An oil pumpjack is seen in a Texas cotton field against a backdrop of wind energy. ChrisBoswell / Getty Images
Many congressional districts with the most clean energy potential are current fossil fuel hubs, potentially reducing political barriers to a just transition away from the energy sources that cause climate change, a Brookings report says.
<p>Of the 155 congressional districts with high renewable energy potential, 91 are currently represented by a Republican.</p><p>Although fossil fuel companies have laid off well over 100,000 workers in the last year alone, in some cases while their executives raked in <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/MVY1h1-_RTJN7mQ5ZLkJ0w4W3fCDQw4nwFmrMQqrWk3p_9LV1-WJV7CgLcCV2Df3L1V8BtsW2_x6NM3601T9W5c5Qtv1W8mMBW74KJT267rhm4W17YTpJ8p5pTPW6kyj365Dcpr0W84Kmdm5JDgWFN8w9R8dmmRHNW3QMyqv4jhm4BN3W2BvyqbzFjW4CCrmM8WKztLW8YKVFK6vCrRLW3nCpt375_vHRW2sDJXQ1R8Kc4W8lQ9pd8M5g2HW2f1fnZ5F_X1PW6F98Pr8kHHRSW3b9jnl6hY8MvW1RmG5X8ysxJ0W2cRmR06xHGjfW6FqMSC6pd4yNW8Gn8zS5rfsl9W3XfPnx4zdZgVVjgcXV4b1fyyW4llG__99Vgp2W48Ds8c5QqTfYW3CwWFf5tS3Q2W96QcZ99487Rr31Ng1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bonuses funded by government bailouts</a>, the Brookings researchers describe a fear of transitioning to renewable energy in geographically concentrated regions and communities historically dominated by the fossil fuel industry. </p><p>The Brookings report did not address the billions of dollars spent by fossil fuel companies over decades to deny the science of climate change and fund politicians who support their industries. </p><p>While many workers in the fossil fuel industry are finding <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/MVY1h1-_RTJN7mQ5ZLkJ0w4W3fCDQw4nwFmrMQqrTy5nxG7V3Zsc37CgL8bW40b_lj927k13W7BcJZT8BqWSMW3tbhQG4bHXgFW639_Rf3s01YkW1bcZZ55dDP_PW5sqqPG6HcmKgN3ZmLcg9KXlDW9fDBRM4d8ls6W6c6tr62qqs6LW50t0NS2WVbq3N7XF1wXYV06kW7_Fh133KRKM8W5Z2j8k3PNYKmW3j7RDX1SBHYBW5D7SM44RNQL4W71Pf2Z7bWdt6V1SGF85j4knsW5ZdjY673mNQGW6vP-_G4dRgFsVjntSb6LHB7pW5gxjl28rpMVtW6xjfx21t26zKW6VNVL68Mng3TN64Mq75nctXmW2xS4BD7N0tXkW49tMfh5fQGRkW4NQskf7BkRkHW5x5BdW7CzVKNW7-HWBP5HnvCTW3vb3D55RC2_3W3tyYzP78jh4wW8vNy9y6k4D863nqX1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">their skills transfer easily</a> to renewable energy, oil and gas workers could also be employed plugging orphaned wells, which leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and other pollutants.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p>Brookings: <a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2021/02/25/stories/1063725859?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=113098412&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-839hnX7b4zvCuqLUebVBKHK2HmH_2m8irPUGeEuycSZygZjz_VnUscwzq9nRj6WUpT1dNLTFsa-40M5MyUjMRwCs0j3w3Rs855EyCa7x_gAR9tTT0&utm_content=113098412&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">E&E</a>, <a href="https://www.axios.com/clean-energy-jobs-transition-biden-c656cb47-fe7e-4a8c-9737-981e006aff6f.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=113098412&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-820Rqwn19yHmMV1VXr5zuWUaA-6TDDux8h9pANCdwtRhxc1z_MdVhdY31lRccPdnX-I5iaExEyGuZyPUBiHzAnGEPeejcUei8O-dxiI8GSKaM4iNU&utm_content=113098412&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Axios</a>; Bonuses: <a href="https://bailoutwatch.org/analysis/bailed-out-oil-firms-lay-off-workers?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=113098412&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9u3p0E67jWSCvYD7I-2YFDhEp58vEJzLASuQGVA_qPbufk2qtOPkaRawD25U7NHyobohaYbVYDBBfVGhmzqNRKbEDNNbRvanzDupjNjauDi0ddZWM&utm_content=113098412&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">BailoutWatch</a>; Orphaned Wells: <a href="https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/curbing-climate-change-while-also-putting-unemployed-oil-gas-workers-back-to-work/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=113098412&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-89DPzr9Bwxk-sF9J39afc8oKu10cH4J_RQhKymU3VaHOTdmij2mnhRByaaz24lZD0thps-E4K4IDbaBotigWb2c4l9MRB_1lVfJVGNDTzr2br-O4A&utm_content=113098412&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">KXAN</a><br/></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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" 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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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Congresswoman Deb Haaland, seen here on December 19, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware, is poised to become the next U.S. Secretary of Interior pending Senate confirmation hearings. Alex Edelman / AFP / Getty Images
After a second day of Senate hearings, Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM) is poised to become the first Native to serve as Secretary of the Interior (or any such high-ranking cabinet position.)
<p>It was clear the GOP appeared to hold her to a standard far different from the unqualified or corrupt Trump nominees it approved, with incendiary language and attacks "<a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VW61Bk3sp0N8W5mpsPb5Y5z_6W6klx534ntv9hN24tzww3p_9rV1-WJV7CgXbMW3vYcZf2yvM5_VJdRXZ7TTT6sVdgt2m5mzDv6W5X8hFn50c6RRW947RK12Yzjt2W98hSVl6SC_c6W5S8ZBR5bbvfYW7C2BVT3RVTsYW2TbKH080q4Z1W3SdsNS7WX_nmN7by4YjRZ_-ZN5q3JnkyDq_bW6PK8761rdFZ0N4YLf4hJ9nSBW8y8zXX88gWPrW4ZlRQ-60wqgHW2yBZY149214mW5L4Ygy6cPr7YW5D3Vcw3zkRt6W389ZnG5pbckrV5NsFT4GXc0pW34PVn81JBGc5W6L4Cnq87zG8yV74vcj3rldLBW6zcG648VnflXW49Tyl44TD_Q_38Q21" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">premised on settler colonialism.</a>" </p><p>While Indigenous groups and others, like Senator Elizabeth Warren sang her praises, it was moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin who stood as the potentially undecided vote. Coming from fossil-fuel-friendly West Virginia, Manchin's initial reluctance suggested Haaland's nomination might be in trouble. </p><p>But after her second day of hearings, in which she repeatedly stated she would push the Biden administration's agenda, Manchin released a statement signaling his support for her nomination, virtually ensuring Haaland will have the votes to make history.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/debforinterior-we-are-ready-to-make-history-qhx9jdf-okyGe41Zio2FyQ?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_p9VoM0wqt1DX7ynnFm3lFGEVwT3Uo4ZopeeU1n1erC1WG47D1PIlbLY9c3UYh63oFD3nIdHA3HhgFA2F5oykv346_xAFfk1o4GFjOYk9UrOezDHU&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Indian Country Today,</a> <a href="https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/a-historic-run-support-for-auntie-deb-szgCQ7fr10a-1ZiZLgCurA?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8cTxNUneN75zchInT0k1O9kP-Krkvw3ke-KzYIpeycal92S2xWKZkiYu5TcnmVqVUIfCa9RcspF0eeyM-oSsjIsQh8fGoSTVtp4IhlmjNxCKpc0Ug&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Indian Country Today</a>, <a href="https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/indian-country-defends-deb-haaland-nZBNTaP750e-AobbIobSaw?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--a1lW1MmTlCg7VxpAEkRRhNqiFbYGkgMIQVWyC6YzE37NPITy9B1aRTz4yloNJS3sjXqmlqcRFgexEMtLqjKAygn6G6X7ulC0aT2xvgZitFD4tQxU&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Indian Country Today</a>, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2021/02/24/stories/1063725905?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--NkklQ79bZQw_O5kfv-B_tc5HDMPrCOzCHtFcUl9VoKrJfsJWNsS9nYLP0KiODMtU3TVGhRR62RH9DYiHXoGS0Ri4TEashyr4QK2_NiXzbn_zIMOE&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">E&E,</a> <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/540305-haaland-on-drilling-lease-moratorium-its-not-going-to-be-a?