Students walk by a sign reading "Climate Change" at the Doctor Tolosa Latour public school in Madrid, Spain on Sept. 9, 2014. In the U.S., New Jersey will be the first state to make the climate crisis part of its curriculum for all K-12 students. PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP via Getty Images
New Jersey has invested in the future health of the planet by making sure the next generation of adults knows how human activity has had a deleterious effect on the planet. The state will be the first in the nation to make the climate crisis as part of its curriculum for all students, from kindergarten all the way to 12th grade, as NorthJersey.com reported.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BIG NEWS: <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMurphy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovMurphy</a> and I are proud to announce that New Jersey is the FIRST STATE IN THE NATION to incorporate climate change education across our K-12 learning standards – preparing our students for the future green economy.🌎 <a href="https://t.co/SJ2NS8DtWh">pic.twitter.com/SJ2NS8DtWh</a></p>— Tammy Murphy (@FirstLadyNJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstLadyNJ/status/1268285809611816961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>The Garden State's Board of Education adopted the standards on Wednesday, with the intention of implementing them for the start of school in September 2021.</p><p>The move drew praise from former Vice President Al Gore, who said in a statement, according to <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2020/06/nj-schools-will-teach-climate-change-education-with-new-curriculum.html" target="_blank">NJ.com</a>: "I am incredibly proud that New Jersey is the first state in the nation to fully integrate climate education in their K-12 curricula. This initiative is vitally important to our students as they are the leaders of tomorrow, and we will depend on their leadership and knowledge to combat this crisis."</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2020/06/nj-schools-will-teach-climate-change-education-with-new-curriculum.html" target="_blank">NJ.com</a> reported, the <a href="https://www.nj.gov/education/cccs/2020/" target="_blank">New Jersey Student Learning Standards</a>, which outline what is taught in New Jersey's public schools, now include language that requires <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a> education across seven areas: 21st Century Life and Careers, Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, Technology, Visual and Performing Arts, and World Languages.</p><p>The move makes New Jersey the first in what is likely to be a nationwide trend. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/04/22/714262267/most-teachers-dont-teach-climate-change-4-in-5-parents-wish-they-did" target="_blank">According to a NPR/Ipsos poll published last year</a>, more than 80 percent of American parents and nearly 90 percent of American teachers said that climate change should be taught in schools.</p>
<p>New Jersey's First Lady Tammy Murphy had pushed for the change and was thankful to the board for the initiative on Wednesday, saying that it is a symbol of the state's commitment to the health and well-being of future generations.</p><p>"The adoption of these standards is much more than an added educational requirement; it is a symbol of a partnership between generations," said Murphy, in a statement, as <a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/wyckoff/new-jersey-curriculum-feature-climate-change-education" target="_blank">Patch</a> reported.</p><p>"Decades of short-sighted decision-making has fueled this crisis and now we must do all we can to help our children solve it. This generation of students will feel the effects of climate change more than any other, and it is critical that every student is provided an opportunity to study and understand the climate crisis through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary lens," her statement added.</p><p>The release noted that climate change standards have also been added to the appendices of the math and English language arts guidelines, which are up for review in 2022, according to <a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/wyckoff/new-jersey-curriculum-feature-climate-change-education" target="_blank">Patch</a>.</p>
<p>Governor Phil Murphy first announced the future curriculum change in his State of the State speech in January, saying that it was a cornerstone of his clean energy push, according to <a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/environment/2020/06/03/nj-becomes-first-state-require-climate-change-k-12-curriculum/3136671001/" target="_blank">NorthJersey.com</a>.</p><p>Murphy said in a statement that the new standards will prepare a new generation for an economy that will be shaped by impacts from the climate crisis, particularly the energy sector.</p><p>"A top priority of my Administration has been to reestablish New Jersey's role as a leader in the fight against climate change," Murphy said in the statement, as <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2020/06/nj-schools-will-teach-climate-change-education-with-new-curriculum.html" target="_blank">NJ.com</a> reported. "The adoption of these standards across our K-12 schools is an important step forward that will strengthen the future of New Jersey's green energy economy."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Majority of Americans Want Climate Education in Schools - EcoWatch ›
- Study: Educating Children on Climate Change Teaches Parents Too ... ›
- Fox & Friends Attacks Public Schools for Teaching Climate Change ... ›
- Teacher to Heartland Institute: 'We Don't Do Alternative Facts in My ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
New Jersey Will Be First State to Require Building Permits to Consider the Climate Crisis
28 January
Climate
A roller coaster on the Jersey Shore flooded after Hurricane Sandy. Photo credit: Hurricane_Sandy_New_Jersey_Pier.jpg: Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen / U.S. Air Force / New Jersey National Guard / CC BY 2.0
New Jersey will be the first state in the U.S. to require builders to take the climate crisis into consideration before seeking permission for a project.
<p>Gov. Phil Murphy announced the new regulations Monday as part of the final version of the state's master energy plan, which commits New Jersey to achieving 50 percent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/clean-energy">clean energy</a> by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050, according to <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2020/01/murphy-just-unveiled-njs-master-plan-for-energy-and-made-a-big-pledge-to-fight-climate-change.html" target="_blank">NJ Advance Media</a>. But while <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/nyregion/climate-change-nj-environmental-rules.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwAR2eDnV4CTUJJcxqcqgod9JH9wQMZV1FpRDT390gU9NJE13wkyMY6ZydLxs" target="_blank">The New York Times pointed out</a> that other states have adopted a 2050 100 percent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a> goal, New Jersey will be the first to require that projects seeking Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permits consider both how their projects' <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/emissions">emissions</a> will contribute to global warming and how climate change will impact their building plans.</p><p>"This is a big deal," director of the water and climate team at the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> Rob Moore told The New York Times. "For New Jersey to step to the forefront and say, 'We're going to look at future climate impacts, and that it's going to be a driver of our decision-making' — that's exactly what all 50 states need to be doing."</p>
<div id="ec4e1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="XKXZH61580225310"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1221904844056821761" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Our Energy Master Plan will:
💡Drive a world-leading innovation economy
🌎Ensure environmental justice for all reside… https://t.co/6uSgJIeAUh</div> — Governor Phil Murphy (@Governor Phil Murphy)<a href="https://twitter.com/GovMurphy/statuses/1221904844056821761">1580159791.0</a></blockquote></div><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a>New Jersey has a particularly good reason to consider how climate might impact new construction projects. The state has 130 miles of coastline and is especially vulnerable to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">sea level rise</a>. Murphy cited a Rutgers study that found that the state's sea levels were projected to rise more than one foot by 2030 and two feet by 2050, NJ Advance Media explained.</p><p>"Quite frankly, it will be hard for future generations to create their Jersey Shore memories if the Jersey shore becomes only a memory," Murphy said. "We are not gonna let this keep happening without a fight."</p><p>To lead this fight, Murphy signed an executive order calling on DEP to craft the the Protecting Against Climate Threat (PACT) rules, the <a href="https://eu.dailyrecord.com/story/news/environment/2020/01/27/phil-murphys-plans-reduce-greenhouse-gases-take-another-two-years-complete-climate-change/4587300002/" target="_blank">Daily Record reported</a>. Those rules will include the requirement that the permitting process consider sea level rise and greenhouse gas emissions. PACT will also include new air pollution controls and compile a complete picture of New Jersey's emissions so that it can reduce them to 80 percent below 2006 levels by 2050.</p><p>Murphy asked the DEP to have the new regulations finalized and ready to be implemented by January 2022, The New York Times explained.</p>
<p>However, some environmental groups criticized that timeline, saying it would allow more than a dozen new <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> projects to slide in before that deadline, according to the Daily Record.</p><p><a href="http://empowernewjersey.com/" target="_blank">Empower NJ</a>, a coalition of green groups, instead calls for a ban on all new fossil fuel projects.</p><p>"Without a moratorium on all new fossil fuel projects, we are losing precious time — time we don't have to waste in the race against climate change," Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the<a href="https://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/" target="_blank"> Delaware Riverkeeper Network</a>, told the Daily Record.</p><p>Green groups are also concerned that the 2050 clean energy goal calls for 100 percent "carbon neutral" energy. That means <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/nuclear" target="_self">nuclear</a> plants and offset <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/natural-gas" target="_self">natural gas</a> can still be used.</p><p>"The (plan) still defines clean energy to include incinerators, natural gas, biogas and others," Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a>, told NJ Advance Media. "It does not call for a moratorium on new fossil fuel projects or a 45% reduction of emissions by 2030, and will not get the state to zero carbon by 2050."</p>
<p>However, other groups were pleased with the plan.</p><p>"Governor Murphy's actions today put New Jersey at the forefront of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a healthier, more prosperous, clean energy future," Tom Gilbert, campaign director of the <a href="https://www.njconservation.org/" target="_blank">New Jersey Conservation Foundation</a> and <a href="https://rethinkenergynj.org/" target="_blank">ReThink Energy NJ</a>, told the Daily Record.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Record-Setting Harmful Algae Blooms in New Jersey's Largest Lake ... ›
- How Removing One Maine Dam 20 Years Ago Changed Everything ... ›
- Cheers to 2019 Energy Efficiency Progress - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
NBC News / YouTube screenshot
The city of Newark has begun passing out cases of bottled water as concerns mount over how effective filters provided to residents with lead water service lines may be.
