Latest news with #environmentalreview
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Newsom's backroom CEQA deal is not a good look for democracy
'Is California Gov. Gavin Newsom a bully that Democrats need to fight Trump? | Opinion,' ( July 8) Gov. Gavin Newsom's strong-arm tactics to advance two unpopular California Environmental Quality Act reform bills by tying them to the state budget were an affront to the democratic process any way you look at it. Newsom's backroom deals gave no time for legislators to understand the bills' content or for the public to have meaningful input. Now, there will be no environmental review for 'advanced manufacturing' projects, a poorly defined category that includes semiconductor facilities, mining, metal manufacturing, battery factories and other polluting facilities. Under the new bill, these projects can be built with no mitigation whatsoever. Bullying might work in politics, but it's a terrible practice for democracy. Asha Sharma Sacramento 'Why is your California electricity bill so high? It may be your neighbor | Opinion,' ( July 7) Independent economists have proven that rooftop solar saves money for all ratepayers, even those without solar, because rooftop solar reduces stress on the grid and reduces the need for utilities to build more poles and wires. But this bogus 'cost-shift' argument was invented by utility lobbyists to preserve their monopolies and increase their profits at ratepayers' expense. It is out-of-control utility spending on poles and wires that's causing skyrocketing rates. Susanna Porte Berkeley 'California thins its forests, then burns the wood. Is there a better idea? | Opinion,' ( July 8) As the Los Angeles fires demonstrated, devastating fires occurring under extreme circumstances cannot be mitigated by wildland fuels management. Rather, the scientific consensus on community fire protection starts with structural home hardening techniques. But this effective strategy receives the least funding and policy support when compared to fuel management strategies. Supporting the new home hardening sector is a major opportunity for California, both for saving lives and boosting the economy as a whole. Rita Vaughan Frost San Francisco 'California's freight fantasies don't belong on America's roads,' ( July 1) The American Trucking Association's (ATA) op-ed praising Republicans' illegal rollback of California's Advanced Clean Fleets rules ignores a key fact: California has this authority because it suffers from some of the worst air quality in the nation. This pollution disproportionately harms Latino communities living near ports, warehouses and highways, making people sick and causing premature deaths. Truckmakers like Volvo, Mack, Freightliner and Hino hide behind the ATA, claiming to defend small fleets and independent operators, while protecting their profits. Electric trucks offer lower operating costs, reduced maintenance and freedom from volatile fuel prices. Over a vehicle's lifetime, an electric delivery truck can cost 34% less than a diesel one. Across the world, trucks are electrifying; the ATA is holding U.S. truckmakers back from the future of trucks. If this fight were truly about helping truckers and communities, these companies wouldn't be clinging so tightly to the polluting status quo. Andrea Marpillero-Colomina Boulder, Colo.
CBS News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention site faces possible court-ordered pause as protests continue
A federal judge in Miami could decide as early as next week whether to temporarily halt operations at the controversial migrant detention site known as "Alligator Alcatraz," as legal and political battles surrounding the remote Everglades facility continue to intensify. The move comes after all parties named in a lawsuit filed last week officially responded, clearing the way for the judge to either issue a restraining order or schedule a hearing where both sides can argue their case. The plaintiffs — nonprofit organizations — are pushing for operations to be paused so a full environmental review can be conducted. Click the image below to read the full complaint: Protests grow over conditions at Alligator Alcatraz detention center Even on the Fourth of July, demonstrators opposed to the facility were back in front of the makeshift center, which was built in just eight days in the middle of hurricane season. Broward-based group Hope and Action staged a rally for detainees on a Turnpike overpass Thursday and is planning a picket at the detention site on Saturday. "Alligator Alcatraz is close by, and we will fight for their rights," one demonstrator said. Gov. DeSantis, DOJ defend Alligator Alcatraz amid legal fight Gov. Ron DeSantis has defended the site, insisting that detainees are being properly cared for and that the location — built on an airstrip — is not harming the surrounding environment or wildlife. "Because this is an important part of Florida, we are using the existing footprint of this airport," DeSantis said. But the nonprofits suing for the center's closure disagree. "We are seeing asphalt brought in, covering the footprint," one plaintiff claimed. Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, responding to the lawsuit, said the Justice Department continues to stand behind President Trump's immigration agenda. "They are proud to protect Alligator Alcatraz from baseless political and legal schemes," Bondi said. Click the image below to read the full legal response from the federal government: All eyes now turn to the federal courthouse in Miami, where a ruling could temporarily pause operations at the site — or set the stage for a courtroom showdown.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Taxpayers forced to pay $1.3M for Chicago migrant encampment that was NEVER built
