Spring migration and budget cuts
Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to news about climate, the environment and energy.
I'm Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent with Paste BN.
The unmistakable signs of spring continue spreading farther north across the country. Sunny yellow daffodils are emerging in Kentucky and Indiana and azaleas are in full flower in the South.
Spring bird migration will soon be hitting its peak. Other migrations are also under way along both coasts.
Grey whales are migrating northward off the Northeast Pacific Coast and this is the last weekend of Spring Whale Watching Week along the Oregon Coast. Rangers will be stationed at 14 spots along the coast this weekend to help visitors spot the migrating whales and their calves from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.
Meanwhile two endangered North Atlantic right whales that wandered into the Gulf of America this winter were recently seen off the Southwest Florida coast and appeared to be headed southward, on a path experts hope will get them back into the Atlantic Ocean and headed northward.
Along the coast of Maine, April begins the puffin viewing season.
Cap and invest
In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul is being urged to take action on climate initiatives and the state Department of Environmental Conservation is expected to announce draft regulations for cap-and-invest later this month.
Cap-and-invest, part of the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, would require large polluters to buy allowances for emissions. Local climate leaders have questioned when the draft regulations will be released after they were delayed from last year.
“Anything less than bold, visionary leadership on climate justice is condemning our communities to climate and pollution-related illness, injury and death,” said Michi Wenderlich, campaign and policy coordinator of Metro Justice. "This should be such an easy and clear solution."
North Carolina A proposed bill has sparked concern that it could undo some of the state’s climate goals, reports Gareth McGrath with the Paste BN Network in North Carolina. Backers say the changes would slow the need for Duke Energy to add renewable energy sources and limit rate increases, but opponents dispute that and say the change could lead to a dirtier energy grid.
The bill would eliminate a 2030 deadline for Duke Energy to reduce carbon emissions by 70%.
The state's General Assembly is pushing a bill that would allow Duke Energy to charge N.C. customers for power plants that haven’t yet been built and allow the utility giant to avoid the state's approaching carbon emission-reduction goals.
Latest from federal officials
The National Weather Service is feeling the effects of staff reductions and budget cuts, we reported at Paste BN.
At least 11 National Weather Service offices around the country have suspended or reduced their twice-daily balloon launches to collect weather and climate data, citing staffing shortages. The launches have been stopped entirely in three locations.
President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to expedite mining on federal lands to fuel prosperity and reduce reliance on minerals from abroad. He signed an executive order, instructing all agency heads with mineral permitting responsibilities to provide the chair of his National Energy Dominance Council with a list of mineral production projects with current applications for approval.
Bird refuge debate
In one Rhode Island community, advocates square off over public access versus wildlife protection.
Gould Island, a former Navy base, has become a crucial nesting site for colonial waterbirds in Rhode Island, but a proposal to allow year-round camping on the island has prompted a debate, reports the Providence Journal. Some argue it may disturb nesting birds while others believe making the park available for camping all year-round would bring in more money for environmental restoration on the island.
Hurricane season
Meanwhile, the start to hurricane season is rapidly approaching. A round of seasonal outlooks are expected to emerge over the news few weeks.
Read on for more, including a robotic manatee. Some stories may require a subscription. If someone forwarded you this email and you'd like to receive Climate Point in your inbox once a week, sign up here.