EJToday: Top Headlines

Published on SEJ (https://www.sej.org)

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 [1]. Sign up below to receive in your inbox. For queries, email EJToday@SEJ.org [2]. For more info, read an EJToday FAQ [3]. Plus, follow EJToday on social media at @EJTodayNews [4], 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 [5].

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Trump Exempts Oil Drilling In Arctic Reserve From Environmental Reviews [9]

"The Trump administration Thursday announced it would exempt some Arctic oil and gas exploration activities from environmental reviews."

Energy & Fuel [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Pollution [12]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Alaska and Hawaii [15]
Source: The Hill [16], 10/09/2026
- Read more about Trump Exempts Oil Drilling In Arctic Reserve From Environmental Reviews [9]
Lawsuit Seeks Answers on EPA’s Abandoned CAFO Pollution Panel [17]

"US regulators are illegally withholding records related to the disbanding of a panel set up by the Biden administration to address water pollution from factory farms, according to a lawsuit filed last week."

Agriculture [18]
Conflict/Corruption [19]
Environmental Health [20]
Environmental Politics [21]
Environmental Studies [22]
Journalism & Media [23]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Pollution [12]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: The New Lede [24], 10/09/2026
- Read more about Lawsuit Seeks Answers on EPA’s Abandoned CAFO Pollution Panel [17]
Pro-Oil-And-Gas Group Tracks Journalists, First Nations And Enviros [25]

"New research by Greenpeace Canada lays out a web of pro-oil-and-gas groups working together to