Water & Oceans

"The US Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected EPA “end result” sewage permits issued under the Clean Water Act that focus on water quality instead of outlining specific requirements to prevent pollution.

In a fractured 5-4 ruling written by Justice Samuel Alito, the court blocked the EPA from issuing permits that make a permittee responsible for surface water quality, or “end result” permits—a term the court coined in the ruling. National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits govern pollution from sewer overflows during storms.

"Scientists are gaining new insights into how plankton supports life on Earth — just as climate change is changing everything."

"The United Nations Environment Programme on Monday said a new round of negotiations toward a global plastics treaty will take place from August 5 to 14 in Geneva, Switzerland, after countries failed to agree on the parameters of a final agreement last December in Busan, South Korea."

"Forecasters with the National Weather Service were among those who lost their jobs, raising questions about the service’s ability to continue providing the free, accurate, up-to-the minute information on potential hazards like heat waves, blizzards, tornadoes and hurricanes that is critical to industries such as agriculture and aviation, as well as the weather reports the general public relies on."

"A gathering of countries in Rome this week agreed a plan to generate $200 billion in finance a year by 2030 to halt and begin to reverse the destruction of the natural world."

"The U.S. lobster industry’s catch keeps sliding as fishermen contend with the northward migration of the valuable crustaceans."

"Hundreds of weather forecasters and other federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees on probationary status were fired Thursday, lawmakers and weather experts said. Federal workers who were not let go said the afternoon layoffs included meteorologists who do crucial local forecasts in National Weather Service offices across the country."

"President Donald Trump appears to welcome the EPA boss’ plan to cut most of the agency’s workforce."

"An executive order issued in the early days of the Trump administration hit pause on at least $4 billion set aside to protect the flow of the Colorado River. The funds from the Inflation Reduction Act were offered to protect the flow of the water supply for about 40 million people and a massive agricultural economy. With the money on hold, Colorado River users are worried about the future of the dwindling water supply."