The Coal Industry Asked for a Rescue. Trump Obliged.
"In a previously unreported letter, a top lobbyist floated the idea of using emergency powers to keep aging coal plants open."
Source: New York Times, 10/01/2026
EJToday: Top Headlines
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As Heat Grows More Extreme, Inmates Are Threatened By Rising Temperatures
"Steve Brooks’ cell has no windows or air conditioning, so he relies on two eight-inch fans when it’s stifling inside California’s oldest prison. There’s no access to ice or cold water, and during periodic power outages, there’s no electricity."
Source: AP, 10/01/2026A Kelvin Wave Is Heading Toward the California Coast, Bringing Trouble
"An enormous pulse of wave energy will soon reach Southern California and continue north, raising sea levels by half a foot and increasing threats from swells and tides."
Source: New York Times, 10/01/2026A New Type of Small Nuclear Reactor Gets the Green Light in Tennessee
"The nation’s largest federally owned utility received permission on Tuesday to build a new type of small nuclear reactor in Tennessee, in the latest sign of growing momentum for U.S. nuclear power."
Source: New York Times, 10/01/2026Oakland Coal Terminal Would Be Far Bigger And Dirtier Than Promised: Report
"A report commissioned by potential investors says a Trump-backed Oakland coal terminal could ship more than 13 million tons annually — three times the amount in an earlier environmental review. The report says coal would sit in open-air bunkers, contradicting assurances of an enclosed facility."
Source: Los Angeles Times, 10/01/2026Over 90% Of Common Household Items Contain Hazardous Plastic Chemicals
"Nearly 93% of known plastic chemicals used to wrap food and make clothes, toys, and other common household and personal care products pose a high risk to human health, according to a new investigation provided exclusively to CNN."
Source: CNN, 10/01/2026Critical Minerals Refining Gap to Test Deep-Sea Mining Ambitions
"As federal authorities work to issue permits for mining in and beyond US waters, industry officials are making plans to build infrastructure the country lacks to process what’s recovered from the ocean floor."
Source: Bloomberg Environment, 10/01/2026Swiss Glaciers Suffer Another Year Of Record Ice Loss
"Switzerland's glaciers lost more than 5% of their ice in 2026, marking another year of rapid decline. The loss reflects a wider global trend: Glaciers around the world have been shrinking at increasingly rapid rates, a phenomenon scientists link directly to global warming."
Source: NPR, 10/01/2026Oil Shipments Start Moving. What Would It Take To Bring Prices Down?
"Crude oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have begun to approach prewar levels. But analysts expect fuel prices to remain high."
Source: Washington Post, 10/01/2026Isle Royale Wolves Inbred But Likely To Survive, Study Says
"Researchers found Isle Royale wolves brought to the island in 2018 are likely to survive but are inbred and increasingly isolated."
Source: Bridge Michigan, 10/01/2026Trump Slashes Fuel-Economy Standards in Blow to Climate, Health, EV Market
"The Trump administration Monday finalized the rollback of a major fuel economy standard for cars and trucks, a move critics say will cause more climate-warming pollution, human health problems and higher fuel costs for consumers."
Source: Inside Climate News, 09/30/2026$10 A Gallon Gas Has Red Alaska Thinking About A Democratic Senator
"Mary Peltola hopes to unseat Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in a race all about prices, federal aid and Donald Trump."
Source: Washington Post, 09/30/2026Enviros Sue Agencies Over Nation’s 1st Fast-Tracked Critical Minerals Mine
"Federal regulators approved South32’s Hermosa mine despite identifying adverse impacts to multiple endangered or threatened species, the suit notes."
Source: Inside Climate News, 09/30/2026Millions Who Need Federal Flood Insurance The Most Can't Afford It
"In eastern Kentucky, Libby Honeycutt listened upstairs to the sound of glass breaking below as floodwaters tore apart her house. Twenty-six miles to the south, Ronald Conley rescued his dogs from his elevated house with a pontoon boat. Jennifer Campbell heard the screams from across the river of a neighbor desperate for rescue."
Source: AP, 09/30/2026EPA To Reconsider Air Quality Rules As Texas Faces Diesel Price Disaster
"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Tuesday it would “reconsider” air-quality regulations amid Texas’s diesel price “disaster.”
Source: The Hill, 09/30/2026
