Environmental Politics

"The bison could soon become the national mammal of the United States. Legislation approved by Congress would elevate the bison to a stature approaching that of the bald eagle, long the national emblem. There has not been an official mammal of the United States."

"For most Senate Republicans, climate change is an anathema: 70 percent of Republicans in the Senate deny the scientific consensus that climate change is happening and humans are the main cause. But a growing number of liberal and moderate Republican voters are concerned about climate change and want their elected officials to reflect that concern. And that leaves Republicans in tight campaigns for reelection with an interesting choice: embrace climate action, long seen as a liberal stance, or risk losing crucial voters."

"For the second straight day, Senate Democrats blocked consideration of an energy and water spending package due to a proposed amendment dealing with the Iran nuclear agreement."

"An intense last-minute push by establishment Democrats and environmentalists to shore up their preferred Senate Democratic nominee paid off in Pennsylvania [Tuesday] night, as former White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Katie McGinty won the right to take on Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in November."

"The Canadian affiliate of ExxonMobil, the world’s largest publicly traded multinational oil and gas corporation, has known for decades that its operations were causing environmental damage and contributing to climate change, according to newly-released documents from a Calgary museum."

"The armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge which ended in February has left an unexpected legacy to the park, one that appears to be in conflict with the occupiers' original intent. Since the siege on the refuge ended in early February, the park has seen a surge of financial support."

"President Barack Obama is planning to visit Flint on May 4 to spotlight the city’s lead-contaminated water that has deprived the city’s 100,000 residents of reliable access to drinking and bathing water."

"Cities and states preparing for possible Zika outbreaks this spring and summer are losing millions of federal dollars that local officials say they were counting on, not only for on-the-ground efforts to track and contain the spread of the mosquito-borne virus but also to respond to other emergencies that threaten public health."

"The Senate unveiled a $9.4 billion waterways bill to boost U.S. ports, waterways and clean water infrastructure on Tuesday that also provides emergency assistance to address the drinking water crisis in Flint, Mich., where water from the Flint River corroded the city's pipes, contaminating the water supply with lead."