"Relations between EPA and its inspector general took another hit today as the agency's watchdog office issued a new report taking aim at Chief of Staff Ryan Jackson."
"Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, made an appearance Tuesday at the United Nations climate summit to assure the world that “Americans are continuing to lead on climate change, even with a climate denier in the White House.”"
"A top Interior Department official broke a federal ethics rule by improperly meeting with his former employer, a conservative research organization, to discuss the rollback of endangered species protections that the group had been pushing, the department’s internal watchdog said in a report published Tuesday."
Millions of acres of pristine Arctic wilderness long at the heart of a national debate over energy development and conservation are expected to be in the news again in 2020, with renewed plans to open land for drilling. The latest TipSheet explains the backstory and why the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge matters, plus story ideas and reporting resources.
Water rights activist Maude Barlow eschews sanitized language to take on what she calls the “lords of water,” fighting global and local battles to turn communities “blue.” Barlow’s new book, “Whose Water Is It Anyway?: Taking Water Protection Into Public Hands” is the subject of our latest BookShelf review.
"Children and young people must be at the heart of dealing with the climate crisis, the UN and campaigners have said as climate talks in Madrid enter their second week with little concrete progress."
"A flash of red streaked through the trees: a vermilion flycatcher. The brightly colored bird chirped and trilled, adding to a chorus that rang from the towering trees. ... The ecosystem depends on the river, and the river itself depends on an unseen source. Much of its flow is fed by groundwater, emerging from the aquifer in springs and seeps, sustaining the river."
"The Democratic presidential candidates who promise to ban fracking are keeping a secret: The president can't do that."
"EPA has hired another political appointee in its air regulatory office who has a long history of suing the agency."
"The House is poised to take up major climate change legislation before next year's elections, once the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis submits its policy recommendations, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters this morning [Friday]."
