Clean Hydrogen Tax Credit? | EarthxNews Full Episode - video Dailymotion

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EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/   US proposes clean hydrogen tax credit; Sweden, California renew climate partnership; a bacteria that turns CO2 into stone; potential impact of solar flares; a mysterious stingray pregnancy.   About EarthxNews:  A weekly program dedicated to covering the stories that shape the planet. Featuring the latest updates in energy, environment, tech, climate, and more.   EarthX & EarthXtra  Love Our Planet.  The Official Network of Earth Day.    About Us:  At EarthX, we believe our planet is a pretty special place. The people, landscapes, and critters are likely unique to the entire universe, so we consider ourselves lucky to be here. We are committed to protecting the environment by inspiring conservation and sustainability, and our programming along with our range of expert hosts support this mission. We’re glad you’re with us.     EarthX is a media company dedicated to inspiring people to care about the planet. We take an omni channel approach to reach audiences of every age through its robust 24/7 linear channel distributed across cable and FAST outlets, along with dynamic, solution oriented short form content on social and digital platforms. EarthX is home to original series, documentaries and snackable content that offer sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. EarthX is the only network that delivers entertaining and inspiring topics that impact and inspire our lives on climate and sustainability.       EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/    Follow Us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthxmedia/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthxmedia  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthXMedia/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@earthxmedia  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EarthXMedia  Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/earthxmedia    How to watch:    EarthX - Cable:  - Spectrum  - AT&T U-verse (1267)  - DIRECTV (267)  - Philo  - FuboTV   EarthXtra - Streaming:  - Plex  - Fire TV  - Xumo  - Sling    #EarthDay #Environment #Sustainability #EcoFriendly #Conservation #EarthX

Transcript

00:00Yeah, new tax rules on clean hydrogen. They're raising concerns about the

00:06future of the energy source will explain. Plus a natural gas company is

00:11making big plans in North Carolina. We'll tell you about it and how the

00:15effort may help the state meet its carbon free power goals and Sweden and

00:20one US state are renewing their commitment to the climate. How the

00:23latest agreement plans to help mother nature.

00:30Hello and welcome to Earth X News, where we focus on sustainability and the

00:37environment. I'm Christina Thompson. Let's get into some of the biggest

00:40headlines facing our planet. Major implications loom for the future of the

00:44US hydrogen industry as the Treasury Department finalizes rules for a new

00:49tax credit meant to boost production of the clean fuel. The new tax credit

00:53incentivizes low carbon hydrogen production, drawing the line between

00:58cleaner green hydrogen created by using renewable sources and blue hydrogen,

01:03which is made from natural gas with carbon capture. While rules for green

01:07hydrogen are clear, those for blue, not so much. The tax credit provides higher

01:12credits for lower emissions during production, but the process must stay

01:16within specified emission thresholds in order to qualify. Blue hydrogen is most

01:22commonly made by a process called steam methane reforming. This process emits

01:27enough CO2 to exceed the thresholds currently laid out in the rules, which open

01:32concerns about loopholes which could undermine the intended climate benefits.

01:36Environmentalists are against any modifications to the rules that would

01:40provide tax benefits for fossil fuel companies producing blue hydrogen. It's

01:45because of the need for natural gas as well as the substantial carbon emissions. But by

01:50attempting to limit dirtier forms of hydrogen production, a change in the rules could end up

01:54being so strict that even previously approved cleaner processes could be hampered, which would

02:00severely impact the administration's goal of bolstering the industry. This could even

02:06engulf regional hydrogen hubs that were recently approved for a $7 billion investment as part of the

02:11inflation reduction act. A public hearing on the new regulations has been scheduled for the end of

02:16March. However, a date has not been set for when the rules might be finalized. The Biden

02:22administration announced that it is sending out another $5.8 billion for water infrastructure

02:28projects around the country from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Of the $5.8 billion, $3.2 billion is

02:36already set aside for the drinking water state revolving fund. It will be used for upgrades to water

02:42treatment plants, water distribution and piping systems and lead pipe replacement. Another billion is going

02:48towards seven major rural water projects and another billion in support of Great Lakes drinking water

02:53projects. The money will go to projects in all 50 states, bringing the total amount of money for state

02:59water infrastructure projects to $22 billion. Funding comes from the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure

03:06law that President Joe Biden signed into law during his first year in office. According to the Biden

03:12administration, the infrastructure law is the largest investment in clean water in American history.

03:18According to a new report from NOAA, ice coverage on the Great Lakes has reached a historic low and

03:24it's affecting both seasonal businesses and the environment. A NOAA spokesperson said that

03:29there has been a 5% decline in average ice cover per decade, which is considered a substantial decrease.

