Latest news with #Epa
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
WATCH: Blue-state Republican 'thankful' for move to scrap gas-car ban as Newsom vows court fight to save it
President Donald Trump could soon sign into law a joint congressional resolution scrapping California's Environmental Protection Agency waiver that requires an end to gasoline-powered car sales by 2035. It's a move provoking pushback from Golden State leaders in Sacramento. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats have argued that it is an illegal use of the Congressional Review Act, whereas Republicans, including state legislators, say the move is a necessary step toward curbing regulation in the state. "I'm thankful that the folks in Washington, D.C., had common sense with something the governor doesn't have here in California," State Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, told Fox News Digital in an interview on Thursday, adding that "people can't afford" a transition to electric vehicles. Senate Gop Vows Vote To End Biden Epa Waiver Granted To Push Drivers To Ev Cars "We don't have enough energy capacity. The worst thing that can happen in California right now is everybody plugs in an electric car. We have rolling blackouts. We're talking about rolling blackouts just from the heat this summer, not alone adding millions and millions of cars that would add electric vehicles to it. And we don't have the infrastructure either," the Republican added, saying that he's glad "the federal government weighed in." At a news conference on Thursday morning, Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said they plan on suing the Trump administration, which they've done more than 20 times, over the likely move. Read On The Fox News App Part of the legal argument being made by the Golden State is that the House Government Accountability Office and the Senate parliamentarian said that a waiver does not technically count as a rule, which created a debate over what can be done under the Congressional Review Act, according to The Hill. 35 Democrats Vote With Gop To Block Biden Rule Allowing Newsom's Gas Car Ban Newsom said that the electric vehicle manufacturing market has made significant gains in California and that the state is a leader in "innovation" in wanting to pivot to electric, specifically citing air quality. In the short term, the state is also facing concerns about rising gas prices with the expected closures of two California refineries, an issue the governor said he's been on top of to avoid issues. When Fox News Digital asked Newsom whether he thinks rising prices would encourage consumers to switch to electric vehicles, he said that Californians are ultimately in the driver's seat. Congress Can Stop California's Radical Environmental Mandates That Hurt The Entire Nation "I think that's up to consumers, but the cost benefits of electric vehicles are well-established and continue to be well-reinforced as it relates to uncertainties around supply chains, wars of aggression by Russia, and by the vagaries of the kind of political machinations you see in the Middle East and self-dealing that we see. We are simply hostages to decisions that are made without you talking about any input from taxpayers or citizens. I'd rather have a little bit more agency in this country as it relates to our energy future," Newsom added. In Washington, Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., is touting his resolution's success. "This is a bipartisan national repudiation of the utter insanity Newsom has inflicted on our state," he posted to X. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for article source: WATCH: Blue-state Republican 'thankful' for move to scrap gas-car ban as Newsom vows court fight to save it
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US one step closer to ‘100%' deal with Mexico ending decades-long sewage crisis gripping vacation hotspot: EPA
The U.S. and Mexico are one step closer to permanently ending a sewage crisis spewing from across the border into waters off the coast of San Diego, Environmental Protection Agency chief Lee Zeldin announced. "This week, EPA transmitted to Mexico a proposed '100% solution' that would PERMANENTLY END the decades-old crisis of raw sewage flowing in to the U.S. from Mexico. Next, technical groups from both nations will be meeting to work through the details necessary to hopefully reach an urgent agreement," Zeldin posted to X on Friday. Zeldin visited San Diego last month, where he announced talks with his government counterparts in Mexico to end the decades-long issue. The problem, blamed on outdated wastewater infrastructure, has persisted for decades, but has spiraled in recent years as Tijuana's population skyrocketed. The sewage water has not only threatened San Diego's massive tourism industry and local residents, but also poses a national security risk as it pollutes the waters where U.S. Navy SEAL members and candidates train, Fox Digital previously reported. Epa Chief Zeldin Launches Talks With Mexico To End Sewage Hitting San