Latest news with #GAO
Fast Company
2 hours ago
- Fast Company
The grid may fail, airports shouldn't
The power always comes back on. It did at London's Heathrow Airport earlier this year after a fire at a substation disrupted some 1,400 flights at the global hub, upending the plans and lives of 200,000 passengers. It did again on the Iberian Peninsula in April after a power outage, whose cause is still undetermined, knocking out transit in Barcelona, Madrid, and Lisbon and grounding flights even as back-up generators kicked on. And it did in May after the air traffic control tower at Houston Hobby lost power for an hour and backup generators kicked on. Some might say the missed business meetings, the vacations disrupted, and the cargo delayed are unfortunate costs of doing business, collateral damage in a system that supports $4.1 trillion in world economic activity. Others might think the airport power outages are so rare or brief that the fix—a power source not reliant on the existing electric grid—is a cost-prohibitive solution. Critical role in global connectivity The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) surveyed 24 commercial airports in 2023 and found a total of 321 electrical power outages—i.e., an unplanned loss of power lasting five minutes or longer—from 2015 through 2022. Eleven of the airports reported six or more outages over this eight-year period. The GAO study came after Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport— the world's busiest —had a power outage in 2017 and LAX—the world's seventh busiest —had one in 2019. Because of the interconnected nature of commercial aviation, the effects of those outages rippled across the nation and world. Airports play a critical role in global connectivity, in local and regional economic growth, and— in the event of disasters—the most likely place where aid and rebuilding supplies will first arrive. They are also where transplant organs, high-value, time-sensitive goods, and critical machinery/parts needed for hospitals and utility companies arrive. Reliably functioning airport infrastructure matters. Our lives and livelihoods depend on them. New energy solutions At Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), we started to think about options after Atlanta's outage and took decisive action after Los Angeles' outage. Our goal was to ensure resiliency and redundancy so we could have power, no matter what. Four years ago, we commissioned a first-in-the-world airport microgrid that fully powers a major airport. Since then, we have achieved site-hardened infrastructure, lowered our cost of energy (in the millions, annually) and contributed to cleaner air by sourcing our energy very locally. PIT's microgrid, powered by a 20 MW energy plant using on-site natural gas and a 3MW solar facility with nearly 10,000 panels built on top of a landfill, allows us to operate independently if outside disruptions occur—and they have. A recent regional power loss that impacted commercial customers throughout the region had no effect on the airport. Our microgrid provided full power to our airport and airfield, without any disruption. Not every airport is blessed with huge supplies of natural gas on property, but by adopting innovative solutions to provide energy security, we can make our world a better place for everyone—whether they fly or not. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Airports must analyze the resources available that make the most sense for their circumstances—whether it's solar power, natural gas pipelines, or other creative options. The industry has faced threats and found solutions time and time again. As a result, air travel is safer and more secure. Now is the time for airports to lead with a vision that sees beyond runways and terminals and create plans for resilience and build a future that withstands the loss of power. Because wouldn't it be better and safer for us all if the power never went out?
National Geographic
10 hours ago
- Business
- National Geographic
How Has Fracking Changed Our Future?
