Public Lands Clips: March 11, 2024

What To Expect In Biden’s Fiscal 2025 Budget — “President Joe Biden will release his fiscal 2025 election-year budget blueprint Monday without Congress having finalized spending work for the current fiscal year. The dynamic could complicate an annual event that is already inherently hyperpartisan and political. ‘I had a dream the president is going to say … ‘I’m so proud to be expanding access to our extraordinary rich [natural] resources in places like Alaska, I’m so proud that we’re going to use them as the prototype for all energy innovation,’ quipped Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the ranking member on the Senate Interior-EPA Appropriations Subcommittee. ‘That’s my dream. Do I believe that’s going to actually happen? In no way on God’s green earth.’ … Biden, for example, proposed a 19 percent increase for EPA last year and ended up getting a nearly $1 billion cut in legislation passed Friday. The White House would have increased funding for the Interior Department by 12 percent, but the department got flat funding and saw many of its bureaus cut. ‘We’re going to be in deep trouble if [Republicans] try to do the same thing next time,’ said Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine, the top Democrat on the House Interior-EPA Appropriations Subcommittee. ‘You can do these [cuts] sort of once, but next time, we’ll be in deep trouble.’” [E&E News, 3/11/24 (=)]

SENATE

Mine Cleanup, Wildlife Bills Up For Senate Committee Markup — “A Senate panel will consider legislation this week to boost conservation, promote the cleanup of abandoned mines and support distressed communities. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s markup Tuesday will advance legislation with bipartisan support and a chance of becoming law during an election year. On the agenda is the ‘Economic Development Reauthorization Act,’ S. 3891. The bill would reauthorize the Economic Development Administration for the first time in nearly 20 years, updating programs to help rural areas dealing with natural disasters or changes to coal, nuclear, steel and other industries. The panel will also vote on S. 3791, which would reauthorize the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act, which was signed into law in 2020. It has supported wildlife conservation programs but also barred EPA from regulating lead fishing tackle. The ‘Legacy Mine Cleanup Act,’ S. 3858, from Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), would make EPA’s Office of Mountains, Deserts and Plains permanent at the agency.” [E&E News, 3/11/24 (=)]

EPW Poised To Back Bill Codifying EPA Office To Oversee Mine Cleanups — “The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) appears poised to approve bipartisan legislation authorizing EPA’s existing Office of Mountains, Deserts and Plains (OMDP), giving it congressional authority and requiring it to take a leading role in coordinating federal agencies’ mine cleanups, but not providing new regulatory power. The committee March 8 announced plans for a March 12 business meeting to mark up several bills, including S. 3858, a bill recently introduced by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) that would create the office ‘to help accelerate cleanup of abandoned mine sites by implementing best practices, improving coordination with state and tribal partners, and maintaining a list of mine sites to prioritize for superfund cleanup,’ the senators said in a March 5 press release. The legislation’s expected approval would likely bolster policymakers’ efforts to speed cleanup of contaminated mine sites, including the new EPA program that Kelly and others are seeking to create to provide liability protections for so-called Good Samaritans that seek to voluntarily remediate abandoned sites. For example, the bill would require ‘timely issuance of administrative guidance for nonliable parties.’” [Inside EPA, 3/8/24 (=)]

Biden Officials Due On The Hill To Address Wildfire Crisis — “Two Senate committees will revisit the wildfire crisis this week with hearings that probe how federal agencies can better protect communities and manage fire-prone federal lands. The hearings are timely, as the utility company Xcel Energy said last week that it may have started the largest wildfire in Texas history, the recent Smokehouse Creek fire. On Tuesday, The Energy and Natural Resources Committee will take testimony from Biden administration officials on the findings and recommendations of a federal wildfire commission created through the bipartisan infrastructure law. On Thursday, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hear from state, federal and local officials on responding to the continuing crisis. The federal commission’s report issued in September 2023 lays out the situation in and around the nation’s forests, especially in areas of the West prone to drought and other climate-related dangers. Federal fire suppression costs exceed $2.5 billion a year, and total wildfire costs across all types of landscapes and ownership may be in the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars a year.” [E&E News, 3/11/24 (=)]

Solar CEO To Headline Hearing On Climate Law Tax Credits — “The head of the United States’ largest manufacturer of solar panels will testify before the Senate Finance Committee this week as Democrats on Capitol Hill continue to look for opportunities to tout the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act on domestic production of goods. The scheduled appearance by Mark Widmar, chief executive of First Solar, also comes a few months after the company announced a sale of up to $700 million in tax credits, having taken advantage of the IRA’s advanced manufacturing incentive. ‘This is the IRA delivering on its intent, which is to incentivize high value domestic manufacturing by providing manufacturers with the liquidity they need to reinvest in growth and innovation,’ Widmar said in a statement in late September, just eight days after the administration finalized implementation guidance. Widmar’s case study for the IRA’s success may be a highlight of Tuesday’s hearing, titled ‘American Made: Growing U.S. Manufacturing Through the Tax Code.’” [E&E News, 3/11/24 (=)]

HOUSE

Natural Resources To Vote On Mineral, Conservation Bills — “The House Natural Resources Committee will vote on public land and mining bills this week, including legislation against a Biden administration plan to fast-track critical mineral projects. H.R. 6862 would block a proposed rule from the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council — an agency set up to expedite environmental reviews for large projects — to only accelerate permitting of mining projects deemed critical by the federal government. Republican Reps. Doug Lamborn of Colorado, Dan Newhouse of Washington and Blake Moore of Utah unveiled the legislation late last year to ensure all hardrock mineral projects would be eligible for expedited consideration under the so-called FAST-41 streamlined regulatory review process. The proposed rule would limit the scope of ‘mining’ to critical mineral projects — including processing and recycling — as defined by the Energy Act of 2020 and listed by the U.S. Geological Survey or by an act of Congress. The Biden administration last year accepted its first critical mineral project to move through the FAST-41 process: the $1.7 billion South32 Hermosa zinc and manganese project in Arizona. A local environmental group has expressed concern about the project’s impact on vulnerable and endangered species in the Patagonia Mountains.” [E&E News, 3/11/24 (=)]

