"The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says a large number of power plants are offline, but it could not provide details as to what may be causing the “very concerning” number of outages. At the same time, the state is experiencing near-record demand for electricity in June."
"The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed state regulators’ key approvals of Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project, in a dispute that drew over 1,000 protesters to northern Minnesota last week."
With megadrought a growing reality, one way into the story is through ubiquitous water management agencies. TipSheet surveys the “waterscape” of these governmental bodies — from local irrigation districts to multi-state regional water compacts — and how focusing on them can yield vital insights for drought stories. Plus, questions to ask and links to reporting resources.
"When the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was hacked in 2018, it took a mere six hours. Early this year, an intruder lurked in hundreds of computers related to water systems across the U.S. In Portland, Oregon, burglars installed malicious computers onto a grid providing power to a chunk of the Northwest."
"Docs suggest that in more than 80 U.S. locations, the failure of an aging dam could flood a major toxic waste site".
"Liberal Senate Democrats are unloading on a bipartisan group of senators working on an infrastructure deal, warning that the effort to win GOP backing could erode support on the left -- underscoring the stiff resistance the negotiators face in shepherding the proposal through a narrowly divided Congress."
"President Biden ended negotiations with a group of Republicans led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) over his infrastructure package Tuesday as the two sides failed to strike a deal after weeks of talks. A key part of Biden’s domestic agenda now enters a new, uncertain phase, as the president shifts his focus to a separate group of Democrats and Republicans in hopes of reaching a deal."
"Climate change is emerging as a sticking point in infrastructure negotiations, as proposals from President Biden and Republicans remain disparate on actions to address the warming planet."
"Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (D) said on Sunday that adversaries of the U.S. have the capability of shutting down the country’s power grid."
"A summer of ramped-up opposition to the Line 3 oil pipeline in northern Minnesota kicked off Monday as some 1,000 opponents began protesting and disrupting construction work, starting with a blockade at the entrance of an Enbridge Energy pump station south of Itasca State Park."
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