G2. Local Greens

Editor’s Note: Weeks before Trump’s inauguration his threats to remove undocumented immigrants are already manifest in congressional bills. Here’s his plan to demand mandatory detention of any noncitizen arrested for certain crimes even if they’ve never been charged with a crime. Here’s the test for Senators Heinrich and Lujan to see if they’ll stand up for due process.

We urgently need you to contact your senators to prevent the passage of the bill known as the “Laken Riley Act.”  Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act, H.R. 29. Later this week, it will likely go to a vote in the Senate. If this bill passes, it would: Require mandatory detention of certain noncitizens, including any undocumented person or DACA recipient, arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting-related offenses, even if they are never charged with a crime.  Give state attorneys general, including notoriously anti-immigrant ones from states like Texas and Louisiana, the power to dictate immigration policy at the federal level and on the international stage. Please contact your senators right now to urge them not to pass this bill. Contact Your Senators This bill would result in mandatory detention for individuals arrested for certain crimes including petty crimes such as shoplifting even if no criminal charges were ever brought. Even a simple arrest without any further prosecution could lead to the indefinite incarceration of certain noncitizens, including undocumented people and DACA recipients.  Additionally, this bill would authorize states to seek federal court orders forcing the executive branch to detain and deport specific people, overturn individual humanitarian parole decisions, and cease issuing visas to entire countries.   For example, the bill includes a provision authorizing state lawsuits to seek sweeping visa bans on so-called “recalcitrant countries”—countries that decline to accept their citizens back when removed from the U.S.  The provisions in this bill violate basic tenets of the Constitution and threaten to upend our immigration legal system, with potential impacts reaching from the local to the international level.  Please contact your senators now and ask them to reject this dangerous bill.  Contact Your Senators

Farmers and food security advocates hope Congress can deliver a new 5-year Farm Bill in 2025. They also want conservation funding to continue.

The post New U.S. Farm Bill still out of reach, leaving programs unsettled appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

President Biden blocked Nippon Steel's bid to buy U.S. Steel, the region's largest source of air pollution. What might that mean for air quality?

The post How could blocking Nippon Steel’s bid to buy U.S. Steel impact the region’s air quality? appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

January 7, 2025 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Finalized in the Face of Threats to Public Lands in Utah  – 1.7.25

Contacts:
Kya Marienfeld, Wildlands Attorney, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (435) 259-5440; kya@suwa.org
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

Salt Lake City, UT – Yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) signed the Record of Decision for the final Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the restored Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Below is a statement from SUWA Wildlands Attorney Kya Marienfeld and additional information. 

“The BLM’s final plan takes meaningful and important steps to protect one of the most treasured public landscapes in America. Once again, the Monument will be managed to protect what makes it like nowhere else – remarkable paleontological discoveries and cultural connections, jaw-dropping scenery, and outstanding intact and diverse natural ecosystems,“ said Kya Marienfeld, SUWA Wildlands Attorney. “Sadly, Utah Governor Spencer Cox and other public land opponents continue their attacks on Grand Staircase-Escalante, which is managed for the benefit of all Americans. SUWA will unflinchingly continue to protect and defend the Monument for current and future generations.”

About the Monument

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was designated as a national monument in 1996 to protect the incredible scientific, ecological, and paleontological resources within its 1.9 million acres. This crown jewel of our nation’s public lands was the first monument managed by the BLM, and was the first unit in the agency’s now robust and expansive “National Conservation Lands” program.

Since its establishment, heightened protections for the Monument’s geology, paleontology, wildlife, plant communities, and ancestral sites have succeeded in preserving these unique values for generations to come, and local communities on the Monument’s doorstep have benefited as well. More than 25 years later, the numerous benefits of protecting Grand Staircase-Escalante are clear: the monument preserves a remarkable ecosystem at the landscape-level and sets the stage for future discovery about human, paleontological, and geologic history on the Colorado Plateau.

On December 4, 2017, President Trump ignored millions of public comments and eliminated large swaths of the Monument, slashing it by 47 percent – roughly 900,000 acres. Thankfully, on October 8, 2021, President Biden signed a proclamation restoring Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to its full, original boundaries. In 2023, BLM began the process of developing a new management plan for the full Monument. During both the scoping phase of the current planning effort and after a draft plan was released, SUWA members and supporters of public lands conservation across the country submitted comments to the BLM calling for a holistic, conservation-based management plan worthy of this remarkable place.

