Environment

The New York Times reports: The Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday that it would eliminate its scientific research arm and begin firing hundreds of chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists, after denying for months that it intended to do so. The move underscores how the Trump administration is forging ahead with efforts to slash the federal work force and …

The Hill reports: Vermont was named the best state for quality of life by CNBC for the fifth year in a row, according to a Monday release from the news outlet. Maine, New Jersey, Minnesota, Connecticut, Hawaii, North Dakota, Massachusetts, Nebraska and Virginia also made the top 10 list for a high quality of life. But the Green Mountain state …

The Washington Post reports: A decades-old rule protecting tens of millions of acres of pristine national forest land, including 9 million acres in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, would be rescinded under plans announced Monday by the Trump administration. Speaking at a meeting of Western governors in New Mexico, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the administration would begin the process of …

The Associated Press reports: The Environmental Protection Agency told a federal appeals court it will reconsider the Biden administration’s ban on the last type of asbestos used in the United States to determine whether it went “beyond what is necessary.” Asbestos is linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually and causes mesothelioma as well as other cancers. It has …

The cultist Daily Caller reports: The Department of the Interior (DOI) moved to repeal a Biden-era regulation on coal mining on Thursday. The 2024 rule enacted under former President Joe Biden added additional regulations on the coal industry and gave the federal government more power to conduct reviews on states for potential rule violations. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum argued that …

The Hill reports: The Trump administration is proposing to restore the potential for oil and gas drilling on 13 million acres of government-owned Arctic land that had previously been restricted by the Biden administration. The acres in question are part of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, an area of 23 million acres in total that were set aside in …

CNN reports: The Supreme Court on Thursday limited the scope of environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects in a decision that could speed up approvals of highways, airports and pipelines. The decision is the latest setback for environmentalists at the conservative Supreme Court, which has in recent years shut down regulations intended to protect wetlands, for instance, and reduce air pollution wafting across …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Legislature has given oil and gas companies legal cover to sell wastewater to be treated and released into the state’s rivers, lakes and streams. State Rep. Drew Darby’s [photo] House Bill 49 — on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott — marks a step the oil and gas industry has said is a key barrier …

NPR reports: Congress has voted to undo a Clean Air Act regulation that strictly controls the amount of toxic air pollutants emitted by many industrial facilities like oil refineries, chemical plants, and steel mills. The decision represents the first time since the creation of the landmark environmental law that Congress has rolled back its environmental protections. Environmental groups and public …

Florida Politics reports: Speaking in Tampa, DeSantis complained about benchmarks that can qualify states for federal dollars, explaining that to “change your behavior to get crumbs from the federal government” is not “something that you want to do.” “They did this infrastructure bill, and you get the bill and they try to give you money. But then you’ve got to …

The Washington Post report: The Environmental Protection Agency plans to rescind and reconsider limits on four different “forever chemicals” under a landmark drinking water standard implemented last year by President Joe Biden, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. The drinking water rules were adopted as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to limit public exposure to per- and …

Axios reports: Stop-start technology has become a common feature in new vehicles as a way to save a few bucks on gas and reduce emissions. Advocates like it because it helps combat climate change, but critics find it irritating. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin blasted stop-start systems in a post Monday on X, signaling that the agency would take action against …

The New York Times reports: The White House has ordered federal agencies to stop considering the economic damage caused by climate change when writing regulations, except in cases where it is “plainly required” by law. The directive effectively shelves a powerful tool that has been used for more than two decades by the federal government to weigh the costs and …

Government Executive reports: The Interior Department is finalizing reduction-in-force plans expected to target thousands of employees, including 1,500 at the National Park Service, with notices going out to employees within 10 days. The anticipated layoffs follow the departure of thousands of Interior employees leaving the department under various incentives. Interior earlier in May initiated a consolidation of several functions currently …

The New York Times reports: The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate Energy Star, the popular energy efficiency certification for dishwashers, refrigerators, dryers and other home appliances, according to agency documents and a recording of an internal meeting. E.P.A. managers announced during a staff meeting on Monday that divisions that oversee climate change and energy efficiency would be eliminated as …

The Washington Post reports: The Trump administration has temporarily suspended an air-quality monitoring program at national parks across the country, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post and two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision is not public. The program collects data on levels of harmful air pollutants, …

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration is set to cancel tens of millions of dollars in grants to scientists studying environmental hazards faced by children in rural America, among other health issues, according to internal emails written by senior officials at the Environmental Protection Agency. The planned cancellation of the research grants, which were awarded to scientists outside …

The Associated Press reports: The Trump administration has granted nearly 70 coal-fired power plants a two-year exemption from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene. A list quietly posted as of Tuesday on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website lists 47 power providers — which operate at least 66 coal-fired plants — that are …

The Washington Post reports: The Trump administration has removed environmental protections covering more than half of the land managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the president’s aim to significantly bolster the U.S. logging industry. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said “heavy-handed federal policies” have prevented the United States from making use of its “abundance of timber resources that …

The Guardian reports: 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. A blitzkrieg launched by Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on …