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9-VPuOR-l01pWuj07I3X-SS1RnRxXiIS_U6ph9VlY0ZV9IajktL0PJH8wEFQSQxVOHtCcBjfpEqiLa3_CTWFF9SBXiLLDNLx64bIMOpKTjJtO1neM&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Hill</a>, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2021/02/24/stories/1063725917?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--ZWgjS2zArv5d1CKPSZZPPMwAsx3kv09pkcwklZ6OKVUdImC-yhJnXm-qX_c8F-Rb2pDfMLQzYqFOktAOn--m-TfHnF2_xPu6FGMKKXIo8Z9E-bDM&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">E&E</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/climate/deb-haaland-interior-secretary.html?searchResultPosition=2&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_lIccuHeSWCi0XXA1VeqHm2k7vkabdei6KROmXgzS7KTzMj_KWfUakElz96Yl5Ehzo0z2vucw6hqkXxdh03LFeeC_kVBzkNVoMTnhZqw5suj5fax4&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/us/deb-haaland-senate.html?searchResultPosition=3&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_UCsi8hnEJhWYfM6L_RP5hQfUOlLFOJaAxvC5TS-IPddFCVy5i7fZJYxr0BpOMB8Yqcf8lUZmXufHydJuRUqP926k7jMB6wxofUb54F47QH2o9eDM&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/deb-haaland-native-americans-reaction-72ae93d659935b9b5e1117166eda8a37?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9G_nlUZ-yVVN9uS0vZkck8yAzSsKpP74f1l3xhhrTa3tiowwoNB4mqHLhQSU_zb8PK7MHw0ghNLdny2QPcV2uII7tCNocNsws_BT7zpg8ajV6sXns&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">AP,</a> <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/24/manchin-haaland-interior-confirmation-471408?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--QZh556xS-Ww72k395b3lAIzTqgy0J0yXWRzQgvS5DVWRk6deNjpJbzgxSBrcCJ4RxOLBgp3lD9pQKsXV5lD44naHLAt6PfrQx-5LxQbgO45Wyt30&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Politico</a>, <a href="https://login.politicopro.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fsubscriber.politicopro.com%2Farticle%2F2021%2F02%2Fhaaland-backs-bidens-move-to-block-keystone-xl-pipeline-project-3987202%3Futm_campaign%3DHot%2520News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Wi8j19V1F9rPalfTw7EZx2iWLqoJ9f9aTDjB5Si71DQkbsPOEwj7pT9OexevjbnvGgFfkZzfsJWt71iUyja6sc56a9B8nQOZf9Z5BZEfGS91s64w&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Politico Pro</a>,<a href="https://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2021/02/24/stories/1063725919?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_H1jBZbAg5AMzefRfNvgoEscDoQ35ptHC6adNwWRMXPsl6JzQhffSgGBQRqLTHoh12Z1eiV0r5qYNShO5yDOQAgMFsdaU6KjJX2sIbPKJ1-J8dDc8&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank"> E&E,</a><a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/540356-manchin-to-vote-to-support-haalands-confirmation?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9fH_SeHHs2qSDo8yZEzdyc11QQ6bBfZi6yVLwpUFx1C5lw0yjfQch8JF-Jq5tWBPCwIczht0CQYcTgr5XmLT_CCAkxgPKxN9c-qOKMls9h7G6J_1s&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Hill</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22297585/deb-haaland-confirmation-hearing-interior-department?_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_hDLfxlEtqrTkslQ4z23sXdpA84ILi_duZL4NV_z7wrNa9awHLP_3H_7SYgvTKuPvS-d1dQaEEBTY6L5olxu4_-0uOuztst1bMvCyrl5xLGrrbeGE" target="_blank">Vox</a>,<a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/the-oil-and-gas-money-behind-the-republicans-who-will-h-1846345607?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_zDIZkS2xldA53EGCuXQ3ftoAMqr-2mNKgkZYeKbEsrJafK6Mlt8lCAqxlxeyeiffFGKHc5hntaUvr36SeSJePM8fvTSlan7bggj5GBtp7Rjo4IjU&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank"> Earther</a>, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/politics/what-matters-february-23/index.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112905932&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9ZI77owlgK_RYlmfgfrmDzoq6OBvBE-bQgU-bkq6Kkxg-9HyhSCPRy4jS-woT7wTcH4rtdKpMOU0EiE9RDLlRb0HtvML4gjYpR2WJ7eC1C9cnUlf4&utm_content=112905932&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">CNN</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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" 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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Joe Biden Appoints Climate Crisis Team - EcoWatch ›
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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Gas utilities and industry trade groups are fighting across the country to prohibit municipalities from taking steps to cut greenhouse gas pollution from buildings. tomazl / Getty Images
Gas utilities and industry trade groups are fighting across the country to prohibit municipalities from taking steps to cut greenhouse gas pollution from buildings, efforts those utilities and groups view as an existential threat, NPR and the Washington Post report.
<p>The American Gas Association, which gets its funding from ratepayers via its member utilities, is actively involved in state-level efforts to prohibit localities from requiring new buildings to be fully electric, according to internal reports, emails and recordings of AGA executives reviewed by NPR. </p><p>Science shows extracting and burning gas is incompatible with cities' net-zero climate pollution goals because not only does gas emit carbon pollution when burned, its extraction and transportation is responsible for millions of tons of methane pollution — a heat-trapping gas far more potent than CO2.</p><p> Studies also show that <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VX5FSW2QvMwlW6gKMxn8c7vqzV1-ywc4npdlxN65wGW93p_9LV1-WJV7CgB3BW8hCqrQ8_pNBwW8p9N9Y4VsFrJW63RXfd6qHkKZW5pbZRn8d2thyW4jM4TJ3zlyNsW2DllBd8RGrRTW2HfT4V5ynZd5W4-w5kn1wTBtdW55HwHK4vBQg5W7xHjKP3Mb4lYW3QjpYx6K2gNqW4ywVnh6r17d4N6H2-lL5cfHKW51c_JF14_g1yW85-cF737Yv1_W4MgbGH675zdHN8tx5vzTZG1DN4qH21JMk4PSVNgMs98khSrmW9fjcyb2DLzp9W2vRq4f29Zl-4W4Drb6v58pBfhVwlpnL4BxcT0VDs_5P1bg-3dW53SNft2gqBTqW6Q6sQh7St54DW85gr6S7F7qm6W3C4hl7599TgX3b3T1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gas stoves create unsafe levels of indoor pollution</a>, the Post notes. </p><p>In addition to paying Instagram influencers, the gas industry mainly uses front groups like "The Empowerment Alliance" and "Partnership for Energy Progress" to push the state preemption laws, the same type of laws long used by the tobacco and plastic bag industries to fight local efforts they viewed as a threat. </p><p>Four states have already passed preemption legislation, and bills are under consideration in 12 more.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/22/967439914/as-cities-grapple-with-climate-change-gas-utilities-fight-to-stay-in-business?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112509857&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9vRYfuNbYD3VmUg3uLoNM6uTxiJFjb-KR5fsnB4wiYeRmREjklOTPVnifU-8bb242uYkyoTm2k_eUAFDMWRHojAagEwas7POK1fA1zaAgHo8UlfjM&utm_content=112509857&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/02/23/climate-change-natural-gas/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112509857&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--3GXf9B3K5W2Tef9rbACwMaouuh3pHdjStuJ7m481UQEiq6Alqrxy6YSmuDD88mpXLpgjwtXNHYa1jHgd-7LJy-Oi1jszURWlvbDe0F0euw4t-tlo&utm_content=112509857&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Washington Post </a><br/></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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" 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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Pump jacks are seen at the Belridge Oil Field and hydraulic fracking site in 2014, California's fourth-largest oil field. Citizens of the Planet / Education Images / Universal Images Group / Getty Images
California state senators introduced a bill Wednesday that would ban fracking and other controversial oil and gas extraction techniques in the state by 2027.
