Summertime and the livin' is smoggy. American air may be clearer now than when the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, but pollutants still abound. Heat and sunlight stoke chemical reactions that exacerbate health hazards. And worsening wildfires mix in harmful smoke. The latest TipSheet has more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources.
The U.S. freight system delivers significant environmental impacts nationwide, especially in states that host major rail-and-road hubs and seaports. Meanwhile, new federal laws and policies are making it harder to curtail pollution generated by freight trucks, trains and warehouses. Journalist John Lippert looks at how the public, private and nonprofit sectors are rising to this challenge.
"The Trump administration is looking to reopen closed oil refineries, including an embattled one in the Virgin Islands, amid high gasoline prices caused by the Iran war."
"Approximately a billion tiny plastic nurdles have entered the River Tyne after a “devastating spill”, with the pellets thought to have spread much further than first thought."
"The president joined Republican officials who slammed the National Academies of Sciences for a chapter about climate science in an educational guide for judges."
"State agencies on Wednesday issued key permits for the controversial Line 5 tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac, concluding the project’s benefits outweigh drawbacks that include disruption to Native American burial sites and harm to wetlands and rare species."
"Gas prices are still elevated, making the gap between fueling a conventional car and an electric vehicle more striking."
"The Trump administration has green-lighted plans for a road through 10 miles of wilderness lands in Alaska, despite pending litigation from environmentalists who say it would destroy sensitive wetlands and prime migratory bird habitat." "Residents of a remote coastal community have long sought the gravel road, which is opposed by environmentalists who say it will destroy important migratory bird habitat."
"The Justice Department subpoenaed several New York Times reporters on Friday to testify about their reporting, the latest instance of federal officials taking the unusually aggressive step of demanding that journalists appear before grand juries." "The Times confirmed that the reporters received the subpoenas, saying that in some instances, federal agents showed up to the reporters’ homes to deliver the legal demands."
"The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it is proposing to loosen requirements for pollution controls that rein in emissions from heavy duty trucks." "The administration said the technical changes are expected to allow for more flexibility for truck companies, when compared to a Biden-era rule."
