EnviroPolitics Blog

It’s lights-out time for your incandescent bulbs

PA retailers are prohibited from selling light bulbs that do not match the new national standard.

Retailers cannot sell light bulbs that don’t meet the new standards as of Tuesday, as the DOE said it will begin enforcing the rule with both businesses and manufacturers. People with incandescent bulbs at home may still use them. (Shutterstock)

By Michelle Rotuno-Johnson, Patch Staff

PENNSYLVANIA — Shopping for light bulbs today? You won’t see certain kinds on Pennsylvania shelves any more, as a Department of Energy rule against incandescent bulbs takes effect on Aug. 1 in favor of more energy-efficient lighting.

Retailers cannot sell light bulbs that don’t meet the new standards as of Tuesday, as the DOE said it will begin enforcing the rule with both businesses and manufacturers.

Keystone State residents who purchased standard incandescent bulbs in the past may still use them to light up their homes, but officials put standards in place last April to begin phasing them out.

The maximum penalty for manufacturers who violate the ban is $542 for every light bulb made out of regulation, according to a report from Nexstar.

“DOE’s enforcement office is committed to enforcing DOE’s regulations in a fair and equitable manner,” a Department of Energy spokesperson told Patch.

The rule on “general service lamps,” one of two adopted by President Biden’s administration last April, says that light bulbs must emit a minimum of 45 lumens (a measure of brightness) per watt.

This is a more energy-efficient measure than incandescent bulbs provide: Most light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs provide about 75 lumens per watt, according to a CNN Business report. In contrast, traditional incandescent bulbs provide 15 lumens per watt, according to light bulb manufacturer Philips.

Department of Energy officials said this move will help consumers save on their energy bills, and also conserve energy while reducing carbon emissions. Residential LED lightbulbs use at least 75 percent less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs, and also last up to 25 percent longer, said the DOE.

If you liked this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.

It’s lights-out time for your incandescent bulbs Read More »

NY Activists Descend on the Hamptons to Protest the Super Rich Fueling the Climate Crisis

From the airport to a golf course, museum gala and private mansions, activists confronted the extreme wealth driving global warming, and the challenges facing grassroots organizations that stand up to billionaires.

Police officers saw the PVC pipe off Sophie Shepherd's arm that connected her with other demonstrators blocking access to the East Hampton Town Airport. Shepherd is an organizer with Planet Over Profit who said she was a "rule follower" before she started risking arrest in climate demonstrations. Credit: Keerti Gopal — Police officers saw the PVC pipe off Sophie Shepherd’s arm that connected her with other demonstrators blocking access to the East Hampton Town Airport. Shepherd is an organizer with Planet Over Profit who said she was a “rule follower” before she started risking arrest in climate demonstrations. Credit: Keerti Gopal

By Keerti Gopal, Inside Climate News

Sophie Shepherd has always described herself as a “rule follower,” but days before her 22nd birthday, she chose to face arrest in the middle of a Long Island driveway. Under a blazing hot July sun, two police officers sawed through the PVC pipes that connected her arms to the 13 other protesters blocking the entrance to a private airport.

“What I love about direct action is you’re actually getting in people’s faces and disrupting their way of life,” Shepherd said. “That push is what’s necessary to change the temperature in the room.”

Last month, Shepherd and around forty other climate activists from New York City and Long Island descended on the East Hampton Town Airport to heat up the conversation on how the super rich drive global warming.

As police separated and arrested the demonstrators blocking the driveway, other activists in the group surrounded them carrying plastic pitchforks and posters that read “tax the rich.” Their bright red t-shirts read, “billionaires, what are you saving up for, hell?” above a graphic of cash burning. A five-year-old holding a pitchfork and a homemade poster started a chant: “stop private jets, stop funding oil!” Behind them, in the distance, sat a few rows of private planes and helicopters.

