Soybean crops affected by a drought near Navasota, Texas on August 21, 2013. Bob Nichols / USDA / Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images
By Keith Schneider
In many ways, the story of Texas over the last century is the state's devout allegiance to the principle that mankind has dominion over nature.
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic shut down that idea in 2020. By 11 October, nearly 800,000 people had been infected in Texas and over 16,000 died.</p><p>The sharp and irrepressible rise in virus cases and mortality adds to the intensifying view among Texans that far from living in a place distant from the vagaries of nature, Texas has become a national and global epicenter of natural calamity.</p><p>More people and businesses in Texas are in the way, as booming population and economic growth this century have written a much different story of vulnerability – to nature's bullying and to government's uncertain capacity to adjust. The state's principal <a href="https://texasstatewaterplan.org/statewide" target="_blank">water research agency projects that demand for fresh water</a> will increase dramatically by mid-century as supplies steadily drop, precipitating what looks like an inevitable supply crisis. In short, the second- largest American state and one of the world's largest economies looks a lot like China, India, Australia, South Africa and every other place in the world contending with the confrontation between diminishing water supply and increasing demand.</p><p><span></span>"Texas does not understand shortages," said Dr. Larry McKinney, one of the state's top water researchers and the former director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, a unit of Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. "It's the Texas mentality. Texas is so big we've had a hard time coming to grips that resources are finite. We really never had to deal with that. Frankly, we're reaching that point."</p>
Rising Demand Confronts Lower Supplies
<p>There are a couple of ways to examine the coming hardship. The first is in numbers. The <a href="https://www.twdb.texas.gov/waterplanning/data/projections/index.asp" target="_blank">Texas Water Development Board found</a> that by 2070 the state's population will grow to 51 million people, 22 million more than today. The state's annual demand for water, the State Water Board projects, will climb to 21.6 million acre-feet (27 trillion liters), up from 18.4 million.</p><p>At the same time, a severe drought will bring increasing constraint. <a href="https://texasstatewaterplan.org/statewide" target="_blank">State authorities project</a> that in a drought comparable to the most severe on record, water supplies will fall over the next 50 years from 15.2 million acre-feet to 13.6 million acre-feet (17 trillion liters). During the driest periods, more people will have considerably less water.</p><p>Here's how that confrontation is playing out in the Hill Country, a region of rapid population growth and uncertain water supply west of Austin, Texas' capital city.</p><p>Two generations ago, about 40,000 people made their homes in Hays County, an epic, rural, rolling masterpiece of space and sky close to Austin and San Antonio. Authorities in Hays counted 14,000 homes that were supplied with water from the Trinity Aquifer, a giant freshwater reserve that lay below. <a href="https://www.circleofblue.org/2020/world/when-it-rains-texas-forgets-drought-and-worsening-water-scarcity/" target="_blank">In both wet years and dry, water was readily available</a>.</p><p>Four decades later, Hays County has grown to 222,000 residents and 75,000 housing units. The Trinity Aquifer is tapped out. Since 2003, a pipeline from Lake Travis, a reservoir near Austin, has provided developers with sufficient water to continue building big subdivisions.<br></p><p>But <a href="https://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/jcr:04bd3fbb-54df-4be7-bd27-265778ff134f/Mitchell2014%20-%20updated.pdf" target="_blank">a study</a> by the Hill Country Alliance and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University in San Marcos found that the piped water encouraged more drilling fo water wells into the aquifer. In one area, they found that pumping jumped from just over 3 million gallons annually to 90 million gallons (409 million liters).</p><p>The idea of the sanctity of economic expansion produces all manner of conflict and turmoil about water throughout Texas. The annual <a href="https://www.forbes.com/places/tx/" target="_blank">$1.89 trillion Texas economy,</a> the second-largest state economy and <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true" target="_blank">ninth-largest in the world</a>, is entirely dependent on access to adequate supplies of water.</p><p>The 2011 drought <a href="https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2012/03/21/updated-2011-texas-agricultural-drought-losses-total-7-62-billion/#:~:text=Updated%202011%20Texas%20agricultural%20drought%20losses%20total%20%247.62%20billion,-March%2021%2C%202012&text=COLLEGE%20STATION%20%E2%80%93%20Texas%20agricultural%20losses,Texas%20AgriLife%20Extension%20Service%20economists." target="_blank">caused more than $7 billion in agricultural losses</a>, and indirect costs of $16.9 billion. From 1980 to 2018, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Texas also led all states, by far, in losses from severe storms and flooding. In 2017 alone, Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm that stalled near Houston, caused <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/08/hurricane-harvey-was-years-costliest-us-disaster-125-billion-damages/" target="_blank">$125 billion in damages</a>.</p>
<p>"Water is the economy in Texas," said McKinney. "It drives everything, particularly as you get less of it."</p><p>Sound familiar? It should. Struggles over water occurring across Texas are essentially the same as those unfolding in places where growth is highest and water resources are under the most stress. In the United States that means California, the Southwest and the Rocky Mountain West.</p><p>The same two trends are unfolding around the planet, most notably in China and India. In 2011, China discovered that its program of energy development, grain production, and construction of new cities was using so much water that <a href="http://en.pkulaw.cn/display.aspx?cgid=3256f00ff8d269babdfb&lib=law" target="_blank">by 2020 it would be 20 to 25 trillion liters</a> in deficit, a shortage so dire it could wreck China's booming economy.</p><p>A command-and-control society, China aggressively set out to shrink the deficit by quickly acting on three big initiatives. It moved much of its grain production from the dry Yellow River Basin to the wet northeast provinces. It closed water-thirsty coal mines, coal-washing stations, and water-cooled coal-fired power stations. And it<a href="https://www.circleofblue.org/2011/world/choke-point-chinaconfronting-water-scarcity-and-energy-demand-in-the-worlds-largest-country/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> built the largest water-conserving solar and wind electrical generating industry on Earth</a>.</p>
<p>India is having less success. Groundwater levels are steadily declining in the northwest states that produce much of country's rice, wheat, and sugarcane. But the state and national governments encourage the trend. In a nation that has known pervasive hunger, food production is a paramount cultural objective. Keeping the 700 million Indians who are involved in agriculture happy is another prime objective. That's why farmers pay nothing for water. They can use what they like. And they <a href="https://www.circleofblue.org/2013/world/choke-point-india-the-leopard-in-the-well/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pay nothing for electricity to run ever-more powerful pumps needed to pull water to the surface that lies ever-deeper below ground</a>.</p><p>Texas is Texas. Texas is big, rich, growing, impulsive and impressive. The significant question Texas hasn't answered is where it will find enough water by 2070 – 10 trillion liters, according to the Texas Water Development Board, or about half the Chinese water deficit – to keep over 50 million people safe, satisfied and thriving during deepening droughts.</p><p>There are two ways to look at the challenge. The most optimistic view is so Texas. The Water Board, with its process of reviewing and revising the State Water Plan every five years, lays out steps that are meant to give Texas guidance and time to figure it out. The more realistic and accurate assessment is that as Texas pursues its steep growth vector, the hardships of serious droughts will grow worse.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/texas-water-supplies-running-dry/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Brain-Eating Amoeba Found in Texas City's Water Spurs Disaster Declaration
28 September
Health + Wellness
Brain-eating amoeba, naegleria fowleri, was detected in the water storage tank for the Lake Jackson Civic Center Splash Pad, according to Lake Jackson city officials. Lake Jackson Civic Center
Environmental officials have warned residents of Lake Jackson, Texas to boil their water before using it for cooking or drinking after a six-year-old boy died from a brain-eating amoeba in the water. Tests for naegleria fowleri showed its presence in three of 11 samples in the Lake Jackson area, including one from a hose at the boy's home, according to the AP.