House Sets Vote On Energy, Oceans, Disaster Relief Bills — “The House will vote on legislation this week to address ocean waste and increase transparency from Tennessee Valley Authority operations. H.R. 4693, the ‘TVA Salary Transparency Act,’ from Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), would require some higher-up Tennessee Valley Authority employees to disclose their salary. Specifically, it would restore disclosure requirements for TVA employees at the management level or above, including executives and board members. The bill follows criticisms of CEO Jeff Lyash’s salary. In 2020, he was the highest-paid federal employee with an annual salary of $8 million, which sparked backlash from then-President Donald Trump. Other bills on the agenda are: H.R. 886, the ‘Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act,’ from Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.). The bill would give NOAA more flexibility to enter into partnerships to clean up ocean pollution. Congress in recent years approved the Save our Seas Act and the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act.” [E&E News, 3/11/24 (=)]

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE (FWS)

After 50 Years Of Success, Endangered Species Act Is Under Microscope Again — “Gray whales, grizzly bears and the peregrine falcons that nest atop the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh are among 291 animal species that might have gone extinct if not for the Endangered Species Act. A 2019 study by the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity found that roughly 99% of plant and animal species on the list, ranked by threat of extinction and protected by federal law, have survived. The Endangered Species Act was given congressional approval and took effect 50 years ago. The landmark law mandated federal stewardship of imperiled terrestrial, aquatic and avian species and their habitats. But a proposal now being debated in Congress would change the way America protects struggling species. In February, a U.S. House of Representatives committee reintroduced the Endangered Species Act Flexibility Act. If passed, it would permit landowners, the Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to independently reinterpret foundational elements of the law.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/10/24 (=)]

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA)

NOAA Fisheries Renews Effort To Show It Can Keep A Secret — “NOAA Fisheries now wants another go at updating the confidentiality of the information it nets through both human and electronic monitoring. Nearly a dozen years after it retreated from an earlier rulemaking effort, the federal agency Friday proposed again to refresh the confidentiality rules it called ‘outdated, inefficient, and redundant.’ ‘Given that the regulations were last revised in 1998, they do not address recent methods of collecting observer information through electronic monitoring systems,’ NOAA Fisheries stated. The agency added that it ‘intends to update and modernize’ how it protects confidential information to ‘reflect advances’ in the information it collects. Tina Berger, communications director of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, told E&E News late Friday morning that state commissioners and staff had not yet had a chance to assess the proposals as ‘this is the first time’ they had been informed of them.” [E&E News, 3/8/24 (=)]

Dems Push Treasury On Guidance — “Six Senate Democrats from New England are warning the Treasury Department that it needs to quickly finalize its guidance for two of the Inflation Reduction Act’s bonus tax credits — or risk the future of proposed offshore wind projects. Treasury proposed guidance last year for programs that provide developers extra incentive to develop in traditionally coal-reliant communities and use domestically-produced products, but has yet to finalize those rules. Echoing a call from Northeast governors last year, the lawmakers say that the uncertainty could lead developers to pull the plug on their already cash-strapped offshore wind projects. ‘Without a clear understanding of whether—and to what extent—offshore wind projects would qualify for the domestic content and energy community bonus tax credits, developers may be forced to bid at unnecessarily high prices or may be unable to secure needed project financing due to an inflationary market and congested supply chain,’ the senators wrote. They also called on Treasury to expand the energy communities bonus by allowing offshore wind projects to qualify if their marshaling port or operations and maintenance port is located in an energy community. The initial guidance would only cover projects that place their onshore substation in an energy community, according to the lawmakers.” [Politico, 3/11/24 (=)]

Texas Sues EPA Over Methane Rule — “Texas filed a lawsuit Friday challenging a major Biden administration climate rule in a federal court. The Texas lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia Circuit, takes aim at EPA’s rule to clamp down on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. EPA announced its final rule in December at global climate talks in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but the regulation wasn’t officially published until Friday, a delay that made some climate advocates anxious. The formal publication in the government’s Federal Register opened the window for lawsuits and set a date for the rule to take effect, which is set to happen May 7. The Texas lawsuit doesn’t come as a surprise. All three members of the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas in the state, voted in January to ask Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton to challenge the final rule once it was published.” [E&E News, 3/8/24 (=)]

FOSSIL ENERGY

EQT, Equitrans Midstream To Merge To Create $35 Billion Firm — “EQT Corp (EQT.N), opens new tab has decided to buy back its former unit Equitrans Midstream (ETRN.N), opens new tab in an all-stock deal to create an integrated natural gas provider valued at more than $35 billion, the companies said on Monday. Shares of Equitrans jumped more than 8% in premarket trading, while EQT was down about 1%. Under the terms of the merger agreement, each outstanding share of Equitrans common stock will be exchanged for 0.3504 shares of EQT stock, representing a value of $12.50 per Equitrans share. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2024. The deal comes at a time when U.S. natural gas producers are curbing their output and spending on drilling activity as an oversupplied market has brought the prices of the commodity down to multi-decade lows. The transaction closely follows rival Chesapeake Energy’s (CHK.O), opens new tab $7.4 billion bid for Southwestern Energy (SWN.N), opens new tab in January.” [Reuters, 3/11/24 (=)]

TRANSMISSION

AP | Groups Sue To Stop Transmission Line Between Iowa And Wisconsin From Crossing Refuge — “A coalition of conservation groups filed a last-minute federal lawsuit seeking to stop plans to build the high-voltage Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line across a Mississippi River wildlife refuge. American Transmission Company, ITC Midwest and Dairyland Power Cooperative Inc. want to build a 102-mile (164-kilometer), 345-kilovolt line linking Iowa’s Dubuque County and Wisconsin’s Dane County. The cost of the line is expected to top half a billion dollars but the utilities contend the project would improve electrical reliability across the region. A portion of the line would run through the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge near Cassville, Wisconsin. The federal wildlife refuge is a haven for fish, wildlife and migratory birds that use it as their breeding grounds within the Mississippi Flyway. Millions of birds fly through the refuge, and it’s the only stopping point left for many migratory birds. Opponents have been working to stop the project for years. The National Wildlife Federation, the Driftless Area Land Conservancy and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation filed an action in federal court in Madison on Wednesday seeking an injunction to block the refuge crossing.” [The Waterloo Cedar-Falls Courier, 3/8/24 (=)]

