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GoGreenNation news

North Carolina Gov. Cooper's Second-Term Environmental Secretary Is Leaving the Job

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Thursday, September 12, 2024

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's environmental secretary for over three years is stepping down before Cooper's second term ends and is being replaced by a veteran state government administrator.Elizabeth Biser, who was named to the Cabinet secretary post by Cooper in June 2021, is leaving her job leading the Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, to “pursue opportunities in the private sector,” a Cooper news release said Thursday. Biser's successor will be Mary Penny Kelley, who becomes secretary effective Tuesday, Cooper's office said. Kelley is an attorney who now works as the special adviser to the governor's Hometown Strong program, which is centered on helping rural areas. Her government work history includes holding positions as a senior advisor at DEQ and as deputy secretary at its predecessor agency, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources. Biser was Cooper's choice as secretary when state Senate Republicans declined to confirm the governor's appointment of Dionne Delli-Gatti to succeed first-term Secretary Michael Regan when he became President Joe Biden's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator.Biser's time as secretary was marked largely by the implementation of policies to reduce a broad category of “forever chemicals” commonly known as PFAS found in North Carolina water sources and to provide for remediation. EPA has announced new limits for these chemicals, which with exposure are associated with a wide range of health harms. Cooper said he appreciated Biser's service as secretary “and her work to help make North Carolina a leader in the fight against PFAS and other harmful forever chemicals.” He also said Kelley's "long career in environmental law and experience within DEQ make her the right person to lead the department and continue to work to protect North Carolina’s air and water.” Cooper, a Democrat, is term-limited from serving beyond the end of the year. It wasn't immediately clear if Kelley would be subject to a Senate confirmation process before Cooper leaves office.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - July 2024

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s environmental secretary for over three years is stepping down before Cooper’s second term ends and is being replaced by a veteran state government administrator

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's environmental secretary for over three years is stepping down before Cooper's second term ends and is being replaced by a veteran state government administrator.

Elizabeth Biser, who was named to the Cabinet secretary post by Cooper in June 2021, is leaving her job leading the Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, to “pursue opportunities in the private sector,” a Cooper news release said Thursday.

Biser's successor will be Mary Penny Kelley, who becomes secretary effective Tuesday, Cooper's office said.

Kelley is an attorney who now works as the special adviser to the governor's Hometown Strong program, which is centered on helping rural areas. Her government work history includes holding positions as a senior advisor at DEQ and as deputy secretary at its predecessor agency, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources.

Biser was Cooper's choice as secretary when state Senate Republicans declined to confirm the governor's appointment of Dionne Delli-Gatti to succeed first-term Secretary Michael Regan when he became President Joe Biden's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

Biser's time as secretary was marked largely by the implementation of policies to reduce a broad category of “forever chemicals” commonly known as PFAS found in North Carolina water sources and to provide for remediation. EPA has announced new limits for these chemicals, which with exposure are associated with a wide range of health harms.

Cooper said he appreciated Biser's service as secretary “and her work to help make North Carolina a leader in the fight against PFAS and other harmful forever chemicals.” He also said Kelley's "long career in environmental law and experience within DEQ make her the right person to lead the department and continue to work to protect North Carolina’s air and water.”

Cooper, a Democrat, is term-limited from serving beyond the end of the year. It wasn't immediately clear if Kelley would be subject to a Senate confirmation process before Cooper leaves office.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Detroit Suburbs Sue to Try to Stop the Shipment of Radioactive Soil From New York

Communities near a suburban Detroit landfill are suing to try to stop the shipment of World War II-era radioactive soil from New York state

