Pollution

"Cooling from air conditioning saves lives — more than 5,000 a year in the United States alone — but it also heats up the planet and taxes our electrical grid, scientists say."

"[T]he EPA is moving forward with revisions to a separate set of Clean Water Act regulations that would limit state and tribal authority over waterways—especially when it comes to weighing in on major energy projects like oil and gas pipelines, export terminals and hydropower dams."

"Almost half of the world’s farmers are poisoned by pesticides every single year, a study has found."

"The White House is reviewing a new proposal to permanently end EPA’s regulation of power plants’ carbon emissions."

"The EPA’s retreat from its role guarding clean air and water will have lasting effects on public health, critics fear."

"The Trump administration announced an agreement with the Venezuelan government on Friday to develop a vast amount of Venezuela's oil reserves.

The U.S. government says it is entering into a joint venture with a private Venezuelan company, according to an official who spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the deal. The Trump administration says the U.S. would get 55% of the oil from the joint venture. That's equivalent to about 65 billion barrels of oil that's under the ground.

"Construction on — or at least preparations for — a border wall through Texas’s Big Bend National Park and the larger Big Bend region have been halted through Sept. 15, and possibly longer, a federal judge said from the bench Friday."

"California sued the Trump administration and Golden State Wind over the federal government’s deal with the company to cancel an offshore wind project lease, alleging the transaction violated multiple federal laws."

"The Trump administration on Friday moved to relax fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty commercial trucks."