CBS News
45 states are now covered by a climate action plan. These 5 opted out.
It’s been a year since the EPA began the first phase of a plan to help states, major metropolitan areas, U.S. territories and over 200 tribes and tribal groups develop climate action strategies to address their greenhouse gas emissions — and all but five states have joined in. Called the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants Program, it provides more than $250 million in grants, made possible by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, for jurisdictions to develop strategies to reduce their climate pollution.
These climate action plans also identify new economic opportunities to support clean and green industries, ensure low-income and minorities communities are included in the planning, and support public health benefits gained by reducing various types of environmental pollution.
States and cities participating
While all states were eligible for the program, only 45 took part. Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, South Dakota and Wyoming all declined to participate.
By skipping the EPA grant program, each passed on a $3 million allocation to develop a statewide strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But that $15 million in combined money the states waived won’t go to waste; large metro areas in those states were still eligible to apply for a grant and claim a portion of their state’s allocation.
Florida has five cities participating that submitted climate action plans, receiving $1 million each:
Iowa has three cities that submitted climate action plans, receiving $1 million each:
Kentucky has three cities that submitted climate action plans, receiving $1 million each:
South Dakota has one city that submitted a climate action plan, receiving $1 million:
Wyoming also has one city that submitted a climate action plan, receiving $1 million:
These climate action plans are designed to “reduce harmful pollution and address environmental justice concerns, while building the infrastructure, industry, and competitive economy for a clean energy future,” according to the EPA.
All state and city applicants that accepted funding had to submit their Climate Action Plans to the EPA by March 1, while those for tribes and U.S. territories are due April 1.
More than 96% of the United States will be covered by a plan to reduce climate pollution, according to the EPA. Current state and city plans are now available to the public to view.
“The diversity of ideas and ambitious initiatives from all across the country reflect the seriousness that states and metropolitan areas are bringing to the work of cutting pollution, acting on climate change, and meeting their local objectives,” Jennifer Macedonia, deputy assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, said in an EPA news release. “These climate action plans demonstrate substantial progress for states and local governments, in coordination with their communities, to chart their path forward — building healthy communities and competitive local economies where climate solutions can thrive.”
The second phase of the project will be for the EPA to distribute $4.6 billion to participating states and communities to fund greenhouse gas reduction measures, as outlined in their climate action plans.
By developing comprehensive plans and access to funding, the EPA says it aims to help communities make the transition to a low-carbon economy. President Biden has set a goal of cutting America’s carbon emissions in half by 2030, from 2005 levels.
CBS News
Texas man fights to reunite with wife and kids, including newborn twins, who were unexpectedly deported to Mexico
A Texas man is fighting to get his wife and four children back after he says they were unexpectedly deported to Mexico.
Federico Arellano is a U.S. citizen, and says three of his four kids are too. He says there has been a misunderstanding and that his family was misled.
Now, a video call is the only way he’s been able to see his family.
Agents deport family
ICE agents deported Arellano’s wife, Christina Salazar, and their four kids to Mexico last week after they say they were told to come to the ICE field office in Houston to discuss Salazar’s immigration case.
“They told me that they were going to take her to Mexico because she had a deportation order,” Arellano said.
A judge signed off on the order in early October after Salazar missed an immigration hearing. The family says Salazar was recovering from giving birth to premature twins and doctors recommended she recover at home during that time.
Arellano said he informed the court about the situation and claims they reassured him by phone the date could be rescheduled.
Nearly two months later, Arellano said agents detained his wife and then their four children.
Immigration attorney Isaias Torres, who represents the family, said he has not seen an instance like this one that involves a family.
“I’ve seen criminals, ardent criminals, people with prior deportation. … I don’t understand why this happened,” Torres said.
Hopes to reunite
A video call is now the only way Arellano can see Salazar and their kids for the foreseeable future.
“I’m alone. I have no one to help me with my kids here and they are really sick,” Salazar said in a video call from Reynosa, Mexico.
Attorneys for the family said they are reaching out to members of Congress for help. ICE and the DOJ have not responded to CBS News for a request for comment.
Meanwhile, Arellano said he just wants his family back.
