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Newsom signs landmark California transparency bill, creating ‘non-ultraprocessed’ label for food Anthony Lacey September 19, 2026

SACRAMENTO – In a historic victory for consumers, California Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed a trailblazing law that gives shoppers in the grocery store an easy way to spot less harmful processed foods.

Assembly Bill 2244, introduced by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), received bipartisan support from legislators in the state Assembly and Senate.

The Environmental Working Group co-sponsored the bill.

“While Washington D.C. is paralyzed by inaction, Republicans and Democrats in California are joining forces to empower consumers to avoid harmful ultra-processed foods,” said Gabriel. 

“Like the USDA Organic label, this new seal will provide consumers with clear, trustworthy information and make it easier for them to locate healthier foods that are free from harmful additives. Parents shouldn't need a Ph.D. in chemistry to understand what they’re feeding their kids.

“California began this movement three years ago by banning the most dangerous food additives, and with Governor Newsom’s continued leadership we are taking another big step forward today,”  he added.

The new law directs the state to create a standardized label bearing the phrase “non-ultra-processed certified.” Products will not be permitted to carry the new label if California law classifies them as ultra-processed food, or UPF. 

Only products that meet these requirements can display the seal. A food will not qualify for the label if it contains substances or additives, including dyes, flavor enhancers, non-sugar sweeteners or processing aids, used to manipulate the taste or quality of foods, making them hyperpalatable or irresistible.

Raising the bar

AB 2244 builds on AB 1264, a 2025 landmark law, also authored by Gabriel. AB 1264 created the first U.S. legal definition of UPF and banned the worst of the worst from K-12 public schools. 

The California Department of Public Health will oversee certification of products that meet the state’s non-UPF standard, approving and accrediting third-party certifiers to conduct product certifications. The products must be recertified at least every three years. The law directs the department to accredit these third-party certifiers no later than June 1, 2029.

“Today California raised the bar for what we consider healthy food,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, EWG senior vice president for California. “Consumers deserve labels they can trust, and with Gov.  Newsom’s signature, families now have a simple way to tell which foods are closer to what comes from a kitchen rather than a factory.”

“AB 2244 creates a state-verified seal for foods free from the additives, emulsifiers, food dyes and flavors that have come to define the modern American diet,” she added. 

“California is once again leading where Washington has stalled – and this new law gives millions of families a fighting chance to shop with confidence.”

Transparency and accountability for the food system

The law includes these strong oversight and transparency measures:

• Certification agents must register with the state 
• The state can audit certification records at any time
• The state must maintain a public, online list of certified products 
• Misuse of the label will be illegal and subject to enforcement

These provisions are designed to ensure the label’s credibility.

Making healthier choices easier in stores

In addition to creating the label, the law requires large food retailers to display certified products so consumers can easily identify them, for instance,  through special signage or physical separation within the store.

This requirement applies to grocery stores that sell more than 25 individual non-UPF-certified products  and brings in more than $10 million in annual sales. 

Addressing the rise of UPF

UPF are industrially manufactured, chemically modified products often made with additives widely used in cosmetics and used in food to enhance taste, texture, appearance and shelf life. 

In the U.S., these foods make up more than two-thirds of children’s diets and more than half the typical adult diet.

Experts say ultra-processed food and drinks are engineered to trick people into consuming more of them than they want, especially soda.

Scientific research has linked diets high in UPF to serious health harms, including cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic disorders (such as Crohn’s disease and fatty liver disease) and mental health issues.

Obesity is chief among the health problems linked to UPF. Rates of obesity in the U.S. and globally have skyrocketed in tandem with the rising UPF consumption.

Help for consumers

Despite these concerns, consumers have no clear, standard labeling system to help them identify foods that are not UPF.

With federal regulators slow to update oversight of food additives and processing, states are increasingly taking action to protect public health.

The new law builds on California’s leadership in addressing harmful food chemicals and improving transparency for consumers. 

“Because companies are not required to disclose an ingredient’s purpose, it can be really difficult even for experts, even for people like me who have a doctoral degree in nutrition, to look at a food package and determine whether a food is ultra-processed or not,” said Alyssa Moran, ScD, MPH. Moran is deputy director of the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

“And from a behavioral science perspective, we also know that people seldom use information on the back of food packages to make food decisions,” Moran said. “So that is exactly why clear, science-backed labels on the front of food packages can be so influential in helping people to make better choices.

“If we want to meaningfully curb disease, we need a suite of complementary policies that limit the availability of ultra-processed foods while promoting non-ultra-processed alternatives. I firmly believe this is the only way we’ll make progress,” she added.

Consumers can consult EWG’s Food Scores database to find products that are less processed. Food Scores also flags unhealthy ultra-processed food and drinks and can help identify alternatives.

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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.

Areas of Focus Food Ultra-Processed Foods California Press Contact Monica Amarelo monica@ewg.org (202) 939-9140 September 28, 2026

A federal appeals court has used a decades-long water crisis in one of the Blackest cities in America to rule that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee Americans the right to clean and safe drinking water.