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Communities near a suburban Detroit landfill are suing to try to stop the shipment of World War II-era radioactive soil from New York state.The lawsuit filed Monday in Wayne County court follows a tense town hall meeting and claims by elected officials, including two members of Congress, that they were in the dark about plans to bring truckloads to a landfill in Van Buren Township, roughly 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Detroit, through the end of the year.“The Michigan public will no longer tolerate Wayne County being the nation's dumping ground of choice for a wide range of hazardous materials,” according to the lawsuit.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is managing the project, has said the Michigan site is the closest licensed disposal facility that can take the material. Belleville, Romulus, Canton Township and Van Buren Township are asking for an injunction halting the deliveries. The lawsuit says area fire officials do not have a strategy or equipment to respond if problems occur at the landfill.Critics also want time to weigh in on whether Republic Services, which operates the site, should be granted a new state operating license. The Phoenix-based company had no immediate comment on the lawsuit.The waste is described as low-level radioactive leftovers from the Manhattan Project, a secret government project to develop atomic bombs during World War II and featured in the 2023 movie “Oppenheimer.”WIVB-TV reported in August that contaminated soil was being moved from Lewiston, New York. The TV station posted a photo of an enormous white bag that resembled a burrito, one of many that would make the trip. State environmental regulators, speaking at a Sept. 4 public meeting, said there was no requirement that the public be informed ahead of time.“As a regulator, the state doesn’t have any concerns for this material from a health and safety standpoint,” T.R. Wentworth II, manager of Michigan's Radiological Protection Section, told the Detroit Free Press. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - July 2024

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More floods are coming to Britain, but you ought to know this: the system that should protect us is a scandal | George Monbiot

A network of public bodies are supposed to safeguard us from flooding. But, like old boys’ clubs, they are bastions of self-interestLabour’s first stage of government resembles a vast forensic excavation. As it works through the Conservatives’ midden of horrors, it discovers an ever greater legacy of underinvestment, neglect and corruption. However disappointing the new government’s compromises might be, we shouldn’t forget how overwhelming this task must feel.So I’m sorry to expose yet another toxic stratum. It contains a series of stupendous failures in the governance of rural bodies, which, in the case I want to discuss, put human lives at risk.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Labour’s first stage of government resembles a vast forensic excavation. As it works through the Conservatives’ midden of horrors, it discovers an ever greater legacy of underinvestment, neglect and corruption. However disappointing the new government’s compromises might be, we shouldn’t forget how overwhelming this task must feel.So I’m sorry to expose yet another toxic stratum. It contains a series of stupendous failures in the governance of rural bodies, which, in the case I want to discuss, put human lives at risk.Last week, the Guardian revealed alarming aspects of governance in several of England’s national parks, whose boards are starkly unrepresentative of the population and lack the expertise required to protect and restore the ecology of our national properties. This chimes with my experience: in some places, park boards appear to behave like private fiefdoms working on behalf of powerful local interests and against the public and environmental good. It’s as though Restore Trust, the opaquely funded reactionaries trying to take over the National Trust, had instead taken over the national parks.But our national park boards look competent and diverse in comparison with another group of rural bodies, the internal drainage boards. You may not have heard of them, but if your home is threatened by floods, you may wish to have a word. Good luck with that.Internal drainage boards (IDBs), of which there are 112 in England and Wales, are supposed to drain agricultural land and control floods. As most IDBs are dominated by rural landowners, they are pretty good at the first task. But the result of this drainage is often to speed water down the catchment towards towns and cities.During flood events, there’s a trade-off: the water has to go somewhere. Either you retain it on land without homes and infrastructure, or you push it downstream, putting more valuable property, as well as large numbers of human lives, at risk. Effective flood management means slowing the flow – attenuating flood peaks by holding back water where it does the least harm, and releasing it gradually. In some cases (such as the Somerset Levels) the most effective option would be to stop draining and farming the land altogether, and allow it to revert to marsh, greatly reducing costs while restoring wildlife habitats. This is what the Netherlands has done, to great effect, with its Room for the River programme. But the IDBs tend to prioritise their historical function, draining farmland, above all else.In 2017, the National Audit Office (NAO) investigated the IDBs and found a spate of problems. Astonishingly, there is no statutory governance standard for IDBs. Ministers have no power over them: they cannot even demand that their financial management is sound. Instead, the boards report to their own membership organisation, the Association of Drainage Authorities – a classic case of marking your own homework.Environmental protection is crucial to the prevention of floods, as mismanaged catchments speed water to the nearest urban pinch point. The IDBs should also protect and restore the nature sites they manage. But the NAO found that 85% of IDBs had no board members with relevant environmental expertise, and 76% had no environmental experts on their staff. Most provided their board members no training of any kind.Most of their funding is provided by local authorities, and some councils are being driven close to bankruptcy by the pumping fees they must pay to boards as climate breakdown intensifies floods. Three district councils in Lincolnshire are now handing more than 50% of their council tax receipts to IDBs – East Lindsey council gives them an astonishing 65%. Other services are being cut to raise these levies. Yet, as the NAO report states, “local authorities have no legal powers to directly influence IDBs’ governance and administration”. So how can they ensure the money is well spent?There are, as the NAO remarked, no effective mechanisms for making complaints or holding these organisations to account, or for resolving conflicts of interest. Board members, it found, may be tempted to make “decisions in the interests of their own land or business”. Subsequent government research found that the recruitment process for board members “is often quite informal” and “there is a very low turnover rate” – both major red flags for anyone concerned about public governance.Over the years, I have been contacted by whistleblowers who have worked for some of the IDBs. They have told me disturbing stories of seats on the boards passed from chum to chum and father to son, of an old boys’ club mentality, of expensive cars and lavish jaunts, of gross sexism and racism, and of brutal environmental vandalism as they reduce lovely chalk streams to featureless drains to race water off board members’ land. A rare audit of an IDB, in south Wales, discovered that the board used public funds unlawfully, taking family members on what it called “inspection visits” to, ahem, Venice, the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland and a distillery. The chief officer of the drainage board was involved in proposing his own pay, apparently graciously deciding to raise it by 50% in four years.In short, the IDBs tend to be dominated by self-serving patricians, who may be inclined to defend their own land and that of their friends while failing to uphold the wider public interest. The boards, based on a model established by the 13th century, are, like several aspects of rural governance in the UK, feudal in character and practice. Democracy arrives late to the countryside, in some cases not at all.The NAO review was among the most damning reports I’ve ever read about public bodies. The response of the Conservative government? Good question. I can find no acknowledgment by any minister that the report was even published, let alone a serious attempt to act on its findings.Last week, the new government launched its flood resilience taskforce: a perfect opportunity to address this debacle. But the National Farmers’ Union, that ball and chain impeding all forms of rural progress, is clamped around the taskforce’s ankle, so change is likely to be slow and frustrating. The NFU protects the feudal interest against all comers.So now, as devastating floods hit central Europe and as the Met Office predicts floods in the UK this autumn, here is yet another pressing task for an overworked government. The internal drainage boards are beyond reform. They urgently need to be replaced with accountable, democratic bodies. Sorry – but I just operate the digger.

