Bipartisan Senate energy talks led by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are essentially over, with Republican senators convinced that Manchin is close to a reconciliation deal with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: The death of the bipartisan approach will allow Manchin and Schumer to focus on a potential deal that includes green energy tax credits and the tax increases to pay for them.
The plummet in the planet's biodiversity could be slowed by protecting and expanding key areas animals inhabit and connecting them so species can move freely. Two studies published today lay out ways to make that space.
The big picture: There's wide acknowledgment the future of Earth's biodiversity — which supports the health and well-being of the species H. sapiens — hinges on protecting more of the planet. But how much land should be conserved — and where — is debated by scientists, governments, businesses and organizations.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday proposed a new rule that would restore the rights of states and tribes to oppose energy projects that pollute their local waterways.
Why it matters: The move would reverse a consequential environmental rollback by the Trump administration, which in 2020 scaled back the power of state and tribal authorities to veto federal permits for polluting projects under the Clean Water Act.
A swirling area of thunderstorms over the northwestern Caribbean and Yucatan Peninsula is forecast to become a tropical depression or weak tropical storm Thursday as it moves toward Florida. If it becomes a tropical storm, it would be named Alex.
Why it matters: Regardless of its intensity, the storm is forecast to bring flooding rains to Cuba, parts of Mexico and South Florida as well as the Florida Keys this weekend. In fact, rainfall forecasts for Florida have been increasing for this storm.
Salient Predictions, a new provider of weather intelligence for the energy, agriculture and insurance industries, has raised $5.3 million in a seed funding round.
Why it matters: The startup claims to have developed methods that make its forecasts for sub-seasonal to seasonal time scales about twice as accurate as rival companies and government forecasts.
Electric vehicle growthis following an uneven path that may leave emerging economies behind, a new analysis warns.
Why it matters: "There is a growing risk that the transition is not an equitable one, and that many economies miss out on the benefits of better air quality and new investment," the research firm BloombergNEF finds.
