G2. Local Greens

File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

Gas drilling in a small village in the Yorkshire Wolds would cause “unacceptable harm”, a leading campaign organisation has said.

Entrance to the proposed gas site. Photo: DrillOrDrop

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has strongly objected to the plan at Foxholes, about nine miles from Scarborough, in North Yorkshire.

CPRE said a planning application by Egdon Resources should be refused.

A detailed response by the organisation’s North and East Yorkshire branch said:

“The proposal is inappropriate in this rural location, would cause unacceptable harm to countryside character and amenity, raises unresolved environmental and water protection concerns, would generate significant traffic and operational disturbance, and is inconsistent with the direction of travel required by climate change policy and responsible rural planning.”

It added:

“The proposal would introduce an intrusive industrial hydrocarbon exploration operation into a rural landscape, with associated drilling, testing, heavy goods vehicle movements, lighting, noise, emissions, water protection risks and long-term landscape and climate implications.

It said the operation, if approved, would “erode the local character and tranquillity of the area and would be at odds with the public interest in protecting the countryside for its landscape, amenity, ecological and cultural value”.

The organisation also said the application was “contrary to both national and local planning policies, inconsistent with the protection of rural character and amenity, and fails to demonstrate that the development can be made acceptable in this sensitive location.”

The earmarked site is on the edge of the proposed Yorkshire Wolds National Landscape, a designation that would bring the same level of protection given to national parks.

Egdon proposes to drill an exploration well through the chalk drinking water aquifer and next to the Gypsey Race, a rare chalk stream. Both the aquifer and the stream are considered internationally significant.

6CPRE formal response to Foxholes gas drilling planningk application Download Key issues

CPRE said the proposal would generate some short-term construction work, possibly increase exploratory knowledge and may contribute to future gas production.

But the organisation said there were many disadvantages, including:

• climate conflict and lack of need for new gas
• harm to the Yorkshire Wolds and proposed National Landscape sensitivity zone
• unacceptable noise risk in a quiet rural area
• unresolved highway safety, congestion and emergency-routing issues
• risk to the Gypsey Race and chalk aquifer
• disturbance to residents, vulnerable road users, agriculture and tourism
• uncertainty over restoration and future production pressure

“Undermine protection of the Yorkshire Wolds”

CPRE said the site is in the setting of the proposed Yorkshire Wolds National Landscape, a distinctive region of open, rolling farmland, dry valleys, historic villages and relative tranquillity. The site is also within the 3.5km sensitivity zone of what would be a protected area.

The organisation said:

“approving hydrocarbon exploration in this landscape would set an undesirable precedent for further industrialisation of the Wolds and their rural setting”.

It said North Yorkshire Council, which will decide the planning application, should “attach ‘substantial weight’ to landscape protection, rural amenity and the conservation of countryside character”.

CPRE added:

“The council should not ignore the national significance of the landscape evidence or permit development within its immediate sensitivity zone that would prejudice, undermine or conflict with the purposes of designation”.

“Traffic risks on rural roads”

CPRE said the scheme should be refused because of the impact on local roads from a “significant number of heavy goods vehicle [HGV] and operational vehicle movements”.

It said:

“Rural roads in and around Foxholes are not designed to accommodate sustained industrial traffic without harm to local amenity, road safety, verges, agricultural access and quiet enjoyment of the countryside.

Increased HGV traffic would add noise, vibration, emissions, perceived danger for residents, walkers, cyclists, horse riders and other road users, the organisation said.

It added:

“the rural road network should [not] be used to support fossil fuel exploration where the claimed public benefit is speculative and limited.”

CPRE also raised concerns that the proposed lorry route to the Foxhole site crossed Staxton Hill, 515ft high with a 1:4 gradient.

It said Egdon Resources had not provided sufficient detail of any alternative or emergency route if Staxton Hill were closed or unavailable.

“Without a fully assessed and consulted-upon emergency routing plan, the council cannot lawfully or rationally conclude that safe and suitable access has been demonstrated for all phases of the development”.

The organisation said the impacts of the scheme on local roads “should therefore be treated as severe, or at the very least inadequately assessed, and permission should be refused until the applicant has demonstrated safe and suitable access for all users and the absence of unacceptable or severe cumulative transport effects”.

“Unresolved risks to water resources”

CPRE said the application had not “demonstrated that standard mitigation, monitoring and regulatory controls are sufficient to overcome the planning objection in this sensitive rural and hydrogeological context”.

It said the Yorkshire Wolds chalk aquifer was particularly vulnerable because groundwater can move through fractures and fissures and contaminants may travel unpredictably and rapidly.

It urged the council to apply a precautionary approach and “require clear, independent evidence that serious or irreversible harm can be ruled out”.

CPRE said North Yorkshire Council should not defer “fundamental questions of water protection to later permitting regimes where those matters are also relevant to land use planning.

The organisation added it would be “perverse” for the planning system to support a project to restore the Gypsey Race, “while simultaneously permitting a new fossil fuel drilling operation” nearby “without a compelling need and without eliminating the risk of harm to the chalk aquifer and chalk stream system”.

“Disturbance to residents”

CPRE said of the drilling proposal:

“it would introduce noise, lighting, dust, odour and industrial activity harmful to residential and rural amenity”.

It said planning conditions would not “adequately protect residents and the rural environment”.

CPRE said the current night-time noise levels were very low. It specifically opposed Egdon’s suggested night-time noise limits.

It said:

“the Council should require Egdon to show why materially lower night-time limits cannot be achieved and why the operation cannot be designed to avoid night-time drilling noise impacts altogether.”

“Climate change and fossil fuel dependence”

CPRE said it objected in principle to new hydrocarbon exploration because this would prolong dependence on fossil fuels when national policy, scientific evidence and public interest required accelerated transition to renewable and low carbon energy.

It said the planning case for the Foxholes proposal was “weak”. The development was not needed to meet a compelling local or national requirement for new gas extraction, the organisation said.

“The claimed economic benefits here are limited and temporary, while the proposal would enable a form of energy development that is inconsistent with the direction of national climate policy and the urgent need to decarbonise. On that basis, the development is not sustainable development and should be refused.”

Link to planning application

Three new Little Nature Playgrounds are planned for Cobbs Creek Park. Designed with input from local residents, these welcoming spaces will encourage children and families to explore the park, learn about its history and ecology, and safely access the trail from nearby neighborhoods.

Each playground will feature a combination of nature-inspired elements, colorful asphalt art, and wayfinding maps that help connect visitors to Cobbs Creek Park.

Clean Air Council is partnering with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Tiny WPA, Amber Art and Design, and community organizations to bring this vision to life.

How does the Little Nature Playground Project help the surrounding community? 

