Environmental Health

"Indiana Says It’s Retiring Two Coal Plants, But Is It Making Other Plans?"

"The Trump administration’s determination to keep fossil-fueled power plants running beyond their scheduled closure dates is creating uncertainty about the fate of two Indiana coal facilities set to retire by the end of this year."

Source: Canary Media, 12/16/2025

As Wildfires Mount, So Do Efforts To Use Less Plastic in Homebuilding

"As wildfires driven by climate change are spurring efforts to build homes with fire-safe materials, the dangers of the use of plastic in construction needs more recognition, experts say." "Plastic used in building construction burns hotter than traditional materials and produces toxic smoke and runoff."

Source: Thomson Reuters Fdn., 12/16/2025

"How The US Freight Rail Industry Got Dirtier Than Coal Power Plants"

"U.S. railroads together produced about 485,000 tons of nitrogen oxide in 2024, compared to 452,000 tons emitted by U.S. coal-fired power plants, according to a Reuters calculation of reported annual fuel consumption multiplied by the EPA’s 2023 weighted-average emission rates."

Source: Reuters, 12/16/2025

A Town Derailed, a Trust Obtained

The devastating 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, toxic train derailment left a legacy of illness and a town torn by competing understandings of the contamination’s aftereffects. A yearlong reporting initiative with photojournalist Rebecca Kiger and Time magazine writer Alejandro de la Garza worked to gain the community’s confidence and tell its story. Their prize-winning feature, in the latest Inside Story Q&A.

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"Hundreds Quarantined As South Carolina Measles Outbreak Accelerates"

"South Carolina’s measles outbreak is “accelerating” in the wake of Thanksgiving travel and a lack of vaccinations, an epidemiologist for the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH) warned Wednesday, after authorities traced a sizable outbreak to a church in the state’s northwest."

Source: Washington Post, 12/15/2025

Trump EPA Adds Another Industry Lobbyist To Ranks Of Conflicted Regulators

"The nation’s main office for protecting Americans from harmful chemicals is welcoming its fourth prominent industry insider since President Trump took office, adding to an administration full of former lobbyists and corporate executives who are making environmental policy."

Source: The New Lede, 12/15/2025

EPA Was Considering Massive Omaha Lead Cleanup. Then Trump Shifted Guidance.

"For over a century, a smelter and other plants polluted Omaha with 400 million pounds of lead. The city now has the largest residential lead cleanup site in the U.S."

Source: Flatwater Free Press, 12/12/2025

"Vote To Overhaul FEMA Canceled After Leaked Report"

"An expert panel advising President Donald Trump about overhauling the Federal Emergency Management Agency canceled a meeting scheduled for 1 p.m. EST Thursday at which members were set to release a report recommending their changes to the disaster agency."

Source: E&E News, 12/12/2025

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