Diego, Navy Seals: 'Out Of Patience' The U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command is headquartered in San Diego and is where Navy SEAL candidates complete their arduous six-month Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. Read On The Fox News App In February, the Department of Defense's inspector general released a report finding that the Naval Special Warfare Center reported 1,168 cases of acute gastrointestinal illnesses among SEAL candidates between January 2019 and May 2023 that were attributed to the contaminated water. Veterans who spoke to Fox News Digital in April described the contaminated water as a national security crisis. "This is a huge national crisis," Navy SEAL vet Jeff Gum, who was sickened by the water when he was working through SEAL training in 2008, told Fox Digital in a Zoom interview last month. "Like half the SEAL teams are located in San Diego; the other half are in Virginia Beach. So when you've got half the SEAL teams who are getting exposed to this, then it's a major issue." Epa Chief Takes On Mexican 'Sewage Crisis' Flowing Into Us Waters Where Navy Seals Train Zeldin said last month that he and his counterparts in Mexico had launched good-faith talks to update infrastructure and water management facilities, adding that he zeroed in on the "specifics," including drafting a "comprehensive list of everything that we believe with full confidence is going to end the crisis" on both the U.S. side of the border and Mexico's. "Now, if you don't do all of the other projects and all you do is clean up the current contamination, that feel-good moment will last about a day," Zeldin said during a press conference in San Diego last month. "We have to stop the flow in. Mexico needs to fulfill its part in cleaning up the contamination that they caused." Mexico Is Poisoning Southern California In A Border Crisis Almost No One Knows About"We need Mexico to not just commit to all the projects that will stop the flow, but in order to actually finish this project, they're going to need to commit to that final cleanup," he added. Zeldin first addressed the sewage problem in March before previewing the trip to take on the issue. "I was just briefed that Mexico is dumping large amounts of raw sewage into the Tijuana River, and it's now seeping into the U.S.," he posted to X on March 8. "This is unacceptable. Mexico MUST honor its commitments to control this pollution and sewage!" Local leaders have been sounding the alarm on the sewage problem. Imperial Beach's Mayor Paloma Aguirre sent a letter to Zeldin in March describing how the raw sewage has sparked one of "America's most horrendous environmental and public health disasters," as billions of gallons have polluted the Pacific Ocean since 2023 alone. Mexican Sewage Gushing Into Navy Seal Training Waters Is Us' 'Next Camp Lejeune,' Vets Warn "The toxic sewage coming across the border from Mexico into South San Diego County is among America's most horrendous environmental and public health disasters," Aguirre's March 3 letter to Zeldin, published online, reads. "Since 2023, over 31 billion gallons of raw sewage, polluted stormwater and trash have flowed across the Mexican border, down the Tijuana River, through the cities of San Diego and Imperial Beach and into the Pacific Ocean." "Our residents, are getting ill due to polluted air," the letter continued. "Workers, including Navy Seals training in the area, have been sickened on the job by waterborne and aerosolized diseases. Many homeowners have been forced to place air quality monitors on their property so they know whether or not it's safe to go outside. And the economic impact is profound, with the sewage crisis hurting area tourism, maritime industry jobs and local property values." San Diego is one of the nation's top cities for tourism – behind other national treasures such as New York City, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. – attracting roughly 32 million tourists to the city in 2024, the San Diego Tourism Authority previously reported. San Diego Suburb Faces 'Sewage Crisis' From Local Beach During his visit to San Diego last month, Zeldin vowed to bring an end to the issue as Californians run out of patience with the crisis. "The Americans on our side of the border who have been dealing with this… for decades, are out of patience," Zeldin said at a Tuesday press conference in San Diego. "There's no way that we are going to stand before the people of California and ask them to have more patience and just bear with all of us as we go through the next 10 or 20 or 30 years of being stuck in 12 feet of raw sewage and not getting anywhere." "So we are all out of patience," he continued. "There's a very limited opportunity. We're in good faith, both on the American side and also on the Mexican side, what's being communicated by the new Mexican president is an intense desire to fully resolve this situation."Original article source: US one step closer to '100%' deal with Mexico ending decades-long sewage crisis gripping vacation hotspot: EPA
