The EPA is awarding Louisiana $26.3M to remove "forever chemicals" and other contaminants from its drinking water supply as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that aims to address such problems. For years, Gov. John Bel Edwards, legislators and regulators have drawn attention to the state's aging water systems, particularly in rural areas. State testing has found PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which can remain dangerous for generations, in local water systems. Independent testing by an environmental group found the chemical in low concentrations in the lower Mississippi River - a water supply for more than 1M people. Drinking water problems became a nationwide issue after the water supplies for Jackson, Miss., and Flint, Michigan, catastrophically failed, leaving residents waterless. Nearly 20% of the 1,300 systems in Louisiana don't meet standards set by the state's department of Health and Environmental Quality. A federal estimate says the state has about $4B in needed improvements. (NOLA.com 03/10/23) EPA grant to help cut 'forever chemicals' from water | News | nola.com
FOSSIL FUEL ADVOCATES AIM IRE AT DOI
Fossil fuel advocates in Congress, including U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), are taking swipes at the Biden administration for a recent disclosure in federal court that the next long-term plan for federal offshore oil and gas leasing won’t be ready until late this year. Though the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 forced the Biden administration to hold two O&G lease sales this year, the Department of the Interior has yet to release a finalized 5-year plan after the last one expired in mid-2022. DOI released a preliminary plan in July that called for anywhere between zero to 11 lease sales, but public comment for that draft ended in October. In a separate federal court case, DOI said March 6 that the updated 5-year plan won’t be ready until December. The American Petroleum Institute, along with several O&G lobbyist groups, filed a federal lawsuit in 2021 to force a faster release of a new 5-year plan. A district court judge has yet to rule on that case, but API and those groups have already filed preliminary documents for an appeal. The December target drew a rebuke from Scalise, the House Majority Leader from Jefferson Parish. Scalise said in a statement that the administration has “no regard for its legal obligation” to release a 5-year offshore leasing plan." It's another blow to American energy security, he claimed, and that the administration "delivered a gut punch" to average Americans and small businesses that rely on affordable energy, he said, which now marks an 18-month delay. (NOLA.com 03/09/23) Scalise, fossil fuel advocates angry over oil leasing delays | Business News | nola.com
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