Environmental Politics

"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."

"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."

"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."

"The Guardian has recreated a searchable climate future risk tool developed by Fema but then deleted"

"District Judge Christopher Cooper recently found that the Department of Government Efficiency is “likely covered” by the Freedom of Information Act, and, because it has “substantial authority independent of the President,” cannot hide its records in the Presidential Records Act’s giant loopholes. This is good news, but it’s not a guarantee DOGE’s records will soon see the light of day."

"A conservative group is suing for emails of a law professor who helped create legislation to force oil, gas and coal companies to pay for climate damage."

"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."

"Miners and their advocates worry that DOGE's cuts to the Mine Safety and Health Administration will put them at risk."

"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."