<p>Lake Jackson is a suburb of Houston, just over 50 miles south of the city.</p><p>Texas Governor Greg Abbot referred to the water sample tests when he issued a <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/DISASTER_Brazoria_County_water_disaster_IMAGE_09-27-2020.pdf" target="_blank">disaster declaration</a> Sunday. He said, "the presence of naegleria fowleri, which can cause a rare and devastating infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, was identified in three of 11 tests of the water supply, posing an imminent threat to public health and safety, including loss of life," as <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-governor-issues-disaster-declaration-over-brain-eating-amoeba-found-in-lake-jackson-water-supply/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CBS News</a> reported.</p>
<p>Health officials let Lake Jackson know that a boy had become infected with the brain-eating amoeba in early September. Exposure to the microbe usually happens through the nose and the boy's family believes he was exposed through the family's hose or from the nearby Lake Jackson Civic Center Splash Pad where water sprays up from the ground, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/27/us/water-supply-brain-eating-amoeba.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>The splash pad was tested and the brain-eating amoeba was detected in both the splash pad's storage tank and a nearby fire hydrant, said Lake Jackson city officials, as NBC News reported.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/general.html" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC), the dangerous species is found in freshwater lakes, warm rivers, hot springs and soil. It can also thrive in poorly maintained pools or unchlorinated ones, as well as warm water waste from factories, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/26/us/brain-eating-amoeba-found-in-texas-water-supply-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>"You cannot get infected from swallowing water contaminated with Naegleria," said the CDC in guidance on parasites posted on its website, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/houston-area-water-may-be-tainted-brain-eating-microbe-n1241185" target="_blank">NBC News</a> reported.</p><p>Initially, eight communities were warned not to use tap water for anything except flushing the toilet. However, further testing localized the problem and the warning was lifted on Saturday for all cities in Brazoria County except for Lake Jackson, according to CBS News.</p><p>Then late in the day, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality relaxed its decree for Lake Jackson, changing it from an order not to use the water to a notice to boil the water before consumption. It also warned residents not to let water up their nose during various activities such as bathing, swimming and washing their face, according to the AP.</p>
<p>Lake Jackson, a city of 27,000, will see its water flushed and then tested before the "do not drink" order is lifted, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54313110" target="_blank">BBC</a>.</p><p>"During this period of disinfection and flushing, boiling the tap water makes it safe for drinking and cooking," said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in a statement, as the AP reported. "Naegleria fowleri is a type of amoeba that can be managed using standard treatment and disinfection processes."</p>
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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. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<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" /><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" /><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" /><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" /><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" /><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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A portion of roadway is flooded in Corpus Christi, Texas on Sept. 20, 2020 due to storm surge from Tropical Storm Beta in the Gulf of Mexico. Matt Pierce / iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus
The National Hurricane Center has run out of names for tropical storms this year and has now moved on to the Greek alphabet during an extremely active hurricane season. Late Monday night, Tropical Storm Beta became the ninth named storm to make landfall. That's the first time so many named storms have made landfall since 1916, when Woodrow Wilson was president, according to NBC News.
<p>Beta is a small but slow-moving storm. Its tropical-storm winds extend 125 miles from the eye of the storm. However, the danger from Beta is not its winds, but the tremendous amount of rain it is expected to drop on towns and cities along the Interstate 10 corridor in Texas and Louisiana, according to the <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/hurricane/os-ne-hurricane-teddy-tropical-storm-beta-monday-update-20200921-ppok6b2fbvcf3mh4ykjv7k44ci-story.html." target="_blank">Orlando Sentinel</a>.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCUAT2+shtml/220401.shtml?" target="_blank">National Hurricane Center</a> issued an update late last night that the center of Beta made landfall in Texas near the Southern End of the Matagorda peninsula around 10 p.m. CDT.</p><p>The storm's slow movement will stall Beta over Texas and drench the region with five to 10 inches of rain, said Rich Otto, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, MD, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/20/us/tropical-storm-beta.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported. The heavy rains and wind will also create dangerous storm surges.</p>
<p>"Twenty-four hours from now it will be in roughly the same location," Otto said Monday, according to The New York Times.</p><p>That stalled movement has put roughly 11 million people under flash flood warnings that span the Texas and Louisiana coast, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/21/weather/tropical-storm-beta-texas-louisiana-monday/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. The sustained rain is also expected to cause river flooding and urban <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a>.</p><p>Early Tuesday morning, Beta was moving no faster than people typically walk, at just 3 miles per hour. It is predicted to stall over inland Texas Tuesday and then move toward the east and northeast later in the day when it will begin to weaken, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/f19bbc72c7ec3d2040c0b942666eee90" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AP</a>. It is expected to stay in southeastern Texas through Wednesday and then move over Louisiana and Mississippi through Friday.</p>
<p>Dangerous flash floods may continue through Wednesday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Amaryllis Cotto in Galveston, Texas, who spoke to the AP. Cotto added that 6-12 inches of rain has already fallen in the area and some areas have seen 18 inches of rain.</p><p>On Monday night, Beta's storm surge washed away a pier in Galveston, Texas. The incident was captured on video and posted to <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSHouston/status/1307883681717972992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1307883681717972992%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fweather.com%2Fnews%2Fnews%2F2020-09-21-tropical-storm-beta-texas-louisiana-flooding-damage-galveston" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</p><p>The governors of Texas and Louisiana both urged residents to be vigilant during the storm. Texas Governor Greg Abbot issued a disaster declaration for 29 counties Monday, while Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency and begged residents still recovering from Hurricane Laura to be especially careful, according to <a href="https://weather.com/news/news/2020-09-21-tropical-storm-beta-texas-louisiana-flooding-damage-galveston" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Weather Channel</a>.</p>
<p>Nic Hunter, the mayor of Lake Charles, Louisiana, worried that Beta's intense rains may be "an emotional and mental toll for a lot of our citizens," as the city tries to recover after Hurricane Laura damaged 95 percent of the city's nearly 30,000 buildings, according to the AP.</p><p>While Beta slowly drenches Texas, Hurricane Teddy has strengthened in the Atlantic and is churning towards Nova Scotia in Canada. It is expected to make landfall Wednesday.</p><p>"Teddy should turn to the north-northeast and move over eastern Nova Scotia on Wednesday then over the Gulf of St. Lawrence late Wednesday into Thursday," National Hurricane Center forecasters said, according to the Orlando Sentinel.</p>
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'Unsurvivable Storm Surge' Expected as Hurricane Laura Hits Gulf Coast With 150 mph Winds
27 August
Climate
A NOAA satellite image of the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 27, 2020 at 7:36 a.m. EST. NOAA
In the middle of the night, Hurricane Laura made landfall, hitting the Gulf Coast in Louisiana with record-setting 150 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center, which warned of an "unsurvivable" storm surge.