Illinois taxpayers will be forced to fork over a whopping $1.3 million for an unfinished migrant encampment, despite assurances from officials that the state wouldn't foot the bill. In an effort to curb the influx of migrants in Chicago, work on the shelter started before it had a full environmental review. After reports revealed hazardous levels of toxins in the soil at the Brighton Park site, the project was abruptly halted in December 2023. Now, taxpayers are responsible for the $1.3 million cost of the unfinished project, according to the Chicago Tribune. Before construction even began, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker stated that the private contractor hired to build the shelter, GardaWorld, was 'willing to take liability' if the site was found to be unusable. 'The understanding with GardaWorld is that they will do other work with us,' Pritzker said in December 2023. 'And they knew, as they were building this shelter, before the environmental report came in, that it was possible that the environmental report wouldn't allow the building - the completion, rather - of the shelter. 'And so they understood that, and they were willing to take that liability on through the state's contract.' Officials with Pritzker's office also said the company had agreed not to charge the state if the land was deemed unsafe. However, a spokesperson for the governor has since confirmed that the state will pay GardaWorld for work already performed. 'GardaWorld sought payment based on its claim that it performed a substantial amount of work at the State's request,' Pritzker spokesperson Alex Gough told WGN. 'The State negotiated and settled that claim in the Court of Claims.' According to Court of Claims records, the Department of Human Services and GardaWorld agreed the company was owed the huge sum 'for services rendered at the 38th Street and California Avenue site' during the state budget year ending June 30, 2024. The settlement states the funds will serve as 'full payment and satisfaction of all claims' related to the site. The payment is scheduled for the next state budget year beginning July 1, pending Pritzker's expected signature on the spending plan, the Chicago Tribune reported. No explanation as to why the state agreed to pay - even as it was under no legal obligation to do so - has been offered. No explanation as to why the state agreed to pay - even as it was under no legal obligation to do so - has been offered. Pictured: Work progresses on Chicago's first government-run tent encampment for migrants at a lot in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood Unfortunately for taxpayers, the settlement isn't the only cost for the unused site. The city spent an additional $1.7 million on environmental cleanup and a settlement with the property's owner, which according to the mayor's office will provide a 'lasting community benefit.' Originally proposed in the fall of 2023, the base camp was intended as a temporary solution for the surge of migrants arriving in Chicago. At the time, the city had received over 24,000 people, mostly from Central and South America. The influx overwhelmed shelters, with up to 3,800 migrants camping at police stations and O'Hare Airport during the peak, according to the Chicago Tribune.
E&E News
30-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Interior using new expedited reviews for geothermal projects
The Interior Department announced Friday it will use a new streamlined environmental review process to evaluate three proposed geothermal power projects in Nevada. The environmental assessments for the three smaller-scale projects, all proposed by Ormat Nevada, will be completed within 14 days, Interior announced Friday. The three projects are the first geothermal energy projects to undergo the streamlined process for shortening National Environmental Policy Act reviews of simpler projects to 14 days and up to 28 days for more complex proposals. Interior outlined the changes last month, leading to an outcry from critics. Advertisement Friday's announcement is the latest effort by the Trump administration to target the NEPA process, which opponents have long argued is onerous and has slowed development of important projects. Republicans have focused on complicated environmental impact statements for bigger projects, which typically take about two years to complete.
E&E News
28-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Tribe appeals ruling on Dakota Access pipeline
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is launching the latest round of its legal fight to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline for continuing to operate without a valid easement. On Tuesday, the tribe told a federal judge it was appealing his ruling that their lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was premature. The agency has been in the process of conducting a supplemental environmental review of the oil conduit, which passes beneath Lake Oahe in the Dakotas, after a federal appeals court tossed out the existing National Environmental Policy Act analysis as inadequate. Advertisement In the meantime, the Army Corps has allowed the pipeline to continue to carry oil beneath the lake, which is located close to the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, provided pipeline operator Energy Transfer complies with set safety requirements.
