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Biden Hired a Hell of a Lot of People Who Look Nothing Like Him

News Feed
Wednesday, September 4, 2024

From the moment, a month ago, that Kamala Harris became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee for president, she has been derided by Republicans as a “DEI hire” and “DEI vice president.” Besides being willfully ignorant of what DEI actually is and how it works, this an obviously racist attempt to demean a barrier-breaking Black woman. The absurd implication is that President Biden only chose Harris as his running mate in 2020 because of her race and gender—rather than, say, her impressive experience as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, or U.S. senator. But there is an accidental truth buried in this GOP lunacy that Democrats ought to celebrate. Harris does owe her historic status as the first female, non-white major-party presidential nominee in part to the old white man who selected her as his vice president and then, in ending his campaign precisely when he did this summer, paved the way for her to assume the top of the ticket. And while she’s the most high-profile example, Harris is just one of a long list of women and people of color whom Biden has put into positions of authority in the executive and judicial branches. In fact, somewhat under the radar, Biden has appointed what experts say is the most diverse high-ranking administration and judiciary in history. This may be his most enduring legacy—and he was able to accomplish it in part because he’s a white man, which neutralizes the right’s favorite racist dog whistles. Harris won’t be so lucky. Today, two-thirds of Biden’s 15-member Cabinet are non-white or female; if you include the acting secretaries of labor as well as housing and urban development, the Cabinet is majority-women. Nearly two-thirds of Biden’s confirmed, lifetime judicial appointees are women, according to tallies by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and nearly two-thirds are people of color—judges and justices who will have an impact long after Biden leaves office.There are also numerous firsts: Biden appointed the first Muslim woman to a federal court and the first Native Hawaiian woman ever to serve as a lifetime judge. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary. Karine Jean-Pierre is the first Black female White House press secretary. And, most prominently, Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black female Supreme Court justice.Previous Democratic presidents have pledged to appoint a Cabinet and senior staff that look like America. But Biden actually delivered.“What he has done is historic. What he has done is unprecedented,” civil rights leader Ralph Neas, former director of the Leadership Conference, told me. “Joe Biden has literally changed the face of the federal government’s leadership. Such achievements have been talked about for decades. But Joe Biden was the one who did it.” While Biden’s hiring accomplishments haven’t gotten much attention, they are very much by design, says Jessica Fulton, vice president of policy for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The Biden-Harris transition team in 2020—for which Fulton volunteered—set very public goals for hiring a team that was diverse in every way, not just their race, gender, or ethnicity, she told me. (Notably, more than 40 percent of Biden’s confirmed, lifetime judicial nominees have been people with experience as public defenders or civil rights advocates, the Leadership Conference said.) And then the Biden administration partnered with organizations and initiatives committed to diversity to help identify qualified candidates who otherwise might not be on the administration’s radar screen, she said. It’s not about racking up diversity statistics for its own sake; it’s about bringing a different perspective to roles that affect marginalized communities, Fulton noted. Having Cecelia Rouse, who was, from 2021 to 2023, the first Black woman to chair the Council of Economic Advisers in its 75-year history, or Shalanda Young, the first Black woman to head the Office of Management and Budget, provides a minority experience to jobs more often held by white males. Ditto Reta Jo Lewis, the first Black woman and person of color to head the Export-Import Bank, and Michael S. Regan, the first Black man to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Biden is even outpacing Barack Obama’s two-term record on diversity in the Cabinet and courts: Obama successfully appointed 16 women to Cabinet or sub-Cabinet positions during his eight years while Biden has successfully appointed 13 in less than one term, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. A then-record 42 percent of Obama’s judicial picks were women, according to a Pew Research Center analysis, less than Biden’s majority-female slate of court picks. Pew calculated that 36 percent of all of Obama’s judicial appointees were non-white; a Washington Post analysis in May shows the reverse for Biden: 36 percent of his overall judicial selections are white.And of course, it was Biden who made the historic pick of Jackson to the high court. It was something civil rights advocates had hoped Obama would do but understood why it would have been risky (and he did pick two women, one of whom is the first Latina on the court). While the American public elected a man who could bring his own Black experience to the job, they didn’t always want to hear it. Witness what happened when Obama had the nerve to express his personal reaction to Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, the late Black Harvard professor, being arrested by local police after he entered his own home (a neighbor had reported a possible burglary). Obama said the Cambridge police “acted stupidly,” rightly noting that “you probably don’t need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane, who’s in his own home”—but the backlash was loud enough that he hosted an awkward “beer summit” at the White House with Gates and the arresting officer. “It’s hard for a person of color, who was a first, was a trailblazer, to make an appointment like that” to the Supreme Court, Montré Carodine, a University of Alabama School of Law professor, told me. “Biden has the privilege of not having to think about that.”One of the reasons Biden has not gotten much credit from the progressive community—or criticism from the right, except for endorsing Harris for the nomination—is that he is white and male.“There was always this expectation that Barack Obama [was] going to favor Black people,” said Christopher Stout, an Oregon State University professor and author of the book The Case for Identity Politics: Polarization, Demographic Change, and Racial Appeals. “All African American candidates have to be really careful in how they talk about race,” and definitely in how they put people of color in positions of power, he added. “Whites don’t have the same fear that [Biden] is going to favor African Americans, because he’s one of them.”In other words: If Harris wins the White House this fall, and then attempts to do Biden one better in the diversity of her appointments, rest assured that Republicans will be in hysterics over her “DEI” picks.