<blockquote>"Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes. This surge could penetrate up to 40 miles inland from the immediate coastline, and flood waters will not fully recede for several days after the storm."</blockquote>
<p>The storm weakened rapidly as it moved inland, losing strength as it was downgraded to a category 3 hurricane. Early Thursday morning, it was down to a category 2 and the National Hurricane Center expects it will weaken to a tropical storm as it turns northeast and moves over Arkansas Thursday.</p><p>"At the time of landfall, Laura was a ferocious looking hurricane with a clear circular eye, an intense eyewall, and tightly-coiled surrounding spiral bands," the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT3+shtml/DDHHMM.shtml" target="_blank">National Weather Service said</a> in an update on the storm early Thursday, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/08/26/hurricane-laura-updates-texas-louisiana/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-high_lufbanner-6a%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> reported.</p>
<p>Cameron, Louisiana on the Gulf Coast, about 35 miles east of the Texas border, bore the brunt of Laura as it moved on shore with near record winds. In Lake Charles, a city of 78,000 people, buildings shook as the storm's winds ripped through the city's streets.</p><p>"There will be parts of Lake Charles underwater that no living human being has ever seen before," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told WWL Radio, as CNN reported. "We are marshaling all of our people and assets to go in ... and start a very robust search and rescue effort."</p>
<p>The National Hurricane Center warned that the storm surges would make a low-lying area, like Cameron, part of the Gulf of Mexico until the storm had passed and the floodwaters receded, as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/us/hurricane-laura-update.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported.</p><p>In the run up to the storm, governors from both Louisiana and Texas urged people to evacuate. "I'm asking people right now to pay attention to this storm, to get out of harm's way," said Edwards during a briefing before the storm's arrival, as The New York Times reported. "Understand, our state has not seen a storm surge like this in many, many decades. We haven't seen wind speeds like we're going to experience in a very, very long time."</p>
<p>While the storm is weakening, its heavy winds are still ripping through Western Louisiana and grazing East Texas, causing widespread power outages. Furthermore, the hurricane is dropping five to 10 inches of rain over a wide swath of the Gulf Coast, and up to 18 inches in some areas, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/08/26/hurricane-laura-updates-texas-louisiana/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-high_lufbanner-6a%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>. That intense rain is leading to flash flooding in some areas.</p><p>The National Hurricane Center warned that just because the storm is weakening does not mean it is safe. The effects will continue to be felt through the weekend for areas east of the Mississippi River.</p>
<p>In a statement Thursday morning, it said:</p><blockquote>"It should be noted that strong hurricanes like Laura are not just coastal events. Even though Laura's highest winds will decrease quickly as it treks inland, significant impacts from heavy rains and strong wind gusts are likely through at least tonight across portions of Louisiana and Arkansas. Some strengthening as an extratropical cyclone is expected when the storm moves over the Atlantic waters late this weekend and early next week."</blockquote>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU4NTQyMS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MjM1NzEwM30.hPRcCM493arLmJomOA3h9-4NUlVqDlBHKzavR-O8L0M/img.gif?width=980" id="9f9f2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1d55d58693229ea2e3cf3dc574c4c639" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
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Fire and smoke at a plastics plant in Grand Prairie, Texas, on Aug. 19, 2020. The massive fire that broke out overnight is likely to burn for days, officials said. Xinhua / Dan Tian via Getty Images
A plastics plant near Dallas,Texas caught fire midnight Wednesday, sending a column of toxic smoke billowing over North Texas.
<p><br/></p>
Twitter
<div id="530f0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4a9d167b449145aafb50e9b487e967bb"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1296088867293069313" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">TEXAS FIRE: Local media reports a major fire and explosions at the Poly America industrial facility in Grand Prairi… https://t.co/kf5VPU8uVw</div> — NowThis (@NowThis)<a href="https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/statuses/1296088867293069313">1597846640.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The smoke could be seen for miles and was picked up on a weather camera in Denton, about 40 miles away, <a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/massive-fire-breaks-out-at-factory-in-grand-prairie/287-aa702222-e44e-40e8-8e45-2d625ec62e90" target="_blank">WFAA reported</a>. No injuries were reported and no evacuations were ordered, but people with underlying medical conditions were warned to avoid the smoke and self-evacuate if needed. </p><p>"Anybody with any breathing problems, any asthmatics, I mean it is the combustion from plastic so it's not good to breathe," Grand Prairie Assistant Fire Chief Bill Murphy told <a href="https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/08/19/fire-rages-manufacturing-plant-grand-prairie-poly-america/" target="_blank">CBS Dallas-Fort Worth</a>. </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/radar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#radar</a> captured the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/smoke?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#smoke</a> plume from the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GrandPrairie?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GrandPrairie</a> industrial <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fire</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dfwwx?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dfwwx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/txwx?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#txwx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/polyethylene?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#polyethylene</a> <a href="https://t.co/OjQR21LohY">pic.twitter.com/OjQR21LohY</a></p>— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSFortWorth/status/1296038755472572420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>The fire broke out at Poly-America factory in Grand Prairie, which manufactures polyethylene and petroleum-based products such as trash bags, drop cloths, plastic sheeting and vapor barrier film. </p><p>Firefighters think the blaze started when a powerline fell on an area where plastic rolls were being stored. </p><p>"All of their storage there at Poly-America, for their rolled plastic, is underneath those towers so it ignited the plastic rolls. It just spread to all the inventory that they have back there," Murphy told CBS Dallas-Fort Worth. </p>
<p>Because of the nature of the plastic fuel, firefighters initially thought the fire would burn through Thursday, but they managed to contain it by 4 p.m. Wednesday, <a href="https://apnews.com/5a242526f448227dd9ccf021ab0fb4bb" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>.</p><p>"Plastic is hard to put out and it's just gonna burn," Murphy said. </p><p>Another difficulty was train tracks that ran between the firefighters and the factory building, WFAA reported. One train car filled with paint caught fire.</p><p>"It was a solid wall of 15-foot flames all night long," Murphy said.</p><p>The factory building itself was removed from the fire and not expected to be damaged.</p><p>The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Grand Prairie officials said they would continue to monitor air quality, The Associated Press reported. </p>
<p>"The State of Texas is monitoring the industrial fire in Grand Prairie and working closely with local officials and first responders to address safety concerns in the community," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement reported by WFAA. "The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Grand Prairie officials are continually checking air quality conditions and the State will provide any necessary resources to the area. I ask Texans in the Grand Prairie community to heed the guidance of local officials and pray for the safety of the first responders combating the fire."</p><p>This isn't the first time Poly-America has caught fire. Another blaze 32 years ago took a day to put out.</p><p>Texas environmental groups said the fire exemplified the dangers of producing plastics. </p><p>"This is a dramatic and frightening example of why we must reduce our dependence on toxic plastics," <a href="https://www.texasenvironment.org/" target="_blank">Texas Campaign for the Environment</a> senior strategy director Corey Troiani told <a href="https://www.greensourcedfw.org/articles/plastic-plant-fire-grand-prairie-should-be-wake-call-say-environmentalists" target="_blank">Green Source DFW</a>. "The plastics industry has targeted Texas to expand dangerous facilities like this one to produce more unsustainable single-use products. Incidents like this remind us that we must transition to a cleaner economy and protect our health and environment from plastics. Our hearts go out to the residents of Grand Prairie and neighboring cities who live near this fire."</p>
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The Florida National Guard collects specimens for coronavirus testing at a nursing home on May 1, 2020. Sgt. Michael Baltz / Florida National Guard
Florida has now confirmed more coronavirus cases than New York, the early epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, in another sign that the U.S. as a whole is struggling to control the deadly disease.