<p>New Jersey's largest city began handing out lead filters to primarily low-income residents with lead service lines eight months ago, but recent tests show that filtered water samples tested over the federal and state standards for lead in <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water" target="_self">drinking water</a>. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's New York regional administrator ordered the city to begin handing out bottled water "as soon as possible" in a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-08/documents/r2letteraugust092019.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a> sent Friday.</p><p>The Natural Resources Defense Council sued Newark last year for failing to adequately monitor the lead levels in its water supply for years. "In the senior building it's bad," Emmett Coleman, a senior citizen who waited two hours for cases of water Monday, told the AP. "All of us are sick or have problems, and we can't drink the water. And the filters aren't working."</p>
<p>As reported by <a href="http://washingtonpost.com/science/2019/08/12/newark-begins-giving-residents-bottled-water-amid-ongoing-lead-problems/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>:</p><blockquote><span></span>Public health experts agree that lead exposure is dangerous even at low levels. Lead can cause lasting damage to the developing brains and nervous systems of young children. The result can be long-term behavioral, cognitive and physical problems.<br>---<br>Mona Hanna-Attisha, the Michigan pediatrician who helped bring to light the severity of Flint's water crisis in 2015 and who recently visited with residents in Newark, said the city needs to act quickly and aggressively to protect its residents — and work to hold on to whatever trust remains in its public officials. "For far too long, Newark has tiptoed around a comprehensive response to their lead-in-water crisis," she said. "Newark is what keeps me up at night now."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The concern is that while we are not taking much action, children are being damaged on a generational level.<br><br>We are supposed to provide them with a safe environment, not poison them.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RedforEd?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RedforEd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GetTheLeadOut?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GetTheLeadOut</a> <a href="https://t.co/t1LfLDdCRq">https://t.co/t1LfLDdCRq</a></p>— Get the Lead Out of Our Schools (@SafeH2o4Schools) <a href="https://twitter.com/SafeH2o4Schools/status/1108579157468798976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p><a href="https://www.apnews.com/e92d50c2a4ff4454b6b954ca9a4a4df4" target="_blank">AP</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/11/nyregion/newark-water-lead.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>, <a href="http://washingtonpost.com/science/2019/08/12/newark-begins-giving-residents-bottled-water-amid-ongoing-lead-problems/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lead-water-supply-drinking-newark-new-jersey-warning-today-2019-08-12/" target="_blank">CBS</a>, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/newark-handing-bottled-water-filters-fail-protect-residents/story?id=64925237" target="_blank">ABC</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/newark-distributes-bottled-water-lead-crisis-2019-8" target="_blank">Business Insider</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </em><em>and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
Read More
Show Less
Wind farm with solar panels in southern California. 4kodiak / E+ / Getty Images
By Jeff Deyette
Despite the Trump administration's ongoing attempts to prop up coal and undermine renewables—at FERC, EPA and through tariffs and the budget process—2018 should instead be remembered for the surge in momentum toward a clean energy economy. Here are nine storylines that caught my attention this past year and help illustrate the unstoppable advancement of renewable energy and other modern grid technologies.
<h3>1. California Goes All-In for Carbon-Free Electricity</h3><p>In late August, California—the world's 5th largest economy—committed to the target of fully decarbonizing its power sector by 2045. The <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/california_cements_climate_leadership" target="_blank">landmark legislation</a> also strengthens the state's renewable portfolio standard (also known as a renewable energy standard, or RES) from 50 to 60 percent by 2030. What's more, at the bill signing, Governor Jerry Brown signed an <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/adrienne-alvord/even-more-than-100-clean-californias-audacious-net-zero-carbon-challenge" target="_blank">executive order</a> that establishes a goal of achieving carbon-neutrality across all sectors of California's sprawling economy by 2045, cementing the state's place as a global leader in climate action.</p><h3>2. Several States Strengthen Their RES Requirements</h3><p>State-level renewable electricity standards continued to be a primary driver of new renewable energy development in 2018. In addition to California, legislatures in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/12/nyregion/new-jersey-renewable-energy.html" target="_blank">New Jersey</a> (50 percent by 2030), <a href="https://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?Q=603448&A=4965" target="_blank">Connecticut</a> (40 percent by 2030) and <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/john-rogers/massachusetts-2018-clean-energy-bill" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a> (35 percent by 2030) all adopted stronger targets for renewable energy, accelerating their states' transitions away from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a>. In addition, voters in <a href="https://www.renewableenergyoutlook.com/2018/11/15/nevada-voters-approve-50-renewable-portfolio-standard-by-2030/" target="_blank">Nevada</a> overwhelmingly approved a measure to increase their state's RES to 50 percent by 2030 (the measure must be approved again in 2020 to officially become law).</p><h3>3. Clean Energy Champions Win Gubernatorial Races</h3><p>One of the bright spots in November's election results was the number newly elected governors who campaigned on aggressive clean energy and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a> agendas. Newly elected governors in at least 10 states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico and Wisconsin, have pledged to accelerate clean energy and carbon reductions in their states by supporting U.S. commitments to the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a>, joining the <a href="https://www.usclimatealliance.org/" target="_blank">U.S. Climate Alliance</a> and/or calling for renewable energy targets of 80 to 100 percent. These election results demonstrate the widespread support for greater investments in renewable energy and signal the push for even stronger clean energy policies in the coming year.</p><h3>4. Record Low Prices for Renewables</h3><p>Innovation, growing economies of scale and attractive financing continued to drive the costs down for renewables in 2018. Power purchase agreements for <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wind">wind</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">solar</a> projects in states like Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas have reportedly ranged between $20 to $30 per megawatt-hour, well below the cost of natural gas generation—and the technologies are positioned for further cost reductions to continue to be low-cost options even as federal tax incentives change. What's even more exciting is that the many of these low-priced projects also include energy storage components, increasing their value to the grid.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTA0NTI4Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MjgyNzU1Mn0.bI6IPqCaQ5lv0mfn_9olwTo7DYY7JmCQBif5_Z4oFTc/img.jpg?width=980" id="39255" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4a938f5634f4bb6b30e00b8c7bcad51b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p>
<h3>5. Major Utilities Commit to Low-Carbon Portfolios</h3><p>Earlier this month, <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/joseph-daniel/xcel-commits-to-100-carbon-free-energy" target="_blank">Xcel Energy</a> became the first major utility to commit to a completely carbon-free electricity supply across the eight states it operates in. In doing so, it joins a <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/jeremy-richardson/utilities-look-toward-a-clean-energy-future-yet-the-administration-keeps-looking-back" target="_blank">growing number of utilities</a> that are committing to phasing out their use of coal and transitioning to substantially lower carbon energy portfolios. Also this year, both <a href="https://www.apnews.com/f876e5b74bc941fcadea30a99760aa59" target="_blank">Consumers Energy</a> in Michigan and <a href="https://nawindpower.com/indianas-nipsco-plots-coal-phaseout-transition-to-renewables" target="_blank">NIPSCO</a> in northern Indiana announced plans to phase out coal generation and utility giant <a href="https://www.powermag.com/aep-american-power-giant-sets-goal-to-slash-carbon-emissions-80-by-2050/" target="_blank">American Electric Power</a> announced a goal of reducing its carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. What's especially exciting about these utility actions is that they are <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/sam-gomberg/trump-clean-energy" target="_blank">driven primarily by economics</a>, clearly demonstrating the competitiveness of clean energy technologies.</p><h3>6. Corporate Renewable Energy Purchases Keep Growing</h3><p>Low renewable energy prices continue to attract major corporations looking to save money and achieve ambitious <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sustainability">sustainability</a> goals. As a result, direct corporate purchases of renewable energy have become a major driver of renewable energy deployment. In 2018, the Rocky Mountain Institute <a href="https://rmi.org/press-release/corporate-renewable-energy-procurement-continues-to-break-records-in-2018/" target="_blank">reports,</a> corporate renewable energy purchases—led by companies like Facebook, Walmart, ATT and Microsoft—reached more than 6.4 gigawatts (GW). The <a href="https://www.rmi.org/our-work/electricity/brc-business-renewables-center/" target="_blank">number of corporations</a> investing in renewables expanded at a record pace this year as well, with nearly two-thirds of Fortune 100 and nearly half of Fortune 500 companies now having set ambitious renewable energy goals.</p><h3>7. Offshore Wind Moves Forward</h3>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTA0NTM3Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTIzNDE0N30.RlIl9Xnj7vZN7eXZ1QHJBJ4L53CBh31jzs7OBcTRPuQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="75b83" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0d7ba97e1e4be27bc1bcb37140ad7ada" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Kim Hansen / Wikimedia Commons</small></p>
