Podcasts about Environmental impact statement

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Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 4:17

If you haven't already signed the electronic petition to STOP Los AlamosNational Laboratory (LANL) plans to vent large quantities of radioactive tritium into theair beginning on or after June 2 nd , 2025, there's still time.Access the petition at actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-deny-lanls-request-to-release-radioactive-tritium-into-the-air The text of the petition is also available atnuclearactive.org

The Conversation: Public media funding at risk; Pōhakuloa

The Conversation

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2025 53:47

What does a recent executive order calling to strip public media of federal funding mean for HPR?; The Army has completed its final Environmental Impact Statement for Pōhakuloa

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Century Lithium advances Angel Island project to support U.S. supply chain

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 4:37

Century Lithium CEO Bill Willoughby joined Steve Darling from Proactive to provide a comprehensive update on the company's flagship Angel Island Lithium Project, a feasibility-stage development located in Nevada, one of the most resource-rich and mining-friendly jurisdictions in the United States. With growing urgency around the development of a domestic lithium supply chain, driven in part by the White House Executive Order to secure critical minerals essential to the U.S. economy and national security, Century Lithium believes it is strategically positioned to support this federal initiative. The Angel Island project is designed as a single-source mining and production operation for battery-grade lithium carbonate, a material vital for electric vehicles, renewable energy storage, and defense technologies. Dr. Willoughby noted that the company recently held a productive meeting with the Nevada State Office of the Bureau of Land Management to assess the permitting progress for the Angel Island project, in light of the federal directive. The meeting also addressed the current status of environmental studies, which are essential for progressing the project's regulatory approvals. The next steps at the federal level include will include completion and final approval of all baseline environmental studies, preparation and submission of the Mine Plan of Operations, and then the BLM will determine the level of review required under the National Environmental Policy Act —either an Environmental Assessment or a more comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement. Angel Island is designed to be a fully integrated lithium operation, capable of producing an average of 34,000 tonnes per year of high-purity lithium carbonate over an estimated 40-year mine life. This end-to-end capability would make Angel Island a cornerstone contributor to the U.S. EV battery supply chain, reducing reliance on overseas processing and mitigating geopolitical risks associated with foreign supply. #proactiveinvestors #centurylithiumcorp #tsxv #lce #otcqx #cydvf #mining #oricaspecialtymining #CenturyLithium #BatteryMetals #USMining #EnergyTransition #EVs #MiningNews #LithiumProject #Tonopah #CriticalMinerals #PilotPlant #NEPA #BLM #CleanEnergy

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Draft LANL Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement to be Released on Friday, January 10th

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Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2025 4:10

More than two years after the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) sought public input about the scope of a site- wide environmental impact statement (SWEIS) for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) operations, a draft LANL SWEIS will be released for a 60-day public review and comment period on Friday, January 10th. Public hearings will be held during the week of February 10th. The public comment period ends on March 11th.

Canada Nickel (TSXV:CNC) - Advances $2B Crawford Project with Construction Decision Set by 2025

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2024 20:55

Interview with Mark Selby, CEO of Canada NickelOur previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/canada-nickel-tsxvcnc-secures-billion-funding-5990Recording date: 14th November 2024Canada Nickel (TSXV:CNC) is rapidly advancing the Crawford project toward becoming the Western world's largest nickel sulfide operation, with recent developments substantially de-risking both the project's funding and permitting pathway.The company has secured significant funding commitments toward the $2 billion project cost, including $500 million US from Export Development Canada (EDC) and another $500 million from a leading financial institution. Additionally, the project qualifies for approximately $600 million in Canadian government tax credits related to critical minerals and carbon capture storage.CEO Mark Selby outlines that of the total $2.5 billion funding requirement ($1.5B debt, $1B equity), the company has visibility on most of the debt package, with EDC's role as lead arranger crucial in attracting other government credit agencies and commercial banks. On the equity side, after accounting for tax credits and Samsung's $100 million commitment, the company only needs to secure approximately $300 million, with discussions ongoing with battery supply chain participants and private equity groups.The project's timeline is clearly defined, with several near-term catalysts:Environmental Impact Statement filing completion within daysFederal permitting decision expected by summer/fall 2025Construction decision targeted for fall 202530-month construction period to productionThe project economics are compelling, with an NPV of $2.5 billion US. The company expects to retain 60-70% ownership post-funding, representing significant potential value for shareholders. Recent exploration success has enhanced the project's potential, with high-grade discoveries at Bannockburn showing 4% nickel over 4 meters and 12 meters of 1.6%.The macro environment strongly supports the project's development. Critical minerals security has become a national security priority for both the US and Europe, with strong bipartisan support in the US regardless of administration changes. As Selby notes, "Critical minerals are really a national security issue for both the US and Europe. Those of us who are going to be inside the fence are going to benefit from whatever tariffs end up being placed on Chinese production."Beyond Crawford, the company controls multiple regional targets, with several showing potential to exceed Crawford's scale. An initial resource for the Reid property, which may be larger than Crawford, is expected before year-end. The company is also developing downstream processing opportunities, recently strengthened by key appointments including Julian Ovens, former Chief of Staff to senior ministers and executive at BHP and Rio Tinto.For investors, Canada Nickel offers exposure to World's largest western nickel sulfide project, strong government support and funding commitments, clear timeline to construction decision, multiple near-term catalysts, regional exploration upside, and strategic positioning in critical minerals space.With major milestones approaching and significant funding secured, Canada Nickel appears well-positioned to advance Crawford toward production while maintaining majority ownership for shareholders.View Canada Nickel's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/canada-nickelSign up for Crux Investor: https://cruxinvestor.com

Environmental Groups Request Environmental Impact Statement for SpaceX Launches at Vandenberg

KCSB

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2024 5:18

Until this year, SpaceX has averaged about 6 launches annually from Vandenberg Space Force Base. SpaceX negotiated an increase to 36 in 2024, but now they want to make it 50 this year and 100 next year. Environmental groups are saying: Not so fast! Let's see an Environmental Impact Statement. KCSB's Ray Briare brings us the story: the newest branch of the United States' military, the Space Force, has produced a draft environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for the proposed increase of SpaceX launches at Vandenberg. This did not sit well with environmentalists.

IBR program releases Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

draft releases supplemental environmental impact statement

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2024 1:41

The Interstate Bridge Replacement Program has released its Draft SEIS, sparking discussions on traffic congestion, tolling, and light rail. Read more at https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/ibr-program-releases-draft-supplemental-environmental-impact-statement/ on www.ClarkCountyToday.com. #Transportation #ClarkCountyWa #I5Bridge #LocalNews

IBR program to publish its Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Fri., Sept. 20

draft publish supplemental environmental impact statement

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2024 1:02

The Interstate Bridge Replacement program is set to release its Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on September 20, kicking off a 60-day public comment period. Learn more about the program's potential impacts and how you can participate. Read the full story at https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/ibr-program-to-publish-its-draft-supplemental-environmental-impact-statement-fri-sept-20/ on www.ClarkCountyToday.com. #IBR #SEIS #PublicComment #TransportationInfrastructure #VancouverWA #LocalNews #ClarkCountyWA #WashingtonState

S3E26: The New Western Solar Plan: A Disaster for Desert Ecosystems?

90 Miles From Needles with Chris Clarke and Alicia Pike

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2024 36:08

Chris Clarke delves into the controversial final programmatic environmental impact statement for the western Solar Plan, revealing the potential ecological damage from vast solar developments across 11 states. Despite personal support and advocacy for solar power, Clarke critiques the plan's sprawling approach and highlights a more sustainable alternative that might surprise you. The episode emphasizes the urgent need for smarter solar deployment to mitigate climate change without sacrificing crucial desert ecosystems. Tune in for a comprehensive analysis and a compelling argument for better planning in renewable energy projects. • Chris Clarke's Email Newsletter: Letters from the Desert • USGS Land Use Data: https://www.usgs.gov/news/estimates-areal-extent-us-parking-lots-now-available • Western Solar Plan:** (Extensive documentation on the 2024 and 2012 Western Solar Plans for context on the policy discussed.) https://blmsolar.anl.gov/solar-peis-2023/ Listeners are encouraged to tune into this informative episode to gain deeper insights into solar energy policies, their environmental impacts, and the potential for intelligeBecome a desert defender!: https://90milesfromneedles.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ten thousand page Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement likely to be released next month

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Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2024 1:13

Explore the latest updates on the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, including plans for zero-emission buses and a massive Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Learn how these developments could impact Clark County and Vancouver, Washington. Read the full story at https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/ten-thousand-page-draft-supplemental-environmental-impact-statement-likely-to-be-released-next-month/ on www.ClarkCountyToday.com. #DraftSupplementalEnvironmentalImpactStatement #IBRProject #CTRANBuses #ZeroEmissionBuses #ClarkCounty #LocalNews #WashingtonState

Podcast #171: Mission Ridge & Blacktail CEO Josh Jorgensen

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024 62:40

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on May 3. It dropped for free subscribers on May 10. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoJosh Jorgensen, CEO of Mission Ridge, Washington and Blacktail Mountain, MontanaRecorded onApril 15, 2024About Mission RidgeClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Larry ScrivanichLocated in: Wenatchee, WashingtonYear founded: 1966Pass affiliations:* Indy Pass – 2 days with holiday and weekend blackouts (TBD for 2024-25 ski season)* Indy+ Pass – 2 days with no blackouts* Powder Alliance – 3 days with holiday and Saturday blackoutsClosest neighboring ski areas: Badger Mountain (:51), Leavenworth Ski Hill (:53) – travel times may vary considerably given weather conditions, time of day, and time of year.Base elevation: 4,570 feetSummit elevation: 6,820 feetVertical drop: 2,250 feetSkiable Acres: 2,000Average annual snowfall: 200 inchesTrail count: 70+ (10% easiest, 60% more difficult, 30% most difficult)Lift count: 7 (1 high-speed quad, 3 doubles, 2 ropetows, 1 carpet – view Lift Blog's inventory of Mission Ridge's lift fleet)View historic Mission Ridge trailmaps on skimap.org.About BlacktailClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: Larry ScrivanichLocated in: Lakeside, MontanaYear founded: 1998Pass affiliations:* Indy Pass – 2 days with holiday and weekend blackouts (TBD for 2024-25 ski season)* Indy+ Pass – 2 days with no blackouts* Powder Alliance – 3 days with holiday blackoutsClosest neighboring ski areas: Whitefish (1:18) - travel times may vary considerably given weather conditions, time of day, and time of year.Base elevation: 5,236 feetSummit elevation: 6,780 feetVertical drop: 1,544 feetSkiable Acres: 1,000+Average annual snowfall: 250 inchesTrail count: (15% easier, 65% more difficult, 20% most difficult)Lift count: 4 (1 triple, 2 doubles, 1 carpet – view Lift Blog's inventory of Blacktail's lift fleet)View historic Blacktail trailmaps on skimap.org.Why I interviewed himSo much of Pacific Northwest skiing's business model amounts to wait-and-pray, hoping that, sometime in November-December, the heaping snowfalls that have spiraled in off the ocean for millennia do so again. It's one of the few regions in modern commercial skiing, anywhere in the world, where the snow is reliable enough and voluminous enough that this good-ole-boy strategy still works: 460 inches per year at Stevens Pass; 428 at Summit at Snoqualmie; 466 at Crystal; 400 at White Pass; a disgusting 701 at Baker. It's no wonder that most of these ski areas have either no snowguns, or so few that a motivated scrapper could toss the whole collection in the back of a single U-Haul.But Mission Ridge possesses no such natural gifts. The place is snowy enough – 200 inches in an average winter – that it doesn't seem ridiculous that someone thought to run lifts up the mountain. But by Washington State standards, the place is practically Palm Beach. That means the owners have had to work a lot harder, and in a far more deliberate way than their competitors, to deliver a consistent snowsportskiing experience since the bump opened in 1966.Which is a long way of saying that Mission Ridge probably has more snowmaking than the rest of Washington's ski areas combined. Which, often, is barely enough to hang at the party. This year, however, as most Washington ski areas spent half the winter thinking “Gee, maybe we ought to have more than zero snowguns,” Mission was clocking its third-best skier numbers ever.The Pacific Northwest, as a whole, finished the season fairly strong. The snow showed up, as it always does. A bunch of traditional late operators – Crystal, Meadows, Bachelor, Timberline – remain open as of early May. But, whether driven by climate change, rising consumer expectations, or a need to offer more consistent schedules to seasonal employees, the region is probably going to have to build out a mechanical complement to its abundant natural snows at some point. From a regulatory point of view, this won't be so easy in a region where people worry themselves into a coma about the catastrophic damage that umbrellas inflict upon raindrops. But Mission Ridge, standing above Wenatchee for decades as a place of recreation and employment, proves that using resources to enable recreation is not incompatible with preserving them.That's going to be a useful example to have around.What we talked aboutA lousy start to winter; a top three year for Mission anyway; snowmaking in Washington; Blacktail's worst snowfall season ever and the potential to add snowmaking to the ski area; was this crappy winter an anomaly or a harbinger?; how Blacktail's “long history of struggle” echoes the history of Mission Ridge; what could Blacktail become?; Blacktail's access road; how Blacktail rose on Forest Service land in the 1990s; Blacktail expansion potential; assessing Blacktail's lift fleet; could the company purchase more ski areas?; the evolution of Summit at Snoqualmie; Mission Ridge's large and transformative proposed expansion; why the expansion probably needs to come before chairlift upgrades; Fantasy Lift Upgrade; and why Mission Ridge replaced a used detachable quad with another used detachable quad.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewWashington skiing is endangered by a pretty basic problem: more people in this ever-richer, ever more-populous state want to ski than there are ski areas for them to visit. Building new ski areas is impossible – you'd have better luck flying an American flag from the roof of the Kremlin than introducing a new mountain to Washington State. That shortage is compounded by the lack of slopeside development, which compels every skier to drive to the hill every day that they want to ski. This circumstance reflects a false commitment to environmental preservation, which mistakes a build-nothing philosophy for watching over Mother Earth, an outmoded way of thinking that fails to appreciate the impacts of sprawl and car culture on the larger natural ecosystem.Which is where Mission Ridge, with its large proposed ski-and-stay expansion, is potentially so important. If Mission Ridge can navigate the bureaucratic obstacle course that's been dropped in its path, it could build the first substantial slopeside village in the Pacific Northwest. That could be huge. See, it would say, you can have measured development in the mountains without drowning all the grizzly bears. And since not everyone would have to drive up the mountain every day anymore, it would probably actually reduce traffic overall. The squirrels win and so do the skiers. Or something like that.And then we have Blacktail. Three-ish years ago, Mission Ridge purchased this little-known Montana bump, one of the West's few upside-down ski areas, an unlikely late addition to the Forest Service ski area network seated south of Whitefish Mountain and Glacier National Park. I was surprised when Mission bought it. I think everyone else was too. Mission Ridge is a fine ski area, and one with multi-mountain roots – it was once part of the same parent company that owned Schweitzer (now the property of Alterra) – but it's not exactly Telluride. How did a regional bump that was still running three Riblet doubles from the ‘60s and ‘70s afford another ski area two states away? And why would they want it? And what were they going to do with it?All of which I discuss, sort of, with Jorgensen. Mission and Blacktail are hardly the strangest duo in American skiing. They make more sense, as a unit, than jointly owned Red Lodge, Montana and Homewood, California. But they're also not as logical as New York's Labrador and Song, Pennsylvania's Camelback and Blue, or Massachusett's Berkshire East and Catamount, each of which sits within easy driving distance of its sister resort. So how do they fit together? Maybe they don't need to.Questions I wish I'd askedThere's a pretty cool story about a military bomber crashing into the mountain (and some associated relics) that I would have liked to have gotten into. I'd also have liked to talk a bit more about Wenatchee, which Mission's website calls “Washington's only true ski town.” I also intended to get a bit more into the particulars of the expansion, including the proposed terrain and lifts, and what sort of shape the bedbase would take. And I didn't really ask, as I normally do, about the Indy Pass and the reciprocal season pass relationship between the two ski areas.What I got wrongI said that Mission Ridge's first high-speed quad, Liberator Express, came used from Crystal Mountain. The lift actually came used from Winter Park. Jorgensen corrected that fact in the podcast. My mis-statement was the result of crossing my wires while prepping for this interview – the Crystal chairlift at Blacktail moved to Montana from Crystal Mountain, Washington. In the moment, I mixed up the mountains' lift fleets.Why you should ski Mission RidgeMission Ridge holds echoes of Arapahoe Basin's East Wall or pre-tram Big Sky: so much damn terrain, just a bit too far above the lifts for most of us to bother with. That, along with the relatively low snowfall and Smithsonian lift fleet, are the main knocks on the place (depending, of course, upon your willingness to hike and love of vintage machinery).But, on the whole, this is a good, big ski area that, because of its snowmaking infrastructure, is one of the most reliable operators for several hundred miles in any direction. The intermediate masses will find a huge, approachable footprint. Beginners will find their own dedicated lift. Better skiers, once they wear out the blacks off lifts 2 and 4, can hike the ridge for basically endless lines. And if you miss daylight, Mission hosts some of the longest top-to-bottom night-skiing runs in America, spanning the resort's entire 2,250 vertical feet (Keystone's Dercum mountain rises approximately 2,300 vertical feet).If Mission can pull off this expansion, it could ignite a financial ripple effect that would transform the resort quickly: on-site housing and expanded beginner terrain could bring more people (especially families), which would bring more revenue, which would funnel enough cash in to finally upgrade those old Riblets and, maybe, string the long-planned Lift 5 to the high saddle. That would be amazing. But it would also transform Mission into something different than what it is today. Go see it now, so you can appreciate whatever it becomes.Why you should ski BlacktailBlacktail's original mission, in the words of founder Steve Spencer, was to be the affordable locals' bump, a downhome alternative to ever-more-expensive Whitefish, a bit more than an hour up the road. That was in 1998, pre-Epic, pre-Ikon, pre-triple-digit single-day lift tickets. Fast forward to 2024, and Whitefish is considered a big-mountain outlier, a monster that's avoided every pass coalition and offers perhaps the most affordable lift ticket of any large, modern ski area in America (its top 2023-24 lift ticket price was $97).That has certainly complicated Blacktail's market positioning. It can't play Smugglers' Notch ($106 top lift ticket price) to neighboring Stowe ($220-ish). And while Blacktail's lift tickets and season passes ($450 early-bird for the 2024-25 ski season), are set at a discount to Whitefish's, the larger mountain's season pass goes for just $749, a bargain for a 3,000-acre sprawl served by four high-speed lifts.So Blacktail has to do what any ski area that's orbiting a bigger, taller, snowier competitor with more and better terrain does: be something else. There will always be a market for small and local skiing, just like there will always be a market for diners and bars with pool tables and dartboards hanging from the walls.That appeal is easy enough for locals to understand. For frequent, hassle-free skiing, small is usually better than big. It's more complicated to pitch a top-of-the-mountain parking lot to you, a probably not-local, who, if you haul yourself all the way to Montana, is probably going to want the fireworks show. But one cool thing about lingering in the small and foreign is that the experience unites the oft-opposed-in-skiing forces of novelty and calm. Typically, our ski travels involve the raucous and the loud and the fast and the enormous. But there is something utterly inspiring about setting yourself down on an unfamiliar but almost empty mountain, smaller than Mt. Megaphone but not necessarily small at all, and just setting yourself free to explore. Whatever Blacktail doesn't give you, it will at least give you that.Podcast NotesOn Mission Ridge's proposed expansionWhile we discuss the mountain's proposed expansion in a general way, we don't go deep into specifics of lifts and trails. This map gives the best perspective on how the expansion would blow Mission Ridge out into a major ski area - the key here is less the ski expansion itself than the housing that would attend it:Here's an overhead view:Video overviews:The project, like most ski area expansions in U.S. America, has taken about 700 years longer than it should have. The local radio station published this update in October:Progress is being made with the long-planned expansion of Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort.Chelan County is working with the resort on an Environmental Impact Statement.County Natural Resources Director Mike Kaputa says it'll be ready in the next eight months or so."We are getting closer and closer to having a draft Environmental Impact Statement and I think that's probably, I hate to put a month out there, but I think it's probably looking like May when we'll have a draft that goes out for public comment."The expansion plan for Mission Ridge has been in the works since 2014, and the resort brought a lawsuit against the county in 2021 over delays in the process.The lawsuit was dismissed earlier this year.Kaputa gave an update on progress with the Mission Ridge expansion before county commissioners Monday, where he said they're trying to get the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement right."You want to be as thorough as possible," Kaputa said. "You don't want to overdo it. You want to anticipate comments. I'm sure we'll get lots of comments when it comes out."In 2014, Larry Scrivanich, owner of Mission Ridge, purchased approximately 779 acres of private land adjacent to the current Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort. Since then, Mission Ridge has been forging ahead with plans for expansion.The expansion plans call for onsite lodging and accommodations, which Mission Ridge calls a game changer, which would differentiate the resort from others in the Northwest.I'm all about process, due diligence, and checks-and-balances, but it's possible we've overcorrected here.On snowfall totals throughout WashingtonMission gets plenty of snow, but it's practically barren compared to the rest of Washington's large ski areas:On the founding of BlacktailBlacktail is an outlier in U.S. skiing in that it opened in 1998 on Forest Service land – decades after similarly leased ski areas debuted. Daily Inter Lake summarizes the unusual circumstances behind this late arrival:Steve Spencer had been skiing and working at Big Mountain [now Whitefish] for many years, starting with ski patrol and eventually rising to mountain manager, when he noticed fewer and fewer locals on the hill.With 14 years as manager of Big Mountain under his belt, Spencer sought to create an alternative to the famous resort that was affordable and accessible for locals. He got together with several business partners and looked at mountains that they thought would fit the bill.They considered sites in the Swan Range and Lolo Peak, located in the Bitterroot Range west of Missoula, but they knew the odds of getting a Forest Service permit to build a ski area there were slim to none.They had their eyes on a site west of Flathead Lake, however, that seemed to check all the right boxes. The mountain they focused on was entirely surrounded by private land, and there were no endangered species in the area that needed protection from development.Spencer consulted with local environmental groups before he'd spent even “two nickels” on the proposal. He knew that without their support, the project was dead on arrival.That mountain was known as Blacktail, and when the Forest Service OK'd ski operations there, it was the first ski area created on public land since 1978, when Beaver Creek Resort was given permission to use National Forest land in Colorado.Blacktail Mountain Ski Area celebrates its 25th anniversary next year, it is still the most recent in the country to be approved through that process.On Glacier National Park and Flathead LakeEven if you've never heard of Blacktail, it's stuffed into a dense neighborhood of outdoor legends in northern Montana, including Glacier National Park and Whitefish ski area:On WhitefishWith 3,000 skiable acres, a 2,353-foot vertical drop, and four high-speed lifts, Whitefish, just up the road from Blacktail, looms enormously over the smaller mountain's potential:But while Whitefish presents as an Epkon titan, it acts more like a backwater, with peak-day lift tickets still hanging out below the $100 mark, and no megapass membership on its marquee. I explored this unusual positioning with the mountain's president, Nick Polumbus, on the podcast last year (and also here).On “Big Mountain”For eons, Whitefish was known as “Big Mountain,” a name they ditched in 2007 because, as president and CEO at the time Fred Jones explained, the ski area was “often underestimated and misunderstood” with its “highly generic” name.On “upside-down” ski areasUpside-down ski areas are fairly common in the United States, but they're novel enough that most people feel compelled to explain what they mean when they bring one up: a ski area with the main lodge and parking at the top, rather than the bottom, of the hill.These sorts of ski areas are fairly common in the Midwest and proliferate in the Mid-Atlantic, but are rare out west. An incomplete list includes Wintergreen, Virginia; Snowshoe, West Virginia; Laurel, Blue Knob, Jack Frost, and Ski Big Bear, Pennsylvania; Otsego, Treetops, and the Jackson Creek Summit side of Snowriver, Michigan; and Spirit Mountain and Afton Alps, Minnesota. A few of these ski areas also maintain lower-level parking lots. Shawnee Mountain, Pennsylvania, debuted as an upside-down ski area, but, through a tremendous engineering effort, reversed that in the 1970s – a project that CEO Nick Fredericks detailed for us in a 2021 Storm Skiing Podcast.On LIDAR mappingJorgensen mentions LIDAR mapping of Mission Ridge's potential expansion. If you're unfamiliar with this technology, it's capable of giving astonishing insights into the past:On Blacktail's chairliftsAll three of Blacktail's chairlifts came used to the ski area for its 1998 opening. The Crystal double is from Crystal Mountain, Washington; the Olympic triple is from Canada Olympic Park in Alberta; and the Thunderhead double migrated from Steamboat, Colorado.On Riblet chairliftsFor decades, the Riblet double has been the workhorse of Pacific Northwest skiing. Simple, beautiful, reliable, and inexpensive, dozens of these machines still crank up the region's hills. But the company dissolved more than two decades ago, and its lifts are slowly retiring. Mission Ridge retains three (chairs 1, 3, and 4, which date, respectively, to 1966, 1967, and 1971), and has stated its intent to replace them all, whenever funds are available to do so.On the history of Summit at SnoqualmieThe Summit at Snoqualmie, where Jorgensen began his career, remains one of America's most confusing ski areas: the name is convoluted and long, and the campus sprawls over four once-separate ski areas, one of which sits across an interstate with no ski connection to the others. There's no easy way to understand that Alpental – one of Washington's best ski areas – is part of, but separate from, the Summit at Snoqualmie complex, and each of the three Summit areas – East, Central, and West - maintains a separate trailmap on the website, in spite of the fact that the three are interconnected by ski trails. It's all just very confusing. The ski area's website maintains a page outlining how these four ski areas became one ski area that is still really four ski areas. This 1998 trailmap gives the best perspective on where the various ski nodes sit in relation to one another:Because someone always gets mad about everything, some of you were probably all pissed off that I referred to the 1990s version of Summit at Snoqualmie as a “primitive” ski area, but the map above demonstrates why: 17 of 24 chairlifts were Riblet doubles; nine ropetows supplemented this system, and the mountain had no snowmaking (it still doesn't). Call it “retro” or whatever you want, but the place was not exactly Beaver Creek.On Vail and Alterra's Washington timelineI mentioned Washington's entrance onto the national ski scene over the past decade. What I meant by that was the addition of Summit and Crystal onto the Ikon Pass for the 2018-19 ski season, and Stevens Pass onto the Epic Pass the following winter. But Washington skiing – and Mt. Baker in particular – has always been a staple in the Temple of the Brobots, and Boyne Resorts, pre-Ikon, owned Crystal from 1997 to 2017.On Anthony LakesJorgensen mentioned that he applied for the general manager position at Anthony Lakes, a little-known 900-footer lodged in the western Oregon hinterlands. One triple chair serves the entire ski area:The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 33/100 in 2024, and number 533 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

