Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 9 September 2024

California issues health warning after confirming 5 human cases of flea-borne typhus this year

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/public-health-officials-issue-warning-as-flea-borne-disease-spreads-to-us-city-it-s-really-something-that-we-need-to-be-on-the-watch-for/ar-AA1q1fL3?

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Schedule to remove feral hogs from Congaree National Park in South Carolina

·?????? https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2024/09/congaree-national-park-remove-feral-hogs

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Propane is a by-product of crude oil refining & processing of natural gas – therefore it is a fossil fuel but US DOE classifies it as “alternative fuel”

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/is-propane-any-better-than-fossil-fuels-everything-to-know-about-this-fuel-source/ar-BB1oAAAR

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Biden-Harris administration pushed to remove purportedly racist highways – appropriated $4.5B but to date has only obligated about 4%

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-admin-s-push-to-remove-supposedly-racist-highways-may-end-up-being-a-dud/ar-AA1pMB81

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Now the US Constitution is being called “a threat to American democracy” that is “beyond redemption” as SCOTUS rulings have angered liberals

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/constitution-comes-under-fire-identified-as-possible-threat-to-american-politics/ar-AA1pMqgK

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Perspective:? Higher education in advanced state of moral & spiritual decay - “progressive disease”

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/opinion-higher-ed-has-a-progressive-disease-can-it-be-reversed/ar-BB1mJotX

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End of experimental policy in Oregon to make small amounts of hard drugs only a misdemeanor – problems clear from the beginning of the experiment – citizens no longer backed decriminalization

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hard-drugs-illegal-again-in-oregon-as-first-in-nation-experiment-ends/ar-AA1pOurf

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Porcupine populations are declining

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/where-have-all-the-porcupines-gone/ar-AA1pOg52

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Perspective:? Young eco-catastrophists are clueless about Nature – “fanning the flames of fear is easier than planting seeds of hope”

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbeat/young-eco-catastrophists-are-clueless-about-real-nature/ar-BB1qYvbu

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Microbial ecosphere 13 feet beneath the surface of Yungay Valley in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/secret-biosphere-found-13-feet-below-world-s-driest-hot-desert/ar-AA1nDNV0

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Water leaks from broken pipes in Houston, Texas, resulted in loss of 31.8B gallons in 2023

·?????? https://abc13.com/post/houston-public-works-testify-citys-water-issues-inquire-financial-compensation-fix-infrastructure-issues/15260907/

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Cannabis use linked to epigenetic changes at DNA methylation levels – do not fully understand effects on human health

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/cannabis-use-linked-to-epigenetic-changes-study-shows/ar-AA1pSIO8

·?????? https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2023/07/18/marijuana-use-linked-to-epigenetic-changes/?

·?????? Paper:? https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-023-02106-y

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Perspective:?? LNG terminals are hazardous to human health

·?????? https://cleantechnica.com/2024/09/02/lng-terminals-are-dangerous-to-your-health/

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US BLM releases Final Programmatic EIS for utility-scale solar energy development – open for administrative protest but not general comment

·?????? https://cleantechnica.com/2024/09/02/bureau-of-land-management-releases-proposed-western-solar-plan/

·?????? https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/08/30/2024-19478/notice-of-availability-of-the-final-programmatic-environmental-impact-statement-for-utility-scale

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Several Native American Tribes in Nevada fear US BLM Western Solar Plan will adversely impact sacred lands in proposed Bahsahwahbee National Monument in White Pine County

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/tribes-fear-federal-solar-plan-could-threaten-proposed-bahsahwahbee-national-monument/ar-AA1pZYW5

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Pause continues for trucks hauling uranium ore across Navajo Nation to White Mesa mill – Attorney General urges review of Grand Canyon uranium mine

·?????? https://www.grandcanyontrust.org/blog/grand-canyon-uranium-mine-haul-trucks-pause

·?????? https://www.grandcanyontrust.org/blog/attorney-general-urges-review-grand-canyon-uranium-mine

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Proposal to build 480-foot-tall communications tower on state lands inside Bears Ears National Monument has been withdrawn from FCC but application not withdrawn from Utah Trust Lands Administration