• Connect neighbors to park resources and the physical, social, emotional benefits of green space.
• Offer fun, nature-based play and learning opportunities that encourage repeated visits to the park.
• Welcome  the community into Cobbs Creek Park through safe, accessible entrances 

Designed With the Community 

Community input has shaped every step of this project. Over the past six months, Clean Air Council and community partners have presented the Little Nature Playground Project at almost a dozen in-person meetings and events.These conversations were designed to gather design and location feedback while ensuring the project reflects the community’s vision.

Partnering with the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center and area libraries, the Council shared updates through community meetings, educational programs, and events. The Council also held a series of “dinner and design workshops” to gain perspectives from neighbors and distributed flyers to encourage participation.

Workshop attendees offered feedback and insight into the project’s themes. Initial project locations were identified by using  existing pedestrian safety infrastructure, including traffic signals, crosswalks, and pedestrian crossing signals. Community members voted on their favorite locations and the top three crossing sites were selected.

Throughout the last six months, online surveys and meetings with community stakeholders have helped refine the three playground locations and their themes. Project consultants are currently designing initial project sketches.  

Little Nature Playground Proposed Locations

• Woodland Ave. and Cobbs Creek Parkway (north side)
• Market St. and 63rd St. (north side)
• Spruce St. and Cobbs Creek Parkway (south side)
   

Location: Woodland Ave. and Cobbs Creek Parkway 
Theme: Lenape history and connecting to the creek

“Karakung” is the Lenape name for Cobbs Creek and translates to “the place of the wild geese.” One element of the play structure could be different geese that people can climb and sit on. Above is a mock up of what one of the geese could look like.

Location: 63rd St. and Market St.
Theme: Nature of Cobbs Creek Park (native plants, flowers, animals)

Many neighbors talked about wanting a place to rest along the trail during different community feedback sessions.  Above is an image of a mock up of a bench in the shape of a creek. Elements that may be highlighted in the play structure design include local animals, native flowers, and the creek.

Location: Spruce St. and 63rd St.
Theme: Celebrating Cobbs Creek communities

Inspired by conversations with community groups and neighbors, this location will celebrate the collective energy put into supporting and caring for the community. The design will recognize that  supporting young people is a key part of the neighborhood’s success. The creek bench may also be included in this location. 

How can the surrounding community continue to inform this project and lead the vision? 

Community members are encouraged to sign up to attend one or all of the upcoming Cobbs Creek Neighbors RCO community meetings, where we will be giving project updates and continuing to gain community feedback. These meetings will take place Monday evenings at the Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Library, 5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19143. Register for free below to keep updated on any changes!  

• September 14, 5:30 – 7 p.m. Register
• November 2, 5:30 – 7 p.m. Register
• December 7, 5:30 – 7 p.m. Register

Follow @CobbsCreekWatershedCoaltion on Instagram and Facebook for updates! 

Questions? Email Trails@cleanair.org 

Sunset at the Gualala River on July 21, 2026
Photo courtesy of Michael Coustier

Location: In-office position, in Helena, Montana.  Scope: The Administrative and Development Associate will handle general office tasks and administrative duties, such as organizing schedules and events, entering data, maintaining office equipment, providing basic tech support, and other general operations activities.   Reports to: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)  Compensation: MEIC offers compensation commensurate with skills and …

The post Now Hiring: Administrative and Development Associate appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

In April, when the Trump administration first announced it wanted to open the Greater Chaco Canyon region in New Mexico to oil and gas drilling, we asked you to speak up. Following an initial scoping period that generated over 100,000 comments in support of maintaining broad protections for this remarkable place, the Department of the Interior has doubled down on its plans and released a formal Environmental Assessment with a brief 14-day public comment period.

Please take action today and help defend the Greater Chaco Region

After decades of advocacy by Tribal Nations and conservationists, federal protections in the greater Chaco region were finally put in place in 2023 with the establishment of a 10-mile buffer zone shielding the Chaco Culture National Historical Park from new oil and gas leasing. The administration is now considering two options, neither of which is acceptable: revoking protections entirely or shrinking the buffer to just 5 miles.

In either scenario, thousands of cultural sites would be exposed to drilling. Although only 15-20% of the area has been surveyed, archaeologists estimate that as many as 12,000 cultural sites lie within the areas the Trump administration plans to open to leasing and exploitation. Indigenous communities already living with the health impacts of over 37,000 nearby wells would face even more industrial development at their doorstep. 

Comments are due this Wednesday, July 29. We encourage you to make your voice heard by using the advocacy action from our friends at New Mexico Wild; they also have a web page where you can learn more about the threats facing Chaco Canyon.

Click here to take action now!

The post Another Chance to Speak Up for Greater Chaco Canyon appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Union Jack, which has interests at Wressle and West Newton, has recommended shareholders vote against a proposal to remove the board.

The company has called a requistioned general meeting for next month (August).

This follows a resolution by two investors holding more than 14% of voting rights to remove the three current directors: David Bramhill, Joseph O’Farrell and Zac Phillips.

The investors, described by Union Jack as requisitioners, are former board members, Craig Howie and John Americanos. They have also tabled a resolution for their reappointment as directors.

In a statement today, Union Jack said:

“The Company will today post a circular to shareholders convening the Requistioned GM [general meeting] and outlining the unanimous recommendation by the Company’s board to directors to vote against all the resolutions to be proposed at the Requisitioned GM.

The statement added:

“The Board believes that the Requisition is misguided, ill-timed and destined to lead to a destruction in value for the Company’s shareholders.”

The requisition notice was dated 7 July 2026, less than a week after a takeover offer by Reabold Resources.

Union Jack’s statement continued:

“by proposing the Resolutions just six days after the announcement of the all share offer by Reabold Resources plc, the Requisitioners are simply being opportunistic by seeking to replace the Board during the Offer process without providing the Company’s shareholders with the opportunity to realise a control premium.”

Union Jack also announced it had reconvened the previously postponed annual general meeting. This was adjourned on the day it was planned, 26 June 2026, because of the Reabold takeover offer. The AGM will now be held after the requistioned meeting.

The requisitioned meeting will be at 11am on 24 August 2026 at the offices of Keystone Law, 48 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1JF.

The reconvened AGM will be held on the same date and place, at 12 noon, or as soon as the requisitioned meeting has ended.

The Bureau of Land Management has approved an AI data center on national public land that was originally approved for a solar energy project, without conducting a new review or taking public comment on the switch. The project is believed to be the first data center approved on BLM-managed public lands. However, the project is relying on prior approval for not a data center but a solar energy project, swapping out an energy-generating project for one that would consume more energy than the entire neighboring community of Boulder City, Nevada.

