Environmental Politics

Chaos? Trump Plans To Merge Wildland Firefighting Into One Agency.

"President Donald Trump’s administration is trying to merge the government’s wildland firefighting efforts into a single agency, a move some former federal officials warn could increase the risk of catastrophic blazes and ultimately cost billions of dollars."

Source: AP, 05/21/2025

"Where Local Forecast Offices No Longer Monitor Weather Around-The-Clock"

"For at least half a century, the National Weather Service has been an around-the-clock operation. But after the U.S. DOGE Service led efforts to shrink the federal government, that is no longer possible in some parts of the country."

Source: Washington Post, 05/21/2025

"FEMA Should Take New Name, States Should Bear Costs, DHS Head Noem Says"

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency should be renamed as the agency is reformed to increase the burden on states to respond to natural disasters, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a meeting on reforming FEMA on Tuesday."

Source: Reuters, 05/21/2025

"WOTUS: A Narrowing EPA Definition Is Reshaping The Clean Water Act"

"Debra Shankland was a kid when the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire in 1969. ... Shankland was one of many speakers at the latest listening session led by the EPA as the agency crafts a new definition for the long controversial language “waters of the United States” contained in the Clean Water Act. The interpretation of that phrase, commonly shorthanded as WOTUS, can have massive implications for the health of small streams, remote wetlands, creeks and other waters."

Source: The New Lede, 05/20/2025

Company Decides Not To Rebuild Ga. Chlorine Plant With History Of Fires

"The company that operated a Georgia chlorine plant with a history of explosions, chemical fires and toxic clouds that have drifted over neighborhoods outside Atlanta has decided not to rebuild the main manufacturing facility in Conyers."

Source: AP, 05/20/2025

Federal Judge Orders Trump Admin to Restore Environmental Grant Funding

"A federal judge said Monday he would order the Trump administration to restore $176 million granted by Congress to 13 nonprofit groups and six municipalities nationwide."

Source: Inside Climate News, 05/20/2025

"Helene’s Unheard Warnings"

"As Hurricane Helene barrels toward Yancey County in North Carolina, the predictions are grim. Communities along the Cane River in the Black Mountains are particularly vulnerable. But there are no evacuation orders, even for the people living in homes along these rivers and creeks. Few grasp what’s coming."

Source: ProPublica, 05/20/2025

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