·?????? https://www.grandcanyontrust.org/blog/bears-ears-spared-480-foot-tower-now

·?????? https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2024/08/01/bears-ears-telecom-tower-proposal/

·?????? https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/bears-ears-national-monument-tower-project-withdrawn/

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Ancestral footprints of Grand Canyon National Monument – Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni

·?????? https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dbecc81e2e6a4bf0bc82a066cee48efa

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Power grids (MISO, PJM & SPP) heavily reliant on “renewable” energy issued “Maximum Generation” Alerts &? ‘Energy Emergency Alert 1” over the summer

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nobody-noticed-but-renewables-heavy-states-went-to-energy-emergency-alert-one-this-summer/ar-AA1pREMB

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1.3B tons of food wasted each year

·?????? https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/2024/09/the-hidden-costs-of-food-waste-eye-opening-statistics-and-solutions-for-businesses/

Restoring water flow to the Santa Cruz River in Arizona & Mexico – named endangered river due to irresponsible waste disposal and over-pumping of groundwater

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/scientists-restore-drying-river-in-arizona-by-adding-wastewater-and-see-a-boom-in-biodiversity/ar-AA1pWbLf

·?????? Paper:? https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/rec.14250

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Fear-mongering headlines say “terrifying covid map” shows rates of illness over summer – but that is infections or positive test rates while hospitalizations remained relatively low – infectious but cause less severe symptoms

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/terrifying-covid-map-shows-states-with-highest-rates-of-illness-after-wave-of-infections-over-summer/ar-AA1pVHYH

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Biden-Harris giving yet more taxpayer money ($380M) to cover escalating costs of illegal aliens – with another $4B being sent to Central America “to address the root causes” – FAIR estimates net legal cost of illegals was at least $150.7 billion at the start of 2023 with a gross negative economic impact of $182 billion

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/380m-from-dhs-to-be-given-to-states-ngos-in-support-of-migrants/ar-AA1pW5Cc

·?????? FAIR study:? https://www.fairus.org/issue/publications-resources/fiscal-burden-illegal-immigration-united-states-taxpayers-2023

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Reintroduction of beavers to wetlands in the UK has also spurred 393% increase in bat population activity – beavers are keystone species with significant beneficial impacts on wetlands & habitats

·?????? https://talker.news/2024/09/04/reintroduction-of-beavers-to-wetlands-leading-to-increase-in-bat-activity/

·?????? https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/2024/08/beavers-natures-engineers-spark-debate-in-conservation-circles/

“Staggering” bird mortality from collisions with windows

·?????? https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/2024/09/study-reveals-staggering-bird-mortality-from-window-collisions-highlighting-need-for-mitigation/

·?????? Paper:? https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0306362

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EU now requires that single-use plastic bottles must now have caps or lids attached

·?????? https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/2024/09/how-the-eus-bottle-cap-requirement-is-shaping-plastic-waste-management/

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Solar panels donated to Navajo Power Home

·?????? https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/2024/08/qcells-and-nph-bring-solar-power-to-navajo-nation-homes/

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Pesticide use linked to sharp decline in bee populations

·?????? https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/wild-native-bees-see-lower-counts-where-pesticides-are-used/

·?????? Paper:? https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01413-8

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Global flood hazard map at 30-meter resolution constructed using hydrology, topography & climate data

·?????? https://eos.org/editor-highlights/future-global-flood-hazards-at-unprecedented-accuracy

·?????? Paper:? https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023WR036460

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The job of a dam structural engineer

·?????? https://www.structuremag.org/article/what-does-a-dam-structural-engineer-do-anyways/

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Traditional infrastructure design often exacerbates extreme flooding events

·?????? https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1056771

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Book Review:? “One Hundred and Fifty Years of Chage on the Great Plains” – chronicles transformation of the landscape using repeat photography in Kansas and Colorado

·?????? https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1056623

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PFAS trifluoroacetate concentrations increasing in groundwater in Denmark over past 60 years

·?????? https://phys.org/news/2024-09-chemical-groundwater.html

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Uncollected waste & open burning are major sources of global plastic pollution

·?????? https://phys.org/news/2024-09-uncollected-major-sources-plastic-pollution.html

