Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Glenn Thompson (5th District Pennsylvania)
COLLEGE TOWNSHIP, Pa.– Today, U.S. Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson announced the ClearWater Conservancy in College Township as the recipient of a $2 million Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) grant. This investment will construct a local conservation hub and increase environmental stewardship throughout the region.
“ClearWater Conservancy has been working for decades to advance voluntary conservation efforts throughout our region,” Rep. Thompson said. “The construction of the ClearWater Community Conservation Center will help boost ecotourism and agritourism throughout the area. With this project, there is going to be something for everyone to enjoy. Congratulations to ClearWater Conservancy and their many partners and volunteers for their continued dedication to Central Pennsylvania’s streams and natural landscape.”
ARC POWER grants target areas affected by the coal-related job losses. ClearWater plans to use the grant to increase public events, educational opportunities and community programming. A historic farmhouse and barn on the property will also be renovated. An ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible trail will be established to connect the center to the Spring Creek, a world-renowned trout fishing stream.
“I was thrilled to receive GT’s call telling me that ClearWater would receive a $2 million ARC grant for the new Community Conservation Center,” saidFord Stryker of ClearWater Conservancy. “We appreciate the Congressman’s support to secure this grant, which is a critical piece of the funding strategy because local philanthropy could not cover all the construction costs. The ClearWater Conservancy takes an active role in conserving land and protecting water resources for the preservation and creation of new outdoor recreation assets, working agritourism assets, and agribusinesses. These efforts have become increasingly important as Central Pennsylvania’s economy becomes more reliant on tourism and agriculture following the decline of Central Pennsylvania’s coal-related industries.”
In addition to ARC funds, local sources will provide $5,968,600, bringing the total project funding to $7,968,600.
ClearWater Conservancy is an active nonprofit, land trust association focused on environmental stewardship and education. ClearWater Conservancy has conserved 11,000 acres of land, restored 25 miles of streams, and restored 183 acres of riparian forest in Central Pennsylvania since 1980.
ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity, strengthen economic growth in Appalachia, and help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
ARC POWER grants allocate federal resources to support communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries.
“We want this special place to be in great shape for visitors when it reopens,” says DOC’s Hauraki-Waikato-Taranaki Regional Director Tinaka Mearns.
“Alongside cyclone damage, the area is also under threat from introduced pest plants That stand to undermine the area’s unique beauty and native biodiversity.”
Globally recognised for its idyllic small beach and famous rock arch, Mautohe Cathedral Cove has been a marine-only experience since February 2023, when extreme weather events triggered landslides which significantly damaged the track and resulted in its closure.
The involvement of the Predator Free Hauraki Coromandel Community Trust (PFHCCT) in the Mautohe Cathedral Cove work programme is a great boost for the project, says Ms Mearns.
“They’ve done some excellent work removing pest plant and tidying up vegetation across the reserve during the last few weeks,” she says. “It’s been hard physical work and we’ve been impressed by the results.
“Involving an organisation like this trust to contribute to walking access reinstatement supports the local community and helps us build a partnership with a recognised conservation contributor in the area.”
Jude Hooson, CEO of PFHCCT says the Trust’s members recognise the importance of Mautohe Cathedral Cove – and the significance of opening it up to the public – and are thrilled to be working alongside DOC and Ngāti Hei.
“We’re really delighted to be part of the collaborative effort. In many ways this is an extension of the recovery support our Field Support Team has already provided to groups across the peninsula,” she says.
“In addition to helping to open up the main walkway, this is also an opportunity to remove problematic pest plants as a first step towards enhancing the native biodiversity of this very special place.”
Meanwhile, visitors to the site continue to be an issue for staff and contractors working to reinstate the track.
Members of the public accessing the track while it is closed are compromising the delivery of the work required to fully reopen it and are entering an active and hazardous worksite.
DOC staff and contractors turn away dozens of visitors every day.
Background information
The walking track to Mautohe Cathedral Cove was closed in February 2023 after it sustained significant damage during Cyclone Gabrielle. In July, funding of a work programme to reinstate walking access to the cove’s famous beach was announced by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka.
Shapiro Administration Awards $3.4 Million for Stream and Watershed Restoration Projects
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has awarded more than $3.4 million in grants to projects to improve water quality and fish and wildlife habitat throughout Pennsylvania’s part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and other watersheds.
“Ensuring clean water and healthy watersheds is a fundamental right for all Pennsylvanians. With these grant awards we will continue our work to reduce pollution and improve water quality in Pennsylvania,” said DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “These projects are creating healthier streams and wetlands across Pennsylvania, reducing flood risk and improving fish and wildlife habitat. We are building on the success we are seeing in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by restoring streambanks, removing legacy sediment, and treating mine water discharge, among other improvements.”
The 12 awards are funded by the Section 319 Grant program from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and selected by DEP. The purpose of the grants is to support projects that carry out best management practices (BMPs) specified in Watershed Implementation Plans for 43 watersheds around the state. The program also supports development of new Watershed Implementation Plans for impaired watersheds in Environmental Justice (EJ) areas. Ten of the 12 grants are for projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
List of Speakers: Adam Ortiz, EPA Region 3 Regional Administrator Jill Whitcomb, Acting Deputy Secretary for Water Programs, DEP Chris Thompson, Lancaster County Conservation District Manager Amanda Goldsmith, Watershed Specialist with Lancaster County Conservation District Matt Kofroth, Asst. District Mgr. with the Lancaster County Conservation District
Greenpeace Aotearoa ishosting a public meeting in Rangiora this Saturdayto mobilise efforts to protect water quality in the region, just two weeks after the Government’s fast-track project list was revealed to include significant irrigation schemes.
The organisation will also be running two free nitrate contamination drinking water testing events: one in Amberley on October 18th, and one in Oxford on October 20th.
Greenpeace’s Canterbury-based freshwater campaigner, Will Appelbe, says, “Everyone should be able to take a dip in their local river or drink the water coming out of their tap without getting sick. But for many rural communities, particularly in Canterbury, that’s becoming less and less possible.
“Now, the Christopher Luxon Government is actively pushing through legislation that will worsen water quality in Canterbury, such as the fast-track bill. The irrigation schemes included in the fast-track schedule would suck the life out of already-fragile rivers and return polluted water back into the environment through further dairy intensification in the region.”
Greenpeace has been running free drinking water testing events across the country, as well as a free mail-in water testing service, for the last three years, to raise awareness of increasing levels of nitrate in drinking water.
The organisation says that many rural communities in Canterbury are seeing levels of nitrate in drinking water increasing, while a growing body of science has linked prolonged exposure to elevated levels of nitrate, to increased health risks including risks of bowel cancer and preterm birth.
“More irrigation means more intensive dairying, which is polluting lakes, rivers, and drinking water with high levels of nitrate,” says Appelbe.
“We’re hosting this public meeting to discuss the increasing threats to water quality in Canterbury and to provide a way for local communities to engage with efforts to prevent water pollution at the source.
“Greenpeace will continue to stand with communities and fight to end pollution of lakes, rivers, and drinking water. Ultimately, we need to reduce the dairy herd, end the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, and stop big new irrigation schemes.”
The Greenpeace public meeting will be held at The Skurr Centre, Rangiora Showgrounds, on Saturday 19th October, from 6:30pm. The organisation is also running free drinking water testing inAmberley on the 18th Octoberfrom 1-5pm at the Holy Innocents Anglican Church, and inOxford on the 20th Octoberfrom 9:30am-3pm in the Oxford Town Hall A&P Room.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released its latestWorld Energy Outlookreport today, and Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director Russel Norman says it’s damning for Christopher Luxon and his ludicrous plans to restart oil and gas exploration and increase coal mining. (ref. https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2024 )
“The IEA report affirms that global demand for oil, gas, and coal is on track to peak by the end of this decade and warns that failure to accelerate the end of fossil fuels now will put the world on course for a catastrophic global average temperature rise of 2.4oC by the end of the century.
“As floods, fires and storms ravage the world, and climate scientists run out of adjectives to describe how urgent the situation is, we have Christopher Luxon’s Government forging ahead with reckless plans to search for new oil and gas, dig up more coal and shelve every initiative to reduce emissions that they can.
“We have an incredible opportunity right now in Aotearoa to move away from fossil fuels to a clean energy future powered by wind and solar that would mean more affordable energy and cleaner, safer towns and cities for New Zealanders, but the Luxon Government is threatening to take us back to to the dark ages.”
The IEA report states that avoiding the worst impacts of the climate crisis will require at least doubling the global rate of energy efficiency improvements to provide larger emissions reductions by 2030, doubling current investment levels in renewable power, grids and battery storage, as well as implementing a fast and fair fossil fuel phaseout.
“A recent report by the Ministry of Business and Innovation confirms that there is no need for new fossil fuels to ‘keep the lights on’ in New Zealand. Wind and solar are the cheapest sources of new electricity generation, and New Zealand has an abundance of both.
“It’s time for the Government to step up and make the choice to lead Aotearoa into a clean energy future.”
A salute is widely recognized as a display of respect, but did you know it also means ‘hello’ in American Sign Language? It is one of the signs that Jesse Bazley, International Space Station/Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program integration team lead, subtly incorporates into his daily interactions with colleagues at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Bazley is hard of hearing, which has at times presented challenges in his daily work – particularly during his stint as an Environmental and Thermal Operating Systems flight controller for the space station. “Working on console [in the Mission Control Center], you must listen to dozens of voice loops at a time, sometimes in different languages,” he said, adding that the standard-issue headset for flight controllers was not compatible with his hearing aids. Bazley adapted by obtaining a headset that fit over his hearing aids, learning how to adjust the audio system’s volume, and limiting over-the-air discussions when possible. Bazley has been part of the NASA team for 17 years, filling a variety of roles that support the International Space Station. One of his proudest achievements occurred early in his tenure. Bazley was an intern at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in 2006 when the space station’s Water Recovery System was being tested. The system converts the station’s wastewater into drinkable water for the crew. When he arrived at Johnson one year later, his first assignment was to assist with the system’s procedure and display development for its incorporation into the space station’s core operations. “Now, 16 years later, it is commonplace for the space station to ‘turn yesterday’s coffee into tomorrow’s coffee’,” he said.
His favorite project so far has been integrating the station’s Thermal Amine Scrubber – which removes carbon dioxide from the air – into station operations. “I worked it from the beginning of NASA’s involvement, helping the provider with software testing and the integration of a brand-new Mission Control Center communications architecture,” he said. Today, Bazley works to integrate subject matter experts from Johnson’s Flight Operations Directorate (FOD) into the processes of the International Space Station and Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Programs. “I help pull together FOD positions on topics and coordinate reviews of provider materials to ensure that the operations perspective is maintained as development moves forward,” he explained. While Bazley no longer supports a console, he must continue adapting to difficult hearing environments. He uses the captioning tools available through videoconferencing software during frequent team meetings, for example. “It’s important to understand that people have visible and invisible disabilities,” he said. “Sometimes their request for a remote option is not because they want to avoid an in-person meeting. It may be that they work best using the features available in that virtual environment.” Bazley also chairs the No Boundaries Employee Resource Group, which promotes the development, inclusion, and innovation of Johnson’s workforce with a focus on employees with disabilities and employees who are caregivers of family members with disabilities. From these diverse roles and experiences, Bazley has learned to listen to his gut instincts. “In flight operations, you must work with short timelines when things happen in-orbit, so you have to trust your training,” he said. “Understanding when you have enough information to proceed is critical to getting things done.” Bazley looks forward to the further commercialization of low Earth orbit so NASA can focus resources on journeying to the Moon and Mars. “Aviation started out as government-funded and now is commonplace for the public. I look forward to seeing how that evolution progresses in low Earth orbit.” His advice to the Artemis Generation is to consider the long-term impact of their actions and decisions. “What looks great on paper may not be a great solution when you have to send 10 commands just to do one task, or when the crew has to put their hand deep into the spacecraft to actuate a manual override,” he said. “The decisions you make today will be felt by operations in the future.”
NASA announced Wednesday a new strategy review team will assess potential architecture adjustments for the agency’s Mars Sample Return Program, which aims to bring back scientifically selected samples from Mars, and is a key step in NASA’s quest to better understand our solar system and help answer whether we are alone in the universe.
Earlier this year, the agency commissioned design studies from the NASA community and eight selected industry teams on how to return Martian samples to Earth in the 2030s while lowering the cost, risk, and mission complexity. The new strategy review team will assess 11 studies conducted by industry, a team across NASA centers, the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The team will recommend to NASA a primary architecture for the campaign, including associated cost and schedule estimates.
