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A Hulunbuir government statement, released online on Monday, confirmed the partial collapse of both dams in the afternoon of July 18. It said 16,600 people were affected and more than 50,000 acres of farmland were submerged. No casualties were reported, while significant infrastructure damage was recorded, the statement added, saying 22 bridges and almost 10 miles of highway were destroyed. China has more than 98,000 reservoirs used to regulate floods, generate power and facilitate shipping. More than 80% of them…

On Friday, July 9, Representative Kuster (D-NH) introduced the Twenty-First Century Dams Act (H.R. 4375) with bipartisan co-sponsorship from Rep. Don Young (R-AK). The $26B bill would provide critical funding to dam removals, dam safety programs, and hydropower investment tax credits for safety, environmental performance, and grid flexibility. Senators Feinstein (D-CA), Stabenow (D-MI), and Wyden (D-OR) are expected to introduce similar legislation in the Senate next week. See the full language of the legislation here: Twenty-First Century Dams Act

Documents suggest that in more than 80 U.S. locations, the failure of an aging dam could flood a major toxic waste site. An investigative report and interactive feature published in Undark BY JAMES DINNEEN AND ALEXANDER KENNEDY To identify dams that might pose the most serious risk to toxic waste sites, Undark searched for dams in the national database that are both high-hazard and older than 50 years, the age after which many dams require renovations. To narrow our search,…