"Investor Carl Icahn never wielded excessive influence on U.S. biofuels policy while acting as President Donald Trump’s adviser on regulation, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency said in a letter to a Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse."
"The death toll from Hurricane Irma has climbed to 22 in the United States following its path of destruction across the Caribbean and through the Southeast U.S. over the weekend, while power has now been restored to over 2 million customers in Florida."
Check out our guide to reporting on hurricanes like Irma, Harvey and Maria, and their aftermath. We've compiled a series of resources, including a hurricane Toolbox and Backgrounders (including one on the power grid, post-outages), as well as TipSheets on hurricanes, flooding, flood insurance, storm surge, toxic floodwaters, dam failures and more. Plus, get the latest hurricane headlines from EJ Today (subscribe).
The Trump Administration's EPA Press Office appears to have launched a personal attack on journalists for unfavorable coverage. WatchDog reports what happened when the Associated Press looked into possible pollution at Houston Superfund sites flooded by Hurricane Harvey.
The complex workings of the U.S. Congress create reporting challenges for all kinds of journalists, including environmental ones. But our latest TipSheet provides half a dozen key resources to help you get the job done better, whether from inside or outside the Beltway.
"In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said that now is not the time to talk about climate change. ... In the interest of minimizing harm to people, it’s always an important time to talk about climate change. We don’t have to choose between helping current victims and working to prevent the next tragedy."
"A government watchdog agency has agreed to a request from Democratic senators to open an inquiry into whether the Environmental Protection Agency circumvented the Trump administration’s own ethics rules when hiring certain agency employees."
"In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, an exploding chemical plant and spikes in cancer-causing emissions are highlighting how little the public knows about potential dangers from the oil and chemical industries. Critics say one reason for the darkness: tons of campaign money."
"Advocates concerned about pollution from petroleum coke are worried an Ohio professor’s study downplaying the risks will gain new prominence now that he has been named to a key EPA post."
"Back in March, when President Trump released the first draft of his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, he asked lawmakers for deep cuts to one of their favorite institutions, the National Institutes of Health — part of a broad reordering of priorities, away from science and social spending, toward defense and border security. Six months later, Congress has not only rejected the president’s N.I.H. proposal; lawmakers from both parties have joined forces to increase spending on biomedical research — and have bragged about it."
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