From the moment, a month ago, that Kamala Harris became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee for president, she has been derided by Republicans as a “DEI hire” and “DEI vice president.” Besides being willfully ignorant of what DEI actually is and how it works, this an obviously racist attempt to demean a barrier-breaking Black woman. The absurd implication is that President Biden only chose Harris as his running mate in 2020 because of her race and gender—rather than, say, her impressive experience as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, or U.S. senator. But there is an accidental truth buried in this GOP lunacy that Democrats ought to celebrate. Harris does owe her historic status as the first female, non-white major-party presidential nominee in part to the old white man who selected her as his vice president and then, in ending his campaign precisely when he did this summer, paved the way for her to assume the top of the ticket. And while she’s the most high-profile example, Harris is just one of a long list of women and people of color whom Biden has put into positions of authority in the executive and judicial branches. In fact, somewhat under the radar, Biden has appointed what experts say is the most diverse high-ranking administration and judiciary in history. This may be his most enduring legacy—and he was able to accomplish it in part because he’s a white man, which neutralizes the right’s favorite racist dog whistles. Harris won’t be so lucky. Today, two-thirds of Biden’s 15-member Cabinet are non-white or female; if you include the acting secretaries of labor as well as housing and urban development, the Cabinet is majority-women. Nearly two-thirds of Biden’s confirmed, lifetime judicial appointees are women, according to tallies by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and nearly two-thirds are people of color—judges and justices who will have an impact long after Biden leaves office.There are also numerous firsts: Biden appointed the first Muslim woman to a federal court and the first Native Hawaiian woman ever to serve as a lifetime judge. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary. Karine Jean-Pierre is the first Black female White House press secretary. And, most prominently, Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black female Supreme Court justice.Previous Democratic presidents have pledged to appoint a Cabinet and senior staff that look like America. But Biden actually delivered.“What he has done is historic. What he has done is unprecedented,” civil rights leader Ralph Neas, former director of the Leadership Conference, told me. “Joe Biden has literally changed the face of the federal government’s leadership. Such achievements have been talked about for decades. But Joe Biden was the one who did it.” While Biden’s hiring accomplishments haven’t gotten much attention, they are very much by design, says Jessica Fulton, vice president of policy for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The Biden-Harris transition team in 2020—for which Fulton volunteered—set very public goals for hiring a team that was diverse in every way, not just their race, gender, or ethnicity, she told me. (Notably, more than 40 percent of Biden’s confirmed, lifetime judicial nominees have been people with experience as public defenders or civil rights advocates, the Leadership Conference said.) And then the Biden administration partnered with organizations and initiatives committed to diversity to help identify qualified candidates who otherwise might not be on the administration’s radar screen, she said. It’s not about racking up diversity statistics for its own sake; it’s about bringing a different perspective to roles that affect marginalized communities, Fulton noted. Having Cecelia Rouse, who was, from 2021 to 2023, the first Black woman to chair the Council of Economic Advisers in its 75-year history, or Shalanda Young, the first Black woman to head the Office of Management and Budget, provides a minority experience to jobs more often held by white males. Ditto Reta Jo Lewis, the first Black woman and person of color to head the Export-Import Bank, and Michael S. Regan, the first Black man to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Biden is even outpacing Barack Obama’s two-term record on diversity in the Cabinet and courts: Obama successfully appointed 16 women to Cabinet or sub-Cabinet positions during his eight years while Biden has successfully appointed 13 in less than one term, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. A then-record 42 percent of Obama’s judicial picks were women, according to a Pew Research Center analysis, less than Biden’s majority-female slate of court picks. Pew calculated that 36 percent of all of Obama’s judicial appointees were non-white; a Washington Post analysis in May shows the reverse for Biden: 36 percent of his overall judicial selections are white.And of course, it was Biden who made the historic pick of Jackson to the high court. It was something civil rights advocates had hoped Obama would do but understood why it would have been risky (and he did pick two women, one of whom is the first Latina on the court). While the American public elected a man who could bring his own Black experience to the job, they didn’t always want to hear it. Witness what happened when Obama had the nerve to express his personal reaction to Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, the late Black Harvard professor, being arrested by local police after he entered his own home (a neighbor had reported a possible burglary). Obama said the Cambridge police “acted stupidly,” rightly noting that “you probably don’t need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane, who’s in his own home”—but the backlash was loud enough that he hosted an awkward “beer summit” at the White House with Gates and the arresting officer. “It’s hard for a person of color, who was a first, was a trailblazer, to make an appointment like that” to the Supreme Court, Montré Carodine, a University of Alabama School of Law professor, told me. “Biden has the privilege of not having to think about that.”One of the reasons Biden has not gotten much credit from the progressive community—or criticism from the right, except for endorsing Harris for the nomination—is that he is white and male.“There was always this expectation that Barack Obama [was] going to favor Black people,” said Christopher Stout, an Oregon State University professor and author of the book The Case for Identity Politics: Polarization, Demographic Change, and Racial Appeals. “All African American candidates have to be really careful in how they talk about race,” and definitely in how they put people of color in positions of power, he added. “Whites don’t have the same fear that [Biden] is going to favor African Americans, because he’s one of them.”In other words: If Harris wins the White House this fall, and then attempts to do Biden one better in the diversity of her appointments, rest assured that Republicans will be in hysterics over her “DEI” picks.

