Roughly 35% of Nebraska's electricity is produced from renewable sources and advocates of clean energy development are concerned about the changes a bill in the Unicameral would bring about.

Legislative Bill 399 would require privately developed wind and solar projects to be approved by the Nebraska Power Review Board, reversing changes the Legislature made in 2016. The Power Review Board oversees investments by the state's public power utilities.

David Corbin, PhD, professor emeritus of public health at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Energy Committee chair for the Nebraska Chapter of the Sierra Club, said the bill adds another level of approval to the "many levels" currently in place. Even more concerning to him is the way it would change who has the authority to approve or reject a renewable-energy project.

"It would put some authority to unelected people over elected people," Corbin pointed out. "So, for example, OPPD (the Omaha Public Power District) and NPPD (the Nebraska Public Power District) elect their boards, and the Power Review Board is appointed by the governor."

Corbin noted the bill was voted out of the Natural Resources Committee despite "overwhelming public opposition." Supporters of the measure include Nebraskans who believe wind and solar projects harm property values, ecosystems and even residents' health. Research shows the negative effects of renewable energy are negligible when compared with those of fossil fuels.

Josh Moenning, director of New Power Nebraska and Mayor of Norfolk, calls the bill "exactly the wrong policy at exactly the wrong time." He pointed out many of the state's new companies and industries are demanding their energy come from "clean" sources, a demand he believes is reasonable.

"Because we are in the top five in wind-energy potential in the country and top 15 in solar-energy potential," Moenning stressed. "We also have major export opportunities but bills like this will essentially handicap and prevent us from realizing that full potential."

Norfolk has the largest solar facility in the state, which Moenning said has brought about a 15% to 20% reduction in monthly electric bills.

Moenning emphasized the state has seen $6 billion dollars of investment in clean energy since 2016, and he added he finds support of this bill by conservative members of the Unicameral a bit surprising.

"What this bill does is take away local control and add more government intervention into a legal business activity," Moenning contended. "I thought most conservatives wanted to promote free-market activity and take away layers of unnecessary government bureaucracy."

LB 399 was introduced by Sen. Tom Brewer, R-Gordon, and is the priority bill of Sen. Bruce Bostelman, R-Brainard.

The Conservation Fund, which works to protect land and nature across the U.S. has announced it has protected more than 1 million acres of working forests lands across the country, including in Oregon.

The organization's milestone comes as forests are rapidly disappearing -- as many as 13 million acres in the next few decades.

Brian Dangler, director of the Working Forest Fund with The Conservation Fund, said valuable work continues on the protected land which adds to the nearby economy.

"The beauty of these projects is that the receipts from the timber, the sustainable management of forests, timber harvest really helps local folks to keep the schools going, the fire department, the local services," he explained.

He added The Conservation Fund has helped protect forestland in the Columbia River Gorge near Hood River and Deep River Woods near Astoria. Nationwide, it's secured forests in 21 states. The organization uses community and private partnerships to protect nature.

Dangler said large, intact forests support jobs in rural communities, through logging, trucking, building roads and other activities.

"And, of course, the wildlife habitat that goes along with it. Good forest management usually improves wildlife habitat for lots of different species," he continued.

Dangler noted development is one of the biggest threats to forests, and said it's important to keep forestlands as units rather than smaller parcels.

"Eventually more and more development just nibbles away at these large, intact forests. It's very important for them to be large in landscape," he said. "It's like Humpty Dumpty -- you can't put it back together again when it gets fragmented so much."

Summer in Indiana produces a variety of festivals, outdoor concerts, and athletic competitions.

These attractions produce large crowds and hundreds of pounds of trash and food containers which could end up in a landfill.

"The Indianapolis Event Waste Guide" is an environmentally-focused publication with resources and contact information for nonprofits and vendors wanting to reduce waste.

Ecosystems Events Owner Julia Spangler said the publication is for events attended by a dozen or thousands of people.

"Bringing people together, especially if you're feeding them or decorating, often generates waste," said Spangler. "So, this guide is all about first, how to reduce the amount of waste generated in the first place, and then how to keep that waste out of the landfill."

Spangler described the publication as a "one-stop shop starting point" for recycling or composting food, waste, leftover lanyards, or banners.

In 2021, Indiana collected more than nine million tons of garbage, refuse, office waste and other similar materials.

The Indianapolis Event Waste Guide was released to coincide with the U.S. Olympic swimming trials held in Indianapolis last month.

As the state continues to draw large crowds at amateur and professional athletic competitions, event planners are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

Sustain Indy Community Manager, and City of Indianapolis Office of Sustainability Community Engagement Manager Lyndsay Trameri noted the guide is intended for local residents and out-of-town organizers.

"Just because you're planning an event in the town you live in," said Trameri, "that doesn't mean you're aware of all the different contacts and organizations that are local that can help you decrease your footprint."

Trameri added that city leaders have a plan for Indianapolis to be net zero emissions by 2050. Trameri said you can download the free guide on the Visit Indy website.

Weather researchers at Iowa State University say a shifting climate and warmer ocean temperatures are partially responsible for a record number of tornadoes this spring.

More than 100 were reported in Iowa, in May alone.

Eleven hundred tornadoes were reported regionwide in May -- from Texas to Minnesota, and from West Virginia to Georgia. That's more than twice the 30 year average.

One of the fiercest killed five people and injured dozens in rural Greenfield, Iowa.

ISU Severe Weather Meteorologist and Professor of Meteorology William Gallus said extreme heat from a changing climate has increased ocean temperatures, and is one contributing factor to this year's storms.

"Mexico and Texas were having record high temperatures," said Gallus. "That was allowing the Gulf of Mexico to rapidly warm up, get much warmer than normal, which means that is our main source of energy."

Gallus said the weather pattern known as El Niño -- characterized by warmer ocean temperatures that prompt more precipitation and provide fuel for severe weather -- is now shifting to La Niña, marked by cooler seas and drier weather.

That could cause the rest of the tornado season to be less active.

Gallus said the high number of tornadoes in the region was unusual, since climate change models predict Iowa and neighboring states west of the Mississippi should being seeing below average numbers, which they have in recent years.

"The long-term trend has been for tornadoes to be hitting more places east of the Mississippi River," said Gallus.

Gallus said data show tornadoes occurring on fewer days each year, but coming in clusters and with greater intensity.

He says some storms that have been listed as Category F3 are probably F5's, but measurement methods in some areas are not adequate to gauge the storms' intensity.




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