Pollution

"The wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles in January incinerated more than 16,000 structures and unleashed tons of toxic material into the air, water and soil. Many Pacific Palisades and Altadena homeowners who lost everything hoped the government debris-removal process would at least offer a fresh start for the land where their houses once stood."

"Farm groups were cheering moves announced this week by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will alter endangered species protections to allow for easier use of certain pesticides in agriculture."

"More than 20 bills introduced among at least 12 states. Fears, farm damage vie with waste control practicalities."

"The U.S. Justice Department filed lawsuits against four states this week, claiming their climate actions conflict with federal authority and President Donald Trump’s energy dominance agenda."

"The House of Representatives took a trio of votes this week targeting California’s decades-old authority to enforce its own environmental standards, setting the stage for a significant standoff in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats say Republican leaders would have to defy long-standing congressional order to get the measures passed."

"The Trump administration has terminated the leases of 25 U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Centers, which inform the water decisions of local and state governments across the country."

"After years of attempts, Ohio lawmakers voted Wednesday to end the subsidy for two unprofitable Cold War-era coal plants that had cost Ohio ratepayers nearly $400,000 a day, after they were tucked into the tainted energy bill at the center of the largest corruption scandal in state history."

"The biennial Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm conventions will consider banning the controversial pesticide and two other toxic compounds"

"House Republicans are looking to use their massive party-line bill to strip federal agencies of their power to unilaterally approve all major rules."

"The House on Wednesday voted to axe California’s clean truck rules — defying Congress’s own internal watchdog in doing so."