EnviroPolitics Blog

Six numbers show why COP28 could be a heavy lift for world leaders

By Kristoffer Tigue, Inside Climate News

More than 70,000 diplomats, politicians, business leaders and environmental advocates from all around the world are expected in Dubai on Thursday for COP28, the United Nations’ flagship climate change summit.

Each year, delegates from nearly 200 nations gather at the conference to discuss how they can limit rising global temperatures through the end of the century in hopes of avoiding the most dire consequences of climate change, including upwards of three-quarters of Earth’s species disappearing for good.

But this year’s conference could be an especially important one as carbon emissions continue to reach historic highs and the planet approaches potential tipping points that scientists fear could send global warming spiraling out of control. With climate and energy experts stressing the need to immediately reduce the use of fossil fuels if nations hope to keep the Paris Agreement targets alive, and with wars raging in Europe and the Middle East, world leaders face significant challenges at the talks.

Read the full story here

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BILLYPENNGRAM for Nov. 26, 2023

#BILLYPENNGRAM OF THE DAY
Ginko carpet on Quince Street in Philadelphia
(Photo by @tvpromoter)

Want to see your photo here? Tag #billypenngram on Instagram

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Proposed NYC budget cuts ‘devastating’ for community composters

Cuts to the New York City Sanitation Department could lead to dozens of layoffs, the closure of several mid-sized community composting facilities, and the delayed rollout of curbside organics service.

Two brown DSNY organics collection bins on the side of a street — New York City compost bins distributed by DSNY in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. *The image by Tdorante10 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0*

By Jacob Wallace, Waste Dive

Mayor Eric Adams is proposing eliminating the New York City community composting program and delaying rollout of curbside residential organics collection in certain boroughs by seven months as part of sweeping budget cuts.

The proposal, published Thursday, is part of across-the-board 5% budget cuts Adams has directed all city agencies to make as the city faces a projected budget shortfall beginning this fiscal year and extending into future years. The mayor has indicated an additional 5% cut may be necessary again in January.

The cuts would have ripple effects throughout the city’s management of organics and waste: reducing litter cleanup, shuttering farmer’s market food waste drop-off sites, and ending funding for several mid-sized community composting sites, those familiar with the funding said.

“It’s a tremendous loss,” Beth Slepian, vice chair of the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board, said. “This creates a huge access issue for people to composting.”

Read the full story here

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Embattled electric utility breathing easier after court ruling

BY KEVIN RECTORSTAFF WRITER, LA Times

Pacific Gas & Electric customers cannot sue the power giant for losses incurred during power shutoffs designed to protect the public from wildfires, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Such litigation would interfere with the California Public Utilities Commission’s “comprehensive regulatory and supervisory authority” over such safety shutoffs and is therefore barred under state law, Justice Goodwin Liu wrote in a unanimous decision for the state’s high court.

The ruling is a significant win for embattled PG&E, which crawled out of bankruptcy in 2020 after collapsing under $30 billion in liabilities from wildfires sparked by its equipment. Litigation over safety cutoffs, if allowed, would have potentially exposed the company to billions of dollars of additional liabilities.

Read the full story here

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Michigan governor expected to sign clean energy bill that includes incineration

A suite of clean energy bills would transition the state to clean energy by 2040. It counts an existing facility in Kent County as clean while also supporting the use of landfill and AD systems.

A politician stands in front of a podium with the seal of Michigan projected behind her. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at an announcement for an electric vehicle battery plant in February. The clean energy bills passed in November also include battery storage provisions. *Bill Pugliano via Getty Images*

By Jacob Wallace, Waste Dive

A suite of clean energy bills that passed the Michigan legislature last week aims to move the state to 100% clean energy by 2040. It includes provisions allowing “incinerator” facilities to count toward local clean energy goals until 2040, setting the waste management strategy up as an interim measure.

SB271, part of a package of five bills approved by the legislature, also counts landfill-gas-to-energy and “methane digester” facilities as clean energy, but it excludes fuels made from post-use polymers, tires, tire-derived fuel, and plastic, among other fossil fuels.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign the bill. Her office did not provide a date for the signing.

Many states have debated the inclusion of combustion facilities in their renewable energy portfolio standards over the years, with operators touting the technology’s potential greenhouse gas benefits over landfilling and environmental advocates raising alarms about pollution concerns.

Debates continue in states such as Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore floated the idea of removing incineration from renewable portfolio standards in his transition documents, but the state failed to pass a bill doing so this year.

Michigan’s SB271 instructs electric utilities to transition to renewable or clean energy programs while pursuing energy savings initiatives. Incineration is included in the definition of a renewable energy system, but the bill only includes facilities that were generating power before the start of this year

Read the full story here

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Bill advances to increase funds for dams and inland water projects

Seventeen dams and inland waters projects will receive an increase in funding for repairs and restoration thanks to legislation sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco and approved on November 20, 2023 by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

“I’m glad that over $28M will be invested to fund projects in these municipalities, said Bucco (R-25). “These critical dam repairs will preserve and protect our local environment, which is critical to our quality of life. This funding will also protect the flow of clean drinking water to communities throughout the state, support recreational activities, and provide habitats for fish and wildlife.”

Bucco’s legislation, S-3258, appropriates $28,670,924 in 2003 and 1992 bond act monies for loans for dam restoration and repair projects and inland waters projects.

Under the bill, $5.2M dollars will be invested to fund projects in Morris and Passaic counties, including projects in West Milford and Jefferson Township:

High Crest Lake Dam: $1,250,000
Mount Glen Dam: $3,000,000
Upper & Lower Farm Crest Dams: $350,000
High Crest Lake: $500,000
Swannanoa Lake Dam: $100,000

Overall, the funds from the 2003 bond act will provide loans to thirteen projects: High Crest Lake Dam; Mount Glen Dam; Lake Winona Dam; Cooper River Pkwy. Dam; Giffords Mill Dam; Upper & Lower Farm Crest; Lake Plymouth Dam; Braddock Mill Lake Dam; Fawn Lake Dam; Camp Karney Dam; Pine Mill Lake Dam; Holiday Pond Dam; and High Crest Lake.

The funds from the 1992 bond act will provide four loans for the following projects: Mountain Creek Lake Dam; Silver Lake Dam; Lake Garrison Dam; and Swannanoa Lake Dam.

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