Albany was awarded $75,000 for nearly 100 Second Avenue trees
Albany was awarded a $75,000 state forestry grant for nearly 100 planned trees on Second Avenue. The city’s Department of General Services will manage the project.
Environment & Weather
Weather, climate, pollution, air and water quality, conservation, wildlife, natural resources, and environmental policy.
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EPA’s Sawyer Street draft sets a 1-ppm PCB cleanup level
EPA’s nonfinal plan proposes targeted soil removal, land-use controls and an estimated $9.25 million cleanup at the city-owned site.
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Mayor reports 78 Clovis homes with major flood damage
Mayor Mike Morris said 78 Clovis homes had major damage from September flooding. Officials are working toward a possible federal disaster declaration, which he said could take weeks to months.
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New Mexico flood declaration authorizes aid, not full repayment
Federal response assistance is available in four counties and five tribal communities. New Mexico has made $8.25 million available for response, while a separate request for earlier flooding remains pending.
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EPA’s PFAS plan cites one test above 99.99% destruction
EPA’s two-year PFAS agenda combines research plans with aid already underway. Its greater-than-99.99% result came from one industrial test.
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Springfield inventory flags concern indicators at 71 College Street sites
A screening inventory rated 71 of 166 properties high or elevated for environmental-concern indicators. The scores do not confirm contamination.
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Central Sands must pay $245,000; facilities must be abandoned by July 2027
A stipulated judgment requires Central Sands Dairy to pay $245,000 and abandon its Juneau County waste-storage facilities by July 1, 2027. The state estimates the separate work will cost $315,000.
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Durham authorizes up to $674,757 for park cleanup-options study
The study will compare cleanup options at four parks. The authorization does not pay for remediation or select a remedy.
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Sudan drought adds pressure as WFP forecasts hunger rise
WFP forecasts more people facing severe hunger as drought compounds conflict and aid constraints. The figures are projections, not current counts.
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Utah mountain soil moisture hit a mid-October record after Rachel
Utah’s statewide mountain soil-moisture reading reached 64.2% on Oct. 15, while reservoirs remained below their start-of-water-year median and severe drought covered 71.4% of the state’s area.
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North Dakota bars antlerless white-tailed deer harvest in four units
An immediate restriction covers four North Dakota units. Eligible hunters in 13 units can separately return certain licenses before deer gun season.
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Louisiana plan projects at least $340 million for river diversions
A Verite News tally of Louisiana’s FY2027 plan finds at least $340 million in projected spending across five river-diversion projects, most directed to Maurepas Swamp.
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WTVA: Burn bans in effect in 36 Mississippi counties Oct. 16
WTVA reported burn bans in 36 Mississippi counties on Oct. 16. That dated count is not a live update of current restrictions.
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Hawaiʻi asks residents to reduce lights during seabird fallout season
DLNR urges residents to dim unnecessary outdoor lights and report injured seabirds through Dec. 15.
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New Jersey requests Corps help for eight damaged coastal areas
New Jersey asked the Army Corps for expedited emergency help repairing eight coastal project areas damaged by the September nor’easter. A broader state assessment reported 81 areas of erosion concern.
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Biodiversity finance estimate trails 2030 goal ahead of COP17
The OECD estimates annual global biodiversity finance at $74.9 billion to $92.4 billion in 2023–25, below the framework’s $200 billion 2030 goal. A new assessment also finds fewer than half of assessed national targets are on track.
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Maine drought likely to continue into 2027, task force says
Maine’s Drought Task Force says the multi-year drought is likely to carry into 2027 after 16 months of below-normal precipitation. MEMA had received 156 dry-well reports by Oct. 15.
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Alabama reopens portions of Mobile Bay to oyster harvesting
Alabama reopened portions of Mobile Bay to oyster harvesting on October 16, but public reef and harvest-grid openings are announced separately.
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Santa Clarita’s 172-acre Bike Fire reached full containment Oct. 14
The Bike Fire reached 100% containment on Oct. 14 after evacuation orders were downgraded to an advisory three days earlier.
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Chesapeake Bay score rises to record 56%, but regions diverge
The Bay’s record C+ came alongside uneven regional grades and water-quality trends.
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Singapore haze worsens as Timor-Leste suspends in-person classes
Singapore’s western-region PM2.5 reading reached 288 on Oct. 14, while Timor-Leste suspended in-person classes in covered schools for three days.
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Maryland sets Nov. 9 hearing on proposed Caroline solar project
The Maryland Public Service Commission will take public comment on ICFTS MD Solar LLC’s pending 4.63-MW community solar proposal.