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Sunday, July 21, 2024

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VP Kamala Harris says she plans to 'earn and win' Democratic nomination after Joe Biden drops out and endorses her; New Alabama bill threatens voter rights, legal challenge ensues; Fact-checking GOP claims on immigrants; Water contamination a concern in Midwest flood aftermath.

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President Joe Biden drops his 2024 re-election bid. He's endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot on the ticket, and election experts say they see benefits to this decision.

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It's grass-cutting season and with it, rural lawn mower races, Montana's drive-thru blood project is easing shortages, rural Americans spend more on food when transportation costs are tallied, and a lack of good childcare is thwarting rural business owners.

Greater accountability sought for abandoned well cleanup in West

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Wednesday, April 3, 2024   

According to the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, there are at least 49 orphan wells in the state -- wells that are abandoned and not plugged -- on private, state and federal lands.

Congress is once again debating who should clean them up. Last year, the Biden administration proposed increasing the minimum bond amounts on oil and gas leases. But Republicans in the U.S. House have voted to repeal those reforms, saying they would reduce oil production. The bill passed on a party-line vote.

Dave Jenkins, president of the group Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, contended operators in the West know how to play the system and offload well-site cleanup costs to taxpayers.

"There's an easy fix here, which is to require a bond adequate enough that if they do skip out, we have the money to clean it up and it's not taxpayers holding the bag," Jenkins suggested.

Jenkins argued anyone who is what he called "fiscally conservative and cares about keeping taxes low" should support the Interior Department's proposed reforms. The proposal would increase the minimum lease bond amount to $150,000 and the minimum statewide bond to $500,000.

Jenkins noted his group studied the issue and found taxpayers could be on the hook for as much as $15 billion for future plugging and cleanup costs of orphan wells on federal land if the proposed reform is not enacted. He added estimates of the number of abandoned wells nationwide range from hundreds of thousands to millions, creating a long-term financial burden for taxpayers.

"The cost of plugging a well can range from $100,000 to sometimes upwards of $1 million," Jenkins pointed out. "Specially if you're talking about really deep wells, like we see more and more of today."

Jenkins stressed the Biden administration needs to finalize the proposed rule to help ensure the Bureau of Land Management's multiple-use approach is being prioritized. The bill to squash it is now in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.


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Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a political event in Grand Rapids, Mich., in early 2024. (The White House/Wikimedia Commons)

Health and Wellness

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Vice President Kamala Harris focused on reproductive rights at a campaign event in Michigan Wednesday. Her remarks come as President Joe Biden has …


Social Issues

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Thousands of educators from across the nation will be in Houston starting this weekend for the American Federation of Teachers annual convention…

Social Issues

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By Kristy Alpert for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Illinois News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Colla…


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Health and Wellness

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Counterfeit medicine sales are on the rise, in Connecticut and nationwide. The state faced trouble with growing sales of counterfeit Xanax pills …

Social Issues

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More than 2,400 delegates gathered in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention and delegates from around the country, including …

In 2021, more than 40% of the nearly four mil­lion stu­dent par­ents nationwide were attending a community college. (foxyburrow/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

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Postsecondary enrollment data for 2023 shows community college enrollment increased nationwide by more than 100,000 students, and a large percentage …

Environment

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By Stephen Battersby for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for Commonwealth News Service…

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Biofuels are painted as a greener energy alternative to fossil fuels but a new study found the industry produces plenty of its own air pollutants…

 

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