These can help save money, energy at home
LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visitBuying appliances and vehicles that run on electricity, not fossil fuels, can help reduce our carbon footprint. Making these upgrades will cost money — so you will need to plan ahead, says Joel Rosenberg of the nonprofit group Rewiring America.
There are a few limitations to getting an induction range. If you have a gas stove now, you might need to pay an electrician to install a special outlet to deliver enough electricity. And all your pans have to be magnetic to work on an induction stove. Consumer Reports ranks water heaters that use heat pump technology as better than gas or traditional electric ones, though they cost more than twice as much. The cheapest heat pump water heaters are $1,000, while traditional electric and gas ones are about $400.
Addressing climate change involves a lot of changes across the globe. Mistakes are going to happen. If you've recently made a big purchase only to learn it wasn't the most climate friendly choice, Rosenberg says don't beat yourself up."Nobody should feel guilty. What we are strongly in favor of is that you try to commit to not buying any more fossil fuel appliances," he says.Fires. Mudslides. Heat waves.
Uncorking a well in this part of Appalachia reveals a blend of oil and gas that has a nauseous maté color and gurgles like witch’s brew. After generations of drilling, the remnants of both vernacular backyard digs and professional oil operations pockmark the land. Since drillers operated for more than a century with little regulatory oversight, documentation of well locations is scarce and cleanup quality is inconsistent.
All the while, the oil and gas industry continues to spawn new orphan wells — magnitudes more than the number being plugged. Between 2015 and 2022,filed for bankruptcy, leaving thousands of wells unplugged. Market downturns affecting oil prices during the mid-2010s pushed many operations to insolvency. And even in times of industry booms, wells near the end of their production lifespans often end up in the hands of small oil patch operators with tight margins.
“Available staffing for oversight was definitely a major limiting factor,” said Dan Dudak, who was the Southern District Deputy of CalGEM from 2011 to 2020, and now acts as a consultant on well-plugging projects. In just the last five years, the department “lost a lot of their institutional knowledge” in, he said. Nonetheless, CalGEM revealed an $80 million project last July to cap 378 wells with funding from state and federal money along with industry fees.
Ohio has 44 contractors on its rolls and utilizes a pre-approval process for its pluggers to maintain quality control. Pennsylvania’s DEP is considering adopting its own vetting process, according to Shader, the agency spokesperson. Without it, there is no central parapet to separate under-qualified contractors from federally funded plugging. “There are not enough defined rules in place,” said Plants. “And even the rules that are there don’t get followed so well all the time.
In West Virginia, Next LVL isn’t plugging any wells associated with Diversified, according to Terry Fletcher, chief communications officer with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. “At the time the contracts were awarded, Next LVL had no outstanding environmental violations in the state,” he added.
There’s a lot of on-the-job training, but that extra work advances his vision. Some of his most recent hires came from area high schools and technical schools, where he has made a pitch: “We want to give you a long-term career.” The federal program includes requirements and guidance to help ensure that the work on the ground benefits workers. In order to qualify for funding, states must ensure that plugging contracts meet standards outlined by the Davis-Bacon Act, a federal law that guarantees government-funded labor matches average pay rates for similar work in a region, known as the prevailing wage.dictating how much a contractor might receive to plug a well as part of Pennsylvania’s orphan well program.
Organized labor in California’s oil fields is of two types: industrial unions and trades unions. Members of industrial unions cultivate skills on a worksite, while trades unions learn the ropes through training apprenticeships like the ones CWDB is developing. The question of who dominates the green jobs of tomorrow remains an open one. Despite the many bottlenecks, the orphan well program could be an attractive coda to the fossil fuel era if it benefits workers.
"You probably don't want to be doing prescribed fire in landscapes, like high desert ones, where fires were rare, historically," he said."We know that fires have devastated some of the Joshua tree stands in Southern California recently. So, no one's suggesting doing prescribed fires that would burn Joshua trees because they're not really fire adapted. They don't necessarily need fire in the same way that other ecosystems in the West do.
Asked Monday if it would be good for the state if Butler decided to run, Newsom said “she’ll make that decision,” and reiterated that he placed “no constraints, no expectations” on Butler’s future plans. “Gavin did take us seriously. … and now we’re in this position of having this really, really, really dope leader,” said Molly Watson, deputy director for the California Donor Table, a network of progressive donors which has endorsed Lee.
SEIU has yet to endorse a candidate for Senate, and Roberts did not want to speculate about Butler’s political future.Other labor leaders said Butler’s entrance could lead to a reshuffling of endorsements. Other Republicans acknowledged that Butler’s residency wasn’t the only reason for their displeasure at Newsom’s pick.
Hutt said cash is also important for domestic violence survivors who are trying to flee a dangerous situation. She said abusers can track card and bank activity, which can leave survivors in a difficult spot if they aren’t able to pay for gas, shelter or food with cash.Some businesses have adopted a cashless policy as a way to cut costs and speed up transactions, but the COVID pandemic added another layer.
McCarthy said he does not regret the disagreements with members of his own party that led to his demise.Congress has now entered uncharted territory: The House will be forced to hold votes on a new speaker, though McCarthy's defectors have not named any alternative nominee. McCarthy told his fellow Republicans Tuesday evening that he does not plan to run for speaker again. It's not clear that any other Republican could win enough votes to secure the gavel.
Members told reporters that they expect to hold a candidate forum next Tuesday ahead of votes on a speaker, possibly as early as Wednesday. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said it is up to Republicans to"break with extremists."We are ready to find bipartisan common ground."We are ready, willing and able to work together with our Republican colleagues but it is on them to join us to move the Congress and the country forward," Jeffries told reporters in the Capitol.
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