"The U.S. Army will grant the final permit for the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline after an order from President Donald Trump to expedite the project despite opposition from Native American tribes and climate activists."
Veteran journalists gathered in Washington, D.C. last Friday, Feb. 3, to share insights into how environment and energy policy may unfold in the year ahead — and to urge colleagues to prepare for possibly dramatic shifts ahead. Key takeaways, plus video, audio clips and a presentation by SEJ's president. Photo: Washington Post reporter Daryl Fears; courtesy of Schuyler Null/Wilson Center.
"On January 25, President Donald Trump’s team listed the Atlantic Coast pipeline among the White House’s top priorities for infrastructure projects, an attempt to deliver on his campaign promise to invest in U.S infrastructure programs."
"China's smog-hit capital Beijing plans to slash coal consumption by a further 30 percent in 2017 as part of its efforts to combat air pollution, the official Xinhua news agency said late on Sunday, citing the city's mayor."
"The House [Friday] today voted to scrap a Bureau of Land Management rule that seeks to curb greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas flaring, venting and leakage on public and tribal lands."
"The document carried the title 'A Roadmap to Repeal,' a concise list of Obama administration environmental regulations that a Koch brothers-backed group was pressing President Trump and Congress to quickly reverse after Inauguration Day."
"The Environmental Protection Agency’s website has begun to transform under the Trump administration. A group of researchers have found what are likely the first steps in a major overhaul of a site that’s been closely watched since President Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Federal climate plans created under former President Obama, tribal assistance programs, and references to international cooperation have been stricken from the site."
"Following President Trump's directive to the Army Corps to approve Dakota Access permit, opponents prepare legal fight over environmental impact."
The Maryland Senate voted 32 to 13 on Thursday to override Gov. Hogan’s veto of a bill to boost the state’s use of renewable energy.
"Rex W. Tillerson, the former chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil, was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday in a 56-to-43 vote to become the nation’s 69th secretary of state just as serious strains have emerged with important international allies."
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