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Today, we will be discussing how the bipartisan infrastructure bill will impact Superfund cleanup. Also, we will be reviewing the latest on offshore winds and a warning from scientists about a major glacier.
Rachel Frazin was the editor of The Hill. Zack Budryk was the vice-president. Send us your tips: [email protected]And [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter: @RachelFrazinAnd @BudrykZack.
Lets jump in.
Superfund sites are being funded by the EPA
Friday’s announcement by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was that the agency will release the first $1 Billion in funds from the recently signed bipartisan infrastructure bill to address Superfund cleanup sites.
Currently, 49 Superfund sites remain unfunded. They are particularly affected by the proximity of low-income and nonwhite communities. The bill, President Biden
Joe BidenFlorida Man kicked off United Flight for using underwear to mask protest On The Money presented by Citi Build Back better…later than never Biden’s Overnight Energy & Environment Plan MOREIn November, a total of $3.5 Billion was agreed to clean up hazardous contamination sites.
Where are these sites? There are 17 states and Puerto Rico with unfunded Superfund sites. They cover almost all regions of the country. These sites range from a former mine in Cape Rosier, Maine to a former industrial site in Miami-Dade County.
The first round funding for cleanup funds was provided to the former site at American Creosote Works (Pensacola), Fla., where chemicals used in the treatment of telephone poles polluted soil and groundwater.
Funds will also be donated to the former location of the Roebling Steel Company, Florence Township, N.J. This is near the Delaware River where parts of the Golden Gate Bridge were made. Local soil, sediment, and groundwater were contaminated by waste disposal with substances such as arsenic and lead, copper, and exposed asbestos.
You can read more about the announcement here.
Interior clears wind farms off New York and NJ coasts
Thursday’s announcement by President Biden that wind farms offshore New Jersey or New York would not cause a significant disruption to the local environment was a key step in removing a major hurdle from leasing in the region.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), released a statement stating that it has found no significant impact on leasing nearly 800,000 acres of the New York Bight. The bight is located between Cape May in New Jersey (pictured above) and Montauk Point (pictured below).
Amanda Lefton, Director of BOEM, stated that the completion of this Environmental Assessment was an important step in advancing Biden-Harris’ goal of increasing renewable energy development in federal lands and waters. BOEM is determined to ensure that any development within the New York Bight does so responsibly and in a manner that minimizes or avoids any impacts on the ocean and other ocean users.
What does that all mean? According to the BOEM assessment, any impacts on commercial and recreational fishing in the area would be negligible to minimal. Similar effects were projected for fish, sea turtles and marine mammal habitats. According to BOEM, potential projects would have little or no impact on public safety or health. The bureau also found no evidence that installations would violate any local tribal, federal, or federal laws governing the area.
The bureau announced the New York Bight Environmental Assessment in March. It published a draft in August. Two public, virtual meetings were held with stakeholders in August.
Find out more about the approval.
Scientists warn that Antarctic glacier could be destroyed
Scientists warn that an Antarctic glacier could melt and cause sea level to rise at least one foot over the next ten years.
The scientistsMonday speech at the American Geophysical UnionThe Thwaites glacier, which measures approximately the same size as Florida, could be wiped out in the next three-five years.
According to scientists, the melting of warm water is causing cracks in the ice shelf that holds the glacier in place.
Ted Scambos (a senior research scientist at The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences) stated that there would be a dramatic change in glacier front in less than a decade.
“Its outflow speed has doubled in the past 30 years, and the entire glacier holds enough water to raise the sea level by more than 2 feet. He said that it could cause sea-level rise of up to 10 feet if it draws the surrounding glaciers along with it.
He suggested that the glacier’s collapse could result in the loss of nearby glaciers, due to their size, and cause them all to fall.
Scientists warn of a hole twice the size Manhattan’s.Thwaites glacier was where it was found.
Learn more about the report.
WHAT WE’RE READING
And last but not least, something completely offbeat and off-beat At least some things remain the same this holiday season.
This is it for today. Thanks for reading. Check out The HillsEnergy & Environment PageFor the most recent news and coverage. We’ll see you Monday.