The Biden administration on Wednesday announced that it will write rules to govern the killing of wild birds, revoking a Trump administration policy that eased penalties for companies that caused birds' deaths that could have been avoided, AP reports.
Why it matters: The announcement comes on the same day that the Fish and Wildlife Service announced that 22 animals, including 11 birds, are now extinct.
The digital tech-focusedVC and asset finance firm Energize Ventures just announced the closing of its second fund at $330 million.
State of play: It's focused on "scaling and commercializing cutting-edge technologies and software across renewable energy, mobility, cybersecurity, battery storage, critical infrastructure and climate resiliency," the firm said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that 22 animals and one plant native to the United States are now extinct and should be removed from the endangered species list after exhausting efforts to find evidence that they are still alive.
Why it matters: After existing for an untold number of years, the species will likely never appear on the planet again, largely because of human-caused habitat destruction and climate change.
The Federal Aviation Administration will implement a software program at 27 domestic airports that is designed to minimize airport taxi delays and all but eliminate the long lines of aircraft that can build up ahead of takeoff, the agency announced jointly with NASA on Tuesday.
Driving the news: The software calculates gate pushback times at busy airports ranging from Washington National Airport to Phoenix, and is designed to make airports more efficient while also minimizing delays. Rollout will begin in early 2022 and take several years, the FAA said.
Lucid Group says production of its new electric luxury sedans has begun and it will start delivering cars to customers by the end of October.
Why it matters: The Lucid Air, starting at $77,400, is among a slew of plug-in models like the Mercedes Benz EQS, Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron all hoping to challenge Tesla's control of the EV market.
A coalition of Native American tribes is urging "immediate action" from President Biden to restore and expand Utah's Bears Ears National Monument, which was slashed by nearly 85% under former President Trump, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Tribal activists are increasingly frustrated that Biden hasn't reversed Trump's rollback of protections for national monuments and restored their original boundaries.
Energy crises in Europe and China are spilling into economic forecasts, supply chains and beyond.
Driving the news: Europe has for weeks been facing sky-high natural gas and power prices, while China — the world's second-largest economy — is facing electricity shortages that are hobbling factories.
After a disaster-filled summer, a record number of Americans are concerned about global warming, according to a new poll from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
Driving the news: The number of Americans who said they are “very” or “somewhat worried” about global warming has reached an all-time high of 70%, the Yale group found as part of a survey it has been conducting since 2008.