<p><br>The bill, <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB467#:~:text=SB%20467%2C%20as%20introduced%2C%20Wiener,steaming%3A%20prohibition%3A%20job%20relocation.&text=This%20bill%20would%2C%20until%20January,stimulation%20treatments%20within%20its%20jurisdiction" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SB467</a>, would prohibit the government from issuing new fracking permits or renewing old ones as of Jan. 1, 2022, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/17/fracking-california-senate-bill-ban" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>. The bill's authors also plan to amend it to outlaw any new oil or gas production within 2,500 feet of a school, home, healthcare facility or any form of long-term accommodation, including prisons, by Jan. 1, the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Scott-Wiener-introduces-bill-to-ban-California-15955300.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">San Francisco Chronicle reported</a>.</p><p>"Fracking & other destructive oil extraction methods are deeply harmful to our environment & public health," Sen. Scott Wiener, who introduced the bill with fellow Democratic Senator Monique Limón, wrote on <a href="https://twitter.com/Scott_Wiener/status/1362090518625218560" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. "They contaminate water, increase particulate in the air, & make people sick. And oil is at the heart of climate change. California must lead on climate & public health."</p><p>The new bill also promotes <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/environmental-justice" target="_self">environmental justice</a> with the pending addition restricting oil and gas production near schools and homes.<span></span></p><p>"Overwhelmingly, it's happening in communities of color and low-income communities," Wiener told the San Francisco Chronicle concerning oil production. "Communities that are already struggling with health outcomes — we're allowing them to be poisoned, and that's just not OK."</p>
<p>California possesses a progressive reputation on environmental issues, but it also contains a powerful <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> industry that has successfully lobbied against legislation that would limit its operations, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-hydraulic-fracturing-legislation-environment-oil-and-gas-industry-de0729eb3dfcea56dcdc11a83322e4d3" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>. However, the state's oil production has declined since the 1980s, partly because the oil that remains requires measures such as fracking, cyclic steaming, acid well stimulation and water and steam flooding to extract it from deeply buried rock.</p><p>"It's some of the dirtiest oil in the world," Hollin Kretzmann, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute, told The Associated Press.</p><p>The new bill would ban all of these methods, which its authors view as environmental and public health threats, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Cyclic steaming in particular has been linked to oil spills that harm wildlife, the <a href="https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2021/02/17/fracking-steaming-and-other-california-oil-production-could-banned-2027/6767162002/" target="_blank">Palm Springs Desert Sun reported</a>.</p><p>The new bill comes as the state increases efforts to curb fossil fuel use. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in 2020 to<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-gas-cars-ban-2647786886.html" target="_blank"> ban the sale of new gas-powered cars </a>by 2035. He also called on lawmakers to phase out new fracking permits by 2024, the <a href="https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2020/09/23/newsom-aims-phase-out-new-hydraulic-fracking-permits-california-2024/3506908001/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Palm Springs Desert Sun</a> reported. However, the newly introduced bill is even more ambitious. Newsom's request, for example, did not mention cyclic steaming.</p>
<p>Newsom told reporters he hasn't reviewed the new bill. The oil and gas industry, meanwhile, quickly pushed back. </p><p>The bill would "virtually ban all oil production in California, killing thousands of quality highly skilled, union careers that cannot be replaced by low-skilled and temporary jobs in the renewable industry," Rock Zierman, California Independent Petroleum Association chief executive officer, said in a statement reported by the Palm Springs Desert Sun.</p><p>However, the bill does account for job loss. It includes a provision that would require the California Geologic Energy Management division to identify oil workers who have lost their jobs. A companion bill would incentivize contractors cleaning old oil wells to hire them.</p><p>Furthermore, Limón argued that the bill would initiate an important dialogue about the future of oil and gas production in the state.</p><p>"If there's not a bill, there's not a conversation," Limón said in a statement reported by The Guardian, "and it is necessary to have these conversations at the state level about environmental impacts and public health as oil production continues near our homes and schools. This bill continues robust policy conversations on fossil fuels and alternative energy production that have been going on for decades."</p>
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People wait in long lines at an H-E-B grocery store in Austin, Texas on February 17, 2021 as millions of Texans are still without water and power as winter storms continue. Montinique Monroe / Getty Images
As the death toll mounts, secondary effects of the Texas grid failure, driven primarily by the failure of gas, coal, and nuclear plants to handle the cold, are becoming apparent.