“Mars Sample Return will require a diversity of opinions and ideas to do something we’ve never done before: launch a rocket off another planet and safely return samples to Earth from more than 33 million miles away,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “It is critical that Mars Sample Return is done in a cost-effective and efficient way, and we look forward to learning the recommendations from the strategy review team to achieve our goals for the benefit of humanity.”
Returning samples from Mars has been a major long-term goal of international planetary exploration for more than three decades, and the Mars Sample Return Program is jointly planned with ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Perseverance rover is collecting compelling science samples that will help scientists understand the geological history of Mars, the evolution of its climate, and potential hazards for future human explorers. Retrieval of the samples also will help NASA’s search for signs of ancient life.
The team’s report is anticipated by the end of 2024 and will examine options for a complete mission design, which may be a composite of multiple studied design elements. The team will not recommend specific acquisition strategies or partners. The strategy review team has been chartered under a task to the Cornell Technical Services contract. The team may request input from a NASA analysis team that consists of government employees and expert consultants. The analysis team also will provide programmatic input such as a cost and schedule assessment of the architecture recommended by the strategy review team.
The Mars Sample Return Strategy Review Team is led by Jim Bridenstine, former NASA administrator, and includes the following members:
Greg Robinson, former program director, James Webb Space Telescope Lisa Pratt, former planetary protection officer, NASA Steve Battel, president, Battel Engineering; Professor of Practice, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Phil Christensen, regents professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe Eric Evans, director emeritus and fellow, MIT Lincoln Lab Jack Mustard, professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science, Brown University Maria Zuber, E. A. Griswold professor of Geophysics and presidential advisor for science and technology policy, MIT
The NASA Analysis Team is led by David Mitchell, chief program management officer at NASA Headquarters, and includes the following members:
John Aitchison, program business manager (acting), Mars Sample Return Brian Corb, program control/schedule analyst, NASA Headquarters Steve Creech, assistant deputy associate administrator for Technical, Moon to Mars Program Office, NASA Headquarters Mark Jacobs, senior systems engineer, NASA Headquarters Rob Manning, chief engineer emeritus, NASA JPL Mike Menzel, senior engineer, NASA Goddard Fernando Pellerano, senior advisor for Systems Engineering, NASA Goddard Ruth Siboni, chief of staff, Moon to Mars Program Office, NASA Headquarters Bryan Smith, director of Facilities, Test and Manufacturing, NASA Glenn Ellen Stofan, under secretary for Science and Research, Smithsonian
By the end of 2024, nearly 200 nations will have met at three conferences to address three problems: biodiversity loss, climate change and plastic pollution.
Colombia will host talks next week to assess global progress in protecting 30% of all land and water by 2030. Hot on its heels is COP29 in Azerbaijan. Here, countries will revisit the pledge they made last year in Dubai to “transition away” from the fossil fuels driving climate breakdown. And in December, South Korea could see the first global agreement to tackle plastic waste.
Don’t let these separate events fool you, though.
“Climate change, biodiversity loss and resource depletion are not isolated problems” say biologist Liette Vasseur (Brock University), political scientist Anders Hayden (Dalhousie University) and ecologist Mike Jones (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences).
“How hot is it going to get? This is one of the most important and difficult remaining questions about our changing climate,” say two scientists who study climate change, Seth Wynes and H. Damon Matthews at the University of Waterloo and Concordia University respectively.
The answer depends on how sensitive the climate is to greenhouse gases like CO₂ and how much humanity ultimately emits, the pair say. When Wynes and Matthews asked 211 authors of past reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, their average best guess was 2.7°C by 2100.
“We’ve already seen devastating consequences like more flooding, hotter heatwaves and larger wildfires, and we’re only at 1.3°C above pre-industrial levels — less than halfway to 2.7°C,” they say.
There is a third variable that is harder to predict but no less important: the capacity of forests, wetlands and the ocean to continue to offset warming by absorbing the carbon and heat our furnaces and factories have released.
This blue and green carbon pump stalled in 2023, the hottest year on record, amid heatwaves, droughts and fires. The possibility of nature’s carbon storage suddenly collapsing is not priced into the computer models that simulate and project the future climate.
However, the ecosystems that buffer human-made warming are clearly struggling. A new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) showed that the average size of monitored populations of vertebrate wildlife (animals with spinal columns – mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians) has shrunk by 73% since 1970.
Wildlife could become so scarce that ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest degenerate, according to the report.
“More than 90% of tropical trees and shrubs depend on animals to disperse their seeds, for example,” says biodiversity scientist Alexander Lees (Manchester Metropolitan University).
The result could be less biodiverse and, importantly for the climate, less carbon-rich habitats.
Plastic in a polar bear’s gut
Threats to wildlife are numerous. One that is growing fast and still poorly understood is plastic.
Bottles, bags, toothbrushes: a rising tide of plastic detritus is choking and snaring wild animals. These larger items eventually degrade into microplastics, tiny fragments which now suffuse the air, soil and water.
“In short, microplastics are widespread, accumulating in the remotest parts of our planet. There is evidence of their toxic effects at every level of biological organisation, from tiny insects at the bottom of the food chain to apex predators,” says Karen Raubenheimer, a senior lecturer in plastic pollution at the University of Wollongong.
Plastic is generally made from fossil fuels, the main agent of climate change. Activists and experts have seized on a similar demand to address both problems: turn off the taps.
In fact, the diagnosis of Costas Velis, an expert in ocean litter at the University of Leeds, sounds similar to what climate scientists say about unrestricted fossil fuel burning:
“Every year without production caps makes the necessary cut to plastic production in future steeper – and our need to use other measures to address the problem greater.”
A production cap hasn’t made it into the negotiating text for a plastic treaty (yet). And while governments pledged to transition away from coal, oil and gas last year, a new report on the world’s energy use shows fossil fuel use declining more slowly than in earlier forecasts – and much more slowly than would be necessary to halt warming at internationally agreed limits. The effort to protect a third of earth’s surface has barely begun.
Each summit is concerned with ameliorating the effects of modern societies on nature. Some experts argue for a more radical interpretation.
“Even if 30% of Earth was protected, how effectively would it halt biodiversity loss?” ask political ecologists Bram Büscher (Wageningen University) and Rosaleen Duffy (University of Sheffield).
“The proliferation of protected areas has happened at the same time as the extinction crisis has intensified. Perhaps, without these efforts, things could have been even worse for nature,” they say.
“But an equally valid argument would be that area-based conservation has blinded many to the causes of Earth’s diminishing biodiversity: an expanding economic system that squeezes ecosystems by turning ever more habitat into urban sprawl or farmland, polluting the air and water with ever more toxins and heating the atmosphere with ever more greenhouse gas.”
The size and extent of core sagebrush areas, as well as growth opportunity areas and other rangeland areas within the sagebrush biome of the United States in 2001 (left) and 2020 (right). From Doherty and others (2022).
The sagebrush biome is one of the most intact and least modified ecosystems in the world covering more than 165 million acres, on par with the Amazon or the Serengeti. It’s also the largest contiguous open space in the Lower 48. But we are losing 1.3 million acres — an area slightly larger than Rhode Island — on average each year.
In 2022, a group of scientists and managers with expertise in sagebrush biome conservation came together to publish the Sagebrush Conservation Design, an effort to provide a common basis for understanding this iconic landscape through time. The SCD used new remote sensing technologies like the Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection dataset and the Rangelands Analysis Platform, to map the entire sagebrush biome and categorize it into Core Sagebrush Areas, Growth Opportunity Areas, and Other Rangeland Areas. It also evaluated the different threats facing the biome and showed that more than 90% of degradation across the biome stems from three main threats: invasive annual grasses, conifer encroachment, and land-use modification. These losses impact livelihoods and reduce important ecosystem services like water availability, wildlife habitat, forage for livestock, carbon storage and more.
To continue moving sagebrush conservation forward and to best leverage the SCD’s insights and map products, a diverse group of researchers, land management professionals, federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations came together for this Special Issue of Rangeland Ecology and Management to identify research opportunities and answer other questions that complicate sagebrush conservation.
The USGS has been a leader in sagebrush ecosystem research, working with management agencies to bring together the breadth of science information and data across the biome to meet management needs. Below are the USGS contributions to Special Issue.
Understanding how climate change will contribute to ongoing declines in sagebrush ecological integrity is critical for informing natural resource management, yet complicated by interactions with wildfire and biological invasions. Here, researchers assessed potential future changes in sagebrush ecological integrity under a range of scenarios using an individual plant-based simulation model, integrated with remotely sensed estimates of current sagebrush ecological integrity. The simulation model allowed researchers to estimate how climate change, wildfire, and invasive annuals interact to alter the potential abundance of key plant functional types that influence sagebrush ecological integrity: sagebrush, perennial grasses, and annual grasses. Results of this study provide a long-term perspective on the vulnerability of sagebrush ecosystems to climate change and may inform geographic prioritization of conservation and restoration investments.
More information
Sagebrush ecosystems support a suite of unique species such as the emblematic greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) but are under increasing pressure from anthropogenic stressors such as annual grass invasion, conifer encroachment, altered wildfire regimes, and land use change. In this study, researchers examined the ability of an ecosystem-based framework for sagebrush conservation, the sagebrush conservation design (SCD) strategy, and the associated model of Sagebrush Ecological Integrity (SEI), to identify and rank priority habitats for sage-grouse, a sagebrush indicator species. Researchers compared sage-grouse population trends from 1996–2022 across the three categories that characterize integrity of sagebrush ecosystems (core, growth opportunity, and other rangelands) and then generated a parallel categorical model of sage-grouse population trends, based on the same landcover variables that comprise the SEI. Researchers then compared the sage-grouse condition categories to trends derived from population count data.
In all, they found that the SCD and SEI were effective tools for identifying and ranking priority habitats for sage-grouse. Their analysis demonstrates that proactive ecosystem-based approaches to the conservation of the sagebrush biome can help optimize the return on limited conservation resources and benefits for sagebrush obligate species, and help reduce some of the real and perceived conflicts inherent in single-species management
High-quality Core Sagebrush Areas, as delineated by the Sagebrush Conservation Design, continue to decline despite conservation and restoration investments. The increasing recognition of the scale of threats and the pace of ecosystem degradation has led to a shift towards threats-based ecosystem management. To this end, researchers quantified the acres of conservation implementation relative to the rate of loss from specific threats to the sagebrush biome and assessed how much additional action may be needed to stop Core Sagebrush Area loss.
They found that current rates of conservation are markedly lower than rates of Core Sagebrush Area loss (~10% of average annual loss). Furthermore, most conservation actions, ~90% for some treatment types, occurred outside of Core Sagebrush Areas, likely reducing the efficacy of these conservation actions at retaining and restoring intact sagebrush rangelands. Additionally, they found that conservation efforts will need to increase ten times its current annual rate to halt declines. However, through better spatial targeting of conservation actions, the increase in conservation needed to stop Core Sagebrush Area loss could be substantially reduced. This analysis demonstrates the divergent futures that may await the sagebrush biome pending key decisions regarding conservation targeting, stakeholder cooperation, and the strategic addition of resources.
Sagebrush Conservation Gateway
All twenty studies from this Special Issue, plus related content, can be accessed through the Sagebrush Conservation Gateway.
SANTA FE – A public health order that imposed temporary firearm restrictions, enhanced drug monitoring, and other public safety measures in response to gun violence and substance misuse expired on Saturday and will not be renewed, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday.
“The public health order, though temporary, allowed us to implement urgent and necessary measures that have had a measurable, positive effect on public safety in our state,” Lujan Grisham said. “I have decided to allow the public health order to expire, but our fight to protect New Mexico communities from the dangers posed by guns and illegal drugs will continue.”
Lujan Grisham first issued the public health order in September 2023 after the tragic shooting death of an 11-year-old boy in Albuquerque. Emphasizing the urgent need to address gun violence in the state, the governor’s temporary restrictions banned firearms in public parks and playgrounds in Bernalillo County, strengthened oversight of firearm sales and implemented wastewater testing for fentanyl in public schools.
The Public Health Order also led to the establishment of memorandums of understanding between the state of New Mexico and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Albuquerque Police Department and the 2nd Judicial District to share public safety data and ensure transparency and accountability.