Among those arrested for blocking the driveway to the East Hampton Town Airport was Abigail Disney, 63, great-niece of Walt Disney and an outspoken critic of the climate impacts of private aviation. Credit: Keerti Gopal

The airport blockade was only the first of eight actions that weekend organized by New York Communities for Change (NYCC), Planet over Profit and Sunrise Movement NYC. In addition to shutting down the airport—for which Shepherd and 13 other protesters were arrested—the activists marched for a wealth tax with leaders from the Shinnecock Indigenous nation, crashed an exclusive golf course, stormed a museum gala, demonstrated outside the private homes of a Citibank chairman and a private equity billionaire and stirred up climate conversations at two high-end restaurants.

The racially and socioeconomically diverse coalition of activists sought to draw attention to the disproportionate role the ultra-wealthy play in filling the atmosphere with greenhouse gasses, advocate for a wealth tax to fund climate justice initiatives and pressure top fossil fuel beneficiaries to stop funding climate-warming activities. During their weekend together, the activists also grappled with what it takes to win lasting change in a stubborn world.

Read the full story here

NY Activists Descend on the Hamptons to Protest the Super Rich Fueling the Climate Crisis Read More »

How clean is the surf at the Jersey shore?

Spencer Hughes, water sampler collector for the Cape May County Department of Health, takes samples at the beach in Wildwood Crest on Monday, July 31, 2023, as part of the county’s weekly water quality testing. The county, like others throughout New Jersey, partners with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to keep residents informed on health advisories and other information tied to the testing.Steven Rodas | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

By Steven Rodas | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The few beachgoers on the shores of Wildwood Crest at daybreak barely notice as a pair of county health workers stop their white Ford Explorer.

In short order, the two take a water sample at the beach, put a stopper on the sterile plastic bottle, plop it into a cooler and head to the next spot.

Nine down.

More than 20 to go.

“People don’t see it, but we’re helping to protect them,” says Maryanne Mathis, a registered environmental health specialist trainee with the Cape May County Health Department, just after 6 a.m. on Monday, noting that “it feels good.”

“We’re doing the South run,” adds Spencer Hughes, a water sampler collector for the county. “We take samples from North Wildwood all the way to Cape May Point and we have another team today that’s doing our North run.”

In all, staff members in Cape May County will take small amounts of water at 61 guarded ocean beaches and 2 guarded bay beaches early Monday morning as part of weekly water quality testing. That’s part of a larger set of water samples collected at more than 200 beaches — including river and bay beaches in Cape May, Atlantic, Monmouth and Ocean counties — along New Jersey’s nearly 130 miles of coastline.

Read the full story here

How clean is the surf at the Jersey shore? Read More »

Dewey Beach says ‘no’ to marijuana sales

Delaware beach town’s council voted unanimously to prohibit marijuana dispensaries or production facilities from being built within town limits.

By Mark Eichmann, WHYY News

The first legal marijuana sales in Delaware aren’t expected to happen until late 2024, and while it’s not clear where the new dispensaries will go, we now know where there won’t be a weed store.

Dewey Beach Town Council approved an ordinance earlier this month prohibiting marijuana sales or growing operations from being built in town. The move comes just two months after state lawmakers approved legislation legalizing recreational marijuana.

Dewey Police Chief Constance Speake spoke in support of the ban on sales at a council hearing earlier this month. She said having marijuana sales in town could lead to public use on Dewey streets.

“People just don’t read the laws. They’re going to go buy their product and then they’re going to be out on the street smoking dope,” Speake said. “You’re going to have a lot more people going up and buying their dope and then they’re going to be right on the street corner smoking dope all over town. And that’s not what we want.”

WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

Commissioner Paul Bauer agreed and said marijuana sales wouldn’t be a fit for Dewey, which has been working to shed its image as a “party town.”

Dewey Beach says ‘no’ to marijuana sales Read More »

$115M in new federal grants to cut harmful diesel engine emissions target areas overburdened by air pollution

From the Environmental Proection Agency

WASHINGTON (August 2, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the availability of $115 million in grant funding for projects that cut harmful pollution from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. Under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant funding competition, EPA anticipates making 4-10 awards in each of EPA’s ten regions to eligible applicants.

