"Oil Industry Will Eye Venezuela Warily, Experts Say"
"Given Venezuela’s murky political future, few analysts expect a rush to invest the billions needed to pump more oil from the world’s largest reserves."
Source: Inside Climate News, 01/08/2026
EJToday: Top Headlines
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"Environmental Health Perspectives Joins The ACS Publications Portfolio"
"The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is proud to announce that Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) has joined the ACS Publications portfolio. EHP is a globally respected journal with a legacy as a premier source for research findings at the intersection of the environment and human health."
Source: ACS, 01/08/2026"Hundreds Of Groups Urge Congress Not To Weaken Chemical Safety Law"
"Hundreds of environmental and health groups are urging Congress not to weaken the nation’s premier chemical safety law as Republican lawmakers signal a willingness to reopen the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)."
Source: The New Lede, 01/08/2026"The Icebreaker Reaches the Thwaites Glacier, and the Science Begins"
"After a 12-day crossing, and a hard slog through sea ice, the field work on this Antarctic expedition is ready to start."
"After a 12-day journey across the southern seas, the nearly 40 scientists aboard the icebreaker Araon on Wednesday reached Antarctica’s fastest-melting glacier, the Thwaites. An ambitious campaign to study the ice by air, under sea and with boots on the frozen surface is now underway.
Source: NYTimes, 01/08/2026"In Ecuador’s Battle of Toad vs. Road, Toad Wins"
"A court invoked Ecuador’s rights of nature laws in halting a highway project to protect the Jambato harlequin toad, requiring the government to prove construction won’t drive the species to extinction."
Source: Inside Climate News, 01/08/2026"The Secret World Of Animal Sleep"
"Every animal with a brain needs sleep — and even a few without a brain do, too. Humans sleep, birds sleep, whales sleep and even jellyfish sleep."
Source: AP, 01/08/2026Congress’ Latest Spending Package Spares Environment, Energy Agencies
"Congressional appropriators’ latest bipartisan spending package, unveiled Monday, would reduce funding for a host of energy and environment programs while rejecting the Trump administration’s requests for even greater cuts."
Source: E&E News, 01/07/2026Under Order, EPA Says It Will Propose Drinking Water Limit For Perchlorate
"The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it would propose a drinking water limit for perchlorate, a harmful chemical in rockets and other explosives, but also said doing so wouldn’t significantly benefit public health and that it was acting only because a court ordered it."
Source: AP, 01/07/2026"House Will Vote Thursday To Override Trump Veto of 2 GOP-Backed Bills"
"The House will vote Thursday to override two vetoes by President Donald Trump of GOP-backed bills, according to three people granted anonymity to share scheduling plans not yet made public."
Source: Politico, 01/07/2026"Trump’s Venezuela Gambit Relies On Oil Boom For Payback"
"A global crude glut complicates the president’s plans to “get reimbursed for everything that we spend” in the South American petrostate, whose leader was captured by the U.S. on Saturday."
Source: E&E News, 01/07/2026"Ohio’s Largest Utility Pushes To Slash Rooftop Solar Compensation"
"The state’s Public Utilities Commission will decide this year whether to keep its solar net-metering rules in place or to dilute them, per AEP Ohio’s request."
Source: Canary Media, 01/07/2026"Is The US Headed Toward An Electricity Crisis Of Its Own Making?"
"Trump administration policies and AI needs are fueling a growing mismatch between energy supply and demand. That’s a huge problem, but there may be a way out."
Source: Canary Media, 01/07/2026"Ten Million Corals Are in the Path of a Federal Dredging Project in Florida"
"Scientists warn that a proposed expansion of Port Everglades could cause unprecedented damage to corals in the U.S., including some of the only remaining endangered staghorn corals that survived a record-breaking heat wave."
Source: Inside Climate News, 01/07/2026Loosely Regulated Petrochemical Barge Industry Commandeers a Texas River
"Over the past 30 years, federal and state agencies in Texas have allowed hundreds of oil and chemical barges to amass in a once-tranquil section of the San Jacinto River, just east of Houston." "People who live on the San Jacinto fear chemical releases and explosions from the vessels. It’s unclear who’s policing the buildup."
Source: Public Health Watch, 01/07/2026Rare Whale Is Having Good Season For Births, But Might Still Go Extinct
"One of the world’s rarest whale species is having more babies this year than in some recent seasons, but experts say many more young are needed to help stave off the possibility of extinction. The North Atlantic right whale’s population numbers an estimated 384 animals and is slowly rising after several years of decline."
Source: AP, 01/07/2026
