Most recent 30 articles: Chicago Tribune
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The middle class is not buying electric vehicles as hoped - Chicago Tribune (Nov 6) |
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Nov 6 · Ford employees assemble the Ford F-150 Lightning at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, on March 2, 2022. (David Guralnick/The Detroit News)
Automakers are now learning an important lesson: Not all car buyers are wealthy environmentalists.
This should be obvious but apparently isn’t, which is why the auto industry is now wringing its hands over electric vehicle sales problems. General Motors, Ford, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota and even Tesla have raised red flags about slowing demand. GM scaled back plans for 2024 and said it would delay the opening of a new electric truck factory. Ford is considering cutting shifts at its F-150 Lightning plant. ... Read more ...
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Mapping a threat: Climate change's deadly summer heat may deepen disparities in Chicago - Chicago Tribune (May 25, 2023) |
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May 25, 2023 · Every year, Chicagoans relish the onset of “Summertime Chi,” when the frigid winter gives way to summer heat and outdoor spaces come alive with concerts and neighborhood festivals. But the rising temperatures that make Chicago more vibrant can also be deadly.
As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of heat waves, city dwellers face extra risk thanks to the urban heat island effect, in which man-made changes to the environment drive up temperatures in metropolitan areas.
Within cities, too, heat disparities can place disadvantaged populations in additional danger. For people living in consistently hotter areas, there’s typically fewer shade trees offering ... Read more ...
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Conservationists: Indiana wetlands amendment would strip protections, worsen flooding issues - Chicago Tribune (Apr 02, 2023) |
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Apr 02, 2023 · Water gathers in an area adjacent to the the Oak Savannah Trail in the Oak Ridge Prairie in Griffith on Thursday, March 30, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
A last-minute attempt by Indiana legislators to redefine wetlands and strip state protections via amendment to an unrelated sewage bill could exacerbate flooding issues, reduce the number of wetlands, and flies in the face of recommendations in a state-commissioned wetlands report, critics say.
The bill passed the Indiana House 62-31 last week and heads back to the Senate for approval.
Rep. Doug Miller, R-Elkhart, who introduced the amendment that removes state ... Read more ...
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Homeowners near the great lakes face a ‘very scary' challenge: how do you handle a generation's worth of water level changes in j USt a few years? - Chicago Tribune (Jan 10, 2020) |
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Jan 10, 2020 · On a frigid morning in late fall, resort owner Mark Engle studied the mangled planks and dock posts scattered along an ice-glazed channel that feeds into Lake Huron.Les Cheneaux Landing Resort, tucked behind an archipelago of 36 islands off Michigan's Upper Peninsula, once had a 175-foot dock with slips for a dozen boats, a boathouse and a bait shop. In the past two years, Lake Huron rose through the floorboards of both buildings and overtopped the adjoining dock. Now, the weather-beaten boathouse sits stoically marooned, beset on all sides by crystal clear water.All that Engle has left to carry him through the next tourist season is a small makeshift dock."Man can't seem to make ... | By Tony Briscoe Read more ...
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Climate change is making Lake Erie's toxic algae blooms worse - Chicago Tribune (Nov 14, 2019) |
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Nov 14, 2019 · Every year, an explosion of microscopic life reigns over western Lake Erie, forming a green slick of algae and bacteria so massive and vibrant that it can be seen from space.
The harmful algae bloom slimes fishing boats, paints beaches in toxins and engulfs water intake cribs. In 2014, it left 400,000 people without drinking water for three days after toxins infiltrated Toledo's water system. Then-Gov. John Kasich declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard to distribute bottled water in an incident that served notice that drinking water from Lake Erie was in peril.
This year, the bloom was among the most severe and toxic since scientists began keeping ... | By Tony Briscoe Read more ...
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Former climate change GOP congressman to speak at environmental event - Chicago Tribune (Nov 12, 2019) |
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Nov 12, 2019 · An ex-GOP U.S. Congressman who advocates for answers to climate change will speak at an environmental event north of Indianapolis on Saturday.