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Grizzly EIS Pt 1

Washington State Farm Bureau Report

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2024

A final Environmental Impact Statement has been released, moving one step closer to the possible reintroduction of Grizzly bears in the North Cascades. U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse gives us his take on what's going on.

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Grizzly EIS Pt 1

Washington State Farm Bureau Report

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2024

Thursday, February 8, 2024 – Federal officials weigh the environmental value of a massive swath of Alaska land

Native America Calling - The Electronic Talking Circle

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2024 56:12

A coalition of Alaska Native tribes and organizations are urging federal officials to continue protections for 28 million acres of land in Alaska. Their action comes as the federal Bureau of Land Management is considering whether to remove protections against mining and other development that have been in place since the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) more than half a century ago. The lands are referred to as D-1 lands, referencing the section number in the ANCSA text. BLM is conducting an Environmental Impact Statement. The public comment period for that process ends soon. GUESTS Malinda Chase (tribal member of Anvik, Alaska), advisor for the Bering Sea-Interior Tribal Commission and tribal liaison for the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center Chief Eugene Paul (Holy Cross Tribe) Michael “Mickey” Stickman (Yukon Koyukon), former first chief of the Nulato Tribal Council and executive board member of the Bering Sea-Interior Tribal Commission Lisa Ellanna (member of King Island Native Community), advisory group member for the Bering Sea-Interior Tribal Commission and staff member of Kawerak Inc.

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What's Going On With All These Bridges?

Tip of the Spear - Missoula County

Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Feb 8, 2024 44:24 Transcription Available

The Agenda's foray into transportation issues continues this week with Shane Stack, director of Missoula County Public Works, and Erik Dickson, county engineer.With the recent closure of Maclay Bridge in Target Range, residents have a lot of questions about how we got here. The commissioners, Shane and Erik tackle those questions and much more in this episode. Be sure to follow this project on Missoula County Voice for more updates and information.This episode has a lot of acronyms and engineering terms, so here's a guide for you, in alphabetical order:BIP: The Bridge Improvement Program, a funding opportunity administered by the Federal Highway Administration.Categorical exclusion, also called a CE or Cat Ex: A finding of a National Environmental Protection Act process that determines a project has no significant effect on the human environment. If a CE is granted, the project does not need an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement. Creosote: A material derived from tar that is used to preserve wood.EA: Environmental assessment. If a categorical exclusion does not apply to a project, then an environmental assessment must be developed before the project can move forward. This is a public document that provides sufficient evidence and analysis for determining whether the project meets the criteria for a Finding of No Significant Environmental Impact (FONSI) or if an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is needed. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS): Federal agencies prepare an Environmental Impact Statement if a project is determined to significantly affect the quality of the human environment. The regulatory requirements for an EIS are more detailed and rigorous than the requirements for an EA.FHWA: The Federal Highway Administration, a division of the federal Department of Transportation.FONSI document: Finding of No Significant Impact. A FONSI document is the decision document of an EA and is signed by the federal agency. HDR: An engineering firm employed by both Missoula County and MDT to assist with bridge planning.Load rating: The amount of weight a structure can safely carry. A load posted or load limited bridge is restricted by its load rating.Local option gas tax: A voter-approved 2-cent tax on gas sold within Missoula County. Revenue from this tax was specifically designated for road and bridge improvements. County residents approved this measure in 2020, but the state repealed in 2021. MDT: Montana Department of Transportation, the state's transportation agencyNEPA: National Environmental Protection Act, passed in 1970 to promote and protect the environment. Click here for the full glossary. Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

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Thursday, February 8, 2024 – Federal officials weigh the environmental value of a massive swath of Alaska land

Native America Calling

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2024 56:12

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Sonoro Gold Corp announce raise as company look to accelerate drilling at Cerro Caliche

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Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2024 5:53

Sonoro Gold Corp CEO Kenneth MacLeod joined Steve Darling from Proactive to discuss the company conducting a private placement with the aim of raising up to 1,000,000 dollars. The funds raised through this offering will be used to support the ongoing development of the company's Cerro Caliche gold project in Sonora, Mexico. MacLeod explained that the company is accelerating its drilling efforts at Cerro Caliche to make the most of the time available before the project receives approval for its Environmental Impact Statement. The upcoming drilling campaign is designed for expansion and will initially focus on the western mineralized zones where the company plans to commence mining operations. Additionally, the drilling campaign will target the northern mineralized zones to potentially increase and upgrade the resource and the central mineralized zones to potentially increase the pit shell resource and reduce the strip ratio. This proactive approach aims to further advance the Cerro Caliche project and unlock its full potential. #proactiveinvestors #sonorogoldcorp #tsxv #sgo #otcqb #smoff #mining #mexico #gold #silver #goldmining, #drillingprogram, #resourceexploration, #miningindustry, #investmentopportunity, #goldstocks, #miningnews, #environmentalpermits, #projectadvancement, #MexicoMining, #explorationdrilling, #resourceestimation, #economicviability, #investmentstrategy, #CEOinterview, #mineralization, #miningupdates, #projecteconomics, #goldexploration, #investinginmining, #miningstocks, #geologicalsurvey, #resourcepotential, #mininginvestments#invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

S3E2: Biden's Plan to Turn the Desert into a Solar Energy Complex

90 Miles From Needles with Chris Clarke and Alicia Pike

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2024 37:27

The Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Utility-Scale Solar energy development is shaping the future of solar in the western United States. In this episode, host Chris Clarke explores the different alternatives proposed in the draft and their potential impact on public lands. He discusses the exclusion areas, the size of land available for solar development, and the importance of considering rooftop solar as an alternative. Listeners are encouraged to comment on the draft and make their voices heard. Tune in to learn more about the future of solar energy in the desert.Become a desert defender!: https://90milesfromneedles.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LW - Land Reclamation is in the 9th Circle of Stagnation Hell by Maxwell Tabarrok

The Nonlinear Library

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2024 4:10

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Land Reclamation is in the 9th Circle of Stagnation Hell, published by Maxwell Tabarrok on January 13, 2024 on LessWrong. Land reclamation is a process where swamps, wetlands, or coastal waters are drained and filled to create more dry land. Despite being complex and technologically intensive, land reclamation is quite old and was common in the past. The reclamation of the Dutch lowland swamps since the 13th century is well-known. Perhaps less well known is that almost every major American city had major land reclamation projects in the 19th and 20th centuries. Boston changed the most with well over half of the modern downtown being underwater during the American Revolution, but it's not unique. New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Miami have all had several major land reclamation projects. Today, land prices in these cities are higher than ever, dredging ships are bigger, construction equipment is more powerful, landfills and foundations are more stable, and rising sea levels provide even more reason to expand shorelines, but none of these cities have added any land in 50 years or more. Land reclamation is a technologically feasible, positive-sum way to build our way out of a housing crisis and to protect our most important cities from flooding, but it's never coming back. The 9th Circle of Stagnation Hell Land reclamation is simultaneously harried by every single one of the anti-progress demons who guard Stagnation Hell. Let's take a trip to see what it's like. The first circle of Stagnation Hell is environmental review. The guardian demon, NEPA-candezzar, has locked congestion pricing and transmission lines in the corner and is giving them a thousand paper cuts an hour for not making their reports long enough. Land reclamation suffers from environmental review in the same way as all other major infrastructure projects, or it would if anyone even tried to get one approved. Reclamation clearly has environmental effects so a full Environmental Impact Statement would be required, adding 3-15 years to the project timeline. There's also NEPA-candezzar's three headed dog: wetland conservation, which, while less common, is extra vicious. Lots of land reclamation happens by draining marshes and wetlands. NEPA reviews are arduous but ultimately standardless i.e they don't set a maximum level of environmental damage, they just require that all possible options are considered. Wetland conservation is more straightforward: wetlands are federally protected and can't be developed. The second circle is zoning. This circle looks like a beautiful neighborhood of detached single-family homes, but every corner is filled with drug markets and stolen goods and every home is eight million dollars. Most land reclamation projects have become large housing developments or new airports, both of which are imperiled by strict zoning. The third circle is the Foreign Dredging Act. This watery hell is guarded by an evil kraken which strikes down any ship not up to its exacting standards. This law requires that any dredging ship (essentially a ship with a crane on it) be American made and American crewed. This law makes dredging capacity so expensive that the scale required for a large land reclamation project may not even exist in the domestic market. Next is cost disease, a walking plague. Construction labor is a massive input into land reclamation and the building that comes after it. Productivity growth in this sector has been slow relative to other industries which raises the opportunity cost of this labor, another reason why land reclamation was more common in the past. The final circle is low-hanging fruit. The shallowest estuaries and driest marshes have already been reclaimed, leaving only deeper waters that are harder to fill....

LW - Land Reclamation is in the 9th Circle of Stagnation Hell by Maxwell Tabarrok

The Nonlinear Library: LessWrong

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2024 4:10

Link to original articleWelcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Land Reclamation is in the 9th Circle of Stagnation Hell, published by Maxwell Tabarrok on January 13, 2024 on LessWrong. Land reclamation is a process where swamps, wetlands, or coastal waters are drained and filled to create more dry land. Despite being complex and technologically intensive, land reclamation is quite old and was common in the past. The reclamation of the Dutch lowland swamps since the 13th century is well-known. Perhaps less well known is that almost every major American city had major land reclamation projects in the 19th and 20th centuries. Boston changed the most with well over half of the modern downtown being underwater during the American Revolution, but it's not unique. New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Miami have all had several major land reclamation projects. Today, land prices in these cities are higher than ever, dredging ships are bigger, construction equipment is more powerful, landfills and foundations are more stable, and rising sea levels provide even more reason to expand shorelines, but none of these cities have added any land in 50 years or more. Land reclamation is a technologically feasible, positive-sum way to build our way out of a housing crisis and to protect our most important cities from flooding, but it's never coming back. The 9th Circle of Stagnation Hell Land reclamation is simultaneously harried by every single one of the anti-progress demons who guard Stagnation Hell. Let's take a trip to see what it's like. The first circle of Stagnation Hell is environmental review. The guardian demon, NEPA-candezzar, has locked congestion pricing and transmission lines in the corner and is giving them a thousand paper cuts an hour for not making their reports long enough. Land reclamation suffers from environmental review in the same way as all other major infrastructure projects, or it would if anyone even tried to get one approved. Reclamation clearly has environmental effects so a full Environmental Impact Statement would be required, adding 3-15 years to the project timeline. There's also NEPA-candezzar's three headed dog: wetland conservation, which, while less common, is extra vicious. Lots of land reclamation happens by draining marshes and wetlands. NEPA reviews are arduous but ultimately standardless i.e they don't set a maximum level of environmental damage, they just require that all possible options are considered. Wetland conservation is more straightforward: wetlands are federally protected and can't be developed. The second circle is zoning. This circle looks like a beautiful neighborhood of detached single-family homes, but every corner is filled with drug markets and stolen goods and every home is eight million dollars. Most land reclamation projects have become large housing developments or new airports, both of which are imperiled by strict zoning. The third circle is the Foreign Dredging Act. This watery hell is guarded by an evil kraken which strikes down any ship not up to its exacting standards. This law requires that any dredging ship (essentially a ship with a crane on it) be American made and American crewed. This law makes dredging capacity so expensive that the scale required for a large land reclamation project may not even exist in the domestic market. Next is cost disease, a walking plague. Construction labor is a massive input into land reclamation and the building that comes after it. Productivity growth in this sector has been slow relative to other industries which raises the opportunity cost of this labor, another reason why land reclamation was more common in the past. The final circle is low-hanging fruit. The shallowest estuaries and driest marshes have already been reclaimed, leaving only deeper waters that are harder to fill....

