Articles Tagged with ''climate change''

An effort to overturn a rule limiting methane emissions from oil and natural gas drilling has failed in the Senate – a first in the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to repeal Obama administration rules it deems burdensome to business.

At least half of the members of a key EPA scientific research panel have been dismissed, fueling speculation that they will be replaced by appointees from the very industries the EPA regulates. News sources report that nine of the 18-member Board of Scientific Counselors which evaluates research on climate change, water quality and chemical safety, among other areas, were let go after their three-year-terms ended. More terminations are expected. Board members are scientific, rather than political, nominees.

Greenhouse gases (GHG) are identified as the principal cause of climate change and managing them is crucial to help us adapt to its consequences. To address the issue, initiatives are being developed on an international, regional, national and local scale to limit GHG concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere.

The budget of the EPA would be slashed by 31 percent and funding for research on climate change would be eliminated under the budget proposal unveiled by President Trump today.

Last week’s Senate approval of Scott Pruitt as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was met with dismay by a number of environmental groups.

Hurricane Matthew is a recent reminder for many of us that severe weather can be deadly. While all of us need to take precautions, outdoor workers are especially vulnerable. Two examples from New England show why it’s so vital that employers monitor and address the dangers extreme weather can present.

St. Petersburg, Florida this week became the 20th U.S. city to commit to transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy – and is using oil spill settlement funds to do so. The city council voted unanimously on the change, allocating $250K of BP Oil Spill settlement funds to an “Integrated Sustainability Action Plan” (ISAP), which will chart a roadmap to the complete use of renewable energy in Saint Petersburg.

Greenhouse gas emissions across the European Union (EU) last year were 22 percent lower than 1990 levels, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Passenger vehicles achieved record-high fuel economy while outperforming greenhouse gas emission standards in model year 2015, according to two reports released this week by the EPA. The GHG Manufacturer Performance Report for 2015 Model Year finds automakers went beyond the model year (MY) 2015 standards by an average 7 grams of CO2 per mile, equivalent to 0.9 miles per gallon (mpg), even as the fleet-wide standard became more stringent by 13 grams of CO2 per mile.