Fri.Dec 22, 2023

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Reviewing Agency Indecision

Legal Planet

A case decided by the Third Circuit on Dec. 1 is important for two reasons. It clarifies a puzzling procedural rule applying to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). And it upholds an important policy shift regarding renewable energy by the country’s largest grid operator. Since you’re probably more interested in the second point than the first one —unless you’re a real administrative law geek— let’s start with that one.

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Statement from Environmental Defence on the Ontario Ministry of Energy’s Move to Reverse the OEB’s Decision on Gas Rates

Enviromental Defense

Statement from Keith Brooks, Programs Director Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – It is shocking that the Ministry of Energy is moving to overrule the Ontario Energy Board, which made a very sound decision to save homeowners money by encouraging new homes to be built with heat pumps, rather than gas furnaces.

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NFTs died a slow, painful death in 2023 as most are now worthless

New Scientist

Non-fungible tokens promised to revolutionise the concept of ownership using the blockchain technology behind bitcoin, but the market seems to have all but collapsed

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Reducing Methane From Livestock Is Critical for Stabilizing the Climate, but Congress Continues to Block Farms From Reporting Emissions Anyway

Inside Climate News

A long standing pattern of letting livestock producers off the hook continues, even as billions pour into the industry. By Georgina Gustin, Phil McKenna Anyone feeling compelled to look into a bill passed recently by the House of Representatives will see some familiar language.

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Manufacturing Sustainability Surge: Your Guide to Data-Driven Energy Optimization & Decarbonization

Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions

In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets.

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The 6 Most Intriguing Things We Learned about Pet Cats and Dogs This Year

Scientific American

In 2023 we learned that cats really are choosing to ignore humans and that—despite dogs getting all the glory when it comes to retrieving prowess—cats want to play fetch, too

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Proposed Hydrogen Tax Credit Rules a Win for Climate, Industry, Electricity Consumers

NRDC

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Department of Treasury released its proposed guidance for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) federal clean hydrogen tax credits, which are expected to amount to several hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies for the emerging.

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Governor Hochul Signs First-in-the-Nation Bill to Limit Neonic Pesticides

NRDC

A coalition of farmers, health professionals, and environmental groups are celebrating today after Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Birds and Bees Protection Act (S1856-A/A7640).

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Dead spacecraft are seeding the upper atmosphere with metal

New Scientist

The stratosphere seems to be full of aluminium particles and other metals that come from spacecraft burning up in the atmosphere, and those particles could mess up polar clouds

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The Winter Solstice Has a Surprising Secret

Scientific American

How can the December solstice have the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere but neither the earliest sunset nor the latest sunrise?

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Dec. 22 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation

PA Environment Daily

The December 22 Take Five Fridays With Pam is now available from the PA Parks & Forests Foundation featuring articles on-- -- Leap Into 2024 With A First Day Hike -- DCNR Blog: Red In The Winter Woods -- PPFF Book Club Sand County Almanac Program Dec. 27 -- Graduating from Kripalu School Of Mindful Outdoor Leadership -- Check Out PPFF’s Helpful Publications Click Here to read the entire Take Five.

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Implementing D.E.J.I. Strategies in Energy, Environment, and Transportation

Speaker: Antoine M. Thompson, Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion (DEJI) policies, programs, and initiatives are critically important as we move forward with public and private sector climate and sustainability goals and plans. Underserved and socially, economically, and racially disadvantaged communities bear the burden of pollution, higher energy costs, limited resources, and limited investments in the clean energy and transportation sectors.

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Reindeer can chew their food and sleep at the same time

New Scientist

The first study to capture brainwaves from reindeer shows that they take small naps throughout the day while chewing

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Franklin County Joins Clinton, York Counties In Drought Warning Status; 26 Water Supplies Ask For Water Conservation

PA Environment Daily

On December 22, the Department of Environmental Protection announced, after a meeting of the Commonwealth Drought Task Force, that a drought watch will continue for 13 counties and a drought warning will continue for Clinton and York Counties. Franklin County has been elevated from a drought watch to drought warning. Adams, Bucks, Cameron, Cumberland, Dauphin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, and Westmoreland Counties remain in drought watch.

