Wild Rice Faces Numerous Threats — and Has Determined Protectors
“Groups work to identify, save and reseed areas to help the culturally significant resource thrive as climate change portends more strains.”
Source: Inside Climate News, 06/09/2026
EJToday: Top Headlines
EJToday is a daily weekday digest of top environment/energy news and information of interest to environmental journalists, independently curated by Editor Joseph A. Davis. Sign up below to receive in your inbox. For queries, email EJToday@SEJ.org. For more info, read an EJToday FAQ. Plus, follow EJToday on social media at @EJTodayNews, and flag stories of note by including the @EJTodayNews handle on your posts. And tell us how to make EJToday even better by taking this brief survey.
Want to join the EJToday team? Volunteer time commitments can vary from just an hour a month up to a daily contribution, and would involve helping to curate content of interest. To learn more, reach out to the director of publications, Adam Glenn, at sejournaleditor@sej.org.
Note: Members have additional options to choose from (you'll need your log-in info).
Why Are Blue States Scapegoating Energy Efficiency?
“A handful of Democratic-led states are targeting energy-efficiency programs in an attempt to provide relief on soaring utility bills. It’s surprising, given the broad support energy-efficiency programs have among Democrats — and the fact that these incentives produce energy savings that benefit both the climate and all consumers. The short-term savings may be tempting, advocates say, but chasing them is misguided."
Source: Canary Media, 06/09/2026MAHA’s CAFO Conundrum
“While the movement has long railed against harmful pesticides — such as glyphosate and paraquat — that are sprayed on crops and linked to cancers and other health ills, there is mounting evidence that CAFOs, which generate massive amounts of manure, are linked to some of these same health problems, including increased cancer rates.”
Source: The New Lede, 06/09/2026Mass Sloth Deaths in Florida Show Why the Wildlife Trade Is a Pandemic Risk
“Necropsy reports from sloths imported by a planned Orlando tourist attraction document stressed animals riddled with bacteria, parasites and viruses. Scientists say the situation is a warning about the threat the booming wildlife trade poses to human health.”
Source: Inside Climate News, 06/08/2026A Water Crisis Has The ‘Poster Boys’ of Iowa Farming Ready to Talk Regulation
“More than a decade of voluntary farm conservation programs hasn’t gotten the state far enough on water quality, the Lobe Rangers say.”
Source: Inside Climate News, 06/08/2026A New DC ‘Museum’ Raises Awareness About the Looming Consequences of Extreme Weather
“At the Museum of Unnatural Disasters, members of Congress, disaster survivors and activists are bringing their worries about preparedness to the seat of power.”
Source: Inside Climate News, 06/08/2026Fishermen Prepared for the Longest Red Snapper Season in Recent Memory. A Court Order Stopped It
"Recreational fishermen like Kemp are pitched against commercial fishermen and environmentalists in a legal dispute that has halted what was expected to be the longest snapper season in years, reflecting broader tensions over the Trump administration’s efforts to loosen fishing rules and deregulate the seas."
Source: AP, 06/08/2026Limited Interest in Latest Oil and Gas Lease Sale for Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
"Two corporations bid on a handful of leases during the latest oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Friday, a showing critics described as tepid but one that further opens the door to possible development in the pristine region."
Source: AP, 06/08/2026NYC’s Big, Clean Power Line is Officially Up and Running
“The Champlain Hudson Power Express is bringing tons of hydropower to the city — but amid years of drought, can Canada spare the clean electricity?”
Source: Canary Media, 06/08/2026Federal Review on Weedkiller Sparks Backlash from Environment and Health Groups
"Advocates for environmental and human health protections are seeking to challenge a decision by US regulators that they say will allow the continued use of atrazine, a commonly used herbicide linked to cancer and other health problems."
Source: The New Lede, 06/08/2026New BLM Grazing Rules Eliminate Tribal Buffalo From Public Lands
“Tribes with bison herds are seeking negotiations with U.S. Department of Interior officials to ask for an exemption from new rules they have called ‘DEI for cattle.’”
Source: Inside Climate News, 06/08/2026Trump’s DC Beautification Fixation Worries Some Republicans as Midterms Loom
“President Trump’s focus on repair and beautification projects around Washington, D.C., risks backfiring on Republicans ahead of the midterms as the issue of affordability takes center stage across the country."
Source: The Hill, 06/08/2026Pritzker Pauses Data Center Tax Incentives in Illinois
“Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said Friday he is pausing the state’s data center tax incentives starting in July amid a push to address concerns about electricity costs and water resources that have plagued the AI infrastructure build-out nationwide."
Source: The Hill, 06/08/2026Trump Order Makes It Easier to Fire Agency Staffers At Will
"President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday stripping job security from nearly 8,000 federal positions, expanding his authority to fire career employees who work on policy matters and accelerating a civil-service overhaul that’s drawn legal and political pushback."
Source: Bloomberg Environment, 06/04/2026Trump Expected To Announce $700M Boost For Coal
"Trump is set to use wartime authority under the Defense Prevention Act to dole out $425 million to 13 existing coal plants and $75 million for an export terminal in California. He is also expected to announce $185 million in grant funding from the Energy Department to build two new coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia and restart a plant in Maryland."
Source: The Hill, 06/04/2026