In the year since the governor’s public health order went into effect, significant strides were made in reducing gun violence in New Mexico. Key accomplishments include:
More than 1,700 firearms collected through gun buy-back events.
A doubling of arrests in Albuquerque including 36% related to violent and/or gun-related crimes.
Increased public awareness about the serious issue of juveniles being detained for gun possession.
Fewer gunfire incidents in Albuquerque, as reported by the city’s gunshot detection system.
In the last year, 52,743 free gun locks have been distributed by the New Mexico Department of Health.
The New Mexico Department of Health has distributed 31,806 doses of naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses, with 3,653 overdose reversals reported in the last year.
An interactive dashboard developed by the New Mexico Environment Department that shows drug testing of wastewater from public schools across the state, helping school officials and communities understand drug trends in their areas.
Increased inmate population at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center.
A coalescing of state and local agencies, including New Mexico State Police, Albuquerque Police, Bernalillo County Sheriff, and others, to develop a coordinated response to tackle gun violence.
“Our work is not done,” said Lujan Grisham. “We need the legislature to pass stronger public safety laws, increase penalties for violent offenders, and ensure that those suffering from substance misuse have access to treatment. This is no time to slow down—we must accelerate our efforts to protect our families. The legislature must also prioritize budget requests from our law enforcement agencies, who need more resources to continue their fight against crime.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)
THOMASVILLE, Ga. –Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) announced that several counties in Georgia’s Second Congressional District were added to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Major Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Helene. The counties include:
Thomas County– Individuals and households are now eligible to apply for financial and direct services (FEMA Individual Assistance)
Dooly County, Grady County, Mitchell County, and Thomas County – local governments are now eligible for FEMA Public Assistance for repairs or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities (roads, bridges, water control facilities, public buildings and equipment, public utilities, parks, recreational, other facilities)
Before and since Hurricane Helene hit Georgia and the southeast United States, Congressman Bishop has been in contact with the White House, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FEMA. He and his staff have also been in regular contact with the Georgia Governor’s office, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA), and nongovernmental partners as they prepared for and responded to fallout from the hurricane.
“I have worked with federal, state, and local officials to make sure our efforts are coordinated to expedite assistance to our families, farmers, business owners, cities, and counties,” said Congressman Bishop. “Working with Congressman Austin Scott, Senators Ossoff and Warnock, the entire Georgia Delegation, and our Georgia state government partners we helped guide President Biden, Vice President Harris, and other federal emergency agencies through our Georgia communities that were hit hard by this storm.”
“Seeing the impact, first-hand, is crucial in understanding the challenges we face and appreciating the resilient spirit of Georgians as we rebuild,” added Congressman Bishop. “I will continue working to assure that Congress provides the needed resources to Georgia communities impacted by this hurricane.”
In response to Hurricane Helene, Congressman Bishop, along with his congressional colleagues urged President Biden to issue an expedited major disaster declaration for Georgia counties significantly impacted by the storm. That request was honored within 24 hours. He also sent a letter to U.S. House and U.S. Senate leadership asking for appropriations to be made available as soon as possible to fully fund unmet agricultural disaster relief needs.
Over 8,500 federal personnel have been on the ground, working side-by-side with state and local officials, to help survivors get what they need to begin their recovery. As of today, FEMA has approved over $860 million, which includes $507 million in assistance for individuals and communities affected and over $351.5 million for debris removal and activities to save lives, protect public health and safety and prevent damage to public and private property.
Georgia residents that need emergency or immediate assistance should contact GEMA viahttps://gema.georgia.gov/hurricane-heleneor apply for financial assistance atdisasterassistance.gov. These websites provide updated information on resources and shelters.
Georgia residents that need farm or ranch assistance can reach out to the USDA either by calling 877-508-8364 or visitinghttps://www.farmers.gov. For personalized assistance for your individual operation, use theDisaster Assistance Discovery Tool (https://www.farmers.gov/protection-recovery/disaster-tool) to determine eligibility.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Raymond Anthony Rabago Montoya, 23, of Phoenix, was sentenced on October 2, 2024, by United States District Judge Dominic W. Lanza to 12 months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $3,000 to the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund. His co-defendant and mother, Griselda Guadalupe Montoya-Gastelum, 50, of Sonora, Mexico, was previously sentenced by Judge Lanza on July 8, 2024, to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Montoya-Gastelum pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Lacey Act on April 25, 2024, and Rabago Montoya pleaded guilty to the same offense on April 26, 2024.
Defendants coordinated the illegal importation of exotic and protected wildlife from Mexico, including tigers, panthers, monkeys, and exotic parrots, into the United States, concealed through ports of entry, for financial gain. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began investigating the defendants in August 2022 after receiving a report from a person who believed that the four exotic parrots they had purchased from Rabago Montoya had been illegally imported. This report and further investigation led to the January 2023 execution of a search warrant at the home of Carlos Castro, where a tiger cub, an alligator, 12 snapping turtles, 6 tortoises, and boxes of other reptiles were found. Snapchat messages revealed that Montoya-Gastelum and Castro discussed illegal exotic animal sales and trades. Castro was subsequently convicted of Unlawful Sale of Wildlife in the Arizona Superior Court, Maricopa County.
After federal agents observed advertisements for the sale of spider monkeys on Facebook, they conducted two undercover purchases of monkeys from the defendants for $6,000 each, one in April and one in May 2023. In June and August 2023, Rabago Montoya was encountered by law enforcement with dozens of endangered parrots concealed in his vehicle, many of which were deceased. Defendants were indicted on September 12, 2023, and arrested the following day.
“Once again we see Arizonans profiting from the concealment of contraband through the Nogales and Lukeville Ports of Entry,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “Here, in lieu of controlled substances we have mistreated protected animals: and the sentences imposed send strong messages both of deterrence and of the importance of robust environmental protections.”
“Wildlife trafficking is illegal and immoral, as countless animals that are taken from the wild are smuggled across borders in inhumane conditions,” said Edward Grace, Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “In the case of spider monkeys, many trafficked animals perish due to inadequate care, while those that survive face a life of captivity. We hope this case emphasizes that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and our partners will continue to ensure that those engaged in wildlife trafficking are brought to justice.”
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart Zander and Lisa Jennis, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-01305-PHX-DWL RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-138_Montoya et al.
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZfor the latest news.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)
October 16, 2024
Washington, D.C. – The Congressional Coal Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Carol Miller (R-WV), Dan Meuser (R-PA), Harriet Hageman (R-WY), and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) released a statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement their power plant greenhouse gas rule.
“While we are disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision not to stay the EPA’s power plant greenhouse gas rule, we are hopeful that the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will overturn this illegal rule. This rule unfairly targets coal and gas-fired power plants and furthers the Biden-Harris administration’s far left agenda. The United States produces energy cleaner and more efficiently than any other developed nation in the world, and stifling American energy production will only empower our adversaries. As the co-chairs of the coal caucus, we will do everything in our power to stop this illegal rule from hurting American workers and consumers,”said the Congressional Coal Caucus Co-Chairs.
The Congressional Coal Caucus is the voice of American coal communities in Congress. It represents both eastern and western mining states, along with all of the types of coal produced throughout the country.
Background:
The Congressional Coal Caucus joined in sending a bicameralresolution highlightinghow unrealistic these emissions requirements are on existingcoal-fired power plants and newly constructed gas-fired power plants. This attempt to force the closure of power plants that supply America’s baseload electricity was previously tried under President Obama and overturned by the Supreme Court in West Virginia v. EPA.
The EPA finalized the Power Plant Rule on April 25th, 2024, which will create a devastating impact on our electric grid, current coal-fired power plants, new natural-gas fired power plants, and U.S. energy production.
These rules are in violation of the Clean Air Act and will increase energy prices, the cost of living for Americans, and will shut down the majority of U.S. coal producers by 2032.
Erosion-prone banks, sedimented estuaries and waterways smothered with all the worst weeds. This is the confronting riverscape in Doubtless Bay on Northland’s east coast.
Scratch below the surface though and you find secretive native fish, kōura and insects thriving in little pockets, excellent swimming holes, hapū who care deeply for their awa and whenua, and a community that totally supports work to restore the rivers. It’s for their children, mokopuna and future generations.
Climate change effects in the bay
DOC’s Ngā Awa river ranger Maddy Jopling lives in the area and has seen issues with flooding, erosion and pollution after storms and heavy rain first-hand. She’s not alone.
Farmers have come to fear heavy rain warnings, knowing they will be faced with costs to move and repair fences. Slips destabilise plantation forests and add to fine sediment being carried downstream. Hapū have noticed the loss of prime cockle beds near the Taipā River mouth in the last 20 years. Lifestyle block owners are concerned about the rivers nibbling away at their land and its value diminishing.
“We’re already seeing climate change happening here with more intense weather and more frequent, damaging floods,” says Maddy.
“And sadly, there are other things we’ll have to contend with in the future, such as worse droughts, increased risk of wildfires and sea-level rise affecting land around the coast.”
Taipā River estuary where hapū have noticed increased sediment and falling numbers of cockles in the last 20 years. Image credit: Sarah Wilcox.
Healthy rivers need healthy land
Maddy’s job as river ranger for Doubtless Bay is to work with hapū and community to restore the biodiversity of the rivers from source to sea. The bay’s three rivers and their tributaries are treated as a single catchment, so there’s a big area involved.
“It’s critical to think about the future when planting or restoring habitat for native species in Doubtless Bay. Otherwise we won’t get the improvements in river health and biodiversity that we all want.”
A local hapū collective and many local landowners, groups and agencies are interested in or are already involved in restoration work. There is also support from industry representatives.
“The hapū collective wanted to know more about how climate change is likely to affect their rohe and what they could do now to build resilience. I’d also heard a lot of people talk about how the trees they’d put in had collapsed or fencing that had been washed away by floods.”
River ranger Maddy Jopling pointing out locations of the day’s site visits. Image credit: Sarah Wilcox.
Equipping the community with best practice revegetation information
Maddy says she saw an opportunity for DOC to support future work by providing best-practice, practical information to help advise and prioritise restoration planting in the catchment.
“We wanted to help people make the best decisions about what to plant where and how to tackle the really difficult issues.
“People also told me about what had worked for them in the past. So when we were setting up the project, we knew it was going to be important to visit a whole range of different places, especially those that are typical of many places here. It makes sense that local people know their land better than anyone.”
Drawing on ecology and mapping expertise
The project started with hapū, community members and DOC science and technical staff taking forest ecologist Dr Adam Forbes and mapping specialist Dr Brad Case on a tour of the catchment. The group visited more than 20 diverse sites in the in the Awapoko, Oruru and Oruaiti subcatchments over 3 days in late summer.
Brad Case presenting maps at a community seminar before the site visits. Image credit: Sarah Wilcox.
Based on this information and the site visits, the pair have created treatments for 12 different types of habitat in the catchment. The treatments outline possible changes to the vegetation to take climate change and human preferences into account, protect the coast and freshwater and restore wetlands.
Adam says visiting all the different sites in Doubtless Bay was really important.
Adam Forbes discussing revegetation options on a site visit. Image credit: Sarah Wilcox.
“I couldn’t have done this without going to the sites and talking to everyone. It enabled me to find out what’s out there and what the issues are.”
He has mined a range of databases to create the treatments, drawing on list of plants for the area, planting densities, flammability ratings and listed options to tackle some of the catchment’s big issues.
“I’ve included a list of species that are relevant for restoration in these catchments for both the pioneer stage and the enrichment stage, once the canopy has been established. There are some neat regionally specific endemic species included, which provide options for people.”
Adam has helpfully provided information on timing, risks, management, maintenance and avenues of support.
Some examples of revegetation treatments
One suggested treatment is for sites in the lower rivers where īnanga spawn. The areas are currently open and weedy with willows and poplars that can keel over into the river during floods. Adam suggests getting light native forest established, including species that īnanga favour for spawning.
Alligator weed, crack willow and ginger are among the profilic weeds established at many sites in the lower rivers. Image credit: Sarah Wilcox.
Another treatment is for steep hill country with a tendency to slip. These areas are currently in pasture but establishing native vegetation would stabilise the hillsides and reduce erosion downstream.
Mapping reveals hotspots for priority work
Brad has created a series of catchment maps that show different information about the catchment such as susceptibility to erosion and flooding. Overlaying the maps highlights hotspots where multiple issues overlap.
Adam has included many of these areas in his 12 revegetation treatments.
Map of the Doubtless Bay catchment showing vulnerability to climate change effects from lowest (green) to highest (red).
