Christopher Weber

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January 10, 2023
This aerial photo shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, north of Tokyo, on March 17, 2022. Japan's government has revised the timing of a planned release to the sea of treated but still radioactive wastewater at the Fukushima nuclear power plant to “around spring or summer,' indicating a delay from the initial target of this spring, factoring into the progress of a release tunnel and the need to gain public support.
Japan Delays Fukushima Plant Water Release
January 13, 2023
Food
Going Beyond Dust Hazard Analysis
January 12, 2023
Mercedes
Mercedes Recalls Nearly 324K Vehicles Due to Engine Stalling
January 5, 2023
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Workers work on equipment at the West End Substation, at 6910 NC Hwy 211 in West End, N.C., Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, where a serious attack on critical infrastructure has caused a power outage to many around Southern Pines, N.C.
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State Lawmakers Propose Power Grid Protections After Attacks
With many CIPP repairs, this isn’t just steam.
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Cheap Sewer Pipe Repairs Can Push Toxic Fumes Into Homes & Schools
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3 Amazon Warehouses Fined for Ergonomic Hazards
Industrial Media Unboxing Video
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Industrial Media Unboxing Video
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Industrial Media Unboxing Video
IEN Unboxed is a new show in which our editors unbox new tools on the market and discuss their features.
November 23, 2022
A fire official looks over the scene of a small plane crash, Monday, Oct. 11, 2021, in Santee, Calif. At least two people were killed and two others were injured when the plane crashed into a suburban Southern California neighborhood, setting two homes ablaze, authorities said.
Safety
Plane Crash Kills 2, Burns Homes in California Neighborhood
When the plane was close to the runway, an air traffic controller alerted the pilot that the aircraft was too low.
October 12, 2021
Cleanup contractors unload collected oil in plastic bags trying to stop further oil crude incursion into the Wetlands Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. One of the largest oil spills in recent Southern California history fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands.
Safety
Crews Race to Limit Damage from Major California Oil Spill
An estimated 126,000 gallons of heavy crude leaked into the waters.
October 4, 2021
Avionics mechanic Mike Luong inspects the control panel of Sikorsky Firehawk helicopter at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Sacramento Aviation Management Unit based at McClellan Airpark in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, July 23, 2021.
Product Development
New Technology Propels Efforts to Fight Western Wildfires
There have been 730 more wildfires in California so far this year than last.
July 26, 2021
A man leaves his home during a mandatory fire evacuate as smoke from the Silverado Fire fills the air, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, in Irvine, Calif.
Safety
Utility Says its Equipment May Have Sparked California Blaze
Two firefighters were critically injured while battling the fire.
October 27, 2020
Firefighters watch as a helicopter drops water in a wildfire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.
Safety
Blackouts Possible as CA Fires Loom
Less than two weeks after blacking out much of Northern California, weather could prompt it to shut off power to about a half-million people.
October 22, 2019
This Tuesday, May 28, 2019, photo shows the Skai vehicle, developed by Alaka'i Technologies in Newbury Park, Calif. The transportation company is betting its hydrogen-powered electric flying vehicles will someday serve as taxis, cargo carriers and ambulances of the sky.
Product Development
Hydrogen-Power Electric Flying Vehicle
It looks like an oversized drone crossed with a luxury SUV.
May 30, 2019
Soda
Food & Beverage
Court Blocks Soda Ad Warning
It's seen as a victory for beverage and retail groups that sued to block the ordinance.
February 1, 2019
In this July 2, 2018, photo, traffic moves on the old Gerald Desmond Bridge next to its replacement bridge under construction in Long Beach, Calif. The new Gerald Desmond Bridge at the nation’s second-busiest port isn’t just a crucial route for cargo trucks and Southern California commuters - it’s a concrete-and-steel science experiment for engineers and seismologists. It’s slated to open next year.
Product Development
New Bridge Has Sensors
The new bridge will have about 75 seismic sensors.
September 4, 2018
In this Dec. 31, 2014, file photo, the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains provide a backdrop to the downtown Los Angeles skyline as seen from Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in Baldwin Hills. California greenhouse gas emissions fell below 1990 levels, meeting an early target years ahead of schedule and putting the state well on its way toward reaching long-term goals to fight climate change, officials said Wednesday, July 11, 2018.
Regulation
California Meets Gas Reduction Goal Years Early
California law requires that emissions return to 1990 levels by 2020 and reach 40 percent below that marker by 2030.
July 13, 2018
In this July, 7, 2004, file photo, a storage tank is seen at the Arrowhead Mountain Water Company bottling plant, owned by Swiss conglomerate Nestle, on the Morongo Indian Reservation near Cabazon, Calif. Nestle has been offered a three-year permit to keep taking millions of gallons of water from Southern California's San Bernardino National Forest, but with new restrictions designed to keep a creek flowing for other uses. The offer announced Wednesday, June 27, 2018, by the U.S. Forest Service allows the maker of Arrowhead bottled water to continue piping water from the Strawberry Creek watershed as it has done for decades.
Regulation
U.S. OKs Nestle Water Draws from Forest
The company contends that it inherited rights to forest water dating back more than a century.
June 28, 2018
In this Sept. 17, 2015, file photo, Darshan Brahmbhatt, plugs a charger into his electric vehicle at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District charging station in Sacramento, Calif. California utilities will invest nearly $768 million to expand a network of charging stations and other infrastructure for electric vehicles as the state moves toward a goal of 5 million zero-emission cars on the roads by 2030. The California Public Utilities Commission voted 5-0 Thursday, May 31, 2018, to fund programs statewide, with an emphasis on building facilities in disadvantaged communities.
Product Development
CA to Spend $768M on EV Infrastructure
There will be an emphasis on establishing facilities in disadvantaged communities where traffic and air pollution are often heaviest.
June 1, 2018
In this photo provided by G.F.Bunting survivor and co-plaintiff Lalo Barajas, center, whose partner Peter Fleurat was killed during devastating debris flows in January at their home, speaks at the site in Montecito, Calif, Thursday, March 29, 2018. Attorneys from left, Joseph Liebman, Geoff Spreter, Peter Bezerk, and Alex Robertson, right, announced the filing of a wrongful-death lawsuit by Barajas and Fleurat's siblings claiming Southern California Edison transformers ignited California's largest-ever wildfire in December. The suit says the blaze could have been prevented and the debris flows wouldn't have happened as a result.
Operations
Utility Sued After Deadly Mudslides
Plaintiffs allege faulty equipment sparked a huge wildfire that stripped hillsides bare ahead of heavy rains.
March 30, 2018
In this photo Wednesday, May 14, 2014 file photo, a Google self-driving car is on exhibit at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. Driverless cars will be tested on California roads for the first time without a human being behind a steering wheel under new rules for the fast-developing technology. The regulations approved Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, are a major step toward getting autonomous vehicles onto the streets of California, the nation's self-driving car hub.
Product Development
State OKs Fully Driverless Tests
Until now, driverless cars could only be tested on public roads in the state if a person could take the wheel in an emergency.
February 27, 2018
In this Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, photo provided by Jack Zellweger, a fire rages at the Chevron El Segundo Refinery in El Segundo, Calif. A fire that erupted at the West Coast's largest oil refinery threatened storage tanks and sent huge flames into the sky and black smoke across neighborhoods before crews quickly smothered it. Dozens of firefighters responded late Tuesday to the 1,000-acre refinery just south of Los Angeles, which processes nearly 275,000 gallons of crude per day.
Operations
Fire at Oil Refinery
The fire threatened storage tanks while sending huge flames into the sky
October 19, 2017