BC Water News

 

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020

Regulatory rollback

How Trump's change to NEPA affects the Northwest

AMELIA TEMPLETON

OPB

► NEPA overhaul won't be 'overnight game changer'

Oregon Public Radio

A new Trump administration plan to scale back a bedrock environmental law could affect all kinds of projects in the Northwest, including timber sales, hydroelectric dams, and large energy developments. On Thursday, the Trump administration announced major changes to the National Environmental Policy Act regulations with the stated goal of accelerating the approval process for infrastructure projects.

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Researchers harness renewable energy from FOG

University of Alberta

University of Alberta engineers have found a way to turn waste fat, oil and grease into a supply of renewable energy. A recent study found that adding conductive materials to the waste could potentially turn them into a reliable feedstock, allowing for a production rate of up to 70 percent more biomethane from a mix of fat, oil and grease and food waste in an anaerobic digester.

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Response to fire impacts water levels for decades

Science Daily

Salvage logging and re-seeding a forest after a wildfire helps reduce flooding and returns water levels to normal faster, according to a new paper from Washington State University researcher Ryan Niemeyer. The paper shows that water levels are still increased up to 40 years after a fire. "Trees work like straws, pulling water up out of the ground," Niemeyer said.

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