Big news about a key greenhouse gas rule

USA Today

17 hours ago

Were you dodging tsunamis, spiking heat, flooding, lightning or wildfires this week? If the answer is no, you were luckier than most. But some parts of the country could feel a slight hint of autumn in the air over the weekend.
Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to the newsiest stories about climate, energy and the environment. I'm Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent with USA TODAY.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week released its proposal to rescind the 2009 endangerment finding, a declaration that six greenhouses gases weren't good for human health or the planet. If the proposal is approved after a public comment period, it would repeal all greenhouse gas emissions standards for light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, the agency said.
The announcement set off sweeping reaction across the country with some heralding it as a cost savings and reduction in regulations, and others decrying it as a setback to the nation's action on climate change and fossil fuel emission reductions. The finding is the mechanism used by the Obama and Biden Administrations to regulate motor vehicle emissions standards, and it would eliminate those standards.
The EPA lauded its effort, saying it would be 'one of the largest deregulatory actions in American history.'
Environmental advocates, climate science groups and others criticized the move saying it would endanger public health, as well as the environment.
Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice, said: 'The Trump administration is pretending that the pollution causing climate change is not hurting us, even as we suffer more devastating climate disasters every year.' She added: 'the EPA is telling us in no uncertain terms that U.S. efforts to address climate change are over.'
Meanwhile, if climate change continues unabated, the world along the Colorado River will be unlike anything the people and populations along it have been used to, wrote Brandon Loomis, with the Arizona Republic, in a look at the region's continued water challenges. Colorado State University climate researcher Brad Udall warned that under those conditions the river may provide only 10 million acre-feet of water — a sharp reduction in its already diminished flow.
US military to keep providing crucial satellite data
Citing concerns about cybersecurity and staffing, the Department of Defense had announced plans to stop distributing a flow of data from a set of microwaves sensors on three of its satellites. But after a vociferous outcry from scientists who study hurricanes in far off places and polar ice, who were concerned about the loss of crucial forecast data, the department changed its plan.
Russian rollers
A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia sent tsunami waves hurtling across the Pacific Ocean prompting alerts along the west coasts of North and South America. The event which appeared to be the sixth strongest in recorded history prompted evacuations in Hawaii and some of the Pacific Islands. Fortunately, the worst concerns didn't materialize and the resulting waves did not cause widespread destruction or devastation, but the event prompted a flurry of fascinating features on tsunami science and surfing.
Hawaii is certainly no stranger to the effects of seismic activities around the Pacific, given its location and how tsunamis are created and ripple outward. USA TODAY's Will Carless wrote a first person on the call of the waves for surfers.
Watchful eyes on the weather
Many parts of the U.S. continued to swelter under record-breaking heat and rain-making storms. And some forecasters see the signals for hurricane season to heat up.
USA TODAY's Doyle Rice wrote fascinating features on how sharks could help scientists improve hurricane forecasts and a new world lightning record that's 40 miles longer than the previous record holder.
Energy efforts
Nantucket is in a showdown with an offshore wind provider, demanding answers to a list of demands. It's a follow up to an incident last year when a turbine blade shattered and littered a nearby beach with bits of its remnants.
In New York, officials are taking a fresh look at nuclear energy. Governor Kathy Hochul has asked the state's York Power Authority to build 1 gigawatt of nuclear power plants to meet the demand for energy consuming data centers that promise jobs, writes Thomas Zambito.
Critter corner
USA TODAY'S Elizabeth Weise intrigued and terrified readers with her tale of mating season for the hairy, baseball-sized tarantulas in the West and Southwest. 'If you're lucky enough, you can sometimes see them in hordes crossing the roads at certain times of the year,' said Dan McCamish, a senior environmental scientist with California State Parks. But if you live somewhere else in the U.S., don't feel left out. Weise advises there are 29 species of tarantulas in a total of 15 states.
Read on for more, including more on the Grand Canyon fires that destroyed the historic lodge on the Canyon's North Rim and whether fuel reduction measures were overdue in the national park. Some stories may require a subscription. If someone forwarded you this email and you'd like to receive Climate Point in your inbox once a week, sign up here.