#trucking industry impact

[artisticdivasworld]

Julie Su’s Independent Contractor Rule: What It Means for Truckers

Today, let’s talk about something that’s been stirring up a lot of talk in our industry: Julie Su’s Independent Contractor rule and what it means for truckers. There are strong opinions on both sides, so let’s break it down. So, what’s this rule all about? Julie Su, the Acting Labor Secretary, introduced a new rule that changes how workers are classified as either employees or independent…

[quillsword]

Discover the shocking tale of a miscarriage of justice against President Trump and its ripple effects: a trucker boycott of New York City. Delve into the controversial fallout, the socio-political implications, and the broader discourse surrounding this unprecedented event - or just listen to my snarky ranting!

[reasonsforhope]

Green energy is in its heyday. 

Renewable energy sources now account for 22% of the nation’s electricity, and solar has skyrocketed eight times over in the last decade. This spring in California, wind, water, and solar power energy sources exceeded expectations, accounting for an average of 61.5 percent of the state's electricity demand across 52 days. 

But green energy has a lithium problem. Lithium batteries control more than 90% of the global grid battery storage market. 

That’s not just cell phones, laptops, electric toothbrushes, and tools. Scooters, e-bikes, hybrids, and electric vehicles all rely on rechargeable lithium batteries to get going. 

Fortunately, this past week, Natron Energy launched its first-ever commercial-scale production of sodium-ion batteries in the U.S. 

“Sodium-ion batteries offer a unique alternative to lithium-ion, with higher power, faster recharge, longer lifecycle and a completely safe and stable chemistry,” said Colin Wessells — Natron Founder and Co-CEO — at the kick-off event in Michigan. 

The new sodium-ion batteries charge and discharge at rates 10 times faster than lithium-ion, with an estimated lifespan of 50,000 cycles.

Wessells said that using sodium as a primary mineral alternative eliminates industry-wide issues of worker negligence, geopolitical disruption, and the “questionable environmental impacts” inextricably linked to lithium mining. 

“The electrification of our economy is dependent on the development and production of new, innovative energy storage solutions,” Wessells said. 

Why are sodium batteries a better alternative to lithium?

The birth and death cycle of lithium is shadowed in environmental destruction. The process of extracting lithium pollutes the water, air, and soil, and when it’s eventually discarded, the flammable batteries are prone to bursting into flames and burning out in landfills. 

There’s also a human cost. Lithium-ion materials like cobalt and nickel are not only harder to source and procure, but their supply chains are also overwhelmingly attributed to hazardous working conditions and child labor law violations. 

Sodium, on the other hand, is estimated to be 1,000 times more abundant in the earth’s crust than lithium. 

“Unlike lithium, sodium can be produced from an abundant material: salt,” engineer Casey Crownhart wrote ​​in the MIT Technology Review. “Because the raw ingredients are cheap and widely available, there’s potential for sodium-ion batteries to be significantly less expensive than their lithium-ion counterparts if more companies start making more of them.”

What will these batteries be used for?

Right now, Natron has its focus set on AI models and data storage centers, which consume hefty amounts of energy. In 2023, the MIT Technology Review reported that one AI model can emit more than 626,00 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

“We expect our battery solutions will be used to power the explosive growth in data centers used for Artificial Intelligence,” said Wendell Brooks, co-CEO of Natron. 

“With the start of commercial-scale production here in Michigan, we are well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for efficient, safe, and reliable battery energy storage.”

The fast-charging energy alternative also has limitless potential on a consumer level, and Natron is eying telecommunications and EV fast-charging once it begins servicing AI data storage centers in June. 

On a larger scale, sodium-ion batteries could radically change the manufacturing and production sectors — from housing energy to lower electricity costs in warehouses, to charging backup stations and powering electric vehicles, trucks, forklifts, and so on. 

“I founded Natron because we saw climate change as the defining problem of our time,” Wessells said. “We believe batteries have a role to play.”

-via GoodGoodGood, May 3, 2024

--

Note: I wanted to make sure this was legit (scientifically and in general), and I'm happy to report that it really is! x, x, x, x

[whosblackcat]

mini thread abt how to help riize & seunghan + info 🩷🫧

note & warning: please don’t engage with ANY content of riize, for example don’t comment in their tiktoks saying “riize is 7” even if your intention is good, it breaks the purpose of the boycott!!

sm will pull fake scandals to distract our attention from the matter, for example as they did with sungchan yesterday! don’t believe anything, exols warned us

tweet the trending tags on twitter!! big official fan accounts always share which ones we have to use

don't buy or watch anything related to riize & sm, we’re boycotting

don’t interact with any post of sm and riize even if it’s to use the tags or supporting the boys, we’re boycotting

all the info of what did one of the persons who sent the death wreaths

ot6 are complaining to the police & government abt the displays and flowers for seunghan in front of the sm building, and according to this person now it's not possible to put them in commercial facilities

sm is buying followers and likes due to the impact of the boycott

ot6 are monitoring every movement and project in every language and reporting them. @/RIIZEUSACENTRE kofi was reported because of them while raising trucks money

seunghan's leaked photo with his girlfriend was leaked by hybe

riize is seven movement schedule. day 1 october 28th

mass review 1 star to all sm facilities on google maps (note: they’re deleting the bad reviews but we have to keep going)

hybes’s ceo lee jae sang issues apology letter for the ‘music industry report’ document (a sorry is not enough after destroying hsh life & career)

seunghan town will be removed due to ot6 reports and company that they reported the project, causing making hard getting the needed permits

pineapple manager passed in front of the protest today, he def saw the protest

manager passed in front of the protest again, they know what’s going on

manager passed in front of the protest for the third time, and tomorrow is the meeting

riize is seven movement schedule november 6th

there’s a very popular lawyer who has won a case against sm before that right now is representing fans

riize doesn't have any schedule, comeback or tour for the first quarter of 2025. the boycott is working, keep going!