The September 4 ruling came even after Jackson, Mississippi, residents alleged officials knew the water was contaminated and assured the public it was safe. To this point, the appellate court also ruled that the Constitution does not offer citizens the “right to truthful information from officials during a public health crisis.”

The ruling signals that Black residents may face the most serious consequences of unsafe or failing water systems while having limited ability to seek a remedy through the Constitution. At the same time, the federal Environmental Protection Agency has already determined that the city could not receive support through the Civil Rights Act of 1965.

What is happening in Jackson matters because federal data shows Black communities are more likely than white communities to be served by water systems with health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violations. Research has also found that systems in communities with larger Black populations take much longer to be fixed or improved. 

Read Next Chicago has the most lead pipes in the nation. We mapped them all. Keerti Gopal, Peter Aldhous, Clayton Aldern, Amy Qin, & Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco

“Jackson residents did everything this country tells poor people to do. They organized, they testified, they boiled their water, they filed suit, they trusted the courts. And at every step the answer has been no,” said Danyelle Holmes, a senior national organizer with Mississippi’s Poor People’s Campaign.

Jackson is more than 80 percent Black and has a poverty rate that is more than double the national average.

“What it signals is that the law has told a majority-Black capital city that its suffering is real but its remedy does not exist,” Holmes added.

How did the court come to this decision? 

The lawsuit that spurred the federal appeals court ruling was first brought by Jackson residents who alleged that city officials knowingly allowed lead-contaminated water to reach their homes and then misled the public about whether it was safe to drink. The suit also alleged that state authorities violated civil rights law by repeatedly sending federal money earmarked for drinking water safety to white communities rather than Jackson.

The plaintiffs sued Jackson and former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba in 2022, arguing that the city’s actions violated their constitutional right to bodily integrity under the 14th Amendment. They sought damages and changes to how the city manages and communicates about its water system.

“Nearly all of the residents of Jackson have watched brackish, dirty, impure, and undrinkable water trickle from their taps. At times, some have had no water at all,” Jackson residents said in 2022. 

In the September 4 ruling, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of the case. Judge Kurt Engelhardt wrote that while access to safe water is “important,” it is not a right “deeply rooted in our Nation’s history and tradition,” the standard the court used to decide whether it is protected by the Constitution.

Jackson residents also argued that the alleged false assurances by officials about the water violated their right to make informed decisions about their health. Engelhardt rejected that claim, writing that “lying about the presence of lead in the water is a far cry from the state’s physically extracting evidence from a criminal suspect or conducting an invasive medical procedure without consent.” 

Read Next Trump ordered to release billions in climate grants meant for Black communities Adam Mahoney, Capital B

Engelhardt acknowledged the alleged harm, but wrote: “The Constitution does not provide redress for every governmental wrongdoing.” 

Judge Catharina Haynes dissented in part, arguing that the residents had plausibly alleged that Jackson violated their right to bodily integrity by knowingly placing them in danger.

“They did not say the water was safe. They said even if everything the residents alleged is true, the Constitution owes them nothing,” Holmes said about the ruling.

In response to the ruling, John Horhn, Jackson’s mayor, said in a statement: “We are pleased that the Fifth Circuit upheld the dismissal of these claims. The City remains committed to the health, safety, and well-being of every Jackson resident.”

What exactly is wrong with Jackson’s water? 

As Capital B has documented, Jackson’s water crisis has plagued the city long before it made national headlines in 2021. Residents like Brooke Floyd, who as a child watched her grandmother complain about the water decades ago, have said that the water contamination has impacted their families for generations. 

“I do think the ruling would’ve been different if the majority of our city looked different, was in a different tax bracket, and had a different ZIP code, but alas, we probably wouldn’t have had the problems to begin with,” Floyd told Capital B after the ruling. “The problem the rest of America needs to worry about is, while they were making sure not to guarantee me my rights, they were quietly taking yours, too.”

Others, like Gwendolyn Reed-Davis, have spent years driving long distances to family members’ homes to wash clothes and bathe. 

Reed-Davis attributes her school-age children’s learning problems and her kidney infection to decades of exposure to the city’s contaminated water. Dozens of studies have shown that lead exposure leads to cognitive impairment for life, even decades after initial exposure. And the biggest factor for lead poisoning in America is race, namely being Black, even more so than poverty.

Read Next Mississippi officials saw the Jackson water crisis coming — and did nothing Lylla Younes

Time and time again, Floyd said, Jackson has been left to fend for itself and had its issues downplayed by government bodies. 

“Isn’t that how it goes? The oppressor telling the oppressed that they haven’t been discriminated against,” she told Capital B in 2024.

The failures are the result of decades of deferred maintenance, aging treatment equipment, leaking and breaking water mains, staffing shortages, and a shrinking revenue base that left the city unable to keep pace with needed repairs. 

