Declarations

“The EPA believes that, considering the plain text of these definitions, the Acid Rain Program does not apply to power generation facilities that are not connected in any way to the larger electricity grid.”

— EPA Assistant Administrator Aaron Szabo in a July letter stating EPA’s guidance clarifies that the Acid Rain Program does not apply to so-called “islanded” power generation facilities that operate separately from the broader grid. The agency said the interpretation would give developers greater flexibility in where and how quickly they can build new data cen- ters, which are driving a surge in electricity demand across the United States.

“A strong El Niño is worrisome enough, but the added influence of existing ocean hot blobs spells double trouble. This marine heat wave has fingerprints of human-caused climate change all over it. It isn’t sticky by East Coast standards, but it’s enough to make temperatures in the high 80s feel like the low 90s, which folks in LA are not used to.”

— Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center. A marine heat wave stretching across the Pacific from the coast of Mexico toward Hawaii is warming the waters off Southern California, adding more heat to a Northern Hemisphere summer already marked by wildfires and flooding.

“This is really, really good news for the community, and it gives us time to bring on our water supply projects without the stress of heading into a Level 1 water emergency.”

— Corpus Christi, Texas City Manager Peter Zanoni on the impacts of recent flooding in the community. The city has been under pressure to find new sources of water for 500,000 people served across seven counties, along with one of the nation’s largest petrochemical corridors and the Port of Corpus Christi, the country’s top port for crude oil exports. More than 95% of the city’s water supply comes from surface water, primarily lakes and reservoirs, according to the state’s water plan.

“Notably, the net loss ratio improved by 7.5 points year-over-year, driven by favorable claims and litigation trends that we expect to benefit non-catastrophe margins throughout the year. Strong retention and new business generation resulted in 4.1% direct premiums written growth, including growth in Florida and across our multi-state footprint.”

— Universal Insurance CEO Stephen Donaghy crediting 2022 legislative changes for stabilizing the Florida market, trimming excessive litigation costs and inducing lower reinsurance costs. His words echo what other insurance executives and analysts have said in the last 12 months.

“We know people are using AI chatbots to ask about health topics and that there has been real harm done when people in mental health crisis use generative AI tools for advice or support. Our findings indicate that most adults in New Jersey would support some state regulation of how AI chatbots respond to people in these moments and that support is even greater among people who are already using AI to ask about mental health.”

— Elizabeth Stone, lead author of a new study conducted by the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling in collaboration with the Center for Health Services Research at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research.

“What we are seeing this summer is significant heat leading to significant severe weather. We had an EF3 tornado in Wisconsin. People need to take these warnings seriously. It can happen just about anywhere.”

— Chad Merrill, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. A recent Wisconsin twister was spun off by a large storm system that moved through the Great Lakes and was fueled by a buildup of heat and humidity. The Fox Cities region, home to more than 100,000 people, was left in shambles, with homes leveled, cars flipped, and power lines and trees toppled.