** The federal government can be sued for negligence in the Flint water crisis, a judge said Wednesday, citing the failure of regulators to timely act as good Samaritans and blow the whistle on lead in the water supply. The decision comes days after the state of Michigan said it’s willing to pay $600 million to settle a raft of lawsuits by Flint residents over disastrous decisions by Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration.
** A Los Angeles-area natural gas plant has been leaking large amounts of planet-warming gas methane for years, and the city has been aware of the urgency since at least March but has not scheduled repairs until later this year, according to a recording made public on Wednesday.
** Eighteen dolphins have been found dead on the shores of Mauritius less than three weeks after a large oil spill caused by the grounding of a cargo ship. More dolphins were found close to the shore, alive but in distress, and were carried into deeper waters by local inhabitants and the authorities.
** Lawyers for New Mexico, California, and environmental groups in a court filing argue a federal judge shouldn’t scrap an Obama-era methane rule simply because the Bureau of Land Management refuses to defend it in court.
** Another Utah city votes to withdraw from participating in a next-generation nuclear power plant, citing uncertainty about rising costs.
** A federal judge suspends oil and gas operations in Wyoming greater sage-grouse habitat pending an appeal.
** Hawaii regulators extend a moratorium on utility shutoffs through the end of the year.
** The Navajo Nation criticizes the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs for holding virtual forums instead of direct outreach on an oil and gas plan, noting the majority of tribal members lack broadband internet access.
** Several dozen major U.S. companies, nonprofit groups and local governments announced a commitment to plant and conserve 855 million trees by 2030, in a step toward fulfilling the global Trillion Tree Initiative that the president backed in January.
** Utility-disconnect moratoriums will end in 36 states between now and Oct. 1, according to a report out Thursday from the energy efficiency startup Carbon Switch. Duke Energy, Dominion Energy, First Energy and American Electric Power, which collectively have 30.5 million customers, are all scheduled to resume shut-offs by Sept. 15.
** North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration from allowing seismic exploration for oil and gas off its coasts.
** The Blue Green Alliance, which brings together labor unions and environmental groups, endorsed Joe Biden for president on Wednesday, marking its first-ever endorsement of a candidate for public office in its 14-year run.
** Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is preparing a lawsuit to stop ratepayer surcharges for two nuclear plants at the center of a $61 million corruption scandal if state legislators don’t repeal the law.
** U.S. oil company Harvest Natural Resources has dropped a lawsuit against former Venezuelan oil minister Rafael Ramirez for allegedly demanding bribes to approve the company’s sale of its Venezuelan assets, a U.S. court document showed on Aug. 26.Harvest had won a $1.4 billion judgement against Ramirez, but the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas set that award aside last year, ruling Ramirez had not been properly notified.
