Environment

Brief #87—Environment
By Jacob Carter
More than 12 percent of the total land area of the United States and almost 20 percent of its marine area are protected by a combination of state and federal protections.

Brief #88—Environment
By Jacob Morton
On Friday, June 5th, Donald Trump signed an order to open nearly 5,000 square miles of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of New England, to commercial fishing.

Brief #85—Environment
By Jacob Morton
In response to President Trump’s June 2019 executive order for the USDA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency took steps to streamline the process for approving biotech crops, including those produced by gene editing, the USDA has proposed the new SECURE Rule

Brief #84—Environment
By Shannon Quinn Elliott
Hawaiian culture is sacred. Hawaiians give much respect to the history and folklore of their state. Forest, streams, oceans and humans are all interconnected creating “Ohana” one family, protecting invaluable resources. Hawaiian mythology tells a tale of Kane and Kanaloa; Gods of Water, who when they desired to drink would dig their hands into the earth calling on the fresh water to quench their thirst.

Brief #83—Environment
By Todd J Broadman
Approximately 25% of all U.S. meat packing plants have been closed.

Brief #81—Environment
By Shannon Q Elliot
On March 26, 2020, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a memorandum in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “COVID-19 Implications for EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Program” authored by Susan Parker Bodine, (Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance) is a 7-page temporary policy, in which the EPA addresses industry concerns over non-compliance issues as a result of COVID-19. Staff shortages, travel restrictions and other imposed regulations are affecting facility operations, reporting obligations and ability to meet required deadlines. 

Brief #82—Environment
By Jacob Morton
In 2012, the Obama administration passed a climate policy requiring automobile manufacturers to reduce their vehicles’ CO2 emissions by 5% each year through 2026. This would have meant that all new passenger vehicles and light trucks would have a fuel economy of around 54 mpg by the 2025 model year.

Brief #80—Environment
By Jacob Morton
As a planet, our environmental policies and the current coronavirus pandemic are undeniably linked. The way in which we manage our natural resources, such as cutting down forests, can have unintended consequences, such as exposing humans to wild animals (like bats) that, as a result, are forced to find new habitat and come in closer contact with humans and inevitably transfer disease.

Brief #—79
By Shannon Q Elliot
In 2017, The U.S. Federal Regulatory Committee gave the final approval for construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). A project spearheaded by corporate giants, Dominion and Duke Energy Companies, the pipeline is intended to serve as a vessel for natural gas to reach consumers throughout Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. The approval process included reviewing permits issued by The US National Forest Service (USFS), The National Park Service (NPS) and several other federal agencies.

Brief #78—Environment
By Jacob Morton

Brief #76—Economics
By Jacob Morton

Brief #76—Environment
By Shannon Q Elliott