From the moment, a month ago, that Kamala Harris became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee for president, she has been derided by Republicans as a “DEI hire” and “DEI vice president.” Besides being willfully ignorant of what DEI actually is and how it works, this an obviously racist attempt to demean a barrier-breaking Black woman. The absurd implication is that President Biden only chose Harris as his running mate in 2020 because of her race and gender—rather than, say, her impressive experience as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, or U.S. senator.

But there is an accidental truth buried in this GOP lunacy that Democrats ought to celebrate. Harris does owe her historic status as the first female, non-white major-party presidential nominee in part to the old white man who selected her as his vice president and then, in ending his campaign precisely when he did this summer, paved the way for her to assume the top of the ticket. And while she’s the most high-profile example, Harris is just one of a long list of women and people of color whom Biden has put into positions of authority in the executive and judicial branches.

In fact, somewhat under the radar, Biden has appointed what experts say is the most diverse high-ranking administration and judiciary in history. This may be his most enduring legacy—and he was able to accomplish it in part because he’s a white man, which neutralizes the right’s favorite racist dog whistles. Harris won’t be so lucky.

Today, two-thirds of Biden’s 15-member Cabinet are non-white or female; if you include the acting secretaries of labor as well as housing and urban development, the Cabinet is majority-women. Nearly two-thirds of Biden’s confirmed, lifetime judicial appointees are women, according to tallies by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and nearly two-thirds are people of color—judges and justices who will have an impact long after Biden leaves office.

