Environmental Politics

"A bipartisan group of senators on Friday introduced a bill to permanently reauthorize the nation’s main conservation fund."

"The Trump administration has given its strongest indication to date it may not stand in the way of lawsuits aimed at undoing Obama-era environmental protections for smog-forming pollutants."

"The White House is taking steps that could open up new areas of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans to offshore oil and gas drilling, according to multiple individuals briefed on the proposal."

"President Trump appointed a new regulatory czar Friday. Neomi Rao, an associate law professor at George Mason University, was nominated to run the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)."

"The Trump administration has failed to fill crucial public health positions across the government, leaving the nation ill-prepared to face one of its greatest potential threats: a pandemic outbreak of a deadly infections disease, according to experts in health and national security."

"It is a tale of two photographs, one light and airy, the other kind of, well, dark."

"State lawmakers this week agreed to stretch out a regulatory review of Dominion Virginia Power’s plan to permanently store coal ash at four sites, including in Chesapeake. ... But assessments planned by Dominion to help state regulators decide next year if the cap-in-place proposals are still sound may not include most of the ash stored at the Chesapeake site, the company has indicated."

"An ongoing fight over a controversial pipeline project to pump water out of California's Mojave Desert has sparked allegations that the project is being pushed by the rumored pick for a top Interior post who could gain financially if the project is approved."

"Lawmakers from states surrounding the Chesapeake Bay on Wednesday expressed bipartisan criticism of President Donald Trump’s proposal to end federal support for cleaning up Chesapeake Bay."

"Several special-interest groups are worried that Republican appropriators will attach "poison pill" policy riders affecting the environment and public lands to the 2017 funding bill in the scramble to avoid a government shutdown at the end of April."