Stories Tagged as
Environment
The Clean Power Plan is a zombie that will be hard to kill
by
Scott Tong
Oct 3, 2017
The Obama-era regulation known as the Clean Power Plan is expected to be the next target for the White House to cut back regulations. It’s something of a zombie, since the Supreme Court halted its rollout, yet the EPA is required to take measures to regulate carbon pollution (due to an agency finding that greenhouse […]
Coal and nuclear power stand to gain from new Department of Energy moves
by
Scott Tong
Oct 2, 2017
The Trump administration is asking for new regulations in the name of grid reliability. Specifically, it wants to support coal and nuclear power to make sure the U.S. always has a supply on-hand for possible times of need. But skeptics wonder if this is all a back-door bailout for power plants that simply can’t compete […]
Smoke from this season’s wildfires is worrying West Coast winemakers
Sep 29, 2017
Notes of ashtray or campfire in your pinot? Vineyards say smoky weather from this year’s wildfires could leave lasting mark on wines.
How hurricane recovery makes the economy seem better
Sep 27, 2017
Harvey and Irma likely caused $170 billion in damage. But they'll probably boost GDP in the long run through rebuilding.
Already vulnerable Puerto Rico struggles to recover from hurricanes
Sep 26, 2017
President Donald Trump today said he’ll head to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Tuesday to survey damage from Hurricane Maria. Some 3.5 million residents in Puerto Rico remain without power. Food and water are scarce in the territories, and everything about the recovery is more complicated because the islands have vulnerable infrastructure. […]
Texans start getting USDA disaster food aid
by
Annie Baxter
Sep 22, 2017
After disasters like Harvey, the USDA offers D-SNAP, a temporary version of the program commonly called food stamps. The program offers two months of benefits to people who may not have qualified for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program before. But given the long road to recovery, many who take disaster food stamps will wind up […]
Puerto Rico faces tough choices in restoring power supply
Sep 21, 2017
The entire island of Puerto Rico is still without power today in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Local officials said it could take months to repair the damage and restore full service. And it won’t be easy. The utility was already around $9 billion in debt before the hurricane and had filed for bankruptcy earlier […]
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Disaster rebuilding help is on the way ... eventually
by
Ryan Kailath
Sep 21, 2017
It can take a long time before government funds reach people in need.
The impact of recent hurricanes will play out in the economic data
Sep 18, 2017
Some economic stats released in recent weeks have — hidden within them — hurricane disruption devastation stats. Industrial production was down 0.9 percent in August — a lot of that due to Hurricane Harvey hitting Houston, with its huge oil and gas refineries and chemical factories. Utility use was down — people didn’t have electricity […]
Hurricanes Irma and Harvey are causing an insurance adjuster shortage
by
Kai Ryssdal
Sep 14, 2017
Some adjusters can make $100,000 in a month because of increased demand.