There are also numerous firsts: Biden appointed the first Muslim woman to a federal court and the first Native Hawaiian woman ever to serve as a lifetime judge. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary. Karine Jean-Pierre is the first Black female White House press secretary. And, most prominently, Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black female Supreme Court justice.

Previous Democratic presidents have pledged to appoint a Cabinet and senior staff that look like America. But Biden actually delivered.

“What he has done is historic. What he has done is unprecedented,” civil rights leader Ralph Neas, former director of the Leadership Conference, told me. “Joe Biden has literally changed the face of the federal government’s leadership. Such achievements have been talked about for decades. But Joe Biden was the one who did it.”

While Biden’s hiring accomplishments haven’t gotten much attention, they are very much by design, says Jessica Fulton, vice president of policy for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The Biden-Harris transition team in 2020—for which Fulton volunteered—set very public goals for hiring a team that was diverse in every way, not just their race, gender, or ethnicity, she told me. (Notably, more than 40 percent of Biden’s confirmed, lifetime judicial nominees have been people with experience as public defenders or civil rights advocates, the Leadership Conference said.) And then the Biden administration partnered with organizations and initiatives committed to diversity to help identify qualified candidates who otherwise might not be on the administration’s radar screen, she said.

It’s not about racking up diversity statistics for its own sake; it’s about bringing a different perspective to roles that affect marginalized communities, Fulton noted. Having Cecelia Rouse, who was, from 2021 to 2023, the first Black woman to chair the Council of Economic Advisers in its 75-year history, or Shalanda Young, the first Black woman to head the Office of Management and Budget, provides a minority experience to jobs more often held by white males. Ditto Reta Jo Lewis, the first Black woman and person of color to head the Export-Import Bank, and Michael S. Regan, the first Black man to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Biden is even outpacing Barack Obama’s two-term record on diversity in the Cabinet and courts: Obama successfully appointed 16 women to Cabinet or sub-Cabinet positions during his eight years while Biden has successfully appointed 13 in less than one term, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. A then-record 42 percent of Obama’s judicial picks were women, according to a Pew Research Center analysis, less than Biden’s majority-female slate of court picks. Pew calculated that 36 percent of all of Obama’s judicial appointees were non-white; a Washington Post analysis in May shows the reverse for Biden: 36 percent of his overall judicial selections are white.

And of course, it was Biden who made the historic pick of Jackson to the high court. It was something civil rights advocates had hoped Obama would do but understood why it would have been risky (and he did pick two women, one of whom is the first Latina on the court). While the American public elected a man who could bring his own Black experience to the job, they didn’t always want to hear it. Witness what happened when Obama had the nerve to express his personal reaction to Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, the late Black Harvard professor, being arrested by local police after he entered his own home (a neighbor had reported a possible burglary). Obama said the Cambridge police “acted stupidly,” rightly noting that “you probably don’t need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane, who’s in his own home”—but the backlash was loud enough that he hosted an awkward “beer summit” at the White House with Gates and the arresting officer.

“It’s hard for a person of color, who was a first, was a trailblazer, to make an appointment like that” to the Supreme Court, Montré Carodine, a University of Alabama School of Law professor, told me. “Biden has the privilege of not having to think about that.”

One of the reasons Biden has not gotten much credit from the progressive community—or criticism from the right, except for endorsing Harris for the nomination—is that he is white and male.

“There was always this expectation that Barack Obama [was] going to favor Black people,” said Christopher Stout, an Oregon State University professor and author of the book The Case for Identity Politics: Polarization, Demographic Change, and Racial Appeals. “All African American candidates have to be really careful in how they talk about race,” and definitely in how they put people of color in positions of power, he added. “Whites don’t have the same fear that [Biden] is going to favor African Americans, because he’s one of them.”

In other words: If Harris wins the White House this fall, and then attempts to do Biden one better in the diversity of her appointments, rest assured that Republicans will be in hysterics over her “DEI” picks.

Read the full story here.
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Only three people prosecuted for covering up illegal sewage spills

Employees of water firms who obstruct investigations into spills could face jail, as new rules come into force on FridayWater company bosses have entirely escaped punishment for covering up illegal sewage spills, government figures show, as ministers prepare to bring in a new law threatening them with up to two years in prison for doing so.Only three people have ever been prosecuted for obstructing the Environment Agency in its investigations into sewage spills, officials said, with none of them receiving even a fine. Continue reading...

