Coal ash ponds along the James River in Chester, Va., last year. Power plants produce about 130 million tons of coal ash a year, which is stored at about 1,100 sites nationwide. Credit…Steve Helber/Associated Press
By Lisa Friedman for the New York Times – Oct. 31, 2019
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is expected to roll back an Obama-era regulation meant to limit the leaching of heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury into water supplies from the ash of coal-fired power plants, according to two people familiar with the plans.
With a series of new rules expected in the coming days, the Environmental Protection Agency will move to weaken the 2015 regulation that would have strengthened inspection and monitoring at coal plants, lowered acceptable levels of toxic effluent and required plants to install new technology to protect water supplies from contaminated coal ash.
The E.P.A. will relax some of those requirements and exempt a significant number of power plants from any of the requirements, according to the two people familiar with the Trump administration plan, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the new rules.
The move is part of a series of deregulatory efforts by the Trump administration aimed at extending the lives of old, coal-fired power plants that have been shutting down in the face of competition from cheaper natural gas and renewable energy generators. Coal ash, the residue produced from burning coal, was dumped for years in holding areas near power plants, largely without regulation, but it came to the public’s attention after spills in North Carolina and Tennessee sent mercury, cadmium, arsenic and other heavy metals from the ash into water supplies.
“We support reasonable regulations for coal ash and non-coal-ash byproducts that protect health and the environment,” said Michelle Bloodworth, president and chief executive of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, an industry group. “At the same time, it is important that regulations not cause unnecessary retirements or idling of coal-fired power plants because they are necessary to ensure that consumers have a reliable, resilient, and affordable electricity supply.”
Environmental groups warned that the regulatory rollback could lead to contaminated drinking water and birth defects, cancer and stunted brain development in young children. Energy analysts said the administration’s latest gambit to bolster the industry would not save the industry from its long decline.
“While it might keep some existing coal plants running a little bit longer, it’s at best a Band-Aid on a bullet wound that the market has sent the coal industry,” said Joshua Rhodes, a senior energy analyst with Vibrant Clean Energy, a clean technology consultancy based in Colorado.
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New York’s controversial commercial waste system — panned by critics as a dangerous “Wild West” and praised by supporters as open market competition at its finest — is now destined for its biggest shake-up in decades after the passage of major zoning legislation.
Intro. 1574-A gained momentum in recent weeks before its passage, despite opposition from some corners of the local industry that continued to the end. Ultimately, a dogged campaign by labor and environmental advocates – with backing from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and New York City Council leadership – successfully secured the 34-14 vote.
“Many people told me today would never happen, that the system was too complex to be meaningfully reformed, that the politics were too difficult. And until today history had proven those naysayers right,” said Council Member Antonio Reynoso, the bill’s primary champion, speaking from the council floor yesterday afternoon. “However, I knew that we had justice on our side, that ours was the righteous cause. We’ve persisted for six straight years to reach today’s vote and I am gratified to say to you today that the righteous cause has prevailed.”
Once signed into law by de Blasio, the bill will authorize the city’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to divide New York into a framework of 20-plus zones available for competitive solicitation. Each zone will have up to three companies. There will also be five citywide contracts for containerized service. No company will be able to operate in more than 15 zones. Bidders will be required to meet numerous safety and environmental standards in order to win the 10-year deals.
These changes come amid ongoing attention to a history of long routes, fatal crashes, uneven pricing, and wage and safety issues for workers. While industry representatives have sought to clarify that New York already has fewer companies left than the 90 often cited, and say the current system could still be reformed, momentum has not been in their favor. After passing a long-delayed “waste equity” bill to reduce transfer station capacity in select neighborhoods last year, council leadership has been keen to seal the deal with this more ambitious proposal.
“For too long the private carting industry has been able to operate without adequate safeguards to ensure air quality and street safety,” said Speaker Corey Johnson yesterday. “Waste hauling vehicles are needlessly driving through our communities increasing air pollution that negatively impacts public health and that emits greenhouse gas emissions that contributes [sic] to the climate crisis and emergency that our city, country and world is facing.”
Numerous other supporters, including the Transform Don’t Trash Coalition, heralded the bill’s passage as a historic moment for environmental justice and labor rights. International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa even weighed in, applauding Joint Council 16 and others for “putting an end to the ‘race to the bottom’ in the city’s sanitation industry.”
The council also passed three other bills with commercial waste implications. Most notably, the Business Integrity Commission’s authority will now be officially expanded – after some debate last year over whether the expansion was necessary – beyond its foundational corruption focus.