Forte Minerals takes step forward with Environmental Impact Statement Approval

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Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2023 3:41

Forte Minerals CEO Patrick Elliott joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news the company has received approval for its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Esperanza porphyry project in Southern Peru. This EIS approval is a significant milestone for the company and paves the way for the development and exploration of the project. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) approval grants Forte Minerals the authorization to conduct exploration activities, including drilling, at the Esperanza project. The company has completed two years of environmental baseline studies, archeological assessments, social engagement, and government processing to secure this approval. The Esperanza project is an early-stage porphyry copper-molybdenum (Cu-Mo) prospect spanning 4,000 hectares of mineral concessions. It is located within the Southern Peru Copper Belt, a region known for hosting several giant porphyry Cu-Mo deposits. With the EIS approval in place, Forte Minerals can proceed with its exploration plans, which include drilling up to 40 platforms over a 5-year timeline. The final drill permit will be issued by the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) upon completion of the prior consultation process with local indigenous communities. The approval of the Environmental Impact Statement is a significant step forward for Forte Minerals as it positions the company to explore and develop the Esperanza porphyry project in a responsible and environmentally sustainable manner. The project's location within a well-known mining district with a history of major copper-molybdenum discoveries highlights its exploration potential and value for the company's stakeholders. #proactiveinvestors #fortemineralscorp #cse #cuau #otcqb #fomnf #mining #ExplorationNews #MiningUpdates #EnvironmentalApproval #CEOInsights #DrillingProjects #MineralExploration #EsperanzaProject #PeruMining #GeologicalDiscovery #ResourceDevelopment #MiningIndustry #SustainableMining #CommunityAgreements #MiningPermits #ExcitingTimes #MineralInvestment #GeologicalMerits #MiningProgress #ResourceExploration #GeologicalData #MineralDeposits #MiningTechnology #MiningCommunity #2024Drilling #PatrickElliottInterview #invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

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Seven Years Later, an Environmental Impact Statement for the Dakota Access Pipeline

Drilled

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2023 37:46

This month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closes the comment period on its draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Dakota Access Pipeline, a 1,172-mile pipeline that's been pumping 500,000 barrels of oil per day since May 2017. The pipeline runs from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota to southern Illinois, crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Over the past six years, every court in the country has ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers did not study the pipeline's environmental impact closely enough before approving the pipeline's route. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe has maintained all along that the project poses a serious threat to its drinking water. From April 2016 to February 2017 thousands of water protectors from all over the country (and beyond) joined them in protests and direct actions. The resistance at Standing Rock is often cited by the fossil fuel industry, police and politicians as the reason states need new anti-protest laws, while the backlash to that resistance is often cited by water protectors as the reason for PTSD, asthma, and in some cases lost eyes and limbs. Now, the Army Corps of Engineers says that removing the pipeline would be too damaging to the Missouri River and its surrounding ecosystems. The removal actions it describes in its EIS are the same actions taken to install the pipeline in the first place. The Army Corps suggests that removing the pipeline would be more environmentally harmful than allowing the oil to continue pumping under one of Standing Rock's primary drinking water sources. Nonetheless, this report—seven years late—represents one of the few pathways left to stop the pipeline. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe is advocating to seal the pipeline off, while some water protectors are advocating for the pipeline to be removed entirely. The public comment period closes Dec 13, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mowi has to do an Environmental Impact Statement before salmon farm expansion + Duane Andrews talks about the White Fleet Suite

The Broadcast from CBC Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2023 20:29

Salmon federation responds to news about Mowi expansion + New show called White Fleet Suite is about the musical and fishing connections to Portugal.

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Forte Minerals announces company has received environmental approval for Pucarini Project

Labrador Morning from CBC Radio Nfld. and Labrador (Highlights)

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2023 4:56

Forte Minerals CEO Patrick Elliott joined Steve Darling from Proactive tp share significant developments regarding the company's Pucarini Gold Project in Southern Peru. Elliott announced that Forte Minerals has successfully obtained its Environmental Impact Statement for the Pucarini Gold Project after a two-year wait. This important permit allows the company to conduct drilling activities at up to 40 platforms over a five-year timeline. Furthermore, Elliott highlighted the company's progress in surface exploration in 2021, which included an IP survey. The exploration efforts led to the identification of four priority exploration targets, which are now set to be tested for economic gold mineralization beneath the surface. To accomplish this, Forte Minerals has planned an initial 4-hole drilling program to assess these targets. The program will encompass over 1,000 meters of core drilling, providing valuable insights into the project's potential. These milestones mark significant progress for Forte Minerals in advancing the Pucarini Gold Project and underscore the company's dedication to exploring and developing valuable mineral resources in Southern Peru. #proactiveinvestors #fortemineralscorp #cse #cuau #otcqb #fomnf #mining #PeruProject #EnvironmentalApproval #MiningIndustry #ESG #HighSulfidationGold #MineralExploration #CommunityEngagement #MiningPermits #ResourceSector #MineralDiscovery #MiningNews #ExplorationEfforts #MiningProjects #SustainableMining #GeophysicsData #ResourceDevelopment #PeruMining #MiningMilestone #MiningProgress #MiningUpdate #MiningCEO #MineralExplorationNews #MiningInnovation #InvestingInMining #MiningOpportunity#invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

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An Environmental Impact Statement for a project such as World Energy's wind-to-hydrogen proposal can be a slog to get through. We got some advice on how to get informed and have your say

CBC Newfoundland Morning

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2023 9:20

Reading an Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, sounds simple enough. At heart, it's a document that explains what a proposed project might mean for the environment. Government often requires an EIS to be filed and reviewed before a project can go ahead. But in reality, the document can be long, complex, and full of technical language. A deadline is coming up for public comment on World Energy GH2's proposed wind project, but the company's EIS is thousands of pages long. People in St. George's and Corner Brook can get some advice on that at upcoming public presentations. Camille Ouellet-Dallaire is an assistant professor at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University.

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New Canadians, Bear Guard, and Minister of Education

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2023 46:07

The Port au Port Peninsula could be transformed by a new wind-to-hydrogen project... but can anyone get through the four thousand page Environmental Impact Statement? We hear from an environmentalist and from government. (0:00) With the annual mix of anticipation and anxiety, kids are back to school... Mental health columnist Mark Henick will be here to talk about how we can help kids at a stressful time of year. (5:43) There are no polar bears in Bangladesh. So our newest member of the Labrador Morning team went looking for a lesson in polar bear safety. We hear Rhivu Rashid's chat with a bear guard. (13:25) School spirit is back in full force at Mealy Mountain Collegiate in Happy Valley-Goose Bay... we hear from two members of the student body who welcomed everyone back in a boisterous way... (19:55) What do you get when you combine a remote island, historic housing, and a scoff of fish and chips? You get summer in Battle Harbour. We'll hear how the summer went in one Labrador's most popular tourist attractions. (23:35) She's the third education minister in two years: there are vacancies and a nation-wide teacher shortage. What's Krista Lynn Howell's plan? (30:26) It took over half a century, but a couple of folks in western Labrador can finally say "I am Canadian" and really mean it. We meet them. (40:34)

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The progressive take on the permitting debate