In August 2023, a Federal District Court Judge in Utah dismissed lawsuits brought by the State of Utah, Blue Ribbon Coalition, and others challenging President Biden’s use of the Antiquities Act to restore the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. The state and other plaintiffs quickly appealed that decision to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held oral argument on September 26, 2024, and will issue a decision in the coming months. SUWA and nine other conservation organizations have intervened on behalf of the United States to defend President Biden’s restoration of the Monuments, as have four Tribal nations.

Background Information

• BLM E-planning page on the Grand Staircase-Escalante RMP
• SUWA Statement on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) – August 10, 2023
• SUWA Advocacy Actions – Scoping Phase (September 2022); Draft Plan (October 2023)
• SUWA Statement on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Final RMP – 8.29.24
• SUWA webpage on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument 

###
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.

 

 

 

The post Plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Finalized in the Face of Threats to Public Lands in Utah  – 1.7.25 appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

By Ellis Juhlin, MTPR The Montana Supreme Court Friday affirmed a lower court ruling finding that state environmental regulators failed to assess the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a fossil fuel power plant. The court’s 5-2 ruling means the state Department of Environmental Quality must redo its environmental assessment of NorthWestern Energy’s Yellowstone County Generating …

The post Supreme Court ruling means DEQ must assess greenhouse gas emissions of new power plant appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

To LTWDP@wipp.doe.gov:

The communities of New Mexico were represented by nine NGOs in the days that it took to negotiate the current WIPP permit. The state, the city of Carlsbad, WIPP’s major contractor, SIMCO, and the Department of Energy were all represented at the table.  We all signed the agreement that would designate panel 12 as a repository for legacy waste. We all understood that legacy waste was the waste that was contaminating the air and water of the communities surrounding Los Alamos National Labs and other communities surrounding World War II and cold war era federal waste facilities and dumps.

The first Department of Energy Legacy Waste Plan does not reflect that understanding, nor the agreement that the Department, as well as others, signed onto, nor the WIPP permit itself. The good faith efforts of all involved are disregarded by the DOE legacy waste plan.  The DOE plan seems like a cursory effort at best. We wonder what the plan would be like if the authors lived downwind from a contaminating federal nuclear facility as the members of the Los Alamos Downwind Neighbors do. Perhaps then there would be true consideration of the suffering that LANL has caused in downwind  and down gradient communities and due respect for the community representatives who were at the table giving , in most cases, their volunteer time to carve out a better future for their communities.  When we talk about disposing of legacy waste we are talking about saving people’s lives. It is not a subject to take lightly.

There are no health studies for the communities surrounding LANL.  Anecdotally, we know that cancer is rampant and that nerve related illnesses are also prominent. (The New Mexico citizens who live downwind from the Trinity Test have never been compensated for the illnesses they contracted and the deaths their families continue to endure, unlike those from other states.)

Missing in the report: a definition of legacy waste that reflects the reality of the contamination affecting communities surrounding federal nuclear facilities, especially the legacy waste from past bomb making at Los Alamos National Laboratories; support for generator sites to retrieve that waste and send it to WIPP; and a sincere search for an alternative to WIPP so that states other than New Mexico share the growing burden of radioactive waste from nuclear bomb-making.

The Department of Energy needs to learn to give more respect to human life. That respect needs to be tightly woven into all their reports and actions. The cursoriness of this report shows the opposite, a disregard for community efforts and the representatives who made those efforts and their core concern: the health of their constituents and all New Mexicans.

Los Alamos Downwind Neighbors find this report to be highly inadequate and recommend that it be rejected by the New Mexico Environment Department.

Sincerely,

Jean Nichols and Janet Greenwald for Los Alamos Downwind Neighbors
PO Box 30, Llano, NM, 87543

For Immediate Release: January 3, 2025 Contacts: Amanda D. Galvan | Earthjustice | 406.586.9699 | agalvan@earthjustice.org Anne Hedges | MEIC | 406.443.2520 | ahedges@meic.org Noah Rott | Sierra Club | 406.214.1990 | noah.rott@sierraclub.org    Montana Supreme Court Orders Analysis of Climate Impact of Methane Gas Plant  State’s high court directs state to consider lighting and …

The post News Release: Montana Supreme Court Orders Analysis of Climate Impact of Methane Gas Plant  appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

January 3, 2025 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Advisory – Public Lands Rally on Saturday, January 11 at Noon Will show unwavering local support for protected public lands and wild places across Utah

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

What: Public lands and environmental advocates are excited to announce a Public Lands Rally – “Standing Together: Land Love & Hope.” Community members, activists, and environmental organizations will demonstrate unwavering local support for protected public lands and wild places across Utah, especially Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.