Maddy continues, “When I saw the catchment mapping, I was really excited about the fact that it will help us prioritise restoration as a community at a landscape scale.”
“When you’re going out and doing your restoration work, the scale can be quite overwhelming. There’s so much to do! But the way Brad’s done the modelling makes it really obvious where we need to focus a bit more effort from a climate change perspective.”
“Adam and Brad have shared the report and discussed their findings with the community already. We’re really interested in feedback though and will continue to work with the community to put the information into practice.”
About Ngā Awa river restoration programme
Taking a whole catchment approach, Ngā Awa is working in partnership with iwi, hapū and communities to restore the biodiversity of 12 rivers from mountains to sea. The three rivers in Doubtless Bay are one of the restoration catchments.
The programme’s goal is to see river ecosystems and species thriving from mountains to sea, which enrich people’s lives. This is achieved by collaborating with others, co-designing and co-leading with iwi, hapū and whānau and recognising climate change. Planning the restoration work is underpinned by sound technical and scientific advice.
From left, Adam Forbes, Brad Case and Tiger Tukariri (Matarahurahu, Kenana) checking possible sites to visit in the upper Oruaiti catchment. Image credit: Sarah Wilcox.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
10.16.24
CHICAGO – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined officials from CountyCare, Cook County Health, and the Cook County Department of Public Health to unveil new proactive measures taken by all five Medicaid managed care insurance companies (MCOs) in Illinois in response to a request by Durbin and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to address lead poisoning risks to children in Chicagoland.
In March, Durbin and Duckworth had urged MCOs to step up to address lead poisoning risks to children in Chicago by preemptively sending drinking water test kits, water filters, home visitors, and educational materials to all enrolled children in the city. As a result of these letters, CountyCare, the largest MCO in Cook County, agreed to the Senators’ request and sent educational materials as well as a coupon redeemable at local Jewel-Osco grocery stores for a free water filter to nearly 90,000 families in Cook County. The other four MCOs made similar commitments, including providing grants to primary care providers for lead tests and to local community organizations to distribute free water filters to low-income families.
“Children continue to face the unacceptable risk of lead poisoning in the very place they call home,” said Durbin. “I sent letters with Senator Duckworth to the five Medicaid insurance companies in Illinois, calling upon them to take new, proactive measures to address this dire health risk. I applaud CountyCare for being the first to step up and implement innovative strategies to prevent the threat of lead exposure for low-income children. Today’s announced initiatives from all five insurance companies will support children’s health and provide some peace of mind for parents as we continue to work towards replacing lead pipes in our community.”
“We appreciate the leadership of Senator Durbin and Senator Duckworth in addressing the number one environmental hazard that is 100 percent preventable. Collaboration is key in tackling public health issues, and efforts like this are crucial in preventing such problems whenever possible. Let’s continue working together to build healthier and safer communities,” said LaMar Hasbrouck, MD, Chief Operating Officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health.
“There is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Lead can cause serious and permanent health problems, including irreversible brain damage,” said Dr. Erik Mikaitis, Interim CEO of Cook County Health, which includes CountyCare, the largest Medicaid Managed Care Plan serving residents of Cook County. “I am grateful to Senator Durbin and Senator Duckworth for their leadership on this issue. By creating these new outreach strategies, we are strengthening our collaborative, multi-faceted approach to prevent, mitigate and treat lead exposure and keep children safe.”
Today’s announcement comes during Children’s Health Month and ahead of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. The Senators’ letters to CountyCare, Aetna, BlueCross, Meridian, and Molina followed the finding earlier this year that 129,000 Chicago children—68 percent of those younger than age six—were potentially exposed to lead in their home drinking water, due to the presence of lead pipes—given that Chicago has the highest number of lead pipes of any city in the country.
Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for low-income individuals, has a comprehensive benefit for kids—requiring all covered children to receive lead screenings at ages one and two. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) states that there is a specific and presumptive risk of lead exposure for children on Medicaid. Further, if a child tests for an elevated blood lead level, states are required to provide diagnostic and treatment services.
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) to address lead in drinking water, which requires 100 percent lead pipe replacement in 10 years among other requirements to protect public health. In Illinois, the state reported more than one million lead service lines (LSLs), the most per capita in the nation, and replacing LSLs statewide is estimated to cost $11.6 billion. Illinois has received more than $578 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law earmarked for LSLs from EPA. The Natural Resources Defense Council found that Illinois will benefit the most from lead pipe remediation, with up to $89 billion in avoided health costs.
Earlier this year, Durbin reintroduced his Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act, a bill to require the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to update its lead poisoning prevention measures to reflect modern science and ensure that families and children living in federally assisted housing are protected from the devastating consequences of lead poisoning.
Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
BATON ROUGE – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) hosted the “Louisiana Energy Security Summit: Unleashing American Abundance in a Changing Global Landscape” at the Capitol Park Museum in Baton Rouge, bringing together leaders from the federal, state, and local government levels, industry, the research community, and elsewhere.
In his keynote address, Cassidy highlighted the geopolitical challenges confronting U.S. manufacturers operating internationally. Adversaries exploit lax environmental and labor standards to gain an unfair trade advantage over American companies.
“We are working to preserve the jobs we have in Louisiana and create more in the future,” said Dr. Cassidy. “We can do this by requiring that trade with countries like China be fair, and not allow them to pollute the atmosphere while we’re working to clean it.”
“The Foreign Pollution Fee Act is a trade policy that rewards U.S. businesses and workers while penalizing foreign polluters. It creates a level playing field for American companies on the global stage. It’s a win for American workers, the U.S. economy, our national security, and the environment,” added Dr. Cassidy.
The summit featured ten panels which explored protecting U.S. interests from unfair trade practices, Louisiana’s low emissions manufacturing advantage, and the role of natural gas in strengthening U.S. geopolitical influence. Panelists included presidents and CEOs from Entergy, First Solar, Buzzi UnicemUSA, Orsted, and Aluminum Technologies, former Trump administration officials, and leaders from Louisiana trade associations and major energy and Fortune 500 companies.
“We have the talent, we have the resources, we have the God-given location here in Louisiana with the Mississippi River, the Gulf, so much pipeline running underneath us, some of the greatest ports in the country, we’ve got all those tools. We just need to make sure we marry those with good policy,” said Louisiana Association of Business and Industry President Will Green. “If we do, we will be unstoppable here in Louisiana.”
“This is an energy economy here in Louisiana. We send it out, and we bring it in. It’s a manufacturing powerhouse. This state embodies what we can achieve again, if we open our alliances and we shut down our adversaries,” said Former Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality James Connaughton.
“There is a market disadvantage for U.S. producers and manufacturers,” said Former Energy Deputy Secretary Mark Menezes. “This is basic fairness. As a consumer you have choices to make on products. You can choose a U.S.-made product or something that is imported. The choice is easy. And as a consequence of making that choice you address the fundamental fairness of this, you recognize the importance of the U.S. role, and you incentivize U.S. manufacturers to come back from China.”
“Everyone in this room knows China has not relaxed. They have increased production and are flooding the market,” said Huntsman Corporation Vice President of Global Communications and Government Affairs Kevin Gundersen. “We have gotten away from [our] competitive advantage, and we have leaned into our disadvantage as a country. I think there needs to be a course correction.”
“We already import more than 26 million tons [of cement] per year. All of the countries where we import cement—they don’t have all the environmental regulations we do. They don’t have all the laws. They don’t have all the regulation, so we already have a disadvantage,” said Buzzi UnicemUSA President and CEO Massimo Toso. “So we do appreciate the effort by Senator Bill Cassidy and his colleague to put in place a carbon border adjustment mechanism.”
“Non-market actors overseas, subsidies, and unfair trade practices make it cheaper to produce goods than companies like ourselves,” said CF Industries Vice President for Public Affairs Linda Dempsey. “We’ve got the best workers and the best standards, but the second piece really is flipping the switch on the trade rules.”
“The cheap solar panels that are brought in from China don’t have the same standards of which we hold ourselves accountable to creating an unfair blade,” said First Solar CEO Mark Widmar. “Between American ingenuity, passion, creativity, and know-how, we can outcompete, but we need fairness.”
Background
Cassidy and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced their Foreign Pollution Fee Act to level the playing field with Chinese manufacturing and expand American production.
Earlier this month, he released the 3rd episode of Bill on the Hill, where he highlights his Foreign Pollution Fee Act and discusses China’s growing economy and military coming at the expense of the American worker. After hearing fellow Americans share their concerns, Cassidy presented his plan to address the nexus between economic development, national security, and the environment. His Foreign Pollution Fee Act would even the playing field while holding China accountable.
He penned editorials in Foreign Affairs, The Washington Times, and jointly in the USA Today Network discussing the geopolitical threat that China poses to U.S. global standing. Cassidy also joined Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax to discuss his foreign pollution fee, noting the competitive advantage China receives from intentionally ignoring environmental standards.
Last Spring, the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution urging Congress to pursue an industrial manufacturing and trade policy to counter competition from China. Learn more here.
Last Congress, Cassidy released a landmark energy policy outline in response to the Biden administration’s assault on domestic energy. The outline details how we can successfully reset U.S. energy policy, including Cassidy’s plan for an Energy Operation Warp Speed to cut permitting red tape and unleash domestic energy and manufacturing. In support of this complete vision and in addition to the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, Cassidy led Republican colleagues in opposition to a domestic carbon tax and introduced the first comprehensive judicial reform for permitting bill. He also pushed back on disastrous proposals from the Biden administration to limit development in the Outer Continental Shelf with the introduction of the WHALE Act and the Offshore Energy Security Act of 2023.
Phoenix, AZ – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Dr. Homer Wilkes and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed a Shared Stewardship Agreement to strengthen collaboration between state and federal land management agencies in the State of Arizona.
The State of Arizona and the USDA Forest Service have a long and successful record of collaborating on efforts to improve forest health and resilience. Today’s agreement focuses on federal and state agencies working together to respond to land management challenges and concerns across Arizona forests. Today’s agreement builds on a 2020 Shared Stewardship Memorandum of Understanding, aimed at accelerating the pace and scale of projects like the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), and will assist the state and the Forest Service in their continued efforts to address the wildfire crisis in Arizona’s high priority “firesheds” using funding from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
“I am thankful for Governor Hobbs’ commitment to the long-standing partnership between the USDA Forest Service and the State of Arizona,” said Under Secretary Wilkes. “Through Shared Stewardship, we continue to work on landscape-scale priorities and build capacity to improve forest conditions.”
“Partnership is essential to protecting our people, infrastructure, and ecosystems from wildfires,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “This Stewardship Agreement renews our commitment to working with the US Forest Service to mitigate wildfire threats to Arizona communities and ensure healthy forests and ample water supply. I thank Under Secretary Wilkes for his continued collaboration with Arizona and dedication to responsible forest management.”
This collaboration between state and federal agencies uses a proven and collaborative approach to focus on landscape-scale forest restoration activities that increase resilience of at-risk communities and watersheds across national forests in Arizona.
This agreement focuses on restoring fire-adapted ecosystems and reducing the risk of wildfire to communities; identifying, managing and reducing threats to forest and ecosystem health; and fostering economic development strategies that keep working forests productive.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Padilla, Ruiz Celebrate Groundbreaking of Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project Expansion
WATCH: Padilla highlights Inflation Reduction Act funding for Salton Sea habitat conservationSALTON SEA, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, and Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-Calif.-25) joined federal and state leaders to announce the expansion of a restoration project at the south end of the Salton Sea through the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP). The event celebrated the groundbreaking of the expansion of the Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) Project after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded California $70 million from the Inflation Reduction Act for the project last December.
The investment is a portion of the $250 million that Padilla, Ruiz, the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Representative Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52) secured for the SSMP from funds included in the Inflation Reduction Act for drought resiliency. The federal funding commitments were made in the 2022 Commitment to Support Salton Sea Management Related to Water Conservation in the Lower Colorado River Basin Agreement.
The expansion of the SCH Project represents a multiagency collaboration to address the ecological challenges facing the Salton Sea. The commitments made by the federal and state governments, as well as from regional agencies, will add 750 acres to the project’s footprint. This unprecedented support helps set the current project footprint at nearly 5,000 acres with the potential to expand to around 8,000 acres.
