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Three climate stories you may have missed – including Mary Peltola and Lisa Murkowski’s victories in Alaska
Whether your Thanksgiving meal included turkey or a more climate-friendly Tofurky, you’ve probably put the news on hold over the past few days to focus on family and friends.
But on the climate change front, the news never stopped. From congressional races in Alaska to a wildlife conference in Panama, the past few days have brought a series of important events for the planet.
Here are three climate stories you may have missed:
Peltola, Murkovski win the re-election
On Wednesday, Tail. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) both secured re-election, defeating challengers endorsed by the former president Donald Trump after state officials completed the final round of vote counting, Nathaniel Herz reports for The Washington Post.
The dual victories could boost the prospect of a bipartisan deal on energy and environmental issues in the next Congress, given that both women have been able to reach across the aisle in this area.
- Peltola, who became the first Alaska Native to win a full term in Congress, ran a “for fish” campaign that emphasized the importance of sustainable fisheries policies in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, as previously reported by The Climate 2020.
- At the same time, Peltola joined Alaska’s Republican senators in calling for the Department of Internal Affairs to approve a major oil project on Alaska’s North Slope, saying the project would provide desperately needed energy and jobs to the region.
- Meanwhile, as president Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources In 2020, Murkowski fought to include a major bipartisan energy package in the year-end spending bill.
EDF Action Votescampaign branch Environmental Protection Fundinvested more than $350,000 in the mail program supporting Murkowski and Peltola’s multiparty ticket.
“Alaskans want independent voices in Washington who are willing to put aside partisan politics to pass common sense measures that protect our environment and the Alaskan way of life,” EDF Action Votes Political Director Dustin Ingalls it is stated in the announcement. “That’s exactly what Lisa Murkowski and Mary Peltola have always done.”
The postal service includes EV chargers
On Friday, our colleague Jacob Bogage scooped that US Postal Service plans to use money from the recently passed climate bill to build more charging infrastructure for its electric delivery vehicles.
The move could accelerate the Postal Service’s progress toward electrifying its fleet of more than 217,000 vehicles, fulfilling President Biden’s directive to ensure that all new government-owned vehicles are electric by 2035.
- The famous climate law, named Inflation Reduction Lawapproved $3 billion for the postal agency to buy more electric vehicles and related infrastructure.
- Some congressional Democrats, including Sens. Edward J. Marquee (Mass.) i Thomas R. Carper (Del.), urged the agency to instead spend the money on additional electric vehicles.
- But in interviews, general mail Louis DeJoy defended the decision to prioritize charging infrastructure in the short term, saying it would allow the agency to electrify its fleet more quickly without undermining mail delivery.
“I can’t put it.” [electric] vehicles everywhere,” DeJoy said. “They need to have homes.”
Sharks, frogs get extra protection
Also on Friday, delegates at an international wildlife conference in Panama City agreed to introduce protections for more than 500 species, including more than 90 species of sharks and scores of frogs, turtles and lizards. Kathia Martinez reports for the Associated Press.
An agreement on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES, could help species that face some overlapping threats, including climate change, disease, habitat loss and the international pet trade.
- In particular, many ecologists have advocated for the protection of glass frogs, which are prized in the pet trade for their transparent skin. More than half of the glass frog species he evaluated International Union for the Protection of Nature they face a high risk of extinction in the wild in Central and South America.
- Still, some advocates lamented the fact that the conference failed to ban the international trade in hippos amid opposition from the European Union and some African countries.
“World-renowned mammals like rhinos, hippos, elephants and leopards didn’t get increased protection at this meeting, while a bunch of adorable weirdos won conservation victories,” Tanya Saneribdirector of international law in Center for Biological Diversity, the announcement states. “In the midst of a heartbreaking extinction crisis, we need a global agreement to fight for all species, even when it’s contested.”
Chevron can continue operating in Venezuela, Treasury Department says
The Department of the Treasury issued on Saturday Chevron a limited permit to expand existing energy operations in Venezuela, a potential first step toward the South American nation’s re-entry into global oil markets, Julie Turkevitz and Zolan Kanno-Jungs report for the New York Times.
The agreement was reached after the representatives of the authoritarian president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduroresumed talks with the Venezuelan opposition in Mexico on Saturday, resolving a deadlock over humanitarian issues.
The license marks the latest sign of a shift in the United States’ relationship with Venezuela, as the Biden administration seeks to lower energy prices and provide alternatives to Russian oil following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. However, speaking to reporters on Saturday, a senior administration official dismissed the idea that the license was intended to lower energy prices, saying it was part of the administration’s efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela.
The Chevron license expires in six months and must be renewed after that. The United States also has the power to revoke the permit if Maduro fails to meet his humanitarian obligations.
Manchin’s reform deal stalls as GOP looks to replace him in 2024
Side deal between Senator Joe Manchin III (DV.Va.) and Democratic leadership to speed up the approval process for new energy infrastructure is unlikely to pass before the end of the year, as Republicans seek to take away Mancha’s big win ahead of his potential 2024 re-election bid. Alexander Bolton reports for Brdo.
To secure Manchin’s yes vote Inflation Reduction Law this summer, the Democratic leadership agreed to pass special legislation to overhaul the permitting process for energy projects. But Republicans are hesitant to support any deal to allow reforms in a deadlocked session, seeing Manchin’s seat as a key opportunity to take over in the next election.
- “It’s hard work, but we’re still exchanging ideas,” he said Senator Shelley Moore Capito (RV.Va.), one of the GOP’s lead negotiators on licensing reform.
- A Senate Republican aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity to be candid, said it would take a “miracle” for Manchin’s measure to pass before January.
- I Tail. Mike D. Rogers from alabama, the top republican on House Appropriations Committeesaid last week that there was “zero chance” the bill would be added Law on National Defenseeven as Manchin claims it is critical to national security.
An engineering miracle has just saved Venice from flooding. What about when it has to get up?
Venice has emerged as a striking example of how communities can adapt to the effects of climate change, with experts marveling after a $6 billion engineering project protected the canal-covered city from massive flooding last week, The Post Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli the report.
Saving Venice from flooding is a top priority for the Italian government as it struggles to preserve buildings and other ancient treasures. Engineering system, known as MOSE, it takes 30 years of planning and 20 years of construction. It includes 78 rectangular metal barriers, each five stories high, that are raised from the seabed whenever high water threatens the city.
Still, the system could be stressed by as much as 30 centimeters of sea-level rise, which climate scientists say could happen by mid-century in middle-of-the-road scenarios. In more dire scenarios where humanity fails to dramatically curb greenhouse gas emissions, the system’s lifespan could be shortened by decades.
On Tuesday: The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a confirmation hearing for several President Biden‘s nominations for environmental positions, including a long-delayed nomination for Joseph Goffman to lead Environmental Protection Agency‘s air office; Beth Pritchard Geer to become a member Tennessee Valley Authority‘s board of directors; and Shailene P. Bhatt to lead Department of Transport‘s Federal Highway Administration.
On Wednesday: The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a hearing on implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, with a focus on the private sector.
On Thursday: The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold hearings on several energy bills, including bills from Sen. John Barrasso (R-Vio.) who would direct Department of Energy to establish and manage a domestic uranium stockpile, as the United States seeks to curb its reliance on Russian uranium imports to power its nuclear power plants.
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