The EPA warned in a March 2020 emergency order that conditions in Jackson’s system presented an “imminent and substantial endangerment” to residents, citing problems with treatment and distribution infrastructure. Then, in February 2021, severe winter weather froze equipment and ruptured lines, leaving tens of thousands of residents without running water for weeks. A year later, flooding and failures at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant triggered another citywide emergency, prompting federal intervention and the appointment of a third-party manager to rebuild the system.

As the city attempts to strengthen its water system, residents are increasingly being asked to finance the improvements. JXN Water, the federally appointed manager overseeing the city’s water and sewer system, says it has improved operations and brought in more revenue, but the utility remains under federal oversight. 

In March, a court-approved rate increase of about 12 percent raised the average residential water-and-sewer bill by roughly $8.88 a month, to about $88. JXN Water’s financial plan now proposes an added 10 percent increase in spring 2027, followed by proposed hikes of 9 percent in 2028 and 8 percent in 2029. That adds up for a city with so many residents living in poverty. 

“We are organizing, we are marching to the polls, and we are not waiting on a court to tell us our lives are worth clean water,” Holmes said in response to the cascading rulings and water issues. “As the Poor People’s Campaign teaches us, this is not about left and right. It is about right and wrong, and everybody knows which one Jackson has received.”

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Federal court rules there is no constitutional right to safe drinking water on Sep 19, 2026.

On Friday morning, Sept. 25, Food Tank will host the “Water and Blue Foods Summit” at Climate Week NYC 2026, in partnership with Future Food Institute, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Venice Climate Week.

Water connects every aspect of our food systems, public health, ecosystems, and communities. The summit will bring together leaders working across oceans, fisheries, blue foods, water, climate, public health, and global justice to explore how healthier aquatic ecosystems and communities can help build a more peaceful, equitable, and resilient future.

“We began this journey in Venice, during our Climate Week, promoting a simple but radical idea: we are citizens of a water planet, our ‘Planet Aqua.’ Water is the resource of life, and the blue resource—in all its forms—must be addressed from every perspective: from food to energy, from ecosystems to human health, mental health and longevity,” says Sara Roversi, President of the Future Food Institute, Founder of Paideia Campus, and producer of the Venice Climate Week.

“This is why we are proud to continue this conversation in New York with Food Tank: because water cannot be a topic we discuss once a year. It must become a daily priority for regeneration, prosperity and planetary care.”

Panel discussions will explore both global and national perspectives on blue communities, blue food, and fisheries, as well as water crises and water bankruptcy.

“Climate change is transforming our ocean, creating challenges for coastal communities around the world. In the Mediterranean Sea, warmer waters have contributed to the spread of blue swimming crab, an invasive species that is disrupting marine ecosystems and threatening local fisheries and livelihoods,” says Wendy Norden, Global Programs Director of Global Ocean Conservation at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

“Some countries are finding ways to turn this challenge into an opportunity that benefits both people and the environment, and we look forward to sharing these stories of resilience and collaboration at the Water and Blue Foods Summit.”

Speakers include Jenn Kemmerly, Vice President of Global Ocean Conservation, Monterey Bay Aquarium; David Laborde, Director, Agrifood Economics Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Riccardo Luna, Co-Curator, Venice Climate Week; Kaveh Madani, Director, United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health; Sarisher Mann, Director of Sustainable Finance Engagement, BNP Paribas; Kathleen McDavitt, Senior Programs Manager for North America, Aquaculture Stewardship Council; Laura McDearis, US Program Director, Marine Stewardship Council; Lela Nargi, Journalist and Author; Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank; Wendy Norden, Director of Science and Global Strategies, Monterey Bay Aquarium; Joshua Perry, Seafood Coordinator, NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets; Stefano Pisani, Mayor of Pollica, Italy, and Mediterranean Diet Advocate; Sara Roversi, Founder, Future Food Institute; Carlotta Santolini, Marine Biologist and Group Leader, Blueat La Pescheria Sostineble; Barton Seaver, Chef, Author Sustainability Fellow at the New England Aquarium, and Director of the Sustainable Seafood and Health Initiative at Harvard; Brendan Shane, Director of Philanthropy Special Projects and Climate Advisor, Trust for Public Land; Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact & Government Relations Officer, Global Citizen; Simone Venturini, Mayor of Venice; and Kate Warren, Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Devex.

The event will kick off at WNYC-NPR Studios’ The Greene Space in New York City at 6:35pm with light food and live musical performances, followed by a reception until 9:30pm.

The “Water and Blue Foods Summit” will feature special musical performances by Blu Allen, a Broadway actor, singer, and dancer currently appearing in MJ the Musical, with previous credits including Titanique. He will be joined by Elijah Caldwell, an OBIE Award-winning actor, singer, pianist, and music director whose credits include A Strange Loop Off-Broadway and the national tour of Shucked.

