Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 30 September 2024

Perspective:? Nature is adapting to climate change – why aren’t humans?

·?????? https://theconversation.com/nature-is-adapting-to-climate-change-why-arent-we-239750

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Navajo and other Tribal Members will go to Washington DC to push reauthorization & expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act – compensating for the toxic legacy of uranium mining & contamination

·?????? https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27092024/tribal-members-travel-to-washington-radiation-exposure-compensation-act/

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Southern California wildfire paradox – Los Angeles County earned “exceeding low score” on community resilience with 155 natural disaster declarations & expected annual loss exceeding $16 billion

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/the-southern-california-wildfire-paradox/ar-AA1qZKOR

·?????? Claim Guard analysis:? https://claimguide.org/disaster-preparedness/

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Plastic recycling is failing – “advanced recycling” plastic waste piling up in Houston, Texas

·?????? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/houston-plastic-waste-advanced-recycling/

·?????? Documentary film:? https://www.cbsnews.com/video/advanced-recycling-does-big-plastics-idea-work-cbs-reports/

·?????? https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24082024/houston-advanced-recycling-plastic-waste-piles-up/

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Pearl River map turtle is threatened species under ESA – may result in blocking US Army COE project to dredge and widen the Pearl River

·?????? https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22092024/mississippi-river-engineering-project-turtle-protections/

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Land (and homes) overlying old gypsum mine tunnels in Hideaway Hills subdivision in South Dakota is collapsing and forming sinkholes

·?????? https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/giant-sinkholes-south-dakota-neighborhood-140053271.html

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Biden-Harris announced another $3 billion in federal subsidies for EV battery projects

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-harris-admin-shells-out-billions-more-for-battery-manufacturing-as-china-corners-the-market/ar-AA1qZqTE

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Perspective:? a classroom designed for critical thinking & learning – asking difficult questions – no technology – may be “old school” but it works

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/students-need-tech-free-classrooms-opinion/ar-AA1oQk49

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Adverse consequences of an open Southern Border – human smuggling, drug trafficking, money laundering, physical violence - $380M to illegal aliens – stronger Cartels

·?????? https://thefederalnewswire.com/stories/664079240-shanahan-biden-harris-admin-ceded-control-of-southern-border-to-cartels-unforgivable

·?????? https://thefederalnewswire.com/stories/664079255-president-of-heritage-515-000-unaccompanied-children-in-the-u-s-pure-human-cost-is-horrifying

·?????? https://thefederalnewswire.com/stories/664079257-u-s-senator-lee-dhs-funding-for-migrant-communities-rewards-drug-cartels-who-smuggle-migrants-into-the-u-s

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14,000 illegal aliens convicted of murder & 1,845 accused of murder are in the US – more than 7.4M (doubled since 2020) on docket for removal/removal proceedings – 425,400+ convicted criminals (assault, burglary, drugs, homicide, kidnapping & sexual assault) & 222,100+ with pending criminal charges (assault & burglary)

·?????? https://nypost.com/2024/09/27/us-news/shocking-data-shows-15k-illegal-immigrants-accused-of-murder-as-kamala-harris-visits-border/

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-mum-amid-outrage-over-data-showing-how-many-illegal-immigrant-criminals-are-free-in-us/ar-AA1rlG84

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ice-released-over-435-000-migrants-with-criminal-convictions-data-shows/ar-AA1rnoDC

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Technological hazard:? Fully autonomous, self-driving vehicles are dangerous illusion

·?????? https://amgreatness.com/2024/09/23/fully-autonomous-self-driving-vehicles-are-a-dangerous-illusion/

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Gut microbial population linked to dementia & Alzheimer’s

·?????? https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/links-between-alzheimers-and-gut-microbiota

·?????? Paper:? https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/146/12/4916/7308687?login=false

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Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Project was granted $10M & previously awarded $164M – total project cost estimated at $1.6 billion - project now dead

·?????? https://www.marinij.com/2024/09/23/1-5-billion-project-to-expand-major-bay-area-reservoir-collapses/

·?????? https://xn--https-ix3b//www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/long-anticipated-los-vaqueros-reservoir-expansion-cancelled/

