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"EPA expressed alarm at contamination in a creek near a predominantly Black neighborhood. Then the agency eliminated its civil-rights office and has taken no further action."
The Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” is anything but, especially in its unraveling of efforts to weave environmental and climate justice into American society, argues the new Voices of Environmental Justice. In her latest column, writer Yessenia Funes calls on journalists to report its ramifications not just for the planet but for the most vulnerable people living on it. Here are key stories to start with.
"Companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin may be able to forgo reviews required under National Environmental Policy Act"
"The first black bear hunt in Florida in a decade will take place in December under a rule adopted Wednesday by state wildlife officials despite strong opposition to the eventual use of dogs and targeting the animals in baited locations."
"A customer is waiting as Patrick Gormandy steers his deep-water trawler — the Captain Sam B — back to the dock after a day of shrimping on Mobile Bay."
"The area around the immigrant detention center, deep in the Everglades, is threatened by a number of environmental hazards like hurricanes, intense heat and even wildfires."
"Alabama state regulators have cleared the way for Alabama Power to purchase an 895-megawatt gas-fired power plant, further tying Alabama’s largest electric utility to climate-polluting natural gas for decades to come."
The United States has nearly 100,000 miles of coastline and much of it is at risk of flooding. But what that inundation looks like varies widely from place to place. From storm surges to land subsidence, the latest Backgrounder details the different types of flooding and the threats they pose to coastal communities, especially sea level cities.
"These rare salamanders, which can grow to over two feet long, lurk in the wild rivers of Appalachia. To spot one, you’ll need a snorkel, and some luck."
