Soccer in a Warming World Workshop
Join the Columbia Climate School Office of Research and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory for this hybrid, half-day workshop to address questions about how climate change will affect the way soccer is played, and the health and performance of soccer players worldwide.
Co-hosted by Co-Founding Dean for Research, Dr. Maureen Raymo and World Cup winning member of the US Women’s National Team, Samantha Mewis, this workshop will feature short talks from Columbia researchers, followed by small panel discussions and Q&A.
A light reception in the Monell Lobby will follow.
A Zoom link will be sent to virtual attendees approximately 24 hours prior to the event.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
Tickets are free: RSVP here.
Samantha Mewis is an American professional soccer player who currently plays as a midfielder for the KC Current of the NWSL and the United States Women’s National Team. Mewis is considered one of the best midfielders in the world, having won 3 NWSL titles, a FIFA World Cup and was named the #1 Player in the World by ESPNFC in 2021.
Climate on the 2022 Ballot
California
Prop 30, Tax on Income Above $2 Million for Zero-Emissions Vehicles and Wildfire Prevention Initiative
Proposition 30 would raise income taxes by 1.75% on Californians who make more than $2 million annually, spending 80% of the estimated $3.5 billion in yearly revenue on electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and rebates for EV purchases, and the remaining 20% on wildfire fighter hiring and training. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) would be directed to prioritize low-income Californians in allocating EV rebates.
California governor Gavin Newsom has decried Prop 30 as a “Trojan horse” initiative and cut an ad opposing it. Newsom’s argument points to Lyft’s substantial funding for the measure, motivated by its desire to have the wealthy subsidize its compliance with a new CARB rule requiring 90% of ride mileage to come from EVs by 2030. It’s a reasonable complaint, but curious coming from someone who was silent two years ago when Lyft spent millions to overturn a California labor law to stop misclassifying drivers.
With support from the California Democratic Party, many labor organizations, billionaire Tom Steyer, legislators like state senator Henry Stern and Rep. Ro Khanna, and environmental organizations, polls show Prop 30 in a pretty strong position to pass (albeit with gradually declining support). We will see if Prop 30’s support holds up against Newsom, the California Chamber of Commerce and Teachers Association, and scolding editorials from the San Jose Mercury News and the LA Times.
Florida
Amendment 1, Disregard Flood Resistance Improvements in Property Value Assessments Measure
If approved by 60% of voters, Amendment 1 would exempt expenditures on home flood resilience improvements from property tax value assessments. The measure is meant to encourage flood mitigation investments by Florida homeowners. One third of the 5 million policyholders in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) live in Florida, and 1.7 million Floridians live in an area that is subject to 100-year flood risk— a figure that is projected to grow considerably in the years ahead.
A long-term reauthorization of the NFIP is needed to modernize flood mapping, provide resources for flood mitigation, and expedite the buyout process for many Florida homeowners who really should relocate. But Congress has perpetually “kicked the can” down the road on NFIP reform. Although the Build Back Better Act included significant reforms, that died in the Senate. With the U.S. Congress failing to provide NFIP relief, a near-unanimous vote of the Florida legislature placed Amendment 1 on the ballot.
Lest we give Florida lawmakers too much credit, an emergency session in May utterly failed to address the climate-driven property insurance “meltdown” taking place there. Available reforms to make insurance more affordable, and shore up Florida’s state-funded reinsurance company by taxing corporations rather than individuals, were rejected.
Georgia
Amendment 2: Temporary Property Tax Change for Disaster Areas Measure
Similar to Amendment 1 in Florida, Georgia’s Amendment 2 would allow temporary property tax relief for any homes that are damaged by climate disasters, if it receives approval from 2/3 of the voters. Georgia has among the most regressive and meager tax systems in the country.