riize lost 400k monthly listeners on spotify

clarifications on rumors regarding hsh. the thread linked below explains it really well, so please read carefully and repost it on X!

sm announced that seunghan will debut as a solo artist in the second half of 2025… they even created him a profile on ig. sm is trying to calm us down. is their final act of desperation to tame the situation. this doesn’t protect him from toxic fans, pls keep boycotting, this doesn’t end here (we protested to have him back in riize where he belongs, not to debut as solo artist is this a joke what are they doing💀💀)

Jaehyeon Choe, a TikToker with over 174k followers (@/watchwithsamjaychoe), who has worked with different kpop groups, some of them being SM ones, knows things we don't know and is telling us to DON'T STOP THE BOYCOTT

MAMA's violations against fans, the mistreatment and disrespect experienced by the fans cannot be ignored. some fans were denied entry due to their clothing and some others had their stuff (which they paid for) thrown away even if it wasn’t against the rules they settled. dm @/RIIZEUSACENTRE on X if something like this happened to you

this is all the info i found and i wanted to spread it here too, so thanks and credits to all the ppl on twitter!! if i find more relevant info i’ll keep updating this post. please share it 🫶🏻 (note: english isn't my first language, sorry for any mistakes in my grammar)

little motivation and some twitter accounts that organize projects/give info below the cut! 🩷

— some good info twitter accs:

@/RIIZEUSACENTRE @/SEVENRIIZE @/RIIZE_EUROPE @/PROTECT_RIIZE @/Seunghan_USA

— little motivation:

kbriize are holding face to face protests and fanbases hired an attorney. boycott properly if you don't want all the effort to be wasted! remember, boycotting takes time

"The group nearly disbanded in September of 2001, after Park Joon-hyung was discovered to be in a relationship. Their management announced, without informing him or the members, that he was to leave the group and they'd continue as 4, but it was met with strong objection from fans, who repeatedly signed petitions and threatened to boycott concerts and the company. Danny, Kyesang, Hoyoung and Taewoo held their own press conference, without the knowledge of their management, to show their support for Joon. After two months of disagreements, their company eventually backed down and allowed Joon to be in the group." if joon returned to the group after two months of protests, complains and boycott, we can bring back seunghan!! the key is persistence. please don't give up and keep fighting for his rights and justice!!

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from the Substack Distilled:

In the last few months, the Biden administration has quietly passed multiple federal policies that will transform the United States economy and wipe out billions of tons of future greenhouse gas emissions. 

The new policies have received little attention outside of wonky climate circles. And that is a problem.

Earlier this year, I wrote that Biden has done more to mitigate climate change than any President before him. For decades, environmentalists tried and failed to convince lawmakers to pass even the most marginal climate policies. It wasn’t until Biden took office that the logjam broke and the climate policies flowed. And yet few American voters are hearing this story in an election year of huge consequence.

It’s been two and a half months since I wrote that article. In that short time, the Biden administration has passed a handful of climate policies that will collectively cut more than 10 billion tons of planet-warming pollution over the next three decades, more than the annual emissions of India, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and the entire continent of Europe—combined.

One climate policy that flew under the radar recently was the administration's latest energy efficiency rule, unveiled at the beginning of May. The new rules will reduce the amount of energy that water heaters use by encouraging manufacturers to sell models with more efficient heat pump technology. The new regulation is expected to save more energy than any federal regulation in history. 

Most people give little thought to how the water in their homes is heated, but water heaters are the second-largest consumer of energy in the average American home and one of the largest sources of climate pollution in the country. 

A few days before the administration announced its water heater efficiency rules, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced another sweeping policy.

According to the new rules, existing coal power plants will need to either shut down or install carbon capture technology capable of removing 90% of their carbon pollution. The policy will also require any new natural gas power plants that provide baseload power—the ones that run throughout the day and night, as opposed to the peaker plants that only run for a small fraction of hours in the year—to install carbon capture technology. 

The new power sector rules are effectively a death blow to coal power in America, which has slowly faded over the last two decades but still emits more carbon emissions than almost every country in the world. 

The water heater rules and power plant regulations will help the country meet its goal of cutting emissions by 50% by 2030. But impactful as they will be, they weren’t the most important climate policy that the Biden administration passed in the last two months. 

That honor goes to the EPA’s tailpipe rules, which are set to transform the auto industry over the next decade.

Today the transportation sector is the largest source of climate pollution in the United States. Within the sector, passenger cars and trucks are the biggest contributors to emissions. While electric vehicle adoption has grown in recent years, America lags behind many other countries in decarbonizing its vehicle stock. 

The EPA’s new rules will force automakers to reduce the amount of pollution and carbon emissions that come from their vehicles. The federal policy doesn’t specifically mandate that automakers produce EVs or stop selling gas-powered cars but instead regulates the average carbon emissions per mile of a manufacturer's entire fleet over the next decade. That means automakers can still sell gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing trucks in 2035. They’ll just need to sell a lot more EVs or plug-in hybrids to bring their average fleet emissions down if they do.

Like the power plant rules, the EPA’s new auto regulations are designed to avoid being thrown out by a conservative and hostile Supreme Court. 

[wellcomeoneileen]

Why does Randy Harrison deserve compensation? What happened to him? You can DM me if it's not okay to be public

Hey! No it’s totally okay.

