Health

"US fossil fuel companies have taken at least $50m in taxpayer money they probably won’t have to pay back, according to a review of coronavirus aid meant for struggling small businesses by the investigative research group Documented and the Guardian. A total of $28m is going to three coal mining companies, all with ties to Trump officials, bolstering a dying American industry and a fuel that scientists insist world leaders must shift away from to avoid the worst of the climate crisis."

"The salty breeze and ocean waves have beckoned stir-crazy residents of the coast back to their beloved beaches, social distancing norms be damned."

"The Trump administration is looking at offering two lines of credit to help the beleaguered oil and gas industry as it reels from historically low prices sparked by the global coronavirus pandemic."

"The EPA has been too busy responding to the deadly coronavirus to work on its long-awaited proposal to manage huge volumes of pathogen-infested sewage and stormwater during heavy rains, the agency’s top wastewater official said Wednesday."

"Covid-related slaughterhouse shutdowns in the US are leading to fears of meat shortages and price rises, while farmers are being forced to consider “depopulating” their animals."

"Eight fossil fuel executives tapped for a White House task force advising President Donald Trump on how to reopen the U.S. economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic have donated millions to Trump and other Republican campaigns and political committees in recent years."

"A coalition of more than 150 groups wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to oppose a controversial memo in which the agency said it temporarily might not seek penalties against companies that don’t monitor their pollution."