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"Donald Trump’s administration has offered fossil fuel companies an extraordinary opportunity to evade air pollution rules by simply emailing the US president to ask him to exempt them."
"A North Carolina college, ravaged by Hurricane Helene, can’t rebuild unless federal money starts flowing. A nonprofit in Florida that helped Hayley Riotto and her children after Hurricane Ian may have to start cutting staff. A Hawaii group that helps survivors of the Lahaina fire says it can only go another month or two before eliminating workers."
"During his confirmation hearing, Energy Secretary Chris Wright tried to convince senators he wasn’t your typical fracking executive. ... But, after his confirmation, Wright walked back that promise, claiming renewable technologies are inherently unreliable. “There is simply no physical way that wind, solar and batteries could replace the myriad uses of natural gas,” he claimed at a fossil fuel industry conference this month."
"At the White House last week, the nation’s top oil executives asked President Donald Trump for help fighting state laws that seek billions of dollars from fossil fuel companies."
"New Mexico is poised to become the third state to institute a full-fledged ban on products that contain toxic “forever chemicals,” as two key bills head to the governor’s desk."
"Six Michigan tribes have withdrawn from federal discussions over the controversial Enbridge Line 5 project after learning that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are fast-tracking approval for the massive oil tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac."
"Long Beach residents near companies that use methyl bromide are angry that air quality officials didn’t notify them for years and haven’t assessed their health risks. Now officials say more facilities are operating in San Pedro and Compton."
"On Wednesday, lawmakers on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held the first hearing on President Trump’s nomination to lead the US Fish and Wildlife Service. If confirmed, Brian Nesvik, a former game warden turned Wyoming Game and Fish director, would lead the federal agency whose primary charge is to protect the plants and animals most in need of conservation."
"The world needs massive amounts of critical minerals to power the transition to clean energy. But as countries and industries explore new mining opportunities, a major question looms: Can all of this extraction be done without the same environmental and human costs associated with fossil fuels?"
"When Leslie Stewart moved to her home in a rural expanse of Lincoln County outside of Oklahoma City more than 20 years ago, she thought she’d found a slice of heaven. ... But several years ago, her neighbor began applying sewage sludge, which consists largely of human waste left over from municipal wastewater treatment facilities, as a fertilizer on his farmland, causing a rancid smell so powerful it nearly took her breath away."
"An attorney from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press highlighted several government threats to free speech, including the recent White House ban on The Associated Press, while testifying on Tuesday before a U.S. Senate subcommittee about “The Censorship-Industrial Complex.”
"The pipeline company led by President Donald Trump’s biggest energy donor is trying to upend the way the federal government enforces pipeline safety law."
"The toxic substance, used in dry cleaning and manufacturing, has been linked to a host of serious health problems. A Biden-era ban on the chemical has faced multiple challenges since Trump took office."
"Miners and their advocates worry that DOGE's cuts to the Mine Safety and Health Administration will put them at risk."
"The Trump administration vowed to rid the EPA of a backlog of decisions on state plans to manage air pollution. Now advocates wonder if faster analysis raises the risk that the plans may not effectively mitigate dirty air."
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