Florida “Ghost Candidates” Scandal Puts the Entire Utility Sector on Trial
This story was reported by Floodlight, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action. Liam Fitzpatrick’s was packed on a Tuesday in November, and all eyes in the suburban Orlando, Florida, pub were glued to the TVs behind the bar. Fitzpatrick’s usually had sports on, but this was Election Eve 2020, and…
Amazon’s “Water Positive” Claim Comes With a Big Asterisk
An Amazon Web Services data center in Stone Ridge, Virginia. Nathan Howard / Getty / Grist This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Earlier this year, the e-commerce corporation Amazon secured approval to open two new data centers in Santiago, Chile. The $400 million venture is the company’s first foray into locating…
New US Support for Global Production Limits Has the Plastics Industry in a Tizzy
Only one big meeting remains before a UN global plastics treaty is finalized next year. Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. In a significant reversal, the Biden administration announced during two closed-door meetings this week that US negotiators will support…
A Bill Would Let Miners Dump Waste on Federal Lands Where They Have No Claim
The Rosemont Copper Company operates in the Santa Rita mountains, located in southeast Arizona.Esther Frances/Inside Climate News This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. After the House of Representatives passed legislation that would allow mining companies more legal rights to federal lands by a bipartisan vote of…
Biden Administration Under Pressure to End New Deepwater Oil Export Facilities
Oil rigs off the coast of Galveston, Texas Carol M. Highsmith/Planet Pix/Zuma This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Joe Biden’s administration is coming under renewed pressure to escalate its curbs on the US’s booming trade in fossil fuels by halting new deepwater oil-export facilities, as well as entrenching…
These Floridians Rebuilt Houses in Flood Zones. Now FEMA Is Cracking Down.
Thomas Simonetti/Washington Post/Getty/Grist This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. When US homeowners buy subsidized flood insurance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, they make a commitment to build back better after flood disasters, even if it costs them. FEMA’s notorious 50 percent rule stipulates that if a home in…