EnviroPolitics Blog

EPA proposes tighter limits on harmful pollutants from power plants

Nitrogen oxides, a group of gases from the burning of fossil fuels, is linked to a range of health effects.

By Austyn Gaffney, New York Times

A rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday could better protect communities against pollution from natural gas plants.

For the first time in almost two decades, the rule would update emission limits of nitrogen oxides, a group of gases that are harmful air pollutants produced from burning fossil fuels. The emissions can contribute to asthma and respiratory infections, especially in children, older people and those who are immunocompromised.

“These stronger standards are necessary to better protect nearby communities’ health, and the power sector has already shown that the additional pollution controls can affordably and reliably do the job,” said Joseph Goffman, the E.P.A.’s assistant administrator for air and radiation, in a statement.

The proposal was created to limit nitrogen oxide emissions from all new turbines built at power plants and industrial facilities, along with any existing turbines that are modified or reconstructed after the proposal takes effect.

Read the full story here

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Justice department report on unlawful behavior by Trenton police just more of the same ole, critics complain

By Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News

The U.S. Department of Justice this week said it found police officers in Trenton use excessive force and unlawfully stop, search and arrest people, but social justice advocates are skeptical that much will change.

In the wake of the federal department’s release of its report, several advocates said the DOJ’s proposed reforms don’t push hard enough, and they feared the monitoring will ultimately lose strength in the next Trump administration as well.

“Just the same old routine script is not going to work for us at the NAACP,” said Trenton NAACP’s Austin Edwards. “What we want to see is a lot more changes.”

Read the full story here

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Solar energy boom in Pakistan. Yes, Pakistan

*A farmer cleans solar panels in a field in Baluchistan region of Pakistan. Photographer: Asim Hafeez/Bloomberg*

Farms, industries, homes switch to cheaper, renewable power
Debt-ridden generators, grid could destabilize the economy

By Faseeh Mangi, Bloomberg

There’s a shiny new addition to Pakistan’s dusty agricultural heartland: rows upon rows of solar panels.

Imports of solar equipment from China in the first nine months are well ahead of those for the whole of 2023, according to data compiled by BloombergNEF. The $1.7 billion of purchases would equate to 17 gigawatts of generation, more than a third of Pakistan’s total power capacity, if it’s all deployed on rooftops and farms across the country, according to industry estimates.

Read the full story here

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First-in-U.S. ‘forever chemicals’ treatment plant installed at Bethlehem, PA Landfill

By Molly Bilinski, Lehigh Valley News

LOWER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — As scientists sought to separate PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, from the environment, they studied oceans and rivers.

“They realized that the bottom of dams, where it’s foaming up, had a lot more PFAS there than down, deeper in,” said Jeff Travis, vice president of engineering for The Water & Carbon Group. “Then, if you go to an ocean, if you stand where the waves come crashing in, the highest level PFAS is all that foam that comes up — it’s loaded with PFAs now.”

With that finding came a workable solution to separate forever chemicals from water — add air.

Officials at the Bethlehem Landfill on November 18 cut the ribbon on its $2 million per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, treatment plant–the first of its kind in the U.S.

Read the full story here

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Is your city poised to bounce back from the next climate disaster?

By Michael J. Coren, Naema Ahmed and Kevin Crowe, Washington Post

How do you pick a safe place to live? Climate scientists predict an intensifying barrage of hurricanes, droughts, wildfires, flooding and sea-level rise in many places. These disasters are already threatening, and even demolishing, homes.

But risk is not all. Resilience, the capacity to rebound from adversity, can matter just as much. Climate modeling firm AlphaGeo analyzes 28 factors, from life expectancy to infrastructure spending, to assess a location’s true vulnerability.

Overlaying risk and resilience is a road map to a community’s future. It paints a picture of why a place is positioned to thrive or struggle because climate change won’t be a singular disaster. It’s a succession of stresses, some small, others devastating.

Read the full story here

Is your city poised to bounce back from the next climate disaster? Read More »

EnviroPolitics Events Calendar

Thursday, November 21, 2 024–Clouds on the Horizon?

CFPB, FTC, and State AGs Signal Increased Focus on Solar Lending Practices

In August, the CFPB and FTC issued a joint bulletin in which they signaled their increased focus on solar lending practices in the residential rooftop solar marketplace.  The CFPB identified several areas of interest, including the imposition of dealer or platform fees, the manner in which those fees are disclosed to consumers, and the manner in which potential tax credits are described to consumers at the time of contracting.

The CFPB appears poised to bring enforcement proceedings against covered lenders and related persons under the Truth in Lending Act and under its authority to seek redress for actions that the CFPB perceives to be unfair, deceptive, or abusive.  Several state attorneys general and private plaintiffs have also filed litigation against solar lenders and other actors in the residential rooftop solar space.

Join us from 2 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, November 21, as K&L Gates lawyers provide an overview of the relevant legal issues and a summary of the status of pending actions. Given the growing focus on these issues and sector, this webinar is not to be missed.

Speakers: Gregory Blase, Boston Andrew Glass, Boston Jennifer Bartos, Kansas City Samantha DeLee, Kansas City

REGISTER

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Include a phone number in case we have questions.

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