“As the Salton Sea lakebed recedes, toxic dust is contaminating air quality and threatening the stability of the local ecosystem,” said Senator Padilla. “The $250 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding we secured for the Salton Sea Management Program is essential not only to protect public health in surrounding communities, but to restore the habitat of the abundant aquatic and avian wildlife in the region. Today’s exciting groundbreaking of the Species Conservation Habitat Project expansion will expand critical wetland habitat and improve air quality around the hazardous exposed lakebed.”
“For years, my constituents have shared their concerns about the harmful impacts of the Salton Sea. As a physician in Congress, I have been committed to addressing this ongoing public health and environmental crisis,” said Congressman Ruiz, M.D. “Thanks to our partnership with the Biden-Harris administration and the $4 billion secured through the Inflation Reduction Act to stabilize the Colorado River Basin, we are bringing vital resources to our communities that will protect the health, environment, and economy of our region.”
“Our largest project at the Salton Sea to suppress dust and restore habitat is getting bigger,” said Wade Crowfoot, Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency. “The Biden-Harris Administration and our Congressional delegation delivered major funding to get this done, and it’s another step forward at the Sea. I’m proud of our partnerships and progress, while we all know much more work lies ahead.”
“It was less than two years ago that we signed a memorandum of understanding for the Salton Sea, and here we are today breaking ground on phase two of the Species Conservation Habitat Project, on the heels of signing the largest water conservation agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “We’re grateful to our partners in the State of California, the Imperial Irrigation District Board, and farmers and growers in the Imperial and Coachella Valley for leading the way for the Sea and the Colorado River Basin.”
“California’s commitment to protecting the Colorado River by conserving 1.6 million acre-feet under the Lower Basin Plan would not have been possible without the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration and Commissioner Touton,” said JB Hamby, Chairman for the Colorado River Board of California. “Their historic $250 million investment in California’s Species Conservation Habitat — the largest ever for Salton Sea restoration — marks a turning point. Together, these efforts protect both the Colorado River and the Salton Sea.”
Located at the south end of the Salton Sea, near the community of Westmorland, the project aims to restore ecological value at the Salton Sea and help protect regional air quality by
Creating a network of ponds and wetlands;
Providing a habitat for fish and birds that visit the Salton Sea; and
Suppressing dust within the project area.
In August, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Imperial Irrigation District agreed to conserve nearly 230 billion gallons of water by 2026, facilitate land access for project implementation, and provide an additional $175 million in federal funding to accelerate California’s Salton Sea restoration efforts.
Comprised of the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Department of Water Resources, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the SSMP is implementing a 10-year plan to improve the conditions around the Salton Sea by constructing 29,800 acres of habitat and dust suppression projects while establishing a long-term pathway for the Salton Sea’s success.
Senator Padilla worked to include $4 billion for drought resiliency and inland waterways, including for projects to address historic drought impacting the Colorado River Basin and Salton Sea, in the Inflation Reduction Act. The $250 million in federal funding Padilla secured for the SSMP allows the Department of the Interior to contribute to vital restoration projects at the Salton Sea, including to expedite existing projects that the State of California and California water users are contributing to, like the SCH Project. Last Congress, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced Padilla and Senator Feinstein’s Salton Sea Projects Improvements Act to give the Interior Department additional authorities to invest in Salton Sea ecological improvement projects and address the public health and environmental crises at the Salton Sea. Padilla also applauded the Department of the Interior last year for awarding approximately $367 million to California partners to protect the Colorado River Basin, including to restore the Salton Sea.
Additional photos from the event are available here.
The Love Your Place Awards are back for 2024! The awards celebrate volunteers, local community and conservation groups and schools making a difference for the environment in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area.
The biennial awards are funded by the Waitākere Ranges Local Board and organised and hosted by EcoMatters Environment Trust.
“This is the fifth time we’ve held these awards, and we’re always inspired by the stories of local environmental champions working to help preserve this very special part of Tāmaki Makaurau,” says Waitākere Ranges Local Board Chair Greg Presland.
“We want to celebrate those who are going above and beyond to work for our local environment, so I encourage everyone to nominate their local environmental hero,” Greg adds.
People can nominate themselves or others working in the environmental space anywhere across the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area, which stretches from Whatipu, Glen Eden and Titirangi in the south to Waitākere, Swanson and Te Henga in the north.
Nominations are open from 1 to 17 November, with winners announced at a special local event early 2025.
EcoMatters CEO Carla Gee says the awards have become a much-anticipated local event, celebrating the special relationship people in the Waitākere Ranges have with their local environment.
“These are truly heart-warming awards, because they recognise the people who are working in and with our communities to make a real difference.
“It’s never been more important to protect our precious natural heritage, particularly in the Waitākere Ranges, an area loved by so many Aucklanders, as the climate crisis continues to threaten biodiversity,” says Carla.
The previous awards, in 2022, recognised trailblazers and previously unsung heroes working in predator and weed control, food growing and waste minimisation initiatives.
The five award categories are:
Denise Yates Award: for youth (under 18) showing emerging leadership around local environmental issues.
Karaka Award: for a school or school group taking action on a local environmental issue.
Nīkau Award: for a business or social enterprise making a contribution to improve the environment.
Rātā Award: for an outstanding volunteer group or organisation taking action on a local environmental issue.
Kahikatea Award: for an outstanding individual volunteer taking action on a local environmental issue.
Four Southland men are in the deep end following a joint operation at the Waiau river mouth yesterday.
With two weeks until the end of the whitebaiting season, Police and the Department of Conservation completed compliance checks at the Waiau river mouth between 10pm and 1am last night.
This is part of Operation Inaka, a joint operation between Police, the Department of Conservation, Fisheries New Zealand, and Te Rūnaka o Ōraka-Aparima.
“The aim of this operation is to target and apprehend offenders who are partaking in illegal activity by fishing outside the legal fishing hours, participating in anti-social behaviours, or driving impaired,” says Western Southland Area Response Manager Senior Sergeant Pete Graham.
“Four local men were discovered fishing outside of the regulated hours while we were conducting our compliance checks last night. Their nets were seized, and they will face enforcement by the Department of Conservation.”
Penalties for people found illegally fishing whitebait can include having their fishing equipment seized and possibly destructed, while any whitebait caught would be returned to the river. They can also face a $400 fine or court prosecution.
“Although this is a disappointing result, previous compliance checks on Sunday 18 August resulted in no issues and Police did not observe anyone illegally fishing before the beginning of the whitebaiting season on 1 September.”
Police and the Department of Conservation will continue to work together over the whitebaiting season to monitor any unlawful fishing, or antisocial behaviour.
“To avoid any confusion, we encourage all whitebaiters to educate themselves on the rules and regulations to ensure their 2024 whitebaiting season goes swimmingly.”
The whitebaiting fishing season for New Zealand, the fishing season is between 1 September and 30 October. For the Chatham Islands, it is from 1 December to the last day of February.
Whitebaiting is only permitted on these days between 5am to 8pm, or 6am to 9pm during New Zealand daylight saving. Any whitebaiting outside of these times is illegal.
“It is important all whitebaiters comply with the whitebait fishing regulations as this will help sustainably manage this precious taonga,” said John McCarroll, Department of Conservation Operations Manager, Murihiku District.
If you see illegal or suspicious activity this whitebaiting season, please call Police immediately on 111.
You can also report information on 105 after the fact, and anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111.
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a lifelong family farmer and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is sharing Iowa farmers’ concerns regarding the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to agriculture, energy and trade.
“Farmers are struggling to stay afloat thanks to falling profitability, sky high input costs and burdensome regulations,” Grassley said of his letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris. “In order to forge a better future for farmers, Washington needs to listen to the real-world experience of those with dirt under their fingernails. I’m demanding the Biden-Harris administration wake up to the challenges our farmers are facing.”
Grassley’s letter shines light on President Biden and Vice President Harris’ harmful ag and trade policies, including:
Grassley is urging President Biden and Vice President Harris to prioritize agricultural issues and lend farmers a helping hand by issuing timely, science-backed guidance on the 45Z Clean Fuels tax credit and expanding market access.
Download audio of Grassley discussing his letter HERE. Read the full letter HERE and below.
Monday, October 14, 2024
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden and Vice President Harris,
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the impact of your administration’s policies on the agricultural community. As a lifelong family farmer, I know first-hand the decisions made at the federal level have far-reaching consequences. It is critical that these decisions support, rather than hinder, our farmers.
Many aspects of farming have changed over the last four years of your administration. Unfortunately, the most important aspect of farming, profitability, has declined. In 2021, net farm cash income for the United States was around $176 billion. This year, 2024, net farm cash income is estimated to be down to $154 billion. As any farmer could tell you, if you aren’t profitable, you won’t be farming for long. I would like to take this opportunity to address areas where I believe your administration has fallen short in supporting the agriculture sector.
First, under your administration the regulatory environment has become increasingly burdensome. Farmers and businesses alike have faced a host of new regulations that complicate their operations and drive up costs. For example, your changes to the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, would have covered over 90 percent or the State of lowa and made the government involved in any land management decision for farmers, developers, and businesses such as golf courses. Thankfully, all nine Supreme Court justices agreed that the Environmental Protection Agency’s expansive regulatory efforts violated the Clean Water Act.
From electric vehicle mandates to overly complicated strategies for herbicides and insecticides, farmers are concerned that these regulations will impose additional compliance costs and restrictions on their ability to manage their land effectively. This is also seen clearly in the Department of Treasury’s guidance for the 40B sustainable aviation fuel tax credit. Instead of enabling farmers to benefit from science-backed farming practices that work for them, your administration’s guidance restricted American farmers and benefitted foreign feedstocks. While I understand the need for sustainable practices, pushing farmers to specific farming practices can undermine the autonomy of farmers to make decisions that best suit their unique circumstances, and edge them out of new markets.
Trade policy is another area where your administration has missed the mark. The lack of new trade agreements and uncertainty around tariffs has left the United States agriculture sector with a record estimated $30.5 billion trade deficit this year. In March, I joined 21 of my Senate colleagues in a letter to Ambassador Tai and Secretary Vilsack to ask if your administration intended to pursue any new free trade agreements. As my colleagues and I expressed at that time, the increased deficit is, “exacerbated by an unambitious U.S. trade strategy that is failing to meaningfully expand market access or reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade.” Though your administration has acted in trade disputes and other areas, it has been based on previous trade agreements established before your administration. The lack of a comprehensive strategy to expand market access for American agricultural products has been frustrating for farmers who rely on exporting their products to sustain their livelihoods.
Lastly, I urge your administration to prioritize these important issues in the agricultural community. There are still important steps that you can take to support farmers. Issuing timely guidance on the 45Z clean fuels tax credit would help provide certainty to farmers looking to market the grain they are currently harvesting. Allowing farmers a seat at the table for 45Z guidance and reducing the complicated and unworkable structure from 40B would go a long way in ensuring farmers maintain their autonomy in farming practices.
Thank you for your attention to these important issues. I look forward to your response and hope that in the coming months you work to support our farmers who continue to contribute to the nation’s food security, fuel independence, and economic stability.
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Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Calls for more investment in resilient schools and hospitals and for a federal climate emergency declaration
WATCH: Senator Markey, advocates discuss climate resilience
Senator Markey joined by City Councilor Gabriela “Gigi” Coletta Zapata; Brian Swett, Boston’s Chief Climate Officer; Dwaign Tyndal, Executive Director of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE); and John Walkey, Noemy Rodriguez, and Roseann Bongiovanni from GreenRoots.
Boston (October 15, 2024) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today was joined in Boston by local officials and advocates to call for increased federal investment to bolster the climate resilience of regions at risk of sea level rise – exacerbated by devastation from climate change-fueled storms, as well as highlight ongoing resiliency projects in Massachusetts, following two devastating hurricanes in the southeastern United States that are expected to cost $300 billion and have resulted in more than 250 deaths. Senator Markey announced that over the past two years, Boston, Chelsea, and Revere have already secured more than $75 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act for resiliency projects that include building resilient transportation corridors in Roxbury, greening the Chelsea Creek waterfront, and making the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) Blue Line more flood resistant. In total, Massachusetts has secured approximately $200 million for climate resiliency projects from those two laws so far. Senator Markey was joined by Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer for the City of Boston; Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata; Roseann Bongiovanni, Noemy Rodriguez, and John Walkey from GreenRoots; and Dwaign Tyndal, Executive Director of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE).
