The biggest climate change policy bill in United State’s history is about to pass this week as the Biden administration makes the final touches to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This bill will support initiatives such as solar power infrastructure and boosting the adoption of electric cars.
In the News: Aerial Photos Exposed Illegal Mining
Check out this article regarding the contamination of the water supply for several communities by an old, illegal mining operation.
After suffering years of contamination, locals finally sued Pegasus Gold under the Clean Water Act and came away with a $36 million settlement in 1996. However, that doesn’t go far when water has to be treated in perpetuity. The water sources for Fort Belknap are still threatened by acid mine drainage, but currently the tribes’ funding for water treatment lasts only until 2028.
In the News: New Wheat to Survive the Heat
Scientist are racing against time to produce a strain of wheat that will survive the coming drought and substantially more challenging weather climate change is bringing. Wheat is one of the most vital, staple plants we consume around the world. Right now, we are going back to the roots of wheat development to find sturdy strains that were bred out of use because of commercialization.
In the News: The Real Animal Crossing
It’s no surprise that Southern California is home to a healthy chuck of the US’s unique animal populations. For this reason, it is amazing to see the completion of the world’s largest wildlife crossing overpass. The crossing will span 10 lanes of L.A. highway and will clear the was for hundreds of different species to safely expand their territory.
In the News: Cows and Space
Fig. 1 - Images Taken by GHG Sat. Methane from Cow Farm
For the first time we have actually clocked methane from cows from space. A satellite pinpointed a farm 10 km outside of Bakersfield, CA. This is a big \step up in pinpointing the exact source of cow-originating methane. Check out the full article here!
In the News: Impossible Promises?
New Zealand has held a hard line when it comes to GMO products and foods in the past. They have remained unwilling to even consider allowing GMO brands to take up space in their market place. This week, they highlight potential “greenwashing” by impossible burgers who has sidestepped stating that they are a GMO-soy based producers.
In the News: Huge Gas Pipeline Leak in Texas
BNN Bloomberg featured an article this morning about a major Methane gas leak in Texas. A gas line operated by Energy Transfer LP released emissions equivalent to that of 16,000 cars over the course of a year. An estimated 900 metric tons of methane that will trapped the same amount of heat as 75,600 tons of carbon dioxide over the course of two decades.
In the News: Insuring Farmers despite poor choices
An overview of the farming insurance arena shows that hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent to insure crops even when no effort to plant using the best available practices was taken. The payouts for flood and drought have risen 3 to 4 times proportionately and Environmental leaders are not sure it’s helping the farming industry. Instead, it is encouraging waste and taking funds away from climate change mitigating programs.
In the News: Burger King joins the group of international restaurants banning PFAS
Bugger King joins Popeyes and Tim Hortons in their move to phase out all PFAS contained in packaging. As more and more legislation trickles down, we expect that Burger King will not be the last major chain to make the shift to safer food packaging before they are required to do so.
In the News: GMO Mosquitoes to be released in Cali and Florida.
A UK company called Oxitec has received approval from the EPA to released 2 -4 billion mosquitos in Florid and California with the proposed benefit of reducing the native mosquito population by breeding with them. The genetically modified material would kill off the female mosquitos which are the one that bite humans and thus spread disease. This sounds almost too good to be true and maybe it is. Apparently, there is a chance that instead of killing off the female population, the GMO mosquitos will create a hybrid mosquito that will be even harder to eradicate. There’s even more evidence to suggest that this experimental approach simply won’t work. Plus, the problem this is being suggested as a solution for is almost nonexistent.
In the News: Maine, a snapshot of the PFAs crisis
Main is giving the whole country an idea of what the PFAS crisis can look like when it takes an agricultural community by surprise. They are also a good example of how to handle the news that you are dealing with years and years of contaminated homes and crops.
In the News: Drug for Pigs Causes Cancer and is Under Review
Carbadox is a common drug used to treat swine but it’s also thought to be responsible for causing cancer. It was under investigation during the Obama administration but that review stalled out despite the drug being banned in Canada, Austrailia and the EU. That review has been picked up this week and The Counter has the details.