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Better weather forecasts could help billions adapt to climate change

New Scientist

A worldwide collaboration among meteorology services is trying to fill in the huge gaps in weather observations in countries vulnerable to climate change

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DEP Posted 56 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Dec. 23 PA Bulletin

PA Environment Daily

Highlights of the environmental and energy notices in the December 23 PA Bulletin -- -- The PA Infrastructure Investment Authority and DEP published notice in the December 23 PA Bulletin of environmental assessments approved related to water infrastructure funding requests in Clearfield, Erie, Franklin, Greene, Lancaster, Mercer, Potter and Warren counties. -- The Department of Environmental Protection is inviting comments and has set a February 8 hearing on a proposed RACT 3 Air Quality Permit

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Shaping a Resilient Future: Climate Impact on Vulnerable Populations

Speaker: Laurie Schoeman Director, Climate & Sustainability, Capital

As households and communities across the nation face challenges such as hurricanes, wildfires, drought, extreme heat and cold, and thawing permafrost and flooding, we are increasingly searching for ways to mitigate and prevent climate impacts. During this event, national climate and housing expert Laurie Schoeman will discuss topics including: The two paths for climate action: decarbonization and adaptation.

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Reindeer Chew Their Food While Napping

Scientific American

Brain wave studies suggest that when it comes to eating and sleeping, reindeer multitask to survive in the harsh Arctic

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Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 32 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wyoming Counties

PA Environment Daily

In November, the Executive Director of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission gave his approval to 32 water use permits for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming counties. ( formal notice ) The approvals were granted under SRBC regulation 18 CFR 806.22(e) and (f) that creates a general permit-type process to grant approval for water use by individual shale gas drilling pads.

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The Most Important Unsolved Problem in Computer Science

Scientific American

Here’s a look at the million-dollar math problem at the heart of computation

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2023 saw a cautious hope for Alzheimer's treatment but doubts remain

New Scientist

The US approved lecanemab to slow cognitive decline among people with early Alzheimer's, but not everyone is convinced the drug has that big of an impact – not to mention concerns over its safety and practicality

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Sustainability at Retail

Sustainability impacts every nation, company, and person around the world. So much so that, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) issued a call for action by all countries to work toward sustainable development. In response to this and as part of a global Sustainability at Retail initiative, Shop! worked collaboratively with its global affiliates to address these critical issues in this white paper.

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Inside Mathematicians' Search for the Mysterious 'Einstein Tile'

Scientific American

The quest for the einstein tile—a shape never seen before in mathematics—turned up even more discoveries than mathematicians counted on

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PUC Update On Investigation Of Dec. 12 Home Explosion In Sewickley Heights, Allegheny County

PA Environment Daily

Pipeline safety engineers from the Safety Division of the Public Utility Commission – which is part of the Commission’s independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement (I&E) – initiated an investigation into the December 12th incident in Sewickley Heights Borough, Allegheny County, which destroyed a home and injured one person. At this point in the investigation, no evidence has been discovered to indicate an unintentional release of gas from Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, Inc.’s (Columbi

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How to Avoid Holiday Hangovers

Scientific American

The holidays are a time for indulgence, but there are ways to drink alcohol without suffering the painful effects.

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A Year in Review: Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing

NRDC

Litigation, legislation, advocacy: our snapshot of NRDC’s work to stop new offshore drilling in 2023.

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Incredible Footage of the Volcanic Eruption in Iceland

Scientific American

The eruption in Iceland may look beautiful, but what is happening just below the surface is& threatening safety and livelihoods on the surface.