<p>Florida became the second state after California to overtake New York's case count Sunday. It had 423,855 total cases to New York's 411,736, according to Sunday afternoon figures from Johns Hopkins University <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/26/895596931/florida-case-count-surpasses-that-of-new-york-the-countrys-original-epicenter" target="_blank">reported by NPR</a>. California, the U.S.'s most populous state, remained in the lead with 450,242 cases, while Texas was in fourth place with 391,000, according to a <a href="https://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKCN24R0IH" target="_blank">Reuters tally</a>.</p><p>"What we have right now are essentially three New Yorks," White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said of Florida, Texas and California on Friday, as the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e7a2d746-35f9-4669-a56b-d8e256889343" target="_blank">Financial Times reported</a>. "That's why you hear us calling for masks and increased social distancing, to really stop the spread of this epidemic."</p>
<div id="d7a78" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b85676cae18d963e7a34c5ee8d75a0fa"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287434140573405191" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: Florida has passed New York for 2nd in total COVID-19 cases. The top 5 states by total cases:
1) Califor… https://t.co/szC6VLGFFt</div> — Florida Coronavirus Tracker (@Florida Coronavirus Tracker)<a href="https://twitter.com/FloridaCovid/statuses/1287434140573405191">1595783193.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>New York continues to hold the lead for coronavirus fatalities with more than 32,000, according to Reuters. Florida has the eighth most with nearly 6,000.</p><p>However, deaths are rising in Florida and across the nation. California, Texas and Florida all reported record increases in deaths this week, according to the Financial Times. Florida reported 970 deaths and 3,452 hospitalizations for the week ending Sunday, up from 758 deaths and 3,021 hospitalizations the week before, the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/07/26/florida-reports-9344-coronavirus-infections-sunday-78-deaths/" target="_blank">Tampa Bay Times reported</a>. COVID-19 is by far the deadliest infectious disease in the state this year. It is currently killing three times as many people as AIDS, viral hepatitis, the flu and pneumonia combined.</p><p>Nationwide, the death toll rose by more than 1,000 for a fifth day in a row Saturday, the Financial Times reported. Deaths averaged 876 a day for the week ending Saturday, the highest daily average since early June.</p>
<p>The mortality increase follows a surge in cases that brought the U.S. total to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/us-coronavirus-cases-2646792890.html" target="_self">over four million</a> last week.</p><p>However, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state health officials thought new infections were beginning to plateau in the state, according to the Tampa Bay Times.</p><p>Birx also told NBC news there was evidence of plateauing in Florida, Texas, California and Arizona, another hard-hit state, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-deaths-us-covid-trump-cdc-guidelines-states-reopening-a9638066.html" target="_blank">The Independent reported</a>.</p><p>It is hard to tell which state really leads in cases since the pandemic began, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/world/coronavirus-live-updates.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwAR1-zmI6vuqH6_4xhLXVU414qXV-L6RDeOa3tibhDhucRJljqRbSRdnIwrs#link-7666357" target="_blank">The New York Times pointed out</a>. That's because New York and California both experienced outbreaks early, when testing was still limited. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coronavirus-infections-reported-cases-antibodies-2646449259.html" target="_self">published this month</a> calculated that the number of coronavirus infections could be two to 13 times higher than the official case count.</p>
<p>While they are neck and neck for confirmed cases, New York and Florida represent very different approaches to controlling the pandemic, according to NPR.</p><p>New York decreased infections and deaths by late spring, just as infections began to rise in Western and Southern states.</p><p>New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo lifted lockdown measures gradually and has required masks in public since April. Florida's DeSantis, meanwhile, has declined to mandate masks or impose new restrictions since most businesses were allowed to reopen in May.</p>
<p><em>Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said state health experts thought cases were beginning to plateau in the state. The story has been updated to note that both DeSantis and state health officials said this.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Hanna Pummels Texas as First Atlantic Hurricane of 2020 and Earliest ‘H’ Storm on Record
27 July
Climate
A Coast Guard aircrew conducts an overflight of areas impacted by Hurricane Hanna near Aransas Pass, Texas on July 26, 2020. U.S. Coast Guard photo
Hurricane Hanna, the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, battered the Texas coast on Saturday and Sunday as the state continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
<p>Hanna made landfall as a Category 1 storm at 6 p.m. EDT Saturday along the Padre Island National Seashore, around 50 miles south of Corpus Christi, <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/07/hurricane-hanna-first-atlantic-hurricane-of-2020-plows-toward-texas/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections reported</a>. South Texas, including Corpus Christi, has the highest coronavirus hospitalization rate in the country.</p><p>"Any hurricane is an enormous challenge. This challenge is complicated and made even more severe, seeing that it is sweeping through an area that is the most challenged area in the state for Covid-19," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Saturday, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hurricane-hanna-texas-tropical-storm-hurricane-douglas-hawaii-coronavirus-a9639141.html" target="_blank">The Independent reported</a>.</p><p>Abbott said that, to encourage social distancing, some people would be sheltered in hotel rooms. He also said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had approved an emergency declaration for the state.</p>
<div id="e6447" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="68b88ec3be5096a8bf5aa564d4a39827"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287494695011196929" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">FEMA & President Trump have already approved the Texas request relief from #HurricaneHanna.