"The United States is in the midst of the 'unconventional revolution in oil and gas' that, it becomes increasingly apparent, goes beyond energy itself. Today, the industry supports 1.7m jobs - a considerable accomplishment given the relative newness of the technology. That number could rise to 3 million by 2020. In 2012, this revolution added $62 billion to federal and state government revenues, a number that we project could rise to about $113 billion by 2020.2 It is helping to stimulate a manufacturing renaissance in the United States, improving the competitive position of the United States in the global economy, and beginning to affect global geopolitics." —Daniel Yergin, vice chair of global consulting firm IHS, in February testimony before Congress "Natural gas is not a permanent solution to ending our addiction imported oil. It is a bridge fuel to slash our oil dependence while buying us time to develop new technologies that will ultimately replace fossil transportation fuels. Natural gas is the critical puzzle piece RIGHT NOW. It will help us to keep more of the $350 to $450 billion we spend on imported oil every year at home, where it can power our economy and pay for our investments in a smart grid, wind and solar energy, and increased energy efficiency. By investing in alternative energies while utilizing natural gas for transportation and energy generation, America can decrease its dependence on OPEC oil, develop the cutting-edge know-how to make wind and solar technology viable, and keep more money at home to pay for the whole thing." —Pickens Plan, a site outlining BP Capital founder T. Boone Pickens' proposed energy strategy "My town was dying. This is a full-scale mining operation, and I'm all for it. Now we can get back to work." —Brent Sanford, mayor of Watford City, a town at the center of the North Dakota oil boom, in "The New Oil Landscape" (NGM March 2013 issue) Negative impacts of fracking "According to a number of studies and publications GAO reviewed, shale oil and gas development poses risks to air quality, generally as the result of (1) engine exhaust from increased truck traffic, (2) emissions from diesel-powered pumps used to power equipment, (3) gas that is flared (burned) or vented (released directly into the atmosphere) for operational reasons, and (4) unintentional emissions of pollutants from faulty equipment or impoundment-temporary storage areas. Similarly, a number of studies and publications GAO reviewed indicate that shale oil and gas development poses risks to water quality from contamination of surface water and groundwater as a result of erosion from ground disturbances, spills and releases of chemicals and other fluids, or underground migration of gases and chemicals."—General Accounting Office report on shale development, September 2012 "The gas 'revolution' has important implications for the direction and intensity of national efforts to develop and deploy low-emission technologies, like [carbon capture and storage] for coal and gas. With nothing more than regulatory policies of the type and stringency simulated here there is no market for these technologies, and the shale gas reduces interest even further. Under more stringent GHG targets these technologies are needed, but the shale gas delays their market role by up to two decades. Thus in the shale boom there is the risk of stunting these programs altogether. While taking advantage of this gift in the short run, treating gas a 'bridge' to a low-carbon future, it is crucial not to allow the greater ease of the near-term task to erode efforts to prepare a landing at the other end of the bridge."—from a study on shale gas and U.S. energy policy by researchers at MIT (also see: "Shale Gas: A Boon That Could Stunt Alternatives, Study Says")
Fox News
2 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Senators Ricketts, Fetterman unite against China's quiet invasion of US farmland
EXCLUSIVE: Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts is leading the charge with Democrat Sen. John Fetterman to codify oversight on foreign countries buying American farmland. The bipartisan Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure (AFIDA) Improvements Act seeks to implement recommendations published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in January 2024, which found the AFIDA was ill-equipped to combat foreign ownership of American agricultural land. "Communist China is our greatest geopolitical threat," Ricketts told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview, adding, "This is a way for us to improve the disclosure that's going on with regard to the purchase of this agricultural land, so we can take other action if necessary to make sure we're not giving Communist China the opportunity to buy agricultural land." The bill's proposal comes as two Chinese nationals – a University of Michigan post-doctoral research fellow, Yunqing Jian, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology student Chengxuan Han – were held in federal custody after they were accused of smuggling biological materials into the United States. The suspects have been charged with "smuggling a fungus that has been described as a "potential agroterrorism weapon" into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme," interm U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. The fungus causes a "head blight," described as a disease of wheat, maize, rice and barley, and is responsible for billions of dollars of economic losses throughout the world each year, according to the Department of Justice. If ingested by humans, the substance can cause vomiting, liver damage and "reproductive defects in humans and livestock." Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration is focused on "keeping our homeland secure" through enhanced border screenings. "Protecting America's food supply and national security remains a top priority. Last week's smuggling attempt by Chinese nationals of Fusarium graminearum, a dangerous crop-destroying fungus, posing a significant bioterrorism threat, only highlights this imperative to combat this threat," McLaughlin said. "That could potentially be very damaging to agriculture," Ricketts told Fox News Digital. "We also know that Chinese nationals have been trying to steal our biotechnology with regard to agriculture. They've also been crashing gates of bases. Supposed Chinese tourists have been flying drones around bases. Of course, the Chinese flew a surveillance balloon over our country when the Biden administration just let that happen." Ricketts said China has been aggressively buying American agriculture, "which is why we need to have a heightened sense of vigilance around protecting our homeland." Foreign investors own over 40 million acres of agricultural land in the United States, and between 2010 and 2021, Chinese ownership of American agricultural land increased from 13,720 acres to 383,935 acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). "It's not just about the number of acres that they own, but the fact that they own it around Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota or Fort Liberty in North Carolina. They're buying it around sensitive military installations," Ricketts said. The bill, also co-sponsored by Sens. