FIRST LOOK: 

The governors of the U.S. Climate Alliance are demanding Congress pass a climate strong reconciliation package to fight climate change and help states accelerate climate solutions. Read the letter signed by 22 governors here.

Journalist, Indigenous Activist Missing in Amazon After Threats: British environmental journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous Brazilian activist Bruno Araújo Pereira have disappeared in a remote part of the Amazon after recent threats were made against them for their work with a group monitoring illegal mining and fishing. Phillips, a freelance journalist for The Guardian who has written extensively on threats of climate change to Brazil’s environment and the Indigenous communities of the Amazon, has been traveling in the region reporting for a new book. Phillips was accompanied by Pereira, a former government official now working with an Indigenous organization called Univaja that protects uncontacted tribes and patrols in the Vale Do Javari reserve in Amazonas, near Peru. Phillips and Pereira were last seen following a planned meeting along the Itaquaí River early Sunday morning, but did not return as expected in their boat to the city Atalaia del Norte, the entry point to the reserve, Univaja said in a statement Monday. Activists and journalists criticized Brazilian authorities for their sluggish response in joining Indigenous activists searching the area, which is marked by a tangle of complicated waterways that can be slow to traverse by boat. Following the criticism, the Brazilian Navy said it would deploy a helicopter Tuesday. Amazonas in recent decades has been plagued by violence as deforestation has especially increased under President Jair Bolsonaro, whose government has greatly weakened environmental protections. “Under the Bolsonaro government the pressure [on activists to cease monitoring illegal activities] has increased even more because the invaders felt empowered and became more aggressive,” Beto Marubo, an Indigenous leader in the region, said, calling for an “urgent search mission” with “no time to lose.” “These are systematically organised gangs that are plundering the Javari region. They are veritable gangs and they are very violent.” (The Guardian, New York Times $)

High Heat to Challenge Battered Texas Power Grid: Power demand in Texas is expected to hit an all-time high this week amid extreme heat that will strain the state’s power grid. With the forecast expected to hover in the high 90s all week and top triple digits over the weekend, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is predicting power usage this week will exceed the record set in August 2019. The high temperatures stand to strain a grid that has already run into trouble this year when several power plants unexpectedly shut down over a few abnormally hot days in May, forcing ERCOT to ask consumers to conserve their power use (It’s unlikely that Tesla owners foregoing charging this week will make much of a dent in demand). Texas’ grid and ERCOT’s stewardship are under increased scrutiny following days of blackouts during last February’s freeze, but the regulator is predicting that the new wind and solar capacity installed over the past year will help meet the expected demand this week. Texans are already seeing soaring electricity costs show up on their utility bills – 70% higher than June 2021, the highest since Texas privatized its grid in 1999 – even before summer arrives, thanks to the inflated price of gas that makes up the plurality of Texas’s energy sources. "We've never seen prices this high," AARP Texas Associate State Director Tim Morstad told the Dallas Morning News. "There's going to be some real sticker shock here." (Reuters)

EPA Reaches Deal for Overdue Cancer Alley Monitoring: The EPA and the Concerned Citizens of St. John and other environmental groups have reached a deal for federal agencies to take over monitoring toxic air pollution in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, resolving a lawsuit that charged the EPA as being years behind its deadlines for reviewing emissions standards for industrial plastics and rubber manufacturing, E&E reported. The proposed consent decree will impel the EPA to undertake a long-overdue review of hazardous air pollutants, apply general control device requirements for flares, set up rolling deadlines for EPA review and strengthen regulations on marine vessel loading operations and other sources. An EPA report in 2015 confirmed what was long believed to be true: that the heavily industrialized 80-mile stretch along the Mississippi River known as Cancer Alley, where local regulators are known for being cozy with industry and lax in enforcing regulations or levying fines, experiences profoundly higher cancer risk thanks to rampant pollution from the many petrochemical, oil and gas, and other facilities there. St. John’s Parish, at the heart of Cancer Alley, has a risk of cancer 50 times greater than the national average, the highest in the U.S. Little has changed since 2015: As of September, the majority Black communities in St. John’s Parish breathed chloroprene air concentrations at 12,000 times the ambient concentration cancer risk value. In January, the Biden administration announced plans to deploy mobile air pollution monitoring units in the area and conduct surprise inspections of the industrial facilities there. The decree will be made available Tuesday for 30 days of public comment and still requires a federal judge’s approval, with a proposed rule coming next March and final version expected in March 2024. (E&E $)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Black Americans 3 times more likely to die from soot exposure (E&E $), Biden to update ‘sacred’ EJ order that never really worked (E&E News)

