North & Central America | Peter Schulte

California passes first-in-the-nation law banning forced outings of queer students in state public schools

By Peter Schulte / July 16, 2024 / Good news links

The SAFETY Act prohibits “parental notification” policies in school districts that require educators to notify parents if their child requests to use pronouns and facilities different from the gender they were assigned at birth. The law, which goes into effect immediately, also protects teachers and administrators from retaliation if they choose not to follow district directives to out queer kids to their parents.

U.S. Internal Revenue Service collects milestone $1 billion in back taxes from high-wealth taxpayers

By Peter Schulte / July 11, 2024 / Good news links

Last year, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) launched a series of initiatives aimed at pursuing high-wealth individuals who have failed to pay their tax debts. The IRS says the campaign is focused on taxpayers with more than $1 million in income and more than $250,000 in recognized tax debt.

World’s biggest geothermal power purchase agreement completed in western U.S.

By Peter Schulte / July 4, 2024 / Good news links

It’s only been one year since Fervo Energy unveiled a novel concept in geothermal energy harvesting at its Project Red pilot plant in Nevada. Now the company has signed a 15-year agreement with Southern California Edison to provide 320 MW of power to the utility, which will power about 350,000 homes. The power will be provided by Fervo’s Cape Station project that is currently being built in southwest Utah, with the first 70 MW coming online in 2026 and the balance clicking on in 2028.

New twice-yearly shot to prevent HIV achieves 100% success rate in late-stage trial

By Peter Schulte / July 3, 2024 / Good news links

In this double-blind, randomized study of 5,300 cisgender women in South Africa and Uganda, 2,134 got the injection and the others took one of two types of daily PrEP pills. The trial from California-based company Gilead Sciences began on August 2021 and, so far, not a single woman who received the injections has contracted HIV. The participants who received either of the oral PrEP options, Truvada and Descovy, had infection rates of about 2% — consistent with the infection rates of oral PrEP in other clinical trials.

Colombian victims win historic lawsuit in U.S. court over banana giant Chiquita

By Peter Schulte / July 1, 2024 / Good news links

Following 17 years of legal proceedings, victims of paramilitary violence in Colombia have obtained justice, as a jury found the banana company Chiquita Brands International liable for financing the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitary group. The ruling is historic because it’s the first time an American jury has held a major U.S. corporation liable for complicity in serious human rights abuses in another country. Victims’ families will receive $38.3 million in compensation.

Joe Biden to pardon thousands of American veterans convicted of having gay sex

By Peter Schulte / June 26, 2024 / Good news links

Biden said he was “righting a historic wrong by using my clemency authority to pardon many former service members who were convicted simply for being themselves,” calling the law “a great injustice.” This act of clemency means that thousands of military personnel who were convicted over six decades for engaging in consensual sexual intercourse with someone of the same sex would be able to apply for a certificate of pardon that would help them gain access to benefits that were previously withheld.

South Sudan launches epic effort to protect the world’s largest mammal migration

By Peter Schulte / June 25, 2024 / Good news links

The migration has enabled animals such as the white-eared kob, tiang, Mongalla gazelle and bohor reedbuck to survive seasonal changes for decades. The South Sudanese government’s partnership with the nonprofit African Parks aims to protect up to six million animals on the east bank of the White Nile, a tributary of the Nile.

Inuvialuit people and Canadian governments sign deal to create massive new conservation area

By Peter Schulte / June 19, 2024 / Good news links

The Inuvialuit and the Canadian federal and Yukon governments have signed a new conservation agreement to ensure greater protection for more than 2 million acres of the Yukon’s northeast coast, 1.8% of Yukon’s landmass. The agreement provides protection and conservation of wildlife such as the Porcupine caribou herd, polar bears, and migratory birds. It will also help preserve and promote traditional use amongst Inuvialuit mostly living in Aklavik and Inuvik in the Northwest Territories who access the area.

Aerial view of a geothermal power facility surrounded by tropical landscape for an article about Indonesia coal phase-out

Alberta’s last coal plant closes

By Peter Schulte / June 18, 2024 / Good news links

Capital Power’s Genesee 2 facility — the last dedicated coal plant in the Canadian province — has officially gone offline. According to the latest forecast from the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), it’s not expected to come back online ever. As recently as 2001, coal accounted for as much as 80% of the electricity on the province’s grid.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore set to issue 175,000 pardons for marijuana convictions

By Peter Schulte / June 16, 2024 / Good news links

During a news conference, Moore said the executive order will affect “tens of thousands of Marylanders” convicted of misdemeanors. Some may have had more than one conviction pardoned through the process. Advocates praised the move as a way of removing barriers to housing, employment, or educational opportunities based on convictions for conduct that is no longer illegal.