"Global ad giant WPP has closed AKQA Bloom, a Miami-based communications agency specialising in sustainability campaigns, according to an email to staff obtained by DeSmog, and merged its operations with parent agency AKQA."
"In a continued effort to expedite rebuilding after Los Angeles' devastating firestorms, Gov. Gavin Newsom this week suspended California environmental laws for utility providers working to reinstall key infrastructure."
"At 90% of the state historical average, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is nothing like record-smashing 2023. But it ‘s the third year in the row with near-average or above-average snowpack."
"The treatment of oil and gas field waste is a dirty industry’s dirtiest secret"
"The US could be plunged back into an era of toxic acid rain, an environmental problem thought to have been solved decades ago, due to the Donald Trump administration’s rollback of pollution protections, the scientist who discovered the existence of acid rain in North America has warned."
"The billions of dollars approved by Congress to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells have been frozen as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping cuts to government spending, creating concerns that the cleanup will be halted just as it’s getting started."
The not-so-simple act of pitching story ideas is among the biggest challenges facing freelance environmental reporters. Is the pitch smartly targeted, thoroughly researched, well-crafted? Our new Freelance Files co-editor Marianne Messina spoke to four top-level editors at well-known outlets to get their perspectives on making a successful pitch. Learn why outlets need you, what they look for and how to avoid basic mistakes.
‘Energy dominance’ is a Trump catchphrase whose meaning may be vague — since the U.S. is already the world’s top producer of oil and natural gas. But one thing that does seem clear, per the new Backgrounder, is that a flood of new U.S. permits to export gas will likely mean higher energy prices for U.S. customers.
With many states dominated by a few powerful industries — whether oil, mining or agriculture — the influence of campaign dollars can have an outsize effect on legislation, even to the point of corruption, notes the latest Reporter’s Toolbox. So while the U.S. Congress may be languishing, environmental journalists can dig up stories on lobbying at the state level using a powerful data source.
"While repairs to storm-battered sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway are underway, it will "take years" to repair some of the damage, according to the National Park Service."
