Smoke hangs over U.S. Midwest, East, hurting air quality

By Brendan O’Brien and Kanishka Singh CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Hazy, smoke-filled skies from raging Canadian wildfires hovered Wednesday over the U.S. Midwest and East, where millions of Americans were urged to limit outdoor activities as the poor air quality made for dangerous, unhealthy conditions. Much of the Midwest – from western Iowa through Illinois and Wisconsin…

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Biden administration raises record $105 million in Nevada solar energy auction

(Reuters) – The Biden administration said on Wednesday it raised $105 million from solar power developers at a lease auction covering 23,675 acres of Nevada desert this week, making it the highest-yielding federal onshore renewable energy auction to date. NV Energy Inc led the Tuesday auction with more than $80 million in high bids for…

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U.S. launches $7bln program to bring solar to low-income households

By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday launched a $7 billion competitive grant program that aims to give low-income communities access to residential solar panels, the latest effort by the Biden administration to expand renewable energy across the country. The agency will make up to 60 awards to community groups…

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Biden administration aims $2 billion in grants at US electric vehicle transition

By Timothy Gardner and Joseph White WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) -President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday said it intends to invest $2 billion from last year’s Inflation Reduction Act to accelerate domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles and resuscitate plants that are struggling. Speeding grants and other subsidies to fund conversion of existing auto plants to build electric…

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Boeing says about 90% of China 737 MAX jets have resumed commercial operations

BEIJING (Reuters) -About 90% of Boeing’s China 737 MAX jets have resumed commercial operation as of the end of June, the U.S. aircraft maker said on its official WeChat account on Wednesday. Some planes have been dispatched to regional international routes, Sherry Carbary, president of Boeing China, said in the article. The planemaker’s shares rose…

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Solvay reaches nearly $393 million PFAS settlement with New Jersey

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The U.S. branch of Belgian chemicals company Solvay has struck a nearly $393-million deal with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to settle some claims linked to drinking water pollution caused by one of its plants, Solvay announced on Wednesday. The funds will be used to test for, filter and clean…

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US advances New York City vehicle congestion pricing plan

By David Shepardson (Reuters) -A New York City plan to charge a daily toll on vehicles entering or remaining in the central business district got a boost on Monday from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which said the city had adequately assessed how the congestion charge would help the environment. The department’s Federal Highway Administration…

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Lukashenko says Putin wanted to ‘wipe out’ Prigozhin during mutiny attempt

By Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly MOSCOW (Reuters) -Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin not to “wipe out” mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in response to what the Kremlin cast as a mutiny that pushed Russia towards civil war. Putin initially vowed to crush the mutiny, comparing it to the wartime turmoil…

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Relentless heat wave scorches US South, air quality deteriorates over Midwest

By Brendan O’Brien (Reuters) – A prolonged heat wave kept its grip on the U.S. South on Tuesday as dangerously high temperatures rising well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) and oppressive humidity were on tap across a wide swath of the region through the holiday weekend. Meanwhile, in Chicago, children, the elderly and people…

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Panama pledges to purge more substandard ships from world’s largest registry

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) said on Tuesday it would continue to clean up its fleet to prevent substandard Panama-flagged ships from being detained in foreign ports, a week after the country was added to an international watch list. Panama’s ships registry was last week added to the “grey list” of…

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