Townsite Solar 2, LLC, the project developer, originally received approval in 2023 to build a solar energy and battery storage project on a BLM-managed parcel within the city limits of Boulder City. Earlier this year, TS2 amended its application to develop a data center instead, which the BLM approved without seeking public comment on the new proposal. “We’ve had no conversations, there’s been no chance for the community or for the city to provide any input to the federal government,” said Boulder City spokesperson Lisa LaPlante. “This feels so unprecedented for us to have a project placed in our city without the chance to weigh in.”

The BLM justified its approval by claiming that a solar project and a data center are “substantially the same,” noting similarities in acreage, perimeter, construction time, and the size and shape of the facilities. Relying on this rationale, the BLM used a Determination of NEPA Adequacy to transfer the 2023 analysis and approval to the amended project. “It’s an extraordinary and liberal interpretation of existing law and regulations,” said Mike Ford, a former high-level official at the BLM.

According to reporting by Heatmap, the bait-and-switch approval may have had some help from the Bernhardt Group, the lobbying firm led by former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Lobbyists from the Bernhardt Group were hired by Arevon, one of Townsite Solar’s financial backers, around the time when Townsite Solar 2 was preparing to shift from a solar project to a data center, though Arevon denies hiring lobbyists for the Townsite Solar project specifically.

“This was a bait and switch,” said Olivia Tanager, director of the Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club. “If we allow this precedent to stand, the fear is that this could promulgate throughout not just Nevada, but all over the country in the interest of expediting data centers.”

Quick hits Pueblo leaders, New Mexico lawmakers speak out to protect Chaco Canyon

High Country News | Source NM

This desert oasis is a biological wonderland. Trump’s border wall threatens to destroy it

The Guardian

The U.S. has acknowledged Bears Ears and Grand Staircase as sacred for over a century, but keeps stripping away protections

The Conversation

Trump admin eyes massive coal reserves under federal lands

Inside Climate News

Lawmakers propose blocking controversial quarry expansion that threatens hot springs

Colorado Sun | Denver Post | Grand Junction Daily Sentinel | Westword

As climate lawsuits advance, the oil industry enters ‘panic mode’

Grist

Colorado River reservoirs hit record lows as Trump admin threatens major cuts

CBS News | USA Today

Cheatgrass is invading the best sagebrush left in the West. How can Wyoming hold the line?

WyoFile

Quote of the day

The question before us is simple: What kind of legacy will we leave? Will we choose short-term extraction, or will we choose to protect one of the most important Indigenous cultural landscapes in North America, a place whose meaning reaches far beyond any single administration?”

—Cochiti Pueblo Governor Phillip Quintana, High Country News

Picture This

@usinterior
High in the Olympic Mountains, the alpine tarns of Upper Royal Basin reflect some of the most rugged scenery at @Olympic_nps.
Jagged peaks and clear water = not a bad place to stop and stare for a while.
Photo by Hwei Ling Ng @thenomadicartist Featured image: Aerial view of Boulder City, Nevada, and nearby Lake Mead, Doc Searls/CC BY 2.0

The post Trump admin swaps out solar project for data center on BLM land appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

People have three weeks to comment on the controversial Rosebank development, Britan’s biggest undeveloped oil and gas field.

A public consultation by the government runs until 17 August 2026.

The Rosebank field, 80 miles north west of Shetland, was granted a licence by the Conservatives. But this was ruled unlawful by Scottish courts in January 2025.

That decision followed the landmark Finch Ruling at the Supreme Court, which established that environmental impact assessment for fossil fuel projects must account for the emissions produced when extracted fuel was burned.

These emissions, known as scope 3 or downstream, were included in a resubmitted document for Rosebank in 2025.

The new energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, is expected to decide whether to grant consent for the field after the consultation. Her decision will be based on the revised environmental impact assessment.

Rosebank is estimated to hold more than 480 million barrels of oil. Some estimates suggest it would release emissions totalling 254 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent over its lifetime. This is said to be equivalent to nearly 70% of the UK’s entire annual emissions in 2024. This would make it incompatible with the UK’s legally-binding climate commitments, campaigners have said.

Opponents have argued that the field would not lower UK energy bills or improve energy security because 90% of reserves are oil destined for international markets. They have stated that the field’s small gas reserves could reduce UK gas import dependency by just 1%, if none were exported.

At the weekend, the Guardian reported that production at Rosebank, if approved, could be delayed after equipment from a rig was accidentally dropped into the North Sea in April 2026.

The field operator, Adura, now expects production would be delayed from the end of this year to sometime in 2027, the Guardian reported.

The Rosebank development is in two phases.

• Phase 1 involves drilling four production and three water injection wells.
• Phase 2, dependent on results of phase 1, involves drilling a further 3 production and 2 water injection wells.

Wells would be connected by new flowlines to a redeployed Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO). Gas would be exported from the FPSO to a new gas export pipeline connecting to the existing West of Shetland Pipeline Systems. Oil will be offloaded using tankers.

Consultation details

Official notices of the consultation were published in Shetland Times, Aberdeen Press & Journal and the Daily Telegraph earlier this month.

All representations should quote reference number ES/2022/001 and be made to:

• OPRED@Energysecurity.gov.uk
• Business Support Team Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, AB1 Building, Crimon Place, Aberdeen AB10 1BJ

The energy secretary’s decision will be published here (see link).

Rosebank is currently owned by Adura (a joint enterprise of Shell and Equinor 80%) and Ithaca Energy (20%). Energy Voice reported last week that Adura has called for voluntary redundancies among staff at its Aberdeen headquarters. It is not known how many job cuts are planned.

Links to government notices and official documents on Rosebank

Guide to Rosebank by the campaign organisation, Uplift

• A public consultation on the Jackdaw gas field, also owned by Adura, is due to finish on 10 August 2026. The Guardian reported earlier this month that, if approved, Jackdaw would create just 27 direct full-time jobs.

Pennsylvania is taking an important step toward reducing methane pollution from oil and gas operations. 

Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today that new methane standards are on the way for Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry, which will help protect public health, reduce climate pollution, and improve air quality for the more than 1.5 million Pennsylvanians who live near oil and gas infrastructure.  

Once finalized, these highly anticipated methane standards will implement the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2024 methane rule while allowing Pennsylvania to tailor federal standards to serve Pennsylvania’s needs as the country’s second-largest producer of gas.  

Why does methane matter? 

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that also affects the air we breathe. Oil and gas operations that leak methane often release other harmful pollutants at the same time, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These pollutants contribute to smog and have been linked to asthma, respiratory disease, cancer, and other serious health impacts. 

Reducing methane pollution is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to slow climate change while improving air quality, especially for people living closest to oil and gas operations. 

What is changing? 

The new standards are expected to strengthen methane leak detection and repair standards and expand protections to more well sites across the Commonwealth, regardless of size. This will help Pennsylvania dramatically lower air pollution and prevent the wasteful leakage of gas into our atmosphere. 

What comes next? 

