Almost a half of the United States — a tract of land stretching from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains and upper Midwest — is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.
Why it matters: Conditions have prompted weather and agriculture officials to warn of water cutback in California, increased wildfires in the Southwest and damage to wheat crops around the country, according to AP.
21 states filed a lawsuit against President Biden on Wednesday over his executive order to rescind permits for the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Driving the news: The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Texas, aims to overturn Biden's decision, arguing that he overstepped his authority by ordering a cross-border permit for the Canada-U.S. pipeline to be revoked.
Global oil demand is slated to rise above pre-pandemic levels over the next few years but nonetheless remain lower than it would have been absent COVID-19's emergence, a new International Energy Agency analysis project.
Why it matters: The pandemic is certainly having a lasting effect — its mid-decade demand estimate is 2.5 million barrels per day lower than the growth level expected before the crisis.
Environmental groups have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging Chevron's ads mislead consumers by painting an inaccurate picture of the oil giant's clean energy activities.
Why it matters: The groups — Greenpeace, Earthworks and Global Witness — say it's the first such climate complaint filed against an oil company under the FTC's "Green Guides."
A startup that uses synthetic biology to clean up pollution is taking on a $20 million funding round, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Bioremediation offers the possibility of cleaning some of the world's most polluted sites using the power of nature — with a little human engineering.