New York
Proposal 1, Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act
If approved, Proposal 1 would authorize $4.2 billion in general obligation bonds for projects dealing with climate change resilience, including wetlands restoration to mitigate sea level rise, heat pumps, electric buses, and other home energy upgrades. 35% of the bond revenue is required to be dedicated to disadvantaged communities. If passed, Prop 1 will be the first environmental bond act that New York voters have seen in 26 years. It was originally slated to be on the 2020 ballot, after former governor Andrew Cuomo pointed to reports citing mounting state infrastructure costs from climate change. After the pandemic caused the bond measure’s postponement, governor Kathy Hochul revived the effort last year, and called for an additional billion dollar in funding, which some legislators felt was still inadequate. The New York Public Interest Group suggested that the bond should follow the “polluter pay” model of past NY environmental bond measures and repeal fossil fuel subsidies, but those calls were not heeded.
Local Measures
Boulder, Colorado
County Issue 1A, 1B, and 1C: Wildfire Mitigation, Emergency Services, and Transportation Sales Taxes
The shocking Marshall Fire, powered by fossil-fueled climate change, ripped through suburban Boulder in December 2021. County Issues 1A, 1B, and 1C would raise county-wide 0.1% sales tax to raise $11 million each for wildfire mitigation, rural fire, mountain rescue, and ambulance services, and rural rapid transit, trails, and bicycle lanes respectively. The Yes On 1C coalition includes the Sierra Club and Clean Energy Action.
Boulder Daily Camera opinion editor Gary Garrison writes: “With the climate ever-changing and Boulder ever-growing, these taxes — wildfire mitigation, emergency services and continued transportation funding — are necessary.”
City Ballot Issues 2A and 2B, Climate Tax
Boulder City has a two-part ballot measure—Ballot Issue 2A and 2B—to expand its climate tax on fossil-fuel energy use from $6.5 million from $3.9 million and increase the share paid by businesses.
Jonathan Koehn, the director of Boulder’s Climate Initiatives Department, the director of Boulder’s Climate Initiatives Department explained the planned change:
: “When the original carbon tax was created in 2006, since that time, businesses have paid roughly one-third of the annual tax collections and they’re responsible for emitting roughly two-thirds of our community’s emissions. We’re really trying to true up that proportional impact in cost to make sure that the dollars collected are really going to those that are attributed to … emitting those emissions.”
El Paso, Texas
Proposition C, Renewable Energy and Efficiency Improvements Bond Measure
In order to fund its Climate Action Plan, El Paso’s Proposition C proposes a $5.2 million bond measure for renewable energy and resource use efficiency improvements and planning, the smallest of three bond measures on the El Paso ballot. The others are a $246.8 million bond measure for street improvements and $20.8 million bond measure for parks and recreation.
California Local
Local residents in Alpine County are hoping to prevent the construction of a biomass plant in this sparsely populated county on the Nevada border that is 96% national forest have gotten a measure on the ballot. County officials oppose Measure D.
Long Beach, California is proposing to merge its Gas and Oil Department with its Water Department into an Energy Resources Department; the new name will “better reflect the current global, State and local views regarding energy resources and climate change mitigation.”
Mono County Measure H and Siskiyou County Measure R will raise additional funds for the Antelope Valley Fire Protection District along the Nevada border and the Mount Shasta Fire Protection District, respectively. Mount Shasta, on the Oregon border, experienced a fast-growing wildfire last month.
Cloverdale, the last jurisdiction in Sonoma County that allows the sale of fireworks, has Measure K on the ballot to prohibit the practice, as global warming increases wildfire risks. Mayor Todd Lands blames recent Cloverdale fires on homeless people and is campaigning to protect fireworks sales.
The city of Watsonville, on Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz County, is voting on Measure Q to renew its Urban Limit Line, which protects the Pajaro Valley farmland and encourages urban infill. The smart growth rules were established in 2002 and renewed in 2013. The counter measure, Measure S, would allow for more development outside the current limits, and the competing camps are accusing each other of racism.
Berkeley’s Measure L is a $650 million bond measure that proponents say will help pay for climate projects, but it’s a non-earmarked general funding bond.
