environment-climate-news
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NRC Approves Two Florida Nuclear Reactors
Opinion -The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given environmental approval to two new nuclear reactors at the Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station near Biscayne Bay in South Florida situated between two National Parks. -
D.C. Circuit Upholds FERC’s Liquefied Natural Gas Export Plant Approval
Opinion -In November, environmentalists lost their challenge in federal court to a planned liquefied natural gas export project. -
US EPA Backs Off Haze Rule for Texas Power Plants
Opinion -The Environmental Protection Agency announced it is withdrawing a mandate which would have required seven Texas coal-fired power plants to either install expensive scrubbers to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions or shut down. -
Utah Counties Sue Federal Government to Halt ‘Illegal’ Coal Leasing Moratorium
Opinion -Six Utah counties are suing the U.S. Department of Interior in Federal District Court to overturn a moratorium on federal coal leases the secretary of the interior issued in January 2016. -
Federal Court Blocks Hawaii GMO Bans
Opinion -The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked three measures, from counties on Kauai, Hawaii Island, and Maui, that would have banned or placed a moratorium on the use of genetically modified organisms in crops and seeds. -
Study: Electric Power Competition in Pennsylvania Benefits Consumers, the Environment
Opinion -A new Kleinman Center for Energy Policy study finds Pennsylvania’s decision to open its wholesale and retail electric power markets to competition in 1996, has resulted in lower prices, increased capacity, and improved air quality. -
Coal Industry: EPA Modelling Shows Clean Power Plan Understates Power Plant Closures
Opinion -Citing new EPA modelling, the National Mining Association says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grossly overstated the number of coal-fired power plants that would retire in absence of the Clean Power Plan. -
SCOTUS Rejects Property Cases
Opinion -Without comment, on October 3, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to take up two cases involving property rights and takings claims. -
EPA Approves New Herbicide for Cotton, Soybeans
Opinion -Despite objections from environmental organizations concerned about wildlife impacts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a new herbicide mix for use on cotton and soybeans. -
Trump Vows Changes in Nation’s Energy, Climate Policies
Opinion -President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to expand the development and production of fossil fuels and to withdraw from climate treaties and rescind Obama EPA climate regulations. -
Global Climate Agreement Targets Air Conditioners, Refrigerators
Opinion -Government’s representing more than 170 countries agreed to phase-out of the use of hydrofluorocarbons, a coolant in air conditioners and refrigerators, to fight climate change. -
Environmental Issues Feature Prominently on State Ballots
Opinion -Ranging from constitutional amendments guaranteeing the right to hunt and fish, to an initiative imposing a carbon tax, environmental issues featured prominently statewide on several states’ ballots during the November elections. -
Canadian Solar Company, Follows its American Parent Company Into Bankruptcy
Opinion -The Canadian subsidiary of bankrupt of SunEdison, has now followed its parent company into bankruptcy. -
Nevada Voters Choose Electric Power Competition
Opinion -Voters in Nevada overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that would open the state’s electric power market to retail competition. -
Clean Power Plan is Unconstitutional, Harvard Law Professor Argues
Opinion -Harvard Law School professor Laurence Tribe, author of a widely used text on constitutional law, is serving on the legal team fighting to block the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan arguing it is unconstitutional. -
Environmental Working Group Undermines Public Health, Good Government
Opinion -The Environmental Working Group is an activist organization that stokes unwarranted fears of modern agriculture, chemicals, and some medical technology. -
California County Bans Fracking Despite Study Showing No Pollution Risk
Opinion -Voters in Monterey County, California passed a ballot measure banning hydraulic fracturing, commonly called “fracking,” on November 8, despite research showing fracking is not causing air pollution. -
Proposed Dolphin Regulations Could Have Seismic Impact On Oil Drilling
Opinion -The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is developing regulations to limit energy exploration in the Gulf of Mexico in an effort it says will protect dolphins and other animals from the purported dangers seismic surveying. -
DOE Signs Kentucky Nuclear Fuel Contract
Opinion -The Department of Energy signed a 40 year contract to sell depleted uranium to provide fuel for a proposed uranium enrichment facility in Paducah, Kentucky. -
After Election, States Rethink CPP Planning Efforts
Opinion -Following Donald Trump’s election as the next President of the United States, a number of states have begun reconsidering whether to continue planning to comply with President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. -
Freeing Natural Gas with Hydraulic Fracturing
Opinion -A recent video series called Fracking Facts, narrated by Heartland Institute Research Fellow Isaac Orr, explains what fracking is, the benefits it has produced, and the concerns it has raised. -
Testimony: EPA Testing Flawed, Possibly Illegal
Opinion -Testimony presented to a committee of the National Research Council investigating possible misconduct by EPA show testing they funded may violate research testing ethics and domestic and international law. -
Wind Farms Endanger Golden Eagles, USGS Finds
Opinion -A new study by the U.S. Geological Survey shows the growing number of wind energy facilities in the United States are killing increasing numbers of protected golden eagles. -
Violent Protesters Block Dakota Access Pipeline
Opinion -Environmental activists and members of Native American tribes have resorted to violence to block completion of an oil pipeline that will stretch from North Dakota to Illinois.