FEMA is providing reim… https://t.co/lTZ5UV1AcN</div> — Greg Abbott (@Greg Abbott)<a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/statuses/1287494695011196929">1595797630.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Meanwhile, Red Cross Texas Gulf Coast chapter CEO Henry Van De Putte said the organization was working to keep its shelters safe by opening them at reduced capacity, conducting temperature checks on volunteers and evacuees and having a medical worker on hand at each location.</p><p>"Yes, coronavirus provides risk, but so does floodwater, so does not having electricity, so does not having required medications," Van De Putte told The Associated Press, as The Independent reported. "We're doing everything we can do possible to make it a safe environment."</p><p>Hanna made landfall a second time in Kenedy County, Texas, <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-storm-hanna/tropical-storm-hanna-threatens-flash-floods-on-covid-hit-texas-coast-idUKKCN24R0D7" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>. By Sunday, it had weakened to a tropical depression. There were no immediate reports of injuries.</p>
<div id="81229" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="65260d432f7dafbd575edbf3019ddbdc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287148796162584577" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Latest 0.5-km resolution visible loop from @NOAA's #GOES16🛰️ of #HurricaneHanna making landfall in Texas. Get the l… https://t.co/t0lZZwh86D</div> — NOAA Satellites - Public Affairs (@NOAA Satellites - Public Affairs)<a href="https://twitter.com/NOAASatellitePA/statuses/1287148796162584577">1595715161.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>In Port Mansfield, winds knocked down sugarcane fields and trees and even tore the roofs off of houses.</p><p>That included the home of 75-year-old Sharon Pecce, who was visiting a friend with her husband when the damage occurred.</p><p>"You could hear the wind blowing and the rain blowing and you looked outside you could see sheets of water blowing down the street," Pecce told Reuters. "It's scary to go through this at my age, a lot could have happened ... we could have been killed."</p><p>Wind also knocked over at least three 18-wheeler trucks and a recreational vehicle. Attempts to right the trucks shut down two miles of U.S. Route 77 in Sarita, Texas Sunday.</p><p>The storm also brought power outages and heavy rain. At one point, there were more than 283,000 homes and businesses without power, but that number had decreased to 98,000 by Sunday night.</p><p>The storm also dumped more than a foot of rain on some parts of South Texas, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/26/weather/tropical-storm-hanna-texas-hurricane-douglas/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>, leading to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a>.</p><p>In Mission, Texas, the National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency as rising waters prompted several water rescues.</p>
<div id="02d54" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d1e256b3f9e04f1f239239e6fcb145c9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287356366311632896" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">❗️Help is here. A National Guard team equipped with high profile vehicles and boats are in #Mission to assist with… https://t.co/9mR6KGlb9m</div> — City of Mission, TX (@City of Mission, TX)<a href="https://twitter.com/CityOfMissionTX/statuses/1287356366311632896">1595764650.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Storm waters also flooded parts of downtown Corpus Christi, including the Art Museum of South Texas, according to Yale Climate Connections.</p><p>The storm passed over to northeast Mexico Sunday morning and is expected to break up over the mountains there.</p><p>"Heavy rain and dangerous flash flooding continue over northeast Mexico," the <a href="https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1287671082711945217" target="_blank">National Hurricane Center said early Monday</a>.</p><p>Hanna extends 2020's emerging reputation as an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/atlantic-hurricane-2646594495.html" target="_self">early and active Atlantic hurricane season</a>. It broke records as the first H storm of any Atlantic hurricane season and came well before the average date for the first Atlantic hurricane of a season — Aug. 10, according to Yale Climate Connections.</p>
<div id="46af1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="57c47b28e9dba4bce5bac58907c8a642"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287036367088877570" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#HurricaneHanna approaching Texas. I wouldn't be surprised at a little more strengthening before landfall this afte… https://t.co/a0EemgUyX0</div> — Marshall Shepherd (@Marshall Shepherd)<a href="https://twitter.com/DrShepherd2013/statuses/1287036367088877570">1595688356.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>It is also the fourth named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this year. The only other year to have four named storms make landfall so early in the summer was 1886.</p>
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A bat with white-nose syndrome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on March 12, 2012. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
A deadly fungal disease responsible for the deaths of millions of bats across the U.S. has been confirmed in Texas for the first time.
<p>White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease in bats caused by a cold-loving fungus known as <a href="https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/static-page/the-fungus" target="_blank"><em>Pseudogymnoascus destructans</em></a>, which infects the skin on the muzzle, ear and wings of hibernating bats. Infected bats have obvious fungal growth on their body, but may also behave erratically both inside and outside of caves during the winter when they should be hibernating, according to the <a href="https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/static-page/what-is-white-nose-syndrome" target="_blank">White-Nose Syndrome Response Team</a>. The fungus that causes the disease was first detected in the state in 2017, but there were no signs of the WNS that it can cause, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (<a href="https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20190508a" target="_blank">TPWD</a>). In the years since, the fungus has spread to dozens of sites in 21 counties. At the time, biologists said that it usually takes a few years after detecting the fungus for the disease to manifest.</p>
<p>The infected animal is a type of bat known as cave myotis (<em>Myotis velifer</em>) and was found in the central part of the state on Feb. 23. Analysis conducted by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center confirmed the presence of both the fungus and the disease that it causes.</p><p>"Finding WNS in Central Texas for the first time is definitely concerning," <a href="https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20200305a" target="_blank">said</a> Nathan Fuller, bat specialist at TPWD. "Biologists had hoped that white-nose syndrome, a disease that thrives in cold conditions, might not occur in warmer parts of Texas. We're following up on several other reports to determine whether this was an isolated incident or if the impacts are more widespread. We recently received a report from a site in Bell County of five cave myotis that we suspect were infected as well. We should know more in the next few weeks."</p>
<p>WNS was first detected in New York more than a decade ago and has since spread from the northeastern part of the country to the southcentral states at what the USGS calls an "<a href="https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-white-nose-syndrome?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products" target="_blank">alarming rate</a>." It is believed to have been introduced from Europe where bats appear to be resistant to the fungus. The fungus is largely transmitted between bats but can be brought into caves on the clothing and gear of humans.</p><p>As of this year, millions of bats in at least 33 states and seven Canadian provinces have died from the disease. In some parts of the U.S., normally long-lived winter bat populations have fallen by more than 90 percent. Because many species only produce one offspring each year, experts say it could take decades for some populations to recover.</p>
<p>Currently there is no cure for WNS but scientists are collaborating to study the disease and understand how it spreads to infect bats, as well as what can be done to control it. Lab tests have shown that oral vaccines may increase the chances of surviving an infection, <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/vaccines-may-help-bats-fight-white-nose-syndrome" target="_blank">reports</a> Science News. Evidence suggests that WNS only occurs in bats and is not transmissible to humans as the fungus only grows at temperatures between 41 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which is much lower than the human body, according to the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/what-is-white-nose-syndrome.htm" target="_blank">National Park Service</a>. No human infections have been documented after exposure to WNS-infected bats or caves.</p>
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Texas Bill Would Make Protesting Pipelines a Felony on Par With Attempted Murder
20 May 2019
Politics
Activists in North Dakota confront pipeline construction activities. A Texas bill would impose steep penalties for such protests. Speak Freely / ACLU
By Eoin Higgins
A bill making its way through the Texas legislature would make protesting pipelines a third-degree felony, the same as attempted murder.