DEP will begin developing the proposed standards through Pennsylvania’s regulatory process. There will be opportunities for the public to review the proposal and submit comments. Clean Air Council will continue advocating for strong methane protections that reduce pollution, improve public health, and hold oil and gas companies accountable for preventable methane emissions.  

Alice Lu, Policy Analyst at Clean Air Council, issued the following statement: 

“For decades, Pennsylvanians have fought for safeguards from the oil and gas industry’s methane pollution. Today, Governor Shapiro and DEP are answering that call by taking a much-needed, commonsense action to protect our frontline communities. Reducing methane emissions is one of the most effective ways to tackle climate change and improve air quality.” 

Want to stay informed? As DEP develops these standards, there will be opportunities for Pennsylvanians to weigh in. Sign up for Clean Air Council’s Action Alerts to learn how you can help shape stronger methane protections across the Commonwealth. 
 

One week after shrinking Bears Ears National Monument by 91 percent, the Trump administration has removed the seals of five Tribal nations from Bears Ears signs.

The Tribal seals represented members of the Bears Ears Commission, which includes the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Zuni Tribe, and Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation.

The Tribal Commission was first created in 2016 to help guide the management of Bears Ears in a manner rooted in Indigenous perspectives and place-based conservation strategies developed over centuries. But President Trump’s July 13 proclamation disbanded the Tribal Commission.

“They may be able to remove the signs and take down the Tribal seals, but they cannot erase who we are, our connection to Bears Ears, or our responsibility to protect it,” said Davina Smith-Idjesa, co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. “Bears Ears remains a living cultural landscape, and our commitment to this place continues.”

Lawmakers introduce bicameral Local Input Act

Yesterday, U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse of Colorado and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico introduced the Local Input Act. The bill seeks to protect the right of the American people to provide input on proposed oil and gas lease sales on national public lands, and would restore the Interior department’s ability to incorporate public comments into decisions on whether to nominate public lands for lease to oil and gas companies.

Quick hits Days after slashing Bears Ears, Trump administration removes Tribal seals from monument signs

Salt Lake Tribune

This dark money political operative could soon become Trump’s ethics chief

Public Domain

Opinion: New BLM proposal and lease sales will devastate Colorado public lands, communities

Colorado Sun

Colorado’s Glenwood Springs mayor pro-tem calls for action to stop limestone quarry

Sopris Sun

Nevada lawmaker demands answers on BLM data center approval process

Nevada Current | Nevada Independent | E&E News | Las Vegas Review-Journal

Column: Understanding how Donald Trump sees public lands

More Than Just Parks

Wyoming outdoor rec board awards $1.9M in grants for trail building, campground fixes

WyoFile

The Gambler 500: Junky old cars race on public lands to clean up trash

KUOW

Quote of the day

You can’t persuade someone to value a wilderness they never understood in the first place.”

—Jim Pattiz, conservationist, filmmaker, and co-founder of More Than Just Parks

Picture This

@usfws

Computa, cancel that. Make more toads instead!

This year, conservation partners are reintroducing about 3 million Houston toad eggs into restored habitat in Bastrop County, Texas while improving the forests these endangered amphibians depend on.

No, the individual toads aren’t becoming the size of Labradors. There’s just going to be a whole lot more of them.

Check out our link in bio to learn more about how we’re working with private landowners to reconnect forests and breeding ponds so these tiny toads can safely disperse, find mates, and keep the next generation hopping.

Photo of immature Houston toad by Hannah Gilbreath/USFWS
Graphics by Erin Huggins/USFWS

Featured image: Bears Ears National Monument signs before and after the Tribal seals were removed. Photo used by permission

The post Tribes removed from Bears Ears National Monument signs appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

Star Energy has given up environmental consent to produce hydrogen at the Albury gas site in Surrey.

Albury Park well site. Photo: Surrey County Council

The company failed to get planning permission in 2023 for a scheme to manufacture grey hydrogen from methane at the site near Guildford. Surrey councillors unanimously rejected the proposal.

The Environment Agency has now accepted the partial surrender of the site’s environmental permit for hydrogen production using the steam methane reformation process with gas from the Albury-1 well.

The site permit had been varied in 2022 to add a hydrogen production process and a new medium combustion plant.

The surrender notice, published today, revealed that Star Energy had applied in April 2026 to surrender the hydrogen variation.

It also confirmed there had been no hydrogen production at Albury and no plant associated with the process had been constructed on site.

The EA said:

“We have determined this is an application to remove authorisation to carry on an activity which has not been put into operation.”

The remaining permit continues to allow operations at Albury including:

• flaring of gas
• use of an electricity generator fuelled by methane
• receipt, storage and handling of raw materials used in the production process
• management of extractive waste

The formal boundary of the site remains unchanged.

According to official data, Albury continues to produce small amounts of gas. In 2025, the site produced 1,648 ksm3 (thousand standard cubic meters), at an average of 137 ksm3 a month.

“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.

As exciting events continue in Philadelphia, learn how you can get around to major summer 2026 events without a car, or being stuck in traffic with GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes Map!

Image Source: WHYY

WHYY: Leave something on the train, bus or trolley? Here’s how to find it on SEPTA – Riders can look for lost items from SEPTA in the lost and found, but there’s more than one depending on where you left your item. For regional rail riders, the lost and found is in Suburban Station in Center City. Broad Street Line holds items at Fern Rock Transit Center and SEPTA headquarters on Market. Market-Frankford riders need to check the 69th Street Transit Center, and the depot holds unclaimed items from buses and trolleys.

Image Source: whyy

WHYY: Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority takes a baby step toward resurrecting passenger rail between Philadelphia and Reading – Amtrak and the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority (SRPRA) signed a formal commitment to attempt to bring back passenger rail service between Philadelphia, Phoenixville, Pottstown, and Reading. It’s been over 40 years since passenger rail trains stopped in Phoenixville. The agreement means SRPRA intends for Amtrak to operate the lines, and Amtrak is willing to see the project through to the next phase.

Image Source: Zummo Bikes

Philadelphia Today: Young Mechanics Take the Lead in FOX 29’s Look Inside Zummo Bike – A non-profit in Chester County, Zummo Bikes is collecting, repairing, selling, and donating refurbished bicycles. Zumme Bikes is also a workforce development program, training students to fix bicycles and other components, see inside a small business, and develop customer service skills. Visit Zummo Bike’s website here.

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Campaigners have criticised another oil operator for a “flawed assessment” of the climate impact of drilling and production plans.

Methods used in an application for expansion of the Wressle oil field in North Lincolnshire have been condemned in a public consultation as “unscientific wishful thinking” and of failing to comply with the latest guidance.

Objectors have said the Wressle scheme should be refused planning permission.

