The president wants to win the state he narrowly lost in 2016, but he may be jumping into an energy issue.
People leave the south portal of the proposed radioactive waste dump of Yucca Mountain in July 2018 during a congressional tour near Mercury, Nev. | John Locher, File/AP Photo
President Donald Trump is seeking to woo Nevada voters by abandoning the GOP’s decades of support for storing the nation’s nuclear waste under a mountain northwest of Las Vegas — a move that could drag the White House into an unsolvable political stalemate.
Trump, who is targeting a state that he narrowly lost to Hillary Clinton in 2016, announced the turnabout in a tweet this month, writing: “Nevada, I hear you on Yucca Mountain and my Administration will RESPECT you!”
He also pledged to find “innovative approaches” to find a new place to store the 90,000 metric tons of nuclear plant leftovers stranded at 120 temporary storage sites — an impasse that is on course to cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.
The statement surprised people involved in the debate because developing a permanent nuclear repository at Yucca has long been a priority of Republicans, and even Trump’s own budget proposals in previous years had sought money to keep it alive. Taxpayers spent $15 billion developing the nuclear site after Congress selected the location during the Reagan era, only to see the Obama administration freeze the plan amid opposition from the state’s political leaders.
Trump’s Yucca reversal echoed his previous efforts to untangle a political food fight involving the federal ethanol mandate, an attempt that left both gasoline refiners and Iowa’s corn growers furious. Once again, Trump could face political risks by intervening in a politically charged, no-win energy quagmire.
Some lawmakers also fear that Trump is undermining their efforts to work out a compromise in which some states agree to host a small number of interim waste storage sites while the search for a long-term solution continues.
“Not working on a permanent repository is going to make it harder to do consent-based interim storage, ’cause all of a sudden those communities are going to be going, ‘s—, we’re going to become permanent storage,’” Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a senior House appropriator who has long-championed the Yucca project, told
“It’s a no-win situation for anybody, that doesn’t seem to change,” said Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety for the Union of Concerned Scientists, which is neutral on Yucca but supports building a repository somewhere.
Last year, I published a thriller set on a cruise. A few weeks ago, I found myself quarantined on the Diamond Princess.
Gay Courter, a novelist, writes in The Atlantic ** We erroneously reported earlier that this appeared in the Washington Post**
Gay Courter in federal quarantine COURTESY OF PHILIP COURTER
Some bad outcomes, you half expect: This time the mammogram will detect an abnormality; this time the cop will notice you were 10 miles over the speed limit; this time the IRS is serious about a total audit. But you don’t expect that your luxury cruise from Japan will harbor a killer virus, resulting in your being returned to the U.S. in a cargo plane that lands at a remote Air Force base where you are ordered into federal quarantine for a minimum of two weeks, leaving you without rights, without agency, and on the wrong side of a heavily guarded fence.
At least, I didn’t expect any of this, even though I wrote a thriller set on a cruise ship—or perhaps in part because I wrote a thriller set on a cruise ship, and figured my imagination was more fevered than reality. I had imagined a murder mystery with medical clues, but I had not imagined this. I had prepared for everything, but I had not prepared for this.
My husband, Phil, and I had planned the trip meticulously for more than a year as an indulgence, an escape. My sister brags about traveling with only carry-on luggage, but my approach is to pack everything I might ever need—and then some. Phil grumbles about the lugging, but he knows me: It’s against my principles to travel light. Our plan was to spend a week in Tokyo, visiting trendy art installations and sampling the best of Japanese cuisine, from ramen and tofu treats to Wagyu beef and haute sushi.
In mid-December, a worrywart friend, who knew that our itinerary included a stop in Hong Kong, started sending me stories about a SARS-like coronavirus disease. “Might you postpone?” he asked.
“Not going to China, let alone Wuhan,” I replied.
“Hong Kong is China,” he reminded me.
“Only going to be there one day!”
I watched as the numbers in Wuhan began to rise and as the Chinese government imposed draconian measures to keep residents within the city’s borders—but without a frisson of concern, I finished packing city gear for metros, walking, rain, and moderate winter temperatures, plus layers for cold and snow for our winter excursion after the cruise. I added dressy pantsuits for three formal nights on the ship and showy but inexpensive necklaces to match. The stops in Vietnam and Okinawa called for a few summery outfits. I had stuffed everything into one large suitcase, along with two folding bags for the inevitable treasures we would find.