<p>While no new <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/offshore-wind">offshore wind</a> projects came online in the U.S. this year (the next project—off the Virginia coast—is scheduled for 2020), the industry did take some big leaps toward becoming a major player in the nation's power supply. For example, the <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/john-rogers/low-price-offshore-wind-massachusetts" target="_blank">winning bid</a> for Massachusetts' first request for offshore wind proposals to help meet the state's offshore wind requirements passed in 2016 went to an 800-megawatt project from Vineyard Wind at a shockingly low price of about 6.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. In addition, the latest U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/derrick-jackson/auction-sets-america-on-course-for-offshore-wind" target="_blank">auction</a> for leasing parcels of water for future projects resulted in 11 bidders and $405.1 million in winning bids, both smashing previous records. And strong state policies, including <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/john-rogers/offshore-wind-massachusetts-rhode-island-new-jersey" target="_blank">new offshore wind requirements in New Jersey</a> and elsewhere, mean that there's a lot more action to come.</p><h3>8. Storage Steps Into the Spotlight</h3>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTA0NTM4NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTAwNTg5N30.omEye9FYOO3TjOiWQPO-XImBKe0VJ1zpdcEeUfHDWW4/img.jpg?width=980" id="7f379" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7046e6104690287c1e001ebc573fbec9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Lithium-ion batteries for advanced energy storage</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Argonne National Laboratory / Flickr</small></p>
<p>Once a fringe player in the electric power sector, the energy storage industry is quickly emerging as a game changer in the transition to a clean energy economy as a tool for integrating much higher levels of renewable energy. In 2018, the pipeline for new storage projects doubled to nearly 33 GW as more utilities are investing in the technology thanks largely <a href="https://www.lazard.com/perspective/levelized-cost-of-energy-and-levelized-cost-of-storage-2018/" target="_blank">rapidly falling prices</a> and growing support from state policies. While California has led the nation in storage deployment to date, <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-york-psc-sets-states-energy-storage-target-at-3-gw-by-2030/544371/" target="_blank">New York</a> recently established the strongest storage requirement in the country at 3,000 MW by 2030. Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-jersey-sets-aggressive-target-2-gw-by-2030-for-energy-storage/524422/" target="_blank">New Jersey</a> set an ambitious storage target of 2,000 MW by 2030 and <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/john-rogers/massachusetts-2018-clean-energy-bill" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a> significantly increased its storage requirement to 1,000 megawatt-hours by 2025. At the federal level, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-order-opens-floodgates-for-energy-storage-in-wholesale-markets/517326/" target="_blank">Order 841</a>, which directs regional grid operators to set market rules that allow energy storage to participate on a level playing field in the wholesale energy, capacity and <a href="https://www.logicenergy.com/what-are-ancillary-services-and-why-do-power-grids-need-them/" target="_blank">ancillary services</a> markets.</p><h3>9. PG&E Turns Down the Gas With Storage and Renewables</h3><p>In one particular sign of what's to come in 2019 and beyond in terms of how these technologies fit together to displace fossil fuels, one of the most exciting <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/storage-will-replace-3-california-gas-plants-as-pge-nabs-approval-for-worl/541870/" target="_blank">regulatory decisions</a> I saw this year was the California Public Utility Commission's approval of PG&E's plan to use energy storage to replace retiring gas generators. One of the key barriers to fully transitioning to a carbon-free economy is replacing natural gas generation and the ancillary services they provide to the power grid. This decision, which marks the first time a utility will directly replace power plants with <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/battery-storage/">battery storage</a>, should spur <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/ca-and-western-states/turning-down-gas" target="_blank">many more similar projects</a> to move forward in California and across the country and open the door for integrating much higher levels of renewable energy onto the power grid.</p><p>These nine stories are just a sampling of what occurred in 2018 to further the clean energy transition. As the year comes to a close, UCS will continue to work hard to keep up the clean energy momentum in 2019.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="5dfb0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="EBO0FK1576662462"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="952909011506139136" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">All Renewables Will Be Cost Competitive With Fossil Fuels by 2020 https://t.co/QectZLGqOF #renewables @350… https://t.co/9rc89HJlCz</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/952909011506139136">1516026187.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p><em>Jeff Deyette is the director of state policy and analysis at the <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/jeff-deyette/9-clean-energy-stories-from-2018" target="_blank">Union of Concerned Scientists</a>.</em><br></p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
9 States Sue 'Flat-Out Wrong' Trump Administration Over Seismic Blasting in Atlantic
21 December 2018
Oceans
Seismic airgun blasting has been proposed within the same main range of imperiled North Atlantic right whales. NOAA
A coalition of attorneys general from nine states added their clout to a South Carolina-based lawsuit against the Trump administration to block seismic airgun blasting off the Atlantic coast.
Democratic attorneys general from Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York filed a motion on Thursday to intervene in a lawsuit filed earlier this month by several conservation groups and South Carolina coastal communities.
<p>
These seismic surveys will expose <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/seismic-airgun-blasting-zooplankton-2446336882.html" target="_self">marine life</a> to repeated sound blasts louder than 160 decibels, according to a press release from Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, who is leading the coalition.
</p><p>
<span></span>What's more, the release noted, these tests are a precursor to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/offshore-drilling">offshore drilling</a> for oil and gas, which will harm coastal and marine resources should a leak occur.
</p><p>
"Seismic testing will have dangerous consequences for hundreds of thousands of marine mammals, including <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/seismic-blasting-trump-atlantic-2621963424.html">endangered species</a>," Frosh said in the press release. "While the administration continues to place the interests of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuel</a> industry ahead of our precious natural resources, attorneys general up and down the Atlantic coast will continue to fight these and other efforts to open the waters off our shores to drilling for oil and gas."
</p><p>
Diane Hoskins, campaign director for <a href="https://oceana.org/" target="_blank">Oceana</a>, one of the nine conservation groups suing the Trump administration, applauded Thursday's motion from the AGs.
</p><p>
<span></span>"These attorneys general are standing up for their states, their way of life and their coastal economies," Hoskins said in an emailed statement to EcoWatch. "Putting our oceans, marine life and coastal economies at risk for dirty and dangerous offshore drilling is wrong and we are not backing down. Seismic airgun blasting in the Atlantic defies law, science and common sense. They acted unlawfully and we're going to stop it. Oceana is pleased so many states are joining this critical fight."