Existing Wressle well site. Photo: Egdon Resources planning application

Earlier this week, DrillOrDrop reported calls for rejection of an expansion scheme at the Horse Hill oil site in Surrey, partly because of the way carbon emissions had been estimated.

At both Horse Hill and Wressle, developers have claimed the impacts on climate change would be “insignificant”, despite the release at each site of more than a million tonnes of damaging carbon pollution.

Key criticisms have centred on how the companies assessed the significance of greenhouse gases resulting from burning the extracted oil or gas, known as downstream or scope 3 category 11 emissions.

The Wressle operator, Egdon Resources, estimated in a revised application, published in May 2026, that the expanded operation would produce an extra 1 million+ barrels of oil over 15 years and an additional 5.264 billion cubic feet of gas.

Egdon predicted that the site would release more than 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tco2e), most of it through scope 3 category 11 emissions.

Campaigners have argued there is no space in the global carbon budget for any new fossil fuel developments or expansion of existing sites if the world’s temperature increase is to remain within the legally-binding limit of 1.5C.

Egdon had been granted permission in 2024 for two new production wells and lower volume fracking.

But the approval was later quashed following the landmark Finch Ruling at the Supreme Court.

This was a successful challenge brought by Sarah Finch and the Weald Action Group, which required decision-makers to take into account the scope 3 category 11 emissions.

“All eyes on Wressle”

The decision on the Wressle scheme, to be made by North Lincolnshire Council, could be the first fossil fuel production application in England to be made using the Finch Ruling.

Other applications have been withdrawn (Biscathorpe), postponed (Waddock Cross in Dorset) or faced requests for more information (Rosebank and Jackdaw).

The Weald Action Group (WAG) said in its response to the Wressle application:

“All eyes will therefore be on North Lincolnshire and the decision will be closely scrutinised, as its approach could set an influential precedent for future decisions on similar projects.”

Fossil Fuel Free Lincolnshire (FFFL) told DrillOrDrop:

“Once again at Wressle, the oil and gas industry claims that the emissions from a single development are insignificant when set against global carbon budgets.

“That misses the point entirely.

“The remaining carbon budget is disappearing fast, which means every tonne of emissions counts. The claim that one more oil and gas development won’t make a difference is ludicrous – especially as they say it every time!

“Each new development locks us into fossil fuels and adds to global emissions.”

FFFL said:

“We’ve presented robust legal and planning arguments showing why this proposal should be refused, backed by national climate policy and North Lincolnshire’s own Green Future Plan. The planners have both the evidence and the policy framework they need. Now they just need the courage to resist industry pressure and make the right decision.”

Lincolnshire Climate Commission told us:

“Limiting the worst impacts of climate change requires a rapid reduction in fossil fuel use across all sectors, not the expansion of oil and gas production that extends reliance on fossil fuels.

“The UK’s long-term energy security depends on accelerating the transition to renewable energy and improving energy efficiency, rather than continued investment in new fossil fuel extraction and associated infrastructure.

“We urge decision-makers to ensure that the Wressle planning application is assessed in light of the UK’s climate commitments and the wider, long-term public interest.”

Lincolnshire climate campaigner, Amanda Suddaby, said in her formal response that Egdon Resources had failed to “provide a transparent or robust assessment of the project’s full lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions or their significance.”

She said the proposal would extend the original 15-year production life of Wressle:

“this application represents a material extension of fossil fuel extraction that is not consistent with the basis on which the original temporary permission was granted, nor with current national and local policy requirements relating to climate change.”

Key points “Unsound and inadequate environmental statement”

Opponents of the Wressle expansion have outlined in formal responses to a public consultation what they said were numerous flaws in the environmental statement (ES) that accompanied the planning application and included the climate assessment.

FFFL said in its response:

“The ES is logically unsound and legally inadequate. On that basis alone, permission for the proposed development should be refused.”

The group said North Lincolnshire Council should not give Egdon “yet another bite at the cherry” by asking for a further revised environmental statement. It said:

“The most robust and cogent response would be to refuse permission”.

“Contrary to latest guidance”

Several responses argued that Egdon had not complied with the latest guidance on assessing climate impacts.

WAG said:

“We consider that the assessment does not comply with EIA Regulations 2017, the Department of Energy and Net Zero scope 3 supplementary guidance, or the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professions 2022 guidance regarding assessing greenhouse gas emissions and evaluating their significance.

“Nor does it refer to the 2025 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change or the 2024 proposed revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework.”

“Ignored latest forecasts”

Several responses also stated that Egdon’s environmental statement did not consider the most up-to-date forecasts of the remaining 1.5C aligned global carbon budget.

WAG said:

“There is zero space in the remaining 1.5C aligned global carbon budget for any new fossil fuel developments or expansions to existing sites; and a massive excess of emissions from existing oil, gas and coal infrastructure which will now need to close before the end of its economic life.

“The 917,999 tco2e of scope 3, category 11 emissions from an expanded Wressle development would be additional, cumulative and hence contribute to the further exceedance of the 1.5C global carbon budget. As such, and based on established guidance, these emissions should be considered as significant for the climate.”

Amanda Suddaby said:

“The development of new fossil fuel extraction is fundamentally incompatible with the UK’s climate obligations and with Paris-aligned 1.5C pathways which are essential for maintaining a habitable planet and avoiding runaway climate breakdown triggers.”

“Insignificant impact” – “scientifically-flawed”

Egdon Resources assessed the significance of the category 11 emissions at Wressle as a percentage of overall global carbon budgets and in relation to emissions reduction pathways published behind paywalls by the fossil fuel consultancy, Global Energy Outlook.

The company said:

“while the unmitigated, worst-case effect is moderate adverse, the overall assessment concludes that the effect is minor adverse when viewed in the context of global mitigation trajectories.”

Lincolnshire Climate Commission described this conclusion as “scientifically flawed”.

FFFL said:

“This startling conclusion is entirely without rational foundation.

It said:

“The reasoning for how an acknowledged significant adverse effect can become ‘not significant’ in the absence of any mitigation is demonstrably flawed.”

FFFL added:

“All the factors … point to a major adverse impact, given the project [is] being assessed as a fossil fuel project which locks in emissions because it adopts a business-as usual or do-minimum approach to compliance with global mitigation trajectories (themselves unscientific).”

FFFL said of the company’s assessment approaches:

“Neither is an adequate approach to contextualising the significance of the project’s emissions since neither allows for the project’s contributions (or lack thereof) towards the achievement of net zero to be clearly understood.”

Professional judgement “unscientific wishful thinking”

Egdon Resources concluded that the scope 3 category 11 emissions would have a moderate adverse effect, reducing to minor adverse when “professional judgement” was applied. The company referred to guidance from the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professions (ISEP).

But the ISEP guidance on ‘professional judgement’ states this must be based “on available guidance, policy and scientific evidence”.

