Amid Politics, Research on Harmful Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke Piles Up
"A growing body of research shows the cascading health impacts of wildfire smoke, from cognitive decline to heart issues."
Source: Inside Climate News, 07/17/2025
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.
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.
Note: Members have additional options to choose from (you'll need your log-in info).
Trump Hails $90 Billion Push to Make Pennsylvania A Gas-Fired AI Hub
"Flanked by titans of the fossil fuel, tech and finance industries, President Donald Trump on Tuesday hailed $90 billion in private investments aimed at building a massive artificial intelligence hub around Pennsylvania’s natural gas resources."
Source: Inside Climate News, 07/17/2025"OSHA Just Reduced the Value of a Worker’s Life"
"The Trump administration slashed fines for safety violations by small businesses and other employers and plans to reduce already rare workplace inspections. Experts say that will lead to more worker injuries, illnesses and deaths."
Source: Inside Climate News, 07/17/2025Trump Axes NOAA Tool To Help Communities Prepare For Future Rainfall
"The Commerce Department has indefinitely suspended work on a tool to help communities predict how rising global temperatures will alter the frequency of extreme rainfall, according to three current and former federal officials familiar with the decision, a move that experts said will make the country more vulnerable to storms supercharged by climate change."
Source: Washington Post, 07/17/2025"Just 9 Percent Think FEMA Should Be Eliminated: Survey"
"Very few Americans say in a new poll that it’s a good idea to scrap the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) entirely, a position President Trump has embraced in recent months."
Source: The Hill, 07/17/2025Removing Aging Dams Could Bolster Communities Facing Extreme Weather: Report
"Eliminating obsolete or unsafe dams could help bolster community safety amid climate-induced weather extremes, watershed experts are recommending."
Source: The Hill, 07/17/2025Two Men Behind Felling Of Sycamore Gap Tree Jailed For More Than Four Years
"Two men who carried out a “moronic mission” to fell one of the most loved and photographed trees in the UK have been jailed."
Source: Guardian, 07/17/2025"Warming Rivers Prompt Fishing Restrictions In Western Montana"
"A dozen rivers are subject to “hoot owl” restrictions on afternoon fishing or all-out closures as biologists grapple with warming rivers and meager streamflows."
Source: Montana Free Press, 07/17/2025"Senate Set To Debate Cuts To NPR, PBS and Foreign Aid"
"The Senate voted by a razor-thin margin late Tuesday to advance debate on a package of funding cuts requested by President Trump. They're aimed at clawing back $1.1 billion previously allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, along with $7.9 billion dollars earmarked for international efforts to combat famine and disease."
Source: NPR, 07/16/2025"House Republicans Buck Trump On NOAA Cuts"
"House Republican appropriators would cut NOAA by nearly $400 million for fiscal 2026, but they’re rejecting deeper reductions proposed by the White House."
Source: E&E News, 07/16/2025"Texas Failed To Spend Federal Aid For Disaster Protection"
"In the past decade, as extreme weather killed nearly 700 people in Texas, the state relinquished $225 million in federal grant money that it was supposed to spend on protecting residents from disasters, federal records show." "States across the country have not used billions of dollars from FEMA intended to reduce damage from flooding and other disasters."
Source: E&E News, 07/16/2025"The Nightmare Mess Left by One Closed Pulp Mill"
"Documents expose the huge cleanup BC faces for Port Alice and 11 more shut mills. Will new projects also slip off the hook?"
Source: The Tyee, 07/16/2025Enviros Sue EPA To Reassess A Toxic Chemical Used At A Pa. Oil Refinery
"Sandwiched between the Delaware River and closely spaced homes, the Monroe Energy oil refinery in Trainer exemplifies the need for better regulation of a dangerous chemical used around the country to produce high-octane gasoline, environmental groups said." "Monroe Energy in Delaware County is among more than 40 still using hydrofluoric acid, despite safer alternatives"
Source: Pennsylvania Capital-Star, 07/16/2025Humans Are Wiping Out Wetlands That Life Depends On, New Report Says
"Wetlands provide freshwater, food, storm protection and climate regulation. Yet over the last 50 years, humans have destroyed one-fifth of them." "A landmark report for the global agreement on wetlands paints a dire picture of the state of the world’s water bodies that underpin all life on Earth."
Source: Inside Climate News, 07/16/2025New Invasive Mussel Threatens Calif. Water Supplies. Can State Stop Its Spread?
"Officials are shoring up water systems infiltrated by the golden mussel. Dogs and human inspectors are checking boats at some lakes, but a patchwork of oversight leaves many lakes unprotected. “There’s just too many boats and too many people out there,” one warden said."
Source: CalMatters, 07/16/2025