(JUST PLAIN) RACISM: Florida Supreme Court backs DeSantis, diluting 370,000 Black votes across 4 GOP-leaning districts (The Grio)

FOSSIL FUELED WAR: Energy prices and Ukraine war no excuse for climate inaction, say experts (The Guardian), Environmental groups challenge EU support for gas projects (AP), Ukraine war drives Europe to accelerate energy efficiency (Wall Street Journal $), U.S. to ease Venezuela oil restrictions for Europe: report (OilPrice) 

COST OF INACTION: Climate crisis costs up over 800% as UN donor nations fail to keep pace, report says (CNN)

PRIDE: Granholm: Pride flag will fly every June under Biden admin (E&E $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Global crises undermine efforts to get climate talks back to normal (Politico Pro $), New panels want to talk ethics, rules of climate tinkering (AP), UN climate chief: Don’t give in to despair on global warming (AP)

FOSSIL VOLATILITY: Average gasoline price jumps 25 cents in one week (The Hill), Soaring diesel prices could accelerate the electric vehicle boom (OilPrice), U.S. natgas jumps 9% to 13-yr high on rising air conditioning use (Reuters)

AGENCIES: Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominees to testify (E&E $)

EPA: EPA reaches tandem deals over ‘Cancer Alley’ pollution (E&E News)

DOI: Interior Department proposes opening new land to endangered species (Politico Pro $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Biden admin begins review of 10th offshore wind farm (E&E $)

HERE COMES THE SUN: Biden moves to ease trade turmoil threatening his solar energy ambitions (AP, New York Times $, Washington Post $, Reuters, Politico, Bloomberg $, Utility Dive, E&E $), Solar firm blasts Biden for ‘interfering’ in trade case (Bloomberg $), Hill solar boosters exhale after Biden announcement (E&E $), Solar stocks jump after Biden administration announces tariff suspensions (CNBC, Wall Street Journal $), Tariff fight paralyzing US solar threatens American steelmakers (Bloomberg $)

PUMPS FOR PROSPERITY: 'Just make it': Heat pumps get boost under Biden solar order (E&E $)

STATE OF THE ATMOSPHERE: Carbon dioxide levels are now 50% higher than during the pre-industrial era (New York Times $, The Guardian)

LAWSUITS: Greens win NEPA court fight over Calif. offshore fracking (E&E News)

COURTS: Trailblazing judge paves way for Biden D.C. Circuit pick (E&E News)

WHITE HOUSE: As storm season begins, White House building code initiative aims to cut energy waste, build resilient homes (Utility Dive)

BUILD BACK WHEREVER: From Bonn to budget reconciliation, climate talks heat up (Washington Post $), Slimmed down reconciliation bill eyed as bipartisan talks fade (E&E News), Sen. Bennet warns of 'five-alarm crisis for the American West' (Washington Post $)

ELECTIONS: Climate groups coordinating $100M in ad spending ahead of midterms (The Hill, E&E $), Zinke to face off against primary rivals in Mont. race (E&E News)

CITIES AND STATES: Is Nebraska building a $500 million ‘canal to nowhere’ just to own the libs? (Grist), At Gulf South climate festival, activists push for more action: ‘There is a role for everyone’ (New Orleans Public Radio), With Louisiana's hotter temps looming, high natural gas prices could lead to elevated electric bills (The Advocate), No end in sight for Puerto Rico's electricity crisis (NBC), Puerto Rico unveils first power grid reconstruction projects (AP), Wisconsin bond program helps nonprofits afford solar (Yale Climate Connections)

