"Weed killers in wheat crackers and cereals, insecticides in apple juice and a mix of multiple pesticides in spinach, string beans and other veggies – all are part of the daily diets of many Americans. For decades, federal officials have declared tiny traces of these contaminants to be safe. But a new wave of scientific scrutiny is challenging those assertions."
"Incoming Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) is seeking a seat on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee even after she clashed with the next chairman of the panel over climate change."
"An internal watchdog has cleared Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke of wrongdoing following a complaint that he redrew the boundaries of a national monument in Utah to benefit a state lawmaker and political ally."
"President Trump had a clear message Monday when asked about the core conclusion of a scientific report issued by his own administration: that climate change will batter the nation’s economy. “I don’t believe it,” he said."
With flooding from hurricanes and other climate disasters becoming the new normal, badly needed flood insurance reform continues to founder in the halls of Congress. The National Flood Insurance Program is billions of dollars in debt, and aid packages are doing little to get people out of flood-prone areas. Congress watchers will keep an eye on new House leadership for insurance solutions, although politically unpalatable rate hikes swamped the big reform. This week’s TipSheet has more on the story, with leads on what to watch in 2019.
"Before resigning as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency this year, Scott Pruitt delighted President Trump with his zeal for proclaiming sweeping regulatory rollbacks, even though he left behind a trail of courtroom setbacks."
"Many hunters are ditching traditional ammunition amid mounting evidence that it harms scavengers and pollutes the food people eat."
"Governments typically try to bury bad news in the Friday news cycle when people are distracted with plans for the weekend. The best day all year to bury a story is Black Friday .... The latest National Climate Assessment report from the federal government was due to be released before the end of 2018, but it is filled with such shockingly bad news for Trump and his failed environmental policies that his maladministration decided to release it a month early on the afternoon of Black Friday."
"A major scientific report issued by 13 federal agencies on Friday presents the starkest warnings to date of the consequences of climate change for the United States, predicting that if significant steps are not taken to rein in global warming, the damage will knock as much as 10 percent off the size of the American economy by century’s end."
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