Please invest in Our Daily Planet today, by making a one time or monthly contribution.
We do not charge our readers a subscription fee for our content. We want to continue to grow our readership, particularly among millennials and public servants. Voluntary contributions from readers will help us employ interns and freelance journalists, expand our content, and reach a larger audience.
If you make a contribution of $150 or more, you will become an official “Friend of the Planet” and receive a Friend of the Planet T-shirt or water bottle.
Our Daily Planet is a daily morning email (M-F) to keep you informed of the stories shaping our environment. If these issues matter to you, we’d like to be the best ten minutes of your morning.
Yesterday, major ideological tensions flared among Senate Democrats and Republicans about what just 12 hours prior seemed to be a solid stimulus package.
Despite those roadblocks, there was one clear loser in the $2 trillion relief package: the renewable energy industry. The deal for Senate Republicans taking out a $3 billion provision to buy oil for a strategic stockpile, the stimulus bill will also exclude extensions to solar and wind tax credits. The Energy Gang’s Jigar Shah explained,
The Republicans in fact jettisoned the oil/gas provisions in order to not to renewable energy. The directive came directly from @realDonaldTrump, he hates renewable energy. https://t.co/KRhSxUnp8D
— Jigar SOCIAL DISTANCING Shah (@JigarShahDC) March 25, 2020
Why This Matters: While the renewable energy industry isn’t nascent it’s being dealt a serious blow to its supply chain by the coronavirus. It’s also an industry that employs nearly 800,000 Americans and has the nation’s fastest-growing jobs. In addition, many current wind energy projects must be completed by the end of 2020 to be eligible for full federal tax credits and COVID-19 is making it likely those projects will not be completed without additional federal help.
WTF: Less than a month after taking steps to permanently ban the trade and consumption of live wild animals for food, the Chinese government has recommended using Tan Re Qing, an injection containing bear bile, to treat severe and critical COVID-19 cases.
FYI: Individuals who intentionally spread the novel coronavirus could be charged with terrorism for the “purposeful exposure and infection of others,” according to the Justice Department.
On The Hill: The Senate coronavirus bill was once again on shaky ground yesterday. As Buzzfeed reported, a group of Republican senators was threatening to stall the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill over unemployment insurance benefits, causing Sen. Bernie Sanders to announce he will launch a counter-crusade against corporate aid.
New York: New York City with its 8.6 million residents is being called the ground-zero for the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. In many ways, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is orchestrating the pandemic response that Americans wish to see on a national level from President Trump. Cuomo warned that in his state “we have not turned the trajectory, nor have we hit the apex” and expressed that the Senate stimulus plan is a “drop in the bucket” for New York.
The governor said he’s asked the White House to send New York the personnel and equipment the state needs, and “as soon as we get past that critical moment, we’ll redeploy that equipment and personnel to the next hot spot. I will personally guarantee it and personally manage it.”
By Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer This week, the medical journal Lancet published their annual report on health in relation to climate change, subtitling it: “code red for a healthy future.” The report delves beyond the obvious effects of wildfires, hurricanes, and extreme weather events — looking at food security; livelihoods; human physical and mental […]
By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer The EPA announced Monday that it will move toward regulating perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — manmade “forever chemicals” — that don’t naturally break down and can contaminate both air and water. These chemicals, found in various household products, from dental floss to nonstick pans, can also be harmful […]
The editors of over 230 medical journals said in a statement on Monday that climate change is a health issue and that its effects could become “catastrophic” if world leaders don’t do more to address it. The health impacts of climate change include wildfire smoke–which has been linked to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases–and pollutants […]
Subscribe to the email that top lawmakers, renowned scientists, and thousands of concerned citizens turn to each morning for the latest environmental news and analysis.
Want the lastest climate news summarized for you each morning?
Our Daily Planet is your daily dose of the stories shaping our world and the ways that you can take action. From the climate crisis to the protection of biodiversity, if these issues matter to you then please subscribe & stay informed!
Your privacy is Important! We promise never to use your email address to send you spam or advertisements.