⚠️disclaimer - I am a NEW fan and so I am NOT the most informed at all. Other people like @brian-kinney-apologist like really know shit. I initially found things bc watching S4 made me go oh there is bts shit going on for sure and googled, and then when I got on tumblr I saw a bunch of posts talking about it, too.

Lots of older sources are harder to find now bc they didn’t do a digital preservation or the website is expired, but here is what I’ve found, from heated Advocate articles whilst the show aired and then from more measured reflections from podcasts around 2016.

Randy was young and it was his first TV show - when he started he didn’t even have an agent, and really didn’t know what he was getting into. He had done sex scenes on stage and thought that he was pretty prepared for what was to come.

However, he has stated he ended up feeling pretty objectified, such as hearing “we need more shots of Justin’s ass” regularly or expressing a desire to not to go-go dancing type scenes (King of Babylon upset him) and then even more go-go dancing being added (S2 Sap scenes). He was also told to act less gay by casting directors for the show, and to “try to be more butch because Justin isn’t out of the closet”

The show pre-dates intimacy coordinators and there have been allusions, including from the actresses Thea and Michelle, that the sex scenes could be uncomfortable to film.

There was BTS clashing, with producer Tony Jones !!reportedly!!! Saying that Randy was a bitch to work with and “showrunners” “reportedly” saying they would never work with Randy again. There are two interview clips, one from when the show was airing, and one from 2016, when CowLip say they wanted all actors to be comfortable on set, and in BOTH clips , like 15 years apart, Randy kinda like laugh/roll his eyes and Gale looks at him very bemusedly. They had bigger reactions in the ~2003 clip.

He was openly pretty angry as the show went on. He told the Advocate that he would never be friends with or respect Justin if real. He disapproved of the Britin relationship. He said he had to fight to include the scene of Justin topping Brian, which was very important to him. Leading into season 5 he stated he hoped Justin was killed off by getting hit by a truck (obviously being glib, but like he was mad lol)

He has said that lots of scenes needed to be reshot because he struggled to do them so much, like the Cody sexy gun scene that made him so uncomfortable, and then either he or Gale said S5 sex scenes were reshot a lot because they just couldn’t stop laughing at that point anymore.

Peter and Scott recently have said the only time anyone asked for actors’ opinions was right after season 1 ended, and to ME they sounded kinda cheeky about it, all these years later, so perhaps it was a cast sticking point? Unsure, and it wasn’t even Randy who said that. Fat grain of salt.

He has more recently reflected on this time period and expressed regret he went out the way he did, and he understands things better and honors his craft more (heavy paraphrasing!) bc he was mentally checked out by the end and wishes he had finished strong instead.

Also, the cast didn’t realize when signing on how isolated they would be from The Industry. Randy has spoken about this in an unrelated podcast, as have the actors who play Ted and Emmett. NYC or LA are where you want to be for networking, and then signing on to spend the majority of the year in Toronto negatively impacted their careers, they feel. Randy has said he had to start from scratch after the show ended, and Peter and Scott have said Showtime had no idea how to market the show nor their stars, and so they had to just watch as all the initial hype fizzled and nothing was done with them. They were contracted to work too much to seriously be involved elsewhere, while simultaneously not getting good exposure, which I IMAGINE created a dire sort of mood and morale on set. < personal interpretation and fictionalizing history.

Meaning, Randy probably at the very least FELT like he had spent five years on a show that didn’t respect him and it was largely for nothing. He has since stated he appreciates the opportunity and it is the reason he was finically secure, for which he is deeply grateful.

And then finally the fans! He had stalker(s?) and tons of creepy people and was heavily typecast and people would come up to him frequently, which made him uncomfy, and would furthermore act like he was actually Justin, which made him super uncomfy. He was kinda like Chappell Roan!! He was like hey I’m not Justin I’m a person and y’all are freaks. He has publicially declined to speak on the stalking issues, which given his vocal responses to other issues, indicates to ME that it’s pretty personal and upsetting (I mean it’s stalking it’s obviously horrible but you know what I mean). During the show he had a boyfriend that fans like tormented online and even on posters (that bit comes from Tumblr or another forum, so not like verified info on my part at all) because they shipped “Gandy” so hard. I know I’ve read on tumblr about the insane Gandy people but all I remember is they were intense and insane and negatively impacted Randy’s actual real life. Again, that’s info from fans that I haven’t read in article or heard from out of his mouth. Secondary source lol.

This point is PURE speculation, but early interviews with the whole cast were super excited, and they all talked about how excited they were for something ground breaking. By the end, people were angry or giving fluff responses, or in Peter’s case; calmly stating the show was a soap opera and that’s okay. I FEEL like everyone thought they were signing up for something more real/gritty/positive impact to society and then were like oh I’m here to look hot in this show that only moms watch to get them turned on to have sex with their husband. Cool.

Now, do I agree with that - no. But, the show audience was vastly different than expected, and the artistic direction might have been too, both of which might have really disappointed people. Esp Randy and maybe Gale. Randy was a capital T theatre person, and Gale was too and had lots of experimental work and like performance art. Randy has ALSO expressed displeasure with some theater work he did because he didn’t think it was fresh and the audience was only older wealthy white people, so we do know that this sort of thing does matter to his sense of fulfillment at work.

TLDR; had to shoot scenes he didn’t want to, several times, felt objectified on set, disagreed with his character’s direction, maybe felt like he wasn’t being listened to artistically, was cut off from other work opportunities, didn’t appear to get along with leadership, had bad fans, was young and in deep over his head, and at the very least *started* with no career or social support system.