03:36These changes in the ice cover are having big impacts on businesses in the area that rely on that ice,

03:42like ice fishing and outdoor sports that only operate if ice is thick and solid. The lack of ice

03:49also has an environmental impact. Some fish species use the ice for protection from predators during spawning

03:55season and there's increasing evidence that the ice plays a role in regulating many biological processes in the

04:02water. The absence of ice can also make the shoreline more susceptible to erosion and increase the potential

04:08for damage to coastal infrastructure during the winter months due to high winds and waves. Thick ice

04:14often acts to dampen the large wave action and protect that shoreline. Scientists attribute this loss of ice

04:20in the Great Lakes to global warming. North Carolina wants to use small nuclear reactors to meet clean energy

04:27requirements. The utility company Duke Energy is aiming to build a small nuclear reactor ironically at an

04:33existing coal plant in North Carolina. Now if plans move forward as expected, two existing coal-fired units

04:39would be shut down before 2035, which would make room for the small modular reactor or SMR. The reactors

04:46could help meet the state's clean energy targets while also keeping power flowing. If approved, the SMR would

04:52come online by 2035. Duke Energy is already looking for sites for a second SMR in North Carolina as well,

05:00but there are opponents to the plans. Some say it will cause North Carolina residents energy bills

05:05to spike by as much as 73%. Joining us now to discuss is the Managing Director of International and

05:12Nuclear Policy at ClearPath, Nico McMurray. Nico, thanks for coming on. Thanks for having me. So what exactly is a

05:19small modular reactor and why do we need to build them as new nuclear reactors? Small modular reactors are one

05:29type of new reactor technologies under development. What we're seeing today is increased interest in

05:36these new technologies because they can promise clean, reliable and affordable electricity. North Carolina

05:43is pretty confident in this technology. They're building these small modular reactors on the sites of an

05:48existing coal burning power plant. Is this a unique place to build these SMRs?

05:56There's been interest in building nuclear at retiring or retired coal plants. This is happening in Wyoming

06:03with Pacific Core. And what you're seeing in Duke is these communities recognize the importance of

06:10having electricity and infrastructure because it provides good jobs and taxes for the local communities.

06:16And so you're seeing these new technologies be considered by companies like Duke where they

06:22want to continue to provide those well-paying jobs and taxes for the workers at that plant.

06:28There are some critics out there. Some people say that nuclear power is nothing more than a money

06:32pit and that in the long run it will just end up costing consumers so much more. What's your counter

06:38argument to that? Cost is extremely important and making sure that cost to consumers is low is also

06:46important. And that's why all of these companies that are looking at building these new technologies are

06:51trying to ensure that costs can be kept low not just for consumers but also for the other companies to be able to

06:59build them because if they can't keep costs low they're not going to be able to compete. In your professional opinion, what's the ultimate benefit?

07:06Nuclear energy has incredible characteristics. It is clean, it's reliable and it's affordable.

07:14It can be used for more than just decarbonizing electricity. And you're seeing not just interest

07:20in the U.S. but also internationally with dozens of countries looking at what is it going to take to

07:26triple global nuclear capacity. All right, Nico McMurray, thanks for speaking with us today.

07:31Thank you so much. Scientists discovered tiny underground microbes that transform CO2 into

07:39stone. Researchers from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology claimed that a certain type of

07:45bacteria increases the mineralization of CO2 when stored deep underground. This particular bacteria sped

07:52up the process to just 10 days using one enzyme. In perfect geologic conditions, crystallizing carbon

07:58dioxide takes 7 to 10 years. Carbon mineralization was found 4,100 feet below the surface at the Sanford

08:07Underground Research Facility located in a former Black Hills mining town in South Dakota. This discovery

08:13could bring major breakthroughs in enhancing carbon capture technology. Turning now to international news,

08:19a new study warns China may miss all of its main climate goals for 2025. Under the Paris Climate Agreement,

08:26Beijing committed to a number of stepping stone targets intended to control its coal generation,

08:32such as ensuring 20% of its energy comes from alternatives to fossil fuels, reaching peak coal

08:38consumption by 2025 and peak emissions before 2030, and beginning to phase down coal usage by 2026.

08:46But according to a report from the Finland-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, the country's

08:52energy-guzzling rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic means all of these targets are severely off track.

08:58They wrote in part, quote, Another year of rapidly rising emissions in 2023 leaves China way off track

09:05against its target of cutting carbon intensity by 18% between 2021 and 2025. As a result, carbon dioxide

09:13emissions would now need to fall by 4 to 6% by 2025 to hit the goal. The deadline of peak emissions achieved

09:21before 2030 has many developers going after carbon-intensive projects while the window is still open.