“I am proud that the New York City Council passed the BIC safety legislation, adding traffic safety to BIC’s mission. As part of this new mandate, BIC can consider the traffic safety records of its licensees, registrants and applicants when making licensing decisions. Additionally, BIC will be able to establish rules to help make the trade waste industry in New York City safer,” said BIC Commissioner Noah Genel in a statement to Waste Dive.
Opponents react
While Wednesday’s outcome didn’t come as a surprise, the gravity of what is in store appeared to be setting in for many of the plan’s detractors.
“We are more than disappointed that this misguided law will destroy dozens of local companies, many with 50 years or more of service, and displace hundreds of workers (mostly people of color and many second-chance [workers] making good money for hard and thankless work),” said Kendall Christiansen, executive director of anti-zoning group New Yorkers for Responsible Waste Management, in a pre-vote statement. “Just like when Los Angeles eliminated competition as the basis for this essential service, no choice, price increases and declining service will become very real to New York’s businesses and industries, with questionable environmental benefits.”
The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), which has also been opposed via a local chapter, framed its comments around transition uncertainties to a “governmentally-controlled” zone system.
“[O]ur eyes and ears will now shift to the process involving how the city actually goes about implementing and administering its new commercial waste zone collection system. There is so much yet undefined – and so much work left to do for this coming commercial waste system change – that it is premature to conjecture what the process will yield in terms of our industry’s response,” said Steve Changaris, vice president of the Northeast region, who pledged to remain engaged in the process.
A new brush fire erupted north of Los Angeles Thursday night, quickly growing to 750 acres. Firefighters raced to battle the Maria Fire, which began at approximately 6:30 PT, CBS Los Angeles reports.
Earlier in the day, two fast-moving wildfires exploded in Southern California, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds. One of them, the Hillside Fire in San Bernardino, east of Los Angeles, prompted mandatory evacuations and destroyed at least six homes. Some residents refused to leave.
From CBS News
Latest updates:
Kincade Fire in Northern California: 76,825 acres burned; 60% contained
Easy Fire in Southern California: 1,723 acres burned; 10% contained
Getty Fire in Southern California: 745 acres burned; 39% contained
46 Fire in Southern California: 300 acres burned; 15% contained
Hillside Fire in Southern California: 200 acres burned; 50% contained
Maria Fire in Southern California: 750 acres burned
About 53,000 homes and businesses are still affected by Pacific Gas & Electric’s power shutoff after it cut electricity to millions of customers in an effort to prevent new blazes
The 46 Fire in neighboring Riverside County has burned at least five structures. Investigators said it began at the end of a police chase, when a stolen car barreled through fences into a large open field, damaging its tires and disabling the car. Heat from the car’s wheels apparently ignited a fire under it that engulfed it and sparked a vegetation fire in the field. The car’s two occupants of the car tried to flee on foot but were caught, police said. All evacuation orders related to the 46 Fire were lifted Thursday night, according to Cal Fire Riverside.
Crews faced a major battle Wednesday in Simi Valley, northwest of Los Angeles, as they took on another blaze — the Easy Fire. The flames came dangerously close to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and nearby neighborhoods. About 30,000 people were forced to evacuate.
Follow below for live updates
A firefighter sprays down the smoldering remains of a burning home during the Hillside Fire in the North Park neighborhood of San Bernardino, California, on October 31, 2019.JOSH EDELSON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Maria Fire burns through 750 acres
A new brush fire erupted in Southern California Thursday night, CBS Los Angeles reports, quickly growing to encompass 750 acres. The Maria Fire is located on the top of South Mountain near Santa Paula, an hour north of Los Angeles.
Firefighters responded to the blaze around 6:30 p.m. PT. Evacuations were ordered for homes near the south end of the fire.
The House passed legislation Wednesday that would ban mining near the Grand Canyon, a move designed to counter any efforts by the Trump administration to bolster the uranium industry by mining on federal lands.
The bill, which passed 236-185, would make permanent a mining moratorium on more than 1 million acres in northern Arizona surrounding the iconic national park.
Democrats see the bill as a vital step toward protecting sensitive habitat near the Grand Canyon from the “imminent threat” of mining. But Republicans argued the bill would stifle economic opportunities for the rural areas of the state.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and author of the legislation, said plans to jump-start mining in the area are “not theoretical and not trivial.”
“These critical protections are under threat from the Trump administration under the guise of energy dominance and fabricated arguments of national security they’ve continued to push for these lands to be opened to exploitation on behalf of a few wealthy mining interests,” he said Tuesday during House floor debate.
Grijalva’s bill, the Grand Canyon Centennial Act, does not have companion legislation in the Senate, and the White House issued a veto threat, saying the administration opposes “such a large, permanent withdrawal, which would prohibit environmentally responsible development.”
