E.P.A. limits states’ power to oppose pipelines and other energy projects

E.P.A. limits states’ power to oppose pipelines and other energy projects

The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced that it had limited states’ ability to block the construction of energy infrastructure projects, part of the Trump administration’s goal of promoting gas pipelines, coal terminals and other fossil fuel development… Specifically, it limits to one year the amount of time states and tribes can take to review a project and restricts states to taking water quality only into consideration when judging permits. The Trump administration has accused some states of blocking projects…

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Solicitation for regional flood planning group members

Solicitation for regional flood planning group members

Flooding has always been a constant threat in Texas. It impacts people and property every year. But now the state is taking action. For the first time ever, Texas is launching a statewide, comprehensive effort to fight flood that integrates mapping, planning, and mitigation… These regional flood planning groups will be made up of at least 12 members from a variety of interest groups—folks who have expertise and experience in floodplain management. These interest groups represent everything from small businesses…

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Should we care about conservation during a pandemic?

Should we care about conservation during a pandemic?

Now, more than ever, we need nature and the benefits it provides. COVID-19 has both revealed and exacerbated deep inequities in access to green space. Those of us who are fortunate enough to be at home, away from the frontlines, appreciate the mental and physical health boost provided by walks and nature views even more… At a time when we are worried not only for our health, but our jobs as well, it is worth noting that habitat restoration projects generate a…

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Water connects us all

Water connects us all

Water connects us all, from watersheds to oceans, to wetlands. In the summer of 2019, students from Taiwan, the Kumeyaay Nation, and southern California participated in an environmental summit hosted by the National Wildlife Federation and the Ministry of Education Taiwan at the University of California, San Diego. Students were selected because of their voices and action for environmental stewardship and protection of the water sources they live near. When peering at a map, the bodies of water surrounding Taiwan and…

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Young North Carolinians could benefit from reviving Depression-era program

Young North Carolinians could benefit from reviving Depression-era program

Manley Fuller, vice president of conservation policy for the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, says from 1933 until 1942, the [Civilian Conservation Corps] relief program employed more than 14,000 young people… Fuller also notes North Carolina’s park system, which is saddled with a more than $437 million backlog of maintenance and repairs, could reap the benefits of a statewide CCC, and he says a modern-day CCC could boost the state’s flood-resiliency efforts. Read more from Nadia Ramlagan with Public News Service,…

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7.7 million young people are unemployed. We need a new ‘Tree Army.’

7.7 million young people are unemployed. We need a new ‘Tree Army.’

Nearly 7.7 million American workers younger than 30 are now unemployed and three million dropped out of the labor force in the past month. Combined that’s nearly one in three young workers, by far the highest rate since the country started tracking unemployment by age in 1948… As our country’s leaders consider a range of solutions to address this crisis, there’s one fix that will put millions of young Americans directly to work: a 21st-century version of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Read more from Collin O’Mara,…

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‘Black Birders Week’ promotes diversity and takes on racism in the outdoors

‘Black Birders Week’ promotes diversity and takes on racism in the outdoors

“We all have this shared experience where we have to worry about going into the field,” says Earyn McGee, a herpetology Ph.D. student at the University of Arizona and Black Birders Week co-organizer. Prejudice might drive police or private property owners to be suspicious of or antagonistic toward Black scientists doing field work in normal clothes, putting them in danger, she says. McGee conducts research near the U.S.-Mexico border and worries about encountering U.S. Border Patrol on her own while…

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One Water – Blue Hole primary school

One Water – Blue Hole primary school

While COVID-19 dominates headlines in 2020, groundwater protection efforts in the Texas Hill Country are set to realize a tremendous success story when the first One Water school in Texas officially opens its doors for classes this fall!  Blue Hole Primary School will serve the growing Hill Country communities of Wimberley and Woodcreek with one of the most water efficient and cost-effective approaches ever envisioned for a school campus in Texas. One Water is a water planning and management approach…

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Water access must be part of our COVID recovery

Water access must be part of our COVID recovery

Wash your hands, save lives — it’s a central message during the COVID-19 crisis. But what if you don’t have basic running water, as we assume everyone does? Incredibly, too many Americans don’t… Our recovery from COVID-19 must include a sincere investment in fixing the problems behind these water access failures. That includes assuring a reliable, affordable supply to all households, whether in city neighborhoods or rural communities, strengthening underfunded and struggling water utilities, both urban and rural, and modernizing…

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NASA-SpaceX launches will boost science research on the space station

NASA-SpaceX launches will boost science research on the space station

When NASA astronaut Dr. Serena Auñón-Chancellor arrived on the International Space Station for her six-month stay in June 2018, she was in awe of the vast array of science experiments on board. Before they launch, astronauts are only trained on about 20% of the science they see on the station. “I was stunned, in a good way, at the high quality of the science,” she told CNN. During her time on the space station, Auñón-Chancellor worked on hundreds of experiments…

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