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, John Cornyn of Texas, Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, requires AFIDA reporting for foreign persons holding more than 1% interest in American agricultural land. The AFIDA Improvements Act aims to increase information-sharing between the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and the USDA. It also requires updates to the AFIDA's handbook and establishes a deadline for USDA to set up an online AFIDA system. Based on the GAO's recommendations, the bill seeks to update the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 to better equip the USDA to combat foreign adversaries' ownership of American agricultural land. "We are at the most dangerous point in our history right now since World War II," Ricketts said. "We have to be investing in our military. We have to be supporting our friends around the world that are pushing back on these dictators. Communist China is one of them." Additionally, the bill comes as conflict in the Middle East reaches a boiling point between Iran and Israel, reigniting concerns about national security. Israel successfully coordinated attacks against Iran from inside the country, and Ricketts pointed to Ukraine's success in targeting a Russian air base. "What Ukraine was able to do against Russia with their operation that destroyed some of their strategic bombers, and they placed trucks with drones close to an air base and had those drones attack their squadrons. We could be vulnerable to the same thing if China did that here. They've owned farmland close enough to our air bases to be able to launch a drone strike. That should be very concerning to us," Ricketts said. Ricketts added that American farmland should not be a "tool that our adversaries, like Communist China, can use to attack us from inside our own country." There has been little movement on the bill since it was just recently introduced. That is largely because Senate Republicans are narrowly focused on advancing Trump's "big, beautiful bill" ahead of a self-imposed July 4 deadline.
Medscape
2 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
US Needs National Diagnostic Testing Plan for Public Health Threats
Allowing nontraditional laboratories to perform diagnostic testing in a potential pandemic situation was one of the nearly 100 actions proposed by a panel of experts, according to results of a new report published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The new report ultimately yielded four recommendations from the GAO to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with two action items. One of these called for the creation of a national diagnostic testing strategy for infectious diseases with pandemic potential. Another called for the creation of a national diagnostic testing forum that would include a range of expert testing stakeholders from HHS and component agencies, but also the public and private sectors, nonprofit organizations, and academia. The other two main recommendations were that the national diagnostic testing strategy, once created, be updated regularly with lessons learned from infectious disease threats, other public health threats, or relevant preparedness exercises; and that the national diagnostic testing forum, once created, meet regularly, including both before and during infectious disease threats with pandemic potential, before and during other public health threats deemed relevant, or any related preparedness exercises. 'Pandemics pose an ever-present threat to American lives, national security, and economic interests, and diagnostic testing is critical to tracking infectious disease and helping reduce potential death rates,' said Mary Denigan-Macauley, director of Public Health for the GAO, in an interview. 'Testing helps us know where the disease is, how it is spreading and if it is gone,' Denigan-Macauley said. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent mpox outbreaks, the US Department of HHS struggled to lead the nation's testing efforts, and taking action to improve testing protocols now can boost preparedness for the next infectious disease emergency, Denigan-Macauley said. Diseases know no borders, she added. 'A strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza is widespread in wild birds around the globe and is already on our doorstep, causing outbreaks in poultry and US dairy cows, with several recent human cases in US dairy and poultry workers,' Denigan-Macauley said. 'Tracking these and other diseases is critical so we can be prepared and implement measures to control their spread,' she emphasized. Cooperative Planning Will Promote Current Information Infectious disease testing is not for the federal government to do alone; everyone from the doctor who tests the patient to local, state, and federal health officials should understand the national diagnostic testing strategy so they can work together, said Denigan-Macauley. 'We don't want key stakeholders working in silos that are fragmented and disjointed; this prevents us from understanding what is happening nationally to control a disease,' she said. 'A national diagnostic testing strategy and coordinating group could help the nation avoid some of the challenges faced during previous public health emergencies,' Denigan-Macauley told Medscape Medical News . 'For example, we found that the federal government did not always coordinate its updates to COVID-19 testing guidance with external stakeholders, such as healthcare professional organizations, which led to confusion and disagreement in the practice community,' she said. However, a national testing strategy could establish specific processes for coordination and collaboration related to testing guidance updates, she noted. 