Water company bosses have entirely escaped punishment for covering up illegal sewage spills, government figures show, as ministers prepare to bring in a new law threatening them with up to two years in prison for doing so.Only three people have ever been prosecuted for obstructing the Environment Agency in its investigations into sewage spills, officials said, with none of them receiving even a fine.Officials said the data shows why the water regulator has found it so difficult to stop illegal spills, which happen when companies dump raw sewage during dry weather. The Environment Agency has identified hundreds of such cases since 2020.Steve Reed, the environment secretary, said: “Bosses must face consequences if they commit crimes – there must be accountability. From today, there will be no more hiding places.“Water companies must now focus on cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.”Water companies dumped a record amount of sewage into rivers and coastal waters last year, mostly because wet weather threatened to wash sewage back into people’s homes.Data released last month by the Environment Agency revealed companies had discharged untreated effluent for nearly 4m hours during 2024, a slight increase on the previous year.But companies have also illegally dumped sewage during dry weather. Data released to the Telegraph last year under freedom of information rules shows regulators had identified 465 illegal sewage spills since 2020, with a further 154 under investigation as potentially illegal spills.Britain’s polluted waterways became a major issue at last year’s election, with Labour promising to end what it called the “Tory sewage scandal”.Government sources say one reason illegal spills have been allowed to continue is that regulators have faced obstruction when investigating them.In 2019, three employees at Southern Water were convicted of hampering the Environment Agency when it was trying to collect data as part of an investigation into raw sewage spilled into rivers and on beaches in south-east England.The maximum punishment available in that case was a fine, but none of the individuals were fined. Several of the employees said at the time they were told by the company solicitor not to give data to the regulator.Two years later, Southern was given a £90m fine after pleading guilty to thousands of illegal discharges of sewage over a five-year period.New rules coming into force on Friday will give legal agencies the power to bring prosecutions in the crown court against employees for obstructing regulatory investigations, with a maximum sanction of imprisonment.Directors and executives can be prosecuted if they have consented to or connived with that obstruction, or allowed it to happen through neglect.The rules were included in the Water (Special Measures) Act, which came into law in February. The act also gives the regulator new powers to ban bonuses if environmental standards are not met and requires companies to install real-time monitors at every emergency sewage outlet.Philip Duffy, the chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: “The act was a crucial step in making sure water companies take full responsibility for their impact on the environment.“The tougher powers we have gained through this legislation will allow us, as the regulator, to close the justice gap, deliver swifter enforcement action and ultimately deter illegal activity.“Alongside this, we’re modernising and expanding our approach to water company inspections – and it’s working. More people, powers, better data and inspections are yielding vital evidence so that we can reduce sewage pollution, hold water companies to account and protect the environment.”

Indians Battle Respiratory Issues, Skin Rashes in World's Most Polluted Town

By Tora AgarwalaBYRNIHAT, India (Reuters) - Two-year-old Sumaiya Ansari, a resident of India's Byrnihat town which is ranked the world's most...

