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On January 15, a group of utility companies wrote a letter to Lee Zeldin, then president-elect Donald Trumps nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. We provide the electricity for millions of homes, businesses, and institutions across the U.S., create thousands of good-paying jobs, and drive economic progress and American prosperity, the letter stated. After the polite opening, they got right to their main request: Two matters in particular call for immediate action: (1) regulations on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing coal-fired and new natural-gas power plants that mandate a carbon capture technology that has not been adequately demonstrated and (2) the unprecedented expansion of the federal regulation of coal combustion residuals (CCR). The companies contend that the federal government has overstepped its authority in its enforcement of these two areas of regulation. The letter asked Zeldin to go easy on themby delivering the regulatory authority back to states and rescinding a 2024 rule that mandated cleanup of coal ash at inactive power plants. What the power companies call coal combustion residuals, and describe as a natural byproduct of generating electricity with coal used for beneficial purposes in U.S. construction and manufacturing, is known more colloquially as coal asha toxic mixture of heavy metals like arsenic and mercury, which, because coal plants are usually built near bodies of water, often comes in contact with groundwater when it is buried in an unlined pit. Over the last century and a half of American coal power generation, power companies have dumped coal ash at hundreds of active and inactive power plants across the country. Zeldin is now the administrator of the EPA, and it appears the power companies are getting their wish. Amid a barrage of press releases that, on March 12, proposed 31 deregulatory actions, were two that seem designed to significantly weaken enforcement of coal ash regulations, environmental attorneys told Grist. Zeldin called it the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. In the first, the EPA announced that it will encourage states to take over permitting and enforcement of the coal ash rule. When states are delegated the authority by the EPA to issue their own coal ash disposal permits, they’re supposed to adhere to standards at least as stringent as the federal rules, but in some cases state environmental agencies have simply gone rogue and flouted this requirement. Georgia, which received the authority to issue its own permits for coal ash disposal in 2019, has controversially approved plans at several coal plants for the utility Georgia Power to permanently store millions of tons of coal ash in unlined landfills that are partially submerged in groundwater, despite being notified by EPA that this violates the federal rule. In neighboring Alabama, state regulators sought the same delegated authority that their counterparts in Georgia had been granted, but last year the EPA denied their application because they planned to issue permits to Alabama Power that violated the federal rules in the same manner as Georgias. Alabamas was the first application for a state-run coal ash program that the EPA has denied; so far, only Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma have been approved. But new approvals may be coming soon: EPA will propose a determination on the North Dakota permit program within the next 60 days, the release said. The EPA also said it would be reviewing a rule it finalized in 2024, under president Joe Biden, that closed a longstanding loophole by extending coal ash regulations to cover so-called legacy coal ash ponds at shuttered power plantswhich werent covered by a landmark 2015 rule that regulated coal ash disposal only at power plants in active use. The EPAs review of the 2024 legacy coal ash rule will focus on whether to extend the deadlines for compliance with the rule. Lisa Evans, senior counsel at Earthjustice, said the time frames in the rule as written were already far more lenient than was necessary. Industry already got major concessions from the Biden EPA to establish deadlines that are far in the future, she said. Because coal ashs peak contamination levels arent reached until some 70 years after waste is dumped, longer deadlines can only mean less effective cleanup. The longer you ignore those sites, the worse the pollution gets, Evans said. In the second announcement related to coal ash, the EPA said it will revise a list of its top enforcement priorities that was announced in 2023 and applied to the fiscal years 2024 through 2027. The list of National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives, or NECI, included six priority areas for action, one of which was Protecting Communities from Coal Ash Contamination. The EPA now intends to align the agencys enforcement priorities with President Trumps executive orders. It said this would be accomplished by immediately revising the NECI list to ensure that enforcement does not discriminate based on race and socioeconomic status (as it has under environmental justice initiatives) or shut down energy production and that it focuses on the most pressing health and safety issues. No further details were provided regarding what this meant for the agencys actual enforcement actions. But a fuller picture is found in an internal agency memo, which was sent by Jeffrey Hall, the acting head of the agencys enforcement and compliance division. The memo, seen by Grist, outlines the ways in which the NECI list was to be updated. Halls memo said that the priorities are under review to ensure alignment between the NECIs and the Administrations directives and priorities, and it laid out a series of directions that applied in the interim to all EPA enforcement and compliance actions. These include a blanket directive that environmental justice considerations shall no longer inform EPAs enforcement and compliance assurance work and another declaring that enforcement and compliance assurance actions shall not shut down any stage of energy production (from exploration to distribution) or power generation absent an imminent and substantial threat to human health or an express statutory or regulatory requirement to the contrary. With