·?????? 2023:? https://antiochherald.com/2023/07/los-vaqueros-reservoir-expansion-project-receives-10-million-from-bureau-of-reclamation/

·?????? Aug 2024:? https://www.independentnews.com/news/regional_and_ca/los-vaqueros-reservoir-may-expand-storage/article_634f2842-5a6f-11ef-88b3-cbde3ca87784.html

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Heteroresistance allows bacteria to evade antibiotics – identify by population analysis profiling (PAP)

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/scientists-have-found-a-secret-switch-that-lets-bacteria-resist-antibiotics-and-it-s-been-evading-lab-tests-for-decades/ar-AA1oxxYy

·?????? Paper:? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4284305/

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SCOTUS ruling in case of Loper Bright reins in big government powers

·?????? https://www.propublica.org/article/supreme-court-chevron-deference-loper-bright-guns-abortion-pending-cases

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187 more children (total so far of 572) rescued as sites are raided in Malasia linked to an Islamic GISB business group being investigated for sexual assault and abuse of children

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/malaysian-police-rescue-187-more-children-as-sex-abuse-probe-of-islamic-group-deepens/ar-AA1r2Okf

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Simple message nearly eradicated homeless population in Douglas County, Colorado:? “Handouts Don’t Help”

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/blue-state-county-bucks-trend-on-handouts-and-homeless-population-craters/ar-AA1r1TCM

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Be careful what you eat:? Lead found at unacceptable levels in some cinnamon products

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/just-6-cinnamon-brands-found-safe-for-regular-consumption-in-consumer-reports-lead-investigation/ar-AA1qwU6a

·?????? https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-contaminants/high-lead-levels-in-cinnamon-powders-and-spice-mixtures-a4542246475/

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Newly hired Gen Z employees now being fired for lack of ability to work autonomously, lack of communication skills & lack of professionalism – others not being hired for same reasons – recent college graduate hires were unsatisfactory

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/companies-are-quickly-firing-gen-z-employees/ar-AA1r4jLB

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DOE promised $32M grant and $100M federal loan to Yakima Nation for solar – will be next to impossible to use funding before expiration date because of bureaucratic hurdles

·?????? https://www.propublica.org/article/clean-energy-grant-northwest-native-tribe-yakama-nation

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BLM Western Solar Plan would desecrate sacred lands in the Great Basin

·?????? https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24092024/blm-public-lands-solar-plan-in-the-west/

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Perspective:? The complete stupidity of BC politics & the Carbon Tax

·?????? https://cleantechnica.com/2024/09/23/is-british-columbia-looking-at-a-black-swan-event-the-complete-stupidity-of-bc-politics-the-carbon-tax/

DOE vision for restarting nuclear power plants – safety & cost challenges are paramount

·?????? https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/stories/constellations-three-mile-island-restart-mirrors-does-vision,51410?

·?????? DOE Report:? https://fuelcycleoptions.inl.gov/SiteAssets/SitePages/Home/Evaluation%20of%20NPP%20and%20CPP%20Sites%20Aug%2016%202024.pdf

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Invasive water lettuce & hyacinth essentially cleared from Vaal River Barrage Reservoir in South Africa

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/officials-celebrate-removal-of-invasive-plants-from-popular-river-after-monthslong-effort-it-was-possible-to-see-clear-water/ar-AA1r9kvN

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Acknowledging that “active-shooter drills” cause trauma in students

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-harris-to-roll-out-new-executive-action-on-guns/ar-AA1rf28L

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How much water will be required to manufacture an EV at the Hyundai Metaplant in Georgia?? - elusive data & dots not connected

·?????? https://thecurrentga.org/2024/09/20/hyundais-water-use-what-does-it-take-to-build-an-ev/

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Top hazardous polluters in the path of Tropical Storm Helene

·?????? https://phys.org/news/2024-09-hazardous-polluters-path-tropical-storm.html

·?????? Interactive Map:? https://cfar.rice.edu/find-hazardous-polluters-hurricane-helenes-path

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Safe storage (CAP) & minimum age requirements may actually help curb gun violence

·?????? https://thecurrentga.org/2024/09/24/safe-storage-minimum-age-gun-laws-would-curb-violence-study-says/

