Environment and conservation groups demand revocation of Mariner East pipeline permits in Pennsylvania

Energy Transfer to pay another $200G fine for Mariner East ...

By the Clean Air Council

PHILADELPHIA, PA (August 24, 2020) –  More than 30 non-profit organizations from across Pennsylvania submitted a letter to the Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell today demanding the DEP immediately and permanently revoke all Mariner East construction permits and prohibit the issuance of any future permits.

The letter comes in the wake of a recent spill of over 8,000 gallons of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) fluid, and industrial waste, into Marsh Creek Lake, a reservoir for much of Chester County’s drinking water. The release occurred during Sunoco’s drilling of the Mariner East hazardous liquids pipeline system, the path of which is slated to run through the headwaters of Marsh Creek Lake.  Over 200 spills have occurred across Pennsylvania since Mariner East construction began in 2017.  

The organizations represent a diverse array of environmental organizations as well as conservation groups, grassroots community organizations, civic associations, faith-based groups, and legislative action groups. The groups stated that DEP has failed to protect the public and environment by allowing Sunoco to continue construction despite numerous permit violations and that “Sunoco/ Energy Transfer has lost its social license to operate in Pennsylvania.”  The groups caution that previously issued fines have not deterred this pipeline operator from further repeated violations. 

“Energy Transfer has determined that it is uninterested in complying with Pennsylvania law and would rather pay fines as a cost of doing business,” said Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Executive Director and Chief Counsel. “Energy Transfer has forced the hands of regulators, and at this point the only option is to shut this criminal enterprise down.”

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750 million genetically modified mosquitoes to be released

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Image captionThe aim is to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

By BBC News

Local officials in Florida have approved the release of 750 million mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to reduce local populations.

The aim is to reduce the number of mosquitoes that carry diseases like dengue or the Zika virus.

The green-lighting of a pilot project after years of debate drew a swift outcry from environmental groups, who warned of unintended consequences.

One group condemned the plan as a public “Jurassic Park experiment”.

Activists warn of possible damage to ecosystems, and the potential creation of hybrid, insecticide-resistant mosquitoes.

But the company involved says there will be no adverse risk to humans or the environment, and points to a slate of government-backed studies.

The plan to release the mosquitoes in 2021 in the Florida Keys, a string of islands, comes months after the modified mosquitoes were approved by federal regulators.

In May, the US Environmental Agency granted permission to the British-based, US-operated company Oxitec to produce the genetically engineered, male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are known as OX5034.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are known to spread deadly diseases to humans such dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever.

A biologist in Brazil releases Oxitec to combat a Zika outbreak
Image captionA biologist in Brazil releases mosquitoes to combat a Zika outbreak

Only female mosquitoes bite humans because they need blood to produce eggs. So the plan is to release the male, modified mosquitoes who will then hopefully breed with wild female mosquitoes.

However the males carry a protein that will kill off any female offspring before they reach mature biting age. Males, which only feed on nectar, will survive and pass on the genes.

Over time, the aim is to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the area and thereby reduce the spread of disease to humans.

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N.J. reports 288 new COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths as hospitalizations again rise above 400

Union County drive thru coronavirus testing
Registered nurse Hanna Krysiak holds a bag of ice cubes against her chest last month to keep cool as she administered tests at the Union County drive-thru coronavirus testing site at Kean University in Union. Ed Murray photo

By Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The number of people hospitalized in New Jersey for the coronavirus again rose above 400 Sunday as the state reported 288 new cases and three deaths from the virus.

However, the rate of transmission remained belowa key benchmark officials monitor to measure the spread of the virus.

Only one of the new confirmed deaths occurred this month — Aug. 15. The other two happened in May and July for a total of 14,117 lives lost since the pandemic began five months ago, not including another 1,829 probable deaths, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Sunday morning on Twitter.

The number of coronavirus patients in New Jersey’s 71 hospitals rose to 411. It had dipped to 376 Friday night, the lowest total since officials began publicly tracking it on March 24.

The previous low, 414, was reported Thursday night. It also marks the eighth consecutive day hospitals have had fewer than 500 patients with confirmed or suspected cases. On Sunday, 72 patients were in intensive care and 27 were on ventilators.

The state has recorded 189,494 cases since the outbreak hit the state.

New Jersey’s rate of transmission stayed below the key benchmark of 1 on Sunday, according to the Department of Health’s dashboard. Any number above 1 means each newly infected person is spreading the virus to at least one other person, on average.

The state reported the rate of transmission at 0.9 on Sunday. It was 0.99 on Saturday, 1.04 on Friday and 1.06 on Thursday.

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At least 13 people die in stampede, as police raid nightclub breaking coronavirus restrictions in Lima, Peru

By Jimena de la Quintana and Daniel Silva, CNN
Updated 9:00 AM ET, Sun August 23, 2020

Lima, Peru (CNN)At least 13 people have been killed and three others injured in a stampede at a nightclub in Lima, Peru, as partygoers attempted to escape a police raid on the venue, according to Orlando Velasco Mujica, general of the Peruvian National Police.

Protests across Latin America reflect a toxic cocktail of pandemic and recession

Protests across Latin America reflect a toxic cocktail of pandemic and recession

Peru was one of the first nations in the Americas to take strict preventative coronavirus measures, but is now one of the worst affected countries in Latin America, with more than 576,000 cases, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
More than 27,000 have died of the virus so far, JHU reports.In an official statement, the Ministry of the Interior reported that the police did not use “any type of weapon or tear gas to clear the premises.”

When people began to flee the 2nd floor venue trying to get away from the police they were crushed on the stairs.

Police said in a statement they have started an investigation to identify the owners of the nightclub and those responsible for the event. Police said 23 people were arrested.

“The Ministry of the Interior profoundly regrets the deaths of 13 people as a consequence of the criminal irresponsibility of an unscrupulous business owner,” the statement said.

Jimena de la Quintana reported from Lima, Daniel Silva Fernandez reported from Miami

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Grow crops, not solar panels, on New Jersey’s best farmland

By Michele S. Byers, New Jersey Conservation Foundation

If there’s any doubt that New Jersey is the Garden State, visit a local farm stand or a farmers’ market. This time of year, you will find some of the world’s most delicious produce: fresh Jersey tomatoes, peaches, sweet corn, peppers, blueberries, melons, squash and much more.

What makes them so good? One key ingredient is excellent soil. New Jersey has some of the best agricultural soils on Earth, perfect for growing a wide variety of foods.

These “prime” and “statewide important” soils are an incredibly precious natural resource that should never be taken for granted or squandered.

That’s why a proposed law to encourage large utility-scale solar projects without provisions to keep it off our best farmland and open space is a bad idea, no matter how well intentioned it may be.

The proposed legislation, S-2605, would toss out New Jersey’s existing solar siting policies, including provisions to restrict solar on farmland and redirect it to sites like brownfields, landfills, rooftops and parking lots.

The proposed law would not only make it easier to build large, utility-scale solar arrays on the state’s best farmland, it would also allow forests to be clear-cut to make way for solar projects, which makes no sense. Forests store the equivalent of 8% of New Jersey’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Make no mistake, encouraging solar energy is essential and is a critical part of New Jersey’s clean energy future.

By using a mix of solar, offshore wind and other clean technologies, this state we’re in plans to transition to 100% clean energy by 2050 for its power supply. Reducing the state’s reliance on fossil fuels is critical to combating climate change.

But solar energy projects must be built in the right places. And high quality farmland and forests are most definitely not the right places.

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