New Yorkers could benefit from a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule. It caps credit card late fees at $8, or - at the credit card company s discretion - 25% of the minimum balance due. Consumers in New York and across the country would save about $220 per year. .
Washington state is investing in bringing high-speed internet to more people in rural areas. The Washington State Public Works Board has approved $20 million, largely in eastern Washington and in distressed areas for infrastructure projects to connect people to broadband internet. Sheila Richardson, programs manager for the board, explained the need for the funding by many stakeholders. .
This week, Ohio approved adult-use marijuana sales as part of a 2023 ballot measure, with sales anticipated to start mid-June. Ohioans age 21 and over can now legally purchase marijuana across the state. In December, a law was enacted allowing people to grow and possess marijuana, but with no legal avenues to purchase it. .
Data from new satellite-based technology show that the amount of methane pollution impacting communities living near oil and gas facilities is far greater than previously estimated. As Laurie Anderson, Colorado field organizer with the group Moms Clean Air Force explained - when methane is released into the air through venting, flaring, or leaks - toxic co-pollutants that have been linked to serious respiratory and other health impacts are also released. "And these co-pollutants include particulate matter, they can include Volatile Organic Compounds which are carcinogenic," said Anderson. " .
The plastics industry is releasing illegal pollution but rarely faces discipline for environmental permit violations, according to a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project. Companies producing plastics emitted nearly 63 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, about as much as 15 coal-fired power plants. Alexandra Shaykevich, research manager for the Environmental Integrity Project, pointed out while many people and industries are now trying to minimize their use of fossil fuels, the plastics industry is moving in the opposite direction. .