We took our long-anticipated first-class flight, wore the airline’s designer PJs, slept in the cushy bed, and dined on foie gras, abalone, and other delicacies, accompanied by glasses of champagne. Once we arrived, we were wowed by the Prince Gallery hotel’s soaring views of Tokyo, cutting-edge electronics, and plumbing wizardry, and we were impressed by how one of the most populous cities in the world manages to be so clean and easy to navigate. We enjoyed learning to make washi paper from slurry and visiting a whole building dedicated to origami.
Then we traveled to Yokohama, boarded the Diamond Princess, and looked forward to spending the lunar new year in Hong Kong and visiting Vietnam, Taiwan, and then several other Japanese ports.
By the time we arrived in Hong Kong, on January 25, the combined concerns over the political protesters and the virus had caused the city to cancel all the new-year festivities. Still, we went into town for a dim sum lunch, tram ride to Victoria Peak, market shopping spree, and Peking-duck feast. It was the vacation of a lifetime.
On the last night of the cruise, the captain’s voice came over the speaker in our room, announcing that a passenger who had not returned to the ship in Hong Kong had tested positive for the novel coronavirus—so novel it had not yet been named—and that Japanese authorities would not let us off the ship until everyone on board filled out a questionnaire, ominously delivered by the quarantine division, and had our temperatures checked. We slept fitfully, awaiting the knock on the door.
That was three weeks ago. It soon became clear that we would be confined to our rooms for at least 14 days. Unlike some others staying in windowless rooms, we had a small suite with a balcony. Meals for the 2,666 people on board were delivered three times a day. There was no butter, no salt, as this post-cruise fare was meant to satisfy only hunger, not the palate. Our decadent vacation was very much over. Out came a mini-salt shaker that I keep with my toothpaste in case I need a saltwater gargle for a sore throat. I dug into my stockpile of Earl Grey and the mountain oolong I had purchased in Taipei. After talking with several doctor friends, we decided to take Tamiflu prophylactically. I always pack it during flu season. I opened my cold-prevention packet of high doses of vitamin C, zinc, and echinacea to boost our immune systems. A friend needed something for a feminine itch, and was surprised I had both the cream and suppository versions of the medication she needed, to her great relief.
I mention these details knowing they’re wildly out of keeping with the situation. What’s unsalted food when you’re stuck on a boat and more than 600 of your fellow passengers have tested positive for a deadly virus, and some of them have died? But the fact that I had a solution for the tasteless food kept me sane; it kept me feeling somewhat in control when I utterly lacked control.
High winds also cause damage as storm’s impact lingers into a third straight day
Floodwater surrounds abandoned cars in Tenbury Wells, in western England, after the River Teme burst its banks on Sunday. (Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images)
Andrew Freedman reports for The Washington Post
Storm Dennis, the second-strongest nontropical storm on record in the North Atlantic Ocean, caused widespread flooding across parts of the United Kingdom on Sunday, along with winds exceeding hurricane force.
The storm, which is producing waves up to 80 feet tall west of the United Kingdom, dumped more than five inches of rain in South Wales, almost an inch more than the area typically receives for the entire month of February. The resulting flooding has prompted numerous evacuations and even cut off some communities.
The U.K. Met Office, which named the storm, issued its first “red” warning for heavy rainfall since 2015, its highest warning category. The country’s Environment Agency issued a record number of flood warnings, 594, for a single day, according to John Curtin, executive director of flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency.
While the rainfall totals were noteworthy, they were not unprecedented. However, coming just one week after another severe bomb cyclone, known in the United Kingdom as Storm Ciara, the ground was already saturated when this one arrived. This caused many rivers, creeks and streams to overflow their banks and even triggered landslides.
Video showed a landslide moving down a mountain in Tylorstown, South Wales, on Sunday morning. Several severe flood warnings were issued, meaning the conditions posed life-threatening danger. Gwent County police said residents of Skenfrith, Monmouthshire, were advised to evacuate because of the flooding.
The Environment Agency has predicted the River Ouse in York could rival record levels seen in 2000.
Forecasts call for more high winds and showers Monday as the storm center slowly spins to the northeast of the region. Water levels in many rivers are not expected to crest until Monday or Tuesday, which will prolong the flood risks.
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Legislation aligns with state policies to steer new developments to areas with existing infrastructure
Critics of a measure that would allow municipalities to require developers to pay for mass transit improvements say it could stifle development where growth is most needed and negatively affect affordable housing costs.
Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:
Should developers pay for mass transit improvements near projects where they build?
They already are asked sometimes to pay for upgrades to wastewater treatment plants, roads, and storm drainage facilities under current law.