Democrats have argued the U.S. does not need to tap into U.S. uranium reserves since many imports of the mineral come from allies such as Canada and Australia.
“National security experts said this fear mongering about supplies is based on fantasy,” Grijalva said Tuesday. “We shouldn’t be mining for uranium around the Grand Canyon. Period.”
Republicans argued that Democrats have been exaggerating the risks to the Grand Canyon.
They unsuccessfully fought to delay enactment until the Department of the Interior issued a report concluding that such enactment would not increase imports “from hostile countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Namibia.”
Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said much of the land that would be protected isn’t close to the park.
“This bill is very cleverly named to make it sound like it’s safeguarding the Grand Canyon, something I believe we all support,” Westerman said on the House floor Tuesday. “But when we look at what it does, we quickly see it has very little to do with the Grand Canyon. Instead, it’s a federal land grab that would lock up approximately 1 million acres of land in northern Arizona and permanently ban mineral development.”
Two fires east of Los Angeles, others still burning or smoldering
The Hillside fire in San Bernardino has so far forced the evacuation of 490 homes and approximately 1,300 people, with the fire at 200 acres and growing.
In neighboring Riverside County, evacuation orders were issued for homes around a 75-acre fire in the city of Jurupa Valley, the AP reports.
Three residences and two outbuildings were confirmed destroyed by the county’s fire department. That fire came after another fire Wednesday in Jurupa Valley forced the evacuation of two mobile home parks and a psychiatric nursing care facility, before the spread was stopped.
“There was one moment when I could see nothing but dark smoke and I was like, ‘We’re going to die,’” said Qiana McCracken, assistant director of nursing for the Riverside Heights Healthcare Center.
After the Easy fire broke out early Wednesday near Simi Valley, northwest of LA, 30,000 people had to evacuate, although some were allowed home last night.
Crews remained at the scene, near the undamaged Reagan presidential library, which is now like an island in a soot-black sea, spokeswoman Melissa Giller said.
Nearby residents had little time to heed evacuation orders yesterday.
Resident Elena Mishkanian was able to gather only some basics. Her son, Troy, 13, netted six pet fish from a tank and put them in pots.
Frightened horses screamed in a nearby barn as Beth Rivera used a garden hose to water down the edges of her home, and friends helped evacuate 11 horses.
Utility Southern California Edison filed a report with state regulators to say the Easy fire began near its power lines. Electrical equipment has sparked some of California’s worst wildfires. SoCal Edison has so far not cut power in the area.
Pacific Gas & Electric, cut power to millions in northern California in the last week, but damaged power lines may still have started the Kincade fire in Sonoma county.
The latest report this morning is that the Kincade fire is now 45% contained.
This undated handout image courtesy of NASA and taken by astronaut Andrew Morgan aboard the International Space Station, shows smoke from the Kincade fire in Sonoma county, northern California. San Francisco is to the left. The Kincade fire has damaged 120 square miles. Photograph: Andrew Morgan/NASA/AFP via Getty Images
Second new wildfire breaks out east of Los Angeles
While the new Hillside fire is burning in a northern part of San Bernardino, there is also a fire now burning less than 20 miles away in Jurupa Valley, in Riverside county.
There was a fire in Jurupa Valley yesterday but now another one has broken out, the Associated Press indicates. This is all happening 50 to 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, in southern California.
You can check out all the Guardian’s coverage, with news reports, live blogs and comment pieces from the last few days and beyond, by clicking on our California page and taking your pick of stories from our ace reporters on the spot out west as well as top opinion-formers and experts such as Rebecca Solnit and Bill McKibben, discussing issues such as the habitability of the state and the unavoidable role of the climate crisis in the worsening wildfire events.
The Santa Ana winds have been peaking in this 48-hour period and hopefully will tail off tonight.
“This is the last event in our near future. We are not expecting any Santa Anas next week,” weather service meteorologist Kristen Stewart told the Associated Press. But she noted the forecast only extends out seven days. “Once we get past that, all bets are off.”
A resident named Doug Mac watches as flames from the Hillside fire consumed a residence in San Bernardino, California earlier today. Photograph: Noah Berger/AP
San Bernardino fire spreading fast
The National Weather Service warns that southern California is still at an extreme risk of fires starting and spreading all day today and into the evening.
The fire that broke out in a northern section of San Bernardino overnight is said to be spreading rapidly. Here is some citizen footage from the early hours.
Evacuations were ordered in the middle of the night in San Bernardino.
Multiple homes were burning in the San Bernardino area after a brush fire ignited early on Thursday and quickly grew to engulf 200 acres, the latest eruption of wildfire in California.
Firefighters got the call about a brush fire near Highway 18 shortly after 1 a.m. local time, according to Chris Prater, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. Strong winds have pushed the blaze into northern San Bernardino.