• CALIFORNIA: As California's big cities fail to rein in their water use, rural communities are already tapped out (CNN), Calif. dilemma: Fight climate change and keep on the lights (E&E News), Why is eco-conscious California spending millions to support natural gas? (The Guardian), Los Angeles pilots digital twin project to aid building decarbonization (Utility Dive)

IMPACTS: Bigger dust storms are happening more frequently (Bloomberg $), Pushed by lawmakers and the formula shortage, FEMA boosts efforts to support breastfeeding families during disasters (The 19th* News)

HEAT: Canadian hiker dies at Grand Canyon under extreme heat (Washington Post $), When the heat is unbearable but there’s nowhere to go (High Country News)

MOUNTAINS: Climate change is turning the snowy white Alps green (Popular Science)

GOING VIRAL: Singapore's dengue 'emergency' is a climate change omen for the world (CNN)

STORMS: Tropical Storm Alex lashes Bermuda area with wind, rain (AP)

RENEWABLES: GE, Orsted and now Iberdrola: The competition to recycle wind turbine blades heats up (CNBC), In a first, electricity surpasses gas for home heating (E&E $)

EMISSIONS: ‘It's feasible.' Study maps how to cut U.S. emissions 50% (E&E $)

PIPELINES: Mountain Valley Pipeline seeks new appellate court panel to hear legal challenges (The Roanoke Times, AP)

GRID: Extended weather forecasts could aid power grid stability, renewables (Washington Post $)

EVs: A decade after ‘EVTown,’ Rivian is making an Illinois city’s electric vehicle vision a reality (Energy News Network), 

NUKES: Americans split on nuclear energy as safety worries linger - Reuters/Ipsos poll (Reuters)

MINING: Army Corps deals blow to Ga. titanium mine, reverses Trump move (E&E News)

ACTIVISM: ‘We need something real’: the Russian climate activist taking on Putin’s war (The Guardian), Environmentalists join forces to fight ‘carbon bomb’ fossil fuel projects (The Guardian)

ESG: How ESG investing came to a reckoning (FT $), BlackRock debuts ad campaign to burnish image as it faces ESG scrutiny (Bloomberg $), Goldman returns to ESG debt market with $700 million deal (Bloomberg $), Republicans plan assault on 'woke' ESG firms (E&E $)

FASHION: Fashion brands fail to tackle waste and unfair pay, says industry report (FT $)

FOOD: What’s the most climate-friendly way to eat? It’s tricky (Canary Media)

SNOOZE: Climate change may affect our ability to get a good night’s sleep (Smithsonian Magazine)

WILDLIFE: Climate change drives endangered species habitat shift (E&E $), As animals migrate because of climate change, thousands of new viruses will hop from wildlife to humans—and mitigation won’t stop them (Inside Climate News)

INTERNATIONAL: Africa needs better weather warning systems, urge experts (AP), Australia PM offers climate assistance, stronger ties in Indonesia visit (Reuters), Energy companies urged to find more gas for Australia as Labor mulls supply ‘trigger’ to ease price surge (The Guardian), Bangladesh's historic coastal mosques feel climate change's bite (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Brazil tests genetically modified wheat as global supplies tighten (Reuters), China pilots low carbon bonds to help companies become greener (Reuters), Indian state of Gujarat moves to launch carbon market (E&E $), ACME Group to invest $6.7 billion in green hydrogen project in India's Karnataka (Reuters), How Korea underpins America’s EV dreams (E&E News), Sunak’s tax breaks (UK) could lead to more than £8bn of North Sea energy projects (The Guardian)

• No school should have to close because of extreme heat (Washington Post, Joseph Allen op-ed $)
• The way we monitor natural gas lines is not equitable (Dallas Morning News, Raúl Reyes Jr.)
• Biden’s green-energy industrial policy (Wall Street Journal, The Editorial Board $)
• Global hunger fight means no biofuel (Reuters, Henry Boucher op-ed)
• A durable U.S. climate strategy … or a house of cards? (Yale Climate Connections, Richard Richels, Benjamin Santer, Henry Jacoby and Gary Yohe op-ed)
• Interview: Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi (Politico Pro, interview $)
• FERC’s acceptance of 2 capacity accreditation methods will complicate renewables development (Utility Dive, Joseph Cavicchi and Charles Wu op-ed)

Resource Roundup! TheRighting, DDT Disinfo, MTG and Amplifying Extremists

There's a lot of newsletters out there, and while this is undoubtedly the best, today we're going to flag a few others whose posts have caught our attention, and are worthy of yours. 