</p><p>
Last month, the National Marine Fisheries Service issued five Incidental Harassment Authorizations that permit companies to use airgun blasting in waters off the Atlantic coast.<span></span>
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="224ac" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="PGMR7N1576662594"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1068552794557333504" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"Seismic testing is the first step toward economically devastating oil spills and climate disasters like flooding u… https://t.co/3yzgFlYsvK</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1068552794557333504">1543597813.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
During these seismic surveys, ships fire blasts of air to the bottom of the sea every 10 to 12 seconds for weeks or months at a time to map the contours of the ocean floor in search of oil and gas deposits. The loud, continuous and far-reaching noise can damage the hearing and potentially disorientate and kill <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life">marine life</a>, displace fish, devastate zooplankton and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pilot-whales-stranded-new-zealand-2252575529.html" target="_self">cause whales to beach</a>. Blasting can also impact commercial and recreational fishing by decreasing catch rates.
</p><p>
The permitting also came at the heels of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-report-takeaways-2621535494.html" target="_self">National Climate Assessment</a>, which warned that human activities, predominantly the burning of fossil fuels, is causing rapid <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate change</a>.
</p><p>
"The federal government's decision is flat-out wrong, and offshore drilling will harm our pristine coast and the residents and industries that rely on it," New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said Thursday at a news conference, as quoted by <a href="https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2018/12/20/new-jersey-among-9-states-suing-flat-out-wrong-trump-administration-to-prevent-oil-drilling-off-coast/" target="_blank">CBS</a>. "Now it is also clear the (Trump) administration is willing to harm over 300,000 marine mammals, even endangered species, in pursuit of its fossil fuel agenda."
</p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Circus elephants. Laura LaRose / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
It is now illegal to use elephants, tigers and other wild and exotic animals in traveling animal acts in New Jersey, the first state to mandate such a move.
Last week, Gov. Phil Murphy signed "Nosey's Law," the namesake of a 36-year-old African elephant with crippling arthritis that was forced to travel around the country, including to the Garden State, for traveling circus acts and suffered abuse, according to a press release from the governor's office.
<p>
"These animals belong in their natural habitats or in wildlife sanctuaries, not in performances where their safety and the safety of others is at risk," Gov. Murphy said Friday in the press release.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="8e2ac" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="DU6GTA1576662279"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1073667745240240128" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today, I am proud to sign a law that will ensure that New Jersey will not allow wild and exotic animals to be explo… https://t.co/jmGT1BpDGD</div> — Governor Phil Murphy (@Governor Phil Murphy)<a href="https://twitter.com/GovMurphy/statuses/1073667745240240128">1544817312.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
"This law would not have been possible without the years of hard work and advocacy by Senator Ray Lesniak, whose legacy on issues of animal rights is second to none," the governor added.
</p><p>
Nosey's Law passed the Legislature with only three members from either chamber opposing the measure, the governor's press release said.
</p><p>
The bill actually overwhelmingly passed the Legislature last session but then-Gov. Christie declined to sign it. The pocket veto meant that it had to be approved from scratch under Murphy's administration, according to the
<a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2018/12/14/new-jersey-first-state-ban-wild-animal-circus-acts/2316777002/" target="_blank">New Jersey Record</a>. <span></span>
</p><p>
<span></span>Senator Nilsa Cruz Perez, one of the sponsors of the bill, called on other states to follow in New Jersey's footsteps.
</p><p>
"These beautiful creatures suffer from routine abuse and mistreatment by their handlers for the sake of entertainment," said Cruz-Perez in the press release. "This by no means justifies the emotional and physical abuse animals like Nosey are forced to endure. Nosey is now safe in an animal sanctuary, but the law protects other animals from being abused like she was."
</p><p>
<span></span>Illinois and New York have specifically banned the use of elephants in traveling or entertainment acts, however Nosey's Law bans the use of all wild and exotic animals in these acts. </p><p>
Last year, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ringling-bros-closes-circus-2195853532.html" target="_blank">shut down</a> its 146-year-old "Greatest Show On Earth" not long after it decided to remove elephants from show tours. The circus closed after it was unable to recover from declining ticket sales and the public's growing concern over animal welfare.
</p><p>
Nosey's Law was supported by animal welfare groups.
</p><p>
"New Jersey is the first state to protect wild animals from the abuses inherent in traveling shows," said Brian R. Hackett, director of
<a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/forms/contact-your-new-jersey-state-director" target="_blank">Humane Society in New Jersey</a>, in the governor's press release. "For too long, wild animals used in circuses have endured cruel training, constant confinement, and deprivation of all that is natural to them. We are grateful that Governor Murphy is signing Nosey's Law to close the curtain on this type of cruelty in our state."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="16039" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="SVVF031576662280"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="959124518752145409" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">'Saddest Elephant in the World' Wins Freedom, Care After Decades of Chains and Abuse https://t.co/eYE2Uvfw52 @peta… https://t.co/RS3mOwHe7Z</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/959124518752145409">1517508079.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Invasive Tick Spreads to Ninth State, CDC Warns of 'New and Emerging Disease Threat'
30 November 2018
Health + Wellness
The Asian longhorned tick has been found in nine states. CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned of a "multistate infestation" with the Asian longhorned tick—the first new tick species to enter the U.S. in 50 years.
New Jersey was the first state to report the Haemaphysalis longicornis on a sheep in August 2017. Since then, it has been found in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, according to Friday's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
<p>
"The presence of H. longicornis in the United States represents a new and emerging disease threat," the report said.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODk0MDczMS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNzczMTgxMn0.VdaMclBlBZ9O4N6aFOr-MhO0zCvFzLsygyuOIgZZXWM/img.gif?width=980" id="bca2a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5443d60b6c91674d510bb1e8301cc95a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">The ticks were reported from 45 counties in nine states from August 2017 to September 2018.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">CDC</small>
</p><p>
As
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/asian-long-horned-tick-spreads-2593977156.html" target="_self">EcoWatch previously mentioned</a>, in Asia the species carries a disease that kills 15 percent of those infected, but no human diseases have been linked to the species in the U.S. since it was first found in New Jersey.
</p><p>
The CDC is currently working with public health, agricultural and academic experts to understand the possible threat posed by the insect.
</p><p>
"The full public health and agricultural impact of this tick discovery and spread is unknown," said Ben Beard, Ph.D., deputy director of CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases in a
<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p1129-tick-spreading-widely.html" target="_blank">press release</a>. "In other parts of the world, the Asian longhorned tick can transmit many types of pathogens common in the United States. We are concerned that this tick, which can cause massive infestations on animals, on people, and in the environment, is spreading in the United States."
</p><p>
<span></span><a href="https://www.livescience.com/64198-longhorned-tick-spreading-us.html" target="_blank">LiveScience</a> further reported:<br>
</p><blockquote>
<span></span>"In other parts of the world, longhorned ticks are known to spread diseases, including the bacterial infections <a href="https://www.livescience.com/14763-babesiosis-tick-disease-rising.html" target="_blank">babesiosis</a>, ehrlichiosis, theileriosis and rickettsiosis, as well as certain viral diseases. In China and Japan, the longhorned tick transmits a disease called severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), which can be deadly."
</blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3f186" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9UDOVH1576662467"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1068525061718437888" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The Asian longhorned tick is new to the United States and has the potential to spread germs. People should take ste… https://t.co/P34DHHTsTa</div> — Dr. Robert R. Redfield (@Dr. Robert R. Redfield)<a href="https://twitter.com/CDCDirector/statuses/1068525061718437888">1543591201.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Unlike most tick species, a single female Asian longhorned tick can reproduce offspring without mating and lay up to 2,000 eggs at a time.
</p><p>
This means hundreds to thousands of ticks can be found on a single animal, person or in the environment, the CDC said.
</p><p>
Earlier this month, the CDC
<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/data-summary/index.html" target="_blank">reported</a> that in 2017, state and local health departments reported a record number of tickborne illnesses like Lyme disease.