Volts

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2023 66:17

In this episode, Johanna Bozuwa of the Climate and Community Project shares a progressive vision for permitting reform and the factors that could speed up the US clean-energy buildout.(PDF transcript)(Active transcript)Text transcript:David RobertsTo achieve its Paris climate targets, the US is going to have to build out an enormous amount of clean energy and clean-energy infrastructure in coming years. But that buildout is going slowly — painfully, excruciatingly slowly — relative to the pace that is necessary.This has given rise to considerable debate on the left over what, exactly, is slowing things down. Much of that debate has come to focus on permitting, and more specifically, on permitting under the National Environmental Protection Act, or NEPA.A deal that would have put some restrictions on NEPA in exchange for reforms to transmission planning was effectively killed by progressives toward the end of the last congressional session, leading many people inside and outside the climate movement to accuse progressives of being The Problem. They are so attached to slowing down fossil fuel development with NEPA, the accusation goes, that they are willing to live with it slowing clean energy. And that's a bad trade.Progressives, not surprisingly, disagree! Their take on the whole permitting debate is summarized in a new paper from the Roosevelt Institute and the Climate and Community Project: “A Progressive Vision for Permitting Reform.”The title is slightly misleading, since one of the central points of the paper is that permitting under NEPA is only a small piece of the puzzle — there are many other factors that play a role in slowing clean energy, and many other reforms that could do more to speed it up. I called up one of the paper's co-authors, Johanna Bozuwa of the Climate and Community Project, to ask her about those other reforms, the larger political debate, and the progressive community's take on speed. All right, then. With no further ado, Johanna Bozuwa from the Climate and Community Project. Welcome to Volts, and thank you so much for coming.Johanna BozuwaThank you so much for having me, David.David RobertsThis is a hot topic, as you're well aware, permitting and the larger issues around it. And so, before we jump into specifics, I wanted to start with a few sort of broad, call them philosophical, questions.Johanna BozuwaPerfect.David RobertsAs you know, progressives have been under quite a bit of fire lately, not only from their typical opponents on the right and in the fossil fuel industry, but from a lot of sort of centrists and even a lot of sort of allies in the climate movement. For — I think the general idea is they are too attached to stopping fossil fuels and not yet supportive enough of building out renewable energy. And the mechanisms that they rely on to slow and stop fossil fuels are also slowing and stopping renewable energy. And so I think the general critique is that they ought to swing around and be more pro-building and loosen these requirements, et cetera, et cetera. I'm sure you've heard all this.Johanna BozuwaYes.David RobertsSo I guess I'd just start with this question. Is, do you think the progressive — and by the way, I meant to say this by way of a caveat, I'm going to be sort of using you as a spokesperson for progressivism, which I think we both realize is ridiculous.Johanna BozuwaRight, exactly.David RobertsProgressives are heterogeneous just like anybody else. There's no official progressive position. But as a crude, let's just say as a crude instrument here, we're going to ask you to speak for that perspective as you see it.Johanna BozuwaPerfect.David RobertsSo in your opinion, do you think progressives have taken it into their heart that things are moving too slowly and they desperately need to move faster?Johanna BozuwaMy answer to that question is that I think speed is progressive. You know, David, I don't need to tell this to you or any of the people that listen to this podcast or even progressives. We're dealing with the existential threat of the climate crisis and lives are on the line. And so I think that as progressives, we do need to take the speed question seriously. And I think what I would push back on is the fact that people have this myopic focus on permitting as the thing that's slowing everything down. And especially when I'm talking about permitting, NEPA permitting.David RobertsRight. We're going to definitely get to that.Johanna BozuwaYeah. And I just think that when it comes to this question of "Do progressives believe in speed?" I think that they actually very much do. And one of the things that I get frustrated with sometimes, when I hear these arguments like "Oh, progressives don't want to build anything," I think what progressives are interested in is building the right thing. And if we think about the United States and how our energy system rolls out today, we have a real issue that fossil fuels can expand at the same time as renewable energy is expanding. Like when it comes to fossil fuels, we can actually export that.We are now the biggest net exporter of LNG and crude oil. And I think that progressives are particularly aware that if we do the wrong thing on permitting then we're actually not only expanding renewable energy — and maybe poorly done renewable energy — but also the fossil fuel industry knows how to use these tools so much better than our renewable energy developers. And we are going to see just a massive expansion that we absolutely don't need right now. If we think the climate crisis matters.David RobertsWhat about the argument which goes like this: Fossil fuels are reaching sort of a structural peak and decline. Renewable energy is getting cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. It's on the rise. So if you just, all things being equal, make it easier to build everything across the board, renewable energy will win that race and so it's worth doing.Johanna BozuwaI just don't think that argument is true, look at how much power the fossil fuel industry still has in making these decisions. Like if we look at who is behind the recent push for permitting reform: It was largely the oil and gas industry. There's definitely some more nuance that's there, but they have significant power to move things and move them faster than the clean energy world. It's a question of when you're rolling back some of these bedrock environmental laws that the pie — it's not that the part of renewable energy in the pie is getting bigger. It's that even if we are getting more renewable energy, the pie itself has expanded so that we're having fossil fuels and renewables expanding at the same time.And it's not fully pushing out the power of the fossil fuel industry.David RobertsWell, then, how about this? And this is the final philosophical question before we get down to some nuts and bolts. Do you agree that there are going to be trade-offs as we pursue speed? This is, of course, the big discussion right now is that if you really double down on speed, if you really pursue speed with everything you've got, there are inevitably going to be some trade-offs, some other progressive values that have to take a backseat. And that might be other environmental impacts. It might be impacts on communities. It might be, you know, name it. It might be that we have to loosen up a little bit on those other things.Do you think that there are those trade-offs?Johanna BozuwaI think that there are some trade-offs. You, I think, had my colleague, Thea Riofrancos, on the pod some time ago talking about lithium extraction, right? And the fact that if we are going to decarbonize our transportation sector, it is going to take extraction in order to accomplish that. Right. And there are substantial and significant impacts that has in terms of water contamination in some of the most drought-impacted parts of the United States, that is something that we need to be thinking about. And I think what my hesitation is when it comes to so much of this conversation is that we're talking about deregulation as the way to do speed instead of actually talking about planning and coordination.And from my perspective, it's the planning and coordination that allows us to think through the decisions we're making with a far better sense of what's happening instead of a "get government out of the way, we'll figure it out" project that — it didn't really do great things for the planet. Are we going to do that again and trying to fix it? That seems like a silly mistake to make.David RobertsYeah, that's a really important distinction. I'm glad we get that out up front. Because I hate when we go from, "Yes, there are trade-offs" to therefore "Let it rip, let everything go." As Thea said on the podcast, we can acknowledge those trade-offs and thoughtfully try to minimize them through planning.Johanna BozuwaExactly.David RobertsSo let's start with this. As you say, there's this sort of what we're calling the permitting debate, quote unquote. Permitting debate is actually a bunch of debates and they're all kind of getting squished together under this notion of permitting. But in fact, there's a lot of things going on here other than permitting. So maybe talk just a little bit about all the disparate things that are now sort of getting lumped together under that rubric.Johanna BozuwaExactly. So I think just to put a point on it, often when people are talking about permitting, they're talking about this unfocused conversation about cutting red tape. But really what it comes down to is where the fight is right now in particular on the national stage is around NEPA. So the National Environmental Policy Act, but wrapped up into all of their arguments are all these other pieces that actually are maybe more of the problem than particularly NEPA. So, you know, four of them, just to start us off, obviously we do have NEPA. That's part of the permitting process.We have local and state zoning permits, approvals, things like that. You know, going to Georgia County to make sure that you can put something through. Then you have third, these contracts or arrangements that are actually between private organizations. David, I know you had folks talking about internet connection queues — that often is part of the permitting debate, but it's actually about who gets to go onto the transmission that's being built.David RobertsLet me pause there because I want to make a point that I'm not sure everybody understands and I'm not even sure we made it in that pod. But the ISOs, the ...Johanna BozuwaIndependent service operators. I know I always mess it up. RTOs. ISOs.David RobertsYes, I know. ISOs and RTOs. I could never call that to mind. But anyway, the ones who are sort of running the transmission systems and running these queues are not public organizations. Those are not state organizations. They are private consortia of transmission organizations and utilities and things like that. So it's not something that the state can come in and just directly change. I just think that's worth sort of putting on the record.Johanna BozuwaI think that's a really important point and I think we'll probably dig into this further. But the idea that and I think you talked about this on the pod last time, but there are so many different kind of private actors that are operating within the RTOs and ISOs with not actually a huge amount of oversight, as it currently stands.David RobertsYes, or transparency.Johanna BozuwaOr transparency.David RobertsOr accountability, really.Johanna BozuwaYeah, exactly. And it turns out if we're looking at what's really miring the buildout of renewable energy, a solid amount of it is right there. Is in the interconnection queues. I think it was Southwest PowerPool — takes like eight years sometimes to get the developer to get their project through. And those are for projects that already have their offtaker and have all their permitting in place. So it just feels quite misguided for us to spend all of this time talking about permitting when we could be actually diagnosing the problem —David RobertsAnd you said there was a fourth.Johanna Bozuwa— and there's a fourth. The fourth one, I would say, is just operation and construction permits, like some of the pollution discharge stuff that is at some of these more local levels. And those four don't even include some of the other things that stop things, which is like access to capital, utility squabbles, supply chain slowdowns, these whole host of other issues that are just being swept under the rug because it's very alluring to say, guess what? I have the one quick fix to make sure that renewable energy gets built in the United States.David RobertsAnd local NIMBYism. I'd throw that in.Johanna BozuwaYeah, yeah, local NIMBYism, absolutely. Add it to the pile, exactly. So and NEPA's not going to do things about local NIMBYism in the same way that's the local and state zoning stuff.David RobertsYeah, I think people really want, for obvious reasons, they're frustrated by everything going so slowly and everybody wants there to be sort of like something to cut the Gordian knot, sort of one, as you said, one weird trick. And that's, I think, why people are grasping onto NEPA because it seems like that's one big thing we can argue about and change. But as you say, the reasons here are very disparate. But let's just take a second to talk about NEPA. I go back and forth on this, but is it, do you think the progressive position that NEPA is okay "as is" and doesn't need any changes?Like, do you think there are problems with NEPA and how it's administered?Johanna BozuwaOkay. My feeling on this is that the case about NEPA is overstated, especially as we describe so many other things, even outside of the permitting process that matters. But if we're going to talk about NEPA, I think overall the projects are going through pretty quickly. There was a new study, actually, this month by, I think, David Adelman that did a really comprehensive look at wind and solar NEPA reviews over the past ten years, and he found that less than 5% of Wind and solar projects required. The EIS, like the Environmental Impact Statement, which is the one that takes the most time usually, can be two and a half years or whatever, but they're going through with categorical exclusions or some of these faster ways to move wind and solar projects through, or just projects in general.And he found that there was very little litigation involved, which is often like the dog whistle, I feel like, of some of these folks who are calling for permitting.David RobertsYeah, I was surprised when I looked at that study. It's a relatively low percentage of those projects that get litigated after they're done.Johanna BozuwaRight, exactly. And I think if I were to make any improvements to NEPA, the thing I would do is bulk up the administrative state. Jamie Gibbs Pleune wrote a kind of corresponding piece of research to our permitting report where she investigated and talked about NEPA in particular with Roosevelt. But she was looking at another paper and found of 40,000 NEPA decisions that the US Forest Service looked at, the biggest causes of delays were actually from a lack of experienced staff, budget instability, and honestly, delays from the applicants themselves not getting their stuff in on time. So I just feel as if we're going to do anything to make NEPA better, give the BLM, give US Forest Service, give EPA far more funds, training, staff empowerment that's going to actually move these projects even faster through the pipeline when they're actually moving relatively quickly.And these places have experienced chronic understaffing and lack of empowerment. So there is work to be done there. I don't want to understate that, but I think that it's a reasonable thing for us to accomplish without rolling back and applying a very neoliberal frame to how we get this job done.David RobertsYeah, I would say it does seem like NEPA has sprawled a bit since it was passed. Originally, it was supposed to be major projects that came under NEPA review, and the court basically decided that all projects were under NEPA review. And so there's just thousands and thousands now that just have these little sort of not very long delays because they get these categorical exemptions. But there's just a lot of — it's very sprawling, it seems like, and unfocused. This is one of those areas where I feel like there are procedures of the administrative state that could work better and more effectively.But at this point, liberals, they've just been under assault for so long. And liberals just know if you open this can of worms, if you open it up to review, there's just a pool of piranhas that want to go in and strip it bare. And so they just don't open it for review. Like, there's so many things like this. Like, if we could have a good faith process of actually trying to do what NEPA is supposed to do better than NEPA does it, I feel like, yeah, there's stuff we could improve, but Joe Manchin doesn't want to improve it.Johanna BozuwaWe don't want Joe Manchin in charge of what NEPA looks like and what's the more muscular version that takes into consideration the real-life climate impacts. Because I don't know when you're talking there, David, a thing that comes up for me is the reality that we will have more things happening on the ground. Like, let's say you put transmission in, we have a wildfire crisis. Now all of a sudden, the stakes are higher when it comes to these things like environmental review that are very material that I think also aren't talked about as much as they should be. And so, yeah, I can imagine things being shifted and changed within NEPA so that it works better for the current context.But I think that, as you describe it, could be a real political problem for us to do that type of work right now. And we have other mechanisms that can move us much more quickly in the interim. Like, is this really the thing we want to be spending our time on as progressives? The answer is no.David RobertsAnd I also think if you look at the reforms that were sort of ended up getting jammed through, like of all the thoughtful things you could do to NEPA to make it work better, just a sort of — page limit, like a page limit on reviews: Seems like it's such a blunt instrument. It's such a crude way of approaching this.Johanna BozuwaOh, and I think it's going to get them into serious trouble. If you want a thing that is going to increase litigation, try adding an arbitrary deadline and page limit to something with no administrative capacity.David RobertsOkay. We could do a whole pod on NEPA, but I don't want to get too — our whole point is it's not the sole or even main impediment here. So at a slightly more granular level, let's talk about what you think is actually slowing down clean energy infrastructure build out. And there's a few categories your report covers starting with transmission, which is, I think, the big one.Johanna BozuwaYeah, totally. And I would agree with you. I mean, transmission planning is kind of in shambles in this country. It's not up to the job.David RobertsYeah, I don't think literally anybody on any side of anything would disagree with you about that.Johanna BozuwaExactly. And I think there are a couple of reasons for that. One is that multistate transmission buildouts are incredibly hard to do in a federalized system. We just have so many different actors that are vying to hold on to their particular part of the market, especially with our vertically integrated utilities that don't have much interest in allowing other utilities into their service territory. And in deregulated states, utilities are kind of out of the picture for deciding where new generation is being built. So there's not a lot of efficiencies that are built into that. So we just get this really haphazard development, if development at all, of our transmission system, which I think is just quite a failure.There are so many clear opportunities to do much more clear planning around this.David RobertsYes. And then what about big large-scale renewable energy projects like big solar, wind, geothermal, what is in practice, slowing down their build out?Johanna BozuwaYeah, so I think that when it comes to some of these larger scale projects around solar or wind, you're running again into projects that aren't thinking strategically about where they're being placed. So if we're looking at the amount of land that we're going to need with the energy transition right. Wind and solar take more space up than one natural gas plant. And I think that there's just like a clear lack of land use planning when it comes to these larger scale projects when we could be doing it far better. Right. And thinking about what are the areas that make sense and are going to limit the amount of impact on our landscape and on communities and actually deploy it in those areas.And I actually think there are answers to that question.David RobertsWell, we're not to answers yet. We're dwelling on problems.Johanna BozuwaOkay, all right —David RobertsSo how does that slow down? I mean, what does that manifest as? How does that slow down the build out?Johanna BozuwaYeah, well, the way that that manifests is that you're putting big renewable energy projects in tension with things like agriculture. You're putting big renewable projects in tension with our biodiversity goals. And so those are the things that are going to potentially mire the development and deployment of these larger scale projects — in addition to getting them attached to the transmission and making sure that it's colocated with the transmission we need.David RobertsYes, the aforementioned interconnection queue issue, which alone is like, "That's a lot of years," which as you say, that's a lot of years tacked on the end of all the other stuff they have to go through. Like once they have to go through all that other stuff, then they get in the interconnection queue and wait and wither, etc. And then another thing you take on here is a big piece of the clean energy buildout, which I think a lot of people don't really think about as much, maybe don't enjoy thinking about as much, which is the sort of minerals and metals aspect of it. A big part of IRA, the Inflation Reduction Act, is an attempt to onshore supply chains so that China does not dominate them.But that means onshoring some mines and some minerals processing which are not necessarily environmentally friendly, not necessarily things people like having in their backyard. So what's slowing those things down?Johanna BozuwaI guess I would say there are two pieces that are happening. One is just that this is a pretty new area and there are so many price fluctuations that are happening. There's all of these big mining companies that are shifting ownership, trying to figure out financing. Right? So there's a lot that's happening there. And mining companies are not the best known for having perfect environmental impact statements or anything like that, that's going to get them mired right. And then you add in the fact that as we talked about earlier, a lot of where these lithium reserves are is also in extremely — like the likelihood for drought is a lot higher if you're looking, for instance, at the Salton Sea in California or, you know, over in Nevada, these are places that we actually have to be extremely careful about. And also it just takes a really long time to build a mine like this isn't something that happens the next day. Right. It's like 10 to 15 years in the future type thing. So it is a longer time frame that's going to be even longer if we aren't thinking, again, about who is impacted, how they are going to be impacted by the mining itself. What is that going to do to air quality, water quality, all of these different things?It's a really big part of the permitting discussion, or of the transition discussion in particular that is being discounted in the United States.David RobertsAnd one more bit on problems, before we transition to recommendations. I noticed that one thing you don't get into a lot in the report is the expression of those state and local level permitting issues. And a lot of those I think, are tied to environmental review. And a lot — like, for instance, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is just sort of like legendarily at this point, a tool for local NIMBYs to stop things happening. Like we just read a story that was bouncing around Twitter a few days ago about these wealthy people — I forget what county they were in — but they were suing because someone had moved a playground closer to their house.They didn't like the sound of the kids playing and so they sued. And part of it was that the city had not done a proper environmental review under CEQA of moving the playground. And you hear stories like that all the time. Do you think you said that NEPA is not as big a problem as people say? Do you think state level environmental review is a serious problem, a serious barrier, at least in some places?Johanna BozuwaI think it just really depends on the place. And I think that's part of why as we were writing a national paper, being able to dig into the detail and differentiations between all of these different places seemed like a big haul for a small paper. So yeah, I think that there are these pieces at the local level, the zoning things, right? People are historic preservation boards that are saying like, "No rooftop solar because we don't like the look of it." Yeah, that's some BS in my mind and I think we do need to figure out how to manage that.And I think what this comes into conversation with is a little bit of like, what is the community review process? What does that look like and how do we manage that?David RobertsContemplating the variety and number of those instruments at the state and local level is really overwhelming and really does make the problem feel so intractable because it's just like, as you say in a federalist system, it's like every bit of reform is not just one bit, it's 50 bits. Every bit is 50 fights.Johanna BozuwaTotally agree. And I think that's why we get stuck in these gridlocks sometimes. And also when we get to solutions, I think there are some examples that we can draw on and utilize our little multi tool of ideas of how to move this forward.David RobertsFinal thing before that, because I forgot about this bit, but actually it's worth making a note that it's actually easier for fossil fuel infrastructure to get NEPA permits than it is for clean energy projects. It's something you note in the paper. If anything, NEPA is easier on these pipelines and stuff. Even though Joe Manchin is complaining ceaselessly about it.Johanna BozuwaYes, and I mean, I think that's why in particular, people who have been fighting the fossil fuel industry for so long, look to this group of folks, more center left folks, that are saying "Repeal NEPA, let's do it, we want to build." They're saying, "Oh my gosh. What you're doing by saying that is saying that the West Virginian that I have been fighting alongside is going to be decimated by this pipeline that's being passed now." So there are really high stakes and in a lot of the permitting process that we saw at the federal level, it also implicated the Mountain Valley pipeline.Right. And that type of infrastructure getting a pass when it couldn't even get some of its permits at the state level to just go forth is a really, I think, scary potential because that locks us into decades of extraction.David RobertsYeah, I feel like that was not covered well when this whole thing happened. You know, the Mountain Valley Pipeline: It's not that it was like stuck unfairly in a bureaucratic tangle. It just sort of straightforwardly was polluting and so it couldn't get the permits, the permits were rejected. It wasn't like stuck in some queue or something. It was just straightforwardly a polluting project that could not qualify under US law to go on. And it was just like jammed through. So I feel like the outrage of that didn't really penetrate partially because everybody's on this like "everything needs to go faster tip" and so they just kind of slotted it under there.But we don't want things that straightforwardly fail environmental review going forward do we?Johanna BozuwaExactly, like, I would like, that the Cuyahoga River does not catch on fire again. And that's the reason we have environmental review and NEPA. And also I would like it to be able to stop more fossil fuel infrastructure.David RobertsYeah, I know. And this is the other thing too, as though we're supposed to have some sort of content neutral opinions about permitting as such. I'm just like, "Well, I want more good stuff and less bad stuff. Can I have that opinion?"Johanna BozuwaExactly. That's so crucial too, where there are ways for us to stop permitting new fossil fuel infrastructure and permit the hell out of good renewable energy projects. That's a political possibility that Biden actually had signed up for and now is stepping back on.David RobertsYeah, I mean, it's politically tough, but let's be positive here. You have a lot of recommendations in here, all of which are juicy, all of which could probably have a podcast of their own on them. There's no way we can cover them all. But you sort of have your principles and recommendations grouped under three headings. And the first one, which I think is the one that is most directly germane to the speed question, is enabling more coordination and planning. And I think this is a huge thing. This is one of my soapboxes I get on all the time.I really want the climate movement to take this up is that we've had decades and decades of for lack of a better term, neoliberalism and this sort of instinctive free market stuff. And it's not like any major developed economy actually stops planning. What happens when you claim you're not planning and you claim you're being a free market is you just move planning behind closed doors or bury it in the tax code where no one can see it or understand what's happening. And then that results in whoever has the most power and money winning the planning fights.So I'm done with my soapbox. Let's talk about restoring our ability to do public, transparent, cooperative planning. Let's talk about a few of the items under here. And first is just land use planning. What do you mean by that and what would it look like?Johanna BozuwaSo, land use planning, as we talked about earlier, it turns out that one fossil fuel plant is a lot smaller than the types of assets that we need to build. That's just a reality of what we're working with. And so that necessitates far more land use planning to think about how do we get the most out of the least amount of space that is going to do the best for keeping the lights on. And so there are examples of how we can do this type of land planning. And one example I want to bring up actually is in California.So there was the Desert Renewable Energy Plan that was basically where states and federal agencies came together and they were looking at the Mojave and Colorado desert area. It's like 22 million acres.David RobertsVery sunny.Johanna BozuwaYeah, very sunny, exactly. Very sunny, very good for some solar. And what they did is that they coordinated a plan for this entire region so that it was prescreened for issues. So they said, okay, we're going to look at the biodiversity impacts of things being put here. We're going to look at the cultural or tribal impacts, the environmental potential impacts. And so after they did that kind of, what's called often like a programmatic study, that meant that the developers that came in to build the stuff there don't have to go through some more involved environmental impact assessment or study because it's already done.And so that meant that because they had done all of that work ahead of time, projects are getting approved so much faster. They're getting approved in less than ten months. And have, I think it's been now this zone has been around for about ten years and I don't think there is one litigation case. So that is just such a good example of land use planning where it's like thinking ahead of what we need and how we're going to do it. And that still does allow for private developers to come in, even though I might even argue that we could do even more planning and fill in the gaps with some public transmission or public renewable energy.But we can get into that later.David RobertsAnd we did an example from California, so I think now we're constitutionally obliged to do one from Texas too.Johanna BozuwaAbsolutely. Well, exactly. Thank you for setting me up so neatly, David, for the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones of Texas, which was such a success. So this is a very similar situation where the legislature directed the PUC, the Public Utilities Commission to plan where new generation and transmission was going to be located, routed, all of this. And so by doing so, they allowed for this proliferation of wind in Texas, a place where you might not expect a massive amount of wind to be. And I was reading a study the other day that said that in the past ten years, the CREZ line, so the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone, represents 23% of all new high voltage lines in the US.David RobertsGood grief.Johanna BozuwaRight?David RobertsYeah. They're actually building I mean, I don't know if people know this, they're actually building transmission in Texas. I'll just talk about how transmission never gets built. They're building it there because —Johanna BozuwaThey had a plan.David RobertsThey planned in advance. Yes, they had zones where it got approved and so you didn't have to then go there and do the entire like a transmission developer didn't have to go somewhere and then do the entire thing. Right. Do the entire review, do the entire land use review and the environmental review. They didn't have to start over every time that stuff was done in advance.Okay, point made. There more land use coordination and planning. That's the states doing it. But you could imagine the feds getting into that somewhat. You have these jurisdictional issues and federalism issues that are a bit of a tangle, but it does seem like the feds at the very least could do some informational, advisory planning and assessment on a bigger level, don't you think?Johanna BozuwaOh, absolutely. Actually, we do have a lot of private land in this country. Absolutely. But there is a lot of land that is owned by the federal government. So they're actually implicating a lot of this already. And it makes far more sense for an actor that has that kind of meso level understanding of what we need to build to be involved in those processes and be doing kind of a national assessment of where should those zones be. Like CREZ that's going to have all of these benefits and is going to allow for the most kind of efficient way for us to be deploying renewable energy while also taking into consideration these biodiversity, tribal nation relations and all of these things.That's a good role for the federal government to actually play.David RobertsOkay, we're going to pass quickly by two of these since I've done pods on them. But as you say, one is the interconnection process, which is probably the biggest thing right now, slowing down renewable energy getting built. I did a whole pod on that with RMI's Chaz Teplin a few weeks ago.Johanna BozuwaA fantastic one.David RobertsReally encourage everybody to go listen to that. There's a lot of recommendations in there for how to improve the interconnection process, how to improve things in batches. To return to a theme here, a lot of that has to do with just more and better planning on the ISO's parts.Once again, like, think in advance a little bit and you can skip some of this case by case stuff, but I encourage people to go listen to that pod. Another one, which we've touched on slightly, which I also did a pod on, is just and I think this is so important is just the capacity of the agencies that are doing these reviews. These are at the state level and at the federal level. These agencies have been cut to the bone. They're all, all understaffed, desperately behind, and that, of course, makes things go slower. So all these people who are whinging about reviews, if they're not talking about bulking up agency capacity, I just have trouble taking them seriously because that is the lowest hanging fruit you could do.But I did a whole pod on that several weeks ago about government capacity and about some of the provisions in the IRA that are meant to bulk up capacity at these agencies. It's just a matter of money and hiring. So we're going to check that one off the list. Let's talk a little bit about this next recommendation, which is about more publicly owned energy and transmission. What do you mean by that? What would that look like?Johanna BozuwaYeah, so this is kind of trying to answer the question of building where private companies will not, right? Like, we do have this problem of not having the long-range solution in the mind's eye, right? And we have this system in which there isn't a lot of this coordination that's in the mind's eye of a developer, right? Like, they're focused on their development, whereas the state government, federal government, has a little bit more of like, "Okay, what are we trying to accomplish? We are trying to handle the climate crisis. And that means we need to move as quickly as possible to deploy as much renewable energy as possible.And it turns out we actually do have some capacity and to actually build this ourselves." And we've done this in the past, admittedly, in a much less dense energy system. But the New Deal is a really good example of this, where the U.S. either directly financed or built itself a massive amount of transmission and energy infrastructure, like the Rural Electrification Administration that FDR put in place. It electrified 80% of the United States land mass in ten years. And when we're talking about the climate crisis, I would like to go at that clip. So I think if there are ways for us where we have a standstill where things aren't getting built fast enough, where can the federal government, the state government come in with a little political muscle and do that building?And I think that there are additional kind of benefits to doing this too, which include the fact that if you're building public renewables, for instance, you're also probably going to value having higher and better-paid jobs. You are probably going to, in comparison to a private developer, probably thinking a little bit more about some of those community benefits. And I think that there's a real win there that actually kind of creates a baseline for the rest of the private industry in a good way too.David RobertsInstead of just nudging and incentivizing private developers to do these things, we could just do them.Johanna BozuwaWe could just do them and we can also show them the way a little bit too. Right. Like right now, right. We just have the Inflation Reduction Act. Fabulous. We love the climate investments. It's so great. And also it just largely relies on tax incentives, right. And in those it's like you get a little bit more if you use local steel and if you have high wage jobs, all these things. And we could also just do that, build some public renewables and make it happen ourselves. And also when you have, particularly from a job perspective, right, like a public renewables entity that's building these developments with high wage work, that means that the private developers are afraid that they're going to lose all of their workers.So then they have to raise their wages too, which is a good thing.David RobertsRace to the top, I think they call that.Johanna BozuwaI would love a race to the top instead of a race to the bottom in our renewable energy world.David RobertsYes. Okay, we got to keep moving here. There's a long list. The next one is something we covered, I think, on the Thea Riofrancos post, which is just we know we have to build a lot of stuff, but that's not a fixed quantity of stuff we have to build. Right. We can be more efficient with how we use materials. We can try to build in a less material intensive way. So, you know, what Theo was talking about is encourage more walking and biking and multimodal transportation rather than cars, cars, cars. Like that's a choice. And there are other choices we could make to build a clean, but the less material intensive version of clean.There's a lot of different ways we can guide things in that direction.Johanna BozuwaOh yeah, absolutely.David RobertsEveryone should go listen to that podcast, too. This pod is like an advertisement for all my other pods.Johanna BozuwaI love it, I love it. Yeah. And just to kind of emphasize, the more that we can invest in efficiency, the fewer transmission lines we might have to build, right? Like if we have a bunch of houses that aggressively go in on multi units. Like, we're having more people housed in multi units. We're creating urban density. We're making the houses that we already have more efficient. All of those things accumulate and make it so that we actually don't have to do the same level of massive deployment, which is a huge win. So we have to — I think it's like questioning some of the assumptions, too, of how much do we need to build.David RobertsRight. Maybe not all our private vehicles need to be the size of military tanks and weigh three tons. This segues perfectly into the next one, which I feel like is underappreciated, which is supporting distributed energy resources. Talk about why that's part of going faster here. How does that fit into this picture?Johanna BozuwaSo let's say we're able to add rooftop solar to a lot of the rooftops that are around and implement microgrids and put in storage. These are all, again, things that are going to be a lot easier probably to deploy because they're smaller. There's less of this zoning permitting etc. that has to happen when it comes to some of the bigger stuff, where you're going to maybe need environmental review. And so by making those investments in distributed energy resources, you're actually lightening the load again on transmission development.David RobertsRight. It's kind of a piece of the previous one, really.Johanna BozuwaTotally.David RobertsIt's about being less material intensive.Johanna BozuwaExactly. And I also think the added benefit of doing that, of course, is the fact that we live in unreliable times and it adds additional reliability potential by having things like microgrids deployed.David RobertsYes, many future pods on that particular subject are in the works, are cooking in the Volts oven. Let's go to the second big category here, and this is where I have a little bit of skepticism. So this category is "Enhance community participation and consent." So this is what I want to talk about: You say, let's bring communities in more and earlier. And of course, I think most people, at least most people in my world, when they hear "more community involvement," their palms start sweating. They envision these local zoning meetings with old people shouting at city officials.They envision nothing ever getting done, everything getting blocked, NIMBY's everywhere. You have this sentence where it says, "Strengthening community participation early in the process will likely move projects forward faster without as much community opposition." Do we know that to be true? I want that to be true. I like the idea of it. Do we know that?Johanna BozuwaGreat question. It's worth interrogating. I'm going to borrow a little bit from my colleague that we've already referenced today, Thea Riofrancos, that she often says which is "Sometimes going fast isn't actually fast." So, you know, if we streamline, right, or NEPA gets streamlined or many of these other permitting processes, you cut the red tape and therefore you are steamrolling communities affected by the infrastructure. You're potentially hardening them against the project. And when they feel mad or disenfranchised, chances are they're going to throw the book at you. They're going to throw the book to stop the project. We talked about these arbitrary dates set by some of the permitting system.You're actually putting yourself up for far more potential litigation and drawn out legal battles because you actually haven't done the work that's necessary to bring that group on side, nor do you have all of your ducks in a row. So I think that there is a justification for defraying conflict and making our odds better at doing that. I'm not saying that we're not going to run into problems and there isn't going to be this annoying mob of Karens that's going to show up every once in a while. But I do think that our odds do look better when we do involve community.David RobertsThere's a cynical point of view here which says communities are always going to have their Karens. There's always going to be somebody who objects, no matter how early, no matter how much you consult, there's always going to be somebody who doesn't want something near them. The only way in the end to overcome this problem is to take those instruments of delay out of their hands, including the litigation tool, including the environmental review tool, including the community review tool, and just get a little bit more Chinese about the whole thing. Just go do stuff, even if — bulldoze, basically.I know we want to resist that conclusion, but I wish we knew better. I wish we had better models of moving quickly.Johanna BozuwaSo I think actually, since you mentioned the Chinese, I'm going to mention the Danish. And I think that part of this is actually like — we have this problem, right, that we know that deploying renewable energy, deploying clean energy is just incredibly important for the climate crisis. But the benefits are diffuse where the potential negative is pretty concentrated when it comes to these things. And so I think one question we can ask or the permit reviewers or whatever it is, or how we're thinking about developing these projects, is getting in their shoes and asking, what is in it for me?We can pay people to have some of this stuff, right? So the Danish government in the 1990s was building out a bunch of wind. And so one of the ways that they incentivized this wind development was by incentivizing that part of it is owned by the local government to give them a revenue stream. And that actually helped to limit the controversy. And you'll see that in Denmark, people have kind of higher concepts or like the polling is better for wind. And I was talking with this professor, Nick Pevzner from University of Pennsylvania, who was discussing this really interesting particular instance in which in one of these towns where they were going to be around the offshore wind, they actually brought in landscape architects to design the offshore wind. So that it would be aesthetically pleasing.David RobertsThe Danes give a shi-, give a dang, about how things look like. What a thought.Johanna BozuwaHuge difference.David RobertsYes, I know. You look at what's the one waste incineration plant in the middle of the town that's like gorgeous. It's got a laser display, I think it's got a ski hill on it. All these kind of things. It seems like we don't care here in the US. How ugly things are. Witness any sort of midsize town or strip mall or the periphery of any city. Everything's just like plain and ugly. Like what if we made things look nice that might improve community —Johanna BozuwaWe deserve nice things. Communities deserve nice things.David RobertsWe can have nice things. And you talk about we should do what's called a "Cumulative impact analysis."Johanna BozuwaYes.David RobertsAgain, to me on first blush that sounds like oh, bigger and more analysis: Surely that's going to slow things down. So how do you see that working?Johanna BozuwaWell, again, this kind of takes us to our planning. Right. Like cumulative impact analysis which New Jersey and New York have put in place is this way to discern not just the impact of the project but the accumulated impact of that project and what's already come to date. And I think what you would find in cumulative impact in these places, is that actually it's doing some of what we were talking about before, which is trying to fight off the bad and build more of the good. So that's a way to stop new fossil fuel infrastructure but maybe see benefit around solar or something like that.These are actually tools that, yes, as you say, at first glance you might think, "Oh my gosh, more? Really?" But what it's doing is assuring some of that larger meso level discerning and also in a lot of ways these are environmental justice tools too. Right. The reason that they're doing that is because it has so consistently been the same community that has had to shoulder the coal plant, then the gas plant, then the pipeline, then another cement factory. Right. And so they're trying to say, "Okay wait, this is out of control. Let's think about where we're putting this and how that's going to burden people."David RobertsSo the last category here is "Empower a just transition." And I don't think we need to go piece by piece through here since these are very familiar asks from progressive climate people, which is just stop permitting new fossil fuel facilities. Protect the communities that are getting hurt by fossil fuel pollution and set emission reduction targets that will phase out fossil fuels. I think those are all pretty straightforward. I do think the point here, though the larger point you're making with this section is worth underlining because it seems obvious to me, but also frequently left out of this debate, which is if you want to get renewable energy built faster: One way you could do that is through statute and regulation forcing fossil fuel out. Like, nothing's going to speed up renewable energy more than forcing fossil fuels out. Right. It seems so obvious, but it's weirdly left out here.Johanna BozuwaVery weirdly left out. It's a bizarre kind of development that we've seen in the climate realm, right? The IRA, for instance, that is a bill that is great. It creates a lot of carrots, but basically no sticks. And the reality is we need sticks if we're actually going to do this, right, as we were talking about at the kind of outset of the show, we can't let just the entire pie keep on getting bigger and bigger. We actually need to get rid of the fossil fuels. That's the point of what we're doing here. They're the reason that we have the climate crisis.And so, the best way to get rid of them is to just regulate them out of existence, like eliminate them. And I also think there's a certain amount of private industry hates regulation, but they do love certainty. So what is more certain than a decarbonization mandate that says, like, well, you need to be done by this date? And that actually gets us to more of the displacement than when we just say "Build, build, build just hopefully build the right thing for us, please please."David RobertsYes, I think that's true on several micro levels and it's true on a macro level too. One thing that would help us go faster is if we could just clearly articulate our goals. But we're sort of just hampered by having to beg Joe Manchin for his vote. And to get Joe Manchin's vote, you have to pretend that the whole pie is going to get bigger, that everything's going to grow. That's explicitly the grounds upon which he voted yes on Iraq. He sets it outright. He's like, I voted yes because I thought it was going to grow renewable energy and fossil fuels.In some sense, politically, we can't just come out and say the goal is to get rid of fossil fuels. That's where we're headed. It would just help everybody, private developers, state and local governments, if we were just on the same friggin page. Instead of sort of like backing into this, we're just backing into everything we do. Trying to sort of like wink wink at one another. Like we know what we're doing, they don't know what we're doing. It's just a bunch of confusion.Johanna BozuwaRight? And I think that it's also a little bit laughable because they obviously know what we're trying to do, right? Like, we're not really hiding the bag. And I think that this speaks to the need for us to be like, this is a 20-year fight, we're not done with the fight the progressive left needs to keep — we can't just have IRA and think that we're done and can wipe our hands. I mean, even this conversation that has come up on permitting shows that people are hungry and need more. And the question is okay, how do we build the actual political power so that Manchin isn't the one that's in the driver's seat?David RobertsYes.Johanna BozuwaI think one kind of last thing on this kind of community consent piece or community engagement that makes me really nervous to tie us back to the permitting realm, right. Is that the people who are potentially going to be railroaded by infrastructure that they don't want is rural America. And if you are pissing off rural parts of the United States right now, that's a very short-sighted game to be playing, right. Because you are potentially taking these rural folk who have just been beaten back again and again, and you're turning them to the right, to a growing fascist right, and giving away a massive voting bloc that is going to be crucial for us to continue to win and win again and keep winning until we actually solve the climate crisis.So I think when it comes to this kind of larger political project that we're doing on from a progressive perspective, we have to be wary of this idea that this is — not a get it fixed quick scheme.David RobertsYes. We do not want to tick off these particular communities any more than they're ticked off. I think if you talk to Biden administration officials sort of behind the scenes, they will tell you that part of the design of IRA, part of the thinking behind it is we need to flood these areas of the country that were hollowed out by neoliberalism, hollowed out by globalism. We need to flood them with new economic activity and new development or else our democracy is screwed. But it is also the case that you can't just go stomping things down here and there, willy-nilly, without community consent.They need to have a feeling that they're involved in where and how this is done.Johanna BozuwaYeah, we're trying to bring them into the fight for a populist amazing future, and shoving this down their throats I just don't think is the most effective tactic. And if you look back to the New Deal, right, so much of it was workers. It was people that were in more of rural America. There were so many of these folks who were standing up and fighting. And if we're not setting ourselves up for that same kind of sea change, then I'm afraid we're not going to be able to win this thing.David RobertsOkay. We are just about out of time. So just to kind of review, this is just, I think the point of your report, point of all this is to say the question of speed is not the same as the question of permitting. Technically speaking, permitting is a relatively small piece of the puzzle here. There's lots of other things we could be doing to speed things up that have nothing technically to do with NEPA or even technically to do with permitting. And we've reviewed a lot of them here, and I would commend people to your report to get a fuller picture of them and to think about them.But let me finish, I guess with, this is all a vision. I love this vision, but politics are politics and we live in a fallen world, et cetera, et cetera. So toward the end of last session, there was this chance to have a permitting deal, and basically it was these sort of arbitrary caps on NEPA reviews, the length of NEPA reviews and the Mountain Valley pipeline in exchange for some pretty substantial transmission stuff, some pretty substantial stuff on transmission, federal transmission planning. The progressive movement rallied to kill that. They called it Manchin's dirty deal. They rallied, they killed it.And what ended up happening was the NEPA stuff squeezed through somewhere else. The Mountain Valley pipeline squeezed through somewhere else, and the transmission stuff died. Looking back on that, do you think that was the right political move for the progressive movement to fight that bill? And more broadly, do you think the progressive movement is prepared to sort of make the political trade-offs which are going to be necessary since a lot of this stuff that you list in your report is just going to be very difficult with today's current political distribution of power?Johanna BozuwaYeah, great question, and I think my answer is that the progressive movement still did the right thing. We needed to fight — or the progressive movement folks who were in those fights needed to fight off and make very clear the MVP is not something that we can have — this permitting that's going to expand. It was a big toad to swallow. And I think if we look at some of the transmission stuff, like, sure, it was fine. Was it the things that we were fully looking for? I think it was Hickenlooper's bill, big wires that was in some of those kind of final fights, right.With the Fiscal Responsibility Act, his bill included something like a 30% interregional transfer. The DOE says we need a 120% increase in interregional transfer. That's just not even at the scale that we need, and we'd be giving up so much for it. So, yeah, we didn't fully win that fight, but I think that from what I'm hearing, kind of at the congressional level, there is the potential for another bite at the apple on transmission. There is still some, as we said earlier, right, everyone agrees that transmission is a boondoggle right now and a hot mess. So I think that should be one of the things that we're thinking about as the progressive movement.How do we do that? Right? But I don't think I would go back in time and say "Eh, we should just accept Manchin's deal." I think that it was an important political flag to stamp in the ground that, no, we actually don't believe that we should be expanding fossil fuels and renewable energy at the same time because that's not what we need to do. Saying all that, I do think there are things that we can be doing right now to advance transmission. For instance, FERC is looking at some of these interconnection issues right now. Biden should not rest on his laurels until he gets someone approved and appointed to the FERC board.David RobertsHey, there's Joe Manchin again being a jerk.Johanna BozuwaI know, it's so true. But there are things and again, we've already talked on this pod about stuff that can be done at the state level, too. We still have some cards to play in our hand to accelerate and prove our case increasingly and build the case for more federal implementation, too.David RobertsJohanna, thanks so much for coming on. I feel like lately the progressive environmental left has appeared in mainstream media and social media more as a weird caricature viewed from a distance than been able to speak for itself. So I'm glad to be able to have you on so we can talk through a little bit about how progressives see this and the larger issues at play and their specific recommendations, all of which I think are great. So people should check out your report. And thanks for sharing your time with us.Johanna BozuwaThank you so much for having me today, David. It's lovely.David RobertsThank you for listening to the Volts podcast. It is ad-free, powered entirely by listeners like you. If you value conversations like this, please consider becoming a paid Volts subscriber at volts.wtf. Yes, that's volts.wtf so that I can continue doing this work. Thank you so much, and I'll see you next time. Get full access to Volts at www.volts.wtf/subscribe

