** Colorado to help fund just transition for coal-dependent communities
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Friday, July 2, 2021
Colorado coal mine. Photo by BLM Colorado ([link removed])

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed a law ([link removed]) to dedicate $15 million in seed money to assist coal-dependent communities and workers as utilities and power plants transition to renewable energy, a process aided by falling prices for solar and wind-generated power.

Legislation previously crafted in 2019 created the Office of Just Transition within the state labor department to receive and distribute grants to communities reliant on coal, as well as provide education and training for workers, but few resources were allocated to the program until now. The governor called this initial batch of funding ([link removed]) , "An important down payment on helping people get the jobs of the future." The governor went on to say ([link removed]) , “The key to a truly just transition unlocks new opportunities in more places than ever before — not only to provide jobs, but to support schools, and improve systems that are critical to powering our communities.”

Colorado utilities are already decreasing their use of coal in response to another piece of legislation enacted in 2019 to increase renewable energy and reduce emissions from 2005 levels by at least 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050. Xcel Energy-Colorado ([link removed]) was the first electric utility in the country to set a goal of being carbon-free, and has proposed ([link removed]) retiring all its Colorado coal plants by 2040.


** Exxon lobbyist accidentally reveals corporate strategy of deception and climate change denial
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Keith McCoy, Exxon Mobil's senior director for federal relations unknowingly shared ([link removed]) with undercover interviewers that the oil and gas giant funded "shadow groups" to sow doubt about the science behind climate change, and only supports a carbon tax as a "talking point." He also shared the company's playbook for dealing with congressional inquiries, saying ([link removed]) ,
"We don't want it to be us to have these conversations, especially in a hearing. It's getting our associations to step in and have those conversations and answer those tough questions and be, for the lack of a better term, the whipping boy for some of these members of Congress."

In response, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said in a statement ([link removed]) , "Exxon's lobbyists have admitted to what many have long suspected: the fossil fuel industry is conducting a long-running covert operation to hide and perpetuate the damage it is inflicting on the planet. Now that the world has a firsthand account of how that sinister operation works, it's time to call Exxon's bluff. We need to put a price on carbon pollution, invest in zero carbon technologies, and lead the planet to safety."
Quick hits


** Florida unanimously passes legislation to protect wildlife corridor from the panhandle to the keys
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National Geographic ([link removed]) | The New Yorker ([link removed])


** How many abandoned oil wells threaten national parks? Answer: over 31,000
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** Exxon lobbyist accidentally reveals corporate strategy of deception and denial, playbook for congressional inquiries
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Rolling Stone ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Failing to reach the 30x30 goal to protect biodiversity could cost the global economy $2.7 trillion
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Reuters ([link removed]) | Financial Advisor ([link removed])


** As drought conditions persist, Utah could face more flash floods, like those in Zion National Park this week
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed]) [Utah drought] | Associated Press ([link removed]) [Zion flooding]


** Colorado to fund just transition for coal-dependent communities
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Denver Post ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed])


** Opinion: President Biden's America the Beautiful initiative is right on time
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Colorado Newsline ([link removed])


** Water is disappearing in the West, and not just during the summer
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CNN ([link removed])
Quote of the day
As we move into the summer season, President Joe Biden’s ambitious America the Beautiful plan ([link removed]) — which sets a goal to not only protect 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 but to increase access to outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans — could not have come at a better time."
—Sheridan Steele ([link removed]) , retired deputy superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park
Picture this


** @TPWDnews ([link removed])
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There are only 50-80 ocelots left in Texas, so when kittens appeared on trail cam at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in #southTexas ([link removed]) , it created hope for the future.
Here's more about this endangered species: [link removed] ([link removed])
Photo: @USFWSRefuges ([link removed]) , @USFWS ([link removed])

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