Bob Inglis, R-South Carolina, is scheduled as the keynote speaker at the Hoosier Environmental Council's 12th annual "Greening the Statehouse" summit.
It will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST Saturday at the IMMI Center, 18880 N. East St. in Westfield. This year's theme is climate solutions.
"Indiana has an incredible heritage of innovation, and it has entrepreneurs and scientists who are at the forefront of climate solutions. Public policy at the federal and state level needs to reflect that same innovative spirit, in ... | By Meredith Colias-Pete Read more ...
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Illinois Democrats are split on the Green New Deal. But they all want a piece of the pie when it comes to climate change - Chicago Tribune (May 13, 2019) |
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May 13, 2019 · Rep. Sean Casten is laser-focused on carbon emissions. Sen. Tammy Duckworth announced a new push for environmental justice. Sen. Dick Durbin embraced the Paris climate accord at a student climate change rally in Federal Plaza. Rep. Jan Schakowsky joined others at a recent Loop rally criticizing the Trump administration's plan to slash the Environmental Protection Agency budget. Even Rep. Dan Lipinski, considered one of the most centrist Democrats in the House, is working on a bill that would impose a fee on the carbon content of fuels.
Three months after the Green New Deal was greeted with a mix of shrugs and cheers, laughs and resolve, Illinois Democrats are hastening to ... Read more ...
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How 'global warming' became 'climate change' and the danger of euphemisms - Chicago Tribune (Feb 20, 2019) |
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Feb 20, 2019 · The reinvention of vocabulary can often be more effective than any social protest movement. Malarial swamps can become healthy "wetlands." Fetid "dumps" are often rebranded as green "landfills."
Global warming was once a worry about too much heat. It implied that man-made carbon emissions had so warmed the planet that life as we knew it would soon be imperiled without radical changes in consumer lifestyles.
Yet in the last 30 years, record cold spells, inordinate snow levels and devastating rains have been common. How to square that circle?
Substitute "climate change" for global warming. Presto! Any radical change in weather could be perceived as symptomatic of too ... | By Victor Davis Hanson Read more ...
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The Green New Deal that won't go away - Chicago Tribune (Feb 20, 2019) |
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Feb 20, 2019 · At least the central thrust of the Green New Deal has a rationale: to protect the planet. Much of the rest amounts to a leftist wish list, disconnected from environmental problems. It promises every American "a job with family-sustaining wages, family and medical leave, vacations and retirement security,” as well as "high-quality health care” and "safe, affordable, adequate housing.” If that weren't enough, the government would "stop the transfer of jobs overseas,” strengthen labor unions and ensure "the use of democratic and participatory processes that are inclusive of and led by frontline and vulnerable communities and workers.”
Even most Democrats in Congress don't seem to ... | By Editorial Board Read more ...
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Toxic waste from 22 coal plants in Illinois puts drinking water for nearby communities at risk, reports show - Chicago Tribune (Nov 28, 2018) |
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Nov 28, 2018 · David Knox, an NRG spokesman, took issue with the methodology used by the report's authors and said some of the contamination could come from other sources, not the company's coal ash dumps. Knox said the company has complied with state-mandated management plans; he also acknowledged that federal regulations could require more aggressive measures.
Some of the monitoring wells, intended to record background or naturally occurring levels of metals near NRG plants, are located in areas where coal ash is buried, making it more difficult to measure how the waste is affecting groundwater that flows away from the sites, said Jennifer Cassel, an attorney with EarthJustice, another ... | By Michael Hawthorne Read more ...
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In about-face, Gov. Bruce Rauner calls for Sterigenics shutdown after weeks of downplaying cancer risks - Chicago Tribune (Oct 03, 2018) |
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Oct 03, 2018 · After spending the past month downplaying cancer risks from toxic air pollution in west suburban Willowbrook, Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday joined a chorus of elected officials calling for the shutdown of a Sterigenics International facility co-owned by his former private equity firm.