Government
Business
Nature

Explainer-US Government Shutdown: What Closes, What Stays Open?

By Andy SullivanWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government services would be disrupted and hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be told not...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government services would be disrupted and hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be told not to work if Congress fails to extend funding past Oct. 1.Workers deemed essential would remain on the job. All federal employees' pay could be disrupted during a shutdown, though they would receive retroactive pay once government operations resume.Here is a guide to what would stay open and what would shut down, according to agency shutdown plans outlined last year:WHEN AND WHY WOULD THE GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN?Congress writes detailed spending legislation for most U.S. government agencies each year, but it rarely gets the job done before the fiscal year starts on Oct. 1. Lawmakers typically pass stopgap spending bills to avoid disruption for several weeks or months while they finish their work, but there is often a fair amount of drama involved.This year, Republicans who control the House of Representatives say any stopgap spending bill must include legislation that would tighten voting laws to prevent non-citizens from participating in the Nov. 5 elections. Non-citizens are already prohibited by law from voting, and Democrats who hold the majority in the Senate oppose it as a voter suppression effort.If the two sides do not iron out their differences before Oct. 1, wide swaths of the government would not have the money to continue their operations.DOES THE MAIL GET DELIVERED IF THE GOVERNMENT CLOSES?The U.S. Postal Service would be unaffected because it does not depend on Congress for funding.WHAT HAPPENS TO SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE AND OTHER BENEFITS?The Social Security Administration would continue to issue retirement and disability benefits.Payments would likewise continue under the Medicare and Medicaid healthcare programs.Military veterans' benefits and medical care would also continue.Food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other nutrition programs would continue, though they could be disrupted to some extent.WHAT DOES A SHUTDOWN MEAN FOR THE MILITARY?The 2 million U.S. military personnel would remain at their posts, but roughly half of the Pentagon's 800,000 civilian employees would be furloughed — ordered not to work.Contracts awarded before the shutdown would continue, and the Pentagon could place new orders for supplies or services needed to protect national security. Other new contracts, including renewals or extensions, would not be awarded.Payments to defense contractors such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and RTX, formerly known as Raytheon, could be delayed.The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration would continue maintaining nuclear weapons.HOW DOES A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AFFECT LAW ENFORCEMENT?Agents at the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal law enforcement agencies would remain on the job, and prison staffers would continue to work.The Secret Service and the Coast Guard would also continue operations, and most employees would continue to work.Most of the Federal Trade Commission's consumer-protection workers would be furloughed, as would half of its antitrust employees.WILL NATIONAL PARKS CLOSE DURING A SHUTDOWN?National parks, monuments and other sites would be closed to the public, though it will be impossible to keep visitors out of many of them. Rangers would be furloughed and restrooms, help desks and other facilities would be shuttered.Some states may use their own money to keep parks and other sites open, as happened in the 2018-2019 shutdown.Wildfire fighting efforts would continue, though timber sales on national forest lands would be curtailed and fewer recreation permits would be issued.WHAT HAPPENS TO BORDERS AND HOMELAND SECURITY?Most Border Patrol and immigration enforcement agents would continue to work, as would most customs officers.Local governments would not get new aid to shelter migrants.The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency would suspend security reviews that help schools, local governments and other institutions defend against ransomware.WILL FEDERAL COURTS STILL BE OPEN DURING A SHUTDOWN?Federal courts could operate for several weeks without congressional funding, relying on fees and other funds, but eventually would have to scale back activity. The Supreme Court would stay open as well.Criminal prosecutions would continue. Most civil litigation would be postponed.DOES CONGRESS STILL GET PAID?Lawmakers would continue to collect paychecks, even as other federal workers do not. Staffers would not get paid, though those deemed essential would be required to work.DOES A SHUTDOWN IMPACT TRANSPORTATION?Airport security screeners and air-traffic-control workers would be required to work, according to recent contingency plans, though absenteeism could be a problem. Some airports had to suspend operations during a shutdown in 2019 when traffic controllers called in sick.The Transportation Security Administration would not be able to hire new airport security screeners during the busy holiday travel season.Some major infrastructure