Another Lawsuit Aims To Block Transmission Line From Crossing Wildlife Refuge — “Looking west from an overlook of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge over the Mississippi River. Royalbroil (CC BY) Conservation groups have once again filed a lawsuit to block a transmission line that would cross through the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge. The legal challenge seeks to stop plans to route the controversial — and now nearly complete — Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line across the refuge near Cassville in Grant County. The National Wildlife Refuge Association, Driftless Area Land Conservancy and Wisconsin Wildlife Federation are suing the Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Army Corps of Engineers along with agency officials. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. American Transmission Co., ITC Midwest and Dairyland Power Cooperative are almost finished with construction of the nearly $650-million line that runs more than 100 miles from Dane County to Dubuque County in Iowa. According to the utilities, only a roughly 2-mile stretch spanning the river from Cassville to Clayton County, Iowa has yet to be built.” [Wisconsin Public Radio, 3/8/24 (=)]

ARIZONA

Arizona Closes The Spigot For Saudi Cows — “Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego said Friday he would continue to push for a new 300 percent excise tax on water-intensive crops grown in drought-stricken regions, even as state officials announced a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s largest dairy company has stopped pumping Arizona groundwater. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) announced Thursday that Fondomonte, which grows alfalfa for export to the Middle East, has ceased tapping an aquifer designated as a future water source for Phoenix and its suburbs to irrigate farmland it leased from the state. ‘Today is the start of a new chapter for Arizona’s water future,’ Hobbs said in a statement. ‘I’m not afraid to hold people accountable, maximize value for the state land trust, and protect Arizona’s water security.’ Hobbs announced in October that the state would not renew three leases held by Fondomonte and would terminate a fourth based on technical violations in a bid to stop the company from pumping ‘unchecked amounts of groundwater’ to grow feed for Saudi Arabian cows.” [E&E News, 3/8/24 (=)]

CALIFORNIA

Coast Guard Investigates Oil Spill Spotted In California Off Huntington Beach's Coast — “Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department established a Unified Response after an unknown substance on Thursday at 6:50 p.m. around 1.5 miles off the coast of Huntington Beach, which is an hour south of Los Angeles. Huntington Beach Lifeguards also helped in the investigation. The oil sheen was 2.5 miles long and half a mile wide near two oil rigs that are about 2.5 miles off the coast, according to the release. The Coast Guard says it recovered around 85% of the sheen, which was roughly 85 gallons, on Friday. But, ocean conditions caused them to stop for the evening. ‘The Coast Guard is contacting all potential spill sources in the area, but no source has been identified,’ the Coast Guard said in a statement.” [USA Today, 3/8/24 (=)]

Authorities Investigate Oil Sheen Off Southern California Coast — “Authorities have detected a 2.5-mile (4 kilometer) long oil sheen off the coast of Southern California. But they said it doesn’t appear to be a crude spill and are investigating the cause. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Richard Brahm said authorities spotted the sheen after daybreak Friday about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) offshore, and it later shifted about another mile further from the coast. He said there were no reports of spills or leaks from oil platforms operating offshore and the sheen does not appear to be growing, which leads authorities to suspect it was a one-time discharge or natural seepage of oil in the ocean, which are fairly common. ‘We are going all out to find out what this is because we don’t know what this is,’ Brahm said. ‘As far as we can tell, it’s not a spill.’ Officials in Southern California formed a unified command to investigate the sheen, which was initially reported Thursday night, he said.” [Associated Press, 3/8/24 (=)]

Officials Investigate Possible Oil Spill Off Southern California Coast — “The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a roughly 2.5-mile long oil sheen spotted 1.5 miles off the coast of Huntington Beach, in Southern California. It is not yet clear where the oil came from. ‘We are actively monitoring reports of an oil sheen near Huntington Beach,’ Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. ‘We have deployed personnel to evaluate the incident and will continue to coordinate with local, state and federal partners.’ The Coast Guard’s Los Angeles-Long Beach command center first received a report of the oil sheen at 6:50 p.m. on Thursday evening. Pollution responders began investigating on Friday morning, and measured the sheen at 2.5 miles long and half a mile wild, near two offshore oil drilling platforms named ‘Eva’ and ‘Emmy.’” [Courthouse News Service, 3/8/24 (=)]

Oil Cleanup Underway Off Southern California Coast — “Multiple agencies in Southern California are responding to an oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach, including the care of oil-covered wildlife. The U.S. Coast Guard Los Angeles-Long Beach Command Center received a report March 7th of a substance more than 2 miles off the coast of Huntington Beach. Teams with the Coast Guard Pollution Responders completed a flight over the area and discovered an oil sheen in the Pacific Ocean spanning 2.5 miles long and half a mile wide. The oil is located between the oil processing platforms known as Emmy and Eva, according to the Coast Guard. Reuters reported on Friday that Amplify Emergy Corp. subsidiary Beta Offshore reported a spill of produced water from its offshore Platform Elly, causing the company to shut down the pipeline. According to Reuters, the same platform caused a large oil spill disaster in October 2021, shutting down area beaches.” [Fox Weather, 3/10/24 (=)]

Officials Investigating 2.5-Mile Long Oil Sheen Off Southern California Coast — “Authorities in southern California are investigating a 2.5-mile (4km) long oil sheen that emerged off the coast of Huntington Beach on Thursday evening. The sheen doesn’t appear to be a crude oil spill – it could be the result of natural seepage – and federal and state teams have deployed to the area to determine the source. ‘We are going all out to find out what this is because we don’t know what this is,’ said Richard Brahm, a US Coast Guard petty officer. ‘As far as we can tell, it’s not a spill.’ The coast guard first received a report of an ‘unknown substance’ in the water on Thursday evening after dark and sent out a team via boat and helicopter at first light on Friday morning, according to a coast guard statement.” [The Guardian, 3/8/24 (=)]

