SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California's ongoing drought continues to aggravate wildfires across the state.

The Boles Fire in Siskiyou County has damaged or destroyed 100 structures in Weed, and the King Fire in El Dorado County northeast of Sacramento has already burned more than 128 square miles - and is costing taxpayers $5 million a day to fight.

An overabundance of young trees and what some dismiss as "brush" are often made the culprits of these large fires, as was the case in last year's Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park.

But biologist Rick Halsey, director of the California Chaparral Institute, says the state's current wildfires have causes other than simply a legacy of fire suppression.

"These forests have been impacted for so long because of drought and other conditions, and also past logging practices, that when these fires burn through there, they're going to burn through anything," says Halsey, "whether it's a cleared forest, a clear-cut forest, or a clogged forest."

Halsey says years of drought, aggravated by climate change – along with strong, hot winds – have created conditions where, as he puts it, "anything would burn."

In the case of both last year's Rim Fire and the current King Fire, he says, scars left upon the landscape from previous logging provided pathways for fire to travel.

"The massive numbers of clear-cuts, the fire's burning right through these things that are supposed to allow fires to be controlled," he explains. "And they're not working because we've got these severe drought conditions, we've got high winds, we've got temperatures that are off the record charts."

Halsey, who served as a Type II Wildland Firefighter in San Diego County, says firefighters face an impossible job in putting out large-scale wildland firestorms. The solution, in his view, is to keep from cutting everything away by confusing fuel with what grows naturally.

"The immediate reaction people have is, 'Well, it's fuel that's burning, so get rid of the fuel.' And what they're really talking about is habitat, where plants and animals live," Halsey explains. "And it isn't helpful to just continually look at the natural environment and call it 'fuel,' like some sort of pejorative enemy that needs to be conquered. It's an environment that we live in – that we choose to live in."

As is the case with earthquakes, Halsey says homes and buildings in California's fire-prone areas can and should be similarly adapted to survive fire. He believes the best practice is to leave large scale wild areas alone for nature to run its course, and instead focus on making communities less susceptible to fire.

"Retrofitting buildings and making sure they're fire-safe. Taking the stacks of wood away from the house and making sure your vents are ember-resistant," he says. "If you put as much money into that kind of thing as you do in fire suppression now, in terms of trying to control these big fires, it'd be a lot more effective. A lot more assets and homes and lives would be saved."

After the 2007 California firestorms, Halsey served as a member of the San Diego Regional Fire Safety Forum.



get more stories like this via email

As Congress debates cuts to offset tax-cut extensions, the future of the Clean Fuels Production Tax Credit remains uncertain, with potential impacts on Michigan's growing clean-fuel industry. The Clean Fuels Production Tax credit was established under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. It offers 20 cents per gallon for nonaviation fuels and 35 cents for aviation fuels which cut emissions by 50% compared with petroleum. Michigan has six key clean-fuel and alternative-energy initiatives, including Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

Alex Muresianu, senior policy analyst for Tax Foundation, estimates that repealing the credit could net about $12.8 billion over a decade based on Treasury projections, although he questions the math.

"That was based on some estimates from Treasury. It doesn't make sense to take a revenue cost estimate from Treasury and assume it will one-for-one translate into revenue raised from reversing a policy," she said.

Critics call credit initiative costly, favoring big companies while possibly raising fuel prices and distorting the market. It started on January 1st and is slated to run through 2027 unless extended.

Congress is divided on the future of these tax credits. While some want to eliminate them altogether to offset tax cuts, others warn that doing so could harm energy investments and job growth.

Nan Swift, a resident fellow of the Governance Program at R Street Institute, believes that right now, Congress is likely far from debating the finer details, and the tax credit is just one of those specifics.

"Certainly, it's on a a wish list for a lot of members, but we don't even know yet if the House and Senate can find agreement between their two-bill or one-bill plans," she explained.

Shortly after the Clean Fuels Production Tax Credit was enacted, debates arose about its cost, effectiveness and fairness over the broader economy.


get more stories like this via email

In the wake of plans to reopen the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert Township after three years of inactivity, major tech companies have pledged to triple global nuclear energy output by 2050.

The tech giants include Amazon, Google and Meta, signing the "Large Energy Users Pledge" at a major energy conference in Houston this month. The pledge backs development of small modular reactors for data centers and artificial intelligence but raises concerns over regulations and public opposition.

M. V. Ramana, professor of disarmament, global and human security at the University of British Columbia, a physicist and nuclear expert, said nuclear energy is environmentally risky and expensive, and despite the wealth of Big Tech, he pointed out, they will not be footing the bill.

"Much of the funding for any of these activities -- whether it's building new reactors or reopening old, shuttered reactors -- is coming from the public," Ramana emphasized. "Tax money that's going in, it'll be the ratepayers' money."

For Michigan's Indigenous communities opposed to nuclear expansion, it is much deeper than just a financial issue. They urged listening to the natural world and ancestral teachings rather than allowing outsiders to dictate their future. Supporters argued expansion is crucial for meeting energy demands and cutting carbon emissions.

Critics contended most small reactors exist only on paper. They have not been built or tested, so claiming they are safe for the public, or for powering artificial intelligence and data centers is merely theoretical. Ramana warned those critics, the tech giants backing a boost in nuclear energy will be tough to stand up against.

"It is going to increase the pressure on the Department of Energy to approve funds," Ramana observed. "Not that the DOE requires any kind of prodding, they are only too happy to shovel out our money to all of these nuclear companies."

Supporters maintained small modular reactors will be safer, more efficient, and tested for reliability in powering the energy-intensive industries using them.


get more stories like this via email

A local nonprofit with a mission to advance regenerative agriculture is hoping its new video can open up an untapped world of science to a younger audience.

It is not every day kids see animated characters rapping about the importance of soil microbes but the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute created "The Soil Microbe Song" as a way to educate children.

Nicole Tautgus, agroecologist and research director at the institute, said she saw a gap in K-12 science education even she experienced, as she didn't hear the term "soil science" until she was in college. A former professor and her toddler son inspired Tautgus to write the song about soil.

"There's this concept that kids love to put their hands in the dirt, and there's this concept of healthy eating that we talk about," Tautgus outlined. "But I don't think that it gets connected very well to the soil, to the plant, to the kitchen, to the plate."

Studies shows farm soil tends to lack beneficial microbes, which help retain nutrients and suppress disease, and affect crop outcomes. Organic farming enhances microbial activity in soil. She added more people are beginning to see the importance of sharing these topics with children.

"Soil microbes are the hot topic among farming right now, and they're absolutely integral to everything that soil does," Tautgus pointed out. "So, why not introduce children to this concept? We talk to them about germs and washing their hands, but there's also a whole world of beneficial microbes."

Tautgus explained animated soil microbes parade around in the song, describing what each of their roles are, to hopefully engage children and anyone else who watches it.

"I think when you get into the world of soil microbes, it becomes technical really quickly," Tautgus acknowledged. "There's a lot of words in the video and a lot of it whizzes by, but the words weren't my goal."

The institute plans to develop accompanying lesson plans and materials in hopes the video can be used in classrooms across the state.