In the News: Toxic Ash Pits in Indiana Contaminated the Water
Indiana has the most toxic ash pits in the country. Companies dump coal ash into landfills and this ash is high in heavy metals like arsenic. After decades of allowing toxins from coal dust to leach into the water supply for the residence of Indiana, the EPA has said that they must clean it up. One company, the Northern Indiana Public Service Co. or NIPSCO is in the process of cleaning up the contaminated soil in the Town of Pines. Arsenic and other heavy metals can cause a wide range of health issues including neurological disorders and various forms of cancer. Only time and testing with tell how this poor business practice has impacted the long-term health of Indiana’s residence.
In the News: Microsplastics in Seafood
The global seafood supply is struggling under the weight of yet another class of contaminants. Not only are we struggling with the realization that our seafoods might be filled with micro and nanoplastics but that challenge is now complicated by the reality that even fish as remote are those in the artic sea are contaminated with PFAS. Between nanoplastics and PFAS, what is the seafood industry facing as it seek to provide clean food?
In the News: Pentagon Shutdown Leaking Fuel Tank Facility
An old fuel storage facility that served the military in the mid and early 90s is being shutdown by the Pentagon after contaminating the tap water of nearly 6,000 people, mostly military families living near Pearl Harbor. About 4,000 people have been relocated to hotels while the matter is managed. The water caused many to sicken, developing dermatitis and gastrointestinal issues. Removing and draining the tanks without doing further damage to the environment and surrounding water supply is going to be a challenge!
The EPA also inspected this facility prior to its closure and that article is here.
In the News: Corruption in the EPA
In this featured article by The Intercept, Sharon Lerner takes a look at how several EPA officials who have routinely pushed through approvals for dangerous chemicals, have not been held accountable or even disciplined for their actions. They still hold the same level of authority and EPA administrative assistant Michal Freedhoff declined to comment of whether they would be held accountable in the future.
In the News: EPA's role in climate change challenged
A case before the Supreme Court makes an effort to curtail the activity of the EPA to draft future rules controlling environmental protections, dipping into the theoretical to prevent actions by the EPA that might occur. This is an overreach of the understood role of the Supreme Court and there is significant push back.
In the News: Pine Needles & PFAS
In North Carolina, researchers have found that pine needles, a readily available and consistent resource, is an excellent measure of PFAS exposure and airborne contamination. Pine needles are now used to compare the contaminant level of different geographical areas within North Carolina and serve as a reliable way to measure and gain an understanding of the historical PFAS presence of the last 50 or so years. The hope is that this method will pave the way for other researchers to monitor and understand the timeline of PFAS contamination beyond North Carolina with their efforts as a blueprint and baseline.
In the News: Food Activist and Philly's Golden Dragon
We get to feature some good news this morning as three activists, Jeremiah Jordan, Heidi Ratanavanich and Rachelle Faroul redefine what it means to be a food security supporting restaurant amid the current pandemic. The Golden Dragon, which closed near the beginning of the pandemic, reopened recently with these three activists as the new owners. The restaurant provides a fusion of flavors from classic Chinese dishes to American, Haitian and Thai food. From quick bites, and burgers to curry bowls and kimchi, this new spot for affordable eats keeps every meal under $10 and those who rely on food stamps are particularly welcome! The have also partnered with local business like the West Philly Bunny Hop to make sure that food is distributed even beyond the walls of their restaurant. They plan to open a food pantry as well and the restaurant has overall been a resounding success.
In the News: Goodbye to American's Favorite Good Fat?
You might remember when buying an Avocado didn’t require taking out a personal loan. You could pick up an avocado for well under a dollar and a bag of four or five for a few dollars more. Now, you can count yourself lucky if you manage to get one for less than a $1.50 or even $2. This is pretty bad but it’s probably about to get a whole lot worse. The U.S. just banned avocado trade with Mexico due to uncomfortable pressure on product inspectors. Michoacán is the only Mexican state allowed to export avocados to the U.S. and apparently a number of other states tried to illegally export their own fruit to the States. This cause border inspectors to investigate and ultimately to shut down the trade completely when they found the illegal shipments and faced negative push back from the states responsible. We hope this ban will be temporary as Michoacán provides more than 80% of our avocados!