Energy & Fuel

"Last week, the US Department of the Interior announced that it would speed up the approval process for certain fossil fuel projects, proclaiming that environmental analyses that previously would have taken years must now be taken down to, at maximum, a month. While the new procedures are seemingly a gift to the industry, this may actually be terrible news for pipeline developers, drillers, and miners."

"After years of attempts, Ohio lawmakers voted Wednesday to end the subsidy for two unprofitable Cold War-era coal plants that had cost Ohio ratepayers nearly $400,000 a day, after they were tucked into the tainted energy bill at the center of the largest corruption scandal in state history."

"Current regulations date back to the Carter administration, and a planned overhaul could help fast-track gas export projects."

"The House on Wednesday voted to axe California’s clean truck rules — defying Congress’s own internal watchdog in doing so."

"One hundred days into the second Trump administration, many environmentalists’ worst fears about the new presidency have been realized—and surpassed."

"A Canadian company announced Tuesday that its U.S. subsidiary submitted applications to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to mine the seafloor, sparking outrage by bypassing a U.N. agency that regulates deep international waters."

"The Trump administration told scientists writing a congressionally mandated climate report that it was “releasing” them from their roles and that the report’s scope was being reevaluated, in an email sent Monday and seen by The Washington Post."

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Monday it will allow gasoline containing a higher percentage of ethanol to be used year-round."

"Mongabay Latam and Data Crítica examined and compared official data of oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, including satellite images by scientists studying oil spills and evidence compiled by fishing communities. Their analysis found that most oil spills are not reported."

"Scientists are worried because they can’t fully explain the big jump, but they think it might mean that carbon absorption by forests, fields and wetlands is slowing down — a major problem for the world."