August 31 NEC Energy News
¶ “Last-Minute Bill to Extend Operation of California’s Diablo Nuclear Plant is Misguided” • The Union of Concerned Scientists opposes a bill (SB 846) that would extend the operation of Diablo Canyon, California’s last remaining nuclear power plant. The Diablo Canyon plant should retire, as it was scheduled to do, in 2025. [Union of Concerned Scientists]
¶ “UN Team Heads To Assess Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant” • A team of inspectors from the UN’s nuclear watchdog headed to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to assess safety and security issues at the Russian-controlled site. The team is to spend several days at the plant on a mission that is considered a “very complex operation.”[Voice of America]
¶ “Pakistan Floods Caused By ‘Monsoon On Steroids,’ Says UN Chief In Urgent Appeal” • The world is “sleepwalking” into environmental destruction, UN Secretary General António Guterres warned, as he made an appeal for $160 million for flood-ravaged Pakistan. Over 1,100 people have been killed and 33 million others impacted by flooding. [CNN]
¶ “Monthly Rail Pass In Germany Cuts Carbon Emissions By 1.8 Million Tons” • On June 1, Germany started a program allowing people one month of unlimited travel on trams, buses, and regional train networks for €9. An analysis shows a reduction in trips by automobile that resulted in 1.8 million fewer tons of CO₂ entering the atmosphere. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Auckland Welcomes Sparky, World’s First Full-Size Electric Tug Boat” • The world’s first full-size electric tug boat is now in service in Auckland, New Zealand. It is called Sparky, which was the first choice in an online naming contest. Sparky can perform up to four shipping moves on a single charge of batteries and can be recharged in about two hours. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Kia EV6 Wins Winter Vehicle Award” • The New England Motor Press Association awarded the Kia EV6 “2022 Winter Vehicle Award For Best Electric Vehicle.” A Kia press release says, “EV6 was chosen by a cohort of more than 50 working journalists in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Maine’s High Court Rules That Voter Referendum Blocking Power Corridor Was Likely Unconstitutional” • Maine’s highest court has struck a blow against the campaign to prevent Central Maine Power from building a high-voltage transmission line in western Maine, ruling that a November 2021 referendum was likely unconstitutional. [WBUR]
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