“The crisis has brought lower emissions but for all the wrong reasons,” Fatih Birol, executive director at the IEA, said in a statement.
By PV Buzz Editorial Team
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) new report examines the impact coronavirus will have on energy spending in the coming year, as well as last year’s trends.
The lockdown measures are hitting fossil fuels the hardest – with funding for oil, the worst hit, falling 30% – while renewables investment will see a relatively small drop of 10%.
“The historic plunge in global energy investment is deeply troubling for many reasons,” Fatih Birol, executive director at the IEA, said in a statement.
“It means lost jobs and economic opportunities today, as well as lost energy supply that we might well need tomorrow once the economy recovers,” he continued. “The slowdown in spending on key clean energy technologies also risks undermining the much-needed transition to more resilient and sustainable energy systems.”
The overall share of energy spending for clean energy, including renewables, nuclear, and efficiency improvements, has been stuck at around one-third for a few years but will approach 40% in 2020 because fossil fuels are taking such a battering.
The falling energy demand, lower prices, and the rise of non-payment of bills will mean energy revenues going to governments and energy companies drop by more than $1tn this year.
At the start of the year, IEA forecasted energy investment would rise by 2% in 2020, the biggest annual rise in six years, but it is now expected to plummet by 20%.
IEA says oil accounts for most of the decline in revenue, with global consumer spending on oil set to fall below the amount spent on electricity for the first time ever.
New Jersey today reported an additional 910 cases for a total of 159,608 cases of COVID-19, That’s a one-day increase of less than 1% for the 12th day in a row. (Above chart.)
By counties, the most new positive results were reported in Middlesex (85), Ocean (81), Camden (71), Mercer (69) and Monmouth (64).
At the other end of the spectrum, just 20 new cases were reported in four counties combined: Cape May, Warren, Hunterdon, and Sussex.
The rate of New Jerseyans testing positive for the virus is about 18 in 1,000.
Hudson County has 18,343 cases, the most of any county.
Among large municipalities, the infection rate in Paterson (Passaic County) remains the highest, with about 49 positive cases per 1,000 people.
The state reported an additional 113 deaths attributed to COVID-19, brining that total to 11,634, an increase of less than 1%. More than 7% of all known cases in New Jerseyans have resulted in death.
Essex County continues to have the greatest number of deaths, 1,657.
The rate of New Jerseyans testing positive for the virus is about 18 in 1,000. Hudson County has 18,343 cases, the most of any county.
Essex County continues to have the greatest number of deaths, 1,657.
Among large municipalities, the infection rate in Paterson (Passaic County) remains the highest, with about 49 positive cases per 1,000 people.
According to data reported by all 71 hospitals in the state, 2,626 patients were being treated for confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 as of last night, a continued decrease.
672 of the current patients were in critical or intensive care.
499 required ventilators, 19 percent of the hospitals’ capacity.
Regionally, 1,271 patients were in hospitals in the north, 766 in central Jersey and 589 in the south.
231 COVID-19 patients were discharged, either to their homes or other care facilities.
The daily, or spot, positivity rate of COVID-19 tests on May 26 stood unchanged at 6% statewide.
Results of more than 745,308 tests have now been reported to state officials, including negatives, reflecting a significant boost in testing capacity in New Jersey.
A total of 4,911 deaths among residents at 544 nursing homes and other long-term care centers in New Jersey have been laboratory confirmed as cases of COVID-19.
Deaths attributed to long-term care residents and staff account for about 43% of all in the state.
LTCs in the state are reporting a cumulative total of 22,037 positive cases among residents, and 10,582 among staffers.
They are also reporting the deaths of 106 staffers.
New Jersey officials reported an additional 1,171 confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, for a statewide cumulative total of 158,844.
By counties, the most new positive results were reported in Middlesex (101), Essex (98), Passaic (95), Monmouth (86) and Mercer (85).
At the other end of the spectrum, a total of 37 new cases were reported in Cape May, Salem, Hunterdon, Warren and Sussex counties combined.
Total COVID-19 deaths among New Jersey residents stand at 11,531, with an additional 131 confirmed fatalities reported today.The order of the counties with the most deaths remained the same: Essex (1,647), Bergen (1,567), Hudson (1,168), Union (1,060) and Middlesex (972).