'A national coordinating group could then facilitate real-time communication of the updates, which would help ensure that frontline providers are prepared to implement new guidance upon its release,' she added. The current fragmented state of diagnostic testing efforts across numerous government agencies is a barrier to a national strategy, Denigan-Macauley told Medscape Medical News . 'Fragmentation refers to circumstances in which more than one agency is involved in the same broad area,' she said. 'Our states — simply by the way we are set up as a nation — also have differing capabilities, goals and their own health systems causing further fragmentation,' she explained. Establishing a testing coordinating group and implementing practices for interagency collaboration can help manage fragmentation and overcome this barrier, she said. Research Gaps The experts consulted on the report suggested several areas in need of additional research, including determining the types of diagnostic testing required for different types of pathogens, developing diagnostic tests with longer shelf lives, evaluating the new generations of diagnostic testing equipment, and understanding the human behaviors that drive compliance with diagnostic testing guidance, said Denigan-Macauley. A Specialist's Take Having a national diagnostic testing strategy would allow the US to cope more efficiently with the next pandemic, said Romney M. Humphries, PhD, D(ABMM), M(ASCP), professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, in an interview. The COVID-19 pandemic was challenging in many ways, including the inability of many public health labs to handle the surge in testing needs, said Humphries. 'A national diagnostic testing strategy would promote building an infrastructure and developing partnerships among labs,' said Humphries. In addition, developing a universal approach to testing and standardized testing protocols, as are common in European countries, would streamline the process and facilitate such partnerships, she said. However, funding is a significant barrier to implementing any national diagnostic testing strategy, Humphries noted. Funding for various public health initiatives is being reduced or eliminated, but a national diagnostic testing strategy should be prioritized given the benefit to public health in general and the value in the event of a pandemic or other public health crisis, she said. Looking ahead, improvements in management and operations at the federal, state, and local level are needed to make a national diagnostic testing strategy successful, Humphries told Medscape Medical News . Although no action has yet been taken to create a national diagnostic testing strategy, 'HHS officials said they are taking some steps to improve diagnostic testing related to the actions suggested by experts,' according to the GAO website outlining the report.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Watchdog: Trump administration violated Impoundment Act a second time
The Government Accountability Office said Monday that the Trump administration had violated the Impoundment Act by withholding congressionally appropriated funds to the agency responsible for supporting libraries and museums across the country. The congressional watchdog found that funds were withheld by Institute of Museum and Library Services, with the GAO calling the act a violation of a law that blocks presidents from withholding funding Congress has approved. This is the second time the GAO has told Congress that the administration unlawfully withheld funds after the administration froze funds for electric vehicles, which the White House previously denied. When asked about the latest GAO finding, the White House Office of Management and Budget referred The Washington Post to its previous response to the GAO's finding about cuts to electric vehicle funding. 'All of OMB's actions have been consistent with the President's authorities under the Constitution and laws,' OMB general counsel Mark Paoletta wrote in a letter last month to GAO. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are feuding with the administration over whether the president can cancel spending without the approval of the legislative branch. The White House has maintained that spending cuts have been in 'full compliance' with federal budget law as it reshaped federal spending through the U.S. DOGE Service changes and executive actions — including halting investments in green energy, aid to foreign nations and grants to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. When asked about investigating the Trump administration's efforts to withhold funding, GAO leader Gene L. Dodaro told senators in April that his office had opened nearly 40 separate inquiries. Staff from the Institute of Museum and Library Services were placed on administrative leave in April after Trump issued an executive order March 14 to make cuts to the agency. The American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees sued the administration in a case that is playing out in a U.S. District Court in D.C. The Institute of Museum and Library Services, an independent government agency, was created in 1996 by an act of Congress and submitted a budget request of $280 million for fiscal 2025. New York, one of the states that opposed the executive order, received $8 million through the institute last year to fund literacy programs for children and adults, improve internet access in libraries and train library employees and pay for the salaries of two-thirds of state library staff, according to the state. GAO investigators found that the agency's spending has been slashed by more than half in the first five months of this year, according to federal spending data. The finding came from publicly available data because the investigators said the agency has been unresponsive to questions since May. Democrats have sought to stop the cuts, arguing that grants awarded through agencies such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services have benefited communities directly that might not otherwise have the resources to support their own library and museum programs. Nearly a dozen attorneys general had asked a court to halt Trump's initial executive order on the dismantling of the institute and other independent agencies, arguing that the cuts are unlawful. Jeff Stein, Carolyn Y. Johnson and Niha Masih contributed to this report.