The event will be streamed live on FoodTank.com and Food Tank’s YouTube channel, here. Join the Food Tank newsletter list for reminders, and click here for Food Tank’s full lineup of events at Climate Week NYC 2026.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

The post Why Blue Foods Matter to the Future of Food appeared first on Food Tank.

Food Tank, in partnership with Whole Foods Market, will kick off Climate Week NYC 2026 on the evening of Sunday, September 20, by hosting “Putting Farmers First: How Young Farmers Are Shaping the Future of Food.” The free event will celebrate the next generation of farmers and food systems leaders who are redefining agriculture through innovation, resilience, and climate leadership.

Farmers in the United States are facing a generational challenge. While the number of new and young producers is beginning to rise, farmers overall are getting older: The average age of U.S. producers increased from 56.3 in 2012 to 58.1 in 2022. At the same time, the total number of farms fell by about 7 percent between 2017 and 2022.

This makes supporting young and beginning producers increasingly important. New farmers face significant barriers to entering and staying in agriculture, including access to affordable land and capital, housing, health care, production costs, and climate-related risks.

“At Whole Foods Market, we believe that investing in the next generation of farmers is one of the most important things we can do—for our food system, for our customers, and for our planet,” says Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer at Whole Foods Market and Vice President of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores Private Brands & Marketing.

“We’re proud to partner with Food Tank during Climate Week to put their voices front and center, because when farmers thrive, we all thrive.”

Sessions will include a young farmer storyteller panel with an immersive video and tasting experience. Panelists will explore what it means to be a farmer today, how to work better with farmers, and how to elevate farmers’ voices among those influential in this space.

A panel of three consumer packaged goods company CEOs who have signed the pledge to support farmers—Brita Lundberg of Lundberg Family Farms, Becca Millstein of Fishwife, and Anna Turrell of Mars Snacking—will also join the stage. The discussion will explore how to humanize the farmer connection for consumers, why supporting farmers is a winning business angle, and the need for greater transparency from food companies.

The event will kick off at WNYC-NPR Studios’ The Greene Space in New York City at 6:30pm with food, drink, and live musical performances, followed by a reception until 9:40pm.

Speakers include Jason Buechel, Vice President, Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores and Chief Executive Officer, Whole Foods Market; Amalia Colón-Nava, Farmer and Co-Director, Dirtbaby Farm; Michelle Hughes, Executive Director, National Young Farmers Coalition; Sarah Jones, Jones Farms Organic, Hooper, Colorado; DeVonne Jackson Perez, Brooklyn-based Urban Farmer and Sustainability Educator; Emily Grant, R&S Acres, diversified/livestock farmer, Genesee County; Caitlin Liebert, Head of Sustainability, Worldwide Grocery, Whole Foods Market; Brita Lundberg, Fourth-Generation Farmer, Lundberg Family Farms; Becca Millstein, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Fishwife; Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank; Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer, Whole Foods Market and Vice President, Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores Private Brands & Marketing; and Anna Turrell, Global Chief Sustainability Officer, Mars Snacking.

“Putting Farmers First: How Young Farmers Are Shaping the Future of Food” will feature a special musical performance by Tristen Buettel, Broadway actor, singer, and dancer currently appearing in Just in Time, where she covers Connie Francis and Sandra Dee, following roles in BOOP! The Musical, Bad Cinderella, and Jersey Boys. She will be joined by Cullen Curth, New York City-based pianist, music director, and conductor who recently made his Broadway conducting debut with Just in Time.

This summit will be streamed live on FoodTank.com and Food Tank’s YouTube Channel, here. Join the Food Tank newsletter list for reminders, and click here for Food Tank’s full lineup of events at Climate Week NYC 2026.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

The post Young Farmers Shaping the Future of Food appeared first on Food Tank.

Headline News:

• “Scientists Hope Deeper-Rooted Soybeans Can Withstand Climate Extremes And Store More Carbon” • For years, scientists have explored ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies are testing whether deeper root systems could become another tool, with a grant from the Bezos Earth Fund. [ABC News]

Growing soybeans (Nicholas A Tonelli, CC BY-SA 2.0)

• “Trump’s War On Wind Turbines Takes Another Ludicrous Turn” • The US DOE created the Integrated Energy Systems Office to combine the former Solar Energy Technologies Office and Wind Energy Technologies Office. It lists advanced PVs and a number of other technologies, including “aeromechanical energy systems.” [CleanTechnica]
• “Neptun Smulders Signs A 2-GW LanWin3 Platform Deal” • 50Hertz and Neptun Smulders Offshore Renewables have signed a contract for the construction of a 2-GW offshore converter for the LanWin3 North Sea grid connection project. 50Hertz said Siemens Energy is responsible for supplying the high-voltage components for LanWin3. [reNews]
• “Federal Judge Rules The EPA Illegally Terminated A $7 Billion Solar Program Needy Americans” • The Trump EPA illegally terminated a $7 billion Solar for All program intended to make solar power accessible to over 900,000 low-income Americans, a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled. District Judge Mary McElroy vacated the termination. [ABC News]
• “Space-Based Solar Power Could Reach The Grid By 2028” • As the world rushes to build up more energy generating capacity in a rush to keep up with demand from data center hyperscalers, the public and private sectors alike are increasingly adopting an all-of-the-above approach to energy. That includes putting solar panels into space. [OilPrice.com]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

When Shell first put its longstanding Woodcreek headquarters campus in Houston on the market, the broad outline was already striking.

