As Trump Shrinks FEMA, Local Emergency Managers Say They’re Barely Getting By
"In a government survey, state and local officials said they were overworked, underpaid and underappreciated."
Source: Inside Climate News, 07/29/2025
EJToday: Top Headlines
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Fishing Groups Push To Delay Protections For Endangered Right Whale To 2035
"A Maine congressman and several commercial fishing groups are getting behind a push to delay rules designed to protect a vanishing species of whale for 10 years. The North Atlantic right whale numbers only about 370 and has declined over the last 15 years."
Source: AP, 07/29/2025"Interior Officials Commit To "Rebuilding" Grand Canyon's North Rim"
"Interior Department officials are committed to "rebuilding" the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park that's been partially overrun by a lightning-ignited fire that claimed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, dozens of guest cabins, and concessionaire facilities."
Source: National Parks Traveler, 07/29/2025"Opinion: A Half-Century After ‘Jaws,’ The Truth Is Clear"
"There are few summer traditions more predictable than turning sharks into profit. Fifty years ago, on June 20, 1975, “Jaws” established the template for the modern-day blockbuster, combining mass marketing and high-concept thrills that all but guarantee mega box-office returns. But the film’s lasting power lies in how it transformed a relatively obscure marine predator into a cultural icon and villain that could be used for financial gain."
Source: Washington Post, 07/29/2025"The Drying Planet"
"As the climate warms, new data shows huge swaths of land across the globe are quickly drying, threatening humanity’s supply of fresh water."
Source: ProPublica, 07/28/2025"Interior Increases Targets For Layoffs"
"The Interior Department is expanding its targets for layoffs to include more than 1,400 “competitive areas” — an increase of hundreds of categories since its first notice this spring — including new units within the Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and Office of the Secretary, according to an internal document."
Source: E&E News, 07/28/2025Committee Moves Bayer And Pesticide Makers Closer To Protections From Suits
"A group of US lawmakers failed on Tuesday to beat back a provision in a congressional appropriations bill that would help protect pesticide makers from being sued and could hinder state efforts to warn about risks of pesticide products."
Source: The New Lede, 07/28/2025Climate Advocates Outraged At Trump Admin Plans To Fast-Track AI Sector
"The Trump administration has unveiled plans to speed the development of the highly polluting artificial intelligence sector, sparking outrage from climate advocates. Rolled out on Wednesday, the 28-page scheme pledges to remove so-called “bureaucratic red tape” and streamline permitting for datacenters, semiconductor manufacturing facilities and fossil fuel infrastructure."
Source: Guardian, 07/28/2025"Controversial Interior Department Aide From DOGE to Leave Agency"
"Tyler Hassen, a former Texas oil executive from Elon Musk’s government efficiency team who was given sweeping powers to overhaul the Department of the Interior, is leaving the agency, he confirmed on Friday."
Source: NYTimes, 07/28/2025"EVs Had A Decent Quarter. The Next Could Be Record-Breaking."
"Tesla had another dreary quarter and GM is doubling down on EV production as automakers gear up for the end of federal tax credits."
Source: Canary Media, 07/28/2025"Denied Federal Flood Relief, A Maryland Town Is Left On Its Own"
"The residents of Westernport, Maryland, overwhelmingly voted for Trump. But after FEMA denied its aid request, the town feels like the president has turned his back on them."
Source: Washington Post, 07/28/2025"Gold Wars In Peru Town Leave Amazon Nature Defenders Vulnerable"
"Illegal gold mining in one of Peru's most ecologically significant areas has unleashed environmental destruction and gang violence."
Source: Thomson Reuters Fdn., 07/28/2025Volunteers Hand-Repair Parts Of Appalachian Trail Damaged By Helene
"In a rugged patch of the Appalachian Trail in eastern Tennessee, volunteers size up a massive, gnarled tree lying on its side. Its tangled web of roots and dark brown soil, known as a root ball, is roughly the size of a large kiddie pool."
Source: AP, 07/28/2025Dance Poles and Leopard-Print Walls: Love Motels Ready Rooms for COP30
"The Brazilian city of Belém, host to the 30th U.N. Climate Change Conference, is short on hotel rooms. Love motels are offering a solution."
Source: NYTimes, 07/28/2025US, Mexico Sign Accord To Combat Tijuana River Sewage Flowing Across Border
"The United States and Mexico have signed an agreement outlining specific steps and a new timetable to clean up the longstanding problem of the Tijuana River pouring sewage across the border and polluting California beaches, officials from both countries announced Thursday."
Source: AP, 07/25/2025
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