Miles-Long Oil Slick Spotted Off Coast Of Huntington Beach — “A roughly 2.5-mile-long oil slick has been detected off the coast of Huntington Beach, but its source remained unclear. The Coast Guard said Friday that the slick, which was initially detected Thursday night, is located about 2.8 miles off the coast of Huntington Beach. Officials say there were initial reports that the oil had possibly spilled from an offshore platform, but that has yet to be confirmed. The Coast Guard is conducting aerial surveys to assess the size and potential impacts of the spill. ‘They’ve sent out a barge and two skimmers so that they can contain the area and clean it up as soon as possible,’ said Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley. Amplify Energy Corp., the company that operates an underwater oil pipeline in Southern California, said the company ‘is aware of reports of an oil sheen.’” [KABC-TV, 3/9/24 (=)]

Oil Sheen Spotted Off Huntington Beach After Platform Spill — “Sky5 spotted a sheen off the coast of Huntington Beach Friday morning after hearing reports of a possible oil spill. The incident occurred overnight and officials initially believed it was sewage that was floating about a mile and a half offshore. An emergency response team was sent to investigate and believes it was an oil spill. Officials say the sheen is a result of an overflow of oily water discharge from a nearby offshore platform. The sheen is about 1.5 miles by 2.5 miles. It is not growing and the oil has endangered no wildlife. Contractors are using booms and other resources to clean up the sheen and have also put some resources at the Bolsa Chica inlet and the Santa Ana River. ‘We do have our Harbor Patrol patrolling Dana Point Harbor, Newport Beach Harbor, and Huntington Beach,’ Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said to KTLA 5’s Chip Yost. ‘Just to make sure mariners don’t go out and get into the impacted area.’” [KTLA-TV, 3/9/24 (=)]

Oil Sheen Confirmed Off Huntington Beach; Coast Guard Investigating — “The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating an oil sheen off the coast of Huntington Beach that stretches about two miles long and half a mile wide, officials said Friday. Officials received a report about 6:50 p.m. Thursday of an unknown substance about 1½ miles offshore, and local emergency responders were on site through the night, the agency said. Early Friday, Coast Guard officials flew over the site and confirmed an oil sheen almost three miles offshore that they said was not from natural statedcauses. Orange County Supervisors Don Wagner and Katrina Foley both posted on social media about the incident Friday morning to their constituents. ‘Early thoughts are that it’s from a platform,’ Foley posted on X at 8:05 a.m. The Coast Guard reported the oil sheen was near platforms Emmy and Eva and potential sources for it have been contacted, but none have been officially identified.” [Los Angeles Times, 3/8/24 (=)]

Coast Guard Still Probing Cause Of Oil Sheen Off The Coast Of Huntington Beach — “The U.S. Coast Guard is still investigating what caused the oil sheen off Huntington Beach in Orange County this week, as clean-up crews on Saturday morning fanned out across the coast. The sheen — it’s still unclear, officials say, if it was caused by a leak or a spill — was first reported Thursday evening not far from the site of a massive spill in 2021. By Friday night, officials had skimmed most of the oil, or about 85 gallons, from the ocean. Coast Guard spokesperson Richard Uranga said that a flyover of the area early Saturday morning ‘showed a lighter sheen on the water.’ Uranga described the cleaning efforts along the coast Saturday morning as ‘very light,’ but urged people walking along the shore with children or pets to keep an eye out for tar balls. The city of Huntington Beach said beaches remain open, but cautioned against picking up tar patties to dispose of them. If you see tar, the city said, notify a lifeguard. Uranga said that investigators are still looking into what caused the sheen.” [Los Angeles Times, 3/9/24 (=)]

Apparent Oil Spill Seen Off Popular Southern California Coastline, Authorities Said — “An oil spill appeared off the Southern California coast Thursday night, near one of the region’s most popular beaches, authorities said. The slick sheen was spotted about 1 1/2 miles off Huntington Beach in Orange County, about 40 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, and appeared to be about 2 1/2 miles long, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The possible oil spill was first reported about 6:50 p.m. Thursday, the Coast Guard said. ‘We are actively monitoring reports of an oil sheen near Huntington Beach,’ Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. ‘We have deployed personnel to evaluate the incident and will continue to coordinate with local, state and federal partners. ‘ It wasn’t immediately unclear if the slick came from a vessel or leaked from a nearby oil platform. The sheen is far enough off the beach that swimmers and surfers were still safe, Friday, officials said.” [NBC News, 3/8/24 (=)]

Oil Spill Off Huntington Beach Coast Being Investigated — “Multiple agencies are investigating the cause of an oil spill off of the coast of Huntington Beach following reports of tar balls washing ashore on the sands of Dog Beach. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News on March 8, 2024. State officials are investigating an oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach Friday morning. Investigators from the California Governor’s Office Emergency Services filed a hazardous materials spill report, detailing an overflow of petroleum coming from an offshore platform belonging to Beta Offshore. Beta Offshore operates three oil platforms in federal waters off the coast of Long Beach, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The state’s report also noted that once the petroleum leak was detected Thursday night, Beta Offshore shut down the line and deployed a boat to check for an oil sheen. The Coast Guard confirmed the report, saying the Orange County Sheriff’s Department located a sheen of 1.5 miles off of Huntington Beach. The sheen is 2 to 2.5 miles long.” [NBC Los Angeles, 3/8/24 (=)]

California Officials Investigate Possible Oil Spill Off Huntington Beach — “The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday said it was investigating an oil sheen that appeared to be nearly 2.5 miles long and half a mile wide, off the coast of Huntington Beach, Calif. It was not clear what caused it. The Coast Guard received a National Response Center report around 7 p.m. on Thursday of an ‘unknown substance in the water’ about 1.5 miles off the coast, Richard Brahm, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, said. The Coast Guard’s pollution responders, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Huntington Beach’s lifeguards and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigated through the night and into the morning. The investigation was still underway late Friday morning. ‘Right now we’re trying to figure out if there are any potential sources for the spill,’ Mr. Brahm said, adding that there were offshore oil platforms in the area, but it was too early to know what caused it. ‘It could be natural seepage, it could have been a discharge. We’re not sure.’” [The New York Times, 3/8/24 (=)]