<p>At least 16 people are dead and 2.6 million Texas customers were without power as of Wednesday evening. </p><p>Gov. Greg Abbott said he did not know when power would be restored and state regulators said as much generation was falling off the grid as was being added on. Food is also becoming scarce as the storm disrupted food distribution systems. </p><p>Meanwhile nearly 12 million Texans, approximately 40% of the state's population and more than the entire population of Michigan, live in one of the state's 590 public water systems that have reported service disruptions. </p><p>That includes St. David's South Austin Medical Center, which as of Thursday morning still lacked heat because of low water pressure, an issue affecting "a number of other hospitals in the area," according to its CEO. </p><p>Houston residents were expected to be required to boil their water even after pressure is restored — hopefully late Thursday, though more bad weather is expected — and burst pipes caused flooding in Dallas.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p>Death toll and outages: <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/17/greg-abbott-winter-storm/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8UiAUqPyWUX5ZM5wiD4PsxKekCmxF0hCRvmx9PQMMEIPSCQlweQN6XjWy-zTsvt-k84gJ7LX7WKCqF2T1ui4bBo0hwHIdDLGKzOMzShXxw5yGdiXM&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>; Thermal plant failures: <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/weather/2021/02/17/no-frozen-wind-turbines-arent-the-main-culprit-for-texas-power-outages/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_GY8hfWwMfS5xr2kFVb5zDFrjZaRkGfif_2txK2sa95r9ETjGAZocmzAVuVNKFVT5C6yogHwoqzFglkXiCB1aaX4iZoUkSe1Q0ds5cpQqzZN34bLg&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Dallas Morning News</a>, <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Perfect-storm-Energy-supply-chain-slashed-by-15955484.php?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9qVDFM54M-aBiF_ftCTdlfMgDp_cpayPqRR0rBBDNZZ4SLr9yBFqJxgdajJ_yxfn0lUE38u84y3WhcCECE1rUhyZ-G8IC-onCpAn0FQJvBVmHWsNs&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Houston Chronicle</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/17/968577281/what-went-wrong-with-the-electric-grid-in-texas?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8j1qRUxf7dI8FPjfhTutgL_1z8qawyJcP68GQYGQ6V_ht24cCsm3yVNgbOxnQzy_EtuE4qbDV7hvjFN305eV43QGrqqk02tsGZwKLqTeR9WoVlGlw&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">NPR;</a> Unknown restoration timeline: <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/17/greg-abbott-winter-storm/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_ecfMndAEs9U6XfKtXV8JRu-xoppBQlac0SyEPfKIBzthQWCsPRWECVY817h_m3MpblLbrKMssYfbkLz7d3GWgxOFDsKNQorxTsdBMq7rbKxRx1TA&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Texas Tribune</a>, <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/ERCOT-Texas-weather-houses-without-power-winter-st-15956295.php?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_HbR2N7Pv8Cuh_PgiAbchrKxu0ef5LDPvKpfwY6pmXGc1PRfAzJ6gAZOlx7ypXllX5jTJhOJs6sA9pxJdIWYR9tlq8fwY9tFKUzAkYzp_HrAeECC0&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Houston Chronicle</a>, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/100-million-americans-more-ice-snow-404012f8d8885259968b8d37b13899d6?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9JQxK71_klWStbztWkZ6JhyfPtr1L-la6JexWkNMqaKtYnLmym1dWj3ZCV7-JPWOzPFHWserT77mK8My9KtAfv7dmEBUyqPXbWAfImQwHWD4OcwTI&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">AP</a>; Food shortages: <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/17/texas-food-supply-power-outage/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--7S8oDNkZ7Yll879mPcDFZB0wf4AA2aem7Ykxd-LqK7xiuiuv_MqsEs8cF0_w6eXuuTN2be6_rb6J77J3B9a7Il4_SGQSHOAWcmp55roBKpPZx15E&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Texas Tribune</a>; Statewide water disruptions: <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/17/texas-water-boil-notices/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9VGjAX-ID1k2pwITAnm-YK_e7ldE_AV3sIjj2xCFzJsHEQ1ZCUkreiYk947zqM0gJ0bUuYiQM7Rkr-QF7TVJ4dP3lF2YTqpFHu-IP80WGhSTXuwWU&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Texas Tribune</a>; Hospitals: <a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/02/17/winter-weather-texas-st-davids-medical-center-austin-without-water-heat/6791735002/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9eJJvbYBR8vL9aLfTkaA_zg0-fg0Zm5YWn8hfUxN_p5qcc8Qthusa2lIyHEb5Ate_zpHUysFwtlgYbJDprHDs1nePS4Ow3Lk_462tW_gvAXL5RdYo&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Austin American-Statesman</a>; Houston: <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-weather/article/Houston-under-boil-water-notice-due-to-dangerous-15956449.php?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8GAakIZjz-uP7bDGKBosvqb5UQsoeejR_cZTwZPnb2heMbeZ6Xb2YZrEL8HQIvA4W7_rpAiPCcGJl5UmcI2wrcFLlSRWPCsoTFIz3BsbkGpgefZbs&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Houston Chronicle</a>; Dallas: <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/weather/2021/02/18/dallas-fair-park-sees-flooding-significant-water-damage-after-frozen-pipe-bursts/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9oSBWeCwTKtEckf6zgkTruB7aFPG3SIpUrhWYNr_tML0dSV3-1PvBOKNn54VHLKCYVUJJdU56hy63Q_uEJpikTSqnmO9IWo2f4iKdAyZtGTuIELMQ&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Dallas Morning News</a><br/></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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" 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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>. </em></p>
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A Tesla Model S P85D electric car is an example of where the electric vehicle industry is headed. Joby Sessions / T3 Magazine / Future / Getty Images
The average American household spends about $175 a month on gasoline. That means billions of dollars to oil companies, refiners, and others — and a huge incentive for them to block policies that move America to clean, zero-emissions electric vehicles.
<p>We're already seeing a coordinated push to stop President Biden and Congress from boosting American clean cars, trucks and buses — even though these policies will create jobs and a more just and equitable economy, clean the air, and are <a href="https://www.edf.org/media/new-poll-public-supportive-electric-vehicle-moves-both-automakers-government" target="_blank">popular </a>with the public.</p><p>EDF experts have assembled these facts to counter the lobbyists who want to make sure Americans keep paying at the pump.</p><h2>1. Moving to Clean Electric Vehicles Will Help America Win the Race for Good Jobs Today and Tomorrow. </h2><p>The question isn't electric vehicles versus gas-powered vehicles — the global industry is already moving to EVs, and spending at least <a href="https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/u76/What_to_know_EVs_0.pdf" target="_blank">$257 billion</a> this decade to make the switch. The issue is whether American workers will get these jobs. We can build these vehicles in places like Hamtramck, MI and Spartansburg, SC or have them shipped to us from Hamburg and Shanghai. Switching to zero-emissions electric trucks, buses, and cars will create jobs today and help us compete with Europe and China in this rapidly expanding market.</p><p>Right now <a href="https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/documents/Race%20to%20Zero-ICCT_EDF_PQ-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">95% of zero emission heavy duty vehicles</a> are made in China, and Europe is making major investments. We need to act if we are going to ensure U.S. manufacturing is competitive in this growing zero emitting vehicles market.</p>
<h2>2. Building More Electric Cars, Trucks, and Buses Here in the U.S. Can Mean Hundreds of Thousands of Good Paying Jobs.</h2><p>Companies in the clean cars, trucks, buses industry and EV battery supply chain are already in operation and development all around the country. From Michigan to South Carolina, from Missouri to Texas, companies are building zero emission cars, EV batteries and charging infrastructure. As the shop chairman of United Auto Worker 598 recently <a href="https://www.abc12.com/2021/01/29/uaw-leaders-say-the-union-is-ready-for-change-as-gm-goes-electric/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>, companies like General Motors that are powered by union labor being on the forefront of this shift will mean "increased sales and customers… it means more jobs."</p><h2>3. EVs Are Much Better for the Climate. </h2><p>Electric vehicles in the U.S. emit <a href="https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_emissions.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">less </a>climate pollution than fully gasoline-powered cars, even when powered by today's mixed sources of electric power. Their engines are just much more efficient. And as we move to 100% clean power nationwide, EVs will be even better. That transition is already underway: 1 in 3 Americans are already getting service from a utility that's moving to 100% clean electric generation.</p><p>Transportation is the biggest source of climate pollution in the U.S. — and switching to zero emissions EVs are a big part of the solution. In the face of damaging and costly storms, floods, heatwaves and wildfires, we need action.</p><h2>4. Zero Emissions Vehicles Mean Healthier Communities and a More Equitable America.</h2><p>Fully electric cars have zero tailpipe emissions, so transitioning trucks, buses, emergency vehicles, taxis and ridesharing fleets to electric vehicles will reduce air pollution for everyone. This means fewer hospitalizations related to asthma and associated health problems — and can especially benefit people of color who, due to discrimination in housing, zoning and economic opportunity, more often live near ports, highways and other industrial sites where they are more likely to be exposed to harmful pollution from diesel and gasoline-powered vehicle traffic.</p>
