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Wildfires are growing, and growing more costly
Posted by NBC: None Given on May 16th, 2014
NBC: The wildfires raging across California are the latest example of a grim reality: Wildfires are getting more dangerous, and they’re costing us more, too.
U.S. taxpayers are paying about $3 billion a year to fight wildfires — triple what it cost in the 1990s — and big fires can lead to billions of dollars in property losses.
The bad news: It’s going to get worse.
Researchers say a potent combination of climate change and homebuilding near wildfire-prone areas is already translating into bigger,...
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Environmentalist Press for Climate Change Consideration
Posted by NBC: None Given on September 1st, 2013
NBC: As New Jersey continues to rebuild from Sandy, there are some differences on how to proceed.
Contending that the reconstruction is not taking climate change into account, environmental groups urge a strategic retreat from some storm-surge and flood risk areas.
Gov. Chris Christie, however, said he won't condemn shorefront properties to prevent rebuilding homes there.
"There are private property rights to respect here," the governor said. "And if folks are willing to comply with the law and...
Severe weather partly a result of climate change
Posted by NBC: None Given on May 25th, 2013
NBC: Damaging tornadoes are an annual springtime threat in parts of the country, but Monday’s massive storm in Oklahoma, in a year that seems to have had more than its share of extreme weather, has many wondering whether things have gotten even more extreme than usual. NBC’s John Yang reports.
Python Challenge results: 68 caught in Florida
Posted by NBC: None Given on February 17th, 2013
NBC: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the results of the 2013 Python Challenge on Saturday: 68 Burmese pythons harvested during the Jan. 12-Feb. 10 competition.
The goal of the Python Challenge was to heighten public awareness about this invasive species, but also an opportunity to gather important data about Burmese python populations and their impact on the Everglades ecosystem.
"Thanks to the determination of Python Challenge competitors, we are able to gather invaluable...
Climate Change Will Hurt Winter Resorts in California, Across US: Report
Posted by NBC: None Given on December 6th, 2012
NBC: Climate change will have a severe negative impact on the $12.2 billion winter sports industry, affecting the tourism economy in 38 states including California, a new report warns.
With dozens of mountain resorts from Mount Shasta to Big Bear Lake, California is second only to Colorado economic activity from skiing, snowboarding, and the snowmobile industry -- and the state thus has much to lose, according to the report.
Designed to galvanize both politicians and winter sports business leaders...
Keystone pipeline gets political help ahead of protest
Posted by NBC: None Given on November 16th, 2012
NBC: A bipartisan group of senators on Friday urged President Barack Obama to quickly issue a permit for the northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project environmental groups have vowed to keep fighting.
The senators -- nine Democrats and nine Republicans -- asked Obama to approve the pipeline because it will create jobs and reduce the need for oil from the Middle East. They were led by Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat and powerful chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and John Hoeven, a North...
United States: Lake drained for LA water at center of dust lawsuit
Posted by NBC: None Given on October 13th, 2012
NBC: The powerful Los Angeles Department of Water and Power sued air regulators Friday over demands to control dust from Owens Lake nearly a century after the exploding metropolis siphoned water to quench its growing thirst.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fresno, marks the latest salvo in a bitter back-and-forth over water rights in the arid region that was set in motion in 1913, when Los Angeles began diverting water from the lake 200 miles to its north. The lake went dry in 1926 and...
Wildfire in hills near L.A. proving tough to fight
Posted by NBC: None Given on September 4th, 2012
NBC: A brush fire in the San Gabriel Mountains that prompted the evacuation of campers and picnickers in the hills above Glendora, Calif., continued to rage Tuesday and it could be several days before crews gain the upper hand.
"We have some challenges we face out there," Tony Imbrenda, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, told NBCLosAngeles.com. "We expect that this is going to take several days to get some containment."
Crews continued the aerial attack on the fire burning east of Los Angeles...