Again!! Am not the most knowledgeable person !!! I do NOT want to spread misinformation so hopefully I’ve tagged where I’m reading into things vs actual quotes but also people who have actually been around pls feel free to say 🙋um actuallllyyyyy

[nebraskas]

4/26/24 Nebraska/IA Tornadoes

a continuously updated list of resources

last updated 4/27/24 at 8:13 AM CST; find how to help those affected at the bottom

All

Aid/Assistance/Reunification

If you are disabled and impacted by tornadoes, call Disability & Disaster Hotline 800-626-4959 or email hotline@disasterstrategies.org (per The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies on X)

Nebraska Humane Society can house animals that need emergency shelter. Contact Animal Control at 402-444-7800 ext. 1. (per NE Humane Society on X)

Footage

Images and videos from across the storm's path.

Bennington

Aid/Assistance/Reunification

Three Timbers Church - S 2nd and Warehouse Street, St. John's Lutheran Church - N Molly Street and Howard Lane, and City Hall - 156th Street and Warehouse Street are all locations to find assistance. (per KETV7)

Clean Up

13505 N. 216th St. in Bennington needs to keep several things in mind:

The landfill will be open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Green debris limbs must be cut into pieces 4 feet or smaller.

Debris can be mixed.

Home appliances and hazardous materials are not accepted.

(per KETV7)

Blair

Aid/Assistance/Reunification

The Red Cross has set up a location at First Lutheran Church at 2146 Wright Street (per KETV7)

Elkhorn

Aid/Assistance/Reunification

A Facebook page where people are offering resources

Common Ground Recreation Center at 1701 Veterans Drive will serve as an overnight shelter for those affected and pets. (per KETV7)

Anyone needing relief or assistance due to the storms, St. Patrick’s at 204th and Maple Street is your go to. Do not go for unrelated reasons. (per Omaha Scanner on X)

Command Post has moved to 204th and West Maple in St Patrick’s Church parking lot. Media staging is now at the Walgreens parking lot at 202 W Maple (per OPD on X)

Currently there is a reunification center being established at Elkhorn Middle School located at 3200 N 207th street for parents. (per Douglas County 911 on X)

PETS: PetSmart Veterinary Services is at the Walgreens at 202nd and Maple in Elkhorn for pet triage and stabilizing services for animals needing care from tornado injuries. (per Brian Beech on X)

Clean Up

Pheasant Point Landfill as a debris drop-off location, closes at 3 PM today (per KETV7)

Damage

Residents who have suffered damage to their homes in today's severe weather event should call 2-1-1 or go online at http://dogis.org/211 to make a report. (per Douglas County on X)

Omaha

Aid/Assistance/Reunification

Heartland Hope Mission has two locations in west and south O that offer help. West - 15555 Industrial Road, South - 2021 U Street (per KETV7)

How to Help

NE Humane Society is taking food and litter donations at 8929 Fort Street; also accepting monetary donations. (per NE Humane Society on X)

On 4/27/24 at 7:30 AM there will be a meeting at Relevant Church 21220 Elkhorn Drive held by Rapid Response America to help with disaster relief. Bring your own PPE (gloves, long sleeved shirts, closed toed shoes) and you will have to sign a waiver. More info here.

A Facebook page where people can offer help

My City Church is partnering with other area churches to offer assistance. It's asking for volunteers to help in a variety of ways:

Meet at the Relevant center at 212th Street and West Maple Road at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Volunteers are asked to bring chainsaws, trucks, trailers, shovels, rakes, brooms, garbage bags, etc. to help clean up

Meet at Brookside Elkhorn Campus at 9 a.m. Saturday. Volunteers need to bring necessary tools and work gloves.

(per KETV7)

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - October 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles on Patreon!

1. Industrial wastelands to wildlife oases: Five nature wins that have actually worked

“[An archipelago in the Indian ocean] experienced a major whale comeback after signing up to a debt for nature swap[….] In Sri Lanka's capital of Colombo, local efforts have transformed what was once a rubbish dump to a wetland teeming with [wildlife….]”

2. Louisville launches America’s first 100% electric garbage truck fleet

““These innovative EV collection trucks will fulfill our trash, compost and recycling needs, reduce noise pollution, and include larger windshields to increase each driver’s field of vision and lower greenhouse gas emissions[….]” [The trucks are equipped with] audible devices that alert nearby drivers and pedestrians to compensate for their quieter operations.”

3. How a nearly extinct crocodile species returned from the brink in Cambodia

“By the late nineties, [Siamese crocodiles] were thought to be extinct. […] Today there are about 1,000 Siamese crocodiles in the wild[….] The first crocodiles were reintroduced into the wild in 2012 and they have begun breeding in the wild: over a hundred eggs were discovered in the forests in July, the most so far.”

4. Before his death, this conservative combat veteran filmed a PSA advocating for his transgender son

““Eric [“a conservative South Carolina U.S. Army combat veteran and father of a transgender child”] believed in the importance of freedom for trans kids — the right to live authentically and without fear,” [his widow] said. “He saw this not as a political issue but as a human one, recognizing that every child deserves the chance to thrive and feel whole.”” [Curator’s note: obviously, utmost condolences to Eric’s family; I’m including this as good news because it’s impactful to see a respectable member of the political party more often known for transmisia instead publicly advocating for his son’s human - not just political - rights]

5. Azores to create largest Marine Protected Area in North Atlantic – and a 'blueprint' for the rest of the world

““The Azores’ waters are a hotspot for marine life, hosting a third of the world's whale and dolphin species,[…” and harbouring] “cold-water corals and sponge fields that act as nurseries and feeding grounds for countless species, from deep-sea sharks to commercially valuable fish stocks.””

