Page 21 - State Comptroller News Today

Police from Atlantic City and Egg Harbor Township are among seven local agencies that used public funds to attend an unregulated training program held in Atlantic City that promoted unconstitutional law enforcement tactics and bias, according to a state oversight report.

A new report shows Maine is exceeding the home-heating goals set forth in its ambitious four-year climate plan to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The state surpassed its goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps earlier this summer, and Gov. Janet Mills quickly set a new target of 275,000 by 2027. ...

In recent weeks, since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, some 800 new civilian defense squads have been set up throughout Israel. Each squad consists of local residents who serve as civilian operational reserve forces, available for rapid deployment to assist national security forces during security events and emergency situations.

NASA-funded research using satellites to study atmospheric nitrogen will examine how different farming approaches affect greenhouse gas emissions. The $1.1 million grant will fund a team of scientists, including two at institutions in Maryland, who will use remote sensing satellites to look for accumulations of airborne ammonia and nitrogen in rural settings. The researchers will then conduct soil sampling to determine which types of farming methods are better or worse for the climate. ...

A handful of Iowas biggest cities has been awarded $3 million to work on solutions to climate change at the local level. The climate pollution reduction grants are part of a $5 billion program to assess climate change and come up with ways to address a steadily warming planet. Pam Mackey-Taylor, director of the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club, said when the state of Iowa declined to apply for the grants, it opened up the opportunities to individual communities. ...

Since last year, more than $95 million from a federal opioid settlement has been distributed to New Jersey, its 21 counties and 241 municipalities to fight addiction. But investing that capital is off to a slow start — about 6.2% has been appropriated — even as the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner reports nearly 2,300 suspected drug deaths so far in 2023.

Animal-based agriculture is the main cause of climate change, and using it violates at least six fundamental Jewish teachings.

Let’s zoom out on the global nature of climate change, then zoom back in on Israel’s response to it.

The deceased grandmother retired from the City of Buffalo in 1985 and was receiving her pension by direct deposit even after she died.

As world leaders gather in Dubai for the international conference on climate change, the City of Long Beach is acting on multiple fronts to help the U.S. lower carbon emissions. The citys Climate Action Plan looks to reduce pollution from shipping, trucking, and public transportation. ...