Homeowners in the area saw orange flames lighting up the hills around the northern edges of the city in the early morning hours, and then cascading down to threaten neighborhoods to the west of Highway 18. Hundreds of homes there have been evacuated.
The highway, which connects the city of San Bernardino with the mountains to the north, was closed because of the fire, according the California Highway Patrol.
“It’s very fast-moving,” Mr. Prater said of the blaze, named the Hillside fire. “We do have very strong winds coming out of the north-northeast, facilitating the fire spread.”
An earlier blaze, the Old Water fire, swept through the area last week. This week, dry conditions and low humidity were making the Hillside fire difficult to fight, Mr. Prater said. “We’ve had these winds for the past few weeks, and it’s dried out the fields.”
Another fire in Jurupa Valley, just southwest of San Bernardino, grew to cover 150 acres on Thursday morning, damaged at least three structures and prompted evacuation orders for about 2,000 homes, said Jeff LaRusso, a spokesman for the Riverside County Fire Department.
The energy company is set to acquire a significant interest in 1,100-megawatt wind farm
The wind farm in which PSEG is set to acquire an interest is expected to be commissioned in 2024.
TOM JOHNSON reports for NJ Spotlight – OCTOBER 30, 2019
Public Service Enterprise Group is looking to get back into offshore wind, and will enter into exclusive negotiations with Ørsted to acquire a one-quarter interest in its yet to be built 1,100-megawatt wind farm off Atlantic City.
The $1.6 billion Ocean Wind project is the first offshore wind farm approved in New Jersey. Located 15 miles off Atlantic City, it is projected to supply more than a half-million homes with power. The wind farm is expected to be commissioned in 2024, subject to permitting and other factors.
The two companies’ announcement late in the day was a bit of a surprise, considering PSEG and Ørsted had previously disclosed the former had an option to buy an equity interest in the wind farm project this spring.
In a joint press release, the companies appeared to indicate the process of negotiations might be far along, although an Ørsted spokesman declined to confirm that this was the case.
“Given PSEG’s track record for success and history providing energy solutions for communities across the Mid-Atlantic region, we are thrilled at the prospect of having them join the Ocean Wind project,’’ said Thomas Brostrøm, president of Ørsted North America and CEO of Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind.
Ørsted has emerged as the biggest force in the nascent offshore wind market in the United States, operating the first offshore wind facility in the country off Block Island in Rhode Island. It also has been awarded commitments to build more than 2,900 MW of capacity in six other projects along the Eastern Seaboard.
“We are pleased about the opportunity to explore a partnership with Ørsted, a world leader in offshore wind development, and help New Jersey achieve its goal of carbon-free generation by 2050,’’ said Ralph LaRossa, president and chief operating officer of PSEG Power, a subsidiary of PSEG.
Offshore wind is a key, if not most crucial component of Gov. Phil Murphy’s goal of converting to a clean energy economy. By 2030, the administration wants to build 3,500 MW of offshore wind off the Jersey coast.
PSEG changes tack
At one time, PSEG appeared poised to be a big player in the offshore wind sector, cementing a partnership more than a decade ago with developer Deepwater Wind, which Ørsted acquired a year ago. When former Gov. Chris Christie’s administration backed away from promoting offshore wind, PSEG seemed to steer away from the sector.
After the Deepwater acquisition, it was disclosed that PSEG had agreed to provide Ørsted with energy management services, which included allowing the Danish developer to lease land for use in its project development. The lease is expected to provide land around PSEG’s three nuclear units in Salem County to assemble the huge turbines for the wind farms.
In a quarterly earnings call this spring, PSEG CEO Ralph Izzo talked more about the company’s interest in building transmission for offshore wind, instead of developing the wind farms offshore. Nevertheless, PSEG, more than any other power company in the state, has embraced the Murphy administration’s goal of transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2050 and has the financial resources to commit to that target.
The announcement also came on a day when Ørsted shares dropped 8% after the company announced long-term production values from its offshore wind farms may have miscalculated how much power they could produce.
“Today’s announcement is unrelated to our announcement updating our long-term financial targets,’’ said Cam Stoker, a spokesman for Ørsted.
PSEG did not respond to calls for comment.
Clean energy advocates were not surprised by the announcement. “This is the epitome of ‘if you can’t beat them, join them,’’’ said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “This is a sign that offshore wind is no longer a niche market.’’
Paul Patterson, an energy analyst with Glenrock Associates who follows PSEG, however, cautioned PSEG will likely be very conservative in its investment in offshore wind. “It is a lot different kettle of fish than building on land for wind energy,’’ he said.
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