respect to coal ash, the memo argues that the NECI priority list focuses in large part on perceived noncompliance with current performance standards and monitoring and testing requirements and is motivated largely by environmental justice considerations, which are inconsistent with the Presidents Executive Orders and the Administrators Initiative. Accordingly, the memo stipulates that enforcement and compliance assurance for coal ash at active power plant facilities shall focus on imminent threats to human health. p>Due to the wording of the memo, Evans said in an email that it would be entirely possible for EPA to justify avoiding any enforcement whatsoever of the coal ash rule under the NECI. This would be a dramatic reversal of the heightened enforcement that ramped up under the Biden administration. In 2024the first year of the coal ash NECI prioritythe EPA conducted 107 compliance assessments of coal ash sites across 18 states. While only five enforcement cases (orders or agreements by which EPA requires companies to take certain actions) were filed in that year, Evans said it is likely that EPA will find reason for enforcement action at many of the other sites if the investigations are allowed to proceed. Evans said the requirement that enforcement only take place in cases of an imminent threat to human health effectively restricts the agency from enforcing aspects of the coal ash rule designed to prevent imminent threats by requiring proper management and monitoring of toxic waste sites before damage and spills occur. For instance, Evans said, the directive would prohibit the EPA from requiring a utility to repair a faulty groundwater monitoring system. Utilities have gamed the system at some plants by designing monitoring systems that intentionally miss detecting leakage from a coal ash dump, she said, citing a 2022 report by Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project that alleged a widespread practice among power companies of manipulating monitoring data to downplay the extent of contamination. Power companies are supposed to dig wells to assess the groundwater quality at coal ash dumps, and in order to gauge their contamination level they compare it to what should be uncontaminated water samples nearby. But the 2022 report documented examples like coal plants in Texas, Indiana, and Florida where the EPA found that the background wells used for the purpose of providing baseline samples of water quality were dug in contaminated areas near the coal ash dump. The report also documented the practice of intrawell monitoring, or simply analyzing the data from each well in isolation, in order to assess changes in contamination levels over time, rather than contrasted with uncontaminated wells. This method doesnt work unless the wells arent contaminated to begin with, and is prohibited by EPA guidelinesbut the report found it was in use at 108 coal plants nationwide. These practices could essentially be given a free pass under the new enforcement guidance. While these are very significant violations (because contamination is not discovered and cleanup not triggered), they may not rise to an imminent threat, especially if there are no data revealing toxic releases, Evans said. The section of the memo dealing with coal ash also stipulated that any order or other enforcement action that would unduly burden or significantly disrupt power generation requires advance approval from the assistant administrator of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurancethe politically appointed position temporarily being held by Hall. The memo justifies this requirement on the basis of the Trump administrations stated intention of unleashing American energy. But to Nick Torrey, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, it has little to do with energy productionand more to do with utilities bottom line. Theres nothing about cleaning up coal ash that affects power generation; those are two separate activities, Torrey noted. So what it sounds like is theyre prioritizing polluters interests over peoples drinking water. Gautama Mehta, Grist This article originally appeared in Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Sign up for its newsletter here.
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E-Commerce
Hows work? If you feel like answering meh, youre not alone. Gallups latest workplace survey found that employee engagement has slumped to a 10-year low. It might not be the work itself, though. You might want to take a closer look at your boss, says Dr. Katina Sawyer, coauthor of Leading for Wellness: How to Create a Team Culture Where Everyone Thrives. The proximal experiences that you have in the day to day of your workplace are what predict your general overall sentiments about your work, says Sawyer, who is an associate professor of management and organizations at the University of Arizonas Eller College of Management. That means that the people that you work with most frequently tend to be really important, specifically leaders. Direct supervisors are often the key determinant of your feelings [about your workplace]. Leadership norms are causing employees to disconnect, says Sawyer. Traditional beliefs include the idea that work should be a leaders entire focus, working tirelessly. Leaders should always have the answers and be very decisive and assertive. And the individual leader is more important than the collective team in terms of what they bring to the table. These ideas have permeated our workplaces, says Sawyer. As a result, when leaders rise through the ranks, instead of being the leader that they would have wanted, they unconsciously adopt these norms of what we’ve seen other leaders do. Unfortunately, these beliefs just dont work, and employees dont want to work for a leader who behaves this way. Feeling meh comes from the norms that workers have inherited, says Sawyer. Organizations have not figured out a way to solve for meh. When they see burnout on the rise and job satisfaction on the decline, they turn to shortsighted and trendy wellness initiatives, such as yoga in the morning and mindfulness breaks at lunch, says Sawyer. Sure, they may be fun, but are they actually driving results? she asks. While none of those things are bad in and of themselves, there’s no substitute for a bad leader. If