Energy & Environment
Democrats push more resilient, lower-carbon infrastructure at U.S. Senate climate hearing
The changing climate is hurting infrastructure and the national economy, members of a U.S. Senate panel and experts said Wednesday. Members of both parties on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee agreed at a Wednesday hearing on the need for more resilient infrastructure that could withstand the pressures of a changing climate. They also agreed speeding […]
Winter is coming and the U.S. grid remains vulnerable to power plant failures
From winter storms to sweltering summer heat, there’s a consensus among experts that increasing extreme weather, a shifting electric generation mix, delays in getting new power generation projects connected and the difficulties in getting new transmission lines and other infrastructure built all pose an increasing risk to the grid. At U.S. Senate committee hearings as well as Federal […]
State regulators to hear Plant Vogtle progress report after nuclear expansion stalled again
On Friday, Georgia Power announced that a new nuclear reactor at Plant Vogtle is on its way to becoming fully operational in the coming months, news that comes several days before the utility faces another showdown over the project’s ballooning costs brought on by years of delays. Georgia Power announced on Friday that the Waynesboro’s […]
State wildlife officials prepare for deadly deer disease ahead of Georgia hunting season
Georgia conservationists are putting hunters on high alert about the possibility of a deadly deer disease crossing the state border after the discovery of a case in north Florida. The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division will carry out an emergency response once the state has its first detected case of Chronic Wasting Disease. It can take […]
U.S. House Dems want data on impact of Supreme Court ruling on wetlands protection
Top Democrats on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee asked federal agencies Monday to track possible negative effects from a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that limited federal authority to regulate clean water. Washington’s Rick Larsen, the ranking Democrat on the committee, and Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee ranking member Grace Napolitano of California, […]
Planned rock quarries threaten to blast away some pastoral Georgia countryside
This story was updated at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Jon Hale savors his childhood memories of camping, fishing and hunting on his grandfather’s land in rural Talbot County. So, when he had the chance to buy part of the property on Pleasant Valley Road, he saw it as an answered prayer. But […]
Summer wildfire threat could imperil unexpected US regions: the Northeast and Midwest
WASHINGTON — In a summer of drought, smoke and haze, wildfires could flare up in unusual locations in the United States over the next few months — including New England and the Midwest, according to federal forecasters. “The predominant threat looks to be the Northeast, which is not normal,” said Jim Karels, the fire director […]
Nonprofit’s yearly energy-efficiency report gives Georgia low marks for EV, electric utility policies
An annual energy efficiency report ranks Georgia near the bottom of the nation due to excessive electricity rates, high fees for electric vehicles owners, and inefficient government policies. Georgia is ranked 39th on the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s 15th annual efficiency scorecard released Wednesday. The 2022 scorecard gives Georgia 6.5 points out of […]
Georgia GOP congressman swims against environmental tide opposing right whale protection proposal
Commercial and recreational boating and shipping interests are rallying behind a Georgia congressman’s campaign against a federal agency’s plans to clamp down on how fast thousands of sea vessels can travel along an Atlantic coast that is home to where critically endangered right whales are struggling to survive. The controversial proposal from the National Oceanic […]
Southwest Georgia farmers frustrated by trickle of progress to ease Flint River withdrawal ban
ALBANY – A state proposal to slightly ease a ban on new and expanded withdrawals from portions of the Flint River Basin was met this week with frustration from farmers who are weary of the decade-old moratorium they argue is limiting the industry’s potential in southwest Georgia. The state Environmental Protection Division is soliciting feedback […]
Georgia’s bald eagles rebounding from last year’s avian influenza outbreak
Georgia’s bald eagles are welcoming a healthy batch of squawking little eaglets into the world, encouraging news for wildlife lovers after an outbreak of avian influenza hammered the iconic birds along the state’s coast last spring. Georgia Department of Natural Resources survey leader Bob Sargent said he breathed a sigh of relief when it became […]
State EPD could ease ban on tapping Flint River basin water for first time in a decade
State regulators are considering the first significant easing of a decade-old moratorium on new or expanded withdrawals in portions of southwest Georgia’s Flint River Basin. The state Environmental Protection Division has proposed letting farmers tap into the Floridan Aquifer for the limited purpose of using irrigation to protect crops like the state’s prized blueberries from […]