“If we don’t drive down our emissions as a country, we could see more than six feet of sea level rise by the end of the century. That’s sunny-day flooding in neighborhoods from East Boston to Back Bay. TD Garden wouldn’t be flooded with a sea of fans—it would be flooded by the sea itself. Back Bay will go back to the bay,” said Senator Markey. “Our task is twofold. One, cut climate pollution by ushering in a clean energy revolution unlike any we’ve seen before, dismantling our dependence on fossil fuels. And two, prepare for the future by investing in resilient buildings and strong communities. Thanks in part to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are well on our way to meet that second goal. In Massachusetts, we don’t wait, we create.”
“Chelsea and East Boston, the two communities that we serve at GreenRoots, are frontline environmental justice communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental assault. On a daily basis, environmental justice communities throughout the United States and in the Global South face increased frequency of severe storms, storm surge, sea level rise, drought, heat island impacts, wildfires and much more. We need federal leadership like that of Senator Markey’s to prioritize policies and investments in climate resilience and climate justice, an end to fossil fuel use, and implementing greater renewable, resilient energy,” said Roseann Bongiovanni, Executive Director of GreenRoots.
“Many of the people here have immigrated as a result of natural disasters in their home countries, and with climate change, we know that natural disasters are only going to be increasing in number. When this happens, we need to ask the questions, ‘Where are we going to go? What is going to happen to us?’ These are the questions and worries that many of us have, not just for East Boston, but all over the country. We are the first generation feeling the effects of climate change and we may be the last generation that can do something about it,” said Noemy Rodriguez, Waterfront Initiative Organizer at GreenRoots.
“We know that when climate change happens, the least among us are the first affected and the worst affected. We frequently say that people are a paycheck away from disaster. According to FEMA, just an inch of floodwater in a home causes roughly about $25,000 in damages. There are over 400,000 Massachusetts residents living in the hundred-year flood zone which means more than a one in four chance of having a flood during a 30-year mortgage period. If home ownership is the route to generational wealth that we would leave to the next generation, we need to be planning and prepared for this,” said John Walkey, Director of Climate Justice & Waterfront Initiatives.
“Boston is deeply grateful for Senator Markey’s unwavering leadership in securing critical federal funds that are bolstering our city’s climate resilience. Thanks to our partners in the federal government, Boston has secured over $60 million in grants for coastal resilience projects helping us protect our neighborhoods from rising sea levels and extreme storms. However, with the increasing frequency of extreme weather, much more work remains, and additional funding is essential to fully safeguard our city and its most vulnerable communities,” said Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer for the City of Boston.
“We have a moral obligation to move quickly to identify all strategies and tools that are at our disposal to ensure that Boston’s forty-seven-mile coastline is resilient and to protect these residents. I want to thank Senator Markey for his leadership in the Senate, and President Biden’s leadership in securing these necessary federal funds that Boston is now being awarded, which will help protect our communities. This is our next big challenge. We need the resources, capital, and collaboration to adequately protect Boston. We need the vital investments coming down the pike from the federal government in both green and gray infrastructure to protect our future. I am hopeful, with the level of partnership and leadership on display here across all levels of government, advocacy groups and philanthropy, and I know that we will continue to lean in and get it done,” said Boston CityCouncilor Gabriela “Gigi” Coletta Zapata.
“This is a reminder, a call to arms, a warning and a reality check. We may have more resources than imagination to deal with this issue. We have all the policy, the information, and the possible solutions. The struggle now is to push beyond our imagination to do what we need to get this done. This is not going to be a part of the political cycle, or fundraising cycles, but part of the continual struggle and persistence that many of us are here today are taking part in,” said Dwaign Tyndal, Executive Director of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE).
The destruction of extreme weather events is disproportionately felt by Black, Brown, low-income, and immigrant communities, who are burdened by historical disinvestment and the compounded effects of legacy pollution and dangerous infrastructure sited in their neighborhoods. Under the Biden-Harris administration, including through the historic Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, federal funding has come to Massachusetts to help prevent the worsening impacts of climate change and support the Commonwealth’s climate resilience efforts, but continued federal investment in resiliency and clean energy will be needed to help avoid worsening disasters and billion-dollar storm recoveries in the future.
Senator Markey has been working to ensure that Massachusetts is climate resilient and prepared for extreme weather events, which are only increasing in frequency due to climate change. On October 4, Senator Markey joined Mayor Jennifer Macksey for a briefing on the Hoosic River Flood Mitigation Study, a project that aims to evaluate potential flood risk reduction measures and support development of a new flood mitigation system built with 21st-century engineering standards. Senator Markey led the effort to get the study included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), advocated for $750,000 in funding for the Army Corps of Engineers this year, and has secured $950,000 in the pending appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25).
In September, Senator Markey announced a grant of $472 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to the MBTA to fully replace the North Station Draw One Bridge and renovate Platform F at North Station. The grant is the largest federal award the MBTA has won to date. The nearly half a billion-dollar grant will provide critical support for one of MBTA’s top priority projects and a vital transportation asset to MBTA’s north-side operations. It will also support more than 14,500 jobs, make the bridge more climate resilient by bringing it above projected sea-level rise, and lower emissions.
In August, on the second anniversary of the historic Inflation Reduction Act, Senator Markey launched his Climate Hub, a centralized site with resources to help stakeholders navigate opportunities from both the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Together, these two laws have created the largest and most significant climate and clean energy investments in history, putting the United States on a path to address the climate crisis, repair historic harms to disadvantaged communities, create good-paying union jobs in the clean energy economy, and work towards a Green New Deal future.
An airplane transporting giant pandas arrives at the Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., the United States, on Oct. 15, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
A pair of giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, arrived at Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, after an approximately 19-hour trans-Pacific trip from Sichuan Province in southwest China.
A dedicated “FedEx Panda Express” Boeing 777F aircraft landed at the Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. at around 10:00 a.m. local time (1400 GMT).
The pandas were loaded onto trucks and were sent to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI). The three-year-old pandas will make their new home at the zoo, as part of a 10-year international giant panda protection cooperation program.
“Our team has worked tirelessly to prepare for the pandas’ arrival, and we’re thrilled to welcome Bao Li and Qing Bao to Washington, D.C.,” Brandie Smith, NZCBI’s John and Adrienne Mars director, said in a statement.
“I am appreciative of our Chinese colleagues for our collaborative conservation and research efforts, to FedEx for providing them with safe transportation and to our donors and members whose philanthropic contributions makes our giant panda conservation program possible,” said Smith.
Bao Li, male, whose name means “treasure” and “energy” in Chinese, was born in August 2021. He shares a special bond with the zoo, as he is the son of Bao Bao and the grandson of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang — all former residents of the zoo.
Qing Bao, female, whose name means “green” and “treasure” in Chinese, was born in September 2021.
Per standard procedure, the pandas will be quarantined in the panda house for a minimum of 30 days, according to the zoo.
This is the second time this year that China has sent giant pandas to the United States. Two giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, landed in California from China on June 27, and made their public debut on Aug. 9.
Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia
Senator Reverend Warnock, Georgia Delegation Colleagues Demand EPA Regulate BioLab Chemicals Following Latest Incident at Conyers Facility
Senator Reverend Warnock is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen federal oversight of facilities manufacturing or storing certain hazardous chemicals
Senator Reverend Warnock joined Senator Jon Ossoff in the bicameral push with Representatives Hank Johnnson, David Scott, Lucy McBath, and Nikema Williams
ICYMI from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia congressional leaders demand EPA scrutiny of BioLab chemicals
Senator Reverend Warnock, lawmakers: “Given TCCA’s involvement in multiple safety incidents due to its highly reactive properties, we urge the EPA to include it on the list of regulated substances under the Risk Management Program (RMP)”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) led a bicameral push to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen federal oversight of facilities manufacturing or storing certain hazardous chemicals in the wake of the latest incident at the BioLab plant in Conyers.
Leading alongside Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), and joined by U.S. House Representatives David Scott (D-GA-13), Lucy McBath (D-GA-07) and Nikema Williams (D-GA-05), Senator Warnock sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan urging the agency to enhance federal oversight of facilities that manufacture and/or store the hazardous chemical Trichloroisocyanuric Acid (TCCA), which is at the heart of the incident at the BioLab plant in Conyers. The environmental and public health crisis that has been ongoing since September 29.
“We are concerned that facilities like BioLab Conyers, which manufacture and/or store TCCA are improperly managing these substances,” the lawmakers wrote. “When not handled correctly, these chemicals can contaminate local air, water, and soil, posing severe public health risks which include respiratory issues, skin irritations, and long-term conditions like lung and heart disease.”
Specifically, the lawmakers urge the EPA to “include it on the list of regulated substances under the Risk Management Program (RMP),” which would prompt federal and state agencies to develop more effective safety protocols and management strategies, ensuring stricter adherence to safety standards for facilities handling this chemical.
“The gravity of this situation underscores the need for changes to the federal and state regulatory systems,” concluded the lawmakers.
The lawmakers are also requesting the agency respond to nine key questions surrounding the reactive chemical in question.
Read the letter HERE or below.
The Honorable Michael Regan
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20460
Dear Administrator Regan,
We are writing to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take immediate action to enhance federal oversight of facilities that manufacture and/or store the hazardous chemical Trichloroisocyanuric Acid (TCCA).
On September 29, 2024, just after Hurricane Helene slammed the area, a catastrophic chemical fire took place at the BioLab facility in Conyers, Georgia, that stores TCCA. The fire released a large, billowing plume of hazardous, toxic gasses into the air, which caused the closure of parts of Interstate 20 for nearly 17 hours, with local businesses and government offices forced to close while 17,000 residents living near the plant were forced to evacuate.
As of today, toxic substances continue to rise into the air from the smoldering ruins of the plant, with corporate and government officials being unable to offer a specific timetable as to when the danger will end. People not just in the immediate vicinity of the plant but also millions across southeastern metropolitan Atlanta are under constant exposure to hazardous air quality. This incident has raised serious concerns about the community’s vulnerability to toxic chemical exposure. The danger is heightened by approaching rain which will douse the collapsed building under which millions of pounds of TCCA remain exposed to moisture.
BioLab, a division of KIK Consumer Products, manufactures and stores millions of pounds of chemical mixtures primarily composed of TCCA at the Conyers, Georgia facility. When TCCA comes into contact with small amounts of water, a hazardous chemical reaction is triggered that generates heat and causes decomposition of the chemical and can in turn produces toxic chlorine gas and can also produce explosive nitrogen trichloride. The Conyers BioLab facility has experienced three separate chemical incidents in the past seven years, four in the past 20. Each event resulted in dangerous chemical reactions and fires, releasing toxic gases like chlorine into the air.
There have been conflicting reports on what caused the most recent fire at the Conyers facility. One report cited water used to douse a fire on the roof of the plant seeping in, while another report blames the fire on a malfunctioning sprinkler system. Rainwater from Hurricane Helene seeping into the BioLab facility during and after Hurricane Helene has not been ruled out as a cause as well.
We are concerned that facilities like BioLab Conyers, which manufacture and/or store TCCA are improperly managing these substances. When not handled correctly, these chemicals can contaminate local air, water, and soil, posing severe public health risks which include respiratory issues, skin irritations, and long-term conditions like lung and heart disease.
A similar incident occurred on August 27, 2020, at the Lake Charles BioLab facility in Westlake, Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. The facility sustained severe damage after TCCA manufactured and stored therein was moistened by small amounts of water and decomposed, producing toxic chlorine gas and nitrogen trichloride. These gases ignited, causing a fire and noxious clouds of toxic gases. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazardous Investigation Board (CSB) investigated the incident and issued safety recommendations to minimize the consequences of future accidental chemical releases like the Lake Charles incident.
The 2023 (CSB) report on BioLab Lake Charles found a regulatory gap regarding the oversight of chemicals like TCCA, particularly in their classification and management under existing federal regulations. Given TCCA’s involvement in multiple safety incidents due to its highly reactive properties, we urge the EPA to include it on the list of regulated substances under the Risk Management Program (RMP).
This action will prompt federal and state agencies to develop more effective safety protocols and management strategies, ensuring stricter adherence to safety standards for facilities handling this chemical. We hope the Conyers debacle will prompt the inclusion of TCCA to the Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
We call on the EPA to collaborate with states to implement training programs specifically designed for emergency responders and facility staff. These programs should address the unique challenges posed by reactive chemicals that adversely react to water used to extinguish fires, focusing on appropriate firefighting techniques, chemical behavior, and risk assessment. The EPA, in partnership with state fire marshals and chemical safety experts, can establish comprehensive guidelines for fire suppression techniques tailored to reactive chemicals, including recommendations for effective alternative extinguishing agents, such as dry chemical extinguishers or foam.