</p><p>
"Tick-borne diseases like Lyme hit an all-time high this year, just as a new tick capable of spreading disease rears its ugly head," Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal
<a href="https://twitter.com/SenBlumenthal/status/1068537694064713728" target="_blank">tweeted</a> Friday in reaction to the report. "It's clear, urgent federal action is needed to fight the debilitating & growing public health threat of tick-borne diseases."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="d3f4c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="KL71J51576662467"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1068537694064713728" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Tick-borne diseases like Lyme hit an all-time high this year, just as a new tick capable of spreading disease rears… https://t.co/U536hH5A5d</div> — Richard Blumenthal (@Richard Blumenthal)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenBlumenthal/statuses/1068537694064713728">1543594213.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
You can protect yourself from tick-borne diseases by using
<a href="https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents" target="_blank">insect repellents</a>, wearing protective gear and clothing, checking your body and clothing for ticks after returning from potentially tick-infested areas and showering soon after being outdoors, the CDC advises.
</p><p>
The CDC also advised livestock producers and pet owners to work with their veterinarians to maintain regular tick prevention and report any unknown tick species to their local department of agriculture.
</p><p>
<span></span>Here's the agency's advice on what you should do if you think you have found an Asian longhorned tick:
</p><ul class="ee-ul">
<li><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html" target="_blank">Remove</a> any tick from people and animals as quickly as possible.</li>
<li>Save the ticks in rubbing alcohol in a jar or a ziplock bag, then:
<ul class="ee-ul">
<li>Contact your <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/stltpublichealth/healthdirectories/healthdepartments.html" target="_blank">health department</a> about steps you can take to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html" target="_blank">prevent tick bites</a> and tickborne diseases.</li>
<li>Contact a veterinarian for information about how to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_pets.html" target="_blank">protect pets</a> from ticks and tick bites.</li>
<li>Contact your state agriculture department or local agricultural extension office about ticks on livestock or for tick identification.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODk0MDc2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NTQwMzM0OX0.PXR_-0X_EF3N79iKtuA5bXNhANmG2ivT4oBnX8vR51Y/img.jpg?width=980" id="0cdca" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="425c36faf207283b605c06b4925cdb28" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Longhorned tick. Nymph and adult female, underside</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">CDC</small>
</p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
With her win, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became one of four Democrats heading to Congress to push for a Green New Deal. Rick Loomis / Getty Images
Results from the U.S. midterm election are mostly in, and, when it comes to what they mean for the environment, they're a real mixed bag.
<p>On the plus side, the Democrats took the House of Representatives, which, as <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46067264" target="_blank">BBC News pointed out</a>, means that President <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a> can't pass any more major legislation without their approval. Since big legislative pushes in the Republican controlled House over the past two years included an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/endangered-species-act-republicans-2586332924.html" target="_self">attack</a> on the Endangered Species Act and a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/farm-bill-anti-environment-policy-riders-2582389975.html" target="_self">Farm Bill</a> that would have limited controls on toxic pesticides and water pollution, this can only be an improvement.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b3823" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="KYY06Z1576662090"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1060089995078365185" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The latest US election results: Democrats have won their 218th House seat, securing their majority and setting up a… https://t.co/xEe718OY0x</div> — Financial Times (@Financial Times)<a href="https://twitter.com/FinancialTimes/statuses/1060089995078365185">1541580125.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>On the minus side, the Republicans increased their majority in the Senate. Since the Senate is the body that confirms all of the president's judicial and political appointments, there will still be nothing blocking Trump from appointing more judges like Brett Kavanaugh with a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/kavanaughs-environmental-record-2610220986.html" target="_self">dubious environmental record</a>. They will also be able to sign off on whoever Trump finally chooses as <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scott-pruitt" target="_blank">Scott Pruitt</a>'s permanent replacement at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (<a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/epa" target="_self">EPA</a>). The House is more likely now to investigate corruption-prone, industry-friendly Interior Secretary <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/ryan-zinke" target="_self">Ryan Zinke</a>, but the Senate could go right ahead and confirm a replacement equally likely to sell out <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-lands" target="_self">public lands</a> to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> interests.<br></p><p>When it comes to the environmental implications of individual races and ballot measures, the night was about equally full of gains and losses. But it's important to remember that no matter who wins, popular movements can always make a difference. So whether your favorite candidate won or lost last night, you can and should continue fighting to halt <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate change</a> and ensure a healthy, thriving environment for all life on earth.</p><p>That said, here are a few of the key takeaways from last night.</p><p><strong>1. Big Oil's Big Spending Paid Off</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-proxy-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbWVkaWEucmJsLm1zL2ltYWdlP3U9JTJGbWVkaWElMkZEclgyeUV4VkFBRW11elouanBnJTNBbWVkaXVtJmhvPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGcGJzLnR3aW1nLmNvbSZzPTk0NiZoPWZmNDVhMjg3MzRhYThlNjZlYjMwOWVlODhmMzQzNjhjZTFmYzMxYmIwNjI1MDk1YzBiNDA5YmQxYzY2Njc4ZjMmc2l6ZT05ODB4JmM9OTQ1MTk3NjY0IiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODA0Mjk5OX0.-X-2nrVyWzI_WcIkEf99DusQZiOaUCPuc3ZKiXmQQ2g/img.jpg" id="ddafc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7a0e4dd5257c851e2194534ee7509b14">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">A graphic showing the results of Washington state's voting on I-1631</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">
<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DrX2yExVAAEmuzZ.jpg:large" target="_blank">pbs.twimg.com</a>
</small>
</p><p>Probably the most disappointing result from a climate change perspective is the fact that Washington's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/washington-carbon-tax-big-oil-2616808725.html" target="_self">Initiative 1631</a>, which would have created the nation's first fee on carbon emissions, was defeated in the polls. Colorado's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/colorado-fracking-homes-2608344422.html" target="_self">Proposition 112</a>, which would have banned oil and gas drilling on 85 percent of the state's land, also failed. The fossil fuel industry put more than $73 million into defeating the two initiatives, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/green-new-deal-progressive-democrats_us_5be26f5be4b0769d24c6a954" target="_blank">the Huffington Post reported</a>, so in this case money power was sadly stronger than people power.<br></p><p>In terms of the other ballot measures <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/environmental-ballot-measures-to-watch-2618270364.html" target="_self">EcoWatch was tracking</a>, Arizona's Proposition 127, which would have upped the state's <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a> target to 50 percent by 2030, <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Arizona_Proposition_127,_Renewable_Energy_Standards_Initiative_(2018)" target="_blank">was also defeated</a>, as <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Alaska_Ballot_Measure_1,_Salmon_Habitat_Protections_and_Permits_Initiative_(2018)" target="_blank">was Alaska's Ballot Measure 1</a>, which would have imposed new restrictions on projects that threaten <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/salmon" target="_self">salmon</a> habitat. Florida's unusual Amendment 9, banning both <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/offshore-oil-drilling" target="_self">offshore oil drilling</a> and indoor vaping, was the <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Amendment_9,_Ban_Offshore_Oil_and_Gas_Drilling_and_Ban_Vaping_in_Enclosed_Indoor_Workplaces_Amendment_(2018)" target="_blank">only one to succeed</a>. </p><p><strong>2. Climate Change Tipping Point</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="e05e7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="OOHBCD1576662090"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1060004940414926848" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Carlos Curbelo didn't lose, @DebbieforFL won.
This race was fought on climate change and won on climate change.