<p><a href="https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB3557#vote161" target="_blank">H.B. 3557</a>, which is under consideration in the state Senate after passing the state House earlier this month, ups penalties for interfering in energy infrastructure construction by making the protests a felony. Sentences would range from two to 10 years.</p><p>The legislation was authored by Republican state Rep. Chris Paddie. It passed the state House May 7 on a 99 to 45 vote, with two abstentions. The bill is being cosponsored in the state Senate by Republican state Sen. Pat Fallon.</p><p>In remarks on the state House floor during the bill's passage, Paddie <a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20190507/house-backs-stiffer-penalties-for-those-who-damage-pipelines" target="_blank">sought to assuage the fears</a> of those who believe the legislation will target non-violent protest.</p><p>"This bill does not affect those who choose to peacefully protest for any reason," said Paddie. "It attaches liability to those who potentially damage or destroy critical infrastructure facilities."</p><p>But opponents of the measure don't agree, pointing to the bill's language.</p><p>"It's an anti-protest bill, favoring the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> industry, favoring corporations over people," Frankie Orona, executive director of the Society of Native Nations, told the Austin American-Statesman.</p><p><a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/pipeline-protesters-could-face-20-years-in-prison-under-bill-in-texas-house/" target="_blank">The legislation is "is criminalizing conscientious, caring people who are the canaries for their communities," activist Lori Glover told the Texas Observer.</a></p><p>A hearing on the law in the state Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development on Wednesday drew opponents of the measure to <a href="http://tlcsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=14545" target="_blank">speak out</a> against the law, but it's unclear if their testimony will make a difference.</p>
<p>The Texas bill is just the latest piece of legislation at the state level to target pipeline protests. In the wake of a spike in anti-pipeline actions over the past few years, Grist<em> </em><a href="https://grist.org/article/after-standing-rock-protesting-pipelines-can-get-you-a-decade-in-prison-and-100k-in-fines" target="_blank">reported</a> Tuesday, a number of states have come down on environmental activists.</p><blockquote>The effort to punish pipeline protestors has spread across states with ample oil and gas reserves in the last two years and, in some cases, has garnered bipartisan support. Besides Louisiana, four other states — Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa — have enacted similar laws after protests against the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/dakota-access-pipeline">Dakota Access Pipeline</a> generated national attention and inspired a wave of civil disobedience.</blockquote><p>The bill is drawing national attention as well.</p><p>"Texas aims to make pipeline protest a third-degree felony, same as attempted murder," climate activist Bill McKibben <a href="https://twitter.com/billmckibben/status/1129362925485821952" target="_blank">tweeted</a> on Friday.</p><p>In a tweet, the advocacy group Public Citizen <a href="https://twitter.com/Public_Citizen/status/1128701777736548352" target="_blank">described</a> the legislation as "an oil and gas backed effort to squash environmental protest."</p><p>"This needs to be a nation-wide story," the group said.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Could someone sharing details of a protest — time, place, what to wear, etc. — on his or her <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Facebook?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Facebook</a> page be seen as "advising" rioters?" <a href="https://t.co/fhgTXWBh6V">https://t.co/fhgTXWBh6V</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NRDC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NRDC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kxlblockade?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kxlblockade</a></p>— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/1127287374503919618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/05/17/texas-state-bill-would-make-protesting-pipelines-felony-par-attempted-murder?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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An extended version of the Fuxing bullet train at the China National Railway Test Center on Oct. 15, 2018 in Beijing, China. VCG / VCG via Getty Images
By Jeff Turrentine
Is it just us?
Other countries don't seem to have a problem getting their high-speed rail systems on track. This superfast, fuel-efficient form of mass transit is wildly popular throughout Asia and the European Union. Japan's sleek Shinkansen line, the busiest high-speed rail system in the world, carries an estimated 420,000 riders every weekday. In China, the new Fuxing Hao bullet train now hurries more than 100 million passengers a year between Beijing and Shanghai at a top speed of 218 miles an hour, allowing its riders to make the trip of 775 miles — roughly the distance from New York City to Chicago — in about four and a half hours. Spain, Germany and France together have more than 4,500 miles of track dedicated to high-speed rail, over which more than 150 million passengers travel annually.
<p>But here in the U.S., attempts to implement regional high-speed rail networks have floundered and faltered. The most recent setback was in California, where just last month the state's new governor, Gavin Newsom, announced that he would be <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-12/california-governor-says-he-s-dropping-high-speed-rail-plan" target="_blank">dramatically downsizing</a> an ambitious, exciting system linking the northern and southern portions of the state via a 220-mph bullet train. Cost overruns had more or less doubled the original price tag from roughly $40 billion to $77 billion, with some estimates placing the final bill at nearly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/us/california-high-speed-rail.html" target="_blank">$100 billion</a>. As of right now, the previously planned 800-mile line between Los Angeles and San Francisco has dwindled to a $10.6 billion project across 171 miles between the rural Central Valley cities of Bakersfield and Merced — what cynics have mockingly dubbed a "<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Time-to-derail-California-s-train-to-nowhere-13632213.php" target="_blank">train to nowhere</a>."</p><p>Meanwhile, in Texas, plans for a bullet train linking the state's two biggest cities, Dallas and Houston, are going forward — but not without plenty of resistance. Unlike the California project, the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/airplanes-vs-bullet-trains-race-texas" target="_blank">Texas Central Railroad's</a> project, pegged at $12 billion to $20 billion, is being financed entirely with private funds, so no one is complaining about the money. Instead, the complaints come from landowners and other stakeholders upset about the <a href="https://www.palestineherald.com/news/legal-issues-could-derail-high-speed-rail-in-texas/article_8caeeab8-4136-11e9-bcf8-875c732afdd3.html" target="_blank">seizure and purchase of privately owned tracts</a> through <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/uncle-sam-wants-youto-vacate-premises" target="_blank">eminent domain</a>. In late January, a <a href="http://www.texansagainsthsr.com/category/blog-article/press-releases/" target="_blank">court ruled</a> that Texas Central Railroad, in point of fact, isn't even a railroad in the legally recognized sense of the word, since it doesn't currently own anything by way of tracks or rolling stock. As a result, the company's reliance on eminent domain to obtain land for its future trains' right-of-way is misplaced — and illegal — according to the judge overseeing the case. (Texas Central Railroad must now face individual landowners in court.)</p>
