While the Trump Administration has taken steps to dismantle or revise many of the Obama Administration's actions regarding climate change, there are conflicting opinions within the Administration and key businesses about the issue, the appropriate steps to take, and the consequences.
For example, Defense Secretary Mattis has made clear his view that climate change is real and that it will have a significant impact on U.S. military operations if preparatory actions are not taken. (Science Magazine: Defense Chief Cites Climate Change National Security Challenge). We noted in ...
The past week was not a good one for the cause of science as it relates to environmental issues and may foreshadow what might be described as an Age of Un-enlightenment.
The initial focus was on climate change. On the one hand, President Trump issued an Executive Order seeking to undo much of the Obama Administration's actions related to climate change. (March 28 Executive Order). This occurred even as the Chairman of the House Science Committee, and the Administrator of EPA acknowledged that the climate is changing and that humans play a role in that change. (House Hearing on Climate ...
President Trump has proposed a dramatic cut in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, the new EPA Administrator has suggested rollbacks in regulations, and there are even proposals to abolish the Agency entirely. Regardless of what eventually happens, changes are afoot, and they are likely to be significant.
At the outset, it's probably worth noting that, although there have been calls for the abolition of EPA, including at least one recently filed bill in the U.S. House that would do just that and shift responsibilities to other agencies (Pensacola News Journal), that ...
By almost every account, the Trump Administration is likely to alter substantially the environmental regulatory landscape. Actions have already been taken to delay the implementation of regulations as well as initiating policy changes that will likely affect the size of the Environmental Protection Agency and its budget, possibly including the portion used to provide grants to States and localities for environmental enforcement and compliance efforts. There are also already indications of change in general policy, both at the domestic level and internationally. And ...
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation ("TDEC") is soliciting comments on its new Antidegradation Guidance Document. The document, dated July 19, 2016, was made public January 5, 2016. TDEC is requesting comments by February 17, 2016. The Guidance Document was prepared by a Massachusetts company, Industrial Economics, Incorporated.
The Guidance Document is not developed or promulgated by the Board of Water Quality, Oil and Gas ("Board"), which is the entity charged with establishing rules governing water quality standards. The Board promulgated the ...
On December 20, 2016, Michigan's Attorney General announced additional indictments in the Flint water crisis. The indictments against two former emergency managers and two former City of Flint executives bring to 13 the number of individuals who have been criminally charged in the fallout from a decision in 2014 to separate the City from its historic water supply source, the City of Detroit, and to begin supplying drinking water from the Flint River (N.Y. Times).
The charges are detailed, along with some history, in a press release from Attorney General Bill Schuette's office (AG ...
A recent article in The New York Times titled: Perils of Climate Change Could Swamp Coast Real Estate, indicates that rising seas and storm-related flooding in Florida appear to be driven by climate change and may be having direct impacts on the coastal real estate market (NYT Coastal Real Estate). Acknowledging that the incoming Trump administration has given new life to doubts about climate change, the article notes some actual changes in coastal areas due to sea levels and the impact of storms on local flooding not for the fact the conditions have occurred, but for the impact of the ...
The first nuclear generator commissioned in the U. S. in 20 years has begun commercial operation. The Tennessee Valley Authority brought the Watts Bar 2 Reactor on line on October 19 (The Hill). Despite the long interval between plant starts, this marks the first of five nuclear reactors under construction in the United States, all of which are expected to come online by 2020.
Worldwide, according to the World Nuclear Association, about 60 nuclear power reactors are under construction with estimates of over 160 in the firm planning stages (World Nuclear). The Association estimates ...
The EPA's publication of a coal ash rule on April 17, 2015, did little to resolve the debate about the proper management of the material (EPA Coal Ash Page). Members of Congress have continued to push for legislation which would change significant parts of the rule, and EPA is now being criticized by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for not providing sufficient protection to minority communities potentially affected by the issue.
Members of Congress have, for several years, attempted to regulate coal ash by statute even as EPA was proceeding with the very protracted process of ...
For the past three years, since 2013, energy production in the United States from renewable sources (non-nuclear) has remained fairly constant at about 9 ½% of total energy production. (U. S. Energy Information Agency report, Topic 1.1.) While the potential to expand renewable production is viewed as a potentially significant economic development opportunity, there remain some practical barriers to any substantial increase in the development of renewables. This may be compounded by the mechanism used by EPA in certain states to credit renewable use.
The International Economic ...