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Agricultural losses: Tropical Storm Arthur brought historic rainfall and severe flooding to central Louisiana on June 18-19, causing an estimated $112.2 million in agricultural losses, according to an LSU AgCenter survey. More than 190,000 acres of crops were affected, with major yield losses in soybeans, sugarcane, rice and corn, while flooding also impacted farm infrastructure, livestock, forage resources and stored commodities. The greatest impacts occurred in Avoyelles, St. Landry and Rapides parishes, with Avoyelles Parish accounting for more than 60% of the statewide agricultural damage.
Abbott calls for audit: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered a temporary halt on approving new data centers until state regulators audit proposed projects seeking connections to the electric grid. The audit will examine factors including power and water use, tax incentives, ownership and community impacts, with projects failing requirements potentially being denied grid access. The move comes amid concerns over the strain of rapid data center growth on Texas’ electricity system, with more than 1,800 projects currently in ERCOT’s interconnection queue. The Texas Tribune has the full story.
Rush to beat tariffs: Copper imports into the U.S. reached a record high in July as traders rushed to build stockpiles ahead of a possible Trump administration tariff on refined copper imports. The influx has drained inventories in other parts of the world while widening U.S. stockpiles, driven by higher New York copper prices and uncertainty over whether new tariffs will be imposed. Bloomberg has the full story.