T… https://t.co/hc6DMi0XSc</div> — Eric Holthaus (@Eric Holthaus)<a href="https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/statuses/1060004940414926848">1541559846.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Climate change was also a campaign issue in several key races, and, while it's hard to pinpoint what issue tipped a candidate over the edge to victory, there were some wins where it might have made a difference.<br></p><p>Before the election, <a href="https://grist.org/article/midterms-2018-climate-election-map/" target="_blank">Grist</a> assembled an analysis of five hotly contested races in districts where more than two-thirds of residents were worried about climate change. Turns out, all of the Democrats in those races won or are currently leading in the polls, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/06/us/elections/results-house-elections.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Anti-pipeline and offshore drilling Democrat Tom Malinowski beat Republican incumbent Leonard Lance in New Jersey's seventh district.</li><li>Democrat Colin Allred, who wants to rejoin the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a>, defeated incumbent Republican Pete Sessions, who wants to scale back the EPA. This is in Texas' 32nd district, which saw unusually deadly storms and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a> this fall. </li><li>Also in Texas, Republican incumbent John Culberson lost to Democrat Lizzie Pannill Fletcher in the seventh district that includes parts of Houston deeply impacted by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricane-harvey" target="_self">Hurricane Harvey</a> last year. </li><li>Florida's 26th district is its southernmost point, already grappling with tidal flooding due to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">sea level rise</a>. Republican incumbent Carlos Curbelo <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/gop-new-carbon-tax-bill-2590411558.html" target="_blank">was not a climate denier</a>, and in fact founded the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. But Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell promised more environmental action and won.</li><li>The race between Republican incumbent Dana Rohrabacher and Democratic challenger Harley Rouda for California's 48th district, which includes parts of coastal Orange County at risk from sea level rise, is still too close to call. But Rouda, who opposed offshore oil drilling and promised clean energy, is leading. </li></ul><p><strong>3. Rise of the Green New Deal:</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="074dea21725eace9c13bc3895d6fd7d7"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zcQZtpbgVoY?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">The Green New Deal: fixing climate and the economy?</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcQZtpbgVoY" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p>The brightest glimmer of hope to come out of the midterms is the fact that there are now four Democrats in the House who are calling for a Green New Deal, a massive government push to turn away from fossil fuels and build renewable energy infrastructure, The Huffington Post reported.<br></p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-climate-2581756053.html" target="_self">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> confirmed her win after her surprise primary victory in New York's 14th district this summer, and she is joined in championing the issue by the first two Muslim women in Congress: Ilhan Omar in Minnesota's 5th District and Rashida Tlaib in Michigan's 13th. Antonio Delgado beat Republican John Faso in New York's 19th district to round out the group. </p><p>While some influential champions of the idea, like Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, lost their races, Penn State University climate scientist Michael Mann said it was important that the idea was gaining ground given the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-ipcc-report-2610866229.html" target="_self">dire warnings</a> of the most recent <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/" target="_blank">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> report on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. </p><p>"This is the sort of bold and audacious thinking that we need when it comes to confronting the ever-pressing challenge of averting catastrophic climate change," Mann told the Huffington Post.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="bd989" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="FMEBFV1576662090"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1055421267803746304" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">New Green Strategy: Change the Electorate, Not the Election #ClimateVoter #VoteOnClimate #IVoted https://t.co/JGhLvyxC3Z</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1055421267803746304">1540467013.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Gov. Phil Murphy / Instagram
New Jersey has passed a law prohibiting offshore oil and gas exploration, development and production in state waters—the nation's toughest response yet to the Trump administration's plans to vastly expand offshore drilling in nearly all U.S. coastal waters.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law on Friday the bipartisan bill called the "Shore Tourism and Ocean Protection from Offshore Oil and Gas Act" or "STOP Offshore Oil and Gas Act."
<p>
The Democratic governor noted that signing occurred on the anniversary of the 2010
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deepwater-horizon">Deepwater Horizon</a> oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
</p><p>
"We do this for the millions of people who live near and love our beaches, billions of dollars in economic activity, tens of thousands of jobs, and the thousands of businesses that rely on a safe and clean shoreline," Murphy
<a href="https://twitter.com/GovMurphy/status/987377470939828226" target="_blank">tweeted</a>. "We do this for today and for future generations."
</p><p>
<span></span>The state's 130-mile coastline is home to beaches, fisheries and marine life. It also supports a $44 billion tourism industry that attracts millions of visitors each year.
</p><p>
Even though New Jersey has no control over drilling in federal waters, they do have jurisdiction over three nautical miles extending off the coast. By banning drilling in those waters, the state has effectively blocked the construction of any infrastructure such as pipelines or docks that could transfer the oil.
</p><p>
While companies can get offshore oil without this equipment—they can instead use floating oil rigs and transfer the oil onto ships—that method is much more difficult and expensive.
</p><p>
<span></span>"I don't see how they can get around it," Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., a Democrat representing a Jersey shore district, told the
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/04/20/us/ap-us-offshore-drilling-nj.html" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>.
</p><p>
<a href="http://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562018/approved/20180420a_offshore_drilling.shtml" target="_blank">According</a> to the governor's office, the bill also prohibits the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from issuing any permits and approvals for the development of any facility or infrastructure related to offshore drilling within or outside of New Jersey waters. Additionally, the DEP must review any proposed oil or natural gas development in the Atlantic region of the U.S. exclusive economic zone to determine if the proposal can reasonably be expected to affect New Jersey waters.
</p><p>
The legislation received a 37-0 vote in the Senate and a 72-1 vote in the Assembly. Only Parker Space (R) voted against its passage.
</p><p>
<span></span>"New Jersey will not stand by silently and allow Donald Trump and Interior Secretary
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ryan-zinke-wind-turbines-2544468642.html">Ryan Zinke</a> to open the ocean floor off our coast to oil and gas exploration," Murphy tweeted.
</p><p>
"No way, no how, never to offshore drilling off our beautiful shore," he said in a video from the boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="1cd20" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="H6A48X1576663888"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="987377461179637760" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today, I signed into law a bill to protect the Jersey shore from the potential devastation of offshore drilling.
N… https://t.co/ObqRhcw42Q</div> — Governor Phil Murphy (@Governor Phil Murphy)<a href="https://twitter.com/GovMurphy/statuses/987377461179637760">1524244105.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The Associated Press noted that other states including California, New York, South Carolina and Rhode Island have introduced bills similar to New Jersey's. Washington state is also considering one. Maryland has introduced a bill imposing liability on anyone who causes a spill.
</p><p>
President Trump's proposal to massively expand offshore oil and natural gas drilling off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts has drawn
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/florida-offshore-drilling-2524181063.html" target="_blank">bipartisan opposition</a> over fears that such operations at sea could expose coastal areas to the risks of blowouts, explosions, catastrophic spills and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/seismic-airgun-blasting" target="_blank">seismic blasting</a>.
</p><p>
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, previously said that the state "strongly opposes any waters off our coastline being considered for inclusion in this leasing program."
</p><p>
New Jersey has become increasingly focused on low-carbon energy.
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/12/nyregion/new-jersey-renewable-energy.html" target="_blank">Earlier this month</a>, the Garden State passed bills that require the state to generate 50 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and subsidize existing nuclear power plants.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="225a3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="CFUJOG1576663889"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="953461994039971840" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Nearly All Coastal Governors Denounce Plan to Expand Offshore Oil Drilling https://t.co/DVRh2SHJgz @KXLBlockade @OccupyHouston @BoldNebraska</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/953461994039971840">1516158028.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
Read More
Show Less
Gogama oil train derailment. CBC / YouTube
By Justin Mikulka
The Motley Fool has been advising investors on "How to Profit From the Re-Emergence of Canada's Crude-by-Rail Strategy." But what makes transporting Canadian crude oil by rail attractive to investors?
According to the Motley Fool, the reason is "… right now, there is so much excess oil being pumped out of Canada's oil sands that the pipelines simply don't have the capacity to handle it all."