When: Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 12 p.m. A short program with speakers will begin at 12:15.

Where: South Steps of the Utah State Capitol (350 State Street Salt Lake City, UT 84103)

Who: Members of the public are encouraged to RSVP on Facebook or here. Members of the media are asked to RVSP to Grant Stevens, Communications Director at SUWA; (319) 427-0260 or grant@suwa.org. If you can’t join us in person, you can watch via a live video on the SUWA Facebook page (a Facebook account is not required, and you can watch it at any time). The video will begin a few minutes before noon day-of. Spokespeople will be available to speak with the media. Please reach out to Grant for additional information. 

Other details:  Speakers at the rally include Louise Fernandez, Youth Activist; Luz Escamilla, Utah Senate Minority Leader; Autumn Gillard, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah; Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, former co-chair of the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition; and Terry Tempest Williams, Author and Advocate. The rally will be emceed by Georgie Pongyesva, Tribal Liaison/Consultant.  

Attendees are encouraged to walk, bike, take public transit, or carpool if possible. Parking is limited and can be found primarily on surrounding streets and the north and east sides of the Capitol. The rally will be accessible to all abilities and up-close parking is also available.

Current threats to public lands in Utah include:

• Potential reductions to Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. Following illegal reductions in 2017, both Monuments were restored in 2021, but the State of Utah has filed litigation challenging these restorations.
• Governor Cox’s attempted Land Grab Lawsuit. In an unprecedented move, the state has filed a lawsuit with the US Supreme Court, asking the Court to take up a case that would likely result in the sale of 18.5 million acres of public lands in Utah to the highest bidder. The State is also spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money on a propaganda campaign
• Ongoing attacks on clean air, clear water, and common-sense conservation. Whether it’s celebrating not having to comply with the Good Neighbor Rule to improve air quality, opposing conservation efforts through the new Public Lands Rule, or failing to adequately address regional haze in national parks, Utah’s elected officials are working to make Utah a less healthy place for its growing population.

###

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.

 

The post Media Advisory – Public Lands Rally on Saturday, January 11 at Noon appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

For Immediate Release: Jan. 2, 2025 Media Contacts:  Bonnie Gestring, Earthworks, bgestring@earthworks.org, 406-546-8386 David Brooks, Montana Trout Unlimited, david@montanatu.org, 406-543-0054 Scott Bosse, American Rivers, sbosse@americanrivers.org, 406-570-0455 Derf Johnson, MEIC, djohnson@meic.org, 406-581-4634 Perry Wheeler, Earthjustice, pwheeler@earthjustice.org, 202-792-6211   Water-use permit for the Black Butte Copper Mine upheld by the Montana Supreme Court Court rules in favor …

The post News Release: Water-use permit for the Black Butte Copper Mine upheld by the Montana Supreme Court appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

ACTION ALERT!! CALL YOUR PEOPLE AND SEND A LETTER TO THE WHITE HOUSE!

Free Palestinian Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya!

Dr. Safiya was arrested at his hospital by the IDF because he refused to leave his patients. He has been taken to the Israeli torture and death camp where he is being tortured, which could result in his death. The Electronic Intifada reported that his hospital “now lies in ruins after the Israeli army stormed the building, forcibly ordered everyone inside to leave, interrogated and strip searched staff and set fire to the hospital.”

The link below is a form to send a personalized letter to your representatives demanding an immediate release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and other healthcare worker hostages illegally detained by Israel. Demand to end Israel’s genocide of Palestine and to uphold medical neutrality.

Your letter will be delivered to your representative, senators and the President’s office.

https://doctorsagainstgenocide.org/free-gaza-doctors?emci=10a076a6-43c6-ef11-88ce-0022482a93af&emdi=78ae418e-54c6-ef11-88ce-0022482a93af&ceid=3599236

White House Switchboard – 202 456-414

White House comment line – 202 456-1111

Senator Martin Heinrich – 202 224-5521

Senator Ben Ray Lujan – 202 224-6621

 Representative Melanie Stansbury CD1 – 202 225-6316

 Representative Gabe Vasquez CD2 – 202 225-2365

 Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez CD3 – 202 225-6190

Dr. Against Genocide Emergency Livestream Call to Action Dec. 29

While so many of us are feeling discouraged and demoralized, we must not despair and we must do whatever we can, even if seemingly hopeless.