united states america new york university california texas china talk colorado chinese joe biden debate new jersey pennsylvania protect wind witness bs mvp climate iraq nevada communities active blm denmark empower progressive danish enhance strengthening epa fabulous eis franklin delano roosevelt roosevelt technically new deal iso inflation reduction act karens fossil joe manchin progressives renewable lng mojave nimby puc permitting cumulative nepa community projects us forest service john hickenlooper salton sea volts west virginians nimbyism isos ferc rmi gordian roosevelt institute rtos national environmental policy act cuyahoga river public utilities commission david adelman fiscal responsibility act thea riofrancos ceqa mountain valley environmental impact statement crez

Legislators get update on designs, funding, transit and tolling for Interstate Bridge replacement

bridge funding bi designs replacement transit interstate legislators tolling environmental impact statement

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2023 9:01

The Bi-state Bridge Committee met to discuss the Interstate Bridge Replacement (IBR) project, which includes tolling and considerations for various bridge configurations, while facing concerns about toll revenues, traffic diversion, light rail funding, and design options, with an expectation of completing the Environmental Impact Statement by the end of the year and starting construction in 2026. https://tinyurl.com/yc3w26k7 #InterstateBridgeReplacementProgram #IBR #I5 #I205 #tolling #MAX #lightrail #TriMet #CTran #highcapacitytransit #EdOrcutt #GregJohnson #SupplementalEnvironmentalImpactStatement #LynnFindley #OregonDepartmentofTransportation #WashingtonStateTransportationCommission #LyndaWilson #ColumbiaRiverCrossing #KhanhPham #OregonLegislature #WashingtonLegislature #JakeFey #ChrisGorsek #JoeCortright #USDOT #USCoastGuard #AdmiralMWBouboulis #BobOrtblad #BeFriend #SarahIannarone #ChrisSmith #TheStreetTrust #NoMoreFreeways #ImmersedTubeTunnel #GlennJacksonBridge #FederalTransitAdministration #FederalHighwayAdministration #ColumbiaRiver #SR99Tunnel #VariableRateTolling #CongestionTolling #TrafficCongestion #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

Episode 1506: Shocking Answers to Your Starship Lawsuit Questions

Talking Space

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2023 62:39

Talk all you want about the delays caused by repairs/mods to the launch pad and re-certifying the Autonomous Flight Termination System, the real issue that is grounding Starship at Boca Chica is this one thing: The Lawsuit. You know … the one filed by a consortium of environmental groups and Indigenous tribes against the FAA alleging (based on the observable environmental damage wrought by the April test launch) FAA's inadequate oversight and review of SpaceX's plans and operations at Boca Chica. This time around, Larry Herrin and Gene Mikulka are joined by the guy who accurately predicted that the Starship test launch last April 20th would cause more damage than SpaceX or the FAA's own calculations predicted in its worst-case scenario. His name is Eric Roesch, and he goes by the Twitter handle @ESGHound. Turns out, Eric has experience working both the consulting and regulatory sides of the fence in shepherding Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) documents through the process; knows quite a bit about the related issues; and has some well-reasoned answers to questions like: Eric, how do you know so much about this stuff? Why did SpaceX want to join the FAA as a co-defendant in the lawsuit? What are some of the strategies the Plaintiffs may use to try to win it all (or at least wrangle some additional mitigations that SpaceX will have to implement)? How much longer will we have to wait for a decision? What is the most likely outcome? Will it be: The Plaintiffs win it all, and SpaceX must go back to the drawing board for years while a new Environmental Impact Statement is prepared, reviewed, and revised again and again? The Plaintiffs manage to wrangle some concessions, and FAA adds some additional mitigations to the existing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document with which SpaceX must comply? Defendants prevail and it's business as usual under the existing launch license? The answers may surprise you! All will be revealed in this episode of Talking Space. Please be sure to let us know your thoughts on the topics we discuss. You can always reach us at mailbag@TalkingSpaceOnline.com . How to contact Eric and read his writings: website: blog.esghound.com Substack: esghound.substack.com Twitter: @ESGHound Show recorded 06-21-2023. Host: Larry Herrin Panelist(s): Gene Mikulka (Mark Ratterman, Sawyer Rosenstein and Dr. Kat Robison will return) Podcast Editor: Larry Herrin

talk indigenous shocking spacex lawsuit faa starship defendants plaintiffs boca chica national environmental policy act nepa environmental impact statement

Communities for Clean Water Urge LANL to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Hexavalent Chromium Plume

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2023 4:27

Los Alamos National Laboratory plans to prepare an environmental assessment to address the hexavalent chromium contamination in the deep regional drinking water aquifer. In comments submitted this week, the Communities for Clean Water recommended that LANL conduct a more detailed environmental impact statement in order to protect the regional drinking water aquifer and the Environmental Protection Agency-designated Española Basin Sole Source Aquifer from the migrating contamination. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ccnsupdate/support

espa communities urge clean water plume chromium los alamos national laboratory lanl environmental impact statement hexavalent

Public Comments Needed for the Scope of Sandia National Laboratory Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement

new mexico wide scope public comments sandia sandia national laboratories national laboratory environmental impact statement ccns

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 4:29

CCNS has prepared sample public comments you can modify about the scope of a new draft site-wide environmental impact statement for Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. Comments may be submitted electronically to SNL- SWEIS@nnsa.doe.gov through Monday, June 5 th , 2023. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ccnsupdate/support

People Speaking Rail EP04 Noise pollutions tops list of concerns in CP/KCS environmental impact statement

FreightCasts

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2023 25:41

FreightWaves' Mike Baudendistel and Joanna Marsh discuss recent developments in Canadian Pacific's pending acquisition of Kansas City Southern, including takeaways from the final environmental impact statement. Other topics include the weak intermodal volume and proposed legislation limiting train lengths. Follow the People Speaking Rail PodcastOther FreightWaves Shows

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EP 329: Biden's Wind Goals Imperil Idaho's Magic Valley

District of Conservation

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2023 38:24

In Episode 329 of District of Conservation, Gabriella speaks with two leaders behind the "Stop Lava Ridge" movement, Diana Nielsen and Dean Dimond, to discuss the significance of the proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project in Southern Idaho. This proposed project is endorsed by the Biden administration as part of their goal to generate 25 gigawatts of onshore wind energy by 2025. This interview ties with today's release of Conservation Nation Episode 12 on the very subject. Tune in to learn more! SHOW NOTES Conservation Nation Episode 12: Lava Ridge Stop Lava Ridge and Facebook Group Lava Ridge Wind Project Proposal - Friends of Minidoka Boise State Public Radio: Western public lands are key to Biden's clean energy goals. In Idaho, opposition is mounting Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project in Jerome, Lincoln, and Minidoka Counties, Idaho --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/district-of-conservation/support

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Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales Breaks Down the Comprehensive Plan