The company was seeking roughly $325 million for a campus of almost 1.5 million square feet while planning to lease back only a little more than half of it on a long-term basis. More than 700,000 square feet appeared destined to be released over time. (Houston Chronicle)

The latest investment-marketing material now fills in much more of the picture.

And the detail makes clear that this is not just a property sale.

It is a carefully structured reduction in Shell’s long-term U.S. office footprint.

Exactly how much Woodcreek does Shell intend to keep?

According to the current listing for the Woodcreek campus, Shell USA intends to take a 15-year lease on 780,161 square feet, representing 53% of the campus’s net rentable area. (LoopNet)

That long-term space consists of:

• 100% of Building E;
• 100% of Building F;
• and one floor of Building A.

At the same time, Shell would take only a three-year master lease on the remaining floors of Building A and all of Buildings B, C and D. (LoopNet)

That confirms the significance of the structure first reported in August.

Shell is not abandoning the rest of Woodcreek immediately.

Instead, the transaction appears designed to give the new owner three years of Shell-backed rental income while Shell progressively exits the balance of the campus.

The distinction matters.

The 15-year component represents the headquarters footprint Shell appears prepared to retain.

The three-year component looks much more like transition space.

Shell’s long-term rent would start at about half market level

The financial structure is particularly revealing.

The investment listing says Shell’s 15-year lease would begin at $18.50 net per square foot, described as approximately 50% of market rent, with annual increases of 3%. (LoopNet)

The shorter three-year lease covering the space Shell is expected eventually to vacate would instead begin at market rent, also with 3% annual increases. (LoopNet)

In other words, the prospective buyer is being offered two quite different income streams.

For three years, Shell would continue paying market rent on the larger temporary footprint.

For the core space Shell intends to retain for 15 years, the starting rent would be materially below prevailing market levels.

The marketing material explicitly says that the long-term leaseback is being structured at a fraction of market rent in order to reduce Shell’s occupancy costs. (LoopNet)

That is an important addition to the story.

Shell is not simply monetising a real-estate asset.

It is also apparently using the transaction to reset its future occupancy costs substantially lower.

$345.7 million of lease income

The numbers attached to the lease structure are substantial.

Excluding expense reimbursements, the marketing material says Shell’s structured leases would produce approximately $345.7 million in net operating income, of which around $116.3 million would be paid during the first three years. (LoopNet)

That helps explain the attraction to a potential buyer.

The purchaser would acquire a large Houston corporate campus backed initially by Shell rental income across the entire property, while having three years to reposition, re-lease or redevelop the space Shell ultimately intends to vacate.

From Shell’s perspective, the logic runs in the opposite direction.

The company receives the proceeds from selling the property, reduces its permanent physical footprint and locks in a long-term rental rate on its retained headquarters space that is being marketed as roughly half of market.

That is a much more sophisticated transaction than a straightforward headquarters sale.

Still no buyer — and no confirmed sale price

One important question remains unanswered.

There is still no publicly identified buyer for Woodcreek and no confirmed final transaction price.

The figure of approximately $325 million remains the reported marketing level, not evidence of a completed deal. (Houston Chronicle)

That distinction should be maintained until a sale actually closes.

A prospective price and an achieved sale price are not the same thing.

It will therefore be worth watching whether the property ultimately sells near the $325 million figure, whether the lease terms change during negotiations, or whether Shell modifies the amount of space it intends to retain.

Jiffy Lube is already leaving Woodcreek

There is another concrete development.

On 17 September 2026, REBusinessOnline reported that Jiffy Lube has signed a 28,000-square-foot headquarters lease at Westway Plaza in West Houston and is relocating from the Shell Woodcreek campus. (REBusinessOnline)

That move comes after Shell agreed to sell Jiffy Lube to Monomoy Capital Partners.

The relocation is comparatively small beside the scale of Woodcreek as a whole, but it is nevertheless another visible example of activity leaving the campus.

And it reinforces the broader point.

Woodcreek is already beginning to function less like a single, permanently consolidated Shell corporate campus and more like a property in transition.

Aberdeen: still no numbers

The contrast with Aberdeen is interesting.

Shell confirmed in August that certain development, subsurface and wells roles would move from Aberdeen to London in 2027 as part of changes to its global upstream organisation. (Press and Journal)

Shell said the majority of the affected roles support its global operations rather than UK operations based in Aberdeen. (Press and Journal)

But nearly a month later, the central numerical questions remain unanswered.