your proximal experiences are not great, its like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. Instead of investing in one-off solutions, Sawyer suggests that organizations boost leaders capabilities to lead in a way that supports teams and, as a byproduct, drives results and productivity. She offers four techniques that can help. Forgo the Fearless Leader The first mechanism she suggests is realizing that people don’t want superhero leaders, who are stoic, decisive, and unafraid. Actually, that’s quite demotivating for employees, because they can’t see themselves in their leader at all, says Sawyer. They also often start to see the cracks when someone presents a very perfect image of themselves as a leader. People are looking for authenticity. When they don’t see it, it gets confusing and discouraging. Building stronger teams happens when leaders and teammates share their struggles. They become motivated to continue to grow and thrive in the organization, because they actually see a pathway forward for them as human beings, says Sawyer. Dont Worry About the Clock A second mechanism is training leaders to deprogram themselves from thinking that the amount of time that they spend on work is the best metric of productivity. Overworked leaders often produce a negative climate and expect overwork from their employees, says Sawyer. That’s a recipe for burnout. Instead, leaders need to create a culture in which people feel comfortable and confident to support one another through their struggles and to show gratitude to each other. Positive team environments end up saving the leader time in the long run, because what’s supposed to be happening is functioning more smoothly, and leaders are not constantly putting out fires, says Sawyer. Reset Priorities Third, leaders need to recognize that work supports life instead of thinking you must fit your life around work. This includes encouraging employees to prioritize their personal lives by maintaining and respecting their boundaries. Help them do the things that are important to them as people, says Sawyer. If someone is a parent and they’re coaching their kids T-ball team and have to leave every Tuesday and Thursday at four in order to get there on time, be cognizant of the fact. If you make it hard for your employees to participate in things that are important to them, over time, they’re going to grow resentful. Tailor Your Wellness Approach The fourth mechanism is to realize that nothing is one-size-fits-all. One of the problems that broader wellness initiatives have is that they take a blanket approach, says Sawyer. It assumes every employee will love to participate in mindfulness at lunch, but not everybody does. Leaders need to have honest conversations about things that really contribute to each employees health and well-being. Sometimes those are physical things, like needing time to walk in the middle of the day, says Sawyer. Sometimes theyre mental health things, like needing to get to a therapy appointment every Thursday morning. Try to tailor what you offer to the extent possible to best support employees varied needs. What Employees Can Do If you are feeling meh at work and your employer isnt taking steps to change the norms, Sawyer recommends looking for people in your organization who are like-minded and then suggesting some of the cultural elements that can shift the workplace dynamics. Create a committee on health and wellness, where it’s not just one squeaky wheel, but it’s a group of people who are brainstorming to try to create a better work environment for everybody, she says. You can also try to create a micro subculture sphere of influence that adheres to new norms. Document the positive impacts to sell the idea that these mechanisms work. And take steps to regain balance and well-being on a personal level, such as participating in a hobby after work. But dont keep feeling meh about work. The meh feeling is a leading indicator that people are movng in a direction of being less engaged, says Sawyer. Companies should think of meh as a yellow flag that’s headed to red and a recipe for burnout. It wont get better on its own. Turn course now and recover instead of simply following the downward trend.
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E-Commerce
The Seattle Mariners will be repping Nintendo this season. The team announced that starting with the season opener on Thursday, team members will be wearing Nintendo patches on their jerseys. It’s the first time the team has ever had a jersey sponsorship. The Mariners promoted the partnership in a video posted to social media showing center fielder Julio Rodríguez wearing the new jersey and grabbing a Mariners ball cap that’s sitting next to a red Mario hat in a locker. Major League Baseball announced in 2022 that it would begin allowing teams to put sponsorships on their uniforms. Some teams quickly capitalized: The New York Yankees signed Starr Insurance, and the Kansas City Royals signed the convenience store and gas station chain QT. For the Mariners, the Nintendo patches are just the latest in a long-running partnership with the video game company that goes back more than three decades to 1992, when Nintendo of America purchased a controlling stake in the team. Though most of Nintendo of America’s stake was sold in 2016, the company still owns about 10% of the team. “Nintendo and the Mariners have been inextricably linked since 1992,” Kevin Martinez, the baseball teams president of business operations, said in a statement. “Now, each time the Mariners take the field, our jersey sleeves will help serve as a reminder of all that Nintendo of America has done for the Northwest community and the team.” [Photo: Seattle Mariners] Mariners players will wear white jerseys with the red-and-white Nintendo “racetrack” logo on the sleeve for home games. For away games, their turquoise jerseys will feature a red patch for the Switch 2, the Nintendo console that comes out next month. For baseball fans unhappy with corporate sponsorships finally making their way to players’ jerseys, the Nintendo patches may be unwelcome news. But at least for Mariners fans the team’s first ad might just be something they actually want to buy.
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E-Commerce
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