“To get them back and of course they return to me just as they were taken away. I want them to return to me,” he said.
The Charlotte Hornets have issued an apology for a recent skit involving a gift and a young fan.
During the second quarter of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, the Hornets performed a skit where a child was brought down to the court to meet the team’s mascot, who was dressed as Santa Claus, CBS Sports reported. A letter from the boy to Santa asking for a PlayStation 5, was read aloud. Then a cheerleader gave the boy a bag containing the video game console. While the cameras rolled, the boy seemed elated to have received the console.
Once the cameras stopped rolling, though, the video game station was taken away from the boy and he was given a jersey instead. The boy’s uncle was told that he would not be able to keep the console. A clip of the incident went viral on social media.
The Hornets issued an apology on Tuesday, saying that the skit “missed the mark” and “included bad decision making and poor communication.”
Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images
“Simply put, we turned the ball over and we apologize. We have reached out to the family and are committed to not only making it right but to exceeding expectations. We will be providing the fan with the PS5 that he should have taken home last night along with a VIP experience to a future game,” the team said, according to CBS Sports. “Our goal is and will remain to elevate the guest experience for every person that enters Spectrum Center, and to show our fans how much we appreciate their relentless support.”
The Hornets have won seven games this season and lost 19, according to ESPN.
Basketball star Michael Jordan sold his majority ownership in the team to a group of investors last year for a reported $3 billion.
CBS News
Senate passes $895 billion defense bill with controversial gender-affirming care restriction
Washington — The Senate approved the mammoth $895 billion National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday, despite concern from some Democrats over a controversial policy restricting gender-affirming care for children of servicemembers.
In a 85 to 14 vote, the Senate approved the legislation, which the House passed last week. Eleven Democrats and three Republicans voted against it in the upper chamber. The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature.
The 1,800 page national security legislation to authorize funding for the Defense Department for fiscal year 2025. But the bill includes a handful of controversial policies, like the gender-affirming care restriction, and lost support from the majority of Democrats in the House.
The Democratic-controlled Senate pushed forward with the measure nonetheless. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer noted that while the NDAA “isn’t perfect,” it still “includes some very good things that Democrats fought for” — citing provisions aimed at standing up against the Chinese Communist Party, boosting the use of artificial intelligence for national defense and expanding domestic tech innovation.
“Congress has passed the NDAA on a bipartisan basis for over six straight decades, and this year will be no different,” Schumer said ahead of the vote on Wednesday. “We’re passing the NDAA and that’s a very good thing.”
Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, derided the gender-affirming care restriction earlier this week, calling it “the product of a nationwide campaign against trans rights” and arguing that the legislation’s approval would mark “the first anti-LGBTQ law passed by Congress in decades.”
Still, the outcome of the vote was all but guaranteed after the Senate advanced the measure on Monday in a 83-12 procedural vote.
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, celebrated the NDAA’s “immense accomplishments,” including a 14.5% pay raise for junior service members and investments in recruitment capabilities. But he said Congress “missed an opportunity to strengthen the president-elect’s hand as he takes office in a precarious world situation.”
Wicker outlined that the Armed Services Committee proposed $25 billion for modernization programs, including for missile defense, ship building and counter-drone technology, saying “this should have been part of the bill today.”
Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat who chairs the Armed Services Committee, called the legislation a “strong, forward looking bill that we can all be proud of.” But he said he “strongly” disagrees with the inclusion of the gender-affirming care provision, calling it a “misguided provision.”
“I share many of my colleagues’ frustrations that the bill includes a provision that would prohibit gender-affirming health care for minors under certain circumstances,” Reed noted, adding that he voted against the provision in committee. “We will continue to work to ensure the health care rights of all military personnel and their dependents.”
Texas man fights to reunite with wife and kids, including newborn twins, who were unexpectedly deported to Mexico
Charlotte Hornets apologize after a gift-giving skit with young fan went awry
Senate passes $895 billion defense bill with controversial gender-affirming care restriction
Texas man fights to reunite with wife and kids, including newborn twins, who were unexpectedly deported to Mexico
Charlotte Hornets apologize after a gift-giving skit with young fan went awry