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"A federal judge this week blocked the Trump administration from conditioning disaster and security funds for states on their immigration policies."
"The EPA is attempting an end run around the Safe Drinking Water Act by trying to rollback drinking water limits it previously set for four PFAS, attorneys representing affected communities said in legal briefs."
"The Energy Department has added “climate change,” “green” and “decarbonization” to its growing “list of words to avoid” at its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, according to an email issued Friday and obtained by POLITICO."
"The Trump administration is repeatedly disregarding the notice-and-comment process normally required for creating or repealing regulations, raising alarms from those who say it’s sidestepping safeguards against arbitrary and ineffective government action."
"The International Crane Foundation announced Monday that Ducky, an endangered female whooping crane the foundation planned to release into the wilds of Wisconsin this fall, died on Thursday after becoming infected with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, a strain of avian flu."
"More than 680 volunteers, including some from as far away as Japan, descended on the Appalachian Trail in the past year to help recover a landscape forever scarred by Hurricane Helene."
"Utilities are struggling to meet demand as AI data centers surge. Equipping air conditioners with batteries could be an easy and hugely scalable way to free up electricity supply at peak times."
"Meet the researchers restoring these unique wetlands high in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains."
"Federal workers across the government are bracing for possible cuts after the White House instructed agencies Wednesday night to consider widespread layoffs in the event of a shutdown." "The White House has directed federal agencies to consider handing out pink slips if the government shuts down."
"Staffing cuts under the Trump administration mean forecasters are struggling to maintain normal operations." "Some National Weather Service staffers are working double shifts to keep forecasting offices open. Others are operating under a “buddy system,” in which adjacent offices help monitor severe weather in understaffed regions."
"A third of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Climate Adaptation Science Centers are expected to drastically wind down and possibly close after Sept. 30." "Tracking bird populations after hurricanes. Mapping the risk of megafires across the Midwest. Identifying less expensive ways to battle invasive plants. Preparing communities’ stormwater drains against intense flooding."
"One Year After Helene: People who lost their homes turned to FEMA for aid. Some are still slogging through red tape. Wealthier Getting More: We found that in some North Carolina counties, homeowners with the highest incomes received two to three times as much FEMA housing assistance as lower-income ones."
"Slogging through a thick slop of mud and rock, Brian Hill passed the roof that Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters had just ripped off someone’s barn and dumped into his yard. Then he peered into the unrecognizable chaos inside what had been his family’s dream home.
"The Trump administration has offered coal reserves in Wyoming in its latest move to reinvigorate the country’s coal industry. One environmental lawyer says it’s “ludicrous” to be selling leases for the most expensive and dirtiest form of energy."
"The state’s first climate deception case unfurled Thursday in North Carolina Business Court, where attorneys for the town of Carrboro and Duke Energy spent six hours sparring over legal arcana to answer a single question: Should a jury hear a case alleging that Duke Energy is responsible for lying about the link between climate change and extreme weather that has inflicted millions of dollars of property damage on the town? "
"President Donald Trump’s transportation department has been pulling back grants already announced for recreational trails and bicycle lanes, telling local officials their projects fail to promote road capacity or are “hostile to motor vehicles.”"