Shell has still not publicly disclosed:

the number of employees expected to relocate;

the number who may decline to move;

whether any redundancies will ultimately result;

or whether further functions will be transferred from Aberdeen.

BBC reporting likewise noted that Shell had not disclosed the number of jobs involved. (BBC Mirror)

So the Aberdeen story remains important, but presently unchanged in evidential terms.

Woodcreek, by contrast, has become considerably clearer.

A wider pattern in Shell’s corporate geography

Taken together, Woodcreek and Aberdeen illustrate something broader about the modern Shell organisation.

The company is concentrating people and functions into fewer hubs.

In Aberdeen, certain global technical roles are being moved to London.

In Houston, Shell is seeking to sell its historic headquarters campus and retain only 53% of it on a long-term basis.

The remaining Woodcreek space would be covered by Shell for just three years before becoming available to the purchaser for other uses. (LoopNet)

Shell describes these kinds of changes in terms of efficiency, collaboration, competitiveness and optimising its real-estate footprint.

Those descriptions may all be accurate.

But the physical consequences are equally clear.

Shell is reducing the amount of office space it intends to occupy permanently.

In Houston, we can now put a precise number on it:

780,161 square feet retained long term.

Everything else is transitional.

And if the proposed Woodcreek transaction completes on the advertised terms, Shell will have achieved something else at the same time: converting a large owned headquarters campus into cash while securing its retained U.S. headquarters space at a starting rent marketed at roughly half the prevailing market level.

That makes Woodcreek one of the more revealing examples yet of Shell’s continuing effort to shrink, consolidate and financially restructure its corporate office footprint.

Shell’s Woodcreek Retreat Comes Into Sharper Focus: 780,161 Sq Ft Retained, Three-Year Exit for the Rest was first posted on September 19, 2026 at 9:27 am.
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Updated: Renewables met more than 80 per cent of total grid demand for first time over a weekend that also saw record levels of rooftop PV and new demand lows.

The post Renewables hit more than 80 pct of grid demand for first time – despite heavy throttling of wind and solar appeared first on Renew Economy.

BC Ferries recently announced a purchase of four major new vessels from a shipyard in China. This decision has sparked criticism from trade unions and others, who argue the ferries should have been commissioned from domestic shipyards.

New research from the Centre for Future Work confirms that the decision to import the ferries, rather than domestic procurement, imposed a significant foregone economic cost on the province.

Sourcing an equivalent value of shipbuilding from domestic yards would generate $1.5 billion in additional GDP in Canada (85% of that in B.C.), over 10,000 person-years of employment, and would return over $400 million in additional revenue to government coffers (providing a financial basis for public support for future procurement).

The report reviewed the current scale of shipbuilding in B.C. and Canada, highlighting the strong employment growth in the sector over the past 15 years (largely due to a pro-active procurement strategy for Navy and Coast Guard ships from the federal government). It reviewed the role of active industrial policy in supporting shipbuilding in other major producers – including the U.S., China, and Europe.

It also surveyed the current capabilities of B.C.’s shipbuilding sector, identifying gaps that should be addressed in order to ensure the industry can source future ferry procurement from the provincial ferry operator.

The report concluded with several recommendations, including:

1. Establish a Ministerial-level task force to coordinate the development and implementation of a robust provincial shipbuilding strategy.
2. Amend contractual and fiscal arrangements with BC Ferries to require the firm to maximize economic benefits from domestic procurement of future vessels.
3. Commitment to accelerate the electrification of ferries, and development of B.C. technological and industrial expertise in electric vessels.
4. Formation of a consortium of firms to organize and plan the expansion of future shipbuilding capacity in B.C.
5. The provincial government should be prepared to take equity stakes in future ventures.

1. A strong marine sector workforce development strategy to ensure a steady and adequate supply of skilled workers for the shipbuilding and marine sectors.

Please see the full report, The Economic Benefits of Ferry Construction in B.C., by Jim Stanford, Blair Redlin, and David Fairey.

A video reviewing the main findings of the report, recorded during a public launch event, is available on the Centre for Future Work’s YouTube channel.

The report generated numerous media articles, including:

• Newspaper articles in the Vancouver Sun, the Toronto Star, and numerous other outlets.
• Television coverage on CHEK TV and other stations.
• A feature interview on the Jas Johal Show on CKNW Radio.

The post B.C. Missed an Economic Opportunity by Importing New Ferries From China, Rather than Building them Here appeared first on Centre for Future Work.

Albertans will vote on October 19 in an unusual ‘referendum on a referendum’, initiated by the Alberta government of Premier Danielle Smith. The referendum asks voters whether they prefer to stay part of Canada, or prefer to initiate a process of negotiation and preparation fo0r a binding referendum on separation some time in the future.

Many economic, business, and civil society leaders have warned of the economic risks and costs of even a significant threat of Alberta independence, let alone outright separation. But working people are especially exposed to those risks, for several reasons: they need employment, they depend disproportionately on federal income supports (like CPP, EI, and the Canada Child Benefit), they depend on unions and labour standards to negotiate their wages, and they are less mobile across borders than investors or high-income households.