According to data reported by all 71 hospitals in the state, 2,707 patients were being treated for confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 as of last night, a decrease.720 of the current patients were in critical or intensive care, a second day where that number fell below 750.
544, or roughly 76% of those in critical care units, required ventilators.
Regionally, 1,324 patients were in hospitals in the north, 776 in central Jersey and 607 in the south.
Of those, 183 were new patients as of yesterday, roughly half the number reported the day before, and the first decline in three days.
231 COVID-19 patients were discharged, either to their homes or other care facilities.
In comparison with other states, New Jersey is the highest in hospitalizations per capita, fourth in deaths per capita, and eighth in new daily cases per capita, according to the Murphy administration. (Above chart.)
The daily, or spot, positivity rate of COVID-19 tests on May 26 stood unchanged at 6% statewide.Results of more than 716,411 tests have now been reported to state officials, including negatives, reflecting a significant boost in testing capacity in New Jersey.
Some 26,000 tests were conducted on Wednesday alone.
NJ Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli reported that the numbers of children with a rare and serious pediatric inflammatory ailment often referred to as Kawasaki disease had held steady, at 26, with no deaths.She also said preliminary data indicates the syndrome hits children of differently races at rates disproportionate to the ethnic composition of the state as a whole, with black children making up roughly 27% of cases and Hispanic children, nearly 30%.
A total of 4,858 deaths among residents at 537 nursing homes and other long-term care centers in New Jersey have been laboratory confirmed as cases of COVID-19.LTCs in the state are reporting a cumulative total of 21,650 positive cases among residents, and 10,447 among staffers.
They are also reporting the deaths of 105 staffers.
EPA is releasing updated data collected during the 2016 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) period. The updated 2016 CDR data now includes information that was previously classified as confidential business information (CBI), like aggregate production volumes and site-specific production volumes.An initial release of the 2016 CDR data was published in May 2017.
The Lautenberg Act amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) were signed into law during the 2016 CDR submission period and changed CDR CBI reporting requirements. As a result, EPA conducted a thorough substantiation and verification process with companies that submitted 2016 CDR data.
Background The CDR rule requires manufacturers (including importers) of certain chemical substances included on the TSCA Inventory to report current data on the manufacturing, processing, and use of the chemical substances. Under the CDR rule, EPA collects basic exposure-related information on the types, quantities, and uses of chemical substances produced domestically and imported into the United States. This information helps EPA understand exposure to these chemicals and screen and prioritize chemicals to identify and evaluate potential human health and environmental effects. This information is collected every four years. The 2016 submission period ended on October 31, 2016. The 2020 submission period starts on June 1, 2020 and ends on November 30, 2020.
The Republican-led Pennsylvania House late Thursday night voted to end Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown of businesses across the state, and the resolution will head to the Senate for consideration. The resolution would have to be signed by Wolf to take effect.(Hannah Yoon/The New York Times)
By FORD TURNERTHE MORNING CALL |MAY 29, 2020 | 7:15 AM| HARRISBURG
State House Republicans, joined by some Democrats, voted late Thursday night to end the statewide business shutdown imposed by Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf in March as coronavirus was spreading across the state.
The chamber’s approval of a resolution that would undo Wolf’s closure of non-life-sustaining businesses during the pandemic will now go to the Republican-led state Senate for consideration.
A statement issued by a spokesman for House Democrats called the move an “empty gesture” and that under the Constitution, the resolution would have to be signed by Wolf to take effect. The spokesman said that would not happen.
All Republicans and eight Democrats in the 203-member chamber voted for the resolution, but the 117 votes in favor of it fell fall short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a Wolf veto.
A spokeswoman for Wolf did not immediately respond to an inquiry early Friday.
In a written statement, House Majority Leader Rep. Bryan Cutler said the resolution leaves in place the state’s emergency declaration and ensures nursing homes and long-term care facilities will get needed assistance.
“Schools are not teaching; jobs are not paying; and government is not working for the people. The best step for all residents of our state is to allow workers, employers and nonprofits the ability to safely resume their work,” Cutler said.