·?????? Report:? https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA243-9.html

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US DOT 3-part plan to needlessly decarbonize transportation sector – all in the name of mythological man-made global warming & net-zero goal

·?????? https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/article/2024/09/24/transportation-department-has-3-part-plan-to-decarbonize-sector

·?????? DOT Report:?? https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2024-07/Decarbonizing%20U.S.%20Transportation_July%202024.pdf

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Carbon capture is more of an expensive false promise of the mythology of man-made global warming

·?????? https://scitechdaily.com/carbon-capture-under-the-microscope-last-hope-or-false-promise/

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3 waste plants at Niagara region identified as being in very poor condition – need estimated $280M to fix

·?????? https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/infrastructure/2024/09/niagara-water-wastewater-systems-on-the-cusp-of-infrastructure-emergency

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Cell phone ban in Carson City, Nevada, High School – significantly improved student engagement & behavior

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/teachers-and-students-in-carson-city-share-feedback-on-new-cell-phone-ban/ar-AA1r9ibx

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New I-5 Interstate Bridge between Oregon & Washington could change regional travel – Draft Supplemental EIS

·?????? https://www.opb.org/article/2024/09/20/interstate-bridge-oregon-washington-infrastructure-construction-traffic/

·?????? Draft Supplemental EIS:? https://www.interstatebridge.org/DraftSEIS?

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Only 40% of $1.2B IIJA funds have been announced – already driving up inflation & achieving little progress

·?????? https://www.constructiondive.com/news/infrastructure-act-progress-dot/727540/

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Technological hazard:? 106M Americans exposed due to massive data leak

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/106-million-americans-exposed-as-massive-data-leak-rocks-background-check-firm/ar-AA1rg3KU

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Update:? death toll now stands at 10 in Listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head deli meats

·?????? https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/09/10th-person-dead-in-listeria-outbreak-linked-to-boars-head-meats/

·?????? CDC:? https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/delimeats-7-24.html

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Extreme lifestyle of hummingbirds

·?????? https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/09/hummingbirds-thrive-on-an-extreme-lifestyle-heres-how/

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Health risks associated with breathing dust from Great Salt Lake

·?????? https://www.sciencenews.org/article/salt-lake-dust-health-consequences

·?????? Paper:? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1352231024004035

Perils of the global waste trade – stranded at sea

·?????? https://phys.org/news/2024-09-sender-stranded-sea-toxic-dispute.html

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Definition of hypocrisy:? Harris has delivered speeches on combating “existential threat” of “climate change” but has spent $millions on private jet flights during the campaign

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/harris-drops-millions-on-private-jet-spending-despite-calling-climate-change-an-existential-threat/ar-AA1rgPKn

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EPA data does not provide specific measurement for toxic chemicals from East Palestine train derailment – difficult for residents to know full extent of contamination & potential risks to their health – “shouldn’t worry” when individual chemicals are below screening level but does not account for cumulative exposures & impacts

·?????? https://apnews.com/article/epa-east-palestine-train-derailment-contamination-6d5f43a6d6105741747a67c68f1cbccd

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Public hearing for proposed ammonia production facility in St Charles Parish, Louisiana, is shut down – meeting to be rescheduled at larger facility & public comment period extended

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fire-marshal-cancels-hearing-for-ammonia-plant-amid-overflowing-crowd-and-surging-public-interest/ar-AA1rhG7d

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Federal Judge orders EPA to further regulate fluoride in drinking water – NTP based on studies involving levels at twice recommended limit for drinking water

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/fluoride-in-drinking-water-poses-enough-risk-to-merit-new-epa-action-judge-says/ar-AA1rlGwL

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AI & high-tech industry sucks up not only tremendous amounts of power but also a lot of water

·?????? https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28092024/ai-water-usage/

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As aquifers are being drained the City of Joliet, Illinois, plans to take drinking water from Lake Michigan

·?????? https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28092024/joliet-illinois-lake-michigan-drinking-water/

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Michigan Supreme Court ruling implements stricter permit conditions for factory livestock waste management

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/michigan-supreme-court-makes-groundbreaking-ruling-to-uphold-new-factory-farm-waste-requirements-a-critical-step-forward/ar-AA1roHSk

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