The Centre for Future Work has explored the particular risks facing Alberta workers from the separatist movement, in a new report published in conjunction with the Alberta Federation of Labour.

The report challenges several of the myths propagated by the separatist movement – in particular, claims that an independent Alberta would be richer, have lower taxes, and more opportunity to sell products to other countries.

It also reviews several statistical indicators of declining living standards for Alberta workers in recent years. It finds that Alberta workers are quite right to be angry about stagnant wages, falling purchasing power, and growing insecurity in the province – but those problems should not be blamed on a distant federal government. Rather, they result from problems right at home in Alberta, in particular the distorted playing field of labour relations, which has undermined the bargaining power of Alberta workers to negotiate better jobs and wages.

The economic pie in Alberta has been growing: oil and gas production and export set new records every year, and output per worker is the highest in Canada. But labour’s share of that economic pie (in wages, salaries, and benefits) has been shrinking faster than in any other province, and average wages now barely match the Canadian national average.

The report concludes that by defeating the false hopes of separation, workers in Alberta can refocus their rightful anger on the task of reforming Alberta’s labour and economic policies, so that the province’s abundant wealth can be shared more fairly.

Please see the full report, False Promises, Big Dangers: How Separation Would Hurt Alberta Workers, by Jim Stanford, Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work.

The report generated abundant media coverage, including:

• Newspaper articles in the Calgary Herald and the Lethbridge Herald.
• Interviews on CBC Radio and 880 CHED.
• A feature interview with Ryan Jesperson’s Real Talk video podcast.
• A commentary in The Tyee, targeting the myth that Alberta ‘subsidizes’ the rest of Canada.

The post Workers are Especially Exposed to the Economic Risks of Alberta Separation appeared first on Centre for Future Work.

As the 2026 El Niño intensifies across the Amazon, new research highlights the urgent need to better protect the region’s remaining forests from disturbances.

Researchers have shown how dramatic sea level rise, over a 5,000 year period, profoundly changed the coasts of northern Italy, Slovenia and northern Croatia.

It started as a routine data-quality check. 

Eruptions are a regular occurrence at Anak Krakatau, a small volcano between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. 

Storing energy as heat is a proven pathway to address the challenge solar power faces when it’s dark or cloudy outside by enabling the capture, storage and on-demand release of thermal energy.

Forests and woodlands cover millions of hectares across Australia, from tropical rainforests and temperate eucalypt forests to the vast woodlands and shrublands of the arid interior.

The same amount of rain falling on the same landscape at different times can send very different amounts of water into its rivers, according to a new study in Nature Water.

Human development may be changing more than where pollinators live — it may also be changing when they are active.

Launch of $72.5 million Heat Pump Rebate Program provides opportunity to deliver immediate economic relief for Maryland households facing massive heating cost spikes

 

BALTIMORE, MD — As Maryland residents who rely on heating oil and propane are expected to see winter heating bills spike as much as 31%, the Maryland Clean Heat Coalition today submitted comments urging the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) to use more than $72 million in recently approved funding as part of its Heat Pump Rebate Program to target low- and moderate-income households on delivered fuels and electric resistance. The General Assembly included this funding in its fiscal year 2027 budget.

Delivered fuels such as propane and heating oil, used by roughly 10% of Maryland households, are some of the most expensive ways to heat a home in Maryland today. Thanks to the ongoing war in Iran, federal price estimates reveal heating oil prices have increased 120% since January. Residents who rely on inefficient electric resistance heating are likewise exposed to mounting energy bills due to data center demand and requests by utilities to increase profit margins. Targeting low-income residents for heat pump upgrades, who disproportionately rely on these technologies for home heating, can deliver $350 million in energy cost savings per year by 2050, according to the Sierra Club Maryland Chapter and the Center for Progressive Reform. 

“Ahead of the heating season, thousands of low- and moderate-income households across Maryland are experiencing sticker shock as they purchase delivered fuels for the winter,” said Anne Havemann, Deputy Director at Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “These households are facing the worst of the energy affordability crisis, and Maryland must work quickly to help. That’s why we are urging policymakers to ensure that $72 million in funding passed by lawmakers this past legislative session is used to upgrade households on delivered fuels and electric resistance with efficient heat pumps.”

To maximize savings, Maryland must ensure quality installations and build the pool of experienced contractors across the state. In their recommendations, advocates stressed the importance of investing in workforce development programs and streamlined processes to ensure contractor participation in the program. That includes a statewide heat pump contractor network, similar to one in Maine, where verified contractors can be matched with Maryland residents and access training resources.

“Contractors will be on the front lines of implementing Maryland’s Heat Pump Rebate Program,” said Sean Mallonee, of SM Mechanical and President of Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors of Maryland.“To ensure they are supported, policymakers must partner with manufacturers and educational institutions to provide contractors with the required technical training. The state must also create streamlined processes that ease the barriers to entry and participation for contractors while also ensuring those contractors are legitimate to protect homeowners as well.  By creating a Heat Pump Rebate Program that supports licensed contractors, Maryland will not only accelerate the adoption of heat pumps but also create good-paying jobs in the process with consumer protection in place.”