Hacks & Wonks

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2022 31:14

On this midweek show, Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales stops by to discuss Seattle's Comprehensive Plan with Crystal and how this roadmap, which determines the manner in which the City accommodates growth, plays a critical role in issues that affect our day-to-day lives. Councilmember Morales fills us in on how the Comp Plan and its impending update is an opportunity for us to create a vision for what our communities look like, whether it be addressing historic inequities, tackling climate change, or realizing sustainable, healthy, connected neighborhoods across the City. The show wraps up with details on how to get involved with the Comprehensive Plan update and guide what Seattle looks and feels like in the future. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Councilmember Morales at @CMTammyMorales. Councilmember Tammy Morales Councilmember Tammy J. Morales was elected to the Seattle City Council in 2019. As an experienced community organizer and advocate, Morales worked for the Rainier Beach Action Coalition and served as a Seattle Human Rights Commissioner. Morales is trained as a community and regional planner, and has spent her career working with frontline communities on local issues including food security, displacement in low-income neighborhoods and community-centered development. Morales previously served as a Legislative Director for a state representative in Texas, as a city budget analyst in New York, and ran a successful consulting firm on food access research and programming, with clients such as the City of Seattle and King County. Morales has been a Seattle resident for nearly 20 years. She is a mom with three kids - two in the Seattle Public School system and one a proud Viking at Portland State. Resources “Seattle Reveals Rezoning Concepts and Invites Scoping Comments for Big 2024 Update” by Doug Trumm from The Urbanist Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan | Office of Planning & Community Development One Seattle Plan | Office of Planning & Community Development Seattle Within Reach - Presented by Councilmember Tammy Morales - A town hall series about how we build a Seattle in which everyone has the ability to live, work and play - within reach One Seattle Plan Community Meeting Series - In-person community meetings throughout Seattle Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington State through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, I am so thrilled to be welcoming back to the program, Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales. Welcome back. [00:00:47] Councilmember Tammy Morales: Hi, Crystal. I'm so happy to be here. [00:00:49] Crystal Fincher: So happy to have you here again, thankful for all of the hard work you've been doing, and how you've been pushing throughout the budget process in Seattle - very helpful, and I think especially those connected to community and community organizations - have been appreciating how you've been listening and trying to move in concert with community. And hopefully things turn out well on the backend. But today we're actually going to talk about the Seattle Comprehensive Plan, which is a whole undertaking. So I guess starting out, what is the Comprehensive Plan? What is this thing and why do we do it? [00:01:36] Councilmember Tammy Morales: Sure. So the plan is really a guide for us about how, as a city, we plan to accommodate growth - where that growth will go. It's really a vision and kind of a roadmap for where we plan to locate housing, where we think job centers should go, also how we invest in transportation, where we might put parks, utilities. It is technically a requirement from the State Legislature. In 1990, the Legislature adopted the Growth Management Act, and that does require the City to prepare a Comprehensive Plan really for how we will grow over the next 20 years. So we update this - every plan has to include what they call elements, which is basically different chapters that need to be included. So ours includes land use, housing, transportation, parks and open space, utilities - there's a couple others in there - capital facilities, port because we are on a port. And it really does regulate development so that we can curb sprawl. It was really intended to be a way to help protect environmentally sensitive areas surrounding urban areas - in our case, to make sure that we are protecting our farmland, our waterways in King County. So we are required to do this, and it is also a way for us, importantly, to be very intentional about how we plan to grow as a city. [00:03:27] Crystal Fincher: Very good points. And I want to just dive a little more into the issue of sprawl. It's a buzzword that I think a lot of people have heard, but maybe don't understand completely or why sprawl is such an issue. What is sprawl and why do we try to avoid it? [00:03:48] Councilmember Tammy Morales: So sprawl is really where we start to grow - we start to build housing, business parks, warehouse space, all kinds of ways that cities tend to grow - outside of what might be their seeming boundaries. And it is problematic for lots of different reasons. As I said, in our case, because we could potentially start to grow into our farmland and Washington is a very important agricultural producer and we do rely heavily on our own agricultural production just for our own consumption. It's also important because we are trying to address the very urgent crisis of climate change. And so it's important that as a city, we really try to grow in a way that allows us to have more compact neighborhoods, that really relies on public transit so that people can get around. And it's really also an attempt to try to reduce our carbon emissions as a city so that we can curb what is increasingly really problematic greenhouse gas emissions. [00:05:17] Crystal Fincher: Great point - all valid. And then, especially with sprawl - sprawl is expensive. I think we see a lot of this - it's a little more challenging in the City of Seattle, which is built out to a lot of its boundaries - and a lot of what we're talking about is how to redevelop stuff, but you can really see it in a number of our suburbs and rural areas. South King County used to actually be a very fertile agricultural area. Kent used to be known as the lettuce capital of the United States. [00:05:53] Councilmember Tammy Morales: Indeed. [00:05:54] Crystal Fincher: But - I'm here for your Kent history facts - but as the city grew and houses took over that, industrial lands took over that - warehouses, commercial space - and really paved over agricultural land, which I think some people might reconsider if they had to do it all over again today. Certainly not all of it, portions of it, would have been nicer to preserve - but wetlands, environmental areas, and just growth is expensive. This is city infrastructure that you have to build out, that has a cost, and then you have to maintain. And we talk about needing to handle our existing infrastructure and build more of - and complete the infrastructure, like sidewalks - [00:06:44] Councilmember Tammy Morales: Absolutely. [00:06:45] Crystal Fincher: - and bike paths to help everyone get along. And now we're building out further and basically expanding the map of what the City is responsible to do. And oftentimes that's not captured in the cost of development, and that's not captured in the existing tax scheme. So that just ends up adding additional costs, additional responsibilities to the City - which we want to avoid. So coming out of this Growth Management Act - basically mandate underneath it - it's a way to strategically manage growth - which happens. We can't stop it despite weird debate questions that I hear about like - Should we stop growth? That's not really an option. People move to the area. We can't stop them from moving to the area. Usually not a good sign when people don't want to move to the area. So good things are happening. Good things attract people. And that's what we've seen. Now, the City adopted the current 2035 plan as of 2016. So is this going to be redoing this plan? Is this revisiting this plan? What is happening with this? [00:07:51] Councilmember Tammy Morales: Yes. So we - as I said, the requirement is to do these for every 20 years. And so it is our time to update our plan. And this is a real opportunity for us, because one thing that we have seen as a city - that our Office of Planning and Community Development has made clear, that our City Planning Commission has made clear - is that the way we have used this Comprehensive Plan in the past has really contributed to some of the inequities that we see in the City. And this is an opportunity for us to update the growth strategy that we have had in the past. It's a chance for us to address the displacement that we have had in the City. And really create a vision for a sustainable city that supports healthy neighborhoods, that creates safe places for people - so it is an important opportunity for us. And we have begun those discussions, which I'm sure we'll talk a little bit later about how folks can get involved, but it's important for us to take a look at this periodically because as we've discovered now, the current Comprehensive Plan really created an equity gap in housing and jobs. And this is an opportunity for us to address that. [00:09:21] Crystal Fincher: How did it create that equity gap? What in it made that happen? [00:09:27] Councilmember Tammy Morales: As a city, I will say we have a history of planning without real consideration for communities of color and how they will be impacted. The Chinatown-International District was split when I-5 was put in. We have a history of redlining in the City that really kept Black families and Jewish families and others from purchasing homes in most of the City. Even the very founding of the City on unceded land - over time, all of these decisions compound the effect on communities and really have a negative impact on the ability of these families and their children to grow generational wealth. It affects the ability of these communities to stay intact and has contributed to displacement. So there's a lot of reasons why we need to take a look at this. So part of the reason for these problems is that we have a 25-year-old strategy that is really centered on this idea of urban villages and urban centers. Effectively, what that means is that multifamily apartment buildings - the ability for them to get built - has really been squeezed into corridors - major transit corridors, arterials, and these urban villages. So that's where we put all of our apartments, while most of the City is reserved for single-family homes. And this has really created a tale of two cities, if you will, where wealthy homeowners can live in mostly single-family neighborhoods, and lower-income or even middle-income people get pushed into these corridors where apartments are allowed. There's all kinds of reasons why that is problematic, not the least of which is that it creates environments where lots of housing and the people and children and elders living in that housing are on, in many cases, dangerous roads exposed to higher auto emissions. It just creates this cascade of problems for the people who are living in those areas. So there's, as I said, an opportunity for us to rethink that particular strategy and rethink how we can create a more equitable array of options for where people live and what they're able to afford. [00:12:21] Crystal Fincher: So what are the options, the alternatives being considered? [00:12:25] Councilmember Tammy Morales: We've got several. There are five different options that the Office of Planning and Community Development are looking at. All of them are intended in some ways to address this. I will say - I think part of the priority for this phase that we're in right now - we're in this kind of research phase called the Environmental Impact Statement that they are drafting, and that will be looking at five different options. The first is basically No Action, so just continue to follow the existing plan that we have - putting most of our housing in urban centers and urban villages. There's one that they're calling Focused. Each of them basically offers slightly broader perimeters around these urban centers where different types of housing can be built. And so that is the conversation that we will be having over the course of the next year is - what do these different alternatives mean? What's the difference between an urban village and an urban center? What does it mean to build along a corridor versus building more broadly throughout a neighborhood? Does my neighborhood have an industrial center? - because that's another piece of the decision making that happens here. And so throughout the next year, we will be talking about the different ways that we could be building. How broadly do we want to move into what is now - well, it used to be called single-family zoning - now everything is called Neighborhood Residential zoning. So how much do we want to change the kind of housing that's allowed in these different areas? And that will be the discussion. We know that we have grown so fast as a city, faster than I think anybody anticipated. And we didn't plan for that. We grew by almost 130,000 people between 2010 and 2020, but we only built 70,000 new homes in that same time period. So as an example - I know a lot of people think there's housing going up everywhere, we're building too much - but the reality is that we are short over 20,000 units of apartments that would be affordable for middle-income folks - and I think that's the key. The way we have grown, the housing that we've produced has not been housing that is affordable for working class families. And so that needs to be a really key part of the discussion, because one thing we know for sure is that Seattle can't keep looking the way it does right now if we're serious about addressing equity. [00:15:42] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. [00:15:44] Councilmember Tammy Morales: And so part of the discussion - we'll just have to ask ourselves what kind of changes need to be made so that everyone can find housing that they can afford in the City. [00:15:56] Crystal Fincher: So now we're in a place where we're reexamining this, there are some other options - does it pretty much look like no matter what happens that we're going to be expanding the areas that new housing can be built in? Does that look like a uniform feature of the options moving forward? [00:16:15] Councilmember Tammy Morales: Yes, absolutely. The real question and the conversation will have to be about how far we push. I think there is an interest in allowing more - not just more types of housing, allowing it in more places, more parts of the City - but also allowing a mix of uses. So one of the things that we've been talking about, I've been talking about a lot in my office, is the need to make sure that we have better access to essential services so that we have not just - I'm not interested in just building more units of housing. I think it's important for us to contemplate how we build healthy neighborhoods. And that means that we have small businesses allowed - we allow for more neighborhood commercial space so that everyone can have easy access to a corner store or a small grocery, to childcare, to healthcare, to your bank - credit union, to a neighborhood hardware store. These are the things that help people navigate through their neighborhoods, have access to the essential goods and services that they need - without having to get in a car. And that's how we have the kind of healthy, more vibrant neighborhoods that can also lead us to the climate goals that we have - by reducing our reliance on getting into a car to do everything. [00:17:58] Crystal Fincher: Which makes a lot of sense. And as we go through this plan, obviously considerations about how we do need to proceed while reaching our climate goals is very, very important. I'm also curious about - talking about building those communities, which those - evidence shows that those are healthier communities, safer communities when they are built like that all the way around. I'm also thinking about just the environmental injustices that have been created by the current way the community is designed and situated, where we have places in Seattle that have average lifespans six and seven years shorter than other areas in the same city - but because of proximity to pollution, because of all of the other factors just from an environmental external perspective that are weighing on these communities, whether it's proximity to pollutants or carcinogens or things that exacerbate asthma, whether it's being in close proximity to roadways and freeways, underneath flight paths - those things all take tolls on health. How, as you move forward in this Comprehensive Plan, are you also looking to make sure that we mitigate environmental harms that have been done and move to prevent future harm? [00:19:20] Councilmember Tammy Morales: Sure. You make a really good point, Crystal. And I have many of the neighborhoods in my district that do suffer from those health disparities. Georgetown and SoDo and Beacon Hill, the Chinatown-International District - all of these neighborhoods are literally under the highways or along the Duwamish, where air and water quality are affected. And look, the truth is we just can't keep building housing in unhealthy neighborhoods, and the idea that we should build apartments along busy arterials and make low-income people live there does not promote equity and it does not promote public health. So we really do need to be looking at how we reduce emissions, how we support climate resiliency. One of the things that we're working on right now in the budget process is creating Resilience Hubs, so creating the ability in some of our community centers for people to go and be safe during an extreme heat event or a smoke event. So we are planning for these kinds of climate disasters, and we can't at the same time acknowledge that we have to take those steps and still allow for our growth management strategies to include restricting people's ability to find housing only to arterials. So I think there will need to be some analysis of our internal consistency in some of our different city policies, but absolutely climate change is one of the elements for our Comprehensive Plan update and needs to be a part of what we think about. Another important piece of that is transportation. Something like 30% of our City households are not within a 10-minute access to transit. And I will say - in this particular case, it is not necessarily a racial equity issue because the truth is that it is often fairly exclusive neighborhoods that have less bus service. But for the purpose of meeting our carbon emission reduction goals, we absolutely need more bus service in those neighborhoods too. And we really just have to move from this idea of isolated urban villages to a city of neighborhoods that are well-connected, that are within a walkshed of high-capacity transit, frequent reliable buses. We need safer sidewalks. We need protected bike lanes. We really have to encourage people to get out of their cars. But the truth is that as long as they don't have a safe, easy alternative, people will keep driving. And so we need to make alternatives the easy choice. And I think that has to be part of our conversation over the next year - is how do we create a city that is more sustainable and that protects both the climate and our public health? [00:22:48] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, I think that makes perfect sense. And to your point, this is the opportunity, I think, to really think about and imagine what your neighborhood could be, to really think about the potential that lays ahead and how to capture it. So many times we're forced to think about settling for so many things. Yes, we don't have current transit service that is sufficient - so if I am going to get to work, and pick the kids up from daycare, and make it to a sports practice, or something like that - I have to have my car right now. That's what the current conditions force. But if we are looking ahead to - okay, how can we design our city and how can we design a blueprint that we can build upon that enables these better things? - Why don't we implement that? Why don't we do that? And I think it's a really exciting thing. I'm also a former land use and planning board member, so this is exciting to me. I know a lot of people initially look at it and go - okay, this sounds so boring. [00:24:08] Councilmember Tammy Morales: No, I can totally geek out on this. [00:24:11] Crystal Fincher: Yes! But it does impact the way your community, the way your neighborhood looks today - from where and how you park or don't have to park, to what traffic looks like, to what school drop off and pick up, which if you have done that, it's usually a trial and a tribulation, to where your daycare is, to what your commute is - all of those things. If you have to fit in a doctor's appointment, do you have to drive 20 miles away or is it right in the neighborhood? Just all of those things are so key to quality of life, so key to being able to have time for yourself, for your family, for your own pursuits outside of just working and coming home, but even just how you work and then go home, or maybe you're working from home - is all impacted by this design. And so this is an exciting thing for people within the City to get engaged in. And there are a lot of mechanisms built in for engagement with people in the community. What are those? [00:25:24] Councilmember Tammy Morales: Sure. I'm going to give a shameless plug for a series of conversations that I've been having to try to help folks understand this. It's called Seattle Within Reach. We've had, I think, five conversations with folks about some of these different topics. It's not just me, it's people from around the country - actually around the world, a couple international folks too. So you can find links to those conversations on my Seattle City Council website. But we are also - the City is doing a series of community meetings that I do think it's really important for people to participate in. This will be a chance to learn more about the plan itself, to talk with City staff, and other folks from the community. There are several community meetings. The next one is going to be Thursday, December 1st at Langston Hughes at 6 o'clock. There's one at South Seattle College, December 8th. There's one December 12th - so there are several. They're all in the evening from 6-8 PM in different parts of the city. And we can provide a link on my website, or you can go to the City's Office of Planning and Community Development website and get more information there. But this is just the next set of community conversations. There is going to be a lot of community engagement for this process. Our Department of Neighborhoods is working closely with the Planning Department as well. We're working with interpreters, with community-based organizations, particularly those who work with immigrant populations to make sure that they get materials that are interpreted, that there are folks who speak different languages who can provide information. So I would say - please reach out to my office. If you don't live in the South End, reach out to your own councilmember to learn more about ways to get involved. But this is going to be a really important opportunity for neighbors to weigh in on what they want the city to look like, the kind of changes you want to see, and the things that you really think should be prioritized in how the City plans for the next 20 years. [00:27:53] Crystal Fincher: That makes sense. So as you're looking through this process, is there anything in particular that you're looking to make sure happens, or any specific changes that you're really trying to implement in this process? [00:28:09] Councilmember Tammy Morales: As I said earlier, I am really interested in this idea of mixed communities. This is a chance to set a vision for healthy, resilient neighborhoods, to rethink how we grow so that our kids and our elders, and really just our neighbors, can enjoy their own neighborhood without having to drive. I think we have a chance to really increase the kind of housing that we have - this crazy real estate market has been driving a lot of the displacement, so we need to take land out of the speculative market and keep it in community land trusts, for example. We can also take City land off the market and lease it for social housing development, and this would really help keep housing permanently affordable. Because the idea there is that the construction of the housing would be on City-owned land, so it helps ensure permanent affordability. So there are a lot of really interesting ideas that we can start to talk about. We're already talking about some of them in this budget process. I'm not saying it's going to be easy to make some of these adjustments to how we think about growth and about the systems that we have in place now, but that's the point of the Comprehensive Plan - is to rethink the systems that we've been using - to see how we can use them better. And I think in our case, it really is about setting a 20-year plan for a more equitable, more sustainable city so that our kids can grow up in a healthy Seattle. [00:30:00] Crystal Fincher: Thank you so much for all the work that you have been doing, all the work that you will do on this. We will share in our show notes and on the website all of the opportunities to engage in this process. And please feel free to keep us updated as things proceed. [00:30:15] Councilmember Tammy Morales: Great. Thank you so much, Crystal. It was really nice to talk to you again. [00:30:18] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Thank you all for listening to Hacks & Wonks. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Lisl Stadler. Our assistant producer is Shannon Cheng, and our Post-Production Assistant is Bryce Cannatelli. You can find Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks, and you can follow me @finchfrii, spelled F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered right to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave us a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

Have the winds of change begun to blow? A major wind energy project is proposed for Western Newfoundland, and we'll hear from the Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology, Andrew Parsons

CBC Newfoundland Morning

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2022 13:15

Earlier in today's show, we heard from a group opposed to a proposal for wind turbines on the Port au Port Peninsula. World Energy GH2 wants to build 164, six-hundred-foot-high turbines in the area. Government has told the company to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement before the project will be considered any further. An Access to Information request turned up letters between CFFI Ventures, a company associated with World Energy GH2, and provincial minister Andrew Parsons, as early as January and February, related to an OFFSHORE wind energy project. That was a few months before the province lifted its moratorium on ONSHORE wind energy. Industry, Energy, and Technology minister Andrew Parsons joined us.

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A public meeting in Douglas on Land Port of Entry projects; How football has changed Eloy; Remembering Dallas Reuter

The Daily Chirp

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2022 12:28

Representatives from the U.S. General Services Administration were in Douglas last week hosting a public scoping meeting in support of an Environmental Impact Statement for the two planned Land Port of Entry projects.Support the show: https://www.myheraldreview.com/site/forms/subscription_services/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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First Mining Gold (FF) - 10Moz Gold Portfolio So Far and Counting

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2022 20:23

First Mining is a Canadian gold developer focused on the development of the Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario, one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in Canada. The results of a positive Pre-Feasibility Study for the Springpole Gold Project were announced by First Mining in January 2021, and permitting activities are ongoing leading to the submission of an Environmental Impact Statement as outlined in detail on our Environmental Assessment portal. The Company is the largest shareholder of Treasury Metals who are advancing the Goliath Gold Complex in Ontario. First Mining also has active partnerships with operators advancing other Canadian projects including the Pickle Crow Gold Project (Auteco Minerals) and Hope Brook Gold Project (Big Ridge Gold). In addition, First Mining owns a growing strategic royalty portfolio along with other wholly owned properties: Cameron, Duparquet, Duquesne and Pitt.