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Whip watch: Dick Durbin gives tearful goodbye as Dem power play begins for No. 2 Senate spot
With the upcoming departure of longtime Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in 2026, a battle will soon commence for his coveted role as Senate minority whip, the second-highest leadership role in the caucus next to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer. "There comes a point in your career when the torch must be passed, and I've reached that point," Durbin said during a press conference in Springfield Thursday. "I will not be seeking re-election to this United States Senate seat." Several names have already been floated for the whip job, including some typically vocal senators and others whose quiet policy chops appear just as attractive. One candidate mentioned has been Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz. Zeldin Grilled By Democrats On Climate Change, Trump's Stance On Carbon Emissions During Epa Hearing Schatz, 52, is in his third term and is Durbin's current chief deputy whip as well as deputy conference secretary, a job involving communication and strategy for Senate Democrats. Read On The Fox News App He is also the top Democrat on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, given the Aloha State's heavy native population. Schatz has been active behind the scenes for liberals, placing holds on hundreds of Trump nominees for State Department positions in response to the president's efforts to shutter USAID. A former member of the Green Party in Hawaii, he is also considered a bridge between progressives and mainstream liberals. A former top aide to previous Senate mainstays Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., told The Hill it's hard to tell how leadership elections will go because they're closed-door votes, but "as far as I can tell, Sen. Schatz seems to be in a pretty good position if he wants to take the leap." Dick Durbin, No 2 Senate Democrat, Won't Seek Re-election Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., is rumored to be a possible successor to Durbin as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to Politico. Whitehouse has raised his profile as another one of President Donald Trump's loudest critics, regularly creating viral clips of combativeness with administration nominees in the various hearings he's sat in on. Another lawmaker mentioned is Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who had been third in line to the presidency until the GOP took back the Senate. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa., now holds that role, which is typically held by the longest-serving senator of the majority party. Murray is also the top Democrat on the influential Senate Appropriations Committee. Frequently called the "mom in tennis shoes" who ran for the Senate in 1992 as a relative political newcomer, Murray once said she and others "got into the U.S. Senate because we were mad." She lobbied officials in Olympia to save an education program from budget cuts when she was told "you can't make a difference," according to a biography from the Washington Secretary of State's office. That populist history, along with Murray's long tenure and closeness with leadership, could also make her a lock to succeed Durbin. Fox News Digital reached out to Schatz, Whitehouse and Murray for comment but did not immediately hear back. Durbin spoke tearfully about his decision to retire during a press conference outside the same Springfield home where he announced his first Senate run nearly 30 years ago. He hearkened back to his risky move to give up a "safe House seat." "So, for the last 29 years, I've been vindicated that that decision paid off," said Durbin. "I love this job. I think it's a terrific job, but I also know reality."Original article source: Whip watch: Dick Durbin gives tearful goodbye as Dem power play begins for No. 2 Senate spot
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US senator blasts president of Mexico, says toxic sewage dump threatens ‘national security'
FIRST ON FOX: United States Senator Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, called out Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum in a scathing letter addressing the large amount of raw sewage and waste the neighboring country has dumped in the Tijuana River. The letter outlines Sheehy's concern not only for the health and safety of local residents, but also points out that the toxic leak could potentially be jeopardizing U.S. national security. "This continuous discharge is sickening thousands of Americans annually, including U.S. Navy SEALs and Marine special forces who train in the affected waters," the letter to the president of Mexico reads. "In February 2025, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General concluded that, absent action, Navy Special Warfare Command would be advised to cancel or relocate up to 75 percent of water training exercises at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado due to elevated bacterial contamination levels." Epa