As US Braces for One Hot 4th of July, Biden’s Climate Plans Catch Fire

Democrats are already hot under the collar following a judge’s overturn of Biden’s LNG export pause

The Heat Is On

Americans who were hoping that the worst of the recent high temperatures had passed were left disappointed after the National Weather Service office in Hanford warned of a “dangerous, prolonged heat wave that will last several days with Extreme Heat Risk through this week of Fourth of July”. 

A Warm Weekend Ahead

That means at least 45 million US citizens are facing temperature readings at or above 100 degrees this week. And more than two-thirds of the country will experience many days that reach 90 degrees. 

Records to Break… or Melt

High heat readings with the potential of smashing current temperature records will accumulate over parts of California this week. Due to “dangerously hot conditions”, the US National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings for between Tuesday and Saturday. 

That Was Nothing

Those in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys have already felt the scorching weather this past weekend, yet it’s only a precursor for what’s set to come this week. 

Frying in Fresno

Fresno is expected to be one of the hottest cities, as maximum temperatures there could exceed 110°F (43°C) over multiple days.  

The Driest Spot in the US

Residents have also been warned to be careful in and around Death Valley, which may also soar close to 130°F (54°C) towards the weekend. That precise temperature has only ever been recorded three times: in 1913, 2020, and 2021. 

More Heat

More heat warnings have gone out for much of California, including around San Francisco, plus the Tulsa area of northeastern Oklahoma, as well as the north-central Gulf Coast, including New Orleans.

Trapping Hot Air

Records could shatter due to an expanding heat dome that will bring near-daily record highs throughout the weekend.  

Brace Yourselves

Hot temperatures have been forecast from eastern Kansans to East Texas, across the northern Gulf Coast region through southern Georgia, as well as the Florida Panhandle. Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Mobile (Alabama), and Tallahassee are all in the heat advisory area, where heat indexes are expected to be up to 110°F. 

What Sea Breeze?

Those who are used to cool ocean breezes may also get scorched due to a stunted marine layer of clouds and fog because of the heat dome overhead. 

Heat Brings Fire

Officials have also issued warnings about elevated fire conditions, especially for the first half of this week, thanks to strong winds and low humidity conditions. This past weekend has already seen its share of fires, with firefighters battling a 250-acre brush fire in Riverside County on Saturday.

Skip the Fireworks

And with the Fourth of July federal holiday approaching, Cal Fire officials are imploring everyone to be careful when lighting fireworks due to their tendency to spark fires. 

Storms Brewing?

As if that’s not enough, hurricane warnings have also been issued for the Caribbean’s Windward Islands. This comes just a few days after Hurricane Beryl intensified from a tropical depression to a major hurricane (category 3+) in a mere 42 hour-period between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. 

Speaking of Things Getting Hot…

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has experienced a setback after a US federal judge blocked the US Government from their ongoing pause on the approval of applications to export liquefied natural gas (LNG). 

The Right to Export

The government has claimed that the pause, which was announced in January, would permit officials to assess the environmental- and economic impacts of projects that seek approval to export LNG to Europe and Asia. 

Unreasonable?

Various US media reports state that Judge James Cain in Lake Charles, Louisiana, said the US Department of Energy’s freeze on the export of LNG approvals was “without reason or logic”, agreeing with 16 Republican-led states.

Perhaps Even Illegal

Cain stated it was likely that the states would succeed in proving the pause, which could be deemed unconstitutional, went against the Natural Gas Act. He continued that the energy department’s actions were “above and beyond its scope of authority”.

Good for the US

Cain concluded, after reviewing “voluminous studies attached as exhibits”, that they all reveal the environmental and economic benefits of exporting natural gas. 

What to Do Next?

A spokesperson for the department said it is now evaluating what its next move should be after disagreeing with the ruling. 

A Word From the White House

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the White House has stated that the administration remains “committed to informing our decisions with the best available economic and environmental analysis, underpinned by sound science”.

Still no. 1

“The US remains the world’s largest exporter of LNG, and is currently on track to more than double existing capacity by the end of this decade,” the White House added. 

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The post As US Braces for One Hot 4th of July, Biden’s Climate Plans Catch Fire first appeared on EcoHugo.

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