EWN Practice Leads Sharing Expertise through the EWN Cadre

EWN - Engineering With Nature

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2022 34:09

In Episode 2 we had a high energy roundtable with the EWN Practice Leads who play a critical role in broadening and expanding the application of Engineering With Nature practices and nature-based solutions within the US Army Corps of Engineers. In Episode 3, the EWN Practice Leads return to talk about how they're solving challenges, advancing EWN implementation through the EWN Implementation Cadre, and sharing what they are learning with other practitioners. Host Sarah Thorne and Jeff King, Deputy Lead of the Engineering With Nature Program at the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), are joined again by a roundtable of the EWN Practice Leads. Elizabeth Godsey is the Technical Lead for Coastal Engineering and Regional Sediment Management with Mobile District; Danielle Szimanski is a Project Manager and Ecologist with Baltimore District; Eddie Brauer is a Senior Hydraulic Engineer with St. Louis District; and Dave Crane is an Environmental Resource Specialist with Omaha District. We asked each to talk about their current projects. Danielle, a Coastal Practice Lead, describes her work in the Chesapeake Bay where rising sea level is already occurring and is expected to increase. She and her team are restoring barrier islands and marshes to combat the loss of habitat and for flood risk management of inland areas. “Being able to restore these marshes, especially if they're degraded and fragmented, and being able to stave off that future loss and stop them from turning into open water is critical for the Chesapeake Bay.” Danielle also discusses work underway at Deal Island: “The Deal Island project is a maintenance dredging project on the Wicomico River. We're going to use the dredge material to restore approximately 70 acres of degraded and fragmented marsh. This will restore that wetland for migratory birds, and provide nesting habitat specifically for the Saltmarsh Sparrow, which is a threatened species.” She adds, “there's been a lot of work with other federal, state and non-government agencies to create this design and complete pre- and post-monitoring to assess how these wetlands are actually going to provide habitat once they are created.” Elizabeth, also a Coastal Practice Lead, has worked on a number of coastal restoration projects in the Gulf to restore habitats for threatened and endangered species including sea turtles and piping plovers: “In Mississippi alone we've restored over 2,500 acres across the coastal zone habitats, including beach, dune, wetlands, and island restoration. That's about 2000 football fields of restoration work in that state alone.” She's taking that first-hand knowledge and experience and, as a Practice Lead, sharing leading practices and key learnings with others: “The biggest thing that we're doing is our monitoring and adaptive management. It's a long-term look at the project performance and the ecological benefits that come from the projects. We give that back to scientists, to universities, to people at the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), and the US Geological Survey (USGS) so they can improve their modeling tools and reduce uncertainty in their predictions.” She also stresses the importance of combining multiple benefits to help achieve whatever the mission goal is, whether it is storm risk management, navigation and economic benefit, or ecosystem protection and restoration: “We're able to integrate each of those benefits and provide that value-add to the nation. We're getting that message out and showing people how to do that, and how you communicate the benefits of this approach to decision-makers.” Turning to the Riverine Practice Leads, Eddie describes the importance of taking a holistic perspective of riverine systems. “There are so many people that have a day-to-day connection to the river beyond just the projects that the Corps is doing. It's our responsibility to ensure that we account for everyone's needs on all the projects that we construct. To do that, it's critical to understand that each project is part of a broader system.” He goes on to describe a project that the Corps participated in on the Madeira River in Brazil, the largest tributary of the Amazon River and a critical navigation corridor for transporting goods and people. “It was extra critical for us to be to take a watershed approach, to understand the system before doing anything. We spent four years studying the system prior to making a single recommendation. Through this analysis, we understood that because of the geology of the river, we were able to manage it in smaller reaches instead of very large engineering projects, similar to what you'd see on the Missouri or the Mississippi Rivers. We were able to nudge the river through potentially temporary river training structures and spark natural geomorphic processes to accomplish our goals, as opposed to using a brute force engineering approach.” Dave is working on a project on a 12-mile stretch of the Platte River that runs through the city and county of Denver where the Corps had built dams in the past. By rethinking the approach and applying EWN principles, he and his team are achieving multiple benefits: “We're doing things like completely removing or modifying drop structures in the river that allow for better fish passage and better in-channel habitat, while also helping to reduce sedimentation the channel. In some areas we're able to pull back the riverbanks to allow more flood water conveyance capacity. Working within an urban area, that has a very direct and large connection to a much larger landscape, laterally and upstream and downstream.” Working together, the four Practice Leads have learned from each other and developed shared priorities. As Elizabeth notes: “Connecting practitioners of different backgrounds like us with this overarching vision of Engineering With Nature was the thing that really made it easy for us to figure out our group's strengths and differences; how we could come together and work, and also what those priorities needed to be, because we could find those common grounds across the landscape.” One of their top priorities was expand the practice of EWN across the Corps. In 2021 the Practice Leads established the EWN Implementation Cadre. As Dave explains, “It's an informal internal network of EWN and natural and nature-based features practitioners. We have a space where we connect and share experiences, knowledge, ideas, upload documents to a shared drive and have discussions online.” Danielle describes the process of sharing that goes on across the Cadre: “The key word that we were looking for, for the Cadre hub was ‘crowdsourcing'. Project managers from anywhere in the country that have become a member of this hub can pose a question to the entire group, the multiple hundreds of Cadre members.” As Eddie notes, in addition to leveraging resources and connections, the Cadre provides an opportunity to bring new ideas into the Corps. According to Jeff, the Cadre as an unqualified success: “When the Cadre was launched, the Leads invited anyone within the Corps who was interested in learning more about the EWN Cadre to attend their opening webinar – 800 Corps employees participated in that first meeting! And the interest has continued. It's just been incredible to see the number of people coming to this space, wanting to learn more about Engineering With Nature, offering their thoughts, and their questions. Creating this repository of information has become so valuable. It's a special place and just a real testimony to the hard work that the Practice Leads are doing.” Related Links EWN Website ERDC Website Jeff King at LinkedIn Jeff King at EWN Elizabeth Godsey at LinkedIn Elizabeth Godsey at EWN Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program Gulf Islands National Seashore – Ship Island Gulf Islands National Seashore – Cat Island Deer Island Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project Monitoring and Adaptive Management Alabama Island Restoration-Dauphin Island Danielle Szimanski at LinkedIn Danielle Szimanski at EWN Wicomico River - Deal Island Project Raising the Bar for Salt Marshes on Deal Island – Audubon Edward Brauer at EWN USACE St. Louis District: An Inland Proving Ground Madeira River Navigation Improvement Planning Study PIANC – Working with Nature for Climate-Resilient Ports and Waterways David Crane at EWN USACE Omaha district to partner with city of Denver on $350M waterway restoration, flood mitigation project South Platte River – Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement EWN Implementation Cadre Network of Engineering With Nature EWN Atlas Series EWN Podcast S4E2: High Energy Roundtable with the EWN Practice Leads

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Final Environmental Impact Statement for I-81 Project to be Published on April 15, 2022

City Life Org

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2022 10:27

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://thecitylife.org/2022/04/14/final-environmental-impact-statement-for-i-81-project-to-be-published-on-april-15-2022/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/citylifeorg/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/citylifeorg/support

project published environmental impact statement

First Mining Gold Corp presents at the Proactive One2One Virtual Forum - March 29th 2022

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2022 29:40

First Mining Gold Corp (TSX:FF) (OTCQX:FFMGF) CEO, Dan Wilton, presents at the Proactive One2One Virtual Forum - March 29th 2022 First Mining Gold is a Canadian gold developer focused on the development and permitting of the Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario. Springpole is one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in Canada. A prefeasibility study was recently completed on the project and permitting is on-going with submission of the Environmental Impact Statement targeted for 2021. The company also holds a large equity position in Treasury Metals Inc, which is advancing the Goliath-Goldlund gold projects towards construction. First Mining's portfolio of gold projects in eastern Canada also includes the Pickle Crow (being advanced in partnership with Auteco Minerals Ltd.), Cameron, Hope Brook, Duparquet, Duquesne, and Pitt gold projects.

First Mining Gold (FF) - 5th Largest Gold Producer in the Making

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2022 41:46

NH #545: Plutonium Pits Lawsuit re: Savannah River Site in South Carolina, Los Alamos in New Mexico

Nuclear Hotseat hosted by Libbe HaLevy

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2021 59:00

Plutonium Pit lawsuit - why no Environmental Impact Statement?

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First Mining Gold (FF) - End of Year Update & Investor Meetings, London

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2021 21:33

Joyce Lake Iron Ore Update, Nanilavut Family Trip, and Postcard Project

Labrador Morning from CBC Radio Nfld. and Labrador (Highlights)

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2021 54:44

The Advisory Board of the Joyce Lake Iron Ore Project near Schefferville is beginning the process of providing an Environmental Impact Statement to the provincial government. We speak with Advisory Board Chair Peter Jones for an update. A review of the Public Utilities Board is set to be initiated by the provincial Department of Justice and Public Safety. Minister John Hogan joins us to discuss the scope and timeline. A class in L'Anse au Loup is hoping to take a trip around the world through postcards. We speak with teacher Stephanie Nadeau and her students to hear why they did it and who they hope to hear from. A program meant to help find gravesites of family members who left Inuit Nunangat for tuberculosis treatment had its first family travel to a site in St. Anthony. We hear from Cathy Ford, the Nanilavut project manager for Nunatsiavut, and Maurice Jacque, who visited his grandfather's grave. Changes are coming for Thrifty Fashions in central Labrador. Clothing has traditionally been sorted and organized by gender, but is that practice suited for all community members? That's the question Thrifty Fashions staff in Happy Valley-Goose Bay have been asking themselves. We hear about the changes staff have planned for the store. The Happy Valley-Goose Bay SPCA is asking for direct donations once again. It's the third time the shelter is on the verge of reducing operations or closing its doors this year. We speak to Vice President Bonnie Learning about what you can do in the short term, and what is needed in the long term. Finally, Heather Scoffield of the Toronto Star joins us to talk about the federal government's to-do list as they prepare for today's throne speech.

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Gondola, wider lanes, or none of the above for Little Cottonwood Canyon?

In the Hive

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2021 22:59

Today on “In the Hive,” we look at where things stand in the planning process that aims to change how transportation is done in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The Utah Department of Transportation released a draft Environmental Impact Statement earlier this year and identified two preferred alternatives to relieve congestion in the canyon: an enhanced bus […]

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United States Postal Service Says NO Thanks to Electric vehicles

The State of Energy

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2021 24:53

In the recent Environmental Impact Statement, United States Postal Service says Electric vehicles are cost-prohibitive, have operational restraints to over 12,500 routes, and produce hazardous waste in spent batteries with no clear path of disposal. USPS Environmental Impact Statement A Tesla Convention in Beaver, Utah as the superchargers failGRAIN DRYER PROPANE USE CALCULATORBest Tailgating Grills for 2021

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First Mining Gold (FF) - Share & Warrant Distribution to Shareholders

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2021 35:25

First Mining is a Canadian gold developer focused on the development and permitting of the Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario. Springpole is one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in Canada. A Pre-Feasibility Study was recently completed on the Project and permitting is on-going with the submission of the Environmental Impact Statement targeted for 2021. The Company also holds a large equity position in Treasury Metals Inc. who are advancing the Goliath-Goldlund gold projects towards construction.

Penn Station’s Possible Redesign Revealed For NYC

Elevator World

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2021 6:27

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com PENN STATION’S POSSIBLE REDESIGN REVEALED FOR NYC New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has released new reconstruction options for revitalizing Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan, New York YIMBY reported on April 24. The proposals, part of the suggested Empire Station Complex, reveal a massive undertaking by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Amtrak and NJ Transit to unify all three concourses into a fresh, modern space designed by FXCollaborative and WSP. The existing Penn Station serves 600,000 passengers daily, but the redesign will accommodate a future influx of customers using both the existing Penn Station and the upcoming Penn Station expansion. The state projects ridership to grow to 830,000 daily by 2038, about 54% of whom will be MTA customers using the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North and the subway. Another 42% percent will be NJ Transit customers, with the remaining 4% Amtrak customers. Public feedback is requested before reconstruction can move forward. Also next in the process would be securing state funding and preparing an Environmental Impact Statement. Image credit: courtesy of New York State To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes │ Google Play | SoundCloud │ Stitcher │ TuneIn

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Discussing the Mid Barataria DEIS with the Army Corps | Delta Dispatches

American Shoreline Podcast Network

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2021 43:15

On this episode, Jacques and Simone welcome Jeff Varisco, Senior Project Manager, and Brad Laborde, Regulatory Manager, with the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District. Jeff and Brad walk us through the milestone that is the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mid Barataria Sediment Diversion, discuss how the public can engage in submitting comments over the comment period and provide insight into how these comments will inform a final Environmental Impact Statement for the project. Read the DEIS, get information on the formal public meetings and details on how to submit public comments here.

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Discussing the Mid Barataria DEIS with the Army Corps:

Delta Dispatches

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2021 42:52

On today's episode, Jacques and Simone welcome Jeff Varisco, Senior Project Manager, and Brad Laborde, Regulatory Manager, with the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District. Jeff and Brad walk us through the milestone that is the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mid Barataria Sediment Diversion, discuss how the public can engage in submitting comments over the comment period and provide insight into how these comments will inform a final Environmental Impact Statement for the project. Read the DEIS, get information on the formal public meetings and details on how to submit public comments at: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permits/Mid-Barataria-Sediment-Diversion-EIS

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A Monumental Moment for Louisiana’s Coast | Delta Dispatches

American Shoreline Podcast Network

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2021 54:12

On this week’s episode of Delta Dispatches, Simone and Jacques bring back their first-ever guests, Dr. Alisha Renfro with the National Wildlife Federation and Steve Cochran campaign director with Restore the Mississippi River Delta and Environmental Defense Fund, to mark a big milestone for Louisiana’s coast -- the release of the draft Environmental Impact Statement and Restoration Plan for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion would be the single largest ecosystem restoration project in U.S. history and will build more wetlands than any other individual restoration project in the world in an area experiencing the highest rates of land loss on the planet. Alisha and Steve discuss the science behind the project, why it’s critical to Louisiana’s future and how the public can get involved in the process moving forward. Learn more at here.

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A Monumental Moment for Louisiana’s Coast

Delta Dispatches

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2021 53:07

louisiana restore coast jacques monumental national wildlife federation environmental defense fund steve cochran environmental impact statement mississippi river delta delta dispatches

What is an Environmental Impact Statement? | Delta Dispatches

American Shoreline Podcast Network

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2021 44:00

This episode of Delta Dispatches features environmental law experts providing an overview of the legal and regulatory backdrop upon which Louisiana is executing its coastal restoration and protection efforts. Amy Reed, Staff Attorney, and Jarryd Page, Public Interest Law Fellow, both from the Environmental Law Institute, join Simone and Jacques to discuss the forthcoming draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Mid Barataria Sediment Diversion. They also discuss the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other important laws guiding the implementation of this large-scale coastal restoration project. More importantly, they highlight how the public and stakeholders can get involved and participate in this process. Learn more at ELI.org and by reading this ELI blog post about the regulatory process surrounding the diversion.

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What is an Environmental Impact Statement?

Delta Dispatches

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2021 43:08

This episode of Delta Dispatches features environmental law experts providing an overview of the legal and regulatory backdrop upon which Louisiana is executing its coastal restoration and protection efforts. Amy Reed, Staff Attorney, and Jarryd Page, Public Interest Law Fellow, both from the Environmental Law Institute, join Simone and Jacques to discuss the forthcoming draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Mid Barataria Sediment Diversion. They also discuss the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other important laws guiding the implementation of this large-scale coastal restoration project. More importantly, they highlight how the public and stakeholders can get involved and participate in this process. Learn more at ELI.org (http://eli.org/) and by reading this ELI blog post (https://www.eli.org/vibrant-environment-blog/sediment-diversions-big-projects-confront-land-loss-mississippi-river-delta) about the regulatory process surrounding the diversion.

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Episode 160: One Caribou Herd for 320 Jobs—Marathon Gold Environmental Impact Statement

Mi'kmaq Matters

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2020 27:52

Marathon Gold Corporation has released its environmental impact statement on the controversial Valentine Lake mega-mine. Marathon acknowledges there will be "significant" negative effects on the Buchans Plateau caribou herd—already at historic low numbers—and it is not known if mitigation measures will work. The release of the Marathon impact statement begins the period for public comments, which can be sent to iaac.valetine.aeic@canada.ca. Here at Mi'kmaq Matters, we're using public participation funds from the Impact Assessment Agency to review the Marathon submissions on caribou. This week, we speak with our lead researcher, Dr. Brian McLaren, a caribou expert and professor at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

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07-28-20 Army Corps gives environmental green light to Alaska's Pebble Mine

Native America Calling - The Electronic Talking Circle

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2020 56:30

The environmental components of a controversial gold and copper mine in Alaska got a stamp of approval in the Army Corps of Engineers' Environmental Impact Statement. The Corps contends the mine will not harm commercial fisheries in the Bristol Bay Area. But some tribal groups say the mine puts the health of the largest salmon fishery in the world at risk. We’ll hear multiple perspectives on this contentious proposal moving forward.

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3 Perspectives on the imminent Keystone XL pipeline construction

WPKN Community Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2020 27:59

Interviews with 350.org organizer Kendall Mackey, South Dakota rancher John Harter, and indigenous Dakota leader Faith Spotted Eagle, who all oppose the Keystone XL pipeline, which TC Energy was about to start building over the US-Canada border. (Update: after this show ran, a federal judge ruled that TC Energy must conduct a complete Environmental Impact Statement, delaying the pipeline yet again.)

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Shale Law Weekly Podcast - April 8

Shale Law Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2020 8:26

In this episode, we will be discussing changes to environmental compliance obligations amid Covid-19, the Pennsylvania Governor vetoing the energy tax credit bill, a federal court upholding the repeal of the 2015 hydraulic fracturing rule, the Columbia Gas Transmission Project, the EPA science advisory board declining to review a proposed rule on oil and natural gas emissions standards, a Texas court allowing the Kinder Morgan Pipeline Project to continue, the necessity for an Environmental Impact Statement for the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the South Dakota Governor signing the Riot Boosting Bill. This week's host: Research Assistant, Sara Jenkins Editor: Erin Lieberman Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes and is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

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Laramide Resources (TSX:LAM) - For I've Certainly Turned The Corner

Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2020 40:50

Interview with Marc Henderson, President and CEO of Laramide Resources (TSX:LAM)Uranium has had a torrid time in recent years. However, uranium equities are regaining momentum. This is primarily influenced by the suspension of numerous uranium mining operations in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The suspensions have helped lift the spot price near a 12-month high, concluding March at stronger, but still low, US$27.35/lb.Laramide Resources is a Canadian-based uranium explorer/developer. Uranium companies have dropped like flies in a bear market that has lasted over 9 years, but Laramide is still alive and kicking. Laramide Resources owns several large uranium projects in both Australia and the U.S. Investors should be aware that Laramide Resources is dual-listed on the TSX and ASX, and is on the OTC (LMRXF).While many uranium investors expected the USD$150M NFWG budget to be a catalyst for uranium price discovery, it failed to materialise. Henderson claims Laramide was never reliant on the outcome, but instead saw it as a nice bonus. However, with COVID-19 disrupting possible budget proceedings, the "significant" US$150M now sits in limbo.Cameco and Kazatomprom are the two biggest players in the small uranium space. Henderson was able to comment on their recent decisions. Cameco's Cigar Lake has recently been put on care & maintenance; many uranium investors have perceived this as a white swan event. And today's announcement that all uranium production in Kazakhstan will cease for three months and got the market excited again as those events represent a huge production shortfall for 2020. Henderson himself is a believer too. He thinks that the buying behaviour of utility companies will have to change in the near future.How are the U.S projects holding up? The key here appears to be timescale. Laramide Resources' USP appears to be how fast it can flip the switch at its U.S projects, get into production and possibly benefit from the NFWG outcome. Laramide’s conventional hard-rock asset La Sal in Utah, United States, has permits in hand to commence a bulk sample program. This looks like a 1-year process from decision to production. It's towards the top end of the cost curve, and will need to be milled at Energy Fuels' White Mesa Mill. The project could churn out 500,000lbs of uranium for 5-6 years. This number isn't huge, but this one of Laramide Resources' smaller projects. The CAPEX looks like US$5M.The more exciting Churchrock/ISR project (contained resource estimate of 50.8Mlbs) could also get moving as soon as the uranium spot price rises to US$35-40/lb. As the projects aren't very capital intensive, Laramide's strategy would be to get them online first. The New Mexico-based La Jara Mesa project has received a draft Environmental Impact Statement from U.S. Forest Services. Henderson predicts Laramide Resources will need to spend US$30M of CAPEX to get the La Jara Mesa resource online at 1Mlbs of uranium per year, with the potential to eventually scale up to 3Mlbs as the uranium price rises and margins increase. Permitting is the absolute focus moving forward, and the message appears clear: things are finally moving in the uranium space.Laramide Resources raised US$4.5M in January. This looked extremely expensive at the time, but considering current COVID-19-induced market sentiment, it looks a lot better now. Nothing has really changed at Laramide Resources' Australian Westmoreland and Murphy projects; they are still on the shelf for the time being. There is plenty of work to be done and money to be spent, and even then there may be politically-created permitting issues.What did you make of Marc Henderson? Is uranium in for 2H/20? Company page: https://laramide.com/Make smarter investment decisions, subscribe here: https://www.cruxinvestor.comFor FREE unbiased investment information, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook:https://twitter.com/cruxinvestorhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/crux-investor/https://www.facebook.com/cruxinvestorTake advantage, hear it here first: https://www.youtube.com/CRUXinvestor

