The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve Is Low. Here's Why You Should Care
"Deep in the giant underground salt caverns of Louisiana and Texas, the U.S. government stores hundreds of millions of barrels of crude oil."
Source: NPR, 09/30/2026
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Can California Stop Trump From Drilling Off Its Coast? A New Law Tries
"Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed legislation to strengthen California’s protections against offshore drilling amid escalating efforts by the Trump administration to open up the coast to new oil and gas operations."
Source: Los Angeles Times, 09/30/2026EPA Union Sues Trump Admin To Restore Collective Bargaining Contract
"The union representing more than 8,000 workers at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a lawsuit against the agency and administrator Lee Zeldin on Tuesday alleging the agency illegally terminated the union’s collective bargaining agreement."
Source: Guardian, 09/30/2026How Should We Cover the Climate Story?
"Speaking with climate reporters about staying on the beat—because, as Bill McKibben put it, “for better or for worse, by this time next year, there’s no doubt in my mind that climate coverage will be at the forefront.”"
Source: Columbia Journalism Review, 09/30/2026‘Digger’ Is The Year’s Big Climate Movie. This Climate Reporter Hated It.
"Tom Cruise’s latest film is a crude parable about an unrepentant oil executive."
Source: Grist, 09/30/2026Alito Bows Out Of Blockbuster Supreme Court Climate Case
"Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is stepping back from a major climate argument just a week before the court is scheduled to take up the case." "The conservative justice had previously resisted calls from environmentalists to recuse himself."
Source: POLITICO, 09/29/2026U.S. Rejects U.N. Declaration on Preparing for Future Pandemics
"The United States on Friday rejected a declaration by member countries of the United Nations that pledged international collaboration and solidarity in preparing for and responding to pandemics."
Source: New York Times, 09/29/2026As Pacific Churns With Hurricanes, The Atlantic Is Quiet. Blame El Niño.
"The Pacific Ocean has seen 18 hurricanes so far and 41 named storms overall, which are unusually high numbers for this point in the season. The Atlantic Ocean is experiencing the exact opposite."
Source: NPR, 09/29/2026In Global First, A Next-Gen Geothermal Plant Goes Live At Utility Scale
"Fervo Energy is producing clean power at Cape Station in Utah. It’s a big milestone, but the industry must tackle high costs and other barriers in order to scale."
Source: Canary Media, 09/29/2026"Revealing the Invisible Injustice of Extreme Heat"
"The extreme heat scientists have warned about for decades came to Europe again this summer, killing at least 30,000 people like a silent, invisible plague. It came for poor people, the very young and very old, and those suffering from debilitating conditions."
Source: Inside Climate News, 09/29/2026Trump Critical Minerals Agenda Meets America’s ‘Forgotten Wildlife Corridor’
"Under the banner of “Dig, Baby, Dig,” the Trump administration is supercharging an already powerful mining industry. What will happen to vulnerable plants and animals?"
Source: Inside Climate News, 09/29/2026Maui Wildfire Residents Show Elevated Metals Linked To Lung Health: Study
"Metal mixtures found in the leftover smoke, ash and debris from the deadly 2023 Maui wildfires were harmful to the lung health of people living nearby long after the burning ended, a new study says."
Source: AP, 09/29/2026Landmark Calif. Bill Now Requires State To Disclose PFAS Pesticide Use
"A new law in California requires the state to track and publicly disclose the use of PFAS pesticides."
Source: The New Lede, 09/29/2026Drying Colorado River Seen as Risky Bet for Mexico Water Swap
"A proposal to find new water for the Southwest by using desalinated ocean water from Mexico faces difficult odds as what remains of the waning Colorado River is legally contested by its surrounding states."
Source: Bloomberg Environment, 09/29/2026A Century of Sand Debt Comes Due in Malibu
"A new study finds the world’s great surf breaks are vulnerable to climate change. In Malibu, the problem is more specific: a coast with few defenses, with a record El Niño winter closing in."
Source: Inside Climate News, 09/29/2026