FFFL said:

“The so-called ‘professional judgement’ reducing the moderate adverse effect … to a minor adverse effect is unmoored from any available guidance, policy or scientific evidence. It is unscientific wishful thinking.”

FFFL added:

“It is self-evidence that the GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions from the proposed development would have a significant effect on the climate and that the effect would be major adverse, applying the ISEP guidance and the supplementary guidance.”

“Failed to assess cumulative effects”

The supplementary guidance, published by the UK government after the Finch Ruling, states that global emissions reduction pathways should be “inherently cumulative” so that they can function as a cumulative assessment of a project’s climate effects.

FFFL said pathways used by Egdon were “not inherently cumulative”.

They relied on “abstract projections and modelling of reducing demand for fossil fuels over time rather than real world data and implemented policies”, FFFL said.

FFFL described the Egdon pathways as “untethered from the reality of existing, consented and planned projects.”

FFFL said the company failed to “carry out a proper assessment of the cumulative effects of the proposed development in relation to other planned and permitted fossil fuel projects”.

WAG said:

“By not considering forecast emissions from already existing and approved oil and gas projects it fails to place Wressle’s scope 3, category 11 emissions within a global cumulative emissions context.”

Amanda Suddaby said it was “mathematically unsound” to argue that any single development was insignificant in the context of a larger overarching budget.

She said:

“Treating any source individually rather than additionally is to misunderstand the nature of the mitigation problem: emissions from all sources must be rapidly cut, with no scope for additional fossil fuel extraction”.

She added:

“The drop in the-ocean argument has been rejected by courts around the world, and by the government”.

“No substance to substitution argument”

Egdon suggested that demand for oil would be met from alternative sources if Wressle expansion did not go ahead. It said the sources could include imported oil, resulting in additional emissions from transport and different regulatory standards.

UK government guidance requires developers to provide evidence of substitution if it relies on this argument.

WAG and FFFL said no evidence of substitution had been provided and the argument should be disregarded.

FFFL said:

“Egdon purports to rely on alleged substitution and a reduction in the need for imports into the UK, that is inappropriate and unlawful.”

Lincolnshire Climate Commission said:

“Global oil markets do not operate on a one‑in, one‑out basis. Additional production from small fields such as Wressle adds to total global supply, increasing global emissions. This conclusion is consistent with independent climate‑energy research and the position of the UK Climate Change Committee. The substitution argument should therefore be given no weight in the planning balance.”

“Contradicts local climate plan”

Several responses said Wressle expansion would contradict local climate policies.

The North Lincolnshire Council Green Future Programme aims to create a “cleaner greener and more sustainable North Lincolnshire”, with its own commitment to net zero in operational emissions by 2030.

Amanda Suddaby said estimated emissions associated with Wressle expansion were approx 200 times greater than the council’s six-year carbon reduction target. She said:

“This highlights a fundamental inconsistency between the council’s stated climate ambitions and the continued approval of new fossil fuel developments”.

Lincolnshire Climate Commission said:

“Approving further oil extraction at Wressle would directly contradict these strategic aims, undermine the Council’s stated commitment to a “cleaner, greener and more sustainable North Lincolnshire,” and increase the very climate and nature risks the Council has pledged to reduce.”

By TANIA ZIVKOVICH

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya remains in prison in the hell of Israeli detention since his arrest in late 2024. He is on the verge of death from beatings, torture, and starvation. He has never been charged with a crime, like the thousands of others who languish in prison. But in the twisted mind of the Israeli occupation forces, he is a dangerous criminal. His real crime—he’s a doctor, a highly respected and beloved pediatrician, director of Kamal Adwan Children’s Hospital in Gaza.

That really says it all. To the sado-fascist Netanyahu regime, health care workers, aid workers, and educators are all high on their list of enemies to be destroyed. They are often killed in targeted assassinations and frequently bombed at home with their families in the Israeli AI assassination program “Where’s Daddy.”

Dr. Abu Safiya was taken in a raid on his hospital. His family was among many others, sheltering on hospital grounds. Shortly before his arrest, his young son Ibrahim was killed there in an Israeli airstrike. The doctor had also suffered serious leg injuries and been previously arrested, along with staff and patients. That time, all were taken outside, stripped naked, bound, and beaten. He was released as the others were taken away. At the time of the raid when he was arrested he was offered the option of remaining at the hospital. But he refused, saying I am standing with my detained colleagues. When the soldiers brought him to the military vehicle to take him away, he shook hands with the driver. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya is the embodiment of our highest human ideals—courage, compassion, steadfastness. He is a true Gazan doctor. His lawyer (the doctor was denied legal visits for much of his incarceration) reports that as of his recent visit, Dr. Abu Safiya is approaching death. His entire body, including his face, is covered with bruises. He reports being beaten with a hammer. He has lost perhaps a third of his body weight. He is suffering terribly.

There is an escalated international effort to secure his release. Please, let’s join in by contacting our Congress people and urging them to do whatever they can. Being that Joe Biden and most of his Democratic colleagues are hugely responsible for the Genocide they supported in Gaza, it’s the least they can do. Like the Republicans, many Democrats (I believe that includes a few of our New Mexico Congress people) are on the dole from the Israel lobby. Biden was the number one recipient of AIPAC contributions while in Congress (trackAIPAC.com.) The phone numbers of our NM delegation are: Senator Martin Heinrich 202-224-5521, Senator Ben Ray Lujan 202-224-6621, Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez 202-225-6190, Representative Melanie Stansbury 202-225-6316, and Representative Gabe Vasquez 202-225-2365.

It may be that a million phone calls cannot save the life of the beloved pediatrician, but they might. Calling campaigns can be very effective if enough people participate. Our calls will be reaching the hearts and minds of the staffers, mostly young people who are interested in government careers. And they do influence our Congress people, as evidenced by the large Democratic vote in favor of the recent Resolution to block annual funding of $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel. This Resolution was put forward by a lone Republican, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Sadly, it was defeated.

When I call our Congress people, I ask if they know of Dr. Abu Safiya (most don’t), and tell them I have been following his case on DemocracyNow.org with Amy Goodman and I urge them to check it out.

When most people think of Gaza, of course, they think of the horrible ongoing Genocide in the “Gaza strip” where hundreds of thousands have been brutally killed, maimed, and buried under the rubble. Over 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces since the sham ceasefire of October, 2025. But the “strip” is an Israeli creation. It’s a 25 by 5 mile open-air fenced-in concentration camp. This is where Israel dumped Palestinian refugees from other areas of Palestine that the ever-expanding Zionist state has been conquering and occupying since 1948. Seventy percent of the Gaza population is comprised of these refugees. The “strip,” with its population of 2.3 million, was one of the most densely populated areas on planet earth and approaching uninhabitability.