6. ‘It’s a big lever for change’: the radical contract protecting Hamburg’s green space

“Citizen power forced Germany’s greenest city-state into a binding agreement balancing housing and nature[….] The authorities signed an agreement with the citizen’s initiative to protect 30% of Hamburg’s land area – 10% as untouchable nature reserves and 20% with a looser conservation status – and ensure the share of public green space in the city rises over time.”

7. Behind the Scenes at the Federal Bee Lab Powered by Native Plants

“Once native plants reappeared at the lab, he says, the impact was dramatic. In the first year, many of the region’s 200 native bee species arrived in droves. [… B]irds Droege had never before seen on the premises began to turn up to feed on the native plant seeds[….]”

8. Atlanta neighborhood hired case manager to address rising homelessness. It's improving health and safety for everyone

“Michael Nolan, an Intown Cares social worker, is trained in an approach that emphasizes individual autonomy and dignity, recognizes that being homeless is a traumatic experience, and prioritizes access to housing. [… H]iring a social worker has enabled East Atlanta Village to resolve conflicts gently, through conversation and negotiation.”

9. Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nests Make a Remarkable Comeback in Greece

“As long-lived and migratory species, [loggerheads] contribute to the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs, which are vital habitats for many marine organisms. Their nesting activities also contribute to beach ecosystems and help promote biodiversity.”

10. Rapid genome analysis of a Whippet sighthound sets new standard for biodiversity research

“[Scientists] have sequenced and analyzed the complete genome of a Whippet sighthound in less than a week. […] Rapid analysis is increasingly important for the conservation of endangered species, [… giving] insights into their biological relationships, evolution and adaptations to environmental conditions.”

October 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[leviathan-supersystem]

Mike DeWine, the Ohio governor, recently lamented the toll taken on the residents of East Palestine after the toxic train derailment there, saying “no other community should have to go through this”.

But such accidents are happening with striking regularity. A Guardian analysis of data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and by non-profit groups that track chemical accidents in the US shows that accidental releases – be they through train derailments, truck crashes, pipeline ruptures or industrial plant leaks and spills – are happening consistently across the country.

By one estimate these incidents are occurring, on average, every two days.

“These kinds of hidden disasters happen far too frequently,” Mathy Stanislaus, who served as assistant administrator of the EPA’s office of land and emergency management during the Obama administration, told the Guardian. Stanislaus led programs focused on the cleanup of contaminated hazardous waste sites, chemical plant safety, oil spill prevention and emergency response.

In the first seven weeks of 2023 alone, there were more than 30 incidents recorded by the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters, roughly one every day and a half. Last year the coalition recorded 188, up from 177 in 2021. The group has tallied more than 470 incidents since it started counting in April 2020.

The incidents logged by the coalition range widely in severity but each involves the accidental release of chemicals deemed to pose potential threats to human and environmental health.

In September, for instance, nine people were hospitalized and 300 evacuated in California after a spill of caustic materials at a recycling facility. In October, officials ordered residents to shelter in place after an explosion and fire at a petrochemical plant in Louisiana. In November, more than 100 residents of Atchinson, Kansas, were treated for respiratory problems and schools were evacuated after an accident at a beverage manufacturing facility created a chemical cloud over the town.

Among multiple incidents in December, a large pipeline ruptured in rural northern Kansas, smothering the surrounding land and waterways in 588,000 gallons of diluted bitumen crude oil. Hundreds of workers are still trying to clean up the pipeline mess, at a cost pegged at around $488m.

The precise number of hazardous chemical incidents is hard to determine because the US has multiple agencies involved in response, but the EPA told the Guardian that over the past 10 years, the agency has “performed an average of 235 emergency response actions per year, including responses to discharges of hazardous chemicals or oil”. The agency said it employs roughly 250 people devoted to the EPA’s emergency response and removal program.

[...]

The EPA itself says that by several measurements, accidents at facilities are becoming worse: evacuations, sheltering and the average annual rate of people seeking medical treatment stemming from chemical accidents are on the rise. Total annual costs are approximately $477m, including costs related to injuries and deaths.

“Accidental releases remain a significant concern,” the EPA said.

In August, the EPA proposed several changes to the Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations that apply to plants dealing with hazardous chemicals. The rule changes reflect the recognition by EPA that many chemical facilities are located in areas that are vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis, including power outages, flooding, hurricanes and other weather events.

The proposed changes include enhanced emergency preparedness, increased public access to information about hazardous chemicals risks communities face and new accident prevention requirements.

The US Chamber of Commerce has pushed back on stronger regulations, arguing that most facilities operate safely, accidents are declining and that the facilities impacted by any rule changes are supplying “essential products and services that help drive our economy and provide jobs in our communities”. Other opponents to strengthening safety rules include the American Chemistry Council, American Forest & Paper Association, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute.

The changes are “unnecessary” and will not improve safety, according to the American Chemistry Council.

Many worker and community advocates, such as the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America, (UAW), which represents roughly a million laborers, say the proposed rule changes don’t go far enough.

[svt-kiki]

( 🩹 )　𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏　⌅ .

꣑꣒　　kiki　+　misamo　──　heisei galz　...　98%

THE famous jp girls in kpop 🤩

THE BIG 4

like their impact is insane??? they literally paved the way for japanese kpop idols in industry

as seungkwan once said, svt and twice’s comeback schedules often overlapped with each other, it didn’t take long to form a friendship within girls

fans favorites are isac moments ! they always greet and cheer each other, sometimes kiki just blended within twice and spend time with them since all of twice girls adores her, make once jokingly mourns they can never beat kiki

they have few of matching accessories and that led kiki to have dating rumours with all of them ( once & carat’s inner joke )

although they being iconic twiceteen friendship, she’s close with most of twice girls ( jihyo and kiki is bestie )

꣑꣒　　kiki　+　yuta　──　kiyu　...　94%

the most iconic friendship among the 3rd gen idols !