Under a bill (S-368) that cleared the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee yesterday, municipalities would be allowed to require developers to foot the cost of transit improvements needed for a development.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Joseph Cryan (D-Union), is aligned with state policies that aim to steer new developments to areas where infrastructure already is in place to accommodate growth. In the past, that has been generally recognized as urban areas, which typically are where mass transit stations for rail and bus are most prominently located.
“This legislation is important because it will make sure developers pay their fair share of mass transit costs associated with new developments,’’ said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Developers should be required to help offset the burden that their developments put on mass transit.’’
But lobbyists for developers opposed the bill, saying the legislation could stifle development in areas where the state most wants to see growth and could impede putting affordable housing where it might be most appropriate.
“This does impact affordability,’’ said Jeff Kolakowski, chief operating officer of the New Jersey Builders Association. “It is putting an extra fee on where we should build.’’
Impact on affordable housing costs
Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) agreed, saying he worried the bill would increase the cost of housing, affecting affordable housing throughout the state.
Commercial real estate interests also urged the committee to hold the bill, saying they would like to see a more comprehensive approach to fixing NJ Transit. Anthony Pizzutillo, representing NAIOP (National Association of Industrial and Office Properties), noted the organization would like to see the state agency using capital funds to pay for operation and maintenance expenses.
Sen. Troy Singleton (D-Burlington), chairman of the committee, defended the bill as permissive — only allowing communities to adopt fees that would require developers to pay for mass transit upgrades.
But Kolakowski argued otherwise, calling it a mandate by giving municipalities the option of adopting a new fee structure to increase costs to builders. He also argued there are many unanswered questions on how the fee would be calculated.
Increases projected to be modest, after most recent power auction, but BPU does raise concerns about money utilities are pumping into transmission
Transmission tower
New Jersey residential and small-commercial customers will likely see their monthly electric bills increase slightly this June, a mild reversal of the past few years when prices were relatively stable or dipped because of low natural gas prices.
Nevertheless, New Jersey Board of Public Utility officials described the 19th annual power auction conducted by the agency as an overall success, despite concerns that increasing investments in transmission upgrades are beginning to take a toll on customers.
“The cost of transmission has been out of hand and has been for a long time,’’ said BPU President Joseph Fiordaliso. “The rate of return is too high,’’ he added, referring to what utilities earn for making those investments.
In the end, three of the four electric utilities will see their residential and small-commercial customers’ bills increase, topped by the state’s biggest utility, Public Service Electric & Gas, whose typical residential customers will see bills climb about 4.4%, or $5.20 more per month. The increases take effect on June 1.
Bills from Jersey Central Power & Light, the state’s second-largest electric utility with more than 1 million customers, will increase by 2.4% or by $2.09 a month; typical bills for Atlantic City Electric’s residential customers will rise by 0.3% or 40 cents monthly, while Rockland Electric customers will experience a drop of 1.6%, or $1.89 per month.
Costs for commercial customers
For larger commercial and industrial customers who buy electricity from independent suppliers, costs also will increase when compared to previous years, largely a result of increased demands to supply power from renewable sources and higher costs to provide the capacity to keep the lights on.
The boost in bills was largely foreseen by a consultant hired by the BPU who projected rising energy prices could boost costs as well as higher transmission expenses, most evidently seen by PSE&G customers.
“We expected to see higher prices and that’s what we got,’’ said Frank Mossburg, managing director of Bates White, which had been hired by the board to oversee the auction. The higher charges also were caused by lower prices expiring under contracts purchased three years ago in a prior auction.
PSE&G pumps money into transmission
Transmission was a factor in all of the increases, but none more significant than PSE&G, which has been investing huge amounts of capital into transmission upgrades. In a five-year plan outlined last year, it sought to invest $5 billion in transmission upgrades.
But PSE&G argued that despite the increase, customers still spend less than they did more than a decade ago.
Today, after reviewing input from stakeholders and the public, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the next 20 chemicals to undergo risk evaluation under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Finalizing this list of high-priority chemicals for risk evaluation represents the final step in the prioritization process outlined in TSCA and marks another major TSCA milestone for EPA in its efforts to ensure the safety of existing chemicals in the marketplace.
“Today we are continuing to deliver on the promise of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act to assess and review existing chemicals in the marketplace,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “EPA is committed to transparency and being open with the public as these chemicals move through this TSCA process to evaluate the risks these chemicals may pose to public health and the environment.”
The 20 chemicals that will undergo risk evaluation consist of seven chlorinated solvents, six phthalates, four flame retardants, formaldehyde, a fragrance additive, and a polymer precursor. It is important to note that being designated as a high-priority chemical does not mean that a chemical is high risk.