<h2>5. Achievable: The Speed of Technology Advancement, Along With Investments and Other Smart Policies, Will Let Us Reach Our Goal of All Zero Emission New Cars by 2035 and New Trucks and Buses by 2040.</h2><p>More than 175 zero-pollution truck, bus, car and SUV models are in production or development for the U.S. market. Companies from <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/19/amazon-is-purchasing-100000-rivian-electric-vans.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Amazon </a>and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-to-add-100-000-electric-vehicles-as-part-of-climate-pledge-11568914649" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FedEx</a> to <a href="https://www.ceres.org/sites/default/files/Business%20%26%20Investor%20Support%20Letter%20Zero%20Emission%20Medium%20%26%20Heavy%20Duty%20Vehicle%20MOU.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pepsi </a>are looking to switch to clean vehicles. Every major car manufacturer is making significant investments in electric cars, with many aiming for a fully electric future. General Motors recently announced a goal of eliminating tailpipe pollution from all of its cars and pickup trucks by 2035. The faster we move, the faster we can put people to work building the cars of today and tomorrow </p><p>U.S. companies have proven time and time again, they can rise to meet any challenge — but they need a predictable business climate to scale up production and plan for the long term.</p><h2>6. With Investment and Focus, Our Power Grid Can Manage and Support All Demand From Electric Vehicles.</h2><p>Growth in electric cars and trucks will increase electricity demand. This can help increase investments in clean electricity, bolstering American energy independence and a reliable energy grid. With smart charging, EVs can actually help grid operators integrate higher levels of renewable energy. Energy regulators, electric utilities and grid operators are well aware of this and are monitoring and investing in the clean vehicle transition in real time – and Congress must prioritize and support incentives and policies to increase both EV and clean electricity deployment to ensure we maximize the benefits EVs can offer.<br></p><p>A cleaner grid means less dependence on polluting power plants, which are most often located near communities of color and low-income communities. It also means increased expansion of cleaner sources like rooftop solar in these neighborhoods. This can create good jobs in areas where they are desperately needed.</p>
<h2>7. Electric Options Expand Consumer Choice.</h2><p>Electric cars are being built and developed in as many varieties, from pick-ups to sports cars, as gasoline-powered cars. And their performance is better — some models can go from zero to sixty in 2.3 seconds, stats no gasoline-powered car off the lot can match.</p><p>Before too long, gas-powered cars will seem old-fashioned. Sure, some people will still enjoy their vintage cars. But technology moves quickly — and brings with it lower costs, higher performance and more fun.</p><h2>8. Affordable: EVs Costs Are Declining and Will Save Consumers Thousands on Gas and Other Costs.</h2><p>For years we've had debates about gas prices. With EV's you pay <em>zero</em> at the gas station. Just about the only people arguing against the switch to EVs are the oil companies, refiners and their allies — they're grasping to preserve their profits. Of course they want people to pay to fill up their cars with gasoline every week.</p><p>Analysts predict EVs will reach price parity with gasoline-powered cars<a href="https://www.mjbradley.com/sites/default/files/ElectricVehicleMarketStatus05072019.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> by 2025</a>. Research suggests that by 2030, the buyer of a new battery electric vehicle will save more than <a href="http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/files/2021/01/FINAL-National-White-Paper-Protective-Clean-Car-Standards-1.26.21.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$7,000 over the life </a>of the car compared to a gasoline-powered car. Our investments will also mean zero-emitting vehicles will be more affordable for local governments that want to create healthier communities.</p>
<h2>9. We Can Produce Cleaner Car Batteries in the USA and Work to Recycle Their Components.</h2><p>As we build more clean cars, we should also make producing batteries cleaner. A<a href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheicct.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fpublications%2FEV-life-cycle-GHG_ICCT-Briefing_09022018_vF.pdf&data=04%7C01%7Cslanger%40edf.org%7Cd8f9655e5a9a4ad4412008d8cc42f297%7Cfe4574edbcfd4bf0bde843713c3f434f%7C0%7C0%7C637483935193665635%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=2vcp877e1LIg0U8hGhlVleagH8H3ObKg%2FGzVndkujog%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> report</a> from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) says that the place where a battery is made has a lot to do with the amount of emissions from the manufacturing process. Batteries made in the US, with American manufacturing techniques, produce 65% less emissions than those currently made in China.* It's another reason for policies to boost American production of electric vehicles and their components and create jobs here at home.</p><p>We should continue to increase battery life and recycling. USA Today reports that "researchers found that recycling car batteries on a large scale was 'very promising'" and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory says that lithium-ion car batteries <a href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nrel.gov%2Fdocs%2Ffy14osti%2F62813.pdf&data=04%7C01%7Cslanger%40edf.org%7Cd8f9655e5a9a4ad4412008d8cc42f297%7Cfe4574edbcfd4bf0bde843713c3f434f%7C0%7C0%7C637483935193675585%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=9wWITaDd4nWKZu%2BJ9Dsi8okRSB2q9do4GNzN12rMGCw%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">could last up to 15 years. </a></p><p><em>*Vehicles with Chinese-made batteries are still cleaner than gas vehicles.</em></p><h2>10. To Combat Child Labor in the Overseas Mining Industry, We Need Strong Monitoring and to Build More Batteries Here Under U.S. Labor Laws.</h2><p>Mineral sourcing from countries with gross human rights abuses, including child labor, is unacceptable. But the solution isn't sticking to a broken system of relying on polluting transportation that carries its own unacceptable human toll. Instead, we need standards supported by credible third-parties that verify minerals are being sourced sustainably and ethically. Those who are truly concerned about labor standards overseas should be advocating zero emission vehicle standards paired with domestic manufacturing incentive programs in the US.</p>
<h2>11. The U.S. EPA and the State of California Have Clear Authority to Establish Pollution Safeguards That Rely on the Increasing Availability of Zero-Emitting Vehicles.<br></h2><p>The Environmental Protection Agency has <a href="http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2017/04/02/the-tenth-anniversary-of-massachusetts-v-epa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">time </a><a href="https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/accomplishments-and-success-air-pollution-transportation#:~:text=Congress%20passed%20the%20landmark%20Clean,by%20adopting%20increasingly%20stringent%20standards" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tested </a><a href="https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/52AC9DC9471D374685257A290052ACF6/$file/09-1322-1380690.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">authority </a>under the Clean Air Act to adopt pollution standards that rely on the increasing availability of zero-emitting vehicles. California can set more protective standards for cars and trucks (and other states can adopt these standards).</p><p>Clean transportation is the future. It brings with it economic, health and environmental benefits. Still, lots of big interests make significant profits by ensuring that Americans open their wallets every week at the gas station. This gives us a big fight ahead to secure a quick transition to EVs.. But it's a fight we need to win.</p>
<p><em>Copyright © 2020 Environmental Defense Fund. Used by permission. The original material is available <a href="http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2021/02/11/eleven-facts-about-clean-vehicles-to-counter-gas-guzzling-lobbyists/" target="_blank">here.</a></em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Shell announced Thursday that its carbon dioxide emissions peaked in 2018 and oil production peaked in 2019. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Fossil fuel giant Shell says it has already reached peak oil production.