Boulder Creek’s Measure T for a $36 per parcel tax to fund parks and recreation includes “alternative green energy to power our public spaces.”
Honolulu, Hawaii
Charter Question 2 would require the city’s planning commission to “have at least one member with expertise or experience in (a) Native Hawaiian tradition, native Hawaiian law, and traditional Hawaiian land usage; (b) land use planning, policies, and principles; (c) land development and construction; and (d) climate change and sea level rise causes, effects, and solutions or environmental protection and preservation.”
Charter Question 3 proposes expanding the use of funds in the city’s Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund to allow expenditures for operation, maintenance, improvement, and management of lands acquired by the Fund.
Some Other Local Ballot Measures
Wayne County, Michigan, the home county of Detroit, is voting on the continuation of funding for its public transit system (SMART) through a 0.994 millage.
Carson City, Nevada’s Question 1 asks whether to continue the city’s five cents per gallon tax on diesel fuel for road maintenance.
Albuquerque, New Mexico has a bond measure for $25 million for the flood control system. Last year the region saw deadly flash floods, and this year it whipsawed from extreme drought to heavy rains.
King County, Washington Proposition 1 extends the Conservation Futures levy, a property tax that finances greenways, farmland, and wildlands.
PROMESA and LUMA Energy’s Contract (Postponed)
The Committee on Natural Resources Office of Insular Affairs will hold a hybrid oversight hearing on “PROMESA and LUMA Energy’s Contract.” Scheduled for Thursday, September 22, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET, in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building and via Cisco Webex, the hearing has been postponed because of the catastrophic damage from Hurricane Fiona.
The hearing will feature testimony from key stakeholders regarding the implementation of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) and discuss H.R. 7409 – TRUST for Puerto Rico Act to dissolve the Oversight Board. The hearing will also examine LUMA Energy’s contract to manage, operate, and rebuild Puerto Rico’s electric power transmission and distribution system.
Witnesses:
Panel I: PROMESA and H.R. 7409- Pedro Pierluisi, Governor of Puerto Rico
- José Luis Dalmau, President, Puerto Rico Senate
- Rafael “Tatito” Hernández, Speaker, Puerto Rico House of Representatives
- David A. Skeel Jr, Chair, Financial Oversight and Management Board
- Jessica E. Méndez-Colberg, Attorney, Bufete Emmanuelli, C.S.P.
- Cecille Blondet, Executive Director, Espacios Abiertos
- Maryln Goyco-García, Puerto Rico Campaign Coordinator, Center for Popular Democracy
- Fermín Fontanés, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority
- Josué Colón, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority
- Edison Avilés-Deliz, Chair, Puerto Rico Energy Bureau
- Wayne Stensby, President & CEO, LUMA Energy Corporation
- Ruth Santiago, Attorney & Environmental Policy Expert
- Ingrid Vila Biaggi, President, CAMBIO
Pathways toward Grid Decarbonization
The power sector is the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States—accounting for a quarter of total emissions. Experts have noted that decarbonizing this sector and electrifying other sectors is crucial for achieving economy-wide emissions reductions. A new report from Resources for the Future (RFF) and the Clean Energy Buyers Institute examines five pathways toward decarbonization of the power sector. The report finds that three of them would reduce costs and inflation: a national transmission macrogrid, further competition among electricity generators, and expansion of retail supply choice among buyers. The other two are candidates for going beyond the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act: a national clean electricity standard and utility-led decarbonization.
Join us on Tuesday, September 13, for an RFF Live webinar exploring the report’s key findings and examining the likely impacts of the five pathways. A panel of experts—including lead author Daniel Shawhan and other major contributors to the report—will discuss the emissions reductions and health benefits from each pathway, the monetary benefits and costs for the power sector and energy consumers, and the effects on company purchases of green power.