Later in the day, Wolf is expected to hold his first in-person press conference with reporters in more than two months.
More than 100,000 people have died in the U.S. from coronavirus, including more than 5,000 in Pennsylvania.
The first cases were reported in Pennsylvania on March 6. Wolf’s shutdown order to non-life-sustaining businesses with a threat of enforcement was issued March 19.
His administration has said the shutdown order and other virus-mitigation measures have saved thousands of lives. In recent weeks, as his color-coded plan lifting virus restrictions has been implemented, pushback from people and businesses still under restrictions has increased.
On Thursday, lawmakers received a letter from more than 20 officials of chambers of commerce across eastern Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley, that pushed for a quicker reopening.
Philly union guy lands a 56 pounder with rod and reel, keeps it alive overnight, and returns it to the Schuylkill where it can test another angler on another day
By Jason Nark, Philadelphia Inquirer – Updated: May 28, 2020
All photos courtesy of Jonathan PIerce
As Sunday night faded into Monday, Jonathan Pierce tossed and turned at home in Roxborough, a slimy monster in his backyard keeping him awake.
Hours earlier, he had wrangled the beast out from an undisclosed location in the Schuylkill in Philadelphia. Pierce, 34, a union insulator and father of four, has hunted Pylodictis olivaris, the flathead catfish, for a decade on “the Skuke” and knew, from catching smaller flatheads, that the fish chomping down on his bait (trout head) Sunday night was simply bigger than anything he’s ever caught.
“It took off like a torpedo, running right for a rocky, snaggy section of the river,” Pierce said Wednesday morning. “It splashed its tail on the top of the water.”
Pierce’s flathead, officially weighing 56.3 pounds, will likely shatter the state record of 50.7 pounds set last spring on the Susquehanna River. It’s surely one of the biggest fish ever caught on rod and reel in Pennsylvania. Certifying a state record isn’t so simple, though. Certified scales must be used, the fishing gear documented in great detail. Sometimes, witnesses are interviewed. In some states, lie detector tests have been used, and catches have been ruled out.
“We’re pretty sure that everything appears to be good,” said Mike Parker, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Jonathan Pierce, 34, of Roxborough, stands with his 56.3-pound flathead catfish Monday morning. The fish is likely a new state record.
Pierce, like most fisherman, honored the code and was vague about his exact fishing location, other than to say it was “within city limits.” That alone is rare, as most of the larger flathead catfish, considered an invasive species in the Susquehanna and all waters east of it, are usually caught outside the city.
Pierce’s blow-by-blow of the catch is proof enough that fishing doesn’t mean catching, that even hooking into a fish doesn’t mean you’ll land one. He was using a 10-foot pole, something you’d normally see in the surf at the Shore. Once the fish was hooked, he knew it would swim for the rocks, to try to cut the line. Each fishing rod has a “drag” system, so that the fish can pull line off the rod, with tension. If the drag is too tight, fish snap the line. Too loose and they can take all the line off. Drag tires a fish out. Usually.
“I had my drag tight, and it was still pulling line,” he said. “Torpedo.”
Pierce’s fish got stuck in the rocks for a few minutes. He was fishing from the bank and had to wait it out. Once it was freed, the fish made a few more runs. Pierce knew it had record potential when he saw it but also knew there would be no certified scale open anywhere on the holiday weekend. Not wanting to kill the fish, he used a plastic container from home, the kind for storing Christmas decorations, to transport the 50-inch fish home. It sat in his backyard overnight, with an aerator for oxygen.
“I maybe slept an hour,” he said. “I had too much adrenaline.”
The next morning, he finally found a scale at the Blue Marsh Outdoors store in Berks County. Fish and Boat officers came to take their own measurements.
“I think it’s just a matter of paperwork,” Pierce said.
Pierce believes the flathead was at least 20 years old, and can’t imagine many much bigger in the Schuylkill. He said the next record is likely swimming in the Susquehanna. He released the fish, alive, not far from Blue Marsh Outdoors, in another undisclosed location he said was part of the Schuylkill’s watershed.
Jonathan Pierce, of Roxborough, releases his record flathead catfish Monday morning after having it officially weighed in Berks County. Pierce caught the fish in Philadelphia.
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