Boston Globe series examines climate change impact on venerable Cape Cod
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Pennsylvania looking to join other RGGI states
Pennsylvania is the nation’s No. 2 natural gas producer, and No. 3 in coal. Its governor says ‘we need to get serious’ about the climate crisis.
Marianne Lavelle reports for Inside Climate News
Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s largest coal and natural gas-producing states, is moving to join the Northeast’s carbon market. It would mark the largest expansion of the multistate initiative since its inception a decade ago and a milestone in the drive-by states to counter the impact of the Trump administration’s retreat from climate action.
Pennsylvania would become the largest member in terms of carbon emissions of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), now a nine-state compact to curb pollution from the electricity sector.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday that joining RGGI would be a necessary step for achieving the targets for cuts in greenhouse gas pollution he set earlier this year.
“If we want a Pennsylvania that is habitable for our children and grandchildren, where temperatures aren’t in the 90s in October … where flooding doesn’t destroy homes and businesses over and over again, we need to get serious right now about addressing the climate crisis,” Wolf said.
It is not clear how far Wolf can go to join RGGI without action by the Republican-controlled state legislature. As buzz grew in the state capital earlier this year on a possible RGGI move, the Wolf administration reportedly floated a proposal that indicated legislative action would be needed to authorize spending the hundreds of millions of dollars per year in proceeds from carbon fees that the state stands to receive from its involvement in RGGI. But Wolf signed an order Thursday to begin the process of establishing the rules to govern the state’s entry to the RGGI market without waiting for the legislature.
“This is the beginning of the process,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a robust conversation with environmental advocates, the General Assembly, Pennsylvanians all across the state to figure out how we do this right.”
Wolf said he expects Pennsylvania to be a RGGI member within the next two years.
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New Jersey, an original RGGI member that dropped out under former Republican Gov. Chris Christie, is currently moving forward with establishing the rules to rejoin RGGI, a months-long process that it expects to have in place by Jan. 1, 2020. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, also a Democrat, tried to bring his state into RGGI but was blocked earlier this year by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature.
Pennsylvania’s move is significant because it would bring the first major fossil fuel producer into the RGGI fold. The state is second only to Texas in natural gas production, and third behind Wyoming and West Virginia in coal. Because RGGI puts a price on carbon in the electricity marketplace, it reduces demand for those fuels—with coal taking the biggest hit at first.
Wolf talked about joining RGGI during his first campaign for governor, but after taking office in 2015, it has not been a priority for his administration. Even earlier this year, when he signed an executive order setting the state’s first economy-wide targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he did not move to join RGGI. “What I try to make sure is that what I do is not too much, but not too little,” Wolf said at the time.
But a number of issues may have changed the calculus for Wolf, increasing the appeal of RGGI.
Pennsylvania gets 40 percent of its power from nuclear energy, about twice the national average, and the state’s nine nuclear power stations have struggled in the region’s competitive electricity market competing against abundant, cheap natural gas. Some Pennsylvania lawmakers have been pushing the idea of a direct ratepayer subsidy to bail out the nuclear industry—a move that would raise electricity prices throughout the state.
Participation in the RGGI market, in theory, would make it easier for carbon-free energy, including nuclear power, to compete against natural gas. And a recent analysis by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School found that electricity rates could decrease under RGGI. Wolf noted that electricity prices have fallen in the RGGI states, while rising overall in the nation.
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New York State accepting applications for urban forestry projects
Up to $1.2 million in grant funding is available for urban forestry projects across New York State. Grants are available for tree planting, maintenance, tree inventory, community forest management plans and educating those who care for public trees.
Eligible applicants include municipalities, public benefit corporations, public authorities, soil and water conservation districts, community colleges, not-for-profit organizations and Indian nations or tribes. Awards will range from $11,000 to $75,000, depending on municipal population. Tree inventories and community forest management plans require no match. Tree planting, maintenance, and education projects have a 25 percent match requirement.
Interested applicants must apply for the grant in Grants Gateway. Not-for-profit applicants are required to pre-qualify in the Grants Gateway system, so DEC recommends that applicants start the process well in advance of the grant application due date. DEC will not accept paper or hand-delivered grant applications.
The deadline for applications in Grants Gateway is December 4, 2019, at 2 p.m.
DEC’s Urban and Community Forestry Program will host a webinar on October 10 at 9:30 a.m. to educate potential applicants on the grants process and answer questions. Application instructions and information about the October 10 webinar are available on the Grants Gateway website.
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Researchers use drones to weigh whales
Newswise — How do you weigh a living whale? The obvious response is very carefully, but scientists can’t exactly put these large marine mammals on a scale. Researchers from Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS) in Denmark and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in the U.S. devised a way to accurately estimate the weight of free-living whales using only aerial images taken by drones. The innovative method, published in the British Ecological Journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution, can be used to learn more about the physiology and ecology of whales.
By measuring the body length, width and height of free-living southern right whales photographed by drones, researchers were able to develop a model that accurately calculated the body volume and mass of the whales. Because of their large size and aquatic life, previously the only way to obtain data on the body mass of whales was to weigh dead or stranded individuals.
“Knowing the body mass of free-living whales opens up new avenues of research,” says Fredrik Christiansen, an assistant professor at AIAS and lead author of the study, which was funded by a research grant from the National Geographic Society. “We will now be able to look at the growth of known aged individuals to calculate their body mass increase over time and the energy requirements for growth. We will also be able to look at the daily energy requirements of whales and calculate how much prey they need to consume.”