Probe Into Oil Sheen Off Huntington Beach Still Underway — “After the Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach Command Center received a report on March 7 of an unknown substance in the water 1.5 miles off the coast of Huntington Beach, a Unified Command with representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR), and Orange County Sheriff’s Department was established. The Coast Guard Pollution Responders set out with a Newport Harbor Patrol boat to investigate while a Coast Guard helicopter conducted an overflight in the area at sunrise. Upon investigation, an oil sheen was discovered, spanning 2.5 miles in length and 0.5 miles in width, roughly 2.8 miles off Huntington Beach near two platforms, Emmy and Eva.” [Offshore Engineer, 3/11/24 (=)]

Emergency Response Team Investigates 2-Mile-Long Oil Sheen Reported Off Huntington Beach — “A 2-mile-long oil sheen off Huntington Beach’s coast prompted an investigation Friday, March 8, with emergency response teams deployed to determine the source and to try and keep the oil from reaching shore. By sundown, it was still unclear where the oil came from – if it was caused by a spill from an oil operation or other source or if it was natural seepage from the ocean floor. Waste disposal company US Ecology has been contracted for the clean up, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Richard Brahm. The effort will extend onto the beach with 60 people early Saturday morning at Bolsa Chica State Beach. No volunteers are needed at this time, he said. The United States Coast Guard received a report about 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, from the National Response Center about the sheen on the ocean’s surface off Huntington Beach’s coast, Brahm said. It was too dark to investigate, so in the morning the Orange County Sheriff’s Department deployed a ‘first light’ inspection using a Newport Harbor Patrol boat, locating the approximate 2-mile sheen, he said. A Coast Guard helicopter also conducted an overflight in the area at sunrise.” [The Orange County Register, 3/8/24 (=)]

Tar Balls Still Turning Up From Huntington Beach Oil Sheen — “Offshore recovery assets put in place to deal with an oil sheen off the coast of Huntington Beach are being demobilized after a flyover did not observe any sheen, however shoreline cleanup teams continue to observe tar balls Monday along the beaches, and at least two birds have died, authorities said. The roughly 2.5-mile-long oil sheen was spotted in the ocean water Thursday evening. Monitoring and cleanup efforts are being handled by a Unified Command consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Flyovers Saturday and Sunday morning by a Coast Guard helicopter did not observe any sheen offshore. Cleanup crews recovered approximately 85 gallons of product from offshore recovery and removed about 800 pounds of oily waste and tar balls from the shoreline and will continue to remove them as needed, according to the Unified Command.” [Patch, 3/8/24 (+)]

US Coast Guard Investigating Oil Spill Off California Coast — “The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday was trying to identify the source of an oil spill off the coast of Huntington beach, California, the agency said. The sheen, estimated at 2.5 miles (4 km) in length and 0.5 miles (800 meters) in width, was discovered after a Coast Guard helicopter flew over the site at sunrise. The spill is located roughly 2.8 miles (4.5 km) off Huntington Beach, near two oil drilling platforms but it was unclear whether either were the source of the spill, according to the Coast Guard’s statement. Beta Offshore, a subsidiary of Amplify Energy Corp (AMPY.N), opens new tab, reported a potential spill of produced water from its offshore Platform Elly off Huntington beach on Friday, according to a regulatory filing, causing the company to shut down a pipeline.” [Reuters, 3/8/24 (=)]

Oil Sheen Gone From Waters Of Southern California’s Huntington Beach After 85 Gallons Of Oil Product Cleared, Officials Say — “The oil sheen spotted in the Southern California waters of Huntington Beach appeared to be gone Saturday as crews worked to clean up tar that washed ashore, officials said. Officials conducting a helicopter flyover Saturday morning didn’t spot any oil sheen, the city of Huntington Beach said. The US Coast Guard said the sheen was first spotted Thursday and officials on Friday worked to recover roughly 85 gallons of oil product from the waters off the coast of Huntington Beach, which is known for its beaches and goes by the moniker Surf City USA. The sheen was about 1/2 mile wide and approximately 2 and 1/2 miles long, the Coast Guard said in a news release. It was spotted about 1 and 1/2 half miles off the coast, the Coast Guard said.” [CNN, 3/9/24 (=)]

No Recoverable Oil Is Left In The Water From Sheen Off Southern California Coast, Officials Say — “No recoverable oil remains in the water after a sheen was reported off the Southern California coast, but the cause remains unclear, officials said Saturday. Authorities detected the 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) long oil sheen Friday morning. Crews recovered about 85% of it, roughly 85 gallons (322 liters), on Friday. By the time responders conducted flights over the area Saturday, they could no longer see any recoverable sheen, the Coast Guard and Huntington Beach officials said in written statements. There were some clumps of tar along the beach but not enough to warrant a closure, and there did not appear to be any public health threat from consuming fish from the area, authorities said. The Coast Guard said three live birds — a cormorant, a loon and a grebe — were found sullied with oil and are being treated.” [Associated Press, 3/9/24 (=)]

Coast Guard Says No Sheen Left After Potential Oil Spill Near LA — “The US Coast Guard said Saturday no remaining sheen was observed on Pacific waters following reports of a potential oil spill south of Los Angeles near Huntington Beach. Officials on Friday responded to an oily sheen 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long and 0.5 miles wide near the Emmy and Eva oil platforms, about 2.8 miles off Huntington Beach, close to where a serious offshore leak occurred in 2021. No remaining recoverable sheen was observed Saturday, though tar balls were seen along the shoreline in Huntington Beach, according to a statement. Investigations into the cause of the sheen are ongoing, according to the statement. California Resource Corp., the operator of Emmy, said there was no leak or spill from its installation. Eva is operated by DCOR LLC, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.” [Bloomberg, 3/9/24 (=)]

US Coast Guard Says No Oil Sheen Seen Off California After Spill — “The U.S. Coast Guard said an overflight on Sunday no longer detected an oil sheen off the coast of Huntington Beach, California, after oil spill discovered on Friday was cleaned up. The agency said offshore recovery assets would be demobilized after they recovered about 85 gallons (322 liters) of product from the ocean. ‘Shoreline cleanup teams continue to observe tar balls along the beaches in Huntington Beach and will continue to remove them as needed,’ the agency said, adding they had already removed about 800 pounds (363 kg) of oily waste and tar balls.” [Reuters, 3/8/24 (=)]

