Environmental Health

Western Reservoirs That Supply California Fall To Record Low Levels

"The Colorado River’s largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have declined to their lowest combined levels on record.
Researchers say the new low underscores the urgent need to cut water use in the seven states that depend on the river."

Source: Los Angeles Times, 07/22/2026

Wildfire Smoke Kills Tens Of Thousands Of People A Year. Here’s How.

"Smoke from wildfires — which are burning more of the Northern Hemisphere as Earth warms — attacks nearly every system in the human body, killing tens of thousands of people a year, numerous medical studies show."

Source: AP, 07/22/2026

Vibrio On The Rise As Climate Warms The Chesapeake Bay

"One day last July, Vernon Spear scratched his forearm on a crab pot as he pulled it out of the Choptank River from his pier in Cambridge, MD. He put hydrogen peroxide on the tiny cuts, thinking that would disinfect them. That night, his forearm swelled up, and he spiked a high fever."

Source: Bay Journal, 07/22/2026

Trump Threatens National Academies With Debarment. Here’s What It Is.

"The oil industry and its allies gained a major supporter in their yearslong effort to derail climate science programs at the National Academies: the president of the United States."

Source: E&E News, 07/22/2026

U.S. Is Pulling Back on Energy Efficiency Just as Prices Are Rising

"The Trump administration is dismantling a wide array of federal energy-efficiency programs at the same time that war in Iran is raising oil prices, climate change is fueling record heat that is driving up demand for air conditioning and new data centers are straining America’s electricity supply."

Source: New York Times, 07/22/2026

"EPA Violated Key Soot Standard in Clean Air Act, Court Rules"

"In what many environmental organizations are touting as a victory, a federal judge last week ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act by failing to meet its legal deadline to identify areas failing to meet its 2024 particulate matter standard."

Source: Inside Climate News, 07/22/2026

Trump EPA Kills Proposed Rules For Pfas-Contaminated Sewage Fertilizer

"The Trump administration has killed the regulatory review of sewage sludge contaminated with Pfas and spread on farmland as fertilizer, a practice that has sickened farmers, destroyed their livelihoods, killed livestock, polluted water supplies, and poisoned meat and food products sold to the public."

Source: Guardian, 07/22/2026

Tropical Storm Bertha To Bring Heavy Rain, Flooding Along Gulf Coast

"Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday but was expected to weaken as it chugs closer to the U.S., potentially bringing coastal flooding and heavy rain from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana."

Source: AP, 07/22/2026

California Restricts Utility Shutoffs As Dangerous Heat Spreads

"California bars utilities from cutting off power to customers who fall behind on their bills when it’s dangerously hot outside – a basic safety protection. Losing power in some rural areas can also mean losing water, and in cities, having no way to cool down can be dangerous, even deadly, when hot weather spans several days."

Source: CalMatters, 07/21/2026

"EPA Rollback Could Bring Dirtier Air to Black Communities"

"Research shows Black neighborhoods bear the brunt of diesel pollution. New EPA changes could make that burden worse."
For decades, highways and industrial corridors have exposed Black communities to disproportionate levels of diesel pollution. As the Trump administration eases clean truck standards, environmental advocates warn those neighborhoods could once again pay the highest price."

Source: Word in Black, 07/21/2026

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