“Weight measurements of live whales at sea can inform how chronic stressors affect their survival and ability to produce offspring,” adds Michael Moore, a biologist at WHOI and a co-author of the paper.
To calculate the body volume and mass of southern right whales the researchers first took aerial photos of 86 individuals off the coast of Península Valdés, Argentina. The clear waters and the large number of whales that gather there every winter for breeding made it an ideal place to collect high quality images of both the dorsal and lateral sides of the whales. From these they were able to obtain length, width and height measurements.
The model also allowed the researchers to collaborate with the Digital Life Project at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in the USA to first recreate a 3D mesh of the whale, and then to work with CG artist Robert Gutierrez to recreate the full-colour 3D model of the right whale. These models can be used for both scientific purposes, such as studying movement, as well as for educational uses.
By adjusting the parameters of the model, the approach could be used to estimate the size of other marine mammals where alternative, more invasive, methods aren’t feasible or desirable.
Baleen whales, which include species like the blue whale, are the largest animals on this planet, with body mass being central to their success as an animal group. However, data on their size has historically been limited to dead specimens, with most samples coming from whaling operations, accidental fisheries bycatch or beach strandings.
Collecting data on dead whales has limitations such as being unable to collect longitudinal data over a whale’s life span and inaccuracies from physical distortion of carcasses caused by bloating and deflation.
“The difficulty in measuring body mass reliably in free-living whales, has prevented the inclusion of body mass in many studies in ecology, physiology and bioenergetics,” Christiansen says. “This novel approach will now make it possible to finally include this central variable into future studies of free-living whales.”
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the oceans and their interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the oceans’ role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit www.whoi.edu.
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Recycle Right NY: Let’s be clear! Not all glass belongs in your recycling
From the New York Department of Environmental Conservation
When glass is recycled it reduces emissions, saves energy, and conserves natural resources compared to using raw materials. But did you know not all glass can be recycled in your local recycling program?
What glass should I put in the recycling bin?
The only glass you should put in the recycling bin is glass bottles and jars. All other glass, ceramics, or pottery cannot go in your local recycling program. This includes but is not limited to plates, flower pots, drinking glasses, mugs, light bulbs, mirrors, windowpane, broken glass, baking glass, home decor, and more.
Why can I only put glass bottles and jars in the recycling bin?
Other types of glass have a different melting point and chemical composition than bottles and jars. If these materials are mixed with glass from bottles and jars it can contaminate glass recycling or weaken recycled glass which hurts recycling programs.
What can I do with glass that is not a bottle or jar?
Don’t contaminate, reuse, up-cycle or donate! Gently used glass, ceramic, and pottery items can be donated to charitable organizations and other people who can use them. Also consider reuse! If your items cannot be donated or reused, carefully dispose of them in the trash.
What about glass bottles with a deposit on them?
Some glass beverage bottles are part of NY’s Returnable Container Act otherwise known as the Bottle Bill. These glass bottles can be returned for recycling at local redemption centers for 5 cents. Because this glass is generally cleaner and is already separated it makes glass recycling more efficient, making it easier for your glass to be turned into things like new bottles or home insulation. Learn more about the types of beverage containers accepted under the Returnable Container Act.
Quick Tips: Glass Recycling and Reuse
- Is it a bottle or a jar? It can go in your recycling bin for your curbside program, transfer station or another local drop-off program. And remember – many beverage bottles are accepted in NY’s Bottle Bill deposit programs that are good for recycling!
- Not a bottle or jar? Don’t contaminate the bin. Reuse, up-cycle or donate.
- Not in condition to donate or reuse? Carefully dispose of it in the trash.
- Broken glass? Whether a bottle, jar, or another glass item, no broken glass should ever go in your recycling bin.
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Public Forum October 7 on Proposed Gibbstown LNG Export Terminal
Editor’s Note: The information below, supplied by the Delaware Riverkeeper, appeared today in our Enviro-Events Calendar. If you have an event to publicize, send it to editor@enviropolitics.com
There is no fee for this valuable public service.
October 7, 2019
Public Forum: Proposed Gibbstown LNG Export Terminal
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Cherry Hill Public Library
1100 Kings Highway North, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
(Information supplied by the Delaware Riverkeeper)
A public forum on the Gibbstown Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export terminal in Gloucester County, NJ will be held on Monday, October 7 in Cherry Hill, NJ to examine and discuss the operations that are proposed, the potential impacts to the environment, public health and safety, and the status of the project. Expert speakers include Fred Millar, LNG and environmental and transportation safety expert.
New Fortress Energy and Delaware River Partners are proposing to add a dock with two more shipping berths to the Gibbstown terminal’s one dock already under construction, potentially tripling the activity at the facility and requiring approximately 1,650 truck trips every day and 24-36 ship passages of loaded LNG or natural gas liquid (NGL) vessels on the Delaware River each year. Rail transport may be added and a new access road built. The Gibbstown site is located adjacent to the residential community of Gibbstown, including schools, playgrounds, and public buildings. Transport by truck and rail will require this flammable and potentially explosive cargo to be carried 125 miles or more through Pennsylvania and New Jersey communities. The highly dangerous loading of LNG directly to ships by pipes will be a continuous operation 24/7, 365 days per year. NGL will be stored on-site in an old underground cavern. The entire property is a polluted superfund site that was owned by DuPont as an explosives-manufacturing plant and by other industries that added to the pollution. More information. Facebook Event Page
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