The next steps for these chemicals are outlined in TSCA’s process for risk evaluation. This first includes taking public comment on scoping documents for each of these 20 chemicals. By June 2020, EPA will finalize these scoping documents which will include the hazards, exposures, conditions of use, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations EPA expects to consider during each chemical’s risk evaluation. The agency will also take public comments on the draft risk evaluations for these chemicals and will finalize them after considering the public input the agency receives.
EPA is still carefully reviewing public comments on the 20 low-priority chemicals proposed in August 2019. The agency will finalize the list of low-priority chemicals in early 2020. Additionally, EPA will soon release and take public comments on a draft list of manufacturers and importers of these chemicals to help determine the appropriate division of fees as required under the TSCA fees rule.
By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics Editor The New Jersey Senate and Assembly are in the home stretch of their two-year session which will end in early January. Below is a listing of environmental bills scheduled for action in two Senate committees on Thursday and next Monday. The most anticipated of them is the plastic bag ban bill, S2776.
Thursday, December 5, 2019 Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, 11:30 am 1st Floor, Committee Room 4, Annex.
S2776 Smith (D17); Greenstein (D14) +2 Prohibits carryout bags made of plastic film, polystyrene foam food-service products, and single‑use plastic straws; assesses fee on paper carryout bags.
S3457 Sweeney (D3); Andrzejczak (D1) Appropriates $450,000 for Hooked on Fishing‑Not on Drugs Program.
S3870 Sarlo (D36) Authorizes alternative procedure for sale of municipal sewerage systems to public utilities.
S3965 Ruiz (D29); Cryan (D20) +2 Requires DEP, DOH, DCA, owners or operators of public water systems, and owners or operators of certain buildings to take certain actions to prevent and control cases of Legionnaires’ disease.
————————————————————-
Monday, December 9, 2019 Senate Environment and Energy Committee, 10 a.m. 1st Floor, Committee Room 6, Annex.
S2495 Smith (D17); Greenstein (D14) Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to issue up to $20 million in bonds to finance cost‑effective energy efficiency improvements in State, local, and school district buildings.
S4162 Smith (D17) Establishes New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center at Rutgers University, appropriates $2 million.
SR151 Weinberg (D37) Urges Governor to impose a moratorium on fossil fuel projects.
The actor’s new legal thriller is already generating Oscar buzz
Actor and producer Mark Ruffalo speaks during a press conference to discuss the ‘Fight Forever Chemicals’ campaign on Nov. 19. The campaign coincides with the release of his film “Dark Waters,” inspired by the story of Robert Bilott, a corporate defense attorney who discovers a community has been dangerously exposed for decades to deadly chemicals. (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call)
Clyde McGrady reports for Roll Call
Mark Ruffalo wants a revolution.
“Are we a country that is going to be responsive to people and make sure that our people remain healthy?” star of the upcoming film “Dark Waters,” asked a crowd gathered Tuesday on Capitol Hill. “Or are we going to be responsible only to the bottom line of corporations and their greed? Because right now the people are losing.”
In “Dark Waters,” which opens in theaters on Nov. 22, the Academy Award nominee plays real-life Cincinnati lawyer Robert Bilott, who sued the DuPont chemical company for polluting a West Virginia community’s water supply. In 2017 DuPont agreed to pay more than $670 million to settle 3,550 damage claims related to the exposure.
The legal thriller, being described by some as “grim” and “urgent,” is generating Oscar buzz. Some Wall Street analysts even predict the film could become a major hit, to the point that it could scuttle a potential deal as DuPont looks to sell off some of its businesses.
Ruffalo, an outspoken liberal activist, made a point to “thank these native lands for having us here,” before addressing the crowd, something he says his “native brothers and sisters” taught him.
Then, striking a decidedly populist tone, the “Avengers” actor lit into “big corporations,” and a regulatory regime he believes favors businesses over communities. Washington should place “the people and our needs and our health before the health and the economic wealth of corporations,” he said.
Ruffalo, along with Reps. Dan Kildee of Michigan and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, called on the federal government to make several changes to the way it regulates PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of chemicals that are raising serious pollution and health concerns as communities around the country discover their water is contaminated with them.
The threat posed by PFAS, which are so slow to degrade they’ve been nicknamed “forever chemicals,” and safety concerns about their replacements have become a new national environmental crisis.