Last week, for example, the LA Times' Boiling Point newsletter on climate/environment in California/the West had a great interview with Elena Conis, a science historian at UC Berkeley whose latest book is called “How to Sell a Poison: The Rise, Fall, and Toxic Return of DDT.” 

Conis was researching the anti-vaxx movement, and found they had a talking point about scientists reversing course on DDT's safety. But digging in, Conis found something even more intriguing: "Conservative think tanks approached the tobacco industry with this narrative" that DDT was only banned because of environmental alarmism about birds, and millions of Africans could be saved if it were used against malaria. 

But it wasn't about Africans, or DDT, as Conis explained. "One of the really complicated things that the DDT story shows is that these industries are all working together,” Conis said. “The tobacco industry really didn’t need DDT to be brought back — it just needed the case for regulation to be weakened, and that was why the DDT story mattered to them." 

The tobacco industry then supported a campaign opposing DDT to pit the public health community and developing African nations against environmentalists, and in the process, gave a bunch of pseudo-intellectual ammo to the anti-vaxx community. 

The environment and anti-vaxx intersection was also on display in a new feature from TheRighting, Howard Polskin's free daily newsletter "alerting liberal audiences to today's headlines from the right" with a bit of commentary and the links out to the fever swamps. They're introducing new original content, and one such piece is a short interview with Dr. Joel Hirschhorn, "one of the most extreme voices in the anti-vax, anti-mask, anti-Fauci, anti-you-name-it chorus that has dominated the right wing media since the coronavirus arrived in January 2020." 

The main attraction is the "Final Four (Questions)": 

1. Is the anti-vaxx doctor vaccinated? Yes, though not boosted. 
2. Does he think the 2020 presidential election was stolen? Basically, yes. 
3. Would he support Trump for president in 2024? Yes, but he'd prefer Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

…And our favorite question (one we greatly appreciate TheRighting's Michael Lovito for asking): 

4. Does he believe in climate change? "No." The anti-vaxxer thinks "climate change is a complete fraud being pushed by economic powers who want to make a lot of money from the whole green thing.” 

One thing TheRighting could do more of, though, is provide more context and commentary for the newsletter (though the opening always makes things clear), just to ensure it doesn't otherwise end up being co-opted as a handy roundup for conservative audiences looking for content to enjoy instead of analyze, thereby accidentally amplifying it.  

That's the sort of more think-piece-y vibe you'll get from Jared Holt's podcast and newsletter on politics and the internet, aptly named Sh!tpost. In the latest, Holt wrestles with the rightwing media strategy, perfected by Trump and now practiced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of saying things so ridiculous that the media amplifies their message by ridiculing it. Holt points to a tweet from @LOLGOP describing how Greene raised $9 million compared to Sarah Palin's pallid $600,000 because "MTG has recognized something Palin used to know. Her job is to say something terrible every day so we do all her viral marketing for her." 

Holt doesn't pretend there are any easy answers, but does point to a great resource on "The Oxygen of Amplification," a guide for reporting on extremists and other online manipulators, that could certainly be helpful for reporting on mass shootings as well as anti-vaxxers, election deniers, and others who are likely spreading all that, and some climate disinformation. 

Hard to downplay how handy this resources is, as in the time since Holt's column published Monday morning, reports have confirmed that Greene hired Milo Yiannopolous supposedly ex-gay, born-again Christian, pedophilia sympathizer and unrepentant white supremacist, as an unpaid intern. 

And finally, something that's not a newsletter, but you use it to make one, maybe? Google has a new advertising Transparency Report to provide more tools to allow you to see, for example, various GOP front groups, political candidates and big oil ad spends. 

Someone go dive in, and tell us what you find!

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up to receive Hot News every morning!

Send updates or feedback to nkauffman@climatenexus.org
Submit events and other items for consideration for a First Look using this form
Some articles require logins or subscriptions ($)