DEFINITION OF ETERNAL PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP

they met when svt & nct were doing promotions at the same around time, aju nice & fire truck back in 2016

had known each other since then, became friends shortly after

yuta silently pulls out kiki’s chaotic side successfully

they are the main reason for other ncteen friendships, they all grow closer to one another like “oh it’s kiki / yuta’s bestie’s member”

besically have joint custody for shotaro

she roots his solo activities passionately

he asked her for help about the acting project a lot

kiki is very proud of him, teared up when saw yuta on the screen for the first time

they held the famous washoku house party time to time when they miss their home country’s food

꣑꣒　　kiki　+　changkyun　──　kikyun　...　87%

the wiseman said, kiki and yuta are 100% platonic friendship but kikyun let us feel there’s a slight possibility of something else

and that’s true

🚨 sexual tension 🚨 ( not in public eye ofc )

she’s close with the most of monsta x members ( they adore their little sis too much ) and changkyun is the closest among all of them

he speaks to her in casual manner since their birthdays are less than a year apart and that makes them in the same grade in japan

but he calls her noona which is kinda confusing to other people especially if u consider he is not her member, but it’s their own way to communication

always hyping up each others solo work, mention in vlive and stories

midnight calls when someone is struggling to sleep, til one of them fall asleep over the phone

he teaches several languages esp how to do french pronouncing

꣑꣒　　kiki　+　seulgi　──　seulki　...　73%

call each other jagiya quite casually

quite suspicious potential gay couple

they’re just not LOUD, but if you take a look closer you’ll notice something… is going on…

talking like everything is normal while their faces are just really close and lips are just inches apart

someone said “they should be banned to interact publicly unless we all gonna have serious problem to our heart,” and that’s true-

attends each others concerts and fangirling over with it

seulgi: *sends lots of pics from japan trip* kiki: why she visiting japan more than me this year 🥲

˖˙ ᰋ 𝒽𝗈𝗇𝗈𝗋𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 ── 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌

꣑꣒　　kiki　+　gaeun　──　kieun　...　61%

carats can’t take them without crying 🥹

like they tried to hide how much they care each other and success with it but that hug? after they find out gaeun couldn’t make a debut? one of the most sick moments in the entire pd series

the experience in pd 48 literally traumatized kiki

carats suspected the ranking manipulation in the program caused an eternal beef between some of the topsides in pledis ( including han seongsu himself ) and kiki and that’s

now it’s rare to see their interactions in public but most of kiki stans are aware of the preciousness in their friendship

꣑꣒　　kiki　+　minhyun　──　kinhyun　...　53%

nothing crazy, just good old friends

minhyun knows every juicy tea related to kiki he has a LIST of people who has a crush on her ngl

kiki is still close with all of nu’est boys, kinhyun is the most contacted pair, keep in touch time to time ( i mean they are the og oppas… just bring back nueteen like yeogi ga heavennnnn )

both love reading, exchange the book information they read and talk about it

sending the coffee track to each other’s drama 100%

꣑꣒　　kiki　+　yunjin　──　kijin　...　44%

yunjin being the representative of longing kiki committee in the 4th gens 😂 ( like there’s too many idols who look up her as their idol )

they knew each other before the produce 48 program, kept contacting even after yunjin quit the trainee and went back to the state

not she shouting eonniiiii from across the hallway of hybe building and jump up to her back

(    📁    )   :   NAVI   :  MASTER LIST     

(    tag list    )   :   @smh-anon @jennwonwoo @angie-x3 @scarlet789

[artisticdivasworld]

The Bumpy Economic Roads: Over Or Not?

The freight transportation industry is hitting some rough patches these days. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. During the pandemic, consumer spending went through the roof, and freight companies were riding high. But now, it’s like we’ve hit a major speed bump. One big issue is that there’s just too much shipping capacity. Retailers and manufacturers went on a stocking spree during the…

[contemporaryelfinchild]

A short note on your ability to help fight climate change

I've noticed a trend in some liberal spaces to laugh at the idea of personal responsibility in trying to prevent catastrophic climate change. The story goes, "The government has been telling us for years to recycle and bike to work and use reusable water bottles and that we can make a difference! But really 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions, so this is all bunk actually, and putting the responsibility on all our shoulders when it's those guys who need to change! Me putting up string lights doesn't make a difference actually in the big picture." I want to push back on this a little as a scientist and climate advocate, and I want to give you some things to be aware of. First, those 100 companies are all energy companies, not companies like Amazon. They are the big producers of coal, oil, and gas worldwide. And that coal and natural gas are what are burned to provide the electricity that powers all our lives. The demand for that is every single thing you do that uses electricity. It is a massive collective phenomenon. That natural gas is what you likely burn to heat your house in the winter, and possibly how you cook your food. You might be doing so right now. Unless you have an electric car or scooter etc, gasoline is what powers your car. Many of your purchases are shipped across oceans with diesel. The demand for energy is from all of us. Many cities, at least in the US have CO2 budgets you can look up. If you do, you will see plots like this:

These are from a report prepared by the US National Energy Technology Lab about the nearby city of Pittsburgh PA, one of the two largest cities in the state of Pennsylvania. These are really simple plots, so take a minute to look at them, and actually note the y-axis. MMBtu is a unit of energy. One average single family home in the US uses about 50 MMBtu. The y-axis here is in millions of MMBtu. First, I want you to note that the greenhouse gas emissions are about an even 3-way split in if they come from electricity, natural gas, or transportation. All the renewable energy in the world would only impact one of those three categories. If all 100 of those energy companies replaced all their coal and oil with solar panels this year, that would only cut a third of these emissions. Only things that use electricity can be made lower emissions by switching to renewables and nuclear. For example, 1/3rd of the CO2 in this city comes from transportation and most of that is cars. Some of it is trucks, some of it is buses, but most of it is people driving around. This is why community organizers and climate activists want you to bike, take the bus, or get an electric or hybrid car. The total effect of everyone driving is actually massive! "But" I hear you say. "American infrastructure is car-centric! There are no buses where I live or I can't use them! And I can't afford to buy a new electric car." Yeah. I know. It sucks. But cities don't actually have enough money to rebuild the city to fix this, or to buy everyone new cars. But you can look up if your city has any sort of bond measure or sales tax to support public transit, or community feedback about it and try to support those things. But think about this. If the next time everyone in the city went to buy a new car, if they just checked if there was a hybrid in their price range and got that, then that would shift the composition towards being more electricity and less burning gasoline. This is what everyone calls "Electrification" and only by electrifying things can you reduce emissions in those sectors. Otherwise they stay totally flat and we just can't afford that. Let's look at the second plot, the city's monthly consumption broken down by electricity and natural gas. We see that the electricity is very flat over the year. Looking at the third plot, this is dominated by commercial use. Think like, big hospitals. This is not dominated by industry. It might be, depending on your city! But this electricity can come from renewable energy with grid scale and distributed storage. And there are programs in place now to try to bring these down. What about natural gas? Looking at the final plot we see that that is mostly residential. This is from heating and gas stoves. This is why you have heard your local city leaders talking about replacing your gas stove with electric or your gas furnace with a heat pump. These residential uses, summed over the whole population, contribute very significantly to the greenhouse gas emissions. [Note, check here if your electricity is still primarily from Coal. If so, natural gas has significantly less emissions than coal and you should wait to electrify until your electricity is itself mostly natural gas, renewables, and nuclear.] This is why you keep seeing programs offering tax rebates and other tools to give you benefits for switching from natural gas. This means your city or county leaders have assessed that it would be beneficial now to do this to start reducing that huge residential natural gas emissions source. If anyone you know owns a home, they could check and see if they could pay the same to replace old appliances with electric versions vs new natural gas ones, possibly with the help of government incentives. See the DOE page on heat pumps. If they did, it would help because again, the government can't come in and change your appliances for you.

But what about those 100 companies and their fossil fuels? None of this stops that, or lowers the carbon emissions from the electricity that makes everything run. True! But there are genuinely people working on that and you can too. Note that many of the easy actions your government could take to address this would cost you a lot of money and be deeply inequitable. For example, tripling the price of gas. The reason for all these government incentives is to try to get people to make these changes without doing that. So see if community solar is legal in your area, or if you can choose your electricity provider, or take other action to demonstrate interest in renewables. Email your elected officials and demand a cap-and-trade (or invest) program. Vote yes for these programs. If you work for a large company or institution, talk to someone about if the company could negotiate a Power Purchase Agreement. Look into stand-alone-battery storage even if solar isn't in your budget or wouldn't be efficient where you live because there being distributed battery storage helps reduce the peaking needs of the Grid and reduces demand for fossil fuels (and helps you save money and get through power outages). Learn about nuclear power and understand that it has to stay for us to get off fossil fuels. Keep protesting pipelines. Finally, most city greenhouse gas emissions budgets like the above don't include the emissions from consumption and shipping. Aka, the full supply chain emissions to get things delivered to cities (and it is, primarily, TO cities). Thus they are mostly under-estimates of the aggregate day to day impacts of the general populace. Moral or the story: Buy local, ride your bike, recycle your glass and do it properly, genuinely look into electrifying your transport and appliances as you are able, and then get involved in your community to do more. Don't kid yourself that you aren't part of the collective action problem. If you live in a major city in a developed country you are. You can't fix it yourself, but also it can't be fixed without your engagement, and all those PSAs and tax rebates and community organizing are the hard work of doing just that.

Note: This post is US-centric and the situation is very different in different countries. If you have anything to add that is more relevant to your country feel free to!

[quillsword]

Keep on Truckin'! Anywhere But New York!

When you’re running a senile old man and have to abuse the justice system in a vain attempt to keep his opponent out of the race, maybe you should reconsider your life choice to be a political party. No one expected a fair verdict out of that kangaroo court, or New York for that matter, but the insanely egregious judgment left even my cranky jaw dropping. I’ll spare you the words my cat had to…

[reasonsforhope]

"An environmental toxicologist in California is cleaning up areas contaminated with heavy metals or other pollutants using fungi and native plants in a win-win for nature.

Where once toxic soils in industrial lots sat bare or weed-ridden, there are now flowering meadows of plants and mushrooms, frequented by birds and pollinators: and it’s thanks to Danielle Stevenson.

Founder of DIY Fungi, the 37-year-old ecologist from UC Riverside recently spoke with Yale Press about her ongoing work restoring ‘brownfields,’ a term that describes a contaminated environment, abandoned by industrial, extraction, or transportation operations.

A brownfield could be an old railway yard or the grounds of an abandoned oil refinery, but the uniting factor is the presence of a toxic containment, whether that’s a petrochemical, heavy metal, or something else.