Now the Israelis are hard at work building a serious separation wall right through Gaza. This will imprison the surviving Gaza population into approximately half of the original Gaza strip while continuing to limit the amount of food, water, medicine, and building materials, etc. that they allow to enter. Gazans are condemned to live in the rubble of their former homes while the bodies of their loved ones decay deep beneath.

Originally Gaza was the largest district in historic Palestine with over 100 towns and villages. It was a fertile and abundant land with numerous freshwater springs, filled with olive and orange groves and fruits of all kinds and a beautiful seacoast that it was safe to fish from. Peace and cooperation existed between Muslims, Jews, and Christians, all of whom opposed the colonial takeover by the British-backed European Zionists.

In closing I want to share a very moving interview with Dr. Abu Safiya that Amy Goodman broadcast on Democracy Now before his arrest:

1. HUSSAMABU SAFIYA: [translated] I always say the situation requires one to stand by our people’s side and not run away from it. Gaza is our homeland, our mother, our beloved, and everything to us. Gaza deserves all of this steadfastness and deserves all of the sacrifices. It is not just about Gaza, but we deserve to be a people that deserves freedom just like every other people on Earth. I think the occupation wants us to get out and for us to ask them to get us out, so they can publicly say that the healthcare system is the one asking to leave and that it wasn’t them who asked us to, but we are aware of that. But we will not leave, God willing, from this place, as I said, for as long as there are humanitarian services to be provided to our people in the northern Gaza Strip.

Please do whatever you can and never forget Gaza. Thank you. Free all of Palestine now.

Addendum: While you have your Senators on the phone, please dissuade them from voting for the NDAA, National Defense Authorization Act. Section 219, which was added to the House bill at the last minute. It combines or “integrates” the Israeli military with the U.S. military, compromising U.S. sovereignty. The bill awards $1.5 trillion to the Defense Department, a 60 percent increase. The bill has now moved to the Senate and it is section1217 called the FUTURES act in the Senate.

The UK energy minister has suggested that lower-volume fracking does not have the same earthquake risk as hydraulic fracturing for shale gas.

Michael Shanks, who kept his post in the Burnham government reshuffle this week, said in a letter to East Yorkshire Council:

“there is no evidence that low-volume hydraulic fracturing has the same risks of induced seismicity as hydraulic fracturing for shale gas”.

Mr Shanks was replying to the council after members voted unanimously to oppose fracking in their county.

They resolved that the council should write to the energy secretary urging him to outlaw what they called “such high pressure and extreme procedures”.

Their vote recorded opposition to plans for lower-volume fracking at an East Yorkshire site at West Newton, in Holderness. Councillors also called for an independent report on the safety and risks associated with the West Newton operation.

In his reply, Mr Shanks said there was an “effective moratorium” on fracking for shale gas in England.

This was introduced in 2019 after fracking for shale gas at Preston New Road caused multiple small earthquakes.

The moratorium prevents fracking in shale using volumes of fluid of 1,000m3 per stage or 10,000m3 in total. It does not prevent fracking using lower volumes, including that planned at West Newton.

Briefing documents confirmed earlier this year that the Energy Independence Bill would deliver the government’s manifesto promise to ban fracking. But they did not specify which operations would be included in the ban.

Campaigners have said all forms of fracking should be outlawed. They have called this a legal loophole that is exploited by oil and gas companies.

Opponents of lower-volume fracking have pointed out that the Preston New Road fracks in 2019, which caused the UK’s largest fracking-induced earthquake, used lower volumes of fluid than the limit set in the moratorium. The Preston New Road volumes were also lower than proposed proppant squeezes at Burniston, in North Yorkshire, refused planning permission earlier this year.

Mr Shanks’ comment on earthquake risk may also contradict recent work by Stuart Haszeldine, the professor of geology at University of Edinburgh.

The professor’s analysis has concluded that the absence of high-volume hydraulic fracturing subject to the UK moratorium does not mean earthquake risks can be ruled out.

His work has focussed on a series of earthquakes in Surrey, which began eight years, and have been linked by some academic researchers to oil and gas operations.

In a recent report, Professor Haszeldine said:

“In my opinion, there is now a substantial body of evidence linking the 2018–2019 earthquake sequence in the Horse Hill and Newdigate area with oil production activities at Horse Hill.

“This includes the temporal relationship between production activities and earthquake occurrence, together with subsequent academic analyses published since the issue was previously considered by regulators.”

Separate studies by Robert Westaway, of Glasgow University, and Matthew Fox, of University College London, have shown pressure diffusion from oil, gas and water production can trigger earthquakes.

Mr Shanks did not refer in his letter to Labour’s manifesto commitment to ban fracking. But he did say forms of hydraulic fracturing in non-shale oil and gas operations, such as proppant squeeze or acid fracking, “had been used for decades”.

The Weald Action Group, which opposes oil and gas development in southern England, responded:

“We are fighting this. There is no evidence that supports his [the minister’s] statement that it has been used for decades.”

• A campaigner in East Yorkshire is seeking to bring a legal challenge against the lower-volume frack at West Newton.

PJM’s mismanagement of the grid has worsened reliability, raised energy prices, and increased pollution, enriching the for-profit companies who comprise the majority of its voting members

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lawmakers and advocates from several states gathered today outside the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to call for needed reforms in the governance of PJM Interconnection (PJM), the organization that manages the power grid for 13 states and Washington, D.C.

Inside, FERC was meeting to consider PJM’s governance and stakeholder processes, with a particular focus on identifying and evaluating concrete, actionable reforms to improve PJM’s ability to address “operational and market needs in a timely and efficient manner,” according to the FERC website.

Advocates and lawmakers argue that PJM’s current governance structure gives disproportionate voting power to market participants with financial interests in the outcomes of its decisions. As it stands, PJM’s conflicts of interest and self-dealing have caused it to mismanage the grid, leading directly to surging energy prices. 

In addition, PJM’s policies are delaying lower-cost clean energy projects while keeping more expensive power sources on the system – contributing to higher electricity bills across the region. A recent analysis found that if PJM were to allow more clean energy to connect to the grid, it would save each of its customers $500 a year through lower energy bills. Meanwhile, PJM is forcing ratepayers to pay coal plants just south of Baltimore hundreds of millions of dollars to stay open, when cleaner alternatives would be less expensive. 

“PJM’s decisions affect every household and business across our region. However, the elected officials accountable to those ratepayers – the families and businesses who ultimately pay the bills – do not have a meaningful voice in the process,” said Maryland Senator Katie Fry Hester (Howard and Montgomery counties). “The PJM Legislators’ Collaborative, made up of legislators across the PJM states, is calling for a new governance framework that (1) clearly defines PJM’s public-interest mission, (2) gives states a meaningful institutional role, (3) strengthens Board independence and accountability, (4) modernizes decision-making, and (5) improves transparency and oversight. This will lead to better decisions, greater accountability, and ultimately more affordable rates for the millions of people we represent.” 