Considering these concerns, we respectfully request clarification by November 20, 2024, on the following matters regarding regulatory oversight and preventative measures at chemical facilities like BioLab:
1. Has the EPA, in conjunction with the State of Georgia, initiated any investigations or inspections regarding BioLab Conyers’ compliance with federal environmental and chemical safety and risk management standards following its incidents since 2020?
2. What immediate actions are the EPA and State agencies taking in response to this latest fire, given the history of public safety concerns at the Conyers facility?
3. The 2023 Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) found that TCCA and TCCA-based formulations are not covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard. Has there been any progress in addressing this regulatory gap?
4. Following the BioLab Conyers incident, is the EPA considering adding TCCA to the list of regulated substances under the Risk Management Program (RMP)?
5. How is the EPA collaborating with state agencies to ensure that chemical facilities like BioLab Conyers are prepared for extreme weather events that could worsen fire hazards or hazardous material spills?
6. In response to BioLab Conyers’ repeated safety failures, what specific measures will the EPA implement with state agencies to improve fire preparedness protocols, particularly for training facility staff and local emergency responders on handling fires involving non-water extinguishable substances?
7. Does the EPA anticipate monitoring potential groundwater, soil, and water contamination from the chemical fire at the Conyers BioLab facility?
8. We understand that the EPA is working to monitor air quality following the chemical fire. What steps has the EPA taken to inform affected communities of their findings and recommendations to safeguard the health and safety of these communities and their environment?
a.How have the locations and spatial extent of the EPA’s air quality monitoring area changed as the location and direction of the smoke plume has shifted?
9. What specific additional authority and resources does the EPA need to effectively prevent future incidents at chemical facilities like BioLab Conyers?
The gravity of this situation underscores the need for changes to the federal and state regulatory systems. We look forward to your prompt response and urge robust, decisive measures to address the serious environmental and safety concerns posed by incidents like this.
Councillor Deon Swiggs has been appointed as Deputy Chair.
Councillor Pauling, who represents the Christchurch West/Ōpuna constituency, said it will be an honour and a privilege to lead the Council.
“We have an ambitious work programme for the next 10 years, and I am proud of that. Now we just need to get on with it.”
Pauling was nominated by Ngāi Tahu Councillor Tutehounuku ‘Nuk’ Korako and this was seconded by Ngāi Tahu Councillor Iaean Cranwell.
Deputy Chair Deon Swiggs (left) and Chair Craig Pauling
“We are all on the same waka and we are paddling hard for our communities, most importantly for the precious place we call home, for our water and our land and our air and sea,” Pauling said shortly after his appointment.
“We protect homes, farms and businesses through our river flood protection systems. We protect towns across Canterbury. Our regional parks provide multiple benefits, including sediment control, flood protection, biodiversity as well as being used for recreation. We clean up wrecked vessels and ensure safe use of our harbours and waterways.
“We don’t always get it right, but at the end of the day, we’re doing a lot of good work for a lot of people,” Pauling said.
Deputy Chair Swiggs, who represents Christchurch West/Ōpuna, said he’s looking forward to working alongside Chair Pauling.
“I’m humbled to be appointed to this role of Deputy. For me, the priority will be ensuring we focus on our core services, and do it well.”
Sydney’s popular Coogee beach has been closed until further notice after hundreds of strange black balls washed up on the shoreline.
The black balls were discovered on Tuesday afternoon. Randwick City Council
The balls were discovered on Tuesday afternoon. The local authority, Randwick City Council, says samples have been collected for testing, and the incident has been reported to the Environment Protection Authority and Beachwatch NSW.
A council spokesperson said the debris may be “tar balls” formed when oil comes into contact with debris and water – typically the result of oil spills or seepage.
I am a senior research scientist at CSIRO, specialising in environmental toxicity. While the objects could be tar balls, in my view, it is also possible they are something else. But in any case, the debris poses a potential risk to marine life and the public, and authorities were right to close the beach.
What are tar balls?
Tar balls are typically dark, sticky blobs found on beaches after an oil spill. They occur when oil comes into contact with the ocean’s surface and becomes weathered by wind and waves. This breaks the oil patches into smaller pieces.
Tar balls usually form in a variety of shapes and sizes – ranging from big, flat pancakes to tiny spheres. The image below shows a typically irregular tar ball that washed up on an island in the United States.
Tarballs, such as this one found on Dauphin Island, Alabama, usually form in a variety of shapes and sizes. NOAA
On this basis, I am not certain the pieces of debris found at Coogee are tar balls. They certainly might be. I haven’t seen them in person, but from the publicly available images, the objects appear to be relatively uniform, perfectly round shapes. That would be very unusual for tar balls – but not impossible.
The balls could be plastic debris washed off a container ship, such as squash balls or plastic used in manufacturing. But obviously, we have to wait until tests have been conducted on the objects before we can determine their origin and composition.
And finally, the balls appear to have washed up only at Coogee beach. It would be uncommon for oil spill remnants to drift to a single location unless the spill happened very close to shore.
What are the potential harms?
Whatever the objects are, they could pose a hazard to marine life.
If the objects are sticky or oily, they may coat animals that come into contact with them. An animal that ate the objects may also be harmed. The balls would be difficult to digest and might stay in the animal’s stomach for a long time, preventing it from eating other food.
If the objects are in fact tar balls, this is dangerous to animals because oil can be carcinogenic.
What should be done?
Every precaution should be taken until we know exactly what these mysterious objects are.
Authorities are doing the right thing in keeping people away from the beach as the cleanup and testing continue. The public should heed official advice not to enter the beach and especially, not to touch the spheres.
At this stage, it appears no other beach is affected, so there are plenty of other nearby options for beach-lovers.
In the meantime, we should let the forensic scientists and other experts do their job.
Sharon Hook does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
10.15.24
BPA Investing Approximately $3 Billion in PacNW Electricity Grid Using Cantwell-Led Authorization
Cantwell: “Bringing more affordable clean power online is the key to holding down electricity costs.”
EDMONDS, WA – The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) announced today it is moving forward with approximately $3 billion in electricity grid improvement projects that will significantly increase the capacity and reliability of the Pacific Northwest grid and its ability to integrate new energy sources. This announcement adds to the $2 billion in grid upgrades BPA announced in July 2023, both investments enabled by the increased borrowing authority Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
In Central Washington these upgrades include expanding the capacity of the existing Coulee-Olympia 287 kV circuit to 500 kV, looping in the Columbia line with a new 500 kV substation, and reconductoring some adjacent transmission lines. In Western Washington, BPA will be rebuilding the Schultz-Olympia portion of the Coulee-Olympia by also increasing its capacity from 287 kV to 500 kV, along with installing some necessary new transformers and shunt capacitors. A 500 kV line can typically carry 3-5 times more power than a 287 kV line. The remaining grid investments will occur in Oregon.
“I commend Bonneville for expanding our region’s transmission capacity using the tools we gave them in the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Bringing more affordable clean power online is the key to holding down electricity costs. These investments will not only create thousands of construction jobs, they will help revitalize our Pacific Northwest grid so we can take advantage of countless manufacturing, electrification, and emission reduction opportunities.”
In July 2021, Sen. Cantwell authored and fought for passage of a bipartisan amendment that eventually resulted in a $10 billion increase in BPA’s borrowing authority being included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The measure allowed BPA to continue to borrow at low-interest rates at no ultimate cost to the taxpayer, so that Bonneville could move forward with the vital projects announced today. Sen. Cantwell’s amendment also linked expanded borrowing authority to new financial oversight requirements and opportunities for increased stakeholder engagement.
Without Sen. Cantwell’s efforts, the borrowing authority would likely not have been established, industry insiders said at the time.
In July of 2023, BPA announced $2 billion in electricity grid investments. Combined with the proposed BPA announced then, BPA is now working on more than 20 proposed projects with an estimated cost of approximately $5 billion.
This July, Sen. Cantwell joined U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and regional energy stakeholders to discuss technological and policy solutions that will ensure NW ratepayers and our regional economy continue to benefit from abundant, affordable, and reliable clean energy. More than 200 business, government, and non-profit energy professionals attended the event, including BPA Administrator John Hairston. On the day of the event, Sen. Cantwell released a snapshot report highlighting the key energy technology areas that the Pacific Northwest is poised to lead.
Bonneville’s generating and transmission portfolio consists primarily of emissions-free sources and is the backbone of an electricity system that is relied on by tens of millions of people throughout the Western United States. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the Pacific Northwest will need to add 56% more transmission capacity by 2040. The Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s latest report indicates that electricity demand in the Northwest is projected to increase by more than 30% in the next decade, triple the prediction from three years ago.
Sen. Cantwell has been a longtime champion of BPA and the cost-based power it helps provide the Pacific Northwest, and has successfully fended off multiple efforts to privatize BPA or increase regional electricity rates.
Rotokare Scenic Reserve, in South Taranaki, has today welcomed a new resident: the elusive striped skink – with the support of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger project partner Ngāti Tama and local mana whenua Ngāti Tupaia.
This vulnerable taonga species now has a new home, thanks to a partnership between the Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust and Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger Bypass project.
The striped skink (Oligosoma striatum), known for its lightning-quick movements and distinctive pale stripes, is one of the country’s most cryptic and scarcely sighted lizards.
The team from the Mt Messenger Bypass project has constructed a temporary holding area at Rotokare Scenic Reserve for any striped skinks discovered during the project’s construction.
The area will provide a safe environment where the skinks can acclimatise to their new surroundings before exploring the broader reserve through the treetops.
Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust Conservation Manager Fiona Gordon says striped skinks haven’t been found during formal lizard surveys at Rotokare, but it’s believed they were once present as they’ve been located in pockets around South Taranaki.
“We are excited to offer a safe home for this at-risk skink species in a space completely free of rodents, one of their main predators,” she says.
So far three striped skinks have been encountered during Te Ara o Te Ata’s work in Parininihi. Specialist ecologists relocated them to Auckland Zoo temporarily, ahead of rehoming at Rotokare. Any further striped skinks found by the project will be transferred directly to Rotokare.
The Trust is also working with the Department of Conservation to secure a permit to transfer further striped skinks from other locations across Taranaki if needed. It is hoped that skinks will flourish in their new home, creating a secure population in South Taranaki.
About the striped skink
Native to New Zealand, these reptiles are usually found in lowland forests, farmland, and swamps, where they live everywhere from the forest canopy to leaf litter on the forest floor. They are currently listed on the Department of Conservation’s Threat Classification System as ‘At Risk – Declining,’ However, accurate population monitoring remains a challenge due to their secretive habits.
About Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust
The 230-hectare Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust is a community-led conservation organisation dedicated to the preservation and restoration of native biodiversity within the predator-free Rotokare Scenic Reserve, located in South Taranaki.
About Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger Bypass
Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger Bypass is a major roading project designed to improve safety and efficiency on State Highway 3 in northern Taranaki. Alongside its construction objectives, the project includes comprehensive environmental initiatives aimed at protecting local ecosystems.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has yet to decide whether to investigate the complaint, and Qantas has yet to respond.
The complaint follows a ruling by a Dutch Court earlier this year that the airline KLM had misled consumers by creating the false impression it was sustainable.
The win has spurred the European Commission to write to 20 airlines identifying potentially misleading claims and inviting them to bring their practices in line.
Of most concern to the European regulators are claims the carbon emissions caused by flights can be offset by climate projects and the use of sustainable fuels, to which the consumers can contribute by paying additional fees.
Carbon assurance assesses claims ahead of time
These kinds of complaints would be much easier for airlines (and other compnies) to deal with if they had submitted themselves to a process known as carbon assurance ahead of time.
Usually entered into voluntarily, and conducted by an independent assessor in accordance with an international standard, the process verifies the accuracy, transparency, and credibility of an organisation’s carbon emissions claims.
My own research with Linh Nguyen, just published in Finance Research Letters, finds firms with high carbon assurance scores are more likely to obtain more trade credit from their suppliers.
Europe and Australia are moving towards making carbon assurance mandatory for large corporations.
Few firms submit themselves to it
A survey by KPMG International finds that while nearly all of the world’s 250 largest firms report on the sustainability of their operations, only two-thirds submit themselves to carbon assurance.
Another survey of 5,183 companies from 42 countries that publish emissions data finds half don’t engage a carbon assuror.
This could be because they are afraid of what the assuror will find.
An international survey of 750 companies that sought some level of external assurance found just 14% received a reasonable assurance.