What will we tell our grandchildren and their childrens’ children and the next seven generations when they ask, “Grandmother, Grandfather, what did you do when our world was being destroyed?”

In solidarity.

Suzie Schwartz
Taosenos for Peaceful and Livable futures

January 2, 2025 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUWA Statement on the Release of the Final San Rafael Swell Travel Management Plan – 1.2.25

Contacts:
Laura Peterson, Staff Attorney, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) (801) 236-3762; (laura@suwa.org)
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

Salt Lake City, UT – On December 31st, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the final San Rafael Swell Travel Management Plan. Below is a statement from SUWA Staff Attorney Laura Peterson and additional information. 

“We are disappointed with the new plan, which once again prioritizes motorized vehicles at the expense of natural and cultural resources in the San Rafael Swell. The Bureau of Land Management had the opportunity to finally strike a balance between motorized recreation, non-motorized recreation, and preservation of this incredible landscape, but chose not to,” said Laura Peterson, SUWA Staff Attorney. “The Swell is a beloved southern Utah landscape – one with endless opportunities for hiking, camping, and spending time with friends and family. It should be known for its spectacular views, cultural sites, and opportunities for solitude, not off-road vehicle damage.”

Additional Information: 

The San Rafael Swell Travel Management Area (TMA) encompasses roughly 1,150,000 acres of BLM-managed lands within the Price and Richfield field offices. A much-loved backcountry area, the Swell is home to irreplaceable cultural and historic resources, important wildlife habitat, and outstanding recreation opportunities. The Swell’s sinuous slot canyons, soaring red rock cliffs, and prominent buttes provide countless opportunities for hikers, canyoneers, campers, river runners, climbers, bikers, photographers, and other visitors. This TMA also encompasses recently-designated wilderness areas and the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area. 

In June, the BLM released a draft motorized vehicle travel management plan and accompanying environmental assessment, which analyzed the varying impacts of each alternative travel network under consideration. Of those alternatives, only Alternative B would have provided some balance between motorized recreation and non-motorized recreation while also minimizing damage to natural and cultural resources. Alternative B would have allowed motorized vehicles on nearly 1,200 miles of routes in the Swell, ensuring access to motorized and non-motorized recreation opportunities, scenic overlooks, and trailheads, while also preserving this stunning backcountry area. 

In the newly-released plan, the BLM selected Alternative E which designates nearly 1,500 miles of routes, opening a substantial number of new routes to motorized vehicles. 

The San Rafael Swell Travel Management Plan is one of 11 travel plans the BLM is completing as part of a court-supervised settlement agreement between the agency, conservation, and ORV groups. Covering more than 6 million acres of BLM-managed lands in eastern and southern Utah, these plans will determine where motorized vehicles will be allowed on some of Utah’s wildest public lands. Including this plan, the BLM has completed four of the 11 plans. Read more about SUWA’s litigation to ensure these travel plans follow federal laws to protect public lands and resources.

###
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.

 

The post SUWA Statement on the Release of the Final San Rafael Swell Travel Management Plan – 1.2.25 appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Today, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed Public Land Order 7956, which finalized protections for 20,510 acres of land and water in the Pactola Reservoir – Upper Rapid Creek area from drilling and mining for 20 years.   This Order, which created a mineral claims withdrawal, is a result of the actions and voices … Continue reading PACTOLA RESERVOIR – RAPID CREEK WATERSHED MINERAL WITHDRAWAL IS APPROVED

Happy Holidays District 6 residents! I hope you are all enjoying these last few weeks of 2024. As we wrap up the year, I want to thank you once again for re-electing me to represent you on the City Council. I look forward to continuing to represent you and our shared vision for a brighter, more equitable Richmond for all.

¡Residentes del Distrito 6 felices Fiestas! Espero que esten disfrutando todas estas últimas semanas de 2024. Al concluir el año, quiero agradecerles una vez más por reelegirme para representarlos en el Concejo Municipal. Espero seguir representándolos a ustedes y a nuestra visión compartida de un Richmond más brillante y equitativo para todos.

Forty percent of BC’s open-net pen salmon farms have been removed from the ocean—largely through the efforts of First Nations to protect their wild salmon. And they are being richly rewarded—since the removal of Discovery Island and Broughton Area salmon farms, there has been a spectacular resurgence of pinks, coho, chum and chinook. Every year the evidence mounts that this is a result of fish farm removals.

