Environment
Covering topics such as climate change, emissions, renewable energy, water rights and environmental justice.
Michigan’s Homeowners’ Energy Policy Act will take effect in October and will prevent HOAs from blocking the installation of a wide range of energy-efficient measures at their homes. Residents of mobile home communities might be next.
Regardless of the continuing partisan debates about climate change, Republican-led states are benefiting economically from clean energy investments.
No rainmaker, aqueduct or prayer can save the Ogallala Aquifer from depletion. The battle over its decline pits good policy against powerful agricultural and political interests.
The state has joined with other Northeastern states in an effort to plan and develop regional transmission infrastructure.
In the Cuyama Valley, north of Santa Barbara, water continues to be heavily pumped to irrigate thousands of acres of farmland. A plan to prevent over-pumping has sparked a legal battle.
The lost water costs the cities millions and heightens the state’s water supply challenges.
State lawmakers will likely place two bonds, one for climate change impacts and one for school repairs – each worth $10 billion – on the November ballot. The bonds will require a two-thirds approval from both chambers to reach the ballot.
A 2023 study found that 90 percent of the state’s beaches tested positive for unsafe levels of fecal bacteria for at least one day. Fecal contamination can come from urban runoff, sewage overflows and factory farms.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick want $5 billion more to expand a low-interest loan program for natural gas power plant construction “as soon as possible.”
At least four cities across the state are replacing traditional Fourth of July firework displays with laser and drone shows.
Vermont will charge $89 a year for registered electric vehicles, directing revenue to more charging stations. It’s among a handful of states with both incentives and fees for EV owners.
Construction of nuclear plants is often only feasible thanks to public subsidies that mitigate risk. Then that risk gets shifted back onto government.
The industry’s troubles are complicated but it’s far from dead. Some policy changes may help it find firmer footing.
The state Department of Environmental Protection announced that it is 91 percent of the way toward meeting its carbon neutrality target by 2045. But the state still has a way to go before reaching its other climate goals.
The Florida county has begun using a drone to spray hard-to-reach areas to control mosquito populations more efficiently. Already in 2024, there have been seven cases of locally- acquired dengue virus.
The Surfrider Foundation found that of the nation’s 10 most polluted beaches, three are in California. San Diego’s Imperial Beach held the top spot, with every water sample failing the state’s health standards.
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