<p>In a <a href="https://www.shell.com/media/news-and-media-releases/2021/shell-accelerates-drive-for-net-zero-emissions-with-customer-first-strategy.html" target="_blank">statement</a> on Thursday, the Netherlands-based company said that its carbon dioxide emissions had peaked in 2018 at 1.7 gigatonnes per year and its oil production had peaked in 2019.</p><p>"Our accelerated strategy will drive down carbon emissions and will deliver value for our shareholders, our customers and wider society," Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said in the statement.</p><p>Shell reiterated its commitment to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. It also ramped up its targets for getting there, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/11/oil-giant-shell-says-carbon-emissions-and-oil-production-have-peaked.html" target="_blank">CNBC reported</a>. Previously, the company had pledged to cut total emissions by at least three percent by 2022, 30 percent by 2035 and 65 percent by 2050, compared with 2016 levels. Its new timeline promises a net reduction of six to eight percent by 2023, 20 percent by 2030, 45 percent by 2035 and 100 percent by 2050.</p><p>Shell also said that it aims to have 25 million tonnes a year more carbon capture capacity by 2035 and would invest in nature-based solutions to offset 120 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year by 2030. Plus, there are plans to invest $2 to $3 billion a year in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/renewable-energy" target="_self">renewable energy</a>, but experts questioned this amount as it fell behind the promised spending of other fossil fuel companies, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/business/shell-oil-production.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The New York Times reported</a>.</p>
<p>"Despite the green spin, the substance would suggest a more cautious approach to renewables," Stuart Joyner, an analyst at market research firm Redburn, told The New York Times.</p><p>Environmental groups also criticized Shell for focusing on offsetting emissions rather than fully transitioning away from fossil fuels.</p><p>"Shell will continue to invest more than 80 percent in oil and gas in the upcoming years, while investments in renewable energy are lagging far behind," Friends of the Earth Netherlands said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/11/business/shell-oil-production-peak/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</p><p>While Shell has pledged oil production will decline from the nearly 1.9 billion barrels of oil a day it produced in 2019, the company is still expected to produce more than one million barrels of oil a day by 2050.</p>
<p><br>Shell is one of 100 companies responsible for 71 percent of greenhouse gas emissions since 1988, a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/carbon-emissions-2456647136.html" target="_self">2017 report found</a>. There is also <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/shell-climate-video-2290679999.html" target="_self">evidence</a> that Shell knew about the dangers posed by the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> as early as 1986, but continued to invest in oil and gas exploration and lobby against climate action.<br></p><p>The announcement comes as oil demand <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/bp-job-cuts-oil-demand-coronavirus-2646165522.html" target="_self">plummeted</a> during the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and some analysts think it will never fully recover, according to CNN. European oil companies <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/oil-and-gas-emissions-bp-2050-2645140229.html" target="_self">BP</a> and <a href="https://www.total.com/media/news/total-adopts-new-climate-ambition-get-net-zero-2050" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Total</a> have also pledged to reach net zero by 2050, while U.S. oil companies ExxonMobil and Chevron have offered no such promises.</p>
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The DOI effectively suspended the issuance of public lands drilling permits just hours after President Biden's inauguration. Pgiam / Getty Images
The Interior Department is revoking about 70 oil and gas drilling permits issued, invalidly, during the first days of the Biden administration, Bloomberg reports.
<p>The DOI <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVnMPs37Pl8cVsY3q94gbTjRW6WXg814mx3CLN3ypqGw3p_b1V1-WJV7CgH5NW9l6spn15y1CHW6hsH4_2fzSsQW5QLYJ24kv1jgW6YfZz98FhbDpW3XGY968cVSdBN1f0cbBVpNjQW3rsFN53HGxS9W6R_4PL4Csq6WW7YRHFR2vpXfkW1HJzfC3VVDJ4W3BPpJY4jS7fxW1-535N1w0F1KW9dfd2j4N36rcW3CdZsc24ndRmW8Jmg-X3NbW2hVHP67n8tdCFzW1fQln28ZQlbJW3jwNmx1PfJ3SW4VCHPj1nnbsFW6Y3K842z_0lCW258LXp6rz633W1yLK1Y8Ns5dqVZmlR78gcv3KW4t18rx2hVZ-zW8Ng8R59kc_pDW5ytKHC8D-pC7W34LXf64lz85gW8trstW6ScCg-W6Zfzx52Bh-PSVlG0CW1y0TQd31ZX1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">effectively suspended</a> the issuance of public lands drilling permits just hours after President Biden's inauguration under an order by the Acting Interior Secretary limiting the authority to grant such permits to senior Interior officials. </p><p>The revoked permits were issued by agency staff without the newly required approval from senior officials, a DOI spokesperson said. </p><p>At least 33 offshore drilling permits have been authorized by top DOI officials since January 20.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-29/biden-yanks-just-approved-drilling-permits-for-additional-review?sref=oUjKJw8m&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=108970507&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--lYHyd4asiuwolK1s42LdWRvIR2r5MgcLQ0ZmdeIcJ1CIhfVhsrIipx0n-cT_fy_CjCIrFbPAsVUYoMf2R-tzqQtK3eU6au9EvRbj3ELydIz9UBIU&utm_content=108970507&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a> <br/></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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" 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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>. </em></p>
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The growing Texas solar industry is offering jobs to unemployed oil and gas professionals. King Lawrence / Getty Images
The growing Texas solar industry is offering a safe harbor to unemployed oil and gas professionals amidst the latest oil and gas industry bust, this one brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Houston Chronicle reports.
<p>With the fracking sector in turmoil, many workers are looking to apply their skills — from construction to negotiating land use agreements — to the solar industry. </p><p>"No question, we are getting workers moving over from oil and gas," Kevin Smith, Lighthouse BP's CEO in the Americas, said. "A lot of the oil and gas skills are applicable to solar." </p><p>Renewables are the fastest-growing energy sector in the country and Texas' topography, climate, and grid make it an attractive market for solar energy. </p><p>"Clean energy is growing and growing fast in Texas... This is where the jobs are going to be and where the economy is heading," Raj Prahbu, CEO of the Austin-based research firm Mercom Capital Group, told the Chronicle. </p><p>"If you're not going to make the shift, you're going to be left behind."</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p><a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Solar-offered-out-of-work-oil-landmen-place-to-15886138.php?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=107659709&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--jGRDk_B6Ji8TgYYD-MiYVUNnHjTwLHlnNpLk6rmBmQFRGCUHSVTG82fadaE-2OlB8gfDMBmrml1xmlhwOKVNfEzz38NIXpkL088Kq9hB3TbYdl-E&utm_content=107659709&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Houston Chronicle</a><br/></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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" 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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>. </em></p>
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No major oil company offered a valid bid on the land leases. Pat Gaines / Getty Images
The oil industry responded to the controversial and last-minute sale of oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with a collective 'meh' on Wednesday.