<p>The friction these projects are encountering can take many forms, but there's no denying that it's real: A lot of Americans seem downright resistant to high-speed rail. To some, whatever benefits rail travel may confer to individual riders, cities or the environment can't ever be enough to offset the massive (and, typically, ballooning) costs to taxpayers during the construction period, which can stretch on for decades. To others, high-speed rail projects — no matter how they're funded — are little more than land grabs that punish rural communities in pursuit of what many perceive as an urbanist folly.</p><p>I can't help but wonder if behind both sentiments is a latent fear: that this form of mass transit, precisely <em>because</em> it's so popular in other cultures, somehow poses a threat to our own culture of rugged individualism. The history of American transportation conjures romantic images of the "lone rider" — in the past on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePlyWlhobDU" target="_blank">horseback</a>, now on a <a href="http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/193236/Easy-Rider-Movie-Clip-Born-To-Be-Wild.html" target="_blank">motorcycle</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sleoPDnze4A" target="_blank">in a car</a> — charting his or her own course out on the open road, free from interference or intervention. This notion often gets compressed into a shrugged assertion: <em>Mass transit is a nice idea, but let's face it: America is a car culture. As a people, we just like to drive. We don't like to be driven.</em></p>
<p><br>Actually, if this was ever true, the data suggest it is <a href="https://www.arity.com/move/patient-change-gonna-come/" target="_blank">less true now</a>. Millennials, especially, are <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/wisniewski/ct-biz-young-adults-cars-attitudes-20181106-story.html" target="_blank">rejecting the romanticization</a> of automobiles. According to <a href="https://www.arity.com/move/patient-change-gonna-come/" target="_blank">a 2018 report</a> published by Arity, a Chicago-based company that studies transportation data, more than half of millennials say that car ownership isn't worth the money or the hassle, and that they don't much care for driving anyway. It's worth noting that these are the same people who are currently leading the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/aocgreen-new-deal-new-era-millennial-climate-politics/582295/" target="_blank">leading the public fight</a> against <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate change</a>, refusing to accept the untenable status quo foisted upon them through the inaction of their elders.</p><p>This generation is also, not coincidentally, <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/04/26/millennials-cities-where-they-live-218059" target="_blank">key to the future economic success</a> of cities, states and regions. If you want to attract young, educated professionals to your city or town, you'd be wise to meet their demands for better and more plentiful public transportation.</p><p>Let's face it: When it comes to feelings about mass transit, young Americans appear to have more in common with Asian and European citizens of all ages than they do with older Americans. In anticipation of the day when they're calling the shots economically and politically — a day that's already dawning — we should be busy installing high-speed rail systems in all regions of the country where traffic congestion, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" target="_self">pollution</a> and the expenses associated with driving hinder travel between major cities and reduce the quality of life for their citizens.</p><p>Yes, we should be mindful of costs. Yes, we should be mindful of landowners' concerns. But should we allow these factors to derail us? Absolutely not.</p>
<div id="80e9d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="YYV89G1576662070"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1041717581592383488" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">World's First Zero-Emissions Hydrogen Trains Enter Service https://t.co/1fvIKsRIUL</div> — Enviro Voter Project (@Enviro Voter Project)<a href="https://twitter.com/Enviro_Voter/statuses/1041717581592383488">1537199800.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><em>Jeff Turrentine is the culture & politics columnist at NRDC's <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/high-speed-rail-rocks" target="_blank">onEarth</a>.</em> </p>From Your Site Articles
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Why Beto O’Rourke’s Oil-Related Money Shows We Need a Just Transition to Renewable Energy
26 February 2019
Insights + Opinion
Greenpeace
By Tim Donaghy
Time is running out for the oil and gas industry, and they know it. But delaying the transition to a clean energy economy even for a few more years means billions of dollars in profits for their investors. The 2018 elections show that even in their twilight years, oil cash can corrupt our democracy and block necessary progress on climate. The industry spent millions to kill off a Green New Deal-style initiative in Washington state and a Colorado initiative that would have increased the buffer between homes and schools and drilling areas.
When popular democracy threatened their profits, the oil industry opened up their checkbooks. And they'll run the same playbook on the fledgling Green New Deal too — unless we stop them.
<p>This is why <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/how-to-demand-real-climate-leadership/" target="_blank">phasing out fossil fuels and getting dirty energy money out of our elections are key ingredients in any federal action on climate change</a>. Real climate leaders need to counteract the political, financial and social power of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuel</a> industry, or risk seeing a tide of oil money wash away progress.</p><p>But we also need a just transition that lifts up workers and communities. Here's why.</p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTIyOTg5Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NTIzMDU5Mn0.U3eTUY_Nu7IpsfQS1Ty4C5Mc8B0FrnG94Cac9crfGEE/img.png?width=980" id="e4b98" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c6a94d316548bb2cae9ef189c49cba9c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">While O'Rourke actually didn't take PAC money, he did raise a ton of money in individual donations from people who work in the oil and gas industry. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Center for Responsive Politics</small></p><p>Recently, a mini-controversy erupted across Twitter when people realized that the <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=E01&cycle=2018&recipdetail=M&sortorder=U" target="_blank">number two recipient of oil and gas campaign contributions in 2018</a> was actually … Democratic rising star Beto O'Rourke, who nearly unseated Texas Senator Ted Cruz in a close race. In fact, only Cruz himself raised more money from the oil and gas industry.<br></p><p>The revelation was immediately sucked into the <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulHRosenberg/status/1079465825419939840" target="_blank">insatiable vortex of speculation about the 2020</a> presidential primaries, contrasting O'Rourke's record with that of other presidential hopefuls. It was especially confusing since O'Rourke had publicly pledged not to take any money from political action committees (PACs, which are often used by corporations and industries to influence elections) and was even at one point listed on the <a href="http://nofossilfuelmoney.org/" target="_blank">No Fossil Fuel Money</a> pledge website before being removed. What gives?</p><p>While O'Rourke actually didn't take PAC money, he <em>did</em> raise a ton of money in individual donations from people who work in the oil and gas industry. When you donate money to a political campaign you have to disclose your employer — meaning that everyone from drilling crews all the way up to the CEO count in the industry contribution totals. And it turns out oil is still an enormous part of the Texas economy.</p><p>The following <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2015/counties-with-highest-concentration-of-employment-in-oil-and-gas-extraction-june-2014.htm" target="_blank">map from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</a> shows the counties with the highest concentrations of oil and gas employment. The counties in green show communities where the local economy is most dependent on oil and gas, and where a just and equitable energy transition is most crucial. Naturally many of those counties are located in Texas, and in fact O'Rourke made it a campaign talking point that he had visited each one of Texas's 254 counties.</p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTIyOTkwNi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1OTE0MzkyMX0.gPxVO5FWR-J7_Rlemlsmmu2cYz6gyLlejt4MQU4ACrI/img.png?width=980" id="1023f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0701e972f4636fff94630c6cb08a2127" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