“Back in Jersey, people are having to choose between groceries or their energy bill – this is what happens when monopolies at the top put profits over people without any effective oversight,” said United States Senator Andy Kim (New Jersey). “We need transparency, accountability, and real solutions from PJM about how they plan to bring costs down for millions of people and stop price gouging those who simply should not have to live like this.”  

“The latest capacity auction has again highlighted PJM’s total failure to properly manage our electric grid and keep costs down for Pennsylvania’s families and local businesses,” said Molly Parzen, executive director, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania. “We can no longer trust PJM to police itself. The public deserves real transparency that lifts the veil on its secretive operations. We need PJM to remove artificial obstacles that are keeping clean energy projects from coming online and lowering energy prices for families who are struggling.”

“As state lawmakers, we are responsible for ensuring an affordable, reliable, and clean grid. Yet, our policies are consistently thwarted by policies established by PJM,” said Maryland Delegate Lorig Charkoudian (Montgomery County). “PJM’s policies are developed through a stakeholder process in which the market participants have the strongest voices. This means that the generators and transmission owners, those who stand to gain the most financially from the policies, are driving the PJM policies. It’s time to shift PJM away from serving industry to serving the public interest. This means putting state policies front and center and including state policymakers in the decision-making process.”

“When the electricity sector was deregulated in the early 2000s, PJM was founded by FERC to have independent authority over the for-profit companies that would be operating as monopolies in the electric energy sector,” said Pennsylvania Representative Joe Webster (Montgomery County). “Today, PJM is subject to those industries, for lack of governance. That sector has failed to innovate. It makes record profits, and our ratepayers in Pennsylvania, in New Jersey and Maryland, and across the region are paying higher and higher electric bills. So, I really can’t say this enough times:  It is time to push PJM back into its original role, to support new energy sources and innovation, and to do that to favor ratepayers, to lower electric costs for every household in the region.” 

“Too often consumers and state policymakers are left on the sidelines when PJM is making critical decisions, resulting in families and small businesses paying the price for expensive coal plants while delaying lower-cost clean energy projects,” said Quentin Scott, Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Federal Policy Director. “FERC has both the authority and the responsibility to ensure that PJM’s governance is transparent and accountable to the public interest. It’s time to reform PJM’s stakeholder process so that the people who pay the bills—and the state regulators charged with protecting the public interest—have a meaningful voice in shaping the future of our electric grid.” 

“Years of PJM’s slow-moving process failures are now landing on kitchen tables across New Jersey. This conference is a chance to build a record for real change, giving states and ratepayers a genuine voice, unclogging the interconnection queue so ready projects can connect, and ending preferential treatment that keeps costs high. We’ll be watching closely for FERC to move from listening to acting,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, Director for the New Jersey Sierra Club.

“We are here to ask PJM to put ratepayers’ interests first,” said Rebecca Rehr, director of Climate Policy and Justice, Maryland League of Conservation Voters. “A fundamental flaw in PJM’s governance structure is that it is not designed to prioritize ratepayer or affordability needs. We’re seeing mismanagement at PJM and the resulting electricity cost spikes in part because states and ratepayer advocates lack an adequate voice at the table.” 

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The post Lawmakers and Advocates Call for PJM Governance Reforms to Serve the Public, Not Private Profit appeared first on Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

In 2025, the Trump administration spent more taxpayer dollars on no-bid contracts than any other one-year period in the last 10 years, according to an analysis by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO).

No-bid contracts are contracts that the government arranges without a competitive bidding process, which takes place to maximize taxpayers’ value and maintain transparency. In 2025, the federal government spent nearly $263 billion on no-bid contracts. According to POGO, the administration is on track to spend $300 billion in 2026.

When narrowed down to no-bid contracts at the National Park Service, the ongoing overhaul of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool accounts for nearly all no-bid contract spending. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and President Trump have spent $16.4 million on the Reflecting Pool renovation, and it still isn’t complete.

Photo essay: Utahns gather across the state to show support for national monuments

Nearly a thousand people gathered across the state of Utah on Monday to protest President Donald Trump’s illegal attempt to slash Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by roughly 90 percent each. Center for Western Priorities Communications Director Kate Groetzinger wrote a blog post featuring powerful photos from the protests.

Quick hits Most Utahns want to protect their national monuments. Trump had other plans

Grist

The recreation sites threatened by Trump’s national monument shrinkage

Wes Siler’s Newsletter

Jonathan Jarvis: Your fee dollars are not working

Jonathan’s Substack

Cost of no-bid contracts like Reflecting Pool renovation hit 10-year high

MS NOW

Grand Teton National Park could near visitation record due to booming early summer

Jackson Hole News & Guide

Colorado drought increasingly linked to long-term climate change

Colorado Sun

BLM rule changes to allow more cattle grazing on public lands in the West

Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Supreme Court shrunk clean water protections in the West. Colorado and New Mexico are restoring them

KUNC

Quote of the day

Your fee dollars are no longer working for you, but instead working at the whim of the President. As a result, projects across the National Park System that are truly in need of repair go unfinished.”

—Jonathan B. Jarvis, former director of the National Park Service, Jonathan’s Substack

Picture This @nationalparkservice

The raccoon is a remarkable creature.

Part acrobat.
Part detective.
Part influencer 
Part trash can consultant.

For ages, raccoons have been perfecting their craft: climbing trees, solving problems, exploring forests, and inspecting anything that looks even remotely interesting. Same. Minus the tree part.

They have the hands of a tiny burglar, the mask of a woodland outlaw, and the confidence of someone who leaves a Teams meeting the instant it appears to be over, disappearing into the night (or next call) before anyone can say, “Thanks, everyone.”

Each day (and mostly night), raccoons go about their important raccoon business, looking curious, clever, and occasionally like they were just caught doing something they absolutely knew they shouldn’t have been doing. FREEZE! They usually don’t seek fame or recognition. They simply continue their lifelong mission of exploring, investigating, and making humans wonder, “How did you even get in there?”

Remember, it’s best to admire raccoons and other wildlife from a distance. They’re fascinating neighbors, even if they have questionable boundaries, a suspicious interest in your trash, and absolutely no concern for your personal property. But they’re still wild animals. Help keep them wild by storing food properly, securing coolers and trash, and not giving them a reason to become professional campsite investigators.

NPS Images

 

(Featured image: Liner peeling off the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Photo by Aaron Weiss, Center for Western Prioriteis)

The post Trump admin spends record amount of taxpayer money on no-bid contracts appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.

The Lock the Gate Alliance is calling for scrutiny over Origin Energy's plan to drill gas wells and spread chemical-laden waste directly onto the land as part of a giant gas project under development in Tara.