09:27In fact, that Finland center found that approvals for new coal power plants increased a lot over the

09:332022-2023 period compared to the previous five years, and total coal consumption increased eightfold

09:40between 2021 and 2023. The study also said carbon emissions from China's power industry

09:46rose 5.2% last year as Beijing burned more coal to meet the country's large demand for electricity.

09:54The report was positive on this, though, that China could still hit some of next year's goals if it

09:59continues to build on its record renewable energy installations last year. But the country will need

10:04to seriously cut back on coal consumption and carbon emissions to do so. Sweden and California renewed a

10:11long-standing climate partnership. Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign

10:17Trade and California's Governor Gavin Newsom signed a letter of cooperation, re-emphasizing and broadening

10:24their commitment to a sustainable future together. The document reading in part, quote,

10:29California and Sweden both believe in the need for a green transition, a green industrial revolution that

10:35provides opportunities for job growth, global competitiveness, economic prosperity and benefits to human

10:41health. The letter extends a 2017 agreement between California and Sweden, which was a collaborative effort

10:47to reduce transportation emissions and expand renewable energy. When asked how the new commitment would differ

10:54from the 2017 version, Newsom said the initial agreement established a framework of basic engagement,

11:00mostly focusing on air quality and the clean energy transition. The new partnership, he said, goes beyond those

11:06discussions and serves to promote building solar and wind infrastructure, as well as other areas of innovation and

11:12investment. The deal was inked in the presence of Sweden's crown princess, Victoria, during a recent visit to the

11:18Golden State. Coming up, a massive cell phone outage left thousands of people without service. Did a recent round of

11:26solar flares play a role? Stay tuned, we'll have more on what scientists are saying when we return.

11:32The biggest impact probably is the impact on radio communications that uses the layer of our

11:38atmosphere called the ionosphere. That ionosphere acts as a reflector of high-frequency radio transmissions.

11:56Recently, hundreds of thousands of AT&T customers had their cell phone service knocked out by a nationwide

12:13outage for over 10 hours before it was restored. While initial reports included the possibility of

12:19a solar flares being the potential cause, it was ultimately decided that the outage was unrelated to

12:24this natural occurrence. Regardless, the event reignited the conversation about the impacts of

12:29intense solar flares and bursts of radiation. Joining us now to give a little bit more perspective

12:35on these solar flares and their potential impact on the Earth is Rob Steenberg, space scientist with NOAA's

12:41Space Weather Prediction Center. Rob, thanks for coming on. Thank you for having me. So first off,

12:47what exactly is a solar flare? Well, solar flare is a big violent release of energy on the sun's surface

12:58and it sends out energy and that energy can be intercepted here at Earth and it does this through radio

13:08waves and visible light x-rays and so on. Can you tell us about this recent outburst of this huge solar flare

13:15that scientists say were the most powerful since 2017? Sure thing. Yeah, it was an X6 flare. So our

13:26flares are rated on a scale. The lowest or most common flares are called C and that's easy to remember. M

13:36are moderate flares. X are the extreme flares. So this was an X-class flare and it's the largest X-class

13:43flare that we've seen. However, it's totally within the normal limits of what we'd expect in a solar cycle.

13:50What kind of issues can these large flares cause here on Earth? Can they impact frequencies,

13:57radios, navigation, things like that? They sure can. The biggest impact probably is the impact on radio

14:06communications that uses the layer of our atmosphere called the ionosphere. That ionosphere acts as a

14:14reflector of high frequency radio transmissions. And this becomes a factor for aircraft traveling over

14:23the oceans. For instance, it can change what frequencies are available for the pilots to use to communicate with

14:30the controllers. That's one aspect. Another thing it can do is produce a solar radio burst. And those radio

14:37bursts, depending on the frequency they occur on and how strong they are, can disrupt communications as

14:43well on frequencies other than high frequencies. So they can affect even higher frequencies, UHF and VHF.

14:51That must be why some people thought that that recent AT&T outage might have been caused by a solar flare.

14:58But is this true? That's absolutely right. I think that's the idea that some people thought. However,

15:07flares typically only last for minutes to a few hours, unless you have subsequent flares afterwards.

15:15And we looked at the radio emissions from this flare and compared them to the cell phone frequencies,

15:22and there were no emissions on the cell phone frequencies that would be strong enough to cause a

15:26problem. So that was the first tip off that we had that, hey, this is not space weather related.

15:34And later AT&T published a statement that basically said that it was

15:41basically a malfunction of some process they were carrying out. Once I learned it wasn't space weather,

15:47I was back to work looking at space weather. You were like, we're good to go.

15:51It's not us. What's the predictions for forecasts or more large-scale

15:56solar flares? Should anyone be worried about these, maybe upping in frequency over the next few years?

