Environmental Politics

"Plastic Pollution Could More Than Double By 2040, Report Finds"

"Failure to address a worldwide plastic pollution crisis could trigger a surge in greenhouse gas emissions and human health problems tied to the industry, according to a new report."

Source: The New Lede, 12/08/2025

"Maha v Maga: Feud Grows As Trump EPA Rolls Back Rules On Toxic Chemicals"

"“Make America healthy again” (Maha) movement leaders have put out a petition calling for Donald Trump to fire Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin, who, since being appointed in late January, has quickly moved to undo toxic chemical regulations and fast-track pesticide approvals."

Source: Guardian, 12/08/2025

Top Environment and Energy Topics To Watch in 2026

Explore our 10th annual Journalists’ Guide to Environment + Energy, as we scour the beat to identify 15 top stories to put on your radar for 2026. Our updated format for the special report provides a quick read and a broad scope — with insights on climate change and environmental justice, bird and insect declines, data centers and deep sea mining, deregulation and PFAS and much more. Get started here.

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Interior Dept Finally Releases High Official’s Financial Disclosure

"After a long delay, the Interior Department’s Office of Government Ethics last week provided Public Domain the financial disclosure of Karen Budd-Falen, a high-ranking Trump appointee at DOI." "Karen Budd-Falen, a self-described “cowboy lawyer," owns ranch operations and real estate rentals. Her family has also had sizable investments in oil companies."

Source: Public Domain, 12/05/2025

Farmers Block Mexico’s Congress With Tractors To Protest Water Law Proposal

"Dozens of farmers drove their tractors in a caravan to Mexico City and blocked an entrance to Mexico’s Congress on Wednesday to protest a new national water law that imposes stricter controls on water use."

Source: AP, 12/05/2025

Chesapeake Bay Leaders Agree on Longer Timeline and Tribal Role in Cleanup

"The revised watershed agreement extends pollution-reduction targets and bets on voluntary measures to achieve cleanup goals that have remained elusive for decades."

Source: Inside Climate News, 12/05/2025

"US Congress Repeals Biden-Era Limits On Oil And Gas In Alaska Refuge"

"Congressional lawmakers on Thursday voted to repeal a Biden-era policy that limited the amount of land in an Alaska wildlife refuge that could be leased for oil and gas development. The U.S. Senate voted 49-45 to approve a resolution that revokes the Interior Department's 2024 rule governing energy development on the 1.56-million-acre Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

Source: Reuters, 12/05/2025

Rare Win for Renewable Energy: Trump DOE Funds Geothermal Network Expansion

"The U.S. Department of Energy has approved an $8.6 million grant that will allow the nation’s first utility-led geothermal heating and cooling network to double in size."

Source: Inside Climate News, 12/04/2025

"After Ohio’s Landmark Decisions On HB 6 Utility Scandal, What’s Next?"

"In landmark rulings last month, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ordered FirstEnergy’s three regulated companies to pay roughly $250 million for violations linked to the state’s largest-ever utility corruption scandal. More than $186 million of that will be refunded or credited to consumers."

Source: Canary Media, 12/04/2025

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