Assurors, and the skills within the organisation to handle the process are hard to find. While international standards are in place, there isn’t yet a professional or regulatory body to certify assurors.
The Australian government intends to make assurance reports for the
Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of large firms mandatory from July 2026.
Scope 1 and scope 2 emissions are the direct and indirect emissions of the corporation itself.
The government intends to make Scope 3 emissions (those in other parts of the corporation’s supply and distribution chain) mandatory from July 2030.
It will be important to get the systems in place.
While what the firms report will matter a lot, what will matter almost as much is an assurance we can believe what they report.
Md Safiullah (Safi) does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
VIII. Improve People’s Livelihood in Pursuit of Happiness (A) Housing: Continuously Enhance Speed, Quantity, Quality and EfficiencyIncrease Public Housing Supply157. Housing is an issue of great public concern. Despite the relatively slow pace of creating land for housing development in the past, the problem of back‑loaded public housing supply has started to turn around through the unremitting efforts of the Government. While we have identified land for providing sufficient public housing units to meet the long‑term demand and enhanced the speed as well as efficiency of housing development, land creation and housing construction take time. To bridge the short‑term supply gaps in these few years, I announced in 2022 the introduction of the innovative LPH with the provision of 30 000 units, in order to reduce the Composite Waiting Time for Subsidised Rental Housing (CWT).158. This measure has been bearing fruit. Coupled with LPH, the total public housing supply in the coming five years (2025‑26 to 2029‑30) will reach 189 000 units, which is about 80% higher than that of the first five‑year period since the current‑term Government took office (2022‑23 to 2026‑27). In the past two years, the average waiting time for PRH dropped by half a year, from the peak of 6.1 years to the current 5.5 years. Following the gradual completion of LPH next year, the CWT could be shortened by one and a half years to 4.5 years in 2026‑27.159. I am eager to house PRH applicants as early as possible. The Advance Allocation Scheme I proposed when I took office has so far helped more than 2 000 families move in their flats five to nine months in advance, saving nearly $50 million of rental expenditure on the part of the beneficiaries. By 2027‑28, about 10 000 additional units will be completed, enabling PRH applicants to move in earlier than originally anticipated.160. In addition, the first batch of some 2 100 LPH units, located on Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long, will be completed for intake in the first quarter of next year. We expect to complete a total of about 9 500 units next year, moving towards the target of completing about 30 000 units by 2027‑28.Devise a System on the Renting of Subdivided Units in Residential Buildings to Tackle the Issue161. The Task Force on Tackling the Issue of SDUs has already submitted a report. The Government has decided to put in place, through legislation, a system on the renting of SDUs in residential buildings. SDUs meeting the required standards will be named as Basic Housing Units.162. Current SDUs differ significantly in their conditions regarding fire safety, ventilation, floor area, availability of individual kitchens and toilets and whether they are separated or combined, among others. As such, it is necessary to set minimum standards to eradicate inadequate SDUs. At present, there are some 110 000 households living in SDUs, indicating a genuine demand for these units. As the aggregate rent received from several units subdivided from a single flat is much higher than the rent of one whole flat without subdivision, it gives owners a strong financial incentive to operate rental SDUs. Under appropriate regulation, the market demand for SDUs will be satisfied by Basic Housing Units that meet the required standards.163. Substandard SDUs in residential buildings must be converted into Basic Housing Units that meet the required standards. Upon conversion, these units must be confirmed by professionals their compliance with the required standards and apply for recognition. Otherwise, there would be criminal liability on the part of owners to rent out substandard SDUs, while the tenants concerned will not be held liable. We will allow time for owners of existing SDUs in residential buildings to carry out the necessary works. A grace period will be prescribed by law, during which enforcement actions will not be taken against the illegal renting of substandard SDUs. To this end, the Government will set up a registration system, enabling registered owners to be entitled to the grace period. The registration system only accepts applications from owners of pre‑existing SDUs in residential buildings under rental. New SDUs entering the market must apply for recognition as up‑to‑standard Basic Housing Units before renting out, hence no grace period is needed for their conversion. Given that only new SDUs recognised as up‑to‑standard Basic Housing Units are allowed to be rented out, and that pre‑existing registered SDUs must be converted into Basic Housing Units in conformity with the required standards or they will face orderly eradication if the owners concerned continue to rent out substandard SDUs illegally after the grace period, the number of substandard SDUs in residential buildings will gradually go down to zero.164. The Government will allow an adequate grace period for pre‑existing SDU owners and households to make necessary arrangements, and handle SDUs in residential buildings by batches in an orderly manner having regard to the market supply of Basic Housing Units and taking into consideration the supply of and policy on public housing. The Secretary for Housing will be empowered by law to decide, upon expiry of the grace period, when to take enforcement actions against substandard SDUs by batches in an orderly manner in light of actual circumstances.165. The Government proposes that the standards of “Basic Housing Units” should include the provision of windows, an individual toilet, a floor area of no less than 8 square metres, etc. The Deputy Financial Secretary and the Secretary for Housing, being the head and deputy head of the Task Force respectively, will announce the details and seek the views of the LegCo and stakeholders for drawing up the legislative proposals and related measures, such as the timetable for registration.Enhance the Housing Ladder166. The HKHA will further enhance the housing ladder in addressing the aspiration of the public for home ownership, including:(i) adjusting the ratio between PRH (including Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) units) and subsidised sale flats (SSF) – The HKHA is reviewing public housing projects to be completed in the middle or near the end of the next decade, with an aim to gradually adjust the ratio between PRH and SSF from the current 7:3 to 6:4;(ii) increasing the chance of applicants who have made repeated attempts to purchase SSF – Starting from the next GSH and HOS sale exercises, an extra ballot number will be allocated to applicants who failed to purchase an SSF in the last two consecutive sale exercises of the same type of SSF; and(iii) expediting the circulation of PRH units – The HKHA will tighten up the Well‑off Tenants Policies by raising the additional rent and lowering the income limits for well‑off tenants, so that public resources are appropriately allocated to applicants in need. Meanwhile, the ratio between Green Form and White Form in respect of HOS flats will be revised from 4:6 to 5:5 to encourage more PRH tenants to buy HOS flats.Combat Public Rental Housing Tenancy Abuse167. In recent years, the HKHA has been strengthening its efforts to combat PRH tenancy abuse. The number of PRH flats recovered by the HKHA due to tenancy abuse and breach of tenancy agreement or housing policies over the last two years adds up to 5 000, equivalent to building a medium‑sized housing estate. The results are prominent. The HKHA will launch the “Cherish Public Housing Resources Award Scheme” in January next year to offer rewards to persons who provide concrete intelligence that leads to identification of substantiated tenancy abuse of PRH.Take Forward Public Rental Housing Redevelopment168. The HKHA is proceeding with 11 redevelopment projects. We will announce the findings and details of the study on the redevelopment of Choi Hung Estate later this year, and release the redevelopment plans for Sai Wan Estate and Ma Tau Wai Estate next year.Stabilise the Supply of Spade-ready Sites for Private Housing169. According to the Long Term Housing Strategy, the supply target for private housing in the coming decade is projected to be 132 000 units. The Government will make available land over the next five years to provide about 80 000 private housing units.Relax the Maximum Loan-to-Value Ratios of Property Mortgage Loans170. Taking into account the latest economic and financial environment and on the basis that the stability of the banking system is maintained, the HKMA will adjust the maximum loan‑to‑value ratio for residential properties to 70%, regardless of the value of the properties, whether the properties are for self‑use or held by companies, and whether the purchasers are first‑time home buyers, while the maximum debt servicing ratio will be adjusted to 50%. For non‑residential properties, the maximum loan‑to‑value ratio and maximum debt servicing ratio will be adjusted to the respective same levels.Further Improve Building Safety and Building Management171. Through the Building Management Professional Advisory Service Scheme, the Home Affairs Department assisted in the formation of about 100 owners’ corporations in the past two years in nine districts with more “three‑nil” buildings. The scheme has been expanded to cover all districts across the city in mid‑2024, with the contract period extended to three years.172. Next year, the Government will implement a pilot scheme on “joint property management” in selected areas, under which the same property management company will be engaged to provide joint management services for aged building clusters in the vicinity, enabling “three‑nil” and aged buildings to have access to basic property management services at affordable fees.173. To enhance deterrence against failure to comply with notices or orders by required time and against the erection of large‑scale unauthorised building works (UBWs), the Government will put forth proposals to amend the Buildings Ordinance and launch a public consultation later this year. Among other things, we will propose increasing the types of exempted works and minor works under the Buildings Ordinance, so as to handle minor illegal structures of lower risks in a pragmatic manner. The relevant legislative amendment proposals will be introduced in 2026.174. To foster an elderly‑friendly building environment, the Government will put forward a series of proposals on elderly‑friendly building design for phased implementation.(B) Create Land to Build More Housing175. The Government remains determined to sustain efforts in land production. We will assess the situation and take forward various projects in a steady and paced manner. According to the latest forecast, the supply of developable land, i.e. spade‑ready sites, from Government‑led projects will reach about 3 000 hectares in the next decade. The Government will take into account the latest market changes when disposing land, ensuring a stable and healthy development of the market.Cut More Red Tapes and Lower Costs176. The Government is making vigorous efforts in streamlining land development procedures. We have promulgated an internal circular, expressly stating that all approving departments are required to take a facilitating role and strive to streamline the relevant procedures when processing applications. The initiative is well‑received by the industry. We will continue to cut red tapes and streamline procedures. Relevant measures include:(i) leveraging industry resources to enhance speed and efficiency – We will outsource drone inspections of external walls of buildings and UBWs as well as associated analyses, to private companies. We will also engage professionals to handle the vetting work of small‑scale or temporary structures through self‑certification;(ii) reducing construction costs – We will strengthen the role of the Project Strategy and Governance Office under the DEVB to complete a strategic study on construction costs by the end of this year and propose improvement measures such as increasing direct procurement of construction materials and products by the Government, reviewing the building design standards, and facilitating local application of cost‑effective construction materials and technologies from the Mainland and overseas; and(iii) expanding project co‑ordination – We will expand the purview of the Development Projects Facilitation Office under the DEVB to facilitate co‑ordination with departments in expediting the approval of land use and related matters for the development of I&T and other industries in the Northern Metropolis, in addition to vetting of large‑scale private residential and commercial developments.Facilitate R&D and Application of Construction Technologies and Align Hong Kong Standards with Guobiao177. The DEVB established the Building Technology Research Institute (BTRi) this August. Apart from conducting R&D on innovative materials, construction methods and technologies, the BTRi also devises standards, conducts testing and provides accreditation to spearhead innovation in the industry. A Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) Manufacturer Certification Scheme will also be launched in synergy with production bases in the Mainland, so as to leverage the complementarity of the construction industries in Guangdong and Hong Kong.178. We will also review and enhance Hong Kong’s building standards, which have been in place for many years, through the BTRi by making reference to overseas building standards and Guobiao (GB), with a view to promoting local application of high‑quality and cost‑effective construction materials from the Mainland and overseas. Moreover, when high‑quality GB construction materials and technologies are applied locally, it will also be beneficial for GB to explore international markets. We will also closely liaise with our counterparts in the Guangdong Province to take forward the formulation of the GBA Construction Standards.179. The HKHA will make wider use of MiC 2.0, the second generation MiC approach jointly developed with research institutions, and streamline the on‑site installation procedures to safeguard construction safety. Tender documents will also expressly state the works procedures permissible for the use of construction robotics to enhance site safety and construction efficiency.Commence the Environmental Impact Assessment Process for Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands180. The Government will take forward the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands project in a steady and prudent manner. We will commence the statutory environmental impact assessment (EIA) process for the reclamation works under the project by the end of this year. The target is to complete the relevant approval procedures next year. The related detailed engineering design will commence later this year.Expedite Urban Redevelopment181. The Urban Renewal Authority is conducting planning studies for Tsuen Wan and Sham Shui Po, and will submit renewal master plans in the second half of next year. Meanwhile, the DEVB is examining the use of newly developed land to drive large‑scale urban redevelopment projects, including the cross‑district transfer of plot ratios and the construction of more dedicated rehousing estates, etc. The target is to formulate proposals in the first half of next year.182. To continue encouraging redevelopment and conversion of aged industrial buildings, we will extend an array of measures, which are expiring soon under the revitalisation scheme for industrial buildings, to the end of 2027, continuing to allow an increase in plot ratio of up to 20% for industrial building redevelopment projects.(To be continued.)