BYRNIHAT, India (Reuters) - Two-year-old Sumaiya Ansari, a resident of India's Byrnihat town which is ranked the world's most polluted metropolitan area by Swiss Group IQAir, was battling breathing problems for several days before she was hospitalised in March and given oxygen support.She is among many residents of the industrial town on the border of the northeastern Assam and Meghalaya states - otherwise known for their lush, natural beauty - inflicted by illnesses that doctors say are likely linked to high exposure to pollution.Byrnihat's annual average PM2.5 concentration in 2024 was 128.2 micrograms per cubic meter, according to IQAir, over 25 times the level recommended by the WHO.PM2.5 refers to particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or less in diameter that can be carried into the lungs, causing deadly diseases and cardiac problems."It was very scary, she was breathing like a fish," said Abdul Halim, Ansari's father, who brought her home from hospital after two days.According to government data, the number of respiratory infection cases in the region rose to 3,681 in 2024 from 2,082 in 2022."Ninety percent of the patients we see daily come either with a cough or other respiratory issues," said Dr. J Marak of Byrnihat Primary Healthcare Centre. Residents say the toxic air also causes skin rashes and eye irritation, damages crops, and restricts routine tasks like drying laundry outdoors."Everything is covered with dust or soot," said farmer Dildar Hussain.Critics say Byrnihat's situation reflects a broader trend of pollution plaguing not just India's cities, including the capital Delhi, but also its smaller towns as breakneck industrialisation erodes environmental safeguards.Unlike other parts of the country that face pollution every winter, however, Byrnihat's air quality remains poor through the year, government data indicates.Home to about 80 industries - many of them highly polluting - experts say the problem is exacerbated in the town by other factors like emissions from heavy vehicles, and its "bowl-shaped topography"."Sandwiched between the hilly terrain of Meghalaya and the plains of Assam, there is no room for pollutants to disperse," said Arup Kumar Misra, chairman of Assam's pollution control board.The town's location has also made a solution tougher, with the states shifting blame to each other, said a Meghalaya government official who did not want to be named.Since the release of IQAir's report in March, however, Assam and Meghalaya have agreed to form a joint committee and work together to combat Byrnihat's pollution.(Reporting by Tora Agarwala; Writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

UK government report calls for taskforce to save England’s historic trees

Exclusive: Ancient oaks ‘as precious as stately homes’ could receive stronger legal safeguards under new proposalsAncient and culturally important trees in England could be given legal protections under plans in a UK government-commissioned report.Sentencing guidelines would be changed under the plans so those who destroy important trees would face tougher criminal penalties. Additionally, a database of such trees would be drawn up, and they could be given automatic protections, with the current system of tree preservation orders strengthened to accommodate this.In 2020, the 300-year-old Hunningham Oak near Leamington was felled to make way for infrastructure projects.In 2021, the Happy Man tree in Hackney, which the previous year had won the Woodland Trust’s tree of the year contest, was felled to make way for housing development.In 2022, a 600-year-old oak was felled in Bretton, Peterborough, which reportedly caused structural damage to nearby property.In 2023, 16 ancient lime trees on The Walks in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, were felled to make way for a dual carriageway. Continue reading...

Ancient and culturally important trees in England could be given legal protections under plans in a UK government-commissioned report.Sentencing guidelines would be changed under the plans so those who destroy important trees would face tougher criminal penalties. Additionally, a database of such trees would be drawn up, and they could be given automatic protections, with the current system of tree preservation orders strengthened to accommodate this.There was an outpouring of anger this week after it was revealed that a 500-year-old oak tree in Enfield, north London, was sliced almost down to the stumps. It later emerged it had no specific legal protections, as most ancient and culturally important trees do not.After the Sycamore Gap tree was felled in 2023, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs asked the Tree Council and Forest Research to examine current protections for important trees and to see if they needed to be strengthened. The trial of two men accused of felling the Sycamore Gap tree is due to take place later this month at Newcastle crown court.The report, seen by the Guardian, found there is no current definition for important trees, and that some of the UK’s most culturally important trees have no protection whatsoever. The researchers have directed ministers to create a taskforce within the next 12 months to clearly define “important trees” and swiftly prepare an action plan to save them.Defra sources said ministers were evaluating the findings of the report.Jon Stokes, the director of trees, science and research at the Tree Council, said: “Ancient oaks can live up to 1,000 years old and are as precious as our stately homes and castles,” Stokes explained. “Our nation’s green heritage should be valued and protected and we will do everything we can to achieve this.”Currently, the main protection for trees is a tree preservation order (TPO), which is granted by local councils. Failing to obtain the necessary consent and carrying out unauthorised works on a tree with a TPO can lead to a fine of up to £20,000.The Woodland Trust has called for similar protections, proposing the introduction of a list of nationally important heritage trees and a heritage TPO that could be used to promote the protection and conservation of the country’s oldest and most important trees. The charity is using citizen science to create a database of ancient trees.The report’s authors defined “important trees” as shorthand for “trees of high social, cultural, and environmental value”. This includes ancient trees, which are those that have reached a great age in comparison with others of the same species, notable trees connected with specific historic events or people, or well-known landmarks. It could also include “champion trees”, which are the largest individuals of their species in a specific geographical area, and notable trees that are significant at a local scale for their size or have other special features.Richard Benwell, the CEO of the environmental group Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “Ancient trees are living monuments. They are bastions for nature in an increasingly hostile world and home to a spectacular richness of wildlife. We cannot afford to keep losing these living legends if we want to see nature thrive for future generations. The government should use the planning and infrastructure bill to deliver strict protection for ancient woodlands, veteran trees, and other irreplaceable habitats.”Felled ancient trees In 2020, the 300-year-old Hunningham Oak near Leamington was felled to make way for infrastructure projects. In 2021, the Happy Man tree in Hackney, which the previous year had won the Woodland Trust’s tree of the year contest, was felled to make way for housing development. In 2022, a 600-year-old oak was felled in Bretton, Peterborough, which reportedly caused structural damage to nearby property. In 2023, 16 ancient lime trees on The Walks in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, were felled to make way for a dual carriageway.