WFS 132 - Pebble Mine Update with Jenny Weis - Bristol Bay, Trout Unlimitted, Conservation, Salmon

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2020 43:48

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/132 Jenny Weis provides us an update on the Pebble Mine project and what you can do this week to help protect almost 60 million salmon in one of the most important habitats in the region. We find out why this small project could become a much larger project if it's allowed to move forward. This is a big year and the call to action for you is to reach out to your local and federal representatives to know you oppose this project. The Wet Fly Swing Members Society: https://membership.wetflyswing.com/ Pebble Mine Show Notes - Here is the Environmental Impact Statement as released by the Army Corp of Engineers. - If the project moves forward past the federal permitting then the State of Alaska will have the next chance to stop the mine. - I note the Bristol Bay trip I've been looking to put together. We are heading up to Kulik Lodge if we can find 6 people who want to join. - Jenny notes the importance of video in their campaigns. Here's some underwater footage of salmon at Save Bristol Bay. - United Tribes of Bristol Bay represent a number of tribes from the region that are affected by this proposed project. - The Tribes, commercial fisherman and sport fisherman are all on board to support. - We talk about the Hanford Nuclear Plant and what is currently being done. This is the plant the produced the plutonium for the bombs in WWII. - Earth Works produced a study that says 93% of these types of mines exceed there water quality standards. - Brian Okeefe was on the podcast in episode 78 and talked about the Morish Mouse pattern. - Here's the quote about how Anchorage and how it's not quite Alaska. - Here's theSave Bristol Bay Take Action Button. - PebbleProjectEIS.com includes all of the documents and is pretty technical. - FlyOutMedia have made a few fly fishing videos in Bristol Bay. - Get your Save Bristol Bay stickers here. - You can get your free year subscription to TU by joining the Wet Fly Swing Members Society here. You can find Jenny Weis at Trout Unlimited. Videos Noted in the Show Fly Out Media Videos Conclusion with Jenny Weis We get an update on the Pebble Mine project and the affects to Bristol Bay and one of the most productive and unique resource in the world. Jenny tells us what you can do today to help save Bristol Bay. Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/132

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Centrist Candidates Drop Out, Dem Elites Consolidate Anti-Bernie Vote

By Any Means Necessary

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2020 113:45

On this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Dr. Bill Honigman, California State Coordinator and Co-Coordinator of the Healthcare as a Human Right Issue Organizing Team for Progressive Democrats of America, to talk about the news that Pete Buttigieg has suspended his presidential campaign, how Joe Biden was able to pull off such a convincing victory in South Carolina, why Mike Bloomberg continues to stay in the race despite appearing to have already served his purpose from the Democratic establishment's perspective, how Tulsi Gabbard is using her campaign's bully pulpit to combat reactionary Russiagate fearmongering and redbaiting, which candidates are bringing something progressive to the table and which are just freeloaders, how the various Super Tuesday primaries are set to play out tomorrow, and whether Biden will be able to take advantage of so many candidates dropping out and consolidate the centrist vote. In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by international affairs and security analyst Mark Sleboda to talk about hopes for a replacement ceasefire agreement in Syria's jihadist-controlled Idlib province, how Turkey rationalized breaking the ceasefire after Russia and Syria continued bombing jihadist non-signatories, Turkey's role in arming and providing logistical support for the euphemistically-labeled "rebels," whether the degree to which Russian and Turkish interests are opposed precludes any real possibility of the two countries reaching a truly mutually beneficial agreement, the role of spite in the decision by Turkish President Recep Erdogan to flood Greek borders with migrants, the geopolitical dynamics behind the assault on Sputnik journalists by Turkish nationalists over the weekend, and why those journalists were subsequently detained by authorities in Ankara. In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Anthony Rogers-Wright, Policy Coordinator with Climate Justice Alliance, to talk about why Trump is proposing changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, what the changes would mean for vulnerable communities in the path of fossil fuel infrastructure projects, how the elimination of the Environmental Impact Statement requirement would jeopardize attempts to revitalize various populations of endangered species, what the ongoing assault on our remaining environmental regulations reveals about the prioritization of public health under the Trump administration, where this move fits into broader attempts to roll back what protections have been achieved by the working class and the environmental movements, and how concerned community members can get involved in the fight against corporate extractivism.Later in the show, Jacquie and Sean are joined by award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist Ted Rall to talk about the three Democratic contenders dropping out over the past 24 hours, how the latest movements in the horse race will impact the apparent decision by the Democratic establishment to force a brokered convention, what Elizabeth Warren's acknowledgment that she could only triumph via a brokered convention reveals about her role in the race at this point, whether support from party insiders will be enough for Joe Biden to sustain the momentum he gained from his South Carolina victory, how the mainstream media has turned the 2020 presidential race from a referendum on Donald Trump to a referendum on Bernie Sanders, why the continuing media attacks on Sanders only serve to vindicate and energize his supporters, whether Bernie may be the best-positioned to attract support from anti-establishment swing voters who voted for Trump but have been disappointed by his broken promises, why the timing of the decisions by pro-establishment candidates to end their campaigns seems to have been coordinated for maximal political effect ahead of Super Tuesday, why the punditocracy continues equating Sanders' progressive platform with Trump's far-right program, and whether further attempts to rob Sanders of the Democratic nomination will lead to an irreparable schism within the party.

Wednesday February 5, 2020

KZMU News

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2020 7:12

Since 1996, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has intercepted naturally occurring briny water from entering the Dolores River and injected it into an underground well. As that well nears the end of its “useful life,” officials are investigating alternatives. They’ve recently extended a deadline for public comment on the future of the Paradox Valley Unit Salinity Control Program. We hear from Moab’s Colorado River Waterkeeper on how their proposed solutions might shape up basin-wide. And later in the news – many communities across the West are grappling with low, stagnant wages coupled with fast, rising home prices. Our partners at KDNK report on how the shortage of affordable housing options is affecting Carbondale, Colorado, where the average single family home price just topped one-million dollars. [Photo: The Dolores River, Luke Runyon/KUNC] Show Notes: Paradox Valley Unit Salinity Control Program, Environmental Impact Statement – https://www.usbr.gov/uc/envdocs/eis/Paradox/20191200-PVU_DEIS_Vol1_508.pdf Paradox Valley Unit Background – https://www.usbr.gov/uc/progact/paradox/index.html Colorado River Waterkeeper Network – http://savethecolorado.org/waterkeepers/ (2019) KUNC, ‘Felt An Earthquake On the Colorado-Utah Border? It’s Probably This Federal Facility’ – https://www.kunc.org/post/felt-earthquake-colorado-utah-border-its-probably-federal-facility#stream/0 KDNK, ‘Carbondale’s Average Price for a Single-Family Home in 2019 tops $1 Million – https://www.kdnk.org/post/carbondales-average-price-single-family-home-2019-tops-1-million

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RAM GAD POD - Notes from the GAD 11/5/2019 (w/ request for assistance)

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2019 16:23

Real Property Tax Reforms: (ACTION REQUESTED) On November 8th, the County Council will be considering several changes to the County’s real property tax system. The most significant change is a tiered structure for property taxes, but the Council will also be discussing revised classifications and doing away with condominium declarations to the Department of Finance. The plan to get rid of annual condo declarations to the department of finance is VERY BAD, and it could have some major ramifications on tax rates and affordable housing. I mentioned this last week, but I failed to convey proper distress about the issue of doing away with these condo declarations to the department of finance, that was a mistake. I need to give credit to Tom Croly, who you might know from his work with the Maui Vacation Rentals Association, for cluing me into what I was missing. Some of you may recall that the County tried something along these lines about 2 years ago, and RAM played a major role in stopping it. If these bills move past the first reading, we may need to have a call for action to stop them again. The key issue we should be alarmed over is that one of the property tax reform bills, referred to as the classifications bill, “eliminates the need for condominium owners to declare the actual use of their units to the Department of Finance. Instead, condominium units will be classified based on their highest and best use unless an exception applies.” Well, based on this there are about 2,000 apartment-zoned condominium owners that may get stuck paying the “short term rental” tax rate unless they qualify for the owner-occupied exception. If you are a RAM member, you should be aware that we advocate for taxation based on actual use, rather than highest and best use. Moreover, RAM takes a position that this “highest and best use” method of taxation will have a negative impact on the inventory and affordability of long term rentals in such properties. I encourage you all to submit written testimony via email to county.clerk@mauicounty.us, and feel free to copy your County Council members on those emails. Moreover, I encourage you to testify in person on Friday, November 8th at 9 a.m. in Council Chambers on the 8th Floor, 200 South High Street. Draft EIS filed for EMI: Alexander & Baldwin and EMI have filed a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed lease of water in the East Maui areas of Nahiku, Ke’anae, Honomanu, and Huelo. A statutory 45-day public review and comment period is now open and will continue through November 7, 2019. West Maui Community Plan: There are two Community Plan Action Committee meetings this week. The first meeting is Tuesday, November 5th at Waiola Church’s Keopuolani Hall at 5:30 p.m., and the second meeting is Thursday, November 7th at King Kamehameha III Elementary School Cafeteria at 6:30 p.m. For meeting agendas and more details visit www.wearemaui.org. Maui Boards and Commissions: Applicants are being sought for 42 vacancies on Maui County boards, commissions, councils, and committees. The application deadline is Nov. 15, 2019. Anyone interested in serving on a board or commission should first apply online at www.mauicounty.gov/Boards, or pick up a paper application in the County building.

RAM GAD POD - Notes from the GAD for October 29, 2019

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Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2019 12:12

Here are the notes if you're too busy to listen: Public Hearing Regarding Unpermitted Vacation Rentals: The Planning Department has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 5:00 pm at the Kalana Pakui conference room, 250 S. High Street, Wailuku, regarding amending the Department’s rules relating to fines for unpermitted transient vacation rental operations. The proposed amended rules would significantly increase the limits of civil fines for unlawful operation of a transient vacation rental. Real Property Tax Reforms: On November 8th, the County Council will be considering several changes to the County’s real property tax system. The most significant change is a tiered structure for property taxes, but the Council will also be discussing revised classifications and doing away with condominium declarations to the Department of Finance. For further information check out Council’s 3 Minutes from this past weekend, and check the agenda when it gets posted to the Council’s calendar. Consolidated Plan Survey: The County is seeking public input for the 2020-2024 County of Maui Consolidated Plan Survey. The deadline to complete the survey is October 31, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. Hele Mai Maui 2040 Transportation Plan: The Hele Mai Maui 2040 Transportation Plan is available and open for public review until October 31, 2019. To comment directly on the full plan, follow this link. In addition to commenting on the plan, you can also take a survey regarding transportation projects and funding by following this link. Draft EIS filed for EMI: Alexander & Baldwin and EMI have filed a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed lease of water in the East Maui areas of Nahiku, Ke’anae, Honomanu, and Huelo. A statutory 45-day public review and comment period is now open and will continue through November 7, 2019. There will also be a Special Meeting of the Board of Water Supply on November 4, 2019 at 9 a.m. in the Planning Department Conference Room, at which time they will also accept testimony related to comments on the Draft EIS. Wailuku First Friday Celebrates Dia de los Muertos on November 1st: SMALL TOWN * BIG ART, a collaboration of the National Endowment of the Arts, County of Maui and Hale Hō‘ike‘ike at the Bailey House/ Maui Historical Society, is proud to support Wailuku First Friday’s Día de los Muertos community event on Friday, November 1, 2019. For more information, check out the SMALL TOWN * BIG ART website. Maui Boards and Commissions: Applicants are being sought for 42 vacancies on Maui County boards, commissions, councils, and committees. The application deadline is Nov. 15, 2019. Anyone interested in serving on a board or commission should first apply online at www.mauicounty.gov/Boards, or pick up a paper application in the County building.

Trouble in the Tongass Pt. 1 | Dan Cannon | SE Alaska Conservation Council | Ep. 020

Wilderness Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2019 37:23

In this episode, I speak with Dan Cannon, Tongass Forest Program Manager with the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. We discuss proposed old growth logging, the Roadless Rule, the importance of the Tongass and some of the politics surrounding the issues. In the next episode, I will speak with Andrew Thoms, the Executive Director with the Sitka Conservation Society where we will go into greater detail on the resource and what logging would mean for the local economy. Add this saga to the growing list of attacks on our public lands where local and national consensus is ignored and multi-national corporation's interests are being served. Never mind the harm and trauma to Native American tribes living in the region who depend on the land for their subsistence. Americans everywhere should be outraged. Extractor's wish lists are being given top priority. Since interviewing Dan, the USDA has released their long awaited draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Tongass on October 15th. There are six alternatives. The first alternative leaves the Roadless Rule in place. The other five involve the logging of old growth forest with increasing levels of eligible take at each step. Alternative two would convert 18,000 acres of old growth to suitable timberland. Once you get up to Alternative Six (the option Trump is advocating for) all 9.2 million acres of existing designated roadless areas would be converted to timberland, exposing 165,000 acres of old growth to logging. Americans everywhere should be outraged. You can submit your comments here akroadlessrule@fs.fed.us Please tell the USFS to keep the Roadless Rule in place for the Tongass (Alternative One). Comments are due by December 17th, 2019. Thanks for listening. Draft EIS https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2019/10/15/usda-forest-service-seeks-public-comment-draft-environmental-impactSupport the show (http://www.wildernesspodcast.com/support)

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RAM GAD POD - Notes from the GAD for 10/22/2019

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2019 21:57

This is a Notes from the GAD episode, but I also read an article by Robert H. Thomas originally published here: https://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2019/10/who-is-in-charge-at-the-county-of-maui-scotus-oa-hinges-on-internal-dispute-over-who-can-settle.html Here are the Updates: Wet Maui Community Plan: There will be two meetings of the Community Plan Advisory Committee this week. The first is on Tuesday, October 22 at Waiola Church’s Keopuolani Hall, and the second will be on Thursday, October 24 at the Lahaina Intermediate School Cafeteria. Both meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will focus on policies and actions for all five Goals in the Community Plan. Agendas are available at www.wearemaui.org . Draft EIS filed for EMI: Alexander & Baldwin and EMI have filed a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed lease of water in the East Maui areas of Nahiku, Ke’anae, Honomanu, and Huelo. A statutory 45-day public review and comment period is now open and will continue through November 7, 2019. Those submitting comments should send them to the approving agency (Board of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawaii, Mr. Ian Hirokawa, ian.c.hirokawa@hawaii.gov, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, HI 96813) and copy the applicant and consultant (Wilson Okamoto Corporation, 1907 S. Beretania Street, Suite 400, Honolulu, HI 96826, Mr. Earl Matsukawa, AICP, waterleaseeis@wilsonokamoto.com). FHA Condo Rules: The new FHA Condo Rules went into effect on October 15th. The rule changes will make condominiums a more accessible option for homebuyers that rely on FHA financing. For more information, follow this link to a video from NAR. While you are at it, you should also check out their update on the NFIP, and if you have detailed questions that don’t get answered, reach out to Austin Perez at NAR. That guy is a magical genius when it comes to this stuff. FY 2021 Mayor’s Community budget Meetings: Mayor Victorino is holding his final scheduled community meeting regarding the FY 2021 budget. The final meeting will be in East Maui/Hana - 5:00 p.m., Monday, October 28th, at Helene Hall Maui Boards and Commissions: Applicants are being sought for 42 vacancies on Maui County boards, commissions, councils and committees. The application deadline is Nov. 15, 2019. Anyone interested in serving on a board or commission should first apply online at www.mauicounty.gov/Boards, or pick up a paper application in the County building. RAM GAD POD: Available on most platforms! Just Google RAM GAD POD and take your pick. This week’s guest will either by Lawrence Carnicelli, or I may be uploading audio from the panel I was on at the Maui Nui Attainable Housing Conference.

RAM GAD POD - Notes from the GAD for October 15, 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2019 13:56

You all are busy, so if you don't have the time to listen, here are the key updates: Renewals for Conditional B&B, Short-Term Rental, and Special Use Permits: On Wednesday, October 16th, at 9 a.m. the Planning and Sustainable Land Use Committee will be considering a bill related to renewals for B&B, STR and Special Use permits. The big change that may be of particular concern is the change to the timing of renewal applications. Currently the law states: “Permit renewal applications shall be submitted to the department within ninety days prior to the permit expiration date…” The proposed bill would change that language to say: “Permit renewal applications shall be submitted to the department no later than sixty days prior to expiration of the permit, after which the department shall not accept any renewal applications.” That is a big change in policy that may catch a lot of people off guard. Maui County Real Property Tax: Real Property Tax Reform is back on the agenda for the Economic Development and Budget Committee on Thursday, October 17th, at 9 a.m. Some of the bigger changes we should all keep an eye on are proposed tiered tax rates for Owner-Occupied, Non-Owner-Occupied, Short Term Rental and Commercial Industrial classifications; changes to condominium reporting requirements; changes to classifications; and new dedications and tax benefits for long-term affordable rentals and long-term rentals. Draft EIS filed for EMI: Alexander & Baldwin and EMI have filed a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed lease of water in the East Maui areas of Nahiku, Ke’anae, Honomanu, and Huelo. A statutory 45-day public review and comment period is now open and will continue through November 7, 2019. Those submitting comments should send them to the approving agency (Board of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawaii, Mr. Ian Hirokawa, ian.c.hirokawa@hawaii.gov, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, HI 96813) and copy the applicant and consultant (Wilson Okamoto Corporation, 1907 S. Beretania Street, Suite 400, Honolulu, HI 96826, Mr. Earl Matsukawa, AICP, waterleaseeis@wilsonokamoto.com). FHA Condo Rules: The new FHA Condo Rules go into effect on October 15th. The rule changes will make condominiums a more accessible option for homebuyers that rely on FHA financing. For more information, follow this link to a video from NAR. FY 2021 Mayor’s Community budget Meetings: Mayor Victorino is still holding community meetings throughout Maui County. The remaining meetings are: Molokai - 3:30 p.m., Monday, October 21st, at the Mitchell Pauole Community Center; Lanai - 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 22nd, at the Hale Kupuna O’ Lana’i; East Maui/Hana - 5:00 p.m., Monday, October 28th, at Helene Hall Maui Boards and Commissions: Applicants are being sought for 42 vacancies on Maui County boards, commissions, councils and committees. The application deadline is Nov. 15, 2019. Anyone interested in serving on a board or commission should first apply online at www.mauicounty.gov/Boards, or pick up a paper application in the County building. RAM GAD POD: Available on most platforms! Just Google RAM GAD POD and take your pick. This week’s guest will be Mayor Michael Victorino.

RAM GAD POD - Notes from the GAD for 10/8/2019