Chloe Bennett

Adirondack Mountains

Climate Reporter at Adirondack Explorer

now: climate reporter @adkexplorer / then: @dallasnews, @texasstandard / schooled: @newmarkjschool she/her.

Articles

Oklahoma wildlife groups call upon residents to help migratory birds this spring

1 week ago | kosu.org | Chloe Bennett-Steele |Chloe Bennett

Under the blanket of night, millions of migratory birds soar over Oklahoma from March until the end of spring to reach their breeding grounds. But scientists say artificial lights can disrupt birds’ travel, leading to confusion and building collisions. A campaign from the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden and 16 other nature and wildlife groups asks residents to dim or fully extinguish artificial lights at night during bird migration seasons.
American-Made Appliances: Things You Should Know

2 weeks ago | ahouseinthehills.com | Chloe Bennett

Shopping for new appliances can feel overwhelming. With so many options available, it’s hard to know where to start and if the extra price tag on American-made appliances is really worth it. The truth is, buying U.S.-made products doesn’t just support local jobs; it can also mean better quality, faster service, and longer-lasting products. But how do you know which appliances are truly made in the USA?
Federal directive to open more logging in Oklahoma’s public lands

2 weeks ago | kosu.org | Chloe Bennett-Steele |Chloe Bennett

Acreage within the Ouachita National Forest in far-eastern Oklahoma and what appears to be the Black Kettle National Grassland to the west were targeted in a memo from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. The new policy would expand and speed up harvesting on public lands to produce timber products in the U.S.Rollins said the initiative is also focused on conservation and would lead to healthier forests, though some groups disagree.
International space company plans to set up U.S. operations in Oklahoma

2 weeks ago | kosu.org | Chloe Bennett-Steele |Chloe Bennett

The vote sets in motion a plan to bring the space company to Oklahoma, an initiative that started at least a year ago. The board members said the state will be among the first to invest in low-orbit technology used for scientific research. “I dare say this is probably the second biggest date in OSIDA’s history,” said board member Michael Schulz.
Report: As coal declines, Oklahoma continues to replace it with renewables

2 weeks ago | kosu.org | Chloe Bennett-Steele |Chloe Bennett

Renewable energy from wind turbines and solar panels generated more electricity in the U.S. than coal last year, a first for the country since coal peaked in 2007. A report from Ember, a global energy think tank, shows coal is at a historic low of 15% generation. Wind and solar energy produced 17% of the nation’s electricity. The report states coal’s presence was three times larger in the U.S. in 2018 than wind and solar combined.
Oklahoma's state fossil is known as an enormous carnivorous dinosaur. Did it ever exist?

1 month ago | kosu.org | Chloe Bennett-Steele |Chloe Bennett

An excavation in 1930s Cimarron County resulted in a set of bones that would puzzle paleontologists for decades. Using money from the Works Progress Administration, a crew dug under the direction of researcher John Willis Stovall near Black Mesa to find remains belonging to a dinosaur species. Originally thought to belong to a meat-eating giant, Stovall informally gave it a name later corrected to “Saurophaganax maximus” following his death.
Thousands of acres in western Oklahoma to remain wild through land agreement

1 month ago | kosu.org | Chloe Bennett-Steele |Chloe Bennett

Species like the black-tailed jackrabbit and upland sandpiper will see their habitat protected permanently in Harper County through a conservation easement, also known as a voluntary land protection agreement. The legal contract will keep about 5,000 acres wild with grazing animals such as cattle. The Nature Conservancy, a global nonprofit with operations in Oklahoma, bought the land intending to preserve grasslands for habitat and continue carbon dioxide storage.
Trump’s agenda complicates Oklahoma’s plan to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells

2 months ago | kosu.org | Chloe Bennett-Steele |Chloe Bennett

A small group of workers bundled in jackets and boots splattered with mud surrounded a pump jack and a 70-foot rig in Glenpool, near Tulsa. In early February, the ground was slick and saturated with rain while they operated the equipment.
Oklahoma legislature considers bills on nuclear energy

2 months ago | kosu.org | Chloe Bennett

A series of bills related to nuclear energy passed unanimously out of legislative energy committees on Wednesday and Thursday. House Bill 1375, authored by Rep. Brad Boles (R-Marlow) would require the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to hire a consulting firm to conduct a feasibility study on nuclear generation in the state. Twin legislation from Sen. George Burns (R-Pollard) passed out of the Senate Energy Committee Thursday.
How Donald Trump's oil and gas agenda could impact Oklahoma

2 months ago | kosu.org | Chloe Bennett-Steele |Chloe Bennett

Ranked among the top oil producers in the nation, Oklahoma could eventually see changes from Trump’s energy plans announced Jan. 20. Along with declaring a “national energy emergency,” which states the country lacks adequate energy to sustain its way of life, the president also laid out a broad energy agenda titled “Unleashing American Energy.”Although the U.S. has produced since 2018, Trump said policies from the previous administration impeded the development of natural resources.