Bloomberg Green

FirstRand sold a 2.5 billion rand bond that rewards investors based on improvements in a Cape Town water-catchment area.

The Endangered Species Committee, a little-used panel of US senior federal agency leaders, on Tuesday exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from sweeping endangered species protections, citing reasons of national security. Read more: bloom.bg/4tf7yzW Dubbed the God Squad, the committee has the power to effectively condemn a species to extinction by revoking environmental protections. The group, which hadn’t met in more than 30 years, had only previously issued exemptions twice before. 📷: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg

The EU will consider reopening a set energy measures used after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine as the bloc seeks to contain a fresh price shock tied to the Iran war.

On the eve of its critical snowpack measurement, California finds itself with a problem: too much dirt and not enough snow in its mountains. Read the latest edition of the Weather Watch newsletter here: bloom.bg/4lXrchD 📷️: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg

Earlier today, the Endangered Species Committee, a little-used panel of US federal agency leaders, voted to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from sweeping endangered species protections, citing reasons of national security. Dubbed the God Squad, the committee has the power to effectively condemn a species to extinction by revoking environmental protections. The group, which hadn’t met in more than 30 years, had only previously issued exemptions twice before. Tuesday’s decision goes much further than past cases. It applies an exemption from Endangered Species Act protections broadly to oil and gas exploration, development and production across the Gulf of Mexico, home to several threatened animals, including the Rice’s whale. It’s also the first time the committee has issued an exemption for reasons of national security, thrusting the process into unprecedented territory. Read the full story Bloomberg News here, with a gift link: https://lnkd.in/eJcYmVxj

Used wind-turbine blades in a Texas landfill have prompted a legal crackdown, and other stories on today’s Green Daily

Residents of Sweetwater, Texas, are frustrated that the old wind-turbine blades have sat in the town for years. Authorities have stepped up efforts to hold someone responsible. Read more: bloom.bg/3PDhd4Y 📷️: Brenda Bazán/Bloomberg

Thousands of wind-turbine blades have piled up in a small Texas town. It's spurred a battle between angry locals and a recycler who got in over his head.

Major companies in Japan face mandatory new rules on climate reporting under the next phase in the country’s planned national emissions trading system.

The so-called “God Squad” is set to weigh an exemption that would allow oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico to sidestep environmental protections.