A cooperative effort has seeded more than 26,000 acres in eastern Nevada. It s all in an effort to increase desirable grasses, forbs and shrubs while decreasing the prevalence of invasive annual grasses and weeds that can take root in fire-burned areas. Neil Frakes, emergency stabilization and rehabilitation program manager with the Bureau of Land Management, said the initiative was a joint effort among the BLM, the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the Eastern Nevada Landscape Coalition, and added seeding can help stabilize ecological conditions after a fire, starting with soil. .
A North Carolina nonprofit focused on climate justice wants to help people advocate for their views about Duke Energy s proposed Carbon Plan. The North Carolina Utilities Commission is seeking input from residents across the state on the plan, starting on April 9. Brittany Griffin, advocacy manager for CleanAIRE NC, said public feedback will be crucial to help determine the effects of climate change, the transition to clean energy and its effects on public health, air quality and environmental protection. .
Urban heat islands, made worse by climate change, can push up temperatures and bring on more air pollution in larger cities. Now, a Milwaukee project is giving public schools resources to remove a key source of the heat-trapping effect. Dozens of public schools in Milwaukee are working with the nonprofit Reflo on swapping out playground asphalt for green infrastructure, including more trees and native plants. .
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a plan extending a natural-gas pipeline in Virginia. The Virginia Reliability Plan and Transcot s CEC project calls for compressor stations and a natural-gas pipeline extension in communities already harmed by these impacts such as Petersburg. The city ranked as the least healthy according to the University of Wisconsin s County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. .
In a new report, a coalition of New York environmental groups said dredging the Hudson River of toxic chemicals has failed. The report by Friends of a Clean Hudson River showed PCB chemical levels are higher than anticipated. The Environmental Protection Agency dredged the river between 2009 and 2015 for 30 years worth of chemicals General Electric dumped into it. .