Environmental News For The Week Ending 20December 2019
This is a collection of interesting news articles about the environment and related topics published last week. This is usually a Tuesday evening regular post at
GEI (but can be posted at other times).
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Note: Because of the high volume of news regarding the coronavirus outbreak, that news has been published separately:
Some of the COVID-19 graphics presented in the above articles have been updated below.
Also, mentioned in two articles near the end of the disease collection is that there is a new strain of the virus circulating in southeast England that is 70% more infectious than the common strain. Since these news collections were assembled, England has locked down London and several European countries have restricted travelers from the country. I expect that we ll have more news on that in this coming week.
Revamping Federal Climate Science
December 15, 2020, 5:00 am Getty/Liu Shiping/Xinhua
Sam Hananel
Ari Drennen
Introduction and summary
The United States has been the global leader in climate science for decades. Unfortunately, progress has slowed and in some cases, even moved backward over the past four years, with the Trump administration dismantling core elements of the federal climate science apparatus. As the country and the planet head toward an increasingly unstable climate, the U.S. government needs to get back to the business of being the preeminent source of trusted applied science that supports climate change mitigation and adaptation decision-making of governments and civilian stakeholders.
By Staff
Two new initiatives are underway to support Maine’s seafood industry through the downturn it has experienced this year.
The state has launched a promotion aimed at home cooks, who have been one of the bright spots for seafood sales this year.
And on Dec. 16, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland will hold “Split the Seafood Bill Day,” an initiative that will cover half the cost of meals that include seafood sourced from the Gulf of Maine at any of 20 participating restaurants for the first 200 diners.
Branding and promotion website
The Maine Department of Marine Resources, with support from Gov. Janet Mills, launched the branding and promotion initiative last week with a $1 million investment from $20 million in CARES Act relief funds allocated for Maine s commercial fishing and seafood industry.
Guest column: Give fishermen a voice in the wind energy debate
By Samara NassorGuest column
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Picture a band of floating wind turbines towering over the Gulf of Maine; steel anchors and cables securing their hulls to the ocean floor. The turbines would harness the generous winds of the Outer Continental Shelf and produce clean energy for New England’s population centers, where there is a growing appetite for stable electric power. This clean energy source is expected to generate surplus electricity, 36 times greater than Maine’s total demand.
By conducting an independent study, I learned that energy developers Diamond Offshore Wind and RWE Renewables can provide the expertise necessary for offshore wind deployment in Maine. The corporations are currently channeling investments worth $100 million to the joint venture, New England Aqua Ventus LLC, which intends to make modifications to the University of Maine’s turbine demonstration.
Gulf of Maine Research Institute wants to split the bill on your next seafood dinner Split the Seafood Bill Day is December 16th Share Updated: 2:37 PM EST Dec 12, 2020 wmtw SOURCE: wmtw
The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Split the Seafood Bill Day is December 16th Share Updated: 2:37 PM EST Dec 12, 2020 The Portland-based Gulf of Maine Research Institute wants to split the bill with you on your next seafood dinner. GMRI is partnering with 20 Portland restaurants for Split the Seafood Bill Day on Dec. 18. Here s how it works. The first 200 people to fill out a reimbursement form by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 18 will get half of their bill (up to $30) paid for. The order must be from one of the 20 restaurants in GMRI s Culinary Program, and at least one of the dishes must contain seafood. The reimbursement forms and full details can be found here. Organizers say they are hosting t