Speakers- James Elsworth, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Caroline Golin, Google
- Michael O’Boyle, Energy Innovation
- Daniel Shawhan, Resources for the Future
- Bryn Baker, Clean Energy Buyers Association (Moderator)
2023-2028 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Leasing Program Virtual Public Comment Meeting
You are invited to attend a virtual public comment meeting hosted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) as part of the National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program and Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.
Please note that registration to provide an oral comment is strongly recommended as those who register will receive preference. Oral public comments will be limited to two-minutes.
We look forward to hearing your comments on the Proposed Program and Draft Programmatic EIS.
Additional meeting and public comment information can be found here.
To sign up for the mailing list and receive future news and updates, go to the BOEM website.
Building Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities: Perspectives from Oregon’s State, Local, and Tribal Partners
At 10:00 am PDT on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will hold a hybrid field hearing titled “Building Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities: Perspectives from Oregon’s State, Local, and Tribal Partners.” The hearing will be held in Patriot Hall, Clatsop Community College, 1650 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, OR 97103.
For the general public wishing to attend the hearing, please enter through the Patriot Hall front entrance and proceed to the gymnasium, which will open at 9 am for attendees.
Witnesses:- Dr. Elaine Placido, Executive Director, Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. Placido is a veteran of the Coast Guard and has twenty-plus years of local government and non-profit experience prior to working with the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership.
- Dr. Francis Chan, Director, Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resource Studies; Associate Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University. Chan leads the Institute’s research in conservation, protection, and restoration of marine resources; marine ecosystems; ocean acoustics; and ocean, coastal, and seafloor processes.
- Tyler Bell, Director, Westervelt Ecological Services’ Rocky Mountain Region. Bell primarily oversees the organization’s restoration site planning and development, agency relations and coordination, business development, and management of regional staff.
- Aja DeCoteau, Executive Director, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. DeCoteau leads the organization’s strategic direction and team of more than 130 employees in four locations in Oregon, Washington and Idaho to put fish back in the rivers, protect treaty fishing rights, share salmon culture, and provide direct services to tribal fishers along the Columbia River.
Public Meeting on the Plan to Reopen Upper Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park to Vehicular Traffic
The National Park Service is proposing to reopen the upper portion of Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park to vehicular traffic after closing it for more than two years. The road would reopen on weekdays most of the year, but NPS wants to continue to close that stretch of road to cars from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Last year, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) requested banning cars on upper Beach Drive, as did the D.C. City Council.
Of the 2400 comments received during the initial comment period, over 76% of commenters supported full-year closure of the road to vehicular traffic; only 14% of commenters supported returning the road to vehicular use.
The NPS will host a live, virtual public meeting on July 18, 2022 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Join the Microsoft Teams meeting by clicking this link.
To connect via phone only dial, +1 202-640-1187, 146280403#. A recording of the meeting will also be available to view here after the meeting.
Postponed: Global Efforts to Encourage a Sustainable Blue Economy
This hearing has been postponed and will be rescheduled for a date to be announced.
This is a virtual hearing.
Witnesses- Richard Murray, Ph.D., Deputy Director and Vice President for Science and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Laure Katz, Blue Nature Vice President, Conservation International
- Fertram Sigurjonsson, Founder and CEO, Kerecis
Assessing Federal Programs for Measuring Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks
- Dr. Eric K. Lin, Director, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Dr. Ariel Stein, Acting Director, Global Monitoring Laboratory and Director, Air Resources Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Dr. Karen M. St. Germain, Earth Science Division Director, Science Mission Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Dr. Bryan Hubbell, National Program Director for Air, Climate, and Energy, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency
A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill: Dairy Provisions
- Scott Marlow, Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs, Farm Service Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Dana Coale, Deputy Administrator, Agriculture Marketing Service Dairy Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Lolly Lesher, Owner/Operator, Way-Har Farms, Bernville, PA, on behalf of National Milk Producers Federation
- Mike Durkin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Leprino Foods Company, Denver, CO, on behalf of International Dairy Foods Association
- Travis Forgues, Vice President of Membership, Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, LaFarge, WI
- Dr. Marin Bozic, Assistant Professor of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota