Sustainability Unveiled: Weekly Roundup - 3/14/2025

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This week's Sustainability Unveiled: Weekly Roundup covers the following key stories:

• Supreme Court Ruling Narrows EPA's Authority Under the Clean Water Act
• VC's Gender Gap Persists as Female Founders Face Funding Challenges in 2024
• Oregon Businesses Face a Critical Deadline for EPR Compliance
• ABB Invests $120M to Expand US Manufacturing for Tech Growth
• Engineering Biology: A Powerful New Tool in the Fight Against Climate Change

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to E&E Leaders Weekly Roundup.
Don't miss the latestsustainability and energy
insights.
Subscribe to Environment andEnergy Leader for breaking news,
expert analysis and thoughtleadership.
Let's jump in to this week'shottest headlines.
Supreme Court ruling narrowsEPA's authority under the Clean

(00:26):
Water Act.
In a landmark decision, the USSupreme Court ruled that the
Environmental Protection Agencyexceeded its authority under the
Clean Water Act by imposingvague water quality standards on
San Francisco's sewagedischarges.
The court held that permitsshould require specific
discharge limits rather thanholding cities accountable for

(00:49):
overall waterway quality.
Justice Samuel Alito, writingfor the majority, emphasized the
impracticality of making permitholders responsible for
pre-existing pollution.
This decision couldsignificantly impact local
governments and industries,altering regulatory processes
nationwide.

(01:11):
Vc's gender gap persists asfemale founders face funding
challenges in 2024.
Despite some progress, femaleentrepreneurs continue to face
significant hurdles in securingventure capital.
In 2024, women with maleco-founders received 27.8% of
capital in Europe, while allfemale founder teams garnered

(01:36):
less than 1%.
The underrepresentation ofwomen in venture finance
contributes to the disparity, asfemale investors are more
likely to fund female-ledstartups.
Efforts to bridge this gapinclude establishing funds
focused on women-led companiesthrough challenges, though
challenges persist due to thenetwork-based nature of venture

(02:01):
finance.
Oregon businesses face acritical deadline for EPR
compliance.
Oregon businesses areapproaching a crucial deadline
to comply with the state'sExtended Producer Responsibility
or EPR, program, aimed atreducing waste and promoting
recycling.
Epr mandates that producerstake responsibility for the life

(02:22):
cycle of their products,including end-of-life management
.
Noncompliance could result inpenalties urging businesses to
adapt their practices to meetthese environmental standards.
Abb invests $120 million toexpand US manufacturing for tech
growth.
Global technology company ABBis investing $120 million to

(02:44):
expand its US manufacturingfootprint, aiming to support
technological growth andsustainability initiatives.
This expansion includesenhancing production
capabilities to meet theincreasing demand for
electrification and automationproducts, aligning with the
company's commitment toinnovation and environmental
responsibility.

(03:04):
Company's commitment toinnovation and environmental
responsibility.
And finally, our last trendingstory of the week engineering
biology, a powerful new tool inthe fight against climate change
.
Advancements in engineeringbiology are emerging as potent
tools against climate change.
By redesigning organisms toperform specific functions,
scientists aim to developsustainable solutions for carbon

(03:25):
capture, renewable energy andenvironmental remediation.
This innovative approach holdspromise for creating efficient,
eco-friendly technologies toaddress the pressing
environmental challenges.
Thanks for listening.
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insights by subscribing toEnvironment and Energy Leader

(03:47):
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