House Quietly Shifts Federal Lands Policy: The House passed a new provision Tuesday that would change the cost calculation of transferring federal land, making it easier to give state and local regulators more control. The official GOP platform advocates for state control of federal public lands, and Tuesday’s vote may signify an initial move in how the GOP plans to manage public lands in a Trump administration. While Trump has expressed interest in reducing regulations to encourage resource development – including fossil fuels – on large areas of public land nationwide, he has voiced opposition to transferring lands to state control, and his nominee for Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, is also opposed. ( Washington Post $, The Hill)
2016 Weather Makes a Pricey Year For Insurers: Natural disasters cost insurers nearly $50 billion in payouts in 2016 – double the $27 billion paid in 2015, according to a new analysis by global research firm Munich Re. The analysis shows $10.2 billion in overall losses in North America, which saw more natural disasters in 2016 than in any year since 1980. Munich Re researcher Peter Hoppe emphasized to USA Today that while specific weather events cannot be directly attributed to climate change, “there are now many indications that certain events – such as persistent weather systems or storms bringing torrential rain and hail – are more likely to occur in certain regions as a result of climate change.” (Reuters, USAToday)
Break Out The Umbrellas, Californians: Speaking of extreme weather…California may see three additional extreme rainfall events per year if global temperatures continue to increase at current rates, according to new research from MIT. In December of 2014, a record rainstorm, known as a “pineapple express,” dropped three inches of rain in an hour on San Francisco, causing mudslides and power outages in the area. Using new methodology to examine large-scale atmospheric events, the MIT research demonstrates that a 4 degree C rise by 2100 – which scientists agree is expected without significant policy shifts – would trigger more storms like the 2014 pineapple express in the state. One such storm is drenching California at the moment, with another heavy deluge of rainfall forecast to slam into the state starting this weekend. (MIT: Greenwire $, UPI, Phys.org. Pineapple express: Mashable.)
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