projects could face delays because environmental reviews and permitting would be disrupted, according to the White House.WHAT'S THE IMPACT ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS?U.S. embassies and consulates would remain open. Passport and visa processing would continue as long as there were sufficient fees to cover operations. Nonessential official travel, speeches and other events would be curtailed.Some foreign aid programs could run out of money as well.WOULD A SHUTDOWN DISRUPT SCIENCE?Scientific research would be disrupted as agencies like the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration would furlough most of their workers once they run out of funding.NASA would continue to support the International Space Station and track satellites, but 17,000 of its 18,300 employees would be furloughed.Weather forecasts and fisheries regulation would continue, as would patent and trademark reviews.The Federal Communications Commission would suspend consumer-protection activities, equipment reviews and licensing of TV and radio stations. It would continue to distribute telecommunications subsidies and its broadband mapping effort.WHAT HAPPENS TO HEALTH PROGRAMS?The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would continue to monitor disease outbreaks, though other public health activities could suffer as more than half of the agency's workers would be furloughed.The National Institutes of Health would furlough most of its staff and delay new clinical trials for medical treatments.Healthcare services for military veterans and Native Americans would continue.Most inspections of hazardous waste sites and drinking water and chemical facilities would stop.Food-safety inspections by the Food and Drug Administration could be delayed. However, the FDA's testing of new drugs and medical devices would continue.WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SEC AND FINANCIAL REGULATION?The Securities and Exchange Commission would furlough roughly 90% of its 4,600 employees and suspend most activities, it said last year, leaving only a skeleton staff to respond to emergencies.Likewise, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission would furlough almost all of its employees and cease most oversight activity.The Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency would continue as normal because they are funded by industry fees rather than congressional appropriations.The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, an industry-financed brokerage oversight body, would continue to operate.The Treasury Department would continue to issue debt and manage the government's cash position.DOES A SHUTDOWN DELAY KEY ECONOMIC DATA?The publication of major U.S. economic data, including employment and inflation reports of critical importance to policymakers and investors, would be suspended.WILL THE IRS STAY OPEN DURING A SHUTDOWN?The Internal Revenue Service would stop examining and auditing tax returns and responding to taxpayer queries. Automated tax collection would continue, as would processing of green-energy tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. Roughly two-thirds of the agency's 90,000 employees would be furloughed.DOES THE SHUTDOWN AFFECT EDUCATION?Pell Grants and student loans would continue to be paid out, but could be disrupted as most Education Department employees would be furloughed.A protracted shutdown could "severely curtail" aid to schools, universities and other educational institutions, the department said last year. It also could delay funds that are due to be awarded later in the year.WHAT HAPPENS TO HEAD START AND CHILD CARE?The White House said last year that 10,000 children from low-income families would lose access to the Head Start preschool program.DOES A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AFFECT SMALL BUSINESSES?The Small Business Administration would not be able to issue any new loans, though loans for businesses hurt by natural disasters would continue.HOW DOES A SHUTDOWN AFFECT FARMERS?Meat and egg inspections would continue, but some lab services would be disrupted, making it harder to fight animal diseases. Crop insurance would not be affected, but some loan programs would be. Research, conservation and rural development programs would be shut down.DOES A SHUTDOWN AFFECT WORKPLACE SAFETY?Workplace safety inspections would be limited, and investigations into unfair pay practices would be suspended.The ability of the National Labor Relations Board to mediate labor disputes would be curtailed because almost all of its 1,200 employees would be furloughed, according to a 2022 plan.HOW DOES A SHUTDOWN AFFECT HOUSING?Monthly subsidies for public housing and low-income housing aid would be at risk. The Federal Housing Administration would continue to back insured mortgages, and Ginnie Mae would continue to back the secondary mortgage market. New homebuyers in rural areas would not be able to get loans from the Agriculture Department.HOW WOULD A SHUTDOWN IMPACT THE WHITE HOUSE?In the 2018-2019 shutdown, the White House furloughed 1,100 of 1,800 staff in the Executive Office of the President. Some offices, such as the National Security Council, continued at full strength, while others like the Office of Management and Budget were scaled back sharply.The U.S. Constitution specifies that the president continues to get paid.(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

