Cancer Is Bipartisan: Poisoned Water Is Turning This Rural State Bluer
"Democrats see an opening in rural states for the first time in decades. In Iowa, it’s about water."
Source: Politico, 07/21/2026
EJToday: Top Environmental Politics Headlines
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"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, 07/21/2026States Join Fight Against Trump Defense Dept. Wind Farm Blockade
"A coalition of 18 states and Washington, D.C., has moved to join an industry lawsuit challenging the Department of Defense’s freeze on onshore wind projects in America."
Source: Canary Media, 07/21/2026BLM Plans To Open 2,800 Acres Of Ohio’s Wayne Natl. Forest To Fracking
"The U.S. Bureau of Land Management scheduled a September 2026 lease sale for 2,800 acres of Wayne National Forest, a preserve long sought by the oil and gas industry. This could mean fracking Ohio’s only national forest for the first time."
Source: Signal Ohio, 07/21/2026Veterinarians Press Congress To Preserve State Animal Welfare Laws
"More than 700 US veterinarians are asking Congress to leave out an industry-backed provision from the Farm Bill that would preempt states from having stricter animal welfare laws than other states. The provision — often referred to as the “Save Our Bacon Act” — was included in the House draft Farm Bill released in May, but was omitted in the Senate draft released last month."
Source: The New Lede, 07/21/2026Trump DOI Cancels Protections For Species Threatened With Extinction
"The U.S. Interior Department on Friday canceled a rule meant to protect plants and animals that are determined to be threatened with extinction, the latest step by President Donald Trump’s administration to dismantle key provisions of the landmark Endangered Species Act at the behest of industry."
Source: AP, 07/20/2026US Will Auction Some Waters Around American Samoa For Deep-Sea Mining
"The U.S. government plans to auction off massive sections of water surrounding American Samoa for potential deep-sea mining in an unprecedented move that is expected to draw criticism from many countries."
Source: AP, 07/20/2026How Europe’s Most Powerful Farming Lobby Killed EU’s Pesticide Law
"Newly revealed documents from inside the most powerful farming lobby in Europe show how it delayed, gutted and overturned some of the most sweeping farming reforms in EU history, including a plan to cut pesticide use in half."
Source: Guardian, 07/20/2026Virginia Fails to Pass Data Center Clean Energy Requirements
"The state will tax data center electricity but plans to reduce emissions at the facilities and secure environmental protections went nowhere."
Source: Inside Climate News, 07/20/2026As Data Centers Flood Wyoming, Water Pollution Fouls Good Faith
"The contamination of a Cheyenne water system by a Meta data center underscores the worries residents have about more than two-dozen data centers that are and could be consuming Wyoming’s energy, water and landscape."
Source: WyoFile, 07/20/2026Environmental Groups Press To Halt Imperial Valley Lithium Venture
"In a case that has become a local flashpoint, environmental groups seeking to halt a lithium operation in Imperial County until it gets further review argued before a state appeals court in San Diego on Thursday."
Source: Los Angeles Times, 07/20/2026Colo. Cut $11.4M in Penalties for Oil Firms Filing Fake Cleanup Data
"After a nearly two-year inquiry, Colorado’s Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) approved deals allowing firms owned by its largest oil and gas companies to avoid the majority of assessed penalties for falsified data submitted by their contractors."
Source: DeSmog, 07/20/2026"Will Congress Ban ‘Mud Dumping’ in Mobile Bay?"
"For decades, fishers, swimmers and environmental groups have complained that mud and silt from dredging operations in the Mobile Bay shipping channel have been smothering seagrasses, choking out oysters and clouding water that was once pristine." "A measure to permanently ban the practice of “thin-layer disposal” of dredged sediment nationwide has advanced through a House committee with bipartisan support."
Source: Inside Climate News, 07/20/2026Trump Threatens Tariffs On Canada In Retaliation For Wildfire Smoke
"President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to impose tariffs on Canada in retaliation for wildfire smoke, but it was not clear that he has the legal authority to impose such a levy."
Source: Washington Post, 07/20/2026Michigan Issues Line 5 Tunnel Permits Despite ‘Significant Impacts’
"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."
Source: Bridge Michigan, 07/17/2026