<p>The International Energy Agency recently reached the same conclusion in its <a href="https://www.iea.org/bookshop/768-Market_Series_Report:_Oil_2018" target="_blank">Oil 2018 market report</a>.</p><p>"Crude by rail exports are likely to enjoy a renaissance, growing from their current 150,000 bpd [barrels per day] to an implied 250,000 bpd on average in 2018 and to 390,000 bpd in 2019. At their peak in 2019, rail exports of crude oil could be as high as 590,000 bpd—though this calculation assumes producers do not resort to crude storage in peak months," the International Energy Agency said, as reported <a href="http://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/export-constraints-to-crimp-future-oilsands-gains-amid-rising-global-supply-risks-iea" target="_blank">by the Financial Post</a>.</p><p>To put that in perspective, however, the industry was moving 1.3 million barrels per day at the peak of the U.S. oil-by-rail boom in 2014.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzQ0Nzk5My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzkzMzk3N30.YBZ9kyUW88inrmHyM6Har2zcWIrNMN5111GIiBJfcbM/img.png?width=980" id="99bd3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="83f7c657fb3b9223efc120fd3aad2829" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Graph of American crude-by-rail volumes</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">U.S Energy Information Administration</small></p>
<p>And Canada has plenty of capacity to load oil on more trains, which means if a producer is willing to pay the premium to move oil by rail, it can find a customer to do it. The infrastructure is in place to load approximately <a href="https://www.neb-one.gc.ca/nrg/ntgrtd/mrkt/snpsht/2018/02-01mjrcrlrltrmnls-eng.html" target="_blank">1.2 million barrels per day</a>.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzQ0Nzk5OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NjAzODEzNn0.VxaPsNHcS-GpDr3dHm7MGj1MK0r76edLi2w4xiDpgWo/img.png?width=980" id="3ef05" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5db5b05b165cbf97baefa9e52d6f1b61" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Canadian crude-by-rail loading facilities </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">National Energy Board</small></p>
<p>With the cancellation of the <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/10/05/transcanada-cancels-energy-east-oilsands-pipeline" target="_blank">Energy East pipeline project</a>, which would have moved western Canada's <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/tar-sands">tar sands</a> east to Québec and New Brunswick, the industry now is pursuing two remaining major pipeline projects: Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain and the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/keystone-xl">Keystone </a><a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/keystone-xl">XL</a>. The Financial Post reported that the International Energy Agency predicts the earliest start date for either of those projects as 2021. Both pipelines are <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/03/10/thousands-march-in-bc-to-protest-trans-mountain-pipeline-expansion.html" target="_blank">facing fierce opposition</a>.</p><p>Additionally, the surge in U.S. crude oil exports has been affecting the value of Canadian oil, and some are predicting the flood of U.S. crude abroad could deliver <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/albertas-oil-exports-face-ocean-of-trouble/" target="_blank">a serious blow</a> to the tar sands industry in the long-term.</p><p>Over the next several years, however, the Canadian tar sands industry appears poised to rely heavily on rail to export its product while awaiting construction of new pipelines, much like the situation that led to the Bakken oil-by-rail boom in the U.S.</p><p><strong>Risks of Canadian Oil by Rail Are Unknown</strong></p><p>When hydraulic fracturing (<a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fracking/">fracking</a>) turned North Dakota into a major oil producer, the state had little pipeline capacity. But it did have railroad tracks, many built over a century earlier, crisscrossing its plains.</p><p>As a result, the oil industry started filling up trains with highly volatile oil—under virtually no regulatory oversight—and in the process invented what rail workers would come to call "bomb trains." After the trains hauling Bakken oil in unsafe tank cars began exploding, it became apparent that <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2014/08/08/regulators-ignore-one-proven-way-eliminate-bakken-bomb-trains-oil-stabilization" target="_blank">the Bakken oil</a> was the culprit.</p><p>As the Canadian oil industry begins to ramp up its rail exports, <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/12/21/what-have-we-learned-lac-megantic-oil-train-disaster" target="_blank">has it learned anything</a> from the Bakken "bomb train" experiment (which in 2013 claimed 47 lives in Lac-Mégantic, Québec)?</p><p>Unfortunately, the industry appears to have learned very little. While it no longer uses the most dangerous DOT-111 tank cars to ship oil, most of the major oil train derailments and fires actually have involved the <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2015/07/23/most-recent-oil-train-accidents-and-spills-involved-safer-cpc-1232-tank-cars" target="_blank">newer CPC-1232 tank</a> cars, which make up the majority of the oil tank car fleet.</p><p>In addition, the rail industry has refused to use modern braking systems to improve safety and was able to get U.S. regulators to <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/12/10/trump-admin-repeal-oil-train-safety-rule-electronically-controlled-pneumatic-brakes" target="_blank">repeal a rule</a> requiring modern brakes on oil trains. The industry is also fighting proposed regulations requiring <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/railroads-want-one-man-crews-massive-freight-trains-n308541" target="_blank">two-person crews</a> for oil trains.</p><p>Furthermore, it remains unclear what exactly will be inside those tank cars.</p><p>Will the industry choose to move some form of <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2015/03/19/science-vs-spin-dilbit-sinks-real-world-not-studies-funded-oil-industry" target="_blank">diluted bitumen</a> or synthetic crude or <a href="https://www.albertaoilmagazine.com/2016/08/shipping-neatbit-rail-answer-looking-arent-looking/" target="_blank">raw bitumen</a>? That information isn't available but makes a big difference when evaluating the risks posed by these trains.</p><p>Raw bitumen requires special tank cars that can be heated (to allow the thick, viscous bitumen to be pumped in and out) as well as the infrastructure to heat the cars. To date, there is little evidence the industry is moving much raw bitumen by rail. That leaves the option of pumping the cars full of diluted bitumen or synthetic crude oil (a processed intermediate product derived primarily from tar sands which is apparently chemically identical to conventional crude oil).</p><p>There have been two significant derailments of Canadian crude by rail—whether the oil was synthetic crude derived from tar sands is unconfirmed, but likely. Coincidentally, the derailments occurred just three weeks and several miles apart near the town of <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/gogama-oil-spill-clean-up-complete-1.3713738" target="_blank">Gogama, Ontario</a>. Both trains exploded and <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/3b4jxw/after-second-train-derailment-ontario-town-worried-it-could-be-next-lac-mgantic" target="_blank">burned for days</a>. The public was not allowed near the crash sites. One of the trains had several tank cars end up in the Makami River, which was <a href="https://www.timminstoday.com/local-news/suzuki-at-gogama-derailment-site-someone-should-go-to-jail-for-this-468647" target="_blank">contaminated by a large oil spill</a>.</p><p>The Transportation Board of Canada <a href="http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2015/r15h0021/r15h0021.asp" target="_blank">reported</a> that the material in the tank cars was "Horizon Sweet Light Oil." The agency described it as "synthetic crude oil distillate; sweet light oil" and was classified as Packing Group 1—which is the most dangerous classification. To put that in perspective, Packing Group 1 is a higher risk classification than the oil involved in <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/09/11/tsb_to_update_lacmegantic_probe_amid_alarm_over_crude.html" target="_blank">the deadly Lac-Mégantic disaster</a>.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzQ0ODAxOS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTk1MzczNn0.7DzlbV0sljQCN_EAHRhx4lES6JO_i1jVvK9zy6gak3M/img.png?width=980" id="3857a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8f15703d318fc82523943ebd8d36deab" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Oil samples taken from the 2015 Gogama train crash</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Transportation Safety Board of Canada</small></p>
