Rates of suicide among young people have increased by about 36% in roughly the last two decades and the surge has caught the attention of federal policymakers. The Biden administration has a new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and a Federal Action Plan, highlighting the need for a coordinated approach to prevention and equity in treatment and research. It follows the Bipartisan Policy Center s launch of a youth mental health task force in January. .
The North Carolina Utilities Commission is giving residents a chance to voice their opinion on a plan which could influence how their electricity is generated and impact costs for years to come. The state is updating its Carbon Plan, and in it Duke Energy is proposing a large-scale expansion of a methane gas plant. The expansion is raising concerns among residents and environmental advocates. .
The Blackwater River, which flows more than 30 miles through West Virginia s Allegheny Mountains, ranks among the top 10 most endangered rivers in the nation, according to a new report. The river is threatened by a proposed four-lane highway construction project which would cross all of its headwater streams. Judy Rodd, executive director of the group Friends of Blackwater, said Corridor H would involve building a bridge in an area honeycombed with old mines and explains the construction could compromise decades-old work to actively treat the water in the North Fork of the Blackwater impacted by acid mine drainage. .
The Bureau of Land Management recently released its final Public Lands Rule, which is set to put conservation on equal footing with other multiple uses taking place on public lands. The state of Utah has come out in opposition, pointing to the impact it could have on the almost 23 million acres of BLM land in Utah. Redge Johnson, director of the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office, said the state supports conservation efforts but called the rule a "solution looking for a problem." "What we have already put into conservation designations and then what you have for the acts that promote the conservation of the lands, why do you need to level that playing field?" Johnson questioned. .
New federal funding aims to revolutionize solar energy access within New Mexico s Native American communities and benefit the state overall. The Environmental Protection Agency s $7 billion "Solar for All" program is designed to create new or expanded low-income solar programs. Talia Martin, co-executive director of the National Tribal Program for GRID Alternatives, said the funding will help bridge the clean energy gap in Native American communities. .