New York Rejects Keystone-Like Pipeline in Fierce Battle Over the State’s Energy Future

In a major victory for environmental activists, New York regulators on Wednesday rejected the construction of a heavily disputed, nearly $1 billion natural gas pipeline, even as business leaders and energy companies warned that the decision could devastate the state’s economy and bring a gas moratorium to New York City and Long Island.

Clean Water Clam, whose founding family has been
harvesting clams near the Raritan Bay for four generations,
fears that the pipeline would irreparably harm its business.

The pipeline was planned to run 37 miles, connecting natural gas fields in Pennsylvania to New Jersey and New York. Its operator, the Oklahoma-based Williams Companies, pitched it as a crucial addition to the region’s energy infrastructure, one that would deliver enough fuel to satisfy New York’s booming energy needs and stave off a looming shortage.

But environmental groups said Williams was manufacturing a crisis to justify a project that would rip apart fragile ecosystems, handcuff New York to fossil fuels and hobble the state’s march toward renewable resources.

Read the story from The New York Times by Vivian Wang and Michael Adno - “New York Rejects Keystone-Like Pipeline in Fierce Battle Over the State’s Energy Future.”

Environmental activists frustrated COP24 deal not strong enough

Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna and environmental activists are emphasizing that more action is needed to combat climate change despite Saturday's deal reached by countries at a UN climate summit.

Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change
 Catherine McKenna said more work remains over the
 coming year after negotiators in Katowice failed to reach
 an agreement on emission trading.

In addition, some green groups and certain countries expressed frustration that more ambitious climate goals were not achieved during intense negotiations that ran into the weekend.  

Nearly 200 nations at COP24 agreed upon universal, transparent rules that will govern efforts to cut emissions and curb global warming and enable countries to put into action the commitments they made in the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Read the CBC story - “Environmental activists frustrated COP24 deal not strong enough.”

As Toxic Smoke Blankets California, Who Has the Ability to Escape?

There was a time, not so long ago, when one of the challenges faced by environmental activists was making the threat of climate change concrete. How do you convince the public that small changes in the atmosphere can have catastrophic consequences? The threat was real, but it was a threat that needed to be taught, a threat that required explanation, a threat that most people, in their daily lives, couldn’t feel or see.

The Golden Gate Bridge is obscured by smoke and
 haze from wildfires, November 16, 2018, in this
 view from Fort Baker near Sausalito, California. 

In California, those days are over. The Camp Fire in Butte County has become the most destructive wildfire in state history, at one point devouring a football field every second and largely erasing the town of Paradise, population 26,000. By Friday, the death toll from the fire had risen to 71, with more than 1,000 people now missing. (California’s second-most-deadly fire, the Griffith Park Fire in 1993, killed 29 people.) Down south, in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, the Woolsey Fire has consumed nearly 100,000 acres, destroyed more than 600 structures, and killed three people. The impact of the fires has spread well beyond the areas devastated by flames, with the sky turning a sickly grey from Sacramento to Los Angeles. In the past week, school closures caused by the fires resulted in the cancellation of classes for 1.1 million students, a number that amounted to 18 percent of the state’s public-school enrollment, a figure that doesn’t include parochial or private schools. Also closed were a number of colleges, including Stanford, UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and San Jose State University.

Read the story by Gabriel Thompson from The Nation - “As Toxic Smoke Blankets California, Who Has the Ability to Escape?”

Donald Trump's environment boss Scott Pruitt heading to Australia.

A climate science critic and one of the most controversial figures in the Trump administration will soon tour Australia in a visit environmental activists are likely to target with protests.

Controversial US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) boss, Scott Pruit, will soon tour Australia.

Lawyer Scott Pruitt was last year handpicked by Donald Trump to head the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Critics accuse the former Oklahoma attorney-general of trying to weaken the EPA since assuming his role as administrator in February.

The ABC has confirmed the Republican politician is scheduled to fly to Australia this year, joining other Trump administration figures who have already made the journey, including Vice-President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defence James Mattis.

Federal Government backbencher and climate change sceptic Craig Kelly has welcomed Mr Pruitt's impending visit.

Read Andrew Green’s story on ABC News - “Donald Trump's environment boss Scott Pruitt heading to Australia.”