"Researchers in Washington and British Columbia say they have solved a deadly mystery that has stumped scientists for more than a decade. They have identified the pathogen behind one of the world’s biggest disease outbreaks: a wasting disease that has turned billions of sea stars into goo — from Alaska to California."
"The Trump administration has asked NASA employees to draw up plans to end at least two major satellite missions, according to current and former NASA staffers. If the plans are carried out, one of the missions would be permanently terminated, because the satellite would burn up in the atmosphere."
"After a plan to sell public land faced bipartisan backlash, the Interior Department appears to be making a bid to halt the expansion of federal public lands."
"While the federal government is scaling back regulations on “forever chemicals,” New Jersey is holding polluters accountable, announcing a record-breaking $2 billion settlement with DuPont and several related companies with a $875 million payout and up to $1.2 billion in cleanup costs."
"Two top officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who led the investigation into the so-called “Sharpiegate” scandal, were placed on leave amid clashes with the Trump administration, according to a report." "The move comes days before a Senate committee votes on the nomination of Neil Jacobs, who was found to have violated the agency’s scientific integrity policy"
Fiction and journalism might seem like polar opposites, but some environmental journalists find writing ecofiction is an ideal complement to their day jobs. Drawing on journalistic research skills and curiosity, ecofiction lets them explore environmental issues from a different angle while enjoying an opportunity to unleash their imaginations. Journalist-fictioneers Valerie Brown and Meg Turville-Heitz on working across genre boundaries.
The United States has nearly 100,000 miles of coastline and much of it is at risk of flooding. But what that inundation looks like varies widely from place to place. From storm surges to land subsidence, the latest Backgrounder details the different types of flooding and the threats they pose to coastal communities, especially sea level cities.
"These rare salamanders, which can grow to over two feet long, lurk in the wild rivers of Appalachia. To spot one, you’ll need a snorkel, and some luck."
"Documents supporting the EPA’s plan to roll back vehicle emission standards reference California by name nearly 30 times. For more than 50 years, California has had special authority from the EPA to set strict tailpipe emission standards. The agency’s own analysis indicates that without California’s leadership and tax credits created under President Biden, national adoption of electric vehicles will decline and gasoline prices will increase."
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