CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Conservation groups are applauding a federal court ruling that blocks permit approval to construct the Mountain Valley Pipeline through a thousand streams and wetlands they say it would endanger.

Some groups had sued the pipeline's backers, saying investors were told of the need to steamroll through critical streams "as quickly as possible before anything is challenged."

At the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy - one of the groups that sued - Mining Committee Chair Cindy Rank said pipeline operators were trying to move ahead with construction without having federal agencies consider endangered species and their habitat.

"The philosophy is frequently, 'Do it first and get permits later, apologize later,'" said Rank. "It's easier and it's quicker to avoid the laws and the considerations, the things that have to be studied in detail, then just going ahead and doing what you want to do in the first place."

The pipeline would carry fracked natural gas through 300 miles in Virginia and West Virginia.

In October, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved moving forward with construction after earlier legal challenges. This week's decision stops construction on water-crossing areas, but work on land will continue.

Rank pointed out the candy darter is just one endangered fish species that needs protection from pipeline construction. But more than that, she said entire streams could be wiped out while digging underground on the route.

"A lot of these streams are downhill from extremely steep slopes," said Rank. "And the runoff, and the silt and the mud that comes off those steep slopes when the pipeline is being cut in, you know, just smothers the stream and the life that's in it."

The Mountain Valley Pipeline is one of several energy projects backed by the Trump administration that has run into delays with court challenges by environmental groups. Another project in the same region, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, was called off in July amid opposition.

Wisconsin has achieved another milestone toward securing its second National Estuarine Research Reserve bordering the Bay of Green Bay, the world's largest freshwater estuary.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated the bay on Lake Michigan as the 31st site of the habitats along the Great Lakes, coastal states and territories.

Brian Glesnzinski, manager of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited's Great Lakes Initiative, said it is a huge win for the region's conservationists.

"Some of the things that we gain from the other reserves around the country will not only inform what's happening in Green Bay, but also really be able to tell us what's different about Green Bay and what we need to focus on," Glesnzinski explained.

If designated, the proposed site would make Wisconsin one of only three states with multiple reserves, along with California, Florida and South Carolina. It would join the Lake Superior reserve, which was selected by NOAA in 2010.

Glesnzinski said NOAA worked with Wisconsin's 11 tribal nations throughout the selection process. If the Wisconsin reserve is designated, financial support from the state, the Oneida Nation and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin would fund a position on the reserve's staff to ensure that tribal nation perspectives are represented in the site's management and operations.

"They're a great part of the conservation community," Glesnzinski pointed out. "They continue to provide excellent partnerships and the unique perspective that only they can bring to the table when it comes to managing resources."

The proposed reserve is composed of three areas covering almost 38,000 acres of land and water, selected to reflect the unique nature of a large Great Lakes estuary. The Bay of Green Bay is the largest freshwater estuarine system on Earth and drains one-third of the Lake Michigan basin. Glesnzinski added the designation is a major accomplishment for the region's conservationists.

"That conservation community is pretty special and robust in the area," Glesnzinski emphasized. "To have a research reserve like this being placed in an existing conservation community like that is really just going to take us all to the next level."


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Arizona is already warming up, and a new report sheds light on how climate change is intensifying that heat. Last year, just under 650 heat-associated deaths were confirmed by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. And ahead of Heat Action Day, this coming Sunday, a new Climate Central report finds human-caused climate change added an average of 26 days of extreme heat globally than there would've been otherwise.

Dr. Fredi Otto, co-lead with World Weather Attribution says it'll continue to be more difficult to keep vulnerable communities safe, in Arizona and around the world, as the heating trend escalates.

"Overwhelmingly we are in the era of loss and damage. Climate change is not something happening somewhere else, or sometime in the future - it is here and now," Otto said.

Experts like Otto are calling on leaders and policymakers to take action. In an effort to be better prepared, Arizona now has its first Chief Heat Officer - a first for any state - to oversee implementation of Governor Katie Hobbs' Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan.

Roop Singh, climate risk adviser with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, considers heat waves a silent killer, unlike other types of natural disasters. While the Biden administration has invested billions of federal dollars to help lower energy costs for Americans, data show that assistance only reaches a small portion of those who need the help during the hot summer months. Singh says national legislation could help make a difference.

"So can we build those in? Can there be national legislation around building codes for keeping your homes cooler? Worker safety laws, especially for people who are working outdoors, can also be really helpful," Singh said.

Singh said other measures to reduce the impact of hotter days include making cooling needs part of the social safety net, bolstering transportation systems so they can operate during extreme heat waves, and designing towns and cities with cool spaces in close proximity to more residents.


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With the Port of Baltimore nearing a return to full commercial operations, advocates are renewing their call for an executive order to address maritime shipping emissions.

Last year, 45 environmental groups sent a letter calling on the Biden administration to decarbonize the maritime shipping sector. Among their recommendations was eliminating in-port ship emissions by 2030, with one approach to connect ships to shore power while docked.

Antonio Santos, federal climate policy director for the nonprofit Pacific Environment, said reducing emissions is not just about climate change.

"As you're reducing emissions, you're also protecting those directly impacted," Santos pointed out. "When we talk about where these ships tend to congregate, it is port workers and those frontline communities, those port adjacent communities that are directly affected."

Since the collapse of the Key Bridge, researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Air Resources Lab have been taking samples in the Curtis Bay neighborhood to eventually assess the effect of the closure of the Port of Baltimore on local air quality.

The letter also called on the administration to fund the electrification and quieting of the U.S. federal ferry and harbor craft fleets, as well as supporting domestic shipbuilders to build low and zero emission marine vessels. Advocates are also making the case the administration can use existing Clean Air Act authority to establish a goal-based fuel standard for ships entering U.S. ports.

Santos acknowledged advocates recognize ports are hubs of economic activity and attempting to protect the environment does not mean ignoring economic considerations.

"We can have a good economy, and we can also protect the environment," Santos contended. "A lot of these recommendations that were in our letter put in front of the White House include provisions that will create good paying union jobs."

Estimates indicate if shipping were a country, it would be the world's sixth-largest greenhouse gas emitter.


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