VIDEO: Workers Clean Up Oil Spill Off California, As Barges Submerge In Kentucky — “Officials in California and Kentucky are working to ease the potential environmental fallout from an oil spill and a group of barges carrying coal that broke away from a towing vessel. Plus, Hawaii is implementing a new fire detection system.” [CNN, 3/8/24 (+)]

Does California Have Enough Land For The Renewable Energy It Needs? — “California is beginning a massive build-out of clean energy. We need to triple the rate at which we are bringing solar and wind facilities online in order to meet our climate goals. One of the big challenges in increasing the pace of renewable development will be siting the facilities. They are projected to use almost one million acres of land along with substantial marine area. Dr. Adam Moreno, Manager of the Nature-Based Strategies Section at the California Air Resources Board, put it this way in a recent California Energy Commission (CEC) Workshop on Land Use: ‘(The wind and solar requirement) would cover at least 850 square miles, an area larger than the city of Los Angeles, and 18 times the footprint of the city of San Francisco.’ He enumerates the many competing demands for land — renewable energy, agriculture, conservation, carbon storage, tribal cultural resources, housing — and asserts that ‘development on natural, intact, resilient, and/or culturally significant lands should be avoided.’” [Palo Alto Online, 3/10/24 (=)]

California Offshore Wind Prospects Hit Snags — “California’s offshore wind ambitions hit two snags on the North Coast this week, with a key developer stepping back from negotiations to develop a port terminal and a local tribe announcing it will oppose all projects. The developments came two weeks after the California Public Utilities Commission released an offshore wind plan that surprised some lawmakers in its modesty — it called for less offshore wind, later than state planning goals had advertised. Why it matters: The hurdles underscore the challenges that remain in California’s ambitious plan to develop 25 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2045 to bolster its renewable energy goals, with earlier targets starting in 2030. Developers have warned the state it is sending ‘mixed signals’ with aspirational goals that differ from long-term plans. What happened: Crowley, an international marine and energy developer, told the Lost Coast Outpost on Wednesday it will relinquish its exclusive right to negotiate with the Humboldt Bay Harbor District to build a heavy-lift terminal. Plans call for assembling the massive turbines at the terminal, which would also serve as a base of operations for maintenance of the offshore site. The company obtained the exclusive right in 2022; it expires at the end of March.” [Politico, 3/8/24 (=)]

VIDEO: Potential Key To Clean Energy Future Found At Site Of Past Environmental Disasters — “California’s Salton Sea is a man-made lake that was accidentally created in the early 20th century. Recently, it’s fallen victim to drought and pollution. Now, it might have a new future: The arid land around the lake is expected to hold a vast supply of lithium, the resource used to make batteries for electric cars. John Blackstone has more.” [CBS News, 3/8/24 (+)]

COLORADO

Colorado Could Bring Back Wolverines In An Unprecedented Rewilding Effort — “A bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers are proposing legislation to reintroduce wolverines, one of the country’s rarest carnivores, into a state primed with deep snow and high mountains. The unprecedented move would be the first wolverine reintroduction in North America, and is part of an ongoing effort by Coloradans to restore the state’s native species. Restoring wolverines to the Centennial state could provide the threatened species with a buffer population at a time when the US Fish and Wildlife Service says wolverines’ low numbers face threats from climate change and habitat fragmentation. Conservationists and state biologists have long pushed for the reintroduction, saying Colorado has plenty of unoccupied habitat and could support as many as 100 or even 180 wolverines, dramatically increasing the species’ North American population. The bill was introduced this week, and has attracted support from lawmakers and scientists alike. ‘I think this gives us the best chance of restoring the population to Colorado,’ says Jake Ivan, a wildlife research scientist with Colorado parks and wildlife.” [The Guardian, 3/9/24 (+)]

NEVADA

Sage Grouse Add New Hurdle For Planned Nevada Power Line — “The Bureau of Land Management may need an additional year to complete its evaluation of a proposed 235-mile-long transmission line to northern Nevada because of how it could affect greater sage grouse habitat. BLM next week will launch a new analysis of potential amendments to three federal land-use plans that might be needed to approve the Greenlink North power line that’s a Biden administration priority, according to an advance notice in Friday’s Federal Register. The analysis will be added to the ongoing environmental impact statement evaluating the overall Greenlink North project The new evaluation illustrates how large-scale energy projects can conflict with the separate Biden administration priority of protecting the imperiled greater sage grouse and its sagebrush habitat. The plan amendments BLM is considering include altering restrictions on the size of transmission line projects inside federally designated greater sage grouse habitat management areas that were identified in the grouse management plans approved in 2015 during the Obama administration.” [E&E News, 3/8/24 (=)]

NV Energy Project Along ‘Loneliest Road In America’ Wants Public Input — “The northern part of NV Energy’s controversial plan to build transmission lines along a 235-mile stretch from Ely to Yerington is moving to another public comment phase, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said Friday. The overall project, for which consumers will foot a $443 million over budget bill, aligns with the Biden administration’s lofty goal of a fully carbon-free electricity sector by 2035, according to BLM leaders. However, the Greenlink North project will loosely run along a famous stretch of U.S. Highway 50 between Ely and Yerington, famously known as the ‘Loneliest Road in America.’ BLM will also evaluate how to best situate the project among dwindling sagebrush habitat — critical for the sage-grouse, a funky-looking bird that the agency has formally committed to protecting.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3/8/24 (=)]

NEW MEXICO

AP | NM Halts Some Oil-Field Lease Sales In Standoff Over Royalty Rates, + More — “New Mexico’s State Land Office will withhold lease sales indefinitely on its most promising tracts for oil and natural gas development in the Permian Basin as it seeks approval by the state Legislature to increase top-tier royalty rates, Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard said Thursday. Bills have repeatedly stalled in the Democratic-led Legislature, including this year, that would raise New Mexico’s top royalty rate for oil and gas development from 20% to 25%. Proponents of the change say neighboring Texas already charges up to 25% on state trust land amid intense competition to drill in the Permian Basin that overlaps southeastern New Mexico and parts of western Texas. In New Mexico, royalty payments from oil and gas development are deposited in a multibillion-dollar investment trust that benefits public schools, universities and hospitals.” [KUNM-Radio, 3/8/24 (=)]

