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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Largest wildfire in Texas history continues to burn, while California is buried by an extreme blizzard; Increased risk of mega-fires pushes more insurers to leave both states; PLUS: Biden Administration invests billions to clean up the nation’s ports… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

Green News Report with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen 3/5/2024

‘Green News Report’ – March 5, 2024  |  With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...  |  CELEBRATING 15 YEARS!   · · · · ·   ‘Green News Report’ – March 5, 2024  |  With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...  |  CELEBRATING 15 YEARS!

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): Fury after Exxon chief says public to blame for climate failures; Fires sweeping across Texas offer a terrifying warning; SEC to vote on adopting contentious climate disclosure rule; White House moves to stem wave of Chinese EVs; Climate change connections to America’s “Lost Winter”; Oil spill and fertilizer leak from sunken cargo ship threaten Red Sea… PLUS: We need to talk about water — and the fact that the world is running out of it… and much, MUCH more! …

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…

• Largest wildfire in Texas history continues to grow:
• Live updates: Texas wildfires latest: Massive blazes burn 1.3million acres as potential cause revealed (UK Independent/MSN)
• The Texas Panhandle fires have burned nearly as much land in 1 week as thousands did in 4 years in the state (CBS News)
• Wildfires have devastated the Texas cattle industry and the effects may be long-lasting (CNN)
• Texas faces fire threats through spring as largest-ever blaze 15 percent contained (Axios/MSN)
• How a warming climate is setting the stage for fast-spreading, destructive wildfires (CNN):
  Its severity was due to a perfect storm of environmental factors: highly flammable grasses and strong winds combined with record-high temperatures and dry conditions — the kind of extreme weather often exacerbated by climate change. This fire adds to an ever-lengthening list of rapidly spreading, destructive wildfires in the US and elsewhere. As humans continue to heat up the world with fossil fuel pollution, scientists warn these kinds of fires will only become more common.
• Fire Conditions ‘Primed’ from Albuquerque to Iowa (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Northern California slammed by extreme blizzard
• VIDEO: California blizzard slammed Sierra Nevadas with 7 feet of snow (USA Today)
• Monster blizzard shatters California ‘snow drought’ with up to 10 feet of new snow (LA Times)
• Key Northern California highway closed as snow continues to fall in the blizzard-hit Sierra Nevada (AP)
• ‘Rivian to the Rescue’ (Cyril Dorsaz, Twitter):
  Battling through the epic snowstorm in Tahoe! Lost power 12 hours ago, but my @Rivian battery swooped in to save the day. Keeping our home running smoothly despite the wild weather.
• Climate change connections to America’s “Lost Winter” (Axios)
• More private insurance companies exit Texas, California, and Florida:
• Climate Change Is Raising Texas’ Already High Wildfire Risks (NY Times):
  The Smokehouse Creek fire is a sign of more to come. Property insurers in Texas are already responding.
• Thousands of California Homeowners to Lose Their Insurance (Newsweek)
• The Florida insurance crisis: Why are insurance companies leaving Florida?
• VIDEO: ‘We have to prepare for it now’: Mayorkas warns on Texas wildfires and climate crisis (CNN)
• Surging home insurance costs could force families to leave these 10 states (Fox News/MSN)
• PA’s Allegheny County fines U.S. Steel over constant air pollution violations:
• Allegheny County fines U.S. Steel nearly $2 million for air quality violations (NPR):
  “Since December, U.S. steel has faced nearly $10 million in fines and penalties and that’s just in the last three months or so,” said Zachary Barber. “If we want to get to a place where, everyone has clean air to breathe here in Allegheny County and the Clairton Coke Works and U.S. Steel are fully complying with the Clean Air Act, we need to continue this trend of stronger enforcement with larger penalties and and legally binding mandates for U.S. steel to go in and fix the underlying issues at the facility.”
• Allegheny County hits U.S. Steel with $1.9M fine over Clairton Coke Works emissions (Tribune Live)
• ‘This is what money smells like’: $2.2 million fine is latest entry in Clairton’s air pollution history (Tribune Live)
• Biden Administration invests $3 billion in Clean Ports Program:
• Biden-Harris Administration invests $3B into clean ports as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda (EPA)
• EPA administrator joins Mayor Saffo and Gov. Cooper to announce Clean Ports Program (Wilmington Star-News)
• EPA Offers Another $1B For Superfund Cleanups (E&E News)

‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…

For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Daily Headlines page

• Fury After Exxon Chief Says Public To Blame For Climate Failures (Guardian)
• The Fires Sweeping Across Texas Offer a Terrifying Warning (op-ed, NY Times)
• We need to talk about water — and the fact that the world is running out of it (Guardian)
• SEC To Vote On Adopting Contentious Climate Disclosure Rule Wednesday (The Hill)
• White House moves to stem wave of Chinese EVs (Axios)
• Climate change connections to America’s “Lost Winter” (Axios)
• Lawmakers Release Environment, Energy Spending Bills (E&E News)
• High Court Social Media Case Could Help Climate Disinformation, Experts Warn (Inside Climate News)
• One-Fifth Of Mekong River Fish Species Face Extinction, Report Says (Reuters)
• This Will Be A Big Year In Shaping The Future Of Chemical Recycling (Environmental Health Newws)
• Oil Spill And Fertilizer Leak From Sunken Cargo Ship Threaten Red Sea (AP)
• Northwest Alaska Receives $54.8 Million in Clean Energy Funding From DOE (NANA)
• India: Cabinet approves scheme for installing rooftop solar in ten million households (PV Magazine)
• Will Utah take ownership of a Delta coal-fired power plant now serving California? (Deseret News)
• Conservatives Gear Up For EPA Revamp In 2025 (E&E News)
• ‘In A Word, Horrific’: Trump’s Extreme Anti-Environment Blueprint (Guardian)
• Plug-in hybrids vs. electric cars: We did the math on which is better for you (Washington Post)
• How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
• Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (Climate Crocks)
• These are the places most at risk from record-breaking heat waves as the planet warms (CNN)
• Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here’s How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
• Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
• Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
• Exxon’s Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
• VIDEO: A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (The Intercept)
• Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)
• An Optimist’s Guide to Solving Climate Change and Saving the World (Vice)