Happy Friday, muggles. Utah and Georgia are experimenting with new technology that would let roads talk to cars. It’s not quite like the Pixar movie Cars, but the tech would flag traffic, black ice, potholes, etc, and alert drivers in real-time. For now, we’ve flagged these important stories for you.

EPA to lift greenhouse gas regulations

Mon Aug 10

The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to rescind Obama-era restrictions on methane, a climate-warming gas. This change would get rid of a rule that requires oil and gas companies to install technology to detect and fix methane leaks. 

What do oil and gas companies think of this?

• Small to midsize producers support looser restrictions to decrease costs
• Bigger companies like BP and Exxon Mobil are saying such lack of climate regulations undermines their promise of cleaner energy and makes their product less appealing in markets like the E.U.

This isn’t the first time the E.P.A. has weakened rules under the Trump administration. Some other rule changes include:

• Loosening curbs on tailpipe pollution
• Weakened rules for toxic chemicals released from coal-fired power plants
• Limited public review of federal infrastructure projects to speed up permitting for freeways, power plants, and pipelines

Is there anything that can be done to reverse these changes?

The regulatory changes made in this second half of 2020 could be easily undone in 2021 if Democrats win in November.

SOURCES: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill

Human-caused bear deaths on the rise

Mon Aug 3

Bear deaths have been on the rise since the mid-1990s in the Northwest region of the U.S. and experts are raising concerns about what it could mean for forest health. 

The data on bear deaths looks at everything outside of hunting, which includes deaths from vehicles, wildlife officials, and landowners. In Colorado…

• In the 1980s, bear deaths were in the single digits
• In 2014, 329 bears were killed 

What could be causing more bear deaths?

• Changing climate impacting food availability
• Lack of natural food can cause bears to seek human-related food sources and leads to conflicts
• More development in mountain areas
• Human negligence

SOURCES: Aspen Journalism, Vail Daily

Republicans coronavirus relief proposal includes $377 million West Wing renovation

Fri Jul 31

The Trump administration wants $377 million to modernize the West Wing, and has included it in a draft of the Senate Republicans coronavirus relief bill (without much scrutiny).

Here’s some of what the money would reportedly go towards:

• Safety protocols
• Filtration systems
• Electrical upgrades 
• Enhanced communication and technology infrastructure
• Threat detection and security

There is no timeline in place, so even if it did pass, the November election could determine whether it actually gets done. The West Wing has not been fully modernized since 1933.

SOURCES: ABC News, The Washington Times, KWTX