Noting that she had read studies about mushrooms growing around the Chernobyl nuclear plant, she came to understand further, through her work, that fungi are an extraordinarily resilient species of life that consume carbon, and even though petroleum products are toxic to plants, to mushrooms they are essentially a kind of carbon.

In fact, mushrooms break down several categories of toxic waste with the same enzymes they use to consume a dead tree. They can also eat plastic and other things made out of oil, like agrochemicals.

At the Los Angeles railyard, as part of a pilot project, Stevenson and colleagues planted a variety of native grass and flower species alongside dead wood that would incubate specific fungi species called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which assists plants in extracting heavy metals like lead and arsenic from the soil.

Alongside traditional decomposer fungi, the mixture of life forms demonstrated tremendous results in this brownfield.

“In three months we saw a more than 50 percent reduction in all pollutants. By 12 months, they were pretty much not detectable,” Stevenson told Yale 360.

Decontaminating soil like this typically involves bringing in a bulldozer and digging it all up for transportation to a landfill. This method is not only hugely expensive, but also dangerous, as contaminated material can scatter on the winds and fall out of the backs of trucks carting it away.

By contrast, the plants that draw out the toxic metals can be harvested and incinerated down to a small pile of ash before cheap transportation to a hazardous waste facility.

The technique, which Stevenson says has some scaling issues and issues with approval from regulators, is known officially as bioremediation, and she’s even used it to safely break down bags of lubricant-soaked rags from bicycle repair shops.

“People who live in a place impacted by pollution need to have a say in how their neighborhood is being cleaned up. We need to empower them with the tools to do this,” she said."

-via Good News Network, July 16, 2024

[sustainabilitythoughts]

Environmental impact of fresh flower bouquets

Fresh cut flowers brighten up the room and bring joy to those who see them.  In many cultures, cut flower bouquets are gifted to show love, caring, and good wishes.  Growing, transporting, and selling the fresh flowers for these bouquets is a huge global industry that creates opportunities for trade and jobs, especially in impoverished regions that have ideal flower-growing climates. However, this industry has a very large environmental impact.  As the article below discusses, a lot of the fresh flowers are transported long distances in refrigerated planes and trucks.  A large percentage of the fresh flowers are raised in greenhouses (to protect from weather and pests) that use power to heat and cool the greenhouses.  When their beauty fades, most of these fresh flowers end up in landfills, where their decomposition creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.  A recent Washington Post article pointed out that roses, carnations and chrysanthemums are the three species that make up the vast majority of imported flowers in the US.  “The environmental impact of a bouquet plummets when the flowers are grown locally and are in season”, so consider buying fresh flowers that are likely to be grown in your region and transported by truck rather than airplane.  Or perhaps gift your loved one a live flowering plant.  In March, I received the gift of a flowering houseplant and it is still covered with blossoms.  If you have space, grow your own flowers and cut bouquets to bring inside.  Read the attached article for more information and ideas on how to reduce the impact of the fresh flowers you buy. 

[sudriantraveler]

Duncan's Accident Report

It was evening on the Skarloey Railway.

A very battered and bruised Duncan sat at the back of the workshops. His driver was sitting at a desk nearby with a pen and paper as Duncan dictated to him what to write.

Dear Sir,

I am writing in response to your request for additional information in block 3 of the accident report form.

I put “poor planning” as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation, and so I trust the following details will be sufficient.

I am an industrial engine by design. On the date of the accident I was working alone near the incline at the Skarloey Slate Quarry.

Work had to be stopped early, as the brakes on the incline winding gear had broken. However, I saw that there were some loaded slate trucks left over at the top of the incline which, when weighed later, were found to be slightly in excess of 46,000 lbs.

Rather than go and bring the trucks down myself using the longer, more winding path through the back of the quarry, I decided to send them down using the incline.

Since the brakes on the incline winding gear were broken, I decided to couple myself to the winding cable to ensure a steady descent as the trucks began to roll down.

You will note, in block 11 of the accident report form, that I weigh just under 18,000 lbs.

Due to the shock of being jerked forward so suddenly, my driver fell off the footplate and was unable to apply my brakes, and I was also unable to disconnect from the cable.

Needless to say I proceeded at a rapid rate of speed up the incline.

At about the halfway point of the incline I met the trucks, which were now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed, in spite of some of them having become derailed and hanging over my line.

This explained the fractured smokebox, minor scratches and the broken funnel, as listed in section 3 of the accident report form.

Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until my front end was buffers deep into the winding house.

Fortunately, through the impact I had remained connected to the cable, and managed to hold on in spite of beginning to experience a great deal of pain.

At approximately the same time, however, the trucks hit the buffers at the bottom of the incline, with several becoming uncoupled in the impact, and the remaining trucks being broken open and losing their loads of slate.

Now devoid of the weight of the slate and the uncoupled trucks, the remaining trucks weighed approximately 9,000 lbs. I refer you again to my weight of 18,000 lbs.

As you can imagine, I began a rapid descent back down the incline.

In the vicinity of the halfway point, I met the trucks coming up.

This accounts for the two fractured rear buffers, broken cab window and several dents along my cab and bunker.

Here my luck began to change slightly.

The encounter with the trucks seemed to slow me enough to lessen the damage I sustained when I crashed into the pile of slate, and fortunately only three crankpins were broken.

I am sorry to report, however, as I sat there in the pile of slate, in pain, unable to move, I became disconnected from the cable, and I sat there watching the empty trucks begin their journey back down to me. This explains the two broken cylinders.

I hope this answers your inquiry.

Signed,

Duncan

Inspired by this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf0_KQQeTjc