Public Integrity and Grist aim to teach residents and reporters how to conduct their own research."
Source: Grist, 04/29/2024"Appalachia’s Recreation Industry Faces Climate Change Challenges"
"The impacts of climate change are steadily and exponentially being felt here in Appalachia just as they have across the globe, and environmental activists, scientists and outdoor enthusiasts alike find themselves in a race to counter the climate curve in the region."
Source: 100 Days in Appalachia, 04/29/2024"For This Alaska Town, Whaling Is a Way of Life"
"The PBS documentary ‘One with the Whale’ explores the importance of subsistence hunting and gathering in a Yup’ik village—and what happens when mainlanders misunderstand it."
Source: Civil Eats, 04/29/2024"Fire for Watersheds"
"To bring more water to the landscape — and fight the growing risk of catastrophic wildfires — a Tribe in California helps to reshape fire management policy."
Source: bioGraphic, 04/29/2024Oil, Chemical Lobbyists Flood UN Talks On Cutting Plastic Pollution
"Nearly 200 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists plan to join this week's United Nations negotiations on the first global treaty to curb plastic pollution — a 37% jump from the previous gathering in November, an analysis released on Thursday showed."
Source: Reuters, 04/26/2024"One in Five Milk Samples Nationwide Shows Genetic Traces of Bird Flu"
"Federal regulators have discovered fragments of bird flu virus in roughly 20 percent of retail milk samples tested in a nationally representative study, the Food and Drug Administration said in an online update on Thursday." "There is no evidence that the milk is unsafe to drink, scientists say. But the survey result strongly hints that the outbreak may be widespread."
Source: NYTimes, 04/26/2024"White House Unveils Plan To Accelerate Power Grid Expansion"
"The Department of Energy created a one-stop shop for federal permitting, helping transmission developers avoid the lengthy patchwork of regulatory approvals that has slowed major projects. The program makes the department the lead agency in permitting and finalizes a yearslong, multiadministration effort to coordinate the work of at least nine agencies with a hand in permitting power lines."
Source: E&E News, 04/26/2024"Standards Set To Eliminate Emissions From New Federal Buildings By 2030"
"The Biden administration has finalized standards for federal buildings that will eliminate onsite fossil fuel usage for new projects by the end of the decade, the Energy Department confirmed Wednesday."
Source: The Hill, 04/26/2024
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