Government
Agriculture
Business

US Halts Plan to Remove Iconic Stray Cats From a Historic Area in Puerto Rico's Capital

The U.S. government has temporarily halted a plan to remove iconic stray cats that live in a historic district in Puerto Rico’s capital until a lawsuit opposing the project is resolved

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government has temporarily halted a plan to remove iconic stray cats that live in a historic district in Puerto Rico’s capital until a lawsuit opposing the project is resolved, a nonprofit announced Monday.The ruling was cheered by those fighting a decision by the U.S. National Park Service to remove an estimated 200 cats that meander a seaside fortress that Spain built in colonial times.“It’s a victory for the short term, but long term, these cats are still at risk,” said Yonaton Arnoff, an attorney for Maryland-based Alley Cat Allies.The cats, which have long been a tourist attraction, are both beloved and reviled by those who visit and live in Old San Juan, where the 16th-century fortress known as “El Morro” is located. It's part of the San Juan National Historic Site that the U.S. National Park Service operates. The federal agency warned in 2022 that the population of cats had surged and that the felines could transmit illnesses to humans, adding that the smell of urine and feces enveloped the area.In late 2023, the agency announced it would contract an animal welfare organization to remove the cats, and if the organization selected failed to do so within six months, officials would hire a removal agency.The U.S. National Park Service didn't immediately respond to a message for comment.The agency held public hearings on the plan that became heated, with critics noting that the organization selected would decide whether the trapped cats would be adopted, fostered, kept in a shelter or face other options.Arnoff said in a phone interview that removing the current cats is an impossible task since new cats would take their place.“They’re going to have to keep doing this forever,” he said.The U.S. National Park Service was scheduled to start removing the cats in October, but it agreed to halt those plans until a judge rules on a lawsuit that Alley Cat Allies filed in March. The nonprofit alleges that the plan violates acts including the National Environmental Protection Act.A ruling isn't expected until the first quarter of 2025, Aronoff said.Meanwhile, cats of all colors and sizes continue to prowl the trails bordering deep turquoise waters that surround El Morro, and they even have a statue honoring them nearby. Some of the felines are believed to be descendants of cats from the colonial era, while others were brought by a former mayor to kill rats in the mid-20th century.A local nonprofit, Save a Gato, feeds, spays and neuters the cats and places them into adoption.But finding homes for so many cats is hard, with the nonprofit previously noting that sanctuaries in the U.S. mainland don't have room for them.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - July 2024