NM Land Office Withholds Leases On Prime Oil Land; Wants To Increase Royalties To 25% — “The New Mexico State Land Office (NMLO) is looking to earn every possible penny on prime oil land in southeast New Mexico meaning the state will not accept any leases for some of the best drilling places until the royalty rate goes up. ‘They are really clamoring to have these leases be put back on the lease sale, and the reason is because they’re so lucrative,’ said New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard. But for now, the state says they will withhold any leases on several hundred acres of premium oil land in southeastern New Mexico. ‘New Mexico wasn’t charging top dollar for a resource that is valued higher,’ Commissioner Garcia Richard said. State officials argue the amount of money New Mexico has earned in royalties from oil leases on prime land is far below what other states in the area are making. As it stands, the state receives 18% to 20% in royalties from oil pumps in the Permian Basin for a typical parcel of land. However, for the prime real estate, officials say they would like to increase that rate to 25%, matching the market value in neighboring states. ‘These prime parcels, these best of the best acres, that would draw an additional, between 50 and 80 million dollars,’ Commissioner Garcia Richard explained.” [KRQE-TV, 3/8/24 (=)]

Dem NM Land Commissioner Shakes Down Oil Producers For More Cash — “The New Mexico State Land Office has announced a pause on leasing its most lucrative oil and natural gas sites in the Permian Basin after legislation during the 2024 Legislative Session to shake down oil and gas producers for more money via higher royalty rates failed. Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard highlighted the effort to increase the current top royalty rate of 20 percent to 25 percent, a move that has seen repeated setbacks despite the Democrats dominating both chambers of the Legislature. The proposal aims to align New Mexico’s royalty rates with those of Texas, which can go as high as 25 percent for oil and gas extraction on state trust lands. The Permian Basin, a hotspot for drilling, spans southeastern New Mexico and parts of western Texas. Texas’ royalty rates haven’t risen since the late 1990s, so the sudden attempt to hike rates appears solely politically motivated. Revenue from oil and gas royalties in New Mexico contributes to a substantial investment trust that supports public education, universities, and healthcare institutions.” [Piñon Post, 3/8/24 (-)]

TEXAS

The Largest Of The Texas Panhandle Fires Are About 90% Contained — “After more than a week of destruction, including thousands of dead livestock and hundreds of lost structures, two of the largest fires that have been raging in the Texas Panhandle are now about 90% contained. The Smokehouse Creek Fire, which scorched about 1,058,570 acres from Hutchinson County to Hemphill County, was 87% contained as of Friday morning according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The Windy Deuce Fire in nearby Moore County was about 92% contained and had burned about 144,200 acres. The latest figures should provide residents in the area with some small measure of relief after. Just one week ago, the same fires were only 15% and 60% contained, respectively. The Smokehouse Creek Fire is the largest in Texas history and one of the largest the country has ever experienced.” [High Plains Public Radio, 3/8/24 (=)]

Bloomberg | Huge Texas Blaze Shows Power-Line Fires Are A Widespread Threat — “Massive wildfires sparked by power lines used to be a California problem, one many utility executives considered safely confined to the Golden State. No more. Texas officials on Thursday blamed the state’s largest-ever fire on electrical lines sparking in dry brush, fed by blasting winds into a million-acre inferno. The same combination of high winds, power lines and dry grass last year may have been responsible for razing the seaside town of Lahaina on Maui, a place once considered too lush to burn. Fast-moving fires blamed on utility equipment leveled homes in Colorado in 2021 and Oregon in 2020. Across a vast swath of the western US, climate change and aging infrastructure have forced utilities to confront a harsh new reality that threatens both the communities they serve as well as their own survival. The danger first became clear in California, where the state’s largest utility — PG&E Corp. — tumbled into bankruptcy in 2019 after fires sparked by its power lines killed dozens of people in wine country and the Sierra Nevada foothills. But it’s spreading, as a warmer and often drier climate leaves landscapes primed to burn.” [Insurance Journal, 3/8/24 (+)]

Texas Requires Utilities To Plan For Emergencies. That Didn’t Stop The Panhandle Fires. — “Before it burned to a pile of ashes, Melanie McQuiddy’s house on the outskirts of Canadian was her family’s home base. Her daughter and grandchildren flocked there for holidays. At Christmastime, she put a tree in every room and transformed herself into ‘Mimi-Claus,’ complete with a wig and red costume dress. The family considered the home a place of joy, laughter and shenanigans, she said. Now — after the state’s largest wildfire in history tore across a million acres in the Texas Panhandle — the house is gone. So is McQuiddy’s Steinway piano. Her christening gown. Her family Bible. ‘We have those memories,’ McQuiddy said, her voice straining with emotion. ‘I’ll rebuild again so that my family can return.’ The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. Part of moving forward is figuring out who is accountable for the damage. McQuiddy, 60, and her lawyers quickly identified what they argue is the culprit: a utility pole that fell over and that appeared rotten at its base. The lawyers filed a similar suit on behalf of another set of plaintiffs on Wednesday.” [The Texas Tribune, 3/8/24 (=)]

UTAH

Tribes And The Feds Will Try To Co-Manage A National Monument For The First Time. Here’s What That Could Look Like. — “After surviving three presidents, years of administrative back-and-forth in Washington and persistent local pushback, the federal government on Friday released potential plans for managing Bears Ears National Monument. The plan and the monument are the first of their kind. The land will be managed not only by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service but also with the input of five sovereign tribal nations. ‘In the face of modern challenges, such as the management of Bears Ears National Monument, our commitment to collaboration remains unwavering,’ said Curtis Yanito, Navajo Nation Council member and Bears Ears commissioner, in a statement. ‘The draft resource management plan represents the culmination of our shared knowledge and insights, offered willingly to federal agencies for the betterment of the Monument. Our ancestors have faithfully safeguarded this land for centuries, and as collaborative stewards, we pledge to uphold this sacred duty into the boundless future.’ A 90-day public comment period for the draft plan and environmental impact statement begins Friday. The BLM will review public comments and incorporate them into a final resource management plan and environmental impact statement.” [The Salt Lake Tribune, 3/8/24 (=)]