Fire danger rating in parts of NSW rises to severe as hot, dry, windy conditions end a brief reprieve of bushfire-hit areas of Australia
More than 250 homes have been lost to bushfires in NSW since Friday and 16 homes have been lost in Qld over the past week. A CFA Member works on controlled back burns along Putty Road on Thursday to try to contain the Gospers Mountain fire in the Hawkesbury region of greater Sydney, which on Friday triggered an emergency warning. Photograph: Brett Hemmings/Getty Images
By Australian Associated Press
A fresh emergency warning was issued for the Hawkesbury on Sydney’s outskirts on Friday for a fast-moving fire, as hot, dry and windy conditions returned to bushfire-hit areas of New South Wales.
The warning was issued for a persistent 80,000-hectare blaze at Gospers Mountain, which was burning in the direction of Colo Heights. Those in the town should leave immediately towards Wilberforce, the Rural Fire Service warned.
It was one of four emergency warnings issued on Friday afternoon.
Residents of the town of Ebor, near Armidale were warned just after 2.30 pm AEDT to “seek shelter as the fire front arrives” due to a large bushfire.
A third emergency warning, for the Carrai East fire near Kempsey, was issued at 3.15 pm AEDT. The RFS said the bushfire has broken containment lines on the northern side and was burning in the Mines Road area, towards Temagog.
The fourth warning was was for an out of control fire in Richmond Valley in the state’s north, burning in the area of Bungawalbin and New Italy.
In Queensland, residents are evacuating from the path of a fast-moving bushfire in the Pechey forest raging towards Ravensbourne.
Fire crews and water bombers are attacking the blaze north of Toowoomba that has sparked an emergency warning for people to get out because it will soon be too dangerous to leave.
On Friday afternoon it was racing from Grapetree Road at Peachey towards Ravensbourne. The dangerous fire is expected to impact Purtill Road, Garvey Road, Ravensbourne Tip Road, Mount Jockey Road and McQuillan Road. People leaving the area should head southwest along Esk Hampton Road towards Toowoomba.
Warnings remain in place for residents of Woodgate and nearby Kinkuna Waters, south of Bundaberg.
A worrying fire at Thornside, west of Gympie, has been downgraded to watch and act.
The Cobraball fire near Yeppoon in central Queensland continues to worry authorities given the difficult weather conditions expected in coming days.
The blaze, which destroyed 15 of the 16 homes lost in Queensland over the past week, is 90 percent contained but that could change when high winds arrive.
Australian firefighters battle blazes and exhaustion
Damage assessments were continuing, with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services saying the number of homes lost could rise.
But QFES assistant commissioner Tony Johnstone said crews had done a remarkable job protecting property.
“It’s really hard to say how many houses we’ve saved but I’d say in excess of 300 or 400,” he told ABC radio.
Temperatures to soar over the weekend
Temperatures near major fire grounds are expected to soar beyond 30C on Friday and into the weekend.
Almost all of Queensland was expecting high or very high fire danger on Friday and there was a chance of severe thunderstorms in the south-east that were forecast to produce little rain.
The drought-stricken Darling Downs and Granite Belt region, west of Brisbane, was facing severe fire danger for at least the next three days.
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A commission is being proposed that would come up with a new system of taxing vehicles including, but not limited to, electric cars and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:
Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:
Under a bill (S-4090) up for consideration this week in the Legislature, a new seven-member commission would come up with a new system of taxing motor vehicles including, but not limited to, electric cars and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
For the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Transportation Financing Commission, there may not be much reason to hurry. By most estimates, only 25,000 electric vehicles are on the road in New Jersey today. Even clean-car advocates concede it will be tough to meet a target of upping that number to 330,000 by 2025.
But they hope to push a bill (S-2252) in the lame-duck Legislature that would provide incentives for consumers to buy electric vehicles; it also would establish aggressive targets to build charging stations — a step advocates say is necessary to convince consumers to buy the electric vehicles.
The state’s draft energy master plan and New Jersey’s participation in the Transportation Climate Alliance all recommend the electrification of the transportation sector, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Most climate activists say New Jersey will never achieve its goals without significantly electrifying vehicles, not only light-duty cars, but commercial vehicles and buses, too.
But replacing the gas tax — a conventional way of financing transportation improvements — is proving to be a tough choice for states as consumers switch to vehicles no longer fueled by petroleum. Some, like Oregon, and other western states, have tried pilot programs that tax motorists on vehicles per mile traveled.
A different way to tax drivers
The bill, up before the Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday, does not specify any way to raise the needed funds but gives the commission 180 days from its formation to provide recommendations to the Legislature.
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