Just look at the Hada River in Musga’magw Dzawada’enuxw territory. Formerly seeing abundances of up to 50,000, the river was down to several hundred spawners. The first generation to return after the farms were removed increased to 15,500 spawners in just one cycle (2 years). And salmon weren’t the the only ones to return—they brought with them a “staggering” presence of whales, bears, birds, and herring.

Removing fish farms works

The resurgence has spread along the inside passage from Alert Bay to the Puget Sound. A tugboat skipper heading north to Toba Inlet posted on social media that “I’m seeing more chums jumping than I have in my 50 years on the coast!”. These chum are the first generation that migrated out to sea after salmon farms were removed from the Discovery Islands. Published research showed a 96% decline in sea lice infection when they were tiny juveniles.

The abundance of salmon has meant that northern resident orcas have been able to stay in the Broughton area all summer, which is critical for their culture and well-being. Orcalab’s underwater cameras in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve picked up school after school of pink, coho and chinook salmon.

Healthy wild salmon returns

The removal of salmon farms from the Discovery Islands by federal fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan was perhaps the most successful federal policy enacted to protect the environment. This year’s test fisheries on Fraser River salmon that migrate through the Discovery Islands are showing astonishing increases!

Fisheries and Oceans Canada warned there would not be any commercial salmon openings for chum this year, as returns were forecast to be very low. However, test fishing revealed a much higher than expected abundance, and a fishery was opened successfully.

With wild salmon in the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region hovering on the brink of extinction, why not remove fish farms here so wild salmon can flourish once again?

Dan Lewis is Executive Director of Clayoquot Action.

The post The Comeback appeared first on Clayoquot Action.

Women have been the catalysts of many points of change through means of social and environmental justice and system reform. What does this look like when women work in these systems? What can be done to strive towards reshaping harmful experiences into bringing about more transformative change? This episode of Delta Flows discusses Women in Water, featuring Ashley Overhouse and Keiko Mertz regarding their ongoing policy work and experiences shared as women in this line of water and environmental work.

Learn more about Ashley’s work with Defenders of Wildlife as the Water Policy Advisor for Defenders of Wildlife’s California Program.

Learn more about Keiko’s work with Friends of the River as their Policy Director.

https://goldenstatesalmon.org

Available on Captivate, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube, and anywhere else you enjoy podcasts!

This podcast is a production of Restore the Delta.

Host – Tony Gladney

Guests – Ashley Overhouse and Keiko Mertz

With Our Words Segment:

Tama Brisbane & Miniya Joy featuring Giovonni Tilley

Production Team:

Guest Coordination – MacKenzie Owens

Podcast Marketing – Ashley Castaneda & Mariah Looney

Podcast Producer & Editor – Leo Marquez

Executive Producer – Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla

###

Tune in to learn about how California endures its second year without a commercial salmon season and how the toll on families, businesses, and the environment has become increasingly evident. Chinook salmon, a critical keystone species, are disappearing from our rivers, putting entire food webs and communities at risk. In this episode, we’re joined by Scott Artis, Executive Director of the Golden State Salmon Association, to examine the consequences of this closure. From economic losses to ecological disruptions, we explore how this absence is felt across California and what it means for the future.

Can we restore balance, protect this iconic species, and bring back a healthy salmon fishery? Join us for an in-depth look at the complexities of salmon recovery and the hopes for a sustainable future in California’s rivers and oceans.

Learn more about Scott Artis and the Golden State Salmon Association here:

https://goldenstatesalmon.org

Available on Captivate, Spotify, Apple, YouTube (video), and anywhere else you enjoy podcasts.

###

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s approval of a Central QLD coal project that cleared endangered koala habitat and began mining before government assessment was complete is the latest decision that exposes the Albanese Government’s total lack of environmental credentials.  

Lock the Gate Alliance says the Independent Expert Scientific Committee’s advice on the potential impacts on water resources from shale gas exploration in the Beetaloo Basin indicates there is a clear case for calling in Tamboran and Empire Energy’s shale gas exploration projects under Federal Environment law. 

As we count our blessings this holiday season, we're especially grateful to supporters like you who share our vision for a cleaner, greener Ontario. In 2024, we worked for cleaner air, a stable climate, green jobs, and lower electricity bills. In 2025, we'll continue to present solutions that will help all Ontarians: energy efficiency, rooftop solar, Great

The post Help us green the grid appeared first on Ontario Clean Air Alliance.

Local communities and national grassroots organisations fighting against new and expanding coal mines condemn the decision by the Albanese Government to approve four new massive coal expansions today.