Investing In Nature? Utah Says No, Bans Natural Asset Companies On Public Land — “Utah seeks to curb activity that prioritizes conservation on public land with a recently passed bill. In this file photo, quaking aspens grow in Cedar Canyon, Utah, June 18, 2023 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News The public land use amendments bill, designated HB 496 in the 2024 Legislature, requires the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office to recognize and promote multiple uses and sustained yields on federal public lands in Utah while opposing conservation as a use equal to recreation, grazing and others. Additionally, it prohibits natural asset companies from purchasing or leasing state public lands, owning or managing conservation leases, and purchasing or leasing ecosystem services. Rep. Carl Albrecht sponsored the bill, which he drafted in collaboration with the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office and Utah State Treasurer Marlo Oaks. The bill’s co-sponsor, Sen. Heidi Balderree, said it would not prevent natural asset companies from conducting business on private land.” [St George News, 3/8/24 (=)]

VIRGINIA

Virginia Could Make Almost $5B From This 3.5 GW Offshore Wind Farm — “Avangrid’s 3.5 gigawatt (GW) Kitty Hawk Wind could deliver around $5 billion in economic impact across Virginia – here’s where the project stands. The 180-turbine Kitty Hawk Wind is an offshore wind project proposed in federal waters over 36 miles from Virginia Beach. It will be capable of generating enough renewable power for more than 1 million homes and businesses annually and reduce emissions by more than 1.5 million metric tons – equivalent to taking 500,000 cars off the road annually. Kitty Hawk Wind would deliver about $4.8 billion in economic impact across Virginia, including $1.2 billion and 2,401 jobs in the City of Virginia Beach over 40 years, according to Avangrid’s just-released ‘Kitty Hawk Wind: Economic & Fiscal Impact’ report. Kitty Hawk Wind’s development, construction, and operations would deliver approximately $4 billion in investment to the Hampton Roads region, which is equipped to provide critical offshore wind services due to its existing port infrastructure and maritime workforce. (Hampton Roads is the Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, VA–NC metropolitan region.)” [Electrek, 3/8/24 (=)]

WESTERN WATER

As A Deadline Approaches, Colorado River States Are Still Far Apart On Water Sharing — “Ahead of a deadline next week, the seven states that share the Colorado River have revealed competing plans for how the river should be managed in the future. They’re split into two factions, with the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming on one side, and their Lower Basin counterparts—California, Arizona and Nevada—on the other. Those two camps have been at odds over water management many times over the past century. Now, with climate change shrinking the Colorado River’s supply, they’re under intense pressure to rein in demand. While the current guidelines for sharing the river don’t expire until 2026, the Biden Administration set a mid-March deadline for proposals for new guideline, in part because the upcoming election in November could bring a change of presidential administration that could complicate the implementation of new rules.” [NPR, 3/8/24 (=)]

After Another Wet Winter, Is The West Still Facing A Water Crisis? — “Time is running out for the West’s wet season, but recent storms have done wonders for the snowpack and the drought across much of the region, especially in California. ‘The drought situation across the western U.S. has improved considerably as a result of a very wet winter,’ Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist at Arizona State University, told USA TODAY. In fact, both California and Nevada are ‘essentially drought-free’ at the moment, which is ‘really unusual,’ he said. Elsewhere, the giant reservoirs of the Colorado River Basin, Lakes Mead and Powell, are now about one-third full, said Brad Udall, senior scientist at Colorado State University. This is up from the same time last year, when they were 25% full, but still far from their historic highs of the early 2000s, when they were 95% full.” [USA Today, 3/8/24 (=)]

Winter Storms Help End ‘Snow Drought’ Across Parts Of The US West — “Recent bouts of heavy mountain snowfall in parts of the U.S. West have helped quell a ‘snow drought’ that was threatening to further desiccate an already arid region, federal meteorologists announced Thursday. A major, four-day blizzard earlier this month brought considerable improvements to the Sierra Nevada, freeing the entire region from the so-called ‘snow drought’ — a period in which there are abnormally low levels of snowpack, which serves as a water reservoir for much of the West. ‘The Sierra Nevada has been making a slow and steady snow drought recovery since early winter,’ meteorologists stated in a March snow drought update, issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS).” [The Hill, 3/8/24 (=)]

Declining Texas Springs Point To Possible Risks For State Water Supplies — “Many of the underground water stores often critical to life in Texas, where rain is rare and the sun beats out of a pitiless sky, are running dry. Across the state, water gushes out of nearly 300 springs — a hidden array of reservoirs that creates creeks, rivers and swimming holes, and that once made agriculture in the western half of the state possible. But 30 percent of these historic springs are now dry — nearly three times as many as in the 1970s, according to a report from one of the state’s leading water research institutes. Texas cities, lead author Robert Mace told The Hill, need to be prepared for the possibility that their water supplies could decline or vanish unexpectedly, like the once-burbling waters of many of the now-desiccated springs. ‘Springs are the canary in coal mine on sustainable development,’ he said. ‘When springs dry up, that’s a troubling sign that maybe groundwater pumping is not sustainable.’” [The Hill, 3/8/24 (=)]

Orchard Expansion In Canada's Wine Country Stirs Wildlife Corridor Fears — “Just below the fog line hanging over the central Okanagan Valley, rows of saplings for a cherry orchard expansion span the eastern stretch above Highway 33 on the outskirts of Kelowna in Canada’s wine country. New cherry varieties and climate change in British Columbia’s interior have enabled the fruit to grow at higher than usual elevations. Soon, this grassland terrain surrounded by mountains of ponderosa pine will be full of rows of cherry trees along a sloping hill above this city of about 145,000. On a recent morning, Dixon Terbasket of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band arrived at the gate of a 10-foot-high fence built last year. He gestured at a private property sign hanging from the fence on his ancestral homeland — a barrier to keep a soon-to-be-blossoming orchard free from mule deer and elk that once traversed this patch of land. ‘The amount of development that’s happening so quickly and rapidly … the urban sprawl is moving out into the wilderness part of it,’ said Terbasket, a wildlife technician with the Okanagan Nation Alliance.” [E&E News, 3/8/24 (=)]

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