EnviroPolitics Blog

Trump reverses course on California wildfire disaster declaration petition

President Donald Trump approved California’s request for a presidential disaster declaration to help combat the state’s record-setting wildfires, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday, a day after the administration initially rejected the request.

“Just got off the phone with President Trump who has approved our Major Disaster Declaration request. Grateful for his quick response,” Newsom said in a statement Friday.

The back and forth comes after the White House said Thursday that California’s request for a presidential major disaster declaration was rejected because it was “not supported by the relevant data.” Thirty-one people have died as a result of the wildfires and more than 9,200 structures have been destroyed.

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Exelon, DTE deny reports of non-utility asset sales

By Emma Penrod, Utility Dive

DTE Energy and Exelon Corp deny having any immediate plans to sell or spin off non-utility assets despite anonymous reports to Bloomberg, with a spokesperson for DTE calling the Bloomberg reports “market speculation” and Exelon indicating the company had reviewed the pros and cons of divestiture only as part of a routine review.

Lack of confirmation notwithstanding, current market conditions could push regulated utilities to spin off generation assets to manage risk in the face of a transition to renewable energy, according to The Brattle Group Principal Johannes Pfeifenberger.

While regulatory restructuring triggered the last to two waves of divestitures in the energy industry, cost-competitive renewable energy could trigger a new cycle of restructuring if renewables continue to outcompete coal and even low-priced natural gas, Pfeifenberger said.

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Today’s BILLYPENNGRAM

Today’s BILLYPENNGRAM Read More »

Bordentown purchases Divine Word property; Partners with Green Acres, D&R Greenway

By KRISTIN ANTONELLO, TapIntoBordentown

BORDENTOWN CITY, NJ—The Bordentown City Commissioners unanimously approved a sales agreement to purchase the Divine Word Missionaries property on Park Street on Monday night, in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program and the Delaware and Raritan Greenway Land Trust.

The property is being sold for $4.6 million dollars, with the City paying $1,655,000 for its portion of the land.

The City will be acquiring 5.44 acres of the property, including the existing main seminary, dormitory and gym buildings. The City will be repurposing those structures and moving the Municipal Building and Police Department to the buildings.

Mayor Jim Lynch said that the deal was “no easy lift,” as the sale of the property attracted intense interest from other parties, such as those wanting to build warehouses and over 1,000 high-density apartments on the property.

Calling the acquisition of the property a “great benefit to the City and its residents,” Mayor Lynch expressed his gratitude to Divine Word and Father Pool, who is overseeing the transition.

“Our relationship with Divine Word was more than just money, it was a partnership,” he said. “It would have been so easy to sell this property to the warehouse developer, and they chose to work with the state of New Jersey and the City of Bordentown and D & R Greenway.”

Daniel Kennedy, Chair of the City Planning and Zoning Board, said that had this sale had not taken place, the open space would have been converted into something else that would not be nearly as favorable to the City. Noting that the space will now be part of a large lot of continuously preserved land and trail region, he hopes that the property will become a draw for visitors to the City, and that the open space will lend itself to events and programming for not just the City, but also state and county activities.

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Liverpool slams revelers; Northern Ireland shuts schools

Revelers in Liverpool, the first city in England to be placed under the government’s toughest Tier 3 restrictions amid soaring rates of coronavirus infection, poured into the streets to dance and taunt police as pubs closed ahead of the restrictions that could keep them shuttered for months.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson wrote on Twitter: “These pictures shame our city, attacking our brave police officers is unacceptable. Our health service is creaking, 300 in hospital and 30 people dead in week. Ignoring these facts is why we are in Tier 3 measures.”

The new three-tier system forces pubs and bars that don’t serve meals to close. In addition, indoor social gatherings with people from other homes are banned and residents are advised not to travel outside the area.

Empty tables and chairs outside Sweeney’s Bar in Liverpool, the night before new measures across the region are set to come into force, in England, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. Britain, which has suffered the deadliest outbreak in Europe with a toll of more than 43,000. Under plans unveiled this week, Liverpool is in the highest-risk category, and its pubs, gyms and betting shops have been shut. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP) — Empty tables and chairs outside Sweeney’s Bar in Liverpool, the night before new measures across the region are set to… (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Northern Ireland on Wednesday introduced the tightest COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom, closing schools, pubs and restaurants to slow the spread of the virus.

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PA coronavirus update: Cases top 1,300 again, hospitalizations increase

By DANIEL PATRICK SHEEHAN, THE MORNING CALL

Pennsylvania recorded another 1,342 cases of COVID-19, the state Health Department reported Tuesday, bringing the total to 174,646.

Another 16 deaths brought the toll to 8,384 since the first cases of the pandemic coronavirus were reported in early March.

The Lehigh Valley reported no deaths, but Lehigh County had 18 new cases and Northampton County had 19.

Statewide, the number of hospitalizations grew by 39 to 773. The number of people on ventilators, indicating critical illness, declined by nine to 83.

Last week, newly reported coronavirus cases topped 1,300 four days in a row, including 1,742 on Saturday.

The 7-day moving average of newly reported cases was 1,156 on Tuesday, up significantly from 897 a week ago.

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US Covid-19 latest: 10:00 PT / 13:00 ET on Tuesday 13 October (19:00 CEST)

Latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University.

Worldwide

Cases: 37,955,113
Deaths: 1,082,928
Recoveries: 26,332,156

Cases: 7,817,863
Deaths: 215,355
Recoveries: 3,106,728

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