Environmentalists are threatening to sue Delaware, New Jersey and New York under the Endangered Species Act for allegedly allowing the commercial fishing industry to kill Atlantic sturgeon as bycatch in the Delaware River.
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The Energy Information Agency is starting the process to require cryptocurrency miners to submit energy consumption data after a previous attempt faced legal challenges.
Computers “mine” for Bitcoin at a facility in Rockdale, Texas. Credit: Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images
By Keaton Peters, Inside Climate New
“The Energy Information Agency is starting the process to require cryptocurrency miners to submit energy consumption data after a previous attempt faced legal challenges.”
“The fast-growing cryptocurrency industry is a major consumer of electricity, but no one—not even the U.S. government—knows exactly how much energy goes into the armada of computers used to ‘mine’ Bitcoin and other digital assets. The U.S. Energy Information Agency estimates that cryptocurrency mining uses between 0.6 percent and 2.3 percent of all electricity per year, but the agency may soon be able to access more precise information.
In the coming months, the EIA is planning to release the draft of a new survey that will require disclosure from companies in the cryptocurrency mining industry. On Wednesday, during a “listening session,” EIA officials laid out the process for creating the survey, which is typical of how EIA collects energy consumption data from manufacturers and commercial buildings.
How does cryptocurrency affect climate change?
Bitcoin mining, the process by which bitcoins are created and transactions are finalized, is energy-consuming and results in carbon emissions, as about half of the electricity used is generated through fossil fuels.
“Most of the time for us, we are just re-approving surveys, so it’s not usually very controversial. That might not be true this time,” said Stephen Harvey, a senior advisor to the EIA administrator, who facilitated the webinar discussion.
This marks the government’s second attempt to find out exactly how much energy cryptocurrency mining uses. Earlier this year, amid energy shortages in the dead of winter, the administration sent out an emergency survey to assess Bitcoin mining’s energy footprint.”
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There’s still time to register for the webinar on the role of climate change in “Danger Season”—what the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) calls the period between May and October when the United States and the Caribbean usually experience their worst climate impacts—came in hot in 2024.
Join UCS and Climate Central next week to learn about Danger Season and a new interactive tool to track extreme heat and other climate change impacts on a daily basis, capturing and communicating the climate change connections, highlighting harm to vulnerable people, and talking about what we can do to build equitable resilience.
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Join ANJEC and our guests from Montclair State University’s Traveling HAB Lab. As harmful algal blooms (HABs) increase in frequency, duration, and magnitude worldwide, the health of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife are increasingly threatened by HABs. The Traveling HAB Lab aims to empower residents of New Jersey to protect our aquatic ecosystems and water resources. We also aim to increase awareness of the health risks associated with exposure to HABs and provide knowledge on how to protect yourself, your loved ones, and pets from HABs.
Registration: ANJEC Members: No charge. Non-Members: $15
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The American Clean Power Association’s 2024 Offshore Wind Energy Market Report forecasts $65 billion in private offshore wind investment by 2030. In a release, ACP said the industry’s 2024 momentum is “likely to continue.” Ian Dyball photo via Getty Images
Dominion Energy subsidiary Virginia Electric and Power Company has agreed to buy the offshore wind lease and associated developments related to Avangrid’s proposed 800-MW Kitty Hawk North Wind facility. Dominion will rename the project CVOW-South, associating it with Dominion’s 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project in development about 25 miles to the north, the utility said Monday.
The news came a day before the American Clean Power Association released its 2024 Offshore Wind Energy Market Report, which forecasts $65 billion in private offshore wind investment by 2030. In a release, ACP said the industry’s 2024 momentum is “likely to continue.”
Currently, the U.S. has 4.8 GW of offshore wind capacity in development after last year’s project cancelations removed 2.4 GW from that queue, the Energy Information Administration noted in a Tuesday report.
Virginia Electric and Power Company agreed to acquire Kitty Hawk North Wind from Avangrid for $160 million — $117 million for the nearly 40,000-acre lease, and $43 million in development cost reimbursement, Dominion said in a release. Dominion and Avangrid are seeking necessary approvals from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the City of Virginia Beach, and hope to close the transaction in the fourth quarter of this year.
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Proposal Would Protect an Estimated One Million Additional Acres of Wetland Habitat and Address Changes to Freshwater Wetlands Act
Comments Accepted through Sept. 19; Hearings Scheduled Sept. 10 and 12
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar today announced the release of proposed regulations to protect freshwater wetlands across New York State. The draft regulations are now available for public comment until Sept. 19, and would safeguard an estimated one million additional acres of unprotected wetland habitat by expanding the number of wetlands regulated by DEC.
“Wetlands provide economic and ecological benefits to all of New York’s communities by improving natural resiliency, helping protect communities from flooding, particularly in response to climate change, while providing essential habitat for fish and wildlife,” Interim DEC Commissioner Mahar said. “I encourage New Yorkers to review this proposal and provide input as we fulfill Governor Hochul’s commitment to modernize wetlands protections and work to ensure the long-term health of these vital ecosystems.”
Freshwater wetlands are lands and submerged lands—commonly called marshes, swamps, sloughs, and bogs—that support aquatic or semi-aquatic vegetation. New York’s Freshwater Wetlands Act was enacted in 1975 and modernized as part of the 2022-2023 Enacted State Budget. The proposed rule would take effect in January 2025 and clarify jurisdictional status of smaller wetlands of “unusual importance” that meet one of 11 specific criteria contained in the newly amended Freshwater Wetlands Act. In addition, the draft regulations provide a revised wetlands classification system and a process for the public to request and appeal jurisdictional determinations.
The proposed regulations continue DEC’s ongoing efforts to involve interested stakeholders in regulation development and, along with public feedback, build upon an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making DEC released in January 2024.
DEC encourages the public to comment on the proposed regulations. Comments will be accepted through Sept. 19, 2024, and can be submitted via e-mail to WetlandRegulatoryComments@dec.ny.gov (subject: “Wetlands Part 664 Comments”) or via mail to NYSDEC, Attn: Roy Jacobson, Jr., 5th Floor, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4756.
The public can also provide comments during virtual and in-person public hearings. The virtual public hearings are scheduled Sept. 10, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. An in-person public hearing is scheduled Sept. 12, at 1 p.m. at the DEC office at 625 Broadway, Albany, NY. Registration for the public hearings can be found on DEC’s website.
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