Government
Animals
Water

‘Don’t run away’: Labor urged to collaborate with Greens and crossbenchers on environmental reforms

Support for government’s environmental legislation offered in exchange for protections that deliver ‘immediate, tangible impacts’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGreens and crossbench senators have told the government not to “hide behind” Peter Dutton and Gina Rinehart and instead work with them on a better deal for the environment.The Greens environment spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, and independent senators David Pocock and Lidia Thorpe offered to support legislation to establish a new environment protection authority (EPA) and a separate new agency to manage environmental information, if the government agreed to a series of proposals to strengthen environmental protections.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Greens and crossbench senators have told the government not to “hide behind” Peter Dutton and Gina Rinehart and instead work with them on a better deal for the environment.The Greens environment spokesperson, Sarah Hanson-Young, and independent senators David Pocock and Lidia Thorpe offered to support legislation to establish a new environment protection authority (EPA) and a separate new agency to manage environmental information, if the government agreed to a series of proposals to strengthen environmental protections.The government has been locked in negotiations with both sides of parliament to try to pass the bills after it delayed a broader package of legislation to fix failing national environmental laws.While travelling in Western Australia last week, Anthony Albanese said the government would consider watering down its proposed EPA model to try to secure the Coalition’s backing.This would involve dropping a plan to allow the regulator to make decisions about development proposals – meaning it would handle compliance and enforcement only, something the mining industry has lobbied for.The Coalition is still seeking a comprehensive set of amendments to the bills. This would include changes to the proposed penalty regime and “most importantly, the introduction of the full overhaul of the EPBC [Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation] Act, as has been outlined in the Coalition’s dissenting report”, the opposition environment spokesperson, Jonno Duniam, said.Hanson-Young said if the government did a deal with the Coalition it would be “nature negative” and “bad for forests, bad for nature, bad for wildlife, bad for the climate”.“Don’t run away and hide behind Peter Dutton and Gina Rinehart,” she said.“Roll up your sleeves, let’s get to work – let’s actually protect Australia’s environment.”In letters to the PM and the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, the Greens and crossbenchers called on the government to amend the bills to deliver “immediate, tangible impacts for nature protection”.“While we reiterate our disappointment at the government’s broken promise to implement comprehensive environmental law reform in this term of parliament, we consider this legislation an opportunity to work together to begin implementing some of the urgent protections nature needs ahead of the election,” the letter says.A reactor in the backyard? What Latrobe Valley residents think of Dutton’s nuclear plan – videoIn addition to amendments that would strengthen the EPA’s independence, the letter urges a commitment to address native forestry by ending the exemption from Australia’s environment laws for logging covered by a regional forest agreement (RFA).They are also seeking integration of climate considerations into the environmental assessment process – but the letter does not use the term “climate trigger” – and greater inclusion of First Nations knowledge and expertise in environmental governance and decision-making.Plibsersek said the government was talking to all parties. “From the beginning, I have said that delivering improvements to national environment laws would require a bit of common sense, cooperation, and compromise,” she said.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Breaking News AustraliaGet the most important news as it breaksPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotion“But I think Greens voters would be disappointed if the Greens party delayed a tough new environment watchdog like the EPA with strong new powers,” she said.“Or if they tried to stop fines for serious environmental crimes going up from around $15m to $780m, or if they voted against increasing the frequency of the state of the environment report from every 5 years to every 2 years.”Pocock said it was vital that the EPA was truly independent.After the tabling of a report by a committee examining the bills on Monday, Duniam said “the Coalition’s comments make clear our reservations that the government’s bills are ill thought through”.“We are unable to accept these bills in their current form,” he said.He accused the government of “trying to get what they think is a win in the portfolio this term of parliament … no matter the cost”, and without adequately considering potential risks and benefits to the environment or the broader economy.Independents in the lower house have also called for the exemption granted to RFAs to be removed.At a separate media conference on Monday morning the independent MP for Mackellar, Sophie Scamps, said the exemption should be removed before Australia hosts a global nature positive summit in Sydney in October.She also called for a clean out of the NSW Forestry Corporation board.

