Super-Pollutants Archives - Inside Climate News

Biden Announces Huge Hydrogen Investment. How Much Will It Help The Climate?

By Nicholas Kusnetz and Jon Hurdle — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 00:55:45 +0000

The Energy Department awarded up to $7 billion in grants for clean hydrogen “hubs,” but environmentalists warn some of the money could prop up fossil fuels and fail to cut emissions.

By Nicholas Kusnetz and Jon Hurdle

PHILADELPHIA—President Joe Biden traveled to a marine terminal here on Friday to announce billions in funding for new clean hydrogen projects that he said would help the nation meet its climate goals while generating thousands of new high-quality jobs. Surrounded by lines of shipping containers on a dock along the Delaware River, Biden positioned the program as a critical piece of his economic and climate platforms.

Crucial for a Clean Energy Economy, the Aluminum Industry’s Carbon Footprint Is Enormous

By Phil McKenna — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 04:01:00 +0000

A new report finds aluminum manufacturing worldwide emits more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, as well as chemicals called perfluorocarbons that warm the planet for 50,000 years.

By Phil McKenna

Aluminum is crucial for a clean energy economy, but its production is a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions as well as toxic air and water pollution, according to a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project on the “paradox” of aluminum.

A Drop in Emissions, and a Jobs Bonanza? Critics Question Benefits of a Proposed Hydrogen Hub for the Appalachian Region

By Jon Hurdle — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0000

The potential gains for Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio have not been clearly spelled out, and the science is being challenged, as the Department of Energy prepares to announce the builders of six to 10 federally funded hubs across the country.

By Jon Hurdle

PITTSBURGH—As the federal government nears a decision on which of the nation’s proposed “hydrogen hubs” will share up to $8 billion in startup money, critics of the idea in the Appalachian region are asserting that the program would do little to curb greenhouse gas emissions or create jobs, while increasing electricity prices for consumers and businesses.

A Texas Dairy Ranks Among the State’s Biggest Methane Emitters. But Don’t Ask the EPA or the State About It.

By Phil McKenna, Georgina Gustin, Peter Aldhous — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 09:05:00 +0000

An analysis by Inside Climate News, building on work by Climate TRACE, shows that tracking cattle emissions, site by site, is doable. But government databases specifically exempt agricultural operations from their greenhouse gas accounting.

By Phil McKenna, Georgina Gustin, Peter Aldhous

Three years ago, North Dumas Farms was an empty field near the northern edge of the Texas Panhandle. Today it is a massive dairy operation—and one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the state.

California’s Top Methane Emitter is a Vast Cattle Feedlot. For Now, Federal and State Greenhouse Gas Regulators Are Giving It a Pass.

By Phil McKenna, Georgina Gustin, Peter Aldhous — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 09:00:00 +0000

A “kid gloves” approach to agricultural emissions, including burping cows, raises questions about an environmentally minded state’s commitment to combating climate change.

By Phil McKenna, Georgina Gustin, Peter Aldhous

Forty miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border in Southern California’s Imperial Valley, the Brandt Company cattle ranch is the largest single point source of methane emissions in the state, releasing more of that greenhouse gas than any oil or gas well, refinery or landfill.

Foes of Biden’s Climate Plan Sought a ‘New Solyndra,’ but They Have yet to Dig Up Scandal

By Marianne Lavelle — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 09:00:00 +0000

By the first anniversary of the climate law Republicans opposed, their Congressional districts had captured the majority of new clean energy jobs created.

By Marianne Lavelle

One year after President Joe Biden signed the nation’s first comprehensive climate legislation—the Inflation Reduction Act—Republicans have yet to find their “Solyndra.”

NOAA Adjusts Hurricane Season Prediction to ‘Above-Normal’

By Amy Green — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Record-warm Atlantic sea surface temperatures and slow-developing effects of an El Niño favor hurricane activity.

By Amy Green

ORLANDO, Fla.—NOAA forecasters are upping their expectations for the 2023 hurricane season, based on record-warm Atlantic sea surface temperatures.

Texas Pipeline Operators Released or Flared Tons of Gas to Avert Explosions During Heatwave

By Dylan Baddour — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 17:16:20 +0000

One company, Targa Resources, vented more than 500,000 pounds of toxins into the air during 17 reported events over a week-long period of extreme heat.

By Dylan Baddour

Oil and gas companies in West Texas released hundreds of tons of toxic gases into the air last week as a record-breaking heatwave drove pressure inside pipelines and compressors to dangerously high levels.

Methane Activists in Richmond Detect Potentially Dangerous Gas Leaks

By Ananya Chetia — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 18:00:13 +0000

Beyond Methane RVA obtained documents from the Richmond Gas Works that revealed hundreds of leaks and significant costs to city ratepayers—and the climate.

By Ananya Chetia

RICHMOND, Va.—Guided by a fistful of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Lee Williams sniffed the smell of rotten eggs on Grove Avenue earlier this month, took out a methane tracking device and registered a “100 percent” reading, meaning a single lit match could ignite a blaze on the street.

A US Non-Profit Aims to Reduce Emissions of a Super Climate Pollutant From Chemical Plants in China

By Phil McKenna — Wed, 24 May 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Carbon credits for nitrous oxide reductions could fill a key gap in international agreements and government regulations. A former industry insider says it’s a “reward for bad behavior.”

By Phil McKenna

A new initiative by the Climate Action Reserve, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, could play a significant role in curbing emissions of a potent climate pollutant from chemical plants in China while filling a gap in international climate agreements and China’s environmental regulations.