The Senate voted 66-34 on Wednesday to confirm Michael Regan, North Carolina's top environmental regulator, as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Energy-intensive indoor pot growth has become a sizable source of greenhouse gas emissions, but there are ways to lessen the environmental burden, new research finds.
Driving the news: The paper in Nature Sustainability provides a full and granular "lifecycle" accounting of the many ways indoor growth produces carbon emissions.
This week is providing fresh hints of the Biden's administration's efforts on both climate funding and climate-related risks to the financial system.
Driving the news: Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the board of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) that its work will be "front and center" at the global climate summit the White House is holding April 22.
President Biden's decision to halt new oil drilling leases on federal lands will have very minor effects on U.S. production through at least the end of 2022, per the Energy Information Administration's first analysis of the policy change.
Why it matters: The leasing freeze is among the most controversial energy decisions from the nascent administration, drawing strong attacks from Republicans and the oil industry.
Plans for the first major U.S. offshore wind project are closer to reality now that the Interior Department has completed an environmental review of Vineyard Wind, which is proposed for construction off Massachusetts.
Why it matters: Offshore wind has been very slow to develop here despite large power generating potential, but a wave of projects are now planned off the coast of Atlantic states including New York and New Jersey.
Carbon Engineering,a startup looking to commercialize tech that sucks CO2 out of the atmosphere, today launched its business for permanent carbon-removal purchases and said e-commerce giant Shopify is the first customer.
Why it matters: The Canada-based direct air capture (DAC) startup — whose backers include Bill Gates, Occidental and Chevron — said Shopify's deal for 10,000 tons of CO2 removal is the largest publicly announced corporate DAC buy ever.
Clean Creatives, a recently launched campaign that pressures PR and ad agencies to drop oil-and-gas industry clients, is stepping up its efforts.
Driving the news: The campaign has released an open letter to the PR and ad sector from 22 groups including prominent actors like the Sierra Club and the Sunrise Movement.
The maker of a compact electric truck originally marketed for food service is focusing on a new, more urgent purpose: a mobile vaccine unit.
Why it matters: COVID-19 vaccine distribution is a logistical challenge in many communities, with people waiting in snaking lines of cars — and some lacking transportation altogether. Ayro's "electric vaccine vehicle" aims to address those challenges by setting up mobile stations to bring vaccines to the people.