<p>Additionally, the Gogama crashes were caused <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/3645795/missed-defect-in-improperly-repaired-rail-caused-gogama-ont-derailment/" target="_blank">by track failures</a>. The American rail industry has successfully fought for years against any regulations on rail wear, and current rail regulations are stalled in the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump</a> administration.<br></p><p><strong>More Oil Trains, Still No Spill Response Plans</strong></p><p>A 1996 U.S. legal loophole exempts oil and rail companies from needing spill response plans for oil trains. This <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2014/02/25/past-time-close-loophole-exempts-oil-rail-companies-spill-response-planning" target="_blank">gap in oil spill regulations</a> came to light during the U.S. boom in oil train traffic more than four years ago and has not been resolved yet.</p><p>However, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=PHMSA-2014-0105-0240" target="_blank">proposed a rule to change that</a>. According to a <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/regulations/report-on-significant-rulemakings" target="_blank">Department of Transportation report</a>, the regulation is in the "Final Rule" stage, but a PHMSA spokesperson was unable to provide further detail on the timing or status of the rule actually taking effect. There is no guarantee the proposed rule, which would require oil spill response plans for trains carrying at least 20 continuous cars of liquid petroleum oil or 35 cars throughout the train, won't simply languish under the Trump administration. </p><p>Another troubling aspect of this latest surge in oil-by-rail traffic is the fact that the oil industry, scientists, and U.S. and Canadian governments are still getting a grasp on how different types of tar sands oil behave when spilled in fresh and saltwater environments. One large tar sands oil spill <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/07/kalamazoo_river_oil_spill_time.html" target="_blank">in Michigan's Kalamazoo River in 2010</a> and <a href="https://www.nrt.org/site/download.ashx?counter=4905" target="_blank">subsequent studies</a> hint that there's more to the picture than the industry's spin that tar sands oil spills are no different than other crude oils.</p><p><strong>Local Governments Taking Action </strong></p><p>With the Trump administration actively rolling back safety regulations for oil trains, some U.S. states and communities are taking the initiative to protect themselves from the risks of tar sands oil and oil trains.</p><p>Washington state has been a battleground in the fight against new oil-by-rail infrastructure. The recent decision to reject the proposed <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/01/29/washington-inslee-rejects-oil-rail-vancouver-energy-tesoro-savage" target="_blank">Vancouver Energy oil-by-rail project</a> at the Port of Vancouver was a major victory for that movement and the latest in a string of such efforts on the West Coast.</p><p>Washington is also taking things a step further and is now requiring rail companies to have oil spill response plans. The state recently approved such plans for oil-by-rail leader BNSF.</p><p>"This plan is a significant step forward for the protection of Washington's communities and environment," said <a href="https://www.lyndentribune.com/news/state-approves-oil-spill-response-plan-for-bnsf/article_0198de24-2789-11e8-a4a9-775b16c80d26.html" target="_blank">Dale Jensen</a>, the spills prevention program manager for the state of Washington. "Oil by rail has expanded significantly in recent years, and it's imperative railroad companies are prepared to work with the state to respond to a spill in a rapid, aggressive, and well-coordinated manner."</p><p>In New Jersey, earlier efforts to improve oil-by-rail safety were vetoed by then-Governor Chris Christie, but they have been restarted now that Christie is no longer governor. The <a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/transportation/2018/03/12/nj-senate-revives-weinbergs-oil-train-transparency-bill-chris-christie-vetoed/415587002/" target="_blank">proposed plans</a> "would require railroads to develop oil spill response plans in case of a derailment."</p><p>More recently, the city of Baltimore <a href="http://www.insidesources.com/city-council-votes-to-ban-oil-export-terminals-at-ports-from-port-of-baltimore-threatening-jobs/" target="_blank">voted to ban</a> the construction of new facilities that could be used to export crude oil from its port, an effort specifically targeting proposed oil-by-rail projects. This is a similar approach to <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/12/15/judge-sides-portland-montreal-pipeline-maine-oil-case" target="_blank">South Portland, Maine</a>'s ban on loading crude oil onto ships and to <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/05/06/new-york-serves-battleground-oil-and-gas-infrastructure-fights" target="_blank">Albany, New York's</a> efforts to stop tar sands by rail. These bans take on new significance now that the first ocean-going tanker was recently filled with Canadian tar sands oil, which arrived by <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-14/canadian-crude-is-finding-a-new-way-to-asia-without-a-pipeline" target="_blank">rail in Portland, Oregon</a> and is destined for China. </p><p>The first wave of oil trains in North America resulted in several major oil spills and the deaths of 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, Québec. However, there were several other very close calls with oil train crashes in recent years, resulting in <a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/news/speeches/CHart/Pages/hart_20160113.aspx" target="_blank">multiple declarations</a> of <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/06/05/luck-rides-rails-another-near-miss-bakken-bomb-train" target="_blank">how lucky communities were</a> that there weren't more deaths due to these oil train derailments.</p><p>With no meaningful changes to how they are regulated, this second wave of oil trains will need that lucky streak to continue holding.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="af7cf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="48JZQA1576662545"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="965720182806196224" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">New Technology Could Turn Tar Sands Oil Into 'Pucks' for Less Hazardous Transport https://t.co/HzZa2Wuvzx @ScienceNewsOrg @TheScienceGuy</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/965720182806196224">1519080608.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/03/18/canadian-pipeline-capacity-more-tar-sands-oil-rail" target="_blank">DeSmogBlog</a>.</em></p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
FERC Approves PennEast Pipeline: Opponents Look to Clean Water Act to Stop 'Dangerous and Unneeded' Project
22 January 2018
Energy
A controversial natural gas pipeline project with a proposed route through New Jersey can move forward, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruled Friday.
Owners of the proposed $1.2 billion PennEast Pipeline, which would carry shale gas from Pennsylvania through New Jersey, said they are planning to begin construction this year following the certificate of public convenience granted by FERC on Friday.
<p> Opponents of the project say the pipeline still needs to clear several hurdles at the state level, and point to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who campaigned on an environment and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">clean energy</a> agenda and <a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=b226659d77&e=bc036cc506" target="_blank">spoke out against PennEast</a> on the campaign trail. Activists along the nearly 120-mile route vowed to continue fighting against the pipeline, and protests are planned in New Jersey Monday in response to the decision.</p><p>"FERC is basically working for the pipeline companies rather than for the people they are supposed to represent," Jeff Tittel, <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey" target="_blank">New Jersey Sierra Club</a> director, said in a statement. "It's shameful that FERC can approve a pipeline without even applications for state or federal permits. FERC is the 'Federal Expedited Rubberstamp Commission.'<br></p><p><span></span>"Now the fight begins," he added. "We will organize to stop this pipeline that people vigorously approve. PennEast has a long way to go and many permits to get. We also have a new Governor who opposes the project. We won't stop until we stop this dangerous and unneeded pipeline."</p><p>As reported by <a href="http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/18/01/21/ferc-ok-of-penneast-doesn-t-make-pipeline-a-sure-thing/" target="_blank">NJ Spotlight</a>:</p><p>"'Now, the real environmental review begins—the ones that FERC did not do,' said Tom Gilbert, campaign director of <a href="https://rethinkenergynj.org/" target="_blank">ReThink Energy NJ</a> and the <a href="http://www.njconservation.org/" target="_blank">New Jersey Conservation Foundation</a>. He particularly cited the state's authority in issuing a 401 permit under the Clean Water Act.</p><p>'We don't see any way this pipeline can be built and meet those standards,' said Gilbert, noting the route of the project crosses 38 C-1 streams, the most pristine in the state. 'If they enforce regulations, this project won't pass muster.'"</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="bca42" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="HI4M991576664051"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="953751321760403457" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Rover Pipeline Spills Another 150,000 Gallons of Drilling Fluid Into Ohio Wetlands https://t.co/xX9n9S9OIW… https://t.co/SN2OD4dvui</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/953751321760403457">1516227009.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p><span></span><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><span></span><a href="http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/18/01/21/ferc-ok-of-penneast-doesn-t-make-pipeline-a-sure-thing/" target="_blank">NJ Spotlight</a>, <a href="http://www.trentonian.com/article/TT/20180120/NEWS/180129987" target="_blank">Trentonian</a>, <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/penneast-shale-gas-pipeline-marcellus-20180120.html" target="_blank">Philadelphia Inquirer</a>, <a href="http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-penneast-approved-20180120-story.html" target="_blank">Allentown Morning Call</a>, <a href="http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/01/penneast_pipeline_gains_federa.html" target="_blank">Lehigh Valley Live</a>, <a href="http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/2018/01/21/citizens-protest-penneast-pipeline-monday/1051839001/" target="_blank">MyCentralJersey</a>, <a href="http://mercerme.com/penneast-approved-by-ferc/" target="_blank">MercerMe</a>, <a href="https://lockportpress.com/penneast-shale-gas-pipeline-will-get-key-u-s-allow-opponents-vow-to-combat-on/" target="_blank">Lockport Press</a>, <a href="http://www.poconorecord.com/news/20180121/ferc-approves-penneast-pipeline" target="_blank">Pocono Record</a>. Commentary: <a href="http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/opinion/editorials/2018/01/21/penneast-ferc-pipeline-approval/109682788/" target="_blank">Morris County Daily Record editorial</a></p><p> <em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less