Chemical Accidents Rise as Trump Admin Proposes Weakening Safety Rules
"Hazardous chemical releases from industrial accidents that injured or killed people increased by nearly 50 percent in recent years."
Source: Inside Climate News, 07/02/2026
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Trump Unit Seeks To Stomp Out All Fires Quickly, Reviving Old Policy
"The deaths of three U.S. government firefighters in a Colorado wildfire are casting a spotlight on the Trump administration’s creation of a new federal fire service and its revival of a previously discredited policy to stomp out all wildfires quickly."
Source: AP, 07/02/2026EPA Approves Three New Fluorocarbon Pesticides
"The Trump administration has approved three new pesticides that may be considered “forever chemicals” under an international definition, though the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is disputing the characterization."
Source: The Hill, 07/02/2026Trump’s Record-Setting July 4 Fireworks Could Shower DC With Pollution
"The National Park Service will launch a dazzling 850,000 fireworks in the nation’s capital this year. Scientists are watching for the environmental and public health impacts."
Source: E&E News, 07/02/2026Court Hands Trump New Power Over Independent Agencies Overseeing Energy
"A nearly century-old precedent that has been in conservatives’ cross-hairs for years met its demise Monday, when the Supreme Court ruled to limit the independence of agencies like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission."
Source: E&E News, 07/01/2026After Bold Pledge, EPA Shelves Microplastics Testing In Drinking Water
"For the next five years, the Environmental Protection Agency has indicated it will not require public water utilities to test for microplastics or pharmaceuticals in drinking water, according to a proposed rule published in the Federal Register."
Source: Los Angeles Times, 07/01/2026US Issues Emergency Order For PJM Interconnection As Heatwave Looms
"The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday declared an emergency across the nation's largest power grid, citing soaring demand and supply risks as extreme heat grips the region."
Source: Reuters, 07/01/2026Congress Members Move To Override Court Ruling On Pesticide Protections
"Some US lawmakers are rushing to introduce legislation to reverse the impact of a US Supreme Court ruling handed down last week that overturned years of precedent by limiting consumer lawsuits against pesticide companies."
Source: The New Lede, 07/01/2026Seven Former EPA Workers File Lawsuits Alleging Unjust Firings
"Seven former EPA workers on Tuesday joined a growing list of employees suing the agency after they were fired for signing a public letter critical of the Trump administration."
Source: Bloomberg Environment, 07/01/2026Calif. Explosion Scare, Warehouse Fire Raise Hazardous Chemicals Concerns
"The Boyle Heights and Garden Grove emergencies are raising questions about emergency planning, inspections and accountability. The real test of California’s chemical safety system comes after the smoke clears, experts say."
Source: CalMatters, 07/01/2026Five Americans Die Every Hour From Toxic Vehicle Emissions: Study
"Research suggests 41,800 premature US deaths in 2024 were attributable to road pollution"
Source: Guardian, 07/01/2026Marburg Outbreak Reported In Uganda, Complicating Ebola Response
"Uganda formally reported to the World Health Organization on Tuesday that it had detected a Marburg disease outbreak in the western part of the country, a spokesperson for the Geneva-based global health agency told STAT. The development could further complicate the effort to contain what is already the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record in Central Africa. Both diseases are viral hemorrhagic fevers."
Source: STAT News, 07/01/2026Okla. Oil Regulators Put Cities' Drinking Water Wells At Risk
"Oklahoma restricts oil field wastewater injection within a half-mile of public water wells to protect against pollution." Regulators have let companies do it anyway for at least 114 wells.
Source: ProPublica, 07/01/2026Editor Kurt Repanshek: It’s National Parks Traveler’s Final Day
"National parks are full of awe, discovery, and even mystery. ... For the past 21 years, the National Parks Traveler has worked to keep the public informed not only on these aspects of the National Park System but on how the National Park Service and Congress have managed these incredible lands that are owned by the American taxpayers. ... Today, however, the Traveler is suspending operations due to insufficient funding."
Source: National Parks Traveler, 07/01/2026Heat Wave And High Humidity Will Blast Much Of Eastern US This Week
"A long and dangerous heat wave will blast a large swath of the central and eastern United States this week, the National Weather Service said, with temperatures rising ahead of the July Fourth holiday and feeling even hotter because of the high humidity that’s arriving with it."
Source: AP, 06/30/2026