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Public Utility Commission Highlights 2023 Accomplishments

PA Environment Daily

During its final public meeting for 2023, the Public Utility Commission continued a tradition of highlighting major accomplishments over the past year. “This year, the PUC continued our mission of balancing the needs of consumers and utilities,” said Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank. “On behalf of my fellow Commissioners, I thank all PUC staff for their continued work, steadfastness and expertise.

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High-Flying Frigate Birds Collect Data from the Top of the Sky

Scientific American

Scientists accidentally discovered a new way of monitoring the Earth’s planetary boundary layer: high-flying great frigate birds

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Dept. Of Agriculture Protects Another 2,553 Acres Of Farmland; 13,663 Acres Protected In 2023

PA Environment Daily

On December 22, the Department of Agriculture announced it had preserved another 2,553 acres on 30 farms in 21 counties , forever protecting them from residential or commercial development. This investment of more than $8.7 million brings the total during 2023 to nearly $46.3 million invested to purchase land development rights for 13,663 acres on 166 farms, helping ensure that Pennsylvania farmers will have prime farmland to feed our families and economy in the future.

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You Can Literally Sniff Out Other People's Inner Feelings

Scientific American

Scents are not only important in our relationship to food and the natural world.

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PUC Invites Public Comments On Proposed Policy Statement On Electric Utility Rate Design For Electric Vehicle Charging In Pennsylvania

PA Environment Daily

On December 23, the Public Utility Commission published notice in the PA Bulletin inviting comment on a Proposed Policy Statement requesting public comment on proposed guidelines for electric utility rate design for electric vehicle (EV) charging. The Commission voted 5-0 to approve a motion by PUC Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank seeking comments and reply comments on the proposed policy statement – which provides guidance to electric distribution companies (EDCs) and other interested parties on fac

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DOE Proposes to Expand the Fast-Track Lane for Certain Clean Energy Projects–But Excludes Wind

Law Columbia

On November 16, 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a proposed rule to expedite the environmental review process for certain renewable energy infrastructure projects through the use of categorical exclusions. DOE’s proposal would apply to: (1) installing, operating, modifying, or decommissioning solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on buildings or other structures or within previously disturbed or developed areas; (2) upgrading, rebuilding, or relocating power lines within existing rights

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DEP Invites Comments, Sets Feb. 8 Hearing On RACT 3 Air Quality Permit For Magnesita Refractories Facility In York County

PA Environment Daily

The Department of Environmental Protection is inviting comments and has set a February 8 hearing on a proposed RACT 3 Air Quality Permit for the Magnesita Refractories Co. facility in West Manchester Township, York County. ( Dec. 23 PA Bulletin, page 7967 ) The hearing will be held at DEP’s Southcentral Regional Office, 909 Elmerton Ave. in Harrisburg starting at 10:00 a.m.

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Octopuses Are Colorblind. Here's How They See the World

Scientific American

Cephalopods have developed unique visual systems to deal with their underwater world

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Covered New Jersey Buildings Must Meet New Benchmarking Requirement By December 31

SPR Law

December 31, 2023 marks the final deadline for compliance with the first year of New Jersey’s building energy and water benchmarking law. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) issued an order in compliance with the New Jersey Clean Energy Act of 2018 requiring the owners and operators of commercial and certain multi-family residential… The post Covered New Jersey Buildings Must Meet New Benchmarking Requirement By December 31 appeared first on Sive Paget Riesel.

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Feature: Meet Your New Year’s Resolution On The Susquehanna Greenway

PA Environment Daily

By Susquehanna Greenway Partnership With the onset of a New Year, so too come the hopes, inspirations, and goals of our upcoming resolutions. Do you have yours yet? Let the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership (SGP) help! Here are some resolution ideas that you can meet with us in 2024 on and along the Susquehanna River. Start the Year off Right with a First Day Hike There's nothing like starting the year off with your best foot forward, especially if that foot is out on a trail.

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