Government
Climate
Forests

Suggested Viewing

THE SPRAYER

In the land occupied with the sprayers army, no one has the right to grow any kind of plants either in public or private. So many of the people and soldiers do not even know how a plant grows or looks like, until one day one of the soldiers finds a seed buried deep down in the dust and his curiosity is just the beginning of something extraordinary, something big, something revolutionary.

Plants
CO2
Animation

1948 and Counting

Reports on Costa Rica's ability to manage without a military since 1948, despite invasions based in Nicaragua. Addresses the role of private armies serving multinational corporations, and whether the country's civil guard is a military by another name. Places Costa Rica in the context of Central and Latin American populist struggles against US backed regimes in El Salvador, Chile, Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras. Touches on the colonial history and explores whether Costa Rica depends on US military backing, and whether it is able to maintain independence from the US.

Government
Business

The Green Amendment: New Mexico, Part One

Join Maya van Rossum, Founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, in her exploration of New Mexico’s biggest environmental issues and the role a NM Green Amendment could play in the fight for environmental justice with: Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, legislative sponsor of the New Mexico Green Amendment; Emma Rose Cohen, CEO/Founder of the sustainable business Final; Beata Tsosie-Peña, Environmental Health and Justice Program Coordinator for Tewa Women United; Artemisio Romero y Carver, founding member of Youth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA); and Dee George and Penny Aucoin, fracking waste accident victims impacted residents of Otis, NM.

Government
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Sounding the Alarm ~ America's Climate Crisis

"It's really hard being a fire family. Every day it's getting worse." -Brett, wife of Marin County Battalion Chief in California.Every day, Americans who live close to the land and sea face the dangers of climate change—from a firefighter in California, to a beekeeper in Arizona, to a climate refugee losing her home in Florida. The changing climate affects our food systems, water and way of life. These American families are in the trenches sacrificing everything while facing depression, PTSD, and suicide—collateral damage of a crisis unchecked. Award-winning filmmaker, Peter Goetz, captures America's faces and voices, shot in 2020 leading up to the presidential election. Goetz and the Biden campaign made history, producing the first national climate spot to run during a presidential election. But this film dives deeper into the American climate crisis to explore the lives of the people who are sounding the alarm, worried about their grandchildren’s future, asking, "If not us, then who?" This is a story of the resilience, perseverance, and ingenuity of the American people. Ever hopeful, they collectively take on a common enemy. As the young, Navajo solar visionary Brett Issac insists, "We've got to turn this train around before it's too late."

Climate
Crisis
Government

The Fellowship of the Springs

Florida’s artesian springs are a natural wonder of the world. As unique as the geysers of Yellowstone and as mesmerizing as Vernal Falls in Yosemite, these blue jewels surrounding the north Florida landscape are considered a treasure by many who see them. The state contains the largest and highest concentration of fresh water springs on earth. But today, the future of Florida’s springs is uncertain. With flow levels declining and nitrate pollution on the rise, the springs today bear the scars of a profound struggle. Florida's own government continues to approve permits for large companies that want to pump water from the springs and their springsheds, for nominal permit fees that often cost less than a day pass to Disney World. The Fellowship of the Springs takes viewers behind the scenes of the fight to save Florida's springs, from the halls of the state capitol in Tallahassee to deep caves of Ichetucknee spring.

Water
Government
Business

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