HURRICANE MILTON – A ‘MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH’: Biden has asked all Florida residents in the path of incoming Hurricane Milton to evacuate as soon as possible, insisting their lives are at stake.
Key remarks: “I’ve urged everyone, everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton’s path to listen to local officials and follow safety instructions,” Biden said Tuesday. “If you’re under evacuation orders, you should evacuate now, now — you should have already evacuated. It’s a matter of life and death.”
He went on to say Milton “could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century. And, God willing, it won’t be, but that’s what it is looking like right now.”
Some details: Biden had been scheduled to travel to Germany and Angola this week, but the White House postponed the trip on Tuesday in order for the president to oversee the response to the hurricane – which surged to a category 5 on Monday.
Hurricane Milton, which slightly weakened to a category 4 storm today, is expected to make landfall on the Tampa Bay, Florida region Wednesday night before traveling across the state and into the Atlantic. Local officials have urged residents to flee, with Tampa mayor Jane Castor saying the storm surge likely has the capacity to kill. Some areas, like Pinellas County, are expected to see 10- to 12-foot storm surges.
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FEMA HAS ‘ENOUGH’ RESOURCES: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is now insisting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has ample resources to respond to monster Hurricane Milton, one week after saying the agency didn’t have enough funds for the rest of hurricane season.
Key remarks: “Everybody should rest confident that FEMA has the resources. We already have 900 personnel deployed, prepositioned in Florida,” Mayorkas told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki. “We are there, we have search and rescue teams – the Army Corps of Engineers are there. We are ready, we have the personnel. FEMA likes to say, it is FEMA flexible. We can respond to multiple events at a single time.”
Some background: Mayorkas’ comments came after being pressed on a New York Times report released Monday that less than 10% of FEMA’s personnel was available to respond to Hurricane Milton. The report alleged that only 1,217 people were available to aid Florida as it faces what has been described as a life-threatening storm.
While Mayorkas did not deny the report, he has previously indicated that FEMA is not prepared to handle the rest of the busy hurricane season. “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” the secretary said last week. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”
He has not detailed how much money FEMA may need to last through the season.
MASS LEAD PIPE REPLACEMENTS: The Biden administration is issuing a final rule requiring the replacement of lead pipes within the next 10 years, fulfilling a priority for the outgoing president.
The details: On Tuesday, the EPA issued the final rule, also known as the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements. It is the first national requirement to replace all lead service lines in U.S. history, requiring all drinking water systems to identify and replace the lead pipes within 10 years.
The agency also announced $2.6 billion in funding for newly available drinking water infrastructure, including projects replacing lead pipes and keeping inventory. Approximately 49% of this funding will be provided to disadvantaged communities.
The effects: The EPA estimates that up to 9 million homes are still being served by lead pipes nationwide, and remain at risk of creating serious health problems. The administration has said the mass-pipe replacements will protect upward of 900,000 infants from low birth weight, reduce up to 1,500 cases of premature death from heart disease, prevent up to 200,000 IQ points lost in children, and help close the water equity gap.
Some background: The EPA previously required water systems to report where lead pipes are located to the agency by Oct. 16, 2024. Since the start of his administration, President Joe Biden has emphasized the importance of replacing lead service lines, securing around $50 billion in funds to upgrade drinking water infrastructure through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Read more here.
GAS OUTPUT DECLINING: Natural gas production in the United States is on pace to decline this year as energy demands soar and concerns about sufficient flow of power for a reliable electric grid grow, the U.S. Energy Information Administration has said.
The details: EIA estimated that natural gas production in the U.S. will hit 103.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) this year – dropping from 103.8 bcfd in 2023. This is slightly higher than what EIA had predicted in September (around 103.4 bcfd).
Meanwhile, U.S. consumption of natural gas is soaring as EIA projected domestic consumption will jump from 89.1 bcfd last year, to 90.1 bcfd in 2024. Last month, the agency had estimated consumption would be around 89.9 bcfd.
Why it matters: The decline in natural gas production comes as the Biden administration has prioritized electrification of the grid, backing alternative and renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Biden and his energy policy have come under fire in recent months as key industry players, including grid operator PJM Interconnection, have warned of an imbalance.
Read more here.
FAVORING FOSSIL FUELS: Princeton University will no longer restrict research funding from fossil fuel companies, two years after choosing to disassociate from dozens of industry players.
The details: Last week, the New Jersey Ivy League university issued a letter to its staff revealing its plans to once again accept research funding from some fossil fuel companies, independent student newspaper The Daily Princetonian reported.
Provost Jennifer Rexford, Dean of Faculty Gene Jarrett, and Dean for Research Peter Schiffer claimed that the 2022 decision to dissociate from segments of the fossil fuel industry had “broad implications” on future and current research projects including a “disparate and unfair impact” on Princeton faculty.
“They lost not only outside funding for research to combat the harms of climate change, but also access to collaborative partnerships focused on important work that is aligned with the University’s values,” the university officials wrote.
Now, Princeton faculty will be allowed to accept funding from companies that meet dissociation criteria as long as the funds will be used only for research meant to produce environmental benefits.
What people are saying: Several Princeton students have lambasted the decision. In an op-ed published with The Daily Princetonian last week, two students wrote, “How can an institution that prides itself on shaping the future be so willing to sell it off to the very companies that are burning that future to the ground?”
EXPANDING CARBON STORAGE: A carbon pipeline and storage site in Louisiana is reportedly may expand three times its current size, stretching into Texas and Arkansas.
The details: CapturePoint, the developer of the large carbon capture project, is seeking to expand the pipeline from 150 miles to roughly 500 miles, CEO Tracy Evans announced last week, according to E&E News.
The original 150 miles of pipeline has yet to be built and CapturePoint would reportedly need backing from additional developers to successfully expand the project. Currently, it is planning to build carbon storage sites in Vernon Parish and Rapides Parish, primarily drawing carbon from natural gas plants located in the Haynesville shale formation (in the northwestern part of the state). The company has said it is looking to capture around 2.5 million metric tons of CO2 from up to nine gas plants in the state annually.
The Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources told E&E News that it has not yet received any application to expand the pipeline project. Before it can move with the original construction, Evans said, it is waiting for approval to pump CO2 underground. The CEO said the company expects to receive their permit “sometime in the second quarter” to start building in Vernon Parish.
THE ARIZONA HEAT: Soaring electricity bills and rate increases have become a key issue for Arizona voters, following a historic summer of record breaking heat, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Some background: This summer, there were 113 consecutive days of temperatures at or above 100 degrees in Phoenix, leading to high air conditioning bills. According to the electric utility Arizona Public Service, its average residential customer paid 16.4% more for electricity this summer.
The politics: Arizona is a key swing state that could determine whether Former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris wins in November. Trump has promised to slash energy prices. Meanwhile, Harris has promised to lower household energy costs and “hold polluters accountable” but has yet to provide additional details.
In Arizona, Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is seeking the state’s open Senate seat, has urged lawmakers to pass a bill to provide additional energy-related resources for at-risk households.
RUNDOWN
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