Mining Made Tar Creek A Toxic Wasteland. Quapaw Nation Brought It Back.
"The Quapaw Nation is the only US Native community to carry out a cleanup of one of the country’s worst sites of environmental contamination"
Source: Guardian, 03/17/2026
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Inside The Deadly Silicosis Epidemic Killing Countertop Stonecutters
"A new California law aims to protect workers from silicosis, an incurable lung disease that has killed 29 people in the state and sickened hundreds. Experts say it isn’t enough."
Source: Capital & Main, 03/17/2026What Displays Get Scrapped at America’s Parks? Looks Like Anyone’s Guess.
"President Trump ordered officials to remove information deemed disparaging to the United States. A review of government documents shows little guidance and striking inconsistencies."
Source: NYTimes, 03/17/2026"Did Fake Comments Sink SoCal Clean Heat Rules? Advocates Want Answers."
"Last year, Southern California’s air regulators rejected landmark rules that would have encouraged the switch from polluting gas heaters to electric heat pumps in the smoggiest region in the country. Now, environmental and public health advocates are pressing state and local officials to investigate whether opposition in the run-up to the decision was largely faked."
Source: Canary Media, 03/17/2026Apache Women Ask Supreme Court To Stop Transfer Of Oak Flat Land For Mine
"The transfer of federal forest land in Arizona to a pair of international companies that plan to mine one of the largest copper deposits in North America is complete, but a group of Apache women is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene as a last-ditch effort to stop the project."
Source: AP, 03/17/2026"Federal Judge Halts RFK Jr.'s Changes To Children's Vaccine Policies"
"A federal judge Monday dealt a major blow to the Trump administration's efforts to overhaul the nation's vaccine policies, including the controversial decision to slash the number of federally recommended vaccinations for children."
Source: NPR, 03/17/2026Mezcal’s Popularity Booming In US, At Growing Environmental Cost In Mexico
"Thirty years ago, a single light bulb would illuminate the mezcal distillery owned by Gladys Sánchez Garnica’s family in rural Oaxaca, where the agave-based spirit was made through the night. As drops dripped from a clay oven, Garnica and her siblings listened to stories told by their parents while neighbors arrived by horse to get a taste of a drink known for its smoky flavor."Source: AP, 03/17/2026Did Trump Cuts Slow Access To Public Records? 26 Cases That Say Yes.
"Lawyers’ pleas for extensions reveal post-DOGE staffing woes at federal agencies’ Freedom of Information Act offices."
Source: Washington Post, 03/16/2026Trump Backs FCC Chief’s Threat To Broadcasters, Attacks Iran War Coverage
"Brendan Carr warned media outlets to correct course or lose their licenses, as Trump escalated attacks on the media over Iran war coverage."
Source: Washington Post, 03/16/2026EPA Moves To Weaken Pollution Limits On Toxic Chemical Ethylene Oxide
"The Environmental Protection Agency proposed Friday to weaken air pollution limits on a chemical used to sterilize medical equipment, a move that would reverse a Biden administration finding of high cancer risks at manufacturing facilities that use ethylene oxide to clean medical devices like catheters and syringes."
Source: AP, 03/16/2026"Trump Administration Approves Ultra-Deepwater Oil Drilling Plan"
"The Trump administration on Friday approved a $5 billion oil drilling project in ultradeep waters of the Gulf of Mexico over protests from Democrats and environmental activists who said the venture posed significant risks to wildlife and communities."
Source: NYTimes, 03/16/2026Construction Finishes On A Major Offshore Wind Farm, Despite Trump
"Construction is finished on a major Massachusetts offshore wind farm, the first project to reach this stage during President Donald Trump’s time in office.:
Source: AP, 03/16/2026Ruptured Pipe That Leaked Raw Waste Into The Potomac Is Back In Operation
"The massive sewage pipe that ruptured and leaked millions of gallons of raw waste into the Potomac River returned to operation Saturday after the completion of emergency repairs."
Source: AP, 03/16/2026Energy Secretary Directs Oil Company To Restore Operations Off California
"U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed a Texas-based oil and gas company Friday to restore operations in waters off southern California that were damaged by a 2015 oil spill, invoking the Defense Production Act."
Source: AP, 03/16/2026First US Critical Minerals Mine Nears Approval in AZ Biodiversity Hotspot
"The U.S. Forest Service said it plans to approve South32’s Hermosa project in Patagonia, Arizona, despite the water problems the mine is already causing."
Source: Inside Climate News, 03/16/2026
