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Visiting energy sites on your travels
Cindy Belt Recreation & LeisureFrom water wheels to solar power, we are constantly adapting our energy sources in today’s world. Traveling allows you to see where the energy you use every day is produced and where scientists and engineers are studying new methods to produce energy. Even the old methods of energy production are fascinating. Many areas have museums or tours available to see energy production behind the scenes.
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EV sales reach record numbers, electricity providers move to meet demand
Scott E. Rupp Transportation Technology & AutomotiveU.S.-based sales of electric vehicles increased more than 72 percent in 2018 from the previous year, with the class of autos moving more than 354,000 such vehicles. Tesla was the strongest performer. Sales of the manufacturer's three battery-powered models were reported Jan. 3, totaling more than 191,000 vehicles in 2018. In other encouraging news for the EV market, the Edison Electric Institute and the Institute for Electric Innovation said that the transition to electric vehicles is well underway. Electricity companies are working to move the EV infrastructure system forward to meet demand.
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Diminishing Arctic ice opens trade routes, commercial possibilities
Michelle R. Matisons Distribution & WarehousingWhen it comes to predicting the Arctic’s future, we are all "skating on thin ice." Recent data taken from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's annual Arctic Report Card shows that, by 2018, the Arctic Ocean lost 95 percent of its "oldest ice." This melting produces warmer temperatures because thick ice coverage keeps ocean water from absorbing the sun’s heat. While ice melts, dollar (and ruble) signs accrue, and new ice-free navigable waters open up trade routes, extend commercial fishing possibilities, and make global energy markets more competitive — to the dismay of clean energy advocates everywhere.
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Professor claims cure for CWD, but others aren’t sure
John McAdams Recreation & LeisureThe United Sportsmen of Pennsylvania (USP) turned a lot of heads in the hunting community during a press conference at the state capitol in Harrisburg in February when they announced that a cure to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) may be close at hand. The group declared that Dr. Frank Bastian of the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center has made a breakthrough in his research of the disease. USP is partnering with Bastian to help support his continued research. However, many people are understandably skeptical of Dr. Bastian's conclusions.
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Insects are dying en masse, endangering ecosystems
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalIf you've noticed a few less bugs buzzing about, that’s something to be concerned about, scientists warn. The number of insects in the world appears to be on the decline. Alongside this reduction in the world's bugs, there has never been much real long-term awareness of the decline. But, warning signs have been around for years about plummeting insect populations worldwide, scientists say. The declining numbers are so much so now that the levels are seen as potentially "catastrophic" and have not been well-understood until now. In other words, this is a very big deal for all of us.
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Study: Protecting the world’s inland waterways requires more participation
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalInland waterways are getting trashed. But there's good news in the days of darkening water, according to a new report that claims at least 15 percent of the world's inland surface water areas are covered by protected areas. The global target for such protected spaces is 17 percent as set out in Aichi Target 11 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). There's a big caveat, though. These protected spaces are not distributed evenly across the globe, a study from the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) says.
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U.S. Senate passes sweeping public lands act
Michelle R. Matisons Civil & GovernmentDespite the historic levels of partisanship we've seen out of Washington, D.C., recently, there's been some surprising bipartisan activity in the Senate regarding public lands expansion: the National Resources Management Act (NRMA). Now the Act heads to the House, which is expected to pass it next month with an endorsement from a supportive President Trump to codify it into law. Like anything optimistically sold as a bipartisan green initiative, this package (NRMA) is a mixed bag of tricks to be sure. But that gives us something to work with, right? For starters, nothing short of 1 million acres of newly protected land in the West is included in the package.
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Controversial seismic survey in Alaska’s ANWR halted
Michelle R. Matisons Natural Resources1002 Area, located in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), is 1.5 million acres of land rumored to contain anywhere between 4 and 11 billion barrels of oil. In 2017, the Trump administration opened the area up to oil and gas exploration when it passed a tax bill requiring the federal government to hold at least two oil and gas lease sales in the next decade. This move caused quite a controversy, and now it appears SAExploration, Kaktovit Inupiat Corp., and Arctic Slope Regional Corp. will not be moving forward on their planned ANWR seismic survey this winter. Cancellation of the seismic project bodes well for drilling opponents, but this is a battle far from over.
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How do business groups view the Green New Deal?
Seth Sandronsky Civil & GovernmentThe Green New Deal (GND), a resolution in both houses of Congress, arrived on Feb. 7, thanks to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). The GND "would create millions of good, high-wage jobs in the United States, provide unprecedented levels of prosperity and economic security for Americans, and counteract systemic injustices — all while addressing the existential challenge of climate change," Sen. Markey said in a prepared statement. What about the ways business groups view the costs and benefits of the bill?
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Deforestation in Brazil comes with health consequences
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalSince the election of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro last October, much has been made about the globally relevant deforestation of the Amazon. Newly initiated climate change students are likely to be introduced to the Amazon rainforest because it sequesters carbon dioxide, produces oxygen, and is home to some of the richest biodiversity in the world. For many environmentalists following the catastrophic effects of global deforestation, battles over Amazonian land-use have never been more prominent. You can also add a public health crisis to the list of problems caused by Brazil’s environmental deregulation.
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