"Michigan Loves A ‘River Story.’ But Happy Ending Isn’t Guaranteed"
"Michigan may be known as the Great Lakes state, but most of its residents have a river to thank for their hometown’s existence."
Source: Bridge Michigan, 05/29/2026
EJToday: Top Headlines
EJToday is a daily weekday digest of top environment/energy news and information of interest to environmental journalists, independently curated by Editor Joseph A. Davis. Sign up below to receive in your inbox. For queries, email EJToday@SEJ.org. For more info, read an EJToday FAQ. Plus, follow EJToday on social media at @EJTodayNews, and flag stories of note by including the @EJTodayNews handle on your posts. And tell us how to make EJToday even better by taking this brief survey.
NEW: Weekly Regional Headlines Spotlight: EJToday has broadened its scope to bring readers more regional stories for their environment news diet, especially from under-the-radar nonprofit newsrooms. In fall 2026, we assembled a team of volunteers across the United States to help curate a new Friday “EJToday Regional Spotlight” headlines feature. Watch for it weekly.
EJToday Masthead Editor: Joseph A. Davis. Regional Spotlight Editors: Keerti Gopal (Midwest); Lisa Sorg (South); Wyatt Myskow, Jake Bolster and Steven Rodas (West); Lauren Dalban (Northeast).
Want to join the EJToday team? Volunteer time commitments can vary from just an hour a month up to a daily contribution, and would involve helping to curate content of interest. To learn more, reach out to the director of publications, Adam Glenn, at sejournaleditor@sej.org.
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"Could New Tech Help Save Some Very Rare Whales?"
"Trackers that ping satellites every time a whale surfaces for air. Thermal cameras that can detect the animals day and night. Acoustic devices that monitor their calls." "Innovative systems to keep ships from hitting North Atlantic right whales are coming into use. The Trump administration is weighing whether they can replace a bedrock protection."
Source: New York Times, 05/29/2026"National Park Entrance Fees Are Funding Trump’s D.C. Projects"
"The administration is spending at least $67 million worth of fees paid by visitors to national parks on fixing D.C. fountains and the Reflecting Pool."
Source: New York Times, 05/28/2026Analysis: Why Trump EPA Plan To Attempt To Destroy PFAS Is ‘Nonsensical’
"A new Trump administration plan to ditch Pfas drinking water regulations and instead attempt to destroy “forever chemicals” on a wide scale tears a page from the fossil fuel industry’s carbon capture playbook, and will benefit the industry while harming public health."
Source: Guardian, 05/28/2026China's New Carbon Metrics 'Erased Half' Of Emissions Growth: Report
"China's latest carbon data suggests it has changed the way it calculates carbon emissions, reducing by half the emissions growth the country previously reported from 2020 to 2025, climate researchers argue in a new report."
Source: Reuters, 05/28/2026"Residents Wrangle Over Transmission Line Proposal for Rural Virginia"
"GOOCHLAND, Va.—Deborah Blackburn leaned on her cane in a line to enter the Central High Cultural and Educational Complex, angst-ridden over a giant transmission line proposal for reasons that are common refrains here: It’s all to benefit data centers in Northern Virginia, and it will disrupt the rural character here outside Richmond."
Source: Inside Climate News, 05/28/2026Hajj Pilgrims Perform Rituals In Soaring Heat As Eid Al-Adha Begins
"Huge crowds of pilgrims in Saudi Arabia threw pebbles at a pillar in a symbolic ritual on one of the final days of the Hajj in temperatures reaching over 107 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius) as Muslims around the world on Wednesday started celebrating the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha."
Source: AP, 05/28/20266,000-Acre Solar Project Permit Nixed By Ohio Supreme Court, For Now
"The Ohio Supreme Court overturned a permit that state officials previously granted to a massive, 6,000-acre industrial-scale solar farm and battery operation in Madison County."
Source: Signal Ohio, 05/28/2026Supreme Court Settles Long-Running Water Dispute Over Dwindling Rio Grande
"The U.S. Supreme Court has approved a settlement package designed to rein in groundwater pumping along one of North America’s longest rivers and ensure enough water reliably makes it from New Mexico to Texas, ending a long-running dispute over management of the Rio Grande."
Source: AP, 05/28/2026Brazil's $75 Million Highway Through Amazon Fuels Deforestation Concerns
"Brazil’s government announced Wednesday that it will invest $75 million in the BR-319 highway cutting through the Amazon rainforest, a project environmentalists say could accelerate deforestation and worsen climate change."
Source: AP, 05/28/2026"A Warmer World Creates Bigger And More Damaging Hailstones, Study Says"
"A warmer world will likely make bigger and more damaging hail, a new study said."
Source: AP, 05/28/2026"The Cookware Industry Has a Major Fight Brewing Over PFAS Claims"
"The war over forever chemicals in cookware has seen celebrity chefs, major cookware makers, and state legislatures enter into battle. Now, a new front has opened over advertising claims."
Source: WIRED, 05/28/20261 Dead And 9 Missing After Chemical Tank Rupture At Washington Paper Plant
"At least one person has died, nine people were injured and nine employees remain unaccounted for after a large tank of chemical treatment product, including hazardous materials, ruptured at a paper and packaging facility in Washington state, fire officials said."
Source: CNN, 05/27/2026Trump Admin Proposes Non-Disclosure Agreements For All Federal Workers
"The Trump administration is planning a government-wide nondisclosure agreement that would bar federal workers from sharing a wide array of “confidential government information,” according to a draft notice posted to the Federal Register on Tuesday by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management." "The rule, aimed at cracking down on leaks to media organizations, would expand nondisclosure agreements instituted at the Pentagon and other agencies."
Source: Washington Post, 05/27/2026India Records Over 300 Suspected Heatstroke Cases As Temperatures Spike
"More than 300 suspected cases of heat-related illnesses have been reported in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh from the start of March to mid-May, the state's health department said."
Source: Reuters, 05/27/2026