16:03Yes. Well, we're heading towards solar max. We expect it to peak within probably the next year or two.

16:10And with that will come more flares and we'll see more X flares, I'm sure. We'll see more, you know,

16:19interference on high frequencies, which also affects amateur radio operators.

16:26And we'll see more of the events that cause geomagnetic storms. So with a flare,

16:31sometimes you get an ejection of the solar atmosphere. Part of the sun actually is blown off

16:36into outer space. And sometimes those can come to earth. And when they do, those are the things that

16:42produce geomagnetic storms and give you an opportunity to see the northern lights. We call

16:48those coronal mass ejections or CMEs for short. And they're the things that trigger the geomagnetic

16:53storm. So we'll see more of those as well. A lot of topics covered. Thank you so much for breaking

16:57it all down for us, helping us laymen understand what happens out there in space. It was very helpful.

17:02So Rob Steenberg with NOAA. Thank you. Thank you for having me. And yeah, we've got a whole team of

17:08people who do this every day. So we're watching out for you. We appreciate it. Coming up, the San

17:17Diego Zoo is set to welcome a couple of new additions. Stay tuned. We'll have more on that

17:22story when we return. Plans to bring pandas to the US are in the pipeline, according to China's

17:27foreign ministry as part of what's known as panda diplomacy, symbolizing China's efforts

17:31to better manage relations with Washington. The United States has been part of China's panda

17:36program since 1972, when the Chinese government gifted two of its beloved bears to the United

17:42United States.

17:54A pair of giant pandas are headed to the San Diego Zoo as part of an international conservation effort

18:13and may even jumpstart a new era of panda diplomacy between the US and China. Patrick Fock has more.

18:20Plans to bring pandas to the US are in the pipeline, according to China's foreign

18:25ministry as part of what's known as panda diplomacy, symbolizing China's efforts to better manage

18:30relations with Washington. The United States has been part of China's panda program since 1972,

18:36when the Chinese government gifted two of its beloved bears to the United States,

18:40following then-President Richard Nixon's historic Cold War visit. But back in November,

18:44the National Zoo in Washington returned three pandas to China, bringing an end to a 50-year legacy.

18:52It also meant that Georgia's Zoo Atlanta was the only zoo left in the country that has a panda

18:58program. But that deal expires at the end of this year, so a new deal would extend the diplomatic

19:04initiative. But many observers will say that Washington wants to see concrete steps taken by

19:10Beijing to men's relations, including reigning in China's military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific,

19:17pressuring Russia to end its war in Ukraine, and addressing trade practices that have been

19:23a concern to Washington and is the root cause of a lot of friction between the two countries.

19:28In Singapore, I'm Patrick Falk. Patrick Falk, thank you. And before we leave you,

19:34an aquarium in North Carolina is dealing with a true maritime mystery. Staffers at the aquarium and

19:40Shark Lab in Hendersonville have been left stunned after a female stingray named Charlotte became pregnant

19:48despite no male rays being in her tank. In fact, workers say Charlotte's tank hasn't had a male

19:54stingray in at least eight years. Some researchers have theorized Charlotte may have canoodled with one

20:00of the young studly sharks added to the tank in mid-July. That's because they found shark bites on her

20:06body. But interspecies breeding like this is biologically impossible, according to a stingray expert.

20:12The aquarium's founder, Brenda Raymer, explains a more likely scenario. Listen.

20:17We are believing that the process for Charlotte to be pregnant is being done by something called

20:24parthenogenesis. And parthenogenesis literally translates into virgin birth or miracle birth.

20:31And what happens is the female will develop the eggs and then the eggs will develop embryos

20:40while they are still within the mother's belly.

20:44Charlotte is expected to give birth to three or four stingray pups. But according to media reports,

20:51puzzled scientists won't know how Charlotte got pregnant until those babies are born.

20:56And wildlife officials are celebrating after three young burrowing owls were reintroduced into the wild

21:02in California. The happy moment came after the pint-sized raptors spent months being nursed back to health.

21:09The San Diego Wildlife Alliance working with the San Diego Humane Society's Project

21:14Wildlife say they treated the birds for malnourishment, dehydration and parasites.

21:19Researchers say these little owls were found at two separate nests, each with a missing parent,

21:25which officials say makes it difficult for the species to fledge their young.

21:29Researchers say the burrowing owls were recently put into temporary large cages on a protected habitat,

21:35where they will spend about a month acclimating to their new surroundings.

21:38That's it for this edition of EarthX News. Please join us again next week. I'm Christina Thompson.

21:55Thank you for watching the next week!

21:58And we'relag

22:11gotcha!

Clean Hydrogen Tax Credit? | EarthxNews Full Episode

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