Staff Report – The Biden-Harris administration continues to announce the spending of billions of dollars to rebuild America’s infrastructure even as the nation focuses on the election next week. But news about these investments seems to generate very little in the way of press coverage, media conversation or attention from the public on social media.…
Secret Vistas – By Glynn Wilson – CATOCTIN MOUNTAINS, Md. – This column has been several days in the planning, but I needed to wait until after the ABC presidential debate to finalize it. That’s done, and what a great performance by Vice President Kamala Harris and a relief for all of us in this…
Staff Report – SHENANDOAH, Va. – The federal government’s management of the National Park Service in Shenandoah National Park in Luray, Virginia has proposed to completely privatize all commercial operations in the park, including the campgrounds, without notifying the public or allowing public comments. The privatization plan is buried down in a press release about…
By Glynn Wilson – CATOCTIN MOUNTAINS, Md. – Just as President Joe Biden is facing an “armageddon” of criticism for his performance against Donald Trump last Thursday, according to Politico and other news outlets, and numerous calls for him to step aside and let the Democratic Party choose another nominee at its convention in August…
What to do about the electric power demands of artificial intelligence data centers? – The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – CATOCTIN MOUNTAINS, Md. – It’s a lovely summer day in the mountains, and the last thing I want to be doing is thinking about this Biden-Trump rematch presidential debate everyone on news talk and…
By Glynn Wilson – THURMONT, Md. – How hot must it get before most doubters are convinced that the planet is warming? How many heat waves, droughts, floods, wildfires, massive hurricanes and tornadoes will it take to convince most people that global warming is changing the climate and that humans are responsible? An end to…
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — For 25 years since I was first hired by newspapers to cover the environment as a news beat activists have begged, pleaded and prodded the federal government to pass and enforce laws and regulations to force polluting industries to do more to protect public health. Progress had been…
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The stakes could not be higher for the future of the United States and humanity. There is a consensus based on an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence that continuing to burn fossil fuels for energy and transportation will doom the next generation of humans to living through a…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration this week announced the allocation of $195 million in climate restoration and resilience projects over the next decade in America’s national parks. President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda calls for national parks across the United States to use this funding to prepare for the impacts of…
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Space exploration occupies some of my thoughts of late. Wonder what’s become of Voyager 1? The first of its kind space probe launched in 1977 when I was right out of high school? Is it out there somewhere past Pluto, still transmitting? This is the…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — In sharp contrast to the policies of the previous administration, the Biden administration is going all out to combat pollution of the natural environment. As part of this renewed effort and with funds provided by the $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November, 2021, the Environmental…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration is seeking public comments on a large offshore wind farm project along the coast of Virginia in the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the opening of a 30-day public comment period on Jan. 29 for a draft Clean Air Act Outer Continental Shelf…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Earth’s average surface temperature for 2023 was the hottest ever recorded, according to an analysis by NASA, and the data shows no letting up in the trend toward a warming planet from climate change due to the burning of fossil fuels for energy and transportation. Global temperatures last year…
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the heels of a historic agreement in Dubai calling for the first time for countries to transition away from fossil fuel use for powering energy and transportation, the chief cause of climate change due to global warming, the Biden administration just announced a proposal to conserve old-growth…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the final weeks of the hottest year in recorded history, the United Nations climate conference in Dubai known as COP28 ended Wednesday with an agreement for the first time to call on countries to transition away from fossil fuels, the chief cause of climate change due to global…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Park Service announced Saturday that there will be six holidays in 2024 when entry fees will be waved. On these dates, the public is invited to experience the wonder of national parks for free. “National parks are places that awaken senses, inspire curiosity, encourage reflection, and foster…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — While the nations of the world gather in Dubai for the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, the Biden administration announced a comprehensive plan to replace all water pipes in the United States that contain the harmful pollutant lead. The Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal on Thursday to…
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — A distinct population of the North American wolverine is set to be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is seeking public comments on the proposal indicating the species faces increasing threats from habitat degradation and…
From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine – Dear EarthTalk: What is the status of California’s giant sequoias trees and what’s being done to save them from extinction? — M.L., Sacramento, CA Giant sequoias, which can grow upwards of 300 feet tall with circumferences of 90+ feet around at ground level, are among…
By Alonso Abugattas – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The wild turkey has made an incredible comeback. Not that long ago, wild turkeys were all but wiped out by a combination of overhunting and habitat loss. By the early 1900s, none remained in the District of Columbia and very few remained in the woods of Maryland, Virginia,…