<p>The federal government received bids on just 11 of the 22 leasing tracts on offer, and nine of those were purchased at the legal minimum price of $25 per acre by an Alaska state-owned corporation with hopes to sublet the tracts to other oil companies in the future. </p><p>No major or even mid-size oil companies entered valid bids. </p><p>The ANWR lease sales are mandated as part of the GOP plan to pay for its 2017 tax cuts based on expectations that the sales and oil extraction would net the Treasury $1.8 billion over 10 years; Wednesday's lease sale raised $14.4 million. </p>
<p>Under mounting pressure from climate advocates, the six biggest American banks and five biggest Canadian banks have all pledged not to finance drilling in the refuge. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to prevent oil drilling in the refuge.</p><p>"This lease sale was an epic failure for the Trump administration and the Alaska congressional delegation," Adam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said in a statement. </p><p>"After years of promising a revenue and jobs bonanza they ended up throwing a party for themselves."</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/01/06/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-polar-bears/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9x1f4J1F0OtFhjdqNfsM2OEEcFSdUoNhoWYrJbpyKNVR97yaHYe4KgINerb1LzK1eFwrb5vCQHKFl0eDg92Mn4PGn8XLv0RxeG-jtuI75fVsTTMrs&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://www.adn.com/business-economy/energy/2021/01/06/anwr-lease-sale-brings-in-144-million-in-bids-mostly-from-alaska-state-owned-corporation/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--N4DdlAZeRNAUQwAXojgzeHRhAOStf444y0Jx4Cf7tEuhTVEOgJGRee604N1cCDfxS9Ygtj0PxR3TZwUDSnjdYaj5hk-tz5xuePEwZxBlRlRkVFy0&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Anchorage Daily News</a>, <a href="https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/auction-oil-gas-leases-alaska-arctic-refuge-draws-little-interest?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9by8khE_zPABF80OtouybI--xzLxvUvrc8iGiX3Z51eM30D-TqRQRAbBm3V7IU38bZsVAmzYnPaXf6sESSGKnxboWstbolIiIUc7nevqqHeVJMqZY&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">High North News</a>, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/alaska-agency-is-biggest-bidder-for-arctic-oil-leases-11609963845?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_fph9IODwKLyBJHA9Jd0cmuXggeUELlXRkRuG9_uowE0Ppw2k3AGux_UT3ab16QgjNDyyqw8hJzQXhsSQkb-CY3Kjd3xTTMR7CyTNDosANFIghzBw&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal,</a> <a href="https://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1063721947?t=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eenews.net%2Fstories%2F1063721947%3F_hsenc%3Dp2ANqtz-8JRd6gnk4_7ZlC1lEPJzm0OYQKJ47OdWPjR_gHMZZ6mX5HBHkaB2Am_qA1qoECGxhaBdThR59hZ6-bbDBZELxR1j53uV88yXKYPxjzCllbdfcB-pE%26_hsmi%3D105782603%26utm_campaign%3DHot%2520News%26utm_content%3D105782603%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dhs_email" target="_blank">E&E</a>,<a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07012021/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-oil-leases/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8oTdWGwuuRsu4-kcaPe0tE1xFJzpGotKkd91gPFKNd9xdzKQ26xEsdjvnqlX9H9l-wcGxS_opzwwxSl6vF05NRWZ7KEp2SA8kESqUh1fSfreL3FNs&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank"> InsideClimate News</a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-06/secret-bids-opened-in-rare-auction-of-arctic-oil-drilling-rights?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_BSs2y7tI3cVM-TC6vLZrluv3RL5ttNDRIlTYsRNrZm4R0Syzs2E7QQ1oOPcHrgxfOMpsRINrydj4fz63TRng-K1DvqCWF7ql666nnoK314pSa1H8&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/01/06/953718234/major-oil-companies-take-a-pass-on-controversial-lease-sale-in-arctic-refuge?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--zCLhVAWMBy1Sji6yxkGlLNBvPqNktX8YSCVqNKZPah-v2-cPRYfMg7bCbtOGqTXaBDj3eCyPsuQkQva9vwDuGY7YglfjqrJzMKfBISZPy7GvK7Ds&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/bf1c671e-a032-43a0-8471-5cfc133c8fee?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9bi3DrfICr5ifkIL-P_B3zOyjP_Y9ngzHr71OoAafNiEUyG8pkoW-Fkz70r_uuG9IflKVyGxLe-2J1CXBqB5QFsS5x5uwOdC_mz-JzD2hIgoy__Xo&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">FT,</a> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-alaska-oil/oil-drillers-shrug-off-trumps-u-s-arctic-wildlife-refuge-auction-idUSKBN29B0KR?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8s5zTGuBgVohzUrN6PG6pKIWl4XrUkeCar7I81uSrxV6O1KM4JspHsi1_y9pIrnrIpYNI5MrRn-wdYH3vrSaUBxtR7YJu9bx0ntQngdlT3e4wqlak&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Reuters</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/climate/arctic-refuge-drilling-lease-sales.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_cRMugNyj4Zvxbn2OcpCtJYZWmxmq0qQLcF8VugBQJVHTIxLzQyc1MxEbf0twRxjvx5SkExXvwaPMU9_HvobOY-Zl2hKMsjPRQ12Y-ySrKqh8IfzI&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">New York Times,</a> <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55564483?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GbPWL-EuxEvl0XsV7yquDsdDPNDirfoyv1NTj_H3nVXIPc6-unLWep9IdJLucGMsgwVwIHxPM3Rj0_m17HOJ_CbKHUOqeU5c3vhK7jtmnyfNNehE&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">BBC</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/06/trump-arctic-refuge-auction-oil-leases?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8NPyx9aOiHkL_lltqY5z42w-sez42AqcZnhTJoVIu1yU4DUdxOENKk9wno1q437aFZp6XIbsShjEfRAGHymuxULnnHK0VNtCDvfpiDsX5mAmOf4QM&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Guardian,</a> <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/532983-trumps-sale-of-arctic-refuge-drilling-rights-earns-just-a-fraction?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9m81SWu1WXTj_iOVpcjbk0EV3FnoR8KyBLJ5aBV7NyqpPPH42G8J5PKb2R35_bqqd719_MjgENcv_71qL3zPoQsEYhJpnLlCsJ7EBf4EwzJ-q2X2E&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Hill,</a> <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alaska-wildlife-arctic-513daddc87565b22cd5ba71f2b267a32?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8j09WFX9NfwlGeZoqWWTrR092rD3Ia8nZuwx5SATkSXCiPSmDs6noHSCBGiPUm3JZe3VhdqZ0Pm5O2ECI4-2Aiz6D84LxUTyCb2FSzgVRW2H8pwuM&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">AP,</a> <a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2021/01/07/stories/1063721993?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_rS_50mb4LbYCZTJq5HHcsRFRmexZGHWVXKMCaaY4iXwQX8yet0hk_PXS6HoPjWv6MU5fObU9Xm2hqzR2gStb7Z6tcpfHJU24foFBYv-WK9dVmlf8&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">E&E </a><br/></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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" 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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
- How Drilling in ANWR Would Threaten the Gwich'in People's Way of ... ›
- Trump: 'I Never Appreciated ANWR' Until Oil Industry Friend Called ... ›
- Biden Urged to Ban ANWR Drilling After Court Approves Leases ... ›
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Biden Is Urged to Ban ANWR Drilling After Court Approves Auction of Fossil Fuel Leases
07 January
Climate
Polar bears are seen in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge near Kaktovik, Alaska. Sylvain Cordier / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
President-elect Joe Biden is facing renewed pressure to deliver on his promise of a bold climate agenda after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration could move forward with a Wednesday auction of fossil fuel drilling leases for federally protected lands in Alaska.
<p>After decades of national debate over oil and gas development in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Republicans in Congress opened up the region to drilling with a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/08/gop-tax-scam-attacks-renewables-while-nurturing-nuclear-and-fossil-fuel-industries" target="_blank">provision</a> in the so-called "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/22/corporations-are-literally-going-wild-says-trump-he-signs-tax-bill-most-americans" target="_blank">tax scam</a>" that President Donald Trump signed in 2017.</p><p>Late Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason in Anchorage <a href="https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20441489-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-order-on-preliminary-injunction" target="_blank">declined</a> to issue a preliminary injunction to block the auction. The request came from environmental groups and Indigenous people who are opposed to drilling in ANWR, which is home to <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/wildlife_habitat.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">over 280 species</a>.</p><p>In a statement Wednesday, Mitch Jones, policy director at the advocacy group Food & Water Watch, urged Biden to prevent fossil fuel development in the refuge—and beyond—when he takes office in two weeks. The president-elect has previously <a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/2020/12/05/with-oil-drilling-in-anwr-advancing-and-a-possible-end-to-pebble-mine-what-could-change-for-alaska-under-biden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> he "totally" opposes drilling in the ecologically sensitive region.</p><p>"Trump rushing through these lease sales as a final handout to his cronies in the oil and gas industry is outrageous, if not surprising," Jones declared. "Trump's consistent, willful ignorance of the realities of climate change has pushed our planet towards decades of increasing climate chaos."</p>
<p>"President-elect Biden can reverse these disastrous oil and gas industry plans by keeping his promise to ban fossil fuel extraction—including fracking—on our public lands and waters," he added. "This is a step he can, and must, take upon taking office."</p><p>Jones' call for Biden to intervene to protect ANWR's coastal plain came after environmental and Indigenous leaders expressed disappointment with Gleason's decision not to block the auction while also emphasizing that her ruling doesn't mark the end of their fight against drilling rights in the refuge.</p><p>Four lawsuits have been filed since August challenging the lease plans, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-alaska-lawsuit/u-s-judge-denies-effort-to-stop-drilling-auction-in-arctic-refuge-idUSKBN29B071" target="_blank">according to</a> <em>Reuters</em>. The National Audubon Society and other groups had argued that the auction shouldn't go forward until the broader challenge to the drilling is resolved.</p><p>The <em>Anchorage Daily News</em> <a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/2020/12/05/with-oil-drilling-in-anwr-advancing-and-a-possible-end-to-pebble-mine-what-could-change-for-alaska-under-biden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reports</a> that Erik Grafe, an Earthjustice attorney representing the Audubon Society, said the case "is by no means over."</p><p>"The court concluded only that for now there is no harm that justifies an injunction. It also recognized that such an action could come very soon with issuance of seismic permits," he said. "We will continue to press our case that the agency approved the program unlawfully and that its decision should be overturned."</p>
<div id="4b52a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2fc64a53f75e68a880e2293893243cb"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1346838449593212928" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We #StandWiththeGwichin in our collective fight to #ProtectTheArctic.
