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U.S. Farmers Sue Trump Administration
Several U.S. farmers and some nonprofit organizations filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last Thursday, claiming that it is illegally withholding funding from the Department of Agriculture.
The USDA has withheld REAP grant funding https://www.epa.gov/grants as it conducts an agency-wide spending review.
Five farmers involved in the suit say that they were awarded grants through the USDA's Rural Energy for America, REAP program, to install solar panels on their farms.
The three nonprofit organizations say that they are being withheld funds that were handled through the Forest Service grants.
The farmers argued that they've entered into contracts with solar panel installers and incurred expenses that they claim will not be recoverable if these funds are not unfrozen.
The nonprofit groups have claimed that they've had to furlough or lay off employees as a result of the freeze. The Inflation Reduction Act, IRA, included $18 billion in USDA funding within the program to benefit rural area farmers and qualified small rural businesses.
A recent analysis by the University of Illinois found that $12.5 billion of this funding allocation has yet to be spent. Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rowlands has said that the agency is beginning to unfreeze these funds and distribute them to farmers. They would not say how much of the funding will be released. and they did not give a timeline for releasing those funds.
The on-again off-again saga of budget management within the Trump administration continues
Two weeks ago, the Environmental Protection Agency terminated grant agreements worth $20 billion that were issued under a Green Bank program designed to finance clean energy and climate-friendly projects.
Climate United Fund, Coalition for Green Capital, Power Forward Communities and others argued that the freeze would not only prevent them from financing new projects but might force them to lay off staff.
They rejected the allegations against them for mishandling the funds and were completely unfounded. They also claimed that the Trump administration was simply in breach of contract.
U.S. Federal District Judge Tanya Chukkin agreed with the plantiffs last Tuesday and blocked the Trump administration from terminating these grants, stating that the government's vague and unsubstantiated assertions of fraud are insufficient.
The Temporary Restraining Order issued by Judge Chukkin prevents the EPA from ending the grant program.
It also prevents Citibank, which is holding the funds for the EPA from distributing them back to the government or to any other organization other than to the initial awardees of the funds.
The non-profits also asked Judge Chukkin to order Citibank to unfreeze the funds, but she declined to do so. This order basically stays the status quo until the review of the funding is completed by the EPA.
News on the Climate Front
2024 was the warmest year in the 175-year observational record according to the World Meteorological Organization WMO.
https://wmo.int/publication-series/state-of-global-climate-2024
The state of the Global Climate 2024 report pointed out that there was massive economic and social upheaval from extreme weather, sea level rise and ocean warming is irreversible for hundreds of years and early warning and climate services are vital to protect communities and economies.
The report stated that the world experienced 152 unprecedented and 297 unusual extreme weather events related to climate last year.
The WMO defines an unprecedented weather event as those that are rare or unusual in terms of magnitude, location, timing, or extent, and which are worse than any ever recorded in a specific region.
Topping the list of extreme events were heat waves, followed by extreme rain and wet spells, flooding, tropical cyclones and drought.
Good News from the UK
According to new analysis by Carbon Brief, the United Kingdom's 2024 emissions fell 3.6 percent last year, making them the lowest level seen since 1872.
The country's coal use was also the lowest it's been since the mid-1600s. The largest factor in emissions following last year was a massive 54 percent drop in the UK's coal use in 2024. This is the lowest since 1666 when the UK's capital city was engulfed in the great fire of London.
A 40 percent increase in electric vehicles on the UK roads was another contributor to the reduction in carbon emissions, as well as above average temperatures. Electricity is now considered to be the cleanest it's ever been in the UK.
UK emissions are currently 54 percent lower than the 1990s levels. The country's gross domestic product has increased 84 percent since then.
China Energy and Auto Manufacturer BYD launches new EV Charging System
BYD, https://www.byd.com/us a Chinese energy and automobile giant has announced an ultra fast EV charging system boasting an equivalence to fossil fuel fill up stations.
The one megawatt flash charger can provide power for 400 kilometers or 250 miles in five minutes.
Charging times and limited ranges have been a major factor constraining the switch from gas and diesel vehicles to EVs. However, the Chinese sales of battery and hybrid vehicles surged by 40 percent last year
