Petrochemical

Texas freeze led to release of tons of air pollutants as refineries shut

Sun, 2021-02-21 14:46 — mike kraft

Texas freeze led to release of tons of air pollutants as refineries shut The largest U.S. oil refiners released tons of air pollutants into the skies over Texas this week, according to figures provided to the state, as one environmental crisis triggered another. Laura Sanicola, Erwin Seba U.S.

NEW YORK/HOUSTON (Reuters) - The largest U.S. oil refiners released tons of air pollutants into the skies over Texas this week, according to figures provided to the state, as one environmental crisis triggered another.

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White House coronavirus adviser says vaccine companies plan to update shots to address variants

Thu, 2021-02-18 13:57 — mike kraft

White House coronavirus adviser official discusses plans by vaccine companies cope with COVID-19 variants

Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser on the coronavirus response, said vaccine-producing companies plan to update their shots to address variants of the virus.

During a Washington Post live interview Thursday, he said the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines “work well for” the most prominent variant spreading throughout the United States, which is the one first identified in Britain.

He said that while the vaccines appear less effective against the variants first identified in Brazil and South Africa, they do produce some antibodies.

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Biden takes sweeping steps to curb climate change, vows job creation

Wed, 2021-01-27 19:29 — mike kraft

Biden takes sweeping steps to curb climate change, vows job creation President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a new raft of executive actions to combat climate change, including pausing new oil and gas leases on federal land and cutting fossil fuel subsidies, as he pursues green policies he billed as a boon for job creation. Valerie Volcovici, Jeff Mason U.S.

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Coronavirus: few vaccines prevent infection – here’s why that’s not a problem

Tue, 2021-01-12 15:05 — mike kraft

Coronavirus: few vaccines prevent infection – here's why that's not a problem Sterilising immunity means that the immune system is able to completely prevent a virus from replicating in your body. Not all vaccines provide this. Sarah L Caddy The Conversation

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Health experts dispute conservatives’ claim that new study finds masks are ineffective

Sat, 2020-11-21 14:50 — mike kraft

Health experts dispute conservatives’ claim that new study finds masks are ineffective Mask-wearing has remained a hot-button political issue even as more states, including those with Republican governors who long resisted such measures, are adopting mask mandates following a rise in cases across the United States. Meryl Kornfield Washington Post

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US seeing unprecedented coronavirus spread, White House said

Fri, 2020-11-20 11:22 — mike kraft

US seeing unprecedented coronavirus spread, White House says The US is seeing the fastest spread yet of Covid-19, the White House Coronavirus Task Force said in its first public briefing in four months on Thursday. Maggie Fox, CNN CNN

(CNN) The United States is seeing the fastest spread yet of the coronavirus, the White House Coronavirus Task Force said in its first public briefing in four months on Thursday.

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More Than 300 Local Officials From 40 States Call For Green New Deal, End Of Fossil Fuels

Thu, 2018-12-20 07:03 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Workers install solar panels. Associated Press

The open letter includes a signature from a former high-level Mobil Oil executive.

CLICK HERE - Elected Officials to Protect America - Empowering lawmakers to act boldly on climate

huffingtonpost.com - by Alexander C. Kaufman - December 14, 2018

In a little over a month, the so-called Green New Deal has won endorsements from more than three dozen sitting or incoming federal lawmakers as Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) makes a high-profile bid to shift debate over climate change toward policy on the scale of the crisis.

On Friday, the effort got a boost from 311 state and local officials.

Forty-four mayors, 63 county and state legislators and 116 city council members were among the officials from 40 states ― including some top oil and gas producers ― who signed an open letter issuing a sweeping, full-throated call for the phaseout of fossil fuels and adoption of Green New Deal-style climate policies.

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How Storms, Missteps and an Ailing Grid Left Puerto Rico in the Dark

Mon, 2018-05-07 10:25 — Kathy Gilbeaux

A transmission tower and downed lines in the mountainous terrain of eastern Puerto Rico. Workers from the island and throughout the United States have worked to restore power after Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September.

It took months to restore electricity in Puerto Rico after hurricanes dealt a one-two punch. Many homes are still without power, and the system’s future is far from certain.

nytimes.com - by JAMES GLANZ and FRANCES ROBLES - Photographs by TODD HEISLER - May 6, 2018

. . . After Maria and the hurricane that preceded it, called Irma, Puerto Rico all but slipped from the modern era . . .

. . . an examination of the power grid’s reconstruction — based on a review of hundreds of documents and interviews with dozens of public officials, utility experts and citizens across the island — shows how a series of decisions by federal and Puerto Rican authorities together sent the effort reeling on a course that would take months to correct. The human and economic damage wrought by all that time without power may be irreparable.

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What Happens to Earth if the US Exits the Climate Deal?

Sat, 2017-05-27 22:48 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Credit: AP Photo/Jim Cole, File

washingtonpost.com - Associated Press - May 27, 2017

. . . In an attempt to understand what could happen to the planet if the U.S. pulls out of Paris, The Associated Press consulted with more than two dozen climate scientists and analyzed a special computer model scenario designed to calculate potential effects.

Scientists said it would worsen an already bad problem, and make it far more difficult to prevent crossing a dangerous global temperature threshold.

. . . “The U.S. matters a great deal . . . That amount could make the difference between meeting the Paris limit of two degrees and missing it” . . .

While scientists may disagree on the computer simulations they overwhelmingly agreed that the warming the planet is undergoing now would be faster and more intense.

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Hidden Data Suggests Fracking Created Widespread, Systemic Impact in Pennsylvania

Tue, 2017-01-24 07:07 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Annual citizen complaints reported to PA DEP compared to the annual number of new unconventional oil and gas wells. © Public Herald

Trends Show Impacts Are Getting Worse

publicherald.org - by Melissa A. Troutman, Sierra Shamer and Joshua B. Pribanic

After a three-year investigation in Pennsylvania, Public Herald has uncovered evidence of widespread and systemic impacts related to “fracking,” a controversial oil and gas technology.

Ending over a decade of suppression by the state, this evidence is now available to the public for the first time.

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