Chief Takes On Mexican 'Sewage Crisis' Flowing Into Us Waters Where Navy Seals Train Last week, the International Boundary and Water Commission stated that Mexico is dumping 5 million gallons of sewage a day into the Tijuana rRver. The toxic waste then flows up into the United States, and can even make its way into the Pacific Ocean. "For decades, Mexico has been dumping toxic waste into the water where our most elite servicemen train, causing serious health issues and harming our readiness," Sheehy told Fox News Digital. "The problem is only getting worse, and their failure to do anything about it is harming our troops and our national security. Mexico needs to put a stop to this toxic tide immediately." Read On The Fox News App While Sheehy is sounding the alarm from Congress, local leaders have also confirmed that the Mexican government's intentional waste dump has left residents with dangerous and harmful environmental conditions. Scoop: Biden-era Grant Program Described As 'Gold Bar' Scheme By Trump Epa Administrator Under Scrutiny Army Takes Control Of Federal Land Along New Mexico Border To Increase Security, Protect The Environment "This sewage isn't just disgusting — it's dangerous. It contains E. coli, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, arsenic and other toxic chemicals," San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond explained in a recent Fox News op-ed. "Our water is contaminated. Our air is polluted with aerosolized waste. Residents are reporting everything from skin infections to viral pharyngitis — and even family pets have gotten sick after exposure." Next Tuesday, Fox News Digital reported that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is very aware of the issue, and intends to visit a local treatment facility in San Diego to assess the harmful flow of poisonous waste entering the U.S. from Mexico. A source close to Zeldin told Fox that this is a top priority for President Donald Trump's environmental leader. "We have heard far too many horror stories of Navy SEALs – some of the bravest and brightest service members in the military – falling ill from training in waters that have been contaminated by Mexican sewage that has flown into our nation," Zeldin told Fox on Friday. "This has been a human health crisis that has lingered for decades."Original article source: US senator blasts president of Mexico, says toxic sewage dump threatens 'national security'
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Dem gets earful from angry constituents: 'Show some...backbone'
Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., faced down angry constituents and shouting matches that threatened to derail his town hall near the nation's capitol on Tuesday. Footage from the event shows one constituent from Prince George's County yelling at the congressman to "fight" and "show some of the backbone and strategic brilliance that Mitch McConnell would have in the minority." "We want you to show fight, and you are not fighting," the man shouted, going on to say that federal employees feel abandoned by Democratic lawmakers in the wake of Republicans successfully passing their budget bill earlier in March. "Yeah I agree. I think your point about the vote on the [budget] is right," Ivey responded before being cut off by another shouting constituent. Epa Terminates Biden Admin's Green Grants Worth $20B, Zeldin Says The woman screamed for several seconds before Ivey attempted to interject: "He just asked me about this. I'm going to answer his question…You will get a turn." Read On The Fox News App "You're too calm. You are too calm," the woman screamed back. "Where is your fight, then? Where is your fight?" James Carville Offers Love Advice To Young Progressives Following 'Love Is Blind' Political Blow-up Ivey repeats that he will answer the first man's question, insisting that the woman "can stay here and yell as long as you want." "No! No! Nooooooooooooooooo!" the woman can be heard screaming. The congressman then continues to speak over her and say that she must get in line to ask a question until she ultimately leaves the venue. The event was emblematic of the frustration that exists at all levels of the Democratic Party as Republicans control the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Ivey himself lashed out at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier in the town hall. "I was deeply disappointed that Senator Schumer voted with the Republicans. You know, you're on bad ground when you get a personal tweet from Donald Trump thanking you for your vote, right. We don't want to be there. We don't want to be there," Ivey said. Democrats Lash Out At Schumer For 'Betrayal' Of Siding With Trump "Hakeem [Jeffries] met the moment. Schumer did not. And so I respect Chuck Schumer. I think he's had a great, long-standing career. He's done a lot of great things, but I'm afraid that it may be time for the Senate Democrats to pick new leadership as we move forward," the lawmaker added to article source: House Dem gets earful from angry constituents: 'Show
