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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 23 July 2024
EPA awards $4.3 billion to fund projects in 30 states to reduce

climate pollution

By MATTHEW DALY emissions in Pennsylvania.
Associated Press The Nebraska Department of
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environment and Energy will
Environmental Protection receive $307 million to boost
Agency is awarding $4.3 “climate-smart” agriculture
billion in grants to fund proj- and reduce agricultural
ects in 30 states to reduce waste from livestock, officials
climate pollution. The money said. The grant also will fund
will go to 25 projects target- projects to improve energy
ing greenhouse gas emis- efficiency in commercial and
sions from transportation, industrial facilities and low-
electric power, commercial income households, as well
and residential buildings, in- as deploy solar panels and
dustry, agriculture and waste electrify irrigation wells.
and materials management. Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird of
The grants are paid for by the Lincoln, Nebraska, said the
2022 climate law approved grant will enhance energy
by congressional Democrats. efficiency of homes and
The law, officially known as commercial buildings in her
the Inflation Reduction Act, city. A city analysis indicates
includes nearly $400 billion in that investing in energy ef-
spending and tax credits to ficiency and electrification
accelerate the expansion of could reduce Lincoln’s emis-
clean energy such as wind sions by 77% by 2050, Baird
and solar power, speeding Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference overlooking the Susquehanna said on a White House call
the nation’s transition away River from a balcony at the offices of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Tuesday, July 9, Friday.
from the oil, coal and natu- 2024, in Harrisburg, Pa. The grant also will ensure
ral gas that largely cause Associated Press Lincoln residents have “eq-
climate change. day to announce nearly $500 mate investment in history, pick now that Biden has uitable access to the clean
The latest round of grants in- million for transportation providing billions of dollars to stepped down from the energy transition’’ by provid-
cludes $396 million to Penn- and freight decarboniza- state, local and tribal gov- presidential race, said his ad- ing assistance to low-income
sylvania to reduce industrial tion at the ports of Los An- ernments to tackle climate ministration has taken action residents, she said.
greenhouse gas emissions geles and Long Beach. The change with the urgency it to address climate change Other grants include nearly
from cement, asphalt and grants will provide incentives demands.’’ while continuing to create $250 million to boost electric
other material. EPA Adminis- for electric charging equip- The funds, to be delivered energy jobs and expand the vehicle infrastructure along
trator Michael Regan will join ment, zero-emission freight this fall, “will help implement economy. Interstate 95 from Maryland
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Sha- vehicles and conversion of community-driven solutions The grant being announced to Connecticut. The project
piro in Pittsburgh on Monday cargo handling equipment that reduce air pollution, Monday “is one of the largest will provide charging infra-
to announce grant recipients to lower emissions. advance environmental federal grants Pennsylvania structure for commercial
in his state, a political battle- “President Biden under- justice and help accelerate has ever received,’’ Shapiro zero-emission vehicles and
ground in the 2024 election, stands that America needs America’s clean energy tran- said in a statement ahead of provide technical assistance
and across the nation. a strong EPA,’’ Regan told sition,’’ Regan said. Monday’s announcement. for workforce development
Senior EPA leaders also will reporters Friday, noting the Shapiro, a Democrat who The state will work with RISE along the I-95 corridor, one
join Democratic Sen. Alex Democratic administration has been mentioned as a PA, a new initiative aimed of the most heavily traveled
Padilla of California on Mon- “has made the largest cli- possible vice presidential at reducing industrial sector in the nation.q

CrowdStrike CEO called to testify to

Congress over cybersecurity’s firm role

in global tech outage

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. ers and regulators await a Green of Tennessee and
House leaders are calling on more detailed explanation Rep. Andrew Garbarino of
CrowdStrike CEO George of what went wrong. New York.
Kurtz to testify to Congress Republicans who lead the They added that Americans
about the cybersecurity House Homeland Security "deserve to know in detail
company's role in sparking committee said Monday how this incident happened
the widespread tech out- they want those answers and the mitigation steps
age that grounded flights, soon. CrowdStrike is taking."
knocked banks and hospital "While we appreciate A defective software up- The logo for CrowdStrike and a Spirit Airlines webpage are
systems offline and affected CrowdStrike's response and date sent by CrowdStrike shown on a computer screen and mobile phone screen, in New
services around the world. coordination with stake- to its customers disrupted York, Friday, July 19, 2024. Associated Press
CrowdStrike said this week holders, we cannot ignore airlines, banks, hospitals
a "significant number" of the the magnitude of this in- and other critical services The painstaking work of fix- CrowdStrike said late Sun-
millions of computers that cident, which some have Friday, affecting about 8.5 ing it has often required a day in a blog post that it was
crashed on Friday, causing claimed is the largest IT out- million machines running Mi- company's IT crew to manu- starting to implement a new
global disruptions, are back age in history," said a letter crosoft's Windows operating ally delete files on affected technique to accelerate re-
in operation as its custom- to Kurtz from Rep. Mark E. system. machines. mediation of the problem.q