The coalition urged MEA to structure the Heat Pump Rebate Program to align with the state’s forthcoming Clean Heat Rules, a set of complementary policies that would phase in zero-emission heating equipment in Maryland households to lower energy bills and invest in healthier air statewide. MEA should also coordinate with other state and utility programs, including EmPOWER Maryland, to braid resources and offer households incentives for wrap-around services that can deliver greater savings, including energy efficiency upgrades and weatherization.

“A whole-house approach to electrification has been proven to lower energy bills, improve indoor air quality, and enhance comfort,” said Ruth Ann Norton, president and CEO of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative. “That is why policies such as the Heat Pump Rebate Program must be designed to work in tandem with Maryland’s upcoming Clean Heat Rules and energy efficiency program, EmPOWER. By doing so, Maryland can comprehensively address safety, structure, and energy-inefficiency issues in a home, delivering major economic benefits and quality of life improvements for residents.”

Failing to upgrade residents on the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland with zero-emission equipment risks locking in rising energy bills and long-term pollution impacts of fossil fuel heating. Gas utilities are working to expand their networks in these regions despite having some of the highest rates in the entire state—nearly $1 per therm higher than other Maryland utilities. Households will not only lose out on greater savings achieved by heat pumps, but be saddled with the mounting costs of maintaining Maryland’s aging gas system. If Maryland fails to quickly upgrade households on delivered fuels with heat pumps, they could be locked into the polluting gas system for at least another 15 years.

“Switching Maryland households on delivered fuels to methane gas isn’t a viable solution, especially as gas prices rise,” said Bryan Dunning, senior policy analyst at Center for Progressive Reform. “Letting utilities expand the polluting gas system to more households risks hooking residents on a stranded asset. Instead, the focus should be on switching to efficient electric systems that will bear long-term energy and health savings to ratepayers.”

Additional statements from organizations can be found below:

“Nearly 42% of Maryland households reported struggling to pay their utility bill last year, indicating the extent of the state’s energy affordability crisis,” said Rev. Catherine Manhardt, climate equity team leader at the Maryland Just Power Alliance. “As families struggle to get by, there are steps that policymakers can take to provide immediate relief. That includes transitioning low- and moderate-income homes with inefficient electric resistance systems or delivered fuels to efficient electric heat pumps, which can provide thousands of dollars in savings.”

“Households relying on delivered fuels and inefficient electric resistance to heat their homes are set to face skyrocketing energy costs this winter,” said Tony Sirna, deputy policy director at Evergreen Action. “It’s why advocates are urging policymakers to design and quickly distribute $72 in funding that targets these energy-burdened households with heat pump upgrades that are proven to lower energy bills.”

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The post Maryland Clean Heat Coalition Urges Policymakers to Prioritize Upgrading Homes on Delivered Fuels with Heat Pumps  appeared first on Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Platform represents major improvement upon status quo, but communities in crisis need immediate relief through pause on data center development

 

RICHMOND, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger released today her “Data Center Accountability Framework,” which includes a combination of executive actions and policy endorsements to protect communities and the environment from data centers. Several of the endorsed policies take notable steps to address on-site pollution, rising energy bills associated with data center infrastructure and demand, and community impacts. However, the platform does not include a pause on data center development or a ban on on-site gas generation for primary power. Communities around the Commonwealth are calling for a moratorium on data center approvals until comprehensive policy guardrails are in place to protect communities and the environment, a platform called “Pause to Protect.”

Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), issued the following statement:

“We appreciate that the Governor’s platform takes several major steps forward, but also that communities facing data center development are in crisis right now. We need a pause on data center approvals until water-tight environmental and community protections are on the books and being enforced. Scientists are begging policymakers to take decisive action yesterday to stop runaway climate change, while the Trump Administration moves to allow limitless pollution. We must stop the madness and issue an immediate pause on approvals until these protections – and more – are fully implemented.”

CCAN is supportive of policy proposals to ensure that data centers pay for infrastructure they incentivize the incumbent utility to build, procure their own clean energy resources, ban Non-Disclosure Agreements, eliminate by-right development, and close regulatory loopholes that allow diesel generation to escape compliance with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. While the Governor’s platform suggests strong limits on behind-the-meter, or directly-connected, gas turbines as a means of primary power for data centers, CCAN advocates for an all-out ban on such on-site gas generation. 

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the first grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. Founded in 2002, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

The post Spanberger Data Center Platform Takes Steps Forward, But Communities Still Need “Pause to Protect” appeared first on Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

(Washington—Sept. 17, 2026) — The House of Representatives this week passed three bipartisan, Audubon-supported bills that would significantly improve habitat that birds, people, and communities...