Fellow Republicans from DuPage County have been clamoring for Rauner to take more aggressive action against the company, which for more than three decades has used highly potent ethylene oxide gas to sterilize medical instruments, pharmaceutical drugs and food near densely populated neighborhoods and several schools.
As recently as Friday, the most the Republican governor would say about ... | By Michael Hawthorne Read more ...
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A carbon tax that could put money in your pocket - Chicago Tribune (Jul 03, 2018) |
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Jul 03, 2018 · The indications of a warming world are numerous and hard to miss. Last year was the third-warmest year on record for both the planet and the United States - exceeded only by 2015 and 2016. In June, scientists reported that Antarctica has lost 3 trillion tons of ice since 1992 - yielding "enough water to cover Texas to a depth of nearly 13 feet,” the Associated Press reported .
The indications of inaction on the subject are also abundant and visible. Last year, Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris agreement on greenhouse gas emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency has moved to ease regulations on power plants and motor vehicles that were integral to the ... | By Editorial Board Read more ...
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EPA deal marks dramatic shift away from dirty coal power in Chicago area - Chicago Tribune (May 24, 2018) |
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May 24, 2018 · Built by ComEd between the early 1900s and the 1960s, the coal plants were among dozens nationwide that started generating electricity before Congress passed the 1970 Clean Air Act. For years the plants were exempted from the toughest provisions of the law because utilities vowed they wouldn't be running much longer.
A company called Midwest Generation bought the ComEd plants in 1999 and kept them running as a growing number of scientific studies found that coal plant pollution triggers asthma attacks, causes heart disease and shaves years off of lives. Unlike newer power plants, the ComEd/Midwest Generation facilities were not equipped with advanced pollution controls that ... | By Michael Hawthorne Read more ...
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Will County advances plans for 3 solar farms - Chicago Tribune (May 14, 2018) |
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May 14, 2018 · Will County officials agreed to advance plans for three solar farms after addressing concerns by the agricultural community that land would be returned to its original condition.
As county board's Land Use and Development Committee recommended approval at its meeting last Tuesday of special use permits for Borrego Solar System Inc., to develop three solar energy facilities, it also agreed to add conditions, based on an agricultural mitigation plan drafted by the Illinois Farm Bureau.
This is the fourth recent request for a solar farm in Will County. Earlier this year, county officials approved plans for a solar farm on a 48-acre parcel on Goodenow Road in Crete Township. ... | By Susan DeMar Lafferty Read more ...
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2017 ranked 6th warmest in Illinois - Chicago Tribune (Jan 07, 2018) |
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Jan 07, 2018 · "I figured this would be a good way to see the city,” Toner said. "I've been pretty well covered. I'm double-gloved,” he added with a chuckle, showing off a pair with his fingertips exposed for his phone and an outer layer completely covered.
Weather forecasts indicate temperatures could rise into the 40s by Wednesday.
In addition to temperature swings, rainfall was sporadic in 2017.
The statewide average precipitation for the year was 2.31 inches below normal, according to Prairie Research Institute numbers. But the times rain did fall, it came in deluges. April brought torrential downpours to central and southern Illinois. The statewide average for April was ... | By Tony Briscoe Read more ...
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Pollution could increase as Rauner EPA moves to rescue coal plants - Chicago Tribune (Sep 27, 2017) |
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Sep 27, 2017 · In a move that could lead to dirtier air in Chicago and other downwind communities as far away as New York, Gov. Bruce Rauner 's administration is pushing to overhaul stringent limits on lung-damaging pollution from some of the last coal-fired power plants in Illinois.
Proposed amendments to state rules would scrap limits on the rate of pollution from a fleet of eight coal plants in central and southern Illinois owned by Dynegy Inc. Instead, the state would impose annual caps on tons of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emitted by the fleet - a subtle but significant change that could stall or reverse efforts to reduce Dynegy's contributions to smog, soot and acid ... | By Michael Hawthorne" / Read more ...
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