L.A. will set aside $3 million to help owners of fire-damaged homes test their soil for lead

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal to allocate $3 million to help owners of fire-damaged homes test their soil for lead.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will allocate $3 million to help homeowners near the Eaton burn area test for lead contamination, after preliminary tests found elevated levels of the heavy metal on homes standing after the fire.Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath proposed the motion after preliminary test results released last week by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health showed lead levels above state health standards in as many as 80% of soil samples collected downwind of the Eaton burn scar.On Tuesday, the board voted 4-0 to direct $3 million from the county’s 2018 $134-million settlement with lead-paint manufacturers to test residential properties that are both downwind and within one mile of the Eaton burn scar boundary.Lead is a heavy metal linked to serious health problems including damage to the brain and nervous system, as well as digestive, reproductive and cardiovascular issues, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.Roux Associates, a private testing firm hired by the county, collected samples from 780 properties in both burn zones over four weeks from mid-February to mid-March. It tested for 14 toxic substances commonly found after wildfires: heavy metals such as arsenic and lead; polyaromatic hydrocarbons such as anthracene and napthalene; and dioxins.More than one-third of samples collected within the Eaton burn scar exceeded California’s health standard of 80 milligrams of lead per kilogram of soil, Roux found. Nearly half of samples just outside the burn scar’s boundary had lead levels above the state limit. And downwind of the fire’s boundary, to the southwest, between 70% and 80% of samples surpassed that limit.In the Palisades burn area, tests found little contamination beyond some isolated “hot spots” of heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, Roux’s vice president and principal scientist Adam Love said last week.Nichole Quick, chief medical advisor with the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said at the time that officials would be requesting federal and state help to further assess the Palisades hot spots, and working with the county on targeted lead testing in affected areas downwind of the Eaton fire.The county is for now shouldering the responsibility of contaminant testing because, as The Times has reported, the federal government has opted to break from a nearly two-decade tradition of testing soil on destroyed properties cleaned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after fires.After previous wildfires, the Army Corps would first scrape 6 inches of topsoil from cleared properties and then test the ground underneath. If those tests revealed toxic substances still on the property, it would scrape further.After the devastating Camp fire in Paradise in 2018, soil testing of 12,500 properties revealed that nearly one-third still contained dangerous levels of contaminants even after the first 6 inches of topsoil were scraped by federal crews.L.A. County ordered testing from Roux in lieu of that federal testing. So far, the county has announced results only from standing homes, which are not eligible for cleanup from the Army Corps of Engineers; results from land parcels with damaged or destroyed structures are still pending.FEMA’s decision to skip testing after L.A.’s firestorms has frustrated many residents and officials, with some calling for the federal agency to reconsider.“Without adequate soil testing, contaminants caused by the fire can remain undetected, posing risks to returning residents, construction workers, and the environment,” the state’s Office of Emergency Services director Nancy Ward wrote in a February letter to FEMA. “Failing to identify and remediate these fire-related contaminants may expose individuals to residual substances during rebuilding efforts and potentially jeopardize groundwater and surface water quality.”

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