·?????? Paper:? https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07758-6

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Afterthought Mine in Shasta County, California, added to Superfund National Priorities List – produced gold, silver, copper, lead & zinc from 1862-1952 – downstream sediments contaminated with cadmium, copper & zinc

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-administration-adds-historic-california-mine-to-federal-cleanup-list/ar-AA1q08LD

Morocco slowly rebuilding after M6.8 earthquake one year ago

·?????? https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Changed_forever_Morocco_slowly_rebuilds_a_year_after_quake_999.html

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Namibia culling more than 700 wild animals in attempt to cope with drought

·?????? https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Namibias_drought_cull_of_more_than_700_wildlife_under_way_999.html

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11 people in Sweden on trial for illegally dumping/burying some 200,000 tonnes of toxic waste from Stockholm at 21 sites – “aggravated environmental crime” released PCBs, lead, mercury, arsenic & other chemicals

·?????? https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Queen_of_Trash_in_dock_in_Swedens_biggest_toxic_waste_scandal_999.html

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Logging in Finland suspended after deaths of endangered freshwater pearl mussels

·?????? https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Company_halts_Finland_logging_after_deaths_of_endangered_mussels_999.html

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Attempting to cope with the consequences of having declared themselves a sanctuary city for illegal aliens

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-sanctuary-cities-move-to-clear-migrant-tent-encampments/ar-AA1pZN6r

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Biden-Harris considering yet more subsidies for “green energy” – propping up critical mineral projects – no estimate on the costs to taxpayers

·?????? https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/29/biden-minerals-price-support-china-00176777

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UK FDRI will provide infrastructure to track aspects of hydrological cycle in open-air laboratories and in larg-scale live environmental data bank – Severn, Chess (Thames) and Tweed catchments

·?????? https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/new-38-million-project-to-reduce-the-impact-of-floods-and-droughts/

Hellbenders project to improve water quality & restore population in Blue River-Sinking watershed in Indiana

·?????? https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/rebuilding-indianas-hellbender-habitat

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Petition submitted to EPA and the UN to immediately delist & ban use of Corexit from list of authorized chemicals to use during oil spill response

·?????? https://whistleblower.org/press/epa-petition-to-delist-corexit-and-ban-use-of-current-stockpiles-and-ask-united-nations-to-do-the-same/

·?????? Report:? https://whistleblower.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Deep-Impact-Ongoing-Vulnerabilities-in-Oil-Spills-from-the-Deadly-Dispersant-Corexit.pdf

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Filamentous bacterium in your mouth (Corynebacterium matruchotii) reproduces by multiple fission

·?????? https://www.sciencealert.com/bacteria-in-your-mouth-reproduce-in-a-strange-rare-way-scientists-discover

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Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project mega-dam in India will cause extreme variation in daily water flows downstream – expected to be operational in 2026 – Subansiri River is tributary to the Brahmaputra River

·?????? https://theconversation.com/indias-new-mega-dam-will-roil-lives-downstream-with-wild-swings-in-water-flow-every-day-229085

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Man in Southern California goes on shooting rampage & kills 81 animals:? miniature horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks… - weapons & ammunition seized

·?????? https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/man-kills-81-animals-including-032831062.html )

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Kyle, Texas, is among fastest-growing municipalities in US but has to pipe in water to meet critical needs – will draw water from Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer beginning in 2025

·?????? https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/water-shortage-strains-booming-texas-town

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Colleges failed to manage rhetorical sphere & lost sight of mission to educate lives for purpose – “self-serving centers of academic drift & dogmatic indoctrination”

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/opinion-the-ideological-chickens-are-coming-home-to-roost-on-our-nation-s-college-campuses/ar-AA1q7AlC

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SDG&E lithium-ion battery storage facility in Escondido, California, on fire – prompted evacuations of 500 businesses & closed nearby schools – “best to let those burn”

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/some-escondido-schools-closed-friday-as-fire-burns-at-sdg-e-battery-storage-facility/ar-AA1q4Scy

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Biden-Harris inflationary policies caused significant increases in cost of living

·?????? https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/9-states-where-the-cost-of-living-has-increased-most-during-biden-s-presidency/ar-AA1q7aKH

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