</p><p>A just transition away from fossil fuel reliance envisions an inclusive, participatory process that leaves these workers and communities better off than before. Policies to bring about this transition could include local and state planning bodies, protections for workers such as guaranteed pensions and wage replacement, job retraining and placement in growing renewable industries, and investment targeted at specific communities. As climate justice <a href="https://twitter.com/naomiaklein/status/516967907872362497?lang=en" target="_blank">activists have stated</a>, "<a href="https://movementgeneration.org/transition-is-inevitable-justice-is-not-a-critical-framework-for-just-recovery/" target="_blank">Transition is inevitable. Justice is not</a>." Without the voices of these workers and communities, any plan to build a more sustainable economy will inevitably fail.<br></p><p>A lot of O'Rourke's oil and gas donations were indeed from ordinary Texans excited by his candidacy, but at least <a href="https://splinternews.com/by-accepting-oil-money-beto-orourke-broke-a-promise-to-1831000480" target="_blank">some came from oil and gas executives</a> and other wealthy donors giving the maximum $2,700 contribution, which is also a serious problem. The No Fossil Fuel Money pledge applies not just to PAC money, but also donations of $200 or more from fossil fuel executives. O'Rourke was on the right track in calling out the pernicious influence of PAC money on our elections, but we still need to demand more of our politicians. Hopefully going forward, he (and many other candidates) will be able to fully comply with the pledge.</p><p>In comparison, his opponent <a href="https://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?dt=1&y=2018&f-fc=1&c-exi=1&c-t-eid=210204&d-cci=33#%5B%7B1%7Cgro=c-r-id,c-t-sts,c-t-p,c-t-eid,d-et,d-id" target="_blank">Ted Cruz took over $100,000 directly from the oil and gas industry PACs</a> — including a $40,000 check from Valero's PAC, and $5,000 donations from PACs representing Phillips 66, Devon Energy, ExxonMobil, and others.</p><p>But a question remains: are small donations from ordinary folks in the oil industry the same as a $2,700 check from a CEO — or a mega-donation from a PAC? Clearly PAC and executive money are donated with the goal of obtaining access to politicians and ultimately influencing policy to benefit companies who are wrecking the climate, and overall small donations only make up a <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/resources/dollarocracy/04.php" target="_blank">small fraction of campaign funds</a>. But in many places where the oil and gas industry is strong, there are inevitably a large number of non-millionaire workers who depend on the industry for their livelihood.</p><p>Corporate money in politics is absolutely corrupting our democracy, yet O'Rourke's small donors should remind us that many parts of the U.S. are economically dependent on oil and gas extraction, and that those workers need to be at the center of any transition away from fossil fuels. The good news is that we know that building out a clean energy economy will require putting a lot of people to work, and <a href="https://www.labor4sustainability.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/cleanenergy_10212015_main.pdf" target="_blank">dollar for dollar, renewable energy creates more jobs</a> than fossil fuels.</p><p>It will take strong climate leadership in D.C. and a committed movement of people to defeat these entrenched 19th-century industrialists. <a href="https://engage.us.greenpeace.org/onlineactions/Uz6V_WEFEEeX2pKUsSd05Q2?utm_source=website&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=greennewdeal_leadgen_multi&sourceid=319770&_ga=2.18310905.1768985442.1551134501-178382324.1545141538" target="_blank">In order to get us to the green future we want, federal legislation MUST halt any major oil, gas, and coal expansion projects.</a></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="372b5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ZLE2G31576662637"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1057669589201383424" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Big Oil Pours Record $30M to Sway Voters Against Nation's First Carbon Tax https://t.co/wKSZn2veCK https://t.co/7cKdNfDvg8</div> — Renewable Search (@Renewable Search)<a href="https://twitter.com/RenewableSearch/statuses/1057669589201383424">1541003055.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p><em>Tim Donaghy is a senior research specialist with <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/" target="_blank">Greenpeace USA</a>.</em><br></p>
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The W. A. Parish Power Plant, owned by NRG Energy, is one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the U.S. Roy Luck / CC BY 2.0
Power plants across Texas are leaching toxins into groundwater, according to new research. A report released this week from the Environmental Integrity Project found that all of the state's 16 coal-fired power plants are leaching contaminants from coal ash into the ground, and almost none of the plants are properly lining their pits to prevent leakage.
<p>"We found contamination everywhere we looked, poisoning groundwater aquifers and recreational fishing spots across the state," EIP attorney and report co-author Abel Russ told the Texas Tribune. "This confirms that dumping large volumes of toxic waste in poorly-lined pits is a terrible idea." </p><p>As reported by the <a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/report-power-plants-are-leaking-cancer-causing-toxins-into-groundwater-across-texas/" target="_blank">Texas Observer</a>:</p><blockquote>"While power plants' propensity to foul nearby air is well-documented, the danger of coal ash dumping has seen much less play in the news media.</blockquote><blockquote>...</blockquote><blockquote>Meanwhile, the Trump administration <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/397619-trump-admin-eases-standards-for-coal-ash-disposal" target="_blank" title="Opens in a new window">has loosened</a> coal ash dumping rules, relaxing pollution thresholds for certain contaminants and allowing states to waive some groundwater monitoring requirements. The action fits within the larger trend of Trump and U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry <a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/despite-trump-and-rick-perrys-best-efforts-another-coal-plant-eats-the-dust-in-texas/" target="_blank">trying their damndest</a> to prop up coal despite it being a <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/smart-energy-solutions/decrease-coal/ripe-for-retirement-closing-americas-costliest-coal-plants.html#.W7VJ-mhKiUk" target="_blank" title="Opens in a new window">wildly inefficient vehicle</a> for energy generation. At the state level, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) proposed in August a "deeply flawed" plan to regulate coal ash disposal, the report says. The TCEQ plan was later withdrawn.</blockquote><blockquote>Representatives from TCEQ did not respond to a request for comment.</blockquote><blockquote>Many of the plants identified in the report are also major air polluters."</blockquote>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b20f0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="KG7W081576779638"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1002306253304016896" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Groups Sue Utility Company for Leaking Coal Ash Into National Scenic River https://t.co/cz7GzKj7r1 @BeyondCoal @dirtyenergy @Coal_Ash</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1002306253304016896">1527803407.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:<br></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2019/01/17/report-texas-coal-power-plants-leaching-toxic-pollutants-groundwater/" target="_blank">Texas Tribune</a>, <a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/report-power-plants-are-leaking-cancer-causing-toxins-into-groundwater-across-texas/" target="_blank">Texas Observer</a>, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/legal-us-usa-texas-coal-pollution/sixteen-coal-ash-pits-contaminating-texas-groundwater-report-idUSKCN1PB2HB" target="_blank">Reuters</a>, <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/texas-coal-ash-polluting-groundwater-f304c328c1cc/" target="_blank">ThinkProgress</a>, <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/study-finds-toxins-leaking-into-texas-groundwater/" target="_blank">Courthouse News</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>
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