Russian gas pipeline to Europe explodes & more environmental news.

[View this email in your browser]( Wednesday, December 21, 2022 "Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans." – Jacques Yves Cousteau Russian Gas Pipeline to Europe Explodes Three repair workers were killed yesterday when a section of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhhorod [natural gas]( [pipeline]( in western Russia exploded. One [driver]( was also suffering from shock, Reuters reported. The pipeline transports gas from Siberia to central Europe via [Ukraine]( and is currently the primary gas export route from Russia to Europe. [Read More]( Related: [Burst Nord Stream Pipes Could Be One of the Worst Natural Gas Leaks Ever]( Arctic Air Brings Dangerous Cold to U.S., Could Test Texas Grid A bomb cyclone of Arctic air is descending on the lower 48 states, bringing with it life-threatening extreme cold, heavy snow and rain, and blizzard conditions. The National Weather Service office in Buffalo, NY — no stranger to extreme winter weather — described it as a “[once in a generation winter storm]( The coldest temperatures in decades will send wind chills as low as -70°F in eastern Wyoming and the Eastern Seaboard will likely see its coldest Christmas [since Taylor Swift was born](. [Read More]( Related: [Extreme Weather 101: Everything You Need to Know]( 3M Says It Will Stop Making and Using Forever Chemicals by End of 2025 As awareness grows about the health impact and prevalence of the [environmental toxins]( known as [forever chemicals]( could the corporate tide finally be turning against them? U.S.-based conglomerate 3M announced Tuesday that it would stop its use and manufacture of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ([PFAS]( by the end of 2025. [Read More]( Related: [Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Lurking in Children’s Textiles, Pet Food Packaging]( How Major Southeast Utilities Paid Local Media for Favorable Coverage In Florida and Alabama, powerful utilities have lobbied against the [renewable energy]( transition. At the same time, they funneled money through consulting firm Matrix LLC to six media sites in the two states that published coverage favorable to the [utilities]( as NPR and Floodlight revealed in a major investigation Monday. In one instance, the editor-and-chief and publisher of media site The Capitolist — Brian Burgess — wrote to Matrix asking for permission to publish a [solar]( story requested by a different sponsor. [Read More]( Related: [30+ Media Organizations Call for Windfall Tax on Fossil Fuel Profits]( Do you get this newsletter daily? If not, [sign up here]( or forward to a friend. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Website]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2022 EcoWatch, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for EcoWatch Top News of The Day Our mailing address is: EcoWatch 1122 Oberlin RoadRaleigh, NC 27605 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](