Trump's last-ditch effort to extract fossil… https://t.co/uhaPPWiL6T</div> — 350 dot org (@350 dot org)<a href="https://twitter.com/350/statuses/1346838449593212928">1609946284.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, which represents some of the area's Indigenous people, similarly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-alaska-lawsuit/u-s-judge-denies-effort-to-stop-drilling-auction-in-arctic-refuge-idUSKBN29B071" target="_blank">said</a> Tuesday that "today's ruling is disappointing but does nothing to change the strength of our lawsuit or our resolve."</p><p>Demientieff's people have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/24/coalition-files-suit-stop-trumps-slapdash-and-tragic-plan-drill-arctic-national" target="_blank">relied </a>on the region's Porcupine Caribou Herd for thousands of years. The Gwich'in <a href="https://ourarcticrefuge.org/about-the-refuge/the-coastal-plain-the-sacred-place-where-life-begins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">call</a> the coastal plain, which the caribou use as their calving grounds, "Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit" or "The Sacred Place Where Life Begins."</p><p>As <em>The Guardian</em> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/05/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-lease-sales?utm_campaign=Carbon%20Brief%20Daily%20Briefing&utm_content=20210106&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20Daily" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> ahead of the ruling Tuesday:</p><blockquote>Oil from drilling west of the refuge, at Prudhoe Bay, has fueled the economic development the state has depended on to fill its coffers and write annual revenue checks to residents. That extraction also led to the most damaging oil spill in history, when the Exxon Valdez tanker spewed millions of barrels off Alaska's southern coast in 1989.<br><br>Prudhoe Bay "was the largest oil field ever discovered in North America. Since then we have had more than 1,500 square miles of oil and gas development in the Alaskan Arctic… but [ANWR] has been off limits," said Adam Kolton, executive director of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/alaska" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alaska</a> Wilderness League.<br><br>"For us, it symbolizes just what's at stake here. If you can't draw a line at the tundra and keep this one area of the Arctic off limits, then the question is, where can you draw the line and what protected part or wildlife refuge in the United States will remain off limits?"<br></blockquote><p>For the <a href="https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2021/01/05/heres-what-to-know-ahead-of-the-anwr-oil-lease-sale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first-ever ANWR auction</a>, the Bureau of Land Management "plans open bids from companies seeking 10-year leases," according to the <em>Daily News.</em> "Up for grabs to the highest bidder are 22 tracts on the refuge's coastal plain, most of them about 50,000 acres. Together, the tracts represent about 5% of the 19-million-acre refuge."</p>
<div id="ef02c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="21eddea470b1f924a3e56108665ca656"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1346821784440606720" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">With the denial of the injunction lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will go forward today. The ind… https://t.co/B07NKdKD9w</div> — Ctr4BioDiv Ocean (@Ctr4BioDiv Ocean)<a href="https://twitter.com/EndangeredOcean/statuses/1346821784440606720">1609942310.0</a></blockquote></div><p>It remains unclear if any fossil fuel companies will even bid on the leases—especially given that major U.S. banks, under pressure from environmental and Indigenous groups, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/01/lame-duck-trump-pushes-arctic-pillage-bank-america-latest-bank-rule-out-drilling" target="_blank">have adopted policies</a> of refusing to finance drilling in the Arctic, including ANWR, which was designated by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/06/after-court-oks-trump-arctic-refuge-auction-biden-urged-immediately-ban-drilling" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Kinder Morgan Pipeline Spills up to 42,000 Gallons of Gasoline Into California Drainage Canal
11 December 2020
Energy
A pipeline leaked tens of thousands of gallons of gasoline into a waterway in Walnut Creek, California. California Office of Spill Prevention and Response / Facebook
A Kinder Morgan pipeline leaked tens of thousands of gallons of gasoline into a waterway in Walnut Creek, California, prompting concerns from residents worried about the company's safety record.
<p>Locals are mistrustful of the company after a 2004 explosion on the same line killed five construction workers and injured four others, the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/42-000-gallons-of-gasoline-leaks-into-Walnut-15790022.php?converted=1" target="_blank">San Francisco Chronicle pointed out</a>. In this case, area residents say they saw Kinder Morgan respond to the spill before they were informed of what was happening.</p><p>"They scared quite a few people on this street and no one was saying anything," Matt Dooling told the San Francisco Chronicle. "This happened right where the 2004 explosion happened, so when they say that it's not dangerous, we don't really believe them."</p>
<p>The story began Nov. 20 when company officials first noticed a pressure drop on part of the pipeline that runs between Concord and San Jose, <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/12/09/walnut-creek-pipeline-crack-leaks-30-40k-gallons-of-gasoline-into-channel/" target="_blank">The Mercury News reported</a>. They shut down portions of the pipeline at the time, but then a worker reported the smell and appearance of gas in a drainage canal Dec. 2.</p><p>"We immediately shut down the pipeline and isolated the area," Kinder Morgan spokeswoman Melissa Ruiz told The Mercury News.</p><p>Dooling told the San Francisco Chronicle that he observed Kinder Morgan workers examining the canal Dec. 2 while walking with his daughter, but that he and other neighbors were not given an explanation until days later.</p><p>Officials first thought the two incidents were not connected, but later determined that tree roots had wrapped around the pipeline, causing it to crack and gasoline to leak out. The gasoline had then travelled about a mile and a half downstream to the canal. It moved along a gravel bed beneath the canal's concrete bottom. All told, an estimated 31,500 to 42,000 gallons of gasoline leaked out, <a href="https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/12/09/underground-gasoline-spill-in-walnut-creek-prompts-federal-state-investigations/" target="_blank">CBS SF reported</a>.</p>
<p>The incident has prompted an investigation and cleanup operation involving multiple agencies. There are no reports that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> has been harmed, but crews continue to observe local animals.</p><p>"If more of the fuel reached the canal, we would have a bigger problem with wildlife potentially being impacted," Eric Laughlin, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told The Mercury News. "Since a lot of it is still underground, it's not as catastrophic as it would be if it were in open water."</p><p>The canal is also designed to control flooding and does not feed into public drinking water.</p>
<p>It is not yet known when the cleanup will be complete, but the pipeline was expected to resume operations Wednesday, Ruiz said.</p><p>Kinder Morgan is one of the nation's largest energy companies and manages around 83,000 miles of gas pipeline. It was the owner of the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline and its planned expansion until the Canadian government <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/canada-kinder-morgan-pipeline-2573283566.html" target="_self">purchased both</a> in 2018.</p><p>After the 2004 explosion, it was found that Kinder Morgan had failed to mark a bend in its pipeline. This enabled it to be pierced while a water main was being installed, sending a fireball seven stories into the air, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Kinder Morgan was found guilty of six felonies in 2007 and ordered to pay $15 million. It also paid tens of millions of dollars in reparations to victims and other fines.</p>
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