Gina McCarthy, President Biden's domestic climate adviser, said she is leaving the administration in mid-September, according to a source familiar with the plans.
Why it matters: McCarthy, who led the Obama-era EPA, has played a central role in making climate change a government-wide priority.
President Biden is bringing longtime Democratic adviser John Podesta back to the White House to fill the newly created role of senior adviser for "clean energy innovation and implementation."
Why it matters: Podesta will oversee the implementation of the roughly $370 billion worth of clean energy and climate-related investments in the recently signed Democratic tax and climate legislation.
Russia’s Gazprom said Friday its Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline to Europe will not restart Saturday as expected after it detected new maintenance issues with one of the pipeline's turbine engines.
Why it matters: Gazprom claimed Rostekhnadzor, Russia's federal agency that in part oversees hydraulic structures at energy sites, is requiring it to resolve an oil leak at the turbine before restarting deliveries.
Tropical Storm Danielle strengthened into the season's first hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday morning but does not currently threaten any land, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Why it matters: The Atlantic hurricane season has so far been unusually quiet, though the federal government and other experts still predict the season will be above average in terms of the number of storms.
Jackson, Mississippi, is nearing one week with little or no water after flooding in the Pearl River wreaked havoc on the capital city's already damaged water system.
Driving the news: Schools have been forced to shift remote, some businesses have closed their doors — or installed pricey fixes, such as portable toilets, — and residents are having to wait in long lines for potable water, ABC News reports.
Massive wildfires are now burning across California, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Montana, Washington state, Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming as a "dangerous" heat wave expands across much of the U.S. West.
Threat level: "Critical fire weather, including low relative humidity and gusty winds, is forecast from northern California into Montana Friday," the National Weather Service warned Friday morning.
Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, may tie or break its all-time record for September this upcoming weekend — and possibly the planet's.
The latest: The temperature on Thursday hit 124 degrees Fahrenheit at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park — just 0.6°F lower than the record for September at the station set on Sept. 5, 2020, per the National Weather Service.
An intense, sprawling heat dome is causing the most intense, long-lasting heat wave of the summer in parts of the West.
The big picture: This heat wave will be a record-breaking event lasting into next week in California and surrounding states. It brings with it serious public health dangers, electric grid challenges and wildfire risks, officials warn.
