Energy & the Environment News and Discussions

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Boris Johnson warns energy firms soaring bills will damage sector
Thu 11 Aug 2022 15.50 BST

Boris Johnson has warned energy companies that sky-high bills will damage their business, speaking at a round table with the electricity sector where the chancellor of the exchequer cautioned that “extraordinary profits” were being evaluated.

No new measures have been agreed to ease pressures on household bills and any specifics are likely to be delayed for weeks until a new prime minister is in place.

Nadhim Zahawi met the providers along with the prime minister and the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, amid tensions in government over the future of further windfall taxation.

One industry source briefed on the talks said it was “clear the windfall tax is not a preferred option for anyone – ministers or electricity companies”.

The short-notice attendance of the prime minister at the scheduled meeting raised some eyebrows in Whitehall and one source hinted it was a PR exercise, adding that there was little the long-scheduled meeting could agree within the constitutional boundaries of a departing prime minister not making major fiscal decisions.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... fall-taxes
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Biden administration to declare toxic 'forever chemicals' as hazardous
Source: Washington Post
For decades, Sandy Wynn-Stelt looked at the Christmas tree farm across the street from her home in western Michigan with delight. “How idyllic is that,” she said. “That’s about as quintessential Michigan as you could get.” Only in recent years did she learn of the toxic “time bomb that nobody knew was sitting” on the land underneath those trees. Her town of Belmont is one of hundreds across the country contaminated with an omnipresent batch of dangerous chemicals known as polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

On Friday, the Biden administration proposed to classify two of the most common of these chemical compounds, which can persist in the environment for years, as hazardous substances. The long-awaited move from the Environmental Protection Agency is meant to spark the cleanup of scores of sites defiled by industrial compounds and make the public more aware of their presence. Used to make everyday products like nonstick cookware, cosmetics, fabrics and food packaging, these types of chemicals pervade drinking water used by millions of Americans — and they’ve been linked to an array of illnesses, including cardiovascular problems and low birth weights.

“It’s a very significant step,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a phone interview. The proposed rule “requires the polluter to pay for violating the law.” Still, people living near toxic waste and their advocates say the federal government under multiple administrations has been painfully slow to act, even as the health risks of PFAS become ever clearer. The agency is proposing to add two chemicals known as PFOA and PFOS to its official list of hazardous substances under the federal Superfund program, which cleans up toxic waste sites.

The listing will make it easier for the federal government to compel polluters to pay to restore contaminated sites and funnel taxpayer money into projects if the culprits cannot be found. “Transparency and disclosure are critical in this process,” Regan said. “And so, this rule will do that.” Under the proposed rule, companies will need to report when the substances leach into the environment, even in relatively small quantities. The requirements will help public health officials track where the chemicals persist.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate- ... anup-rule/
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Green Tories back Johnson’s call for successor to invest in renewables
Mon 29 Aug 2022 16.47 BST

Leading green Conservatives have backed Boris Johnson’s call for his successor to invest in renewable energy, amid concern that the Tory leadership frontrunner Liz Truss could rely more on fossil fuels to combat soaring prices.

In one of his final speeches as prime minister, Johnson is set to warn against focusing on short-term solutions and neglecting both renewables and a wider shift towards net zero.

While officials say details of the speech are still to be worked out, they say Johnson will stress that growth in sources such as wind power, as well as new nuclear power stations, would protect the UK from future energy crises.

Truss and her rival in the Conservative leadership race, Rishi Sunak, have both called for more nuclear energy. However, they have been notably sceptical at times in their comments and planned policies on renewable sources.

Sunak has pledged to make it even harder to get permission for onshore windfarms, while Truss spoke out vehemently against solar panels being installed on agricultural land.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... t_b-gdneco
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U.S. gasoline prices fall to pre-Ukraine invasion levels
Source: Reuters

U.S. wholesale gasoline prices fell to their lowest levels since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday, suggesting motorists in the world's largest energy consumer will see lower pump prices in coming weeks.

U.S. gasoline futures fell as low as $2.5899 per gallon on Wednesday, the lowest since Feb. 18, just before Moscow invaded Ukraine, setting off a series of sanctions from the United States and its allies that boosted prices across the energy markets to multi-year highs.

Energy costs have been the primary driver of global inflation, with retail gasoline prices hitting an all-time record in the United States at more than $5 a gallon in mid-June.

Lack of spare refining capacity pushed costs for refined products higher, but headed into winter, gasoline prices have started to retreat as demand dips.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy ... 022-08-30/
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Traces of drugs found in marine life after sewage pumped into British waters
2 Sep 2022

Traces of drugs have been found in marine life, thanks to the untreated sewage being pumped into British waters, according to a joint study by two leading UK universities, which this programme has been given exclusive access to.

The research by Brunel and the University of Portsmouth shows that drugs such as antidepressants and cocaine are affecting the ability of marine life to reproduce and even causing it to change sex.
https://www.channel4.com/news/traces-of ... ish-waters
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Ukraine war: Russia to keep key gas pipeline to EU closed
Source: BBC
Russia's main gas pipeline to Europe will not reopen as planned on Saturday, adding to concerns about energy supplies this winter.

State energy firm Gazprom said it found a leak on Nord Stream 1, meaning it could be closed indefinitely.

The pipeline, which runs to Germany, has been shut for three days for what Gazprom described as maintenance work.

Europe accused Russia of using its gas supplies to blackmail Europe amid the Ukraine conflict, which Moscow denies.

Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62766867
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