EPA is soliciting applications nationwide for projects that significantly reduce diesel emissions and exposure, especially from fleets operating at goods movements facilities in areas designated as having poor air quality. Applicants may request funding to upgrade or replace older diesel-powered buses, trucks, marine engines, locomotives and nonroad equipment with newer, cleaner technologies. Priority for funding will also be given to projects that engage and benefit the health of local communities already overburdened by air pollution, protect grant funded investments from severe weather events caused by climate change, and applicants that demonstrate their ability to promote and continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended.

EPA is seeking cost-effective diesel emission reduction projects that maximize health benefits, reduce diesel exposure for those facing poor air quality, and/or employ community-based inclusive and collaborative approaches to reduce harmful emissions. The DERA Program delivers on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative to ensure that at least 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities, creating good-paying jobs and driving inclusive economic growth.

Background

Diesel-powered engines move most of the nation’s freight tonnage, and today nearly all highway freight trucks, locomotives, and commercial marine vessels are powered by diesel engines. Smog- and soot-forming diesel exhaust can impair air quality, threatening the health of people in nearby communities. Exposure to this pollution can lead to disruptive and costly asthma attacks, illnesses, lost days of school and work, and emergency room visits. These adverse health effects have been shown to disproportionately impact children, older adults, those with heart or lung conditions, and low-income and minority communities.

DERA enables EPA to offer funding to accelerate the upgrade and turnover of legacy diesel fleets. Funding opportunities for diesel reduction projects are provided through an annual appropriation by Congress to DERA. DERA prioritizes funding projects in areas facing the largest air quality issues. Many of these projects fund cleaner engines that operate in low socio-economic areas whose residents suffer from higher-than-average instances of asthma, heart, and lung diseases.

More than 73,700 engines, vehicles, or other pieces of equipment were replaced or retrofitted to run cleaner with DERA funds during fiscal years 2008 to 2018, according to the DERA 5th Report to Congress.

The grant funding opportunity is open until Friday, December 1, 2023. For any questions on the application, applicants should email written questions to: dera@epa.gov. For any technical issues with grants.gov, please contact grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. More information, including applicant eligibility and regional funding breakdowns, can be found at the DERA website.

$115M in new federal grants to cut harmful diesel engine emissions target areas overburdened by air pollution Read More »

Some unusually good news about California wildfires

Huge winter rains and snow are continuing to reduce fire risk, experts say

A firefighter sprays flames approaching Gilman Springs Road during the Rabbit Fire late Friday, July 14, 2023, in Moreno Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

By PAUL ROGERS | Bay Area News Group

It’s nearly August, but one familiar summer trend has been very scarce this year: wildfires.

California is off to its slowest start to fire season in 25 years.

A state traumatized by huge fires over the past decade that have burned millions of acres — killing more than 200 people, and generating choking smoke and apocalyptic orange skies — has seen almost no major fire activity so far in 2023.

Chart on acreage burned from Jan. 1 to July 27 since 1998

As of Thursday, just 24,229 acres had burned in California since Jan. 1, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. That’s 82% less than the state’s 10-year average and is the lowest of any year since 1998.

Only four structures have burned statewide in wildfires so far this year and there have been no fatalities, reports Cal Fire, the state’s main firefighting agency. By comparison, one fire in July 2018, the Carr Fire near Redding, destroyed 1,614 structures and killed eight people, including three firefighters.

The reason for the state’s good fortune now, experts say, is water. Lots of it.

“I was in the mountains this past week,” said Scott Stephens, a professor of wildland fire science at UC Berkeley. “Things are green. Streams are flowing. It’s still wet.”

While fire agencies often warn that extra rain can help fuel fire danger, an analysis of 30 years of rainfall and wildfire records by the Bay Area News Group shows that wildfire risk in California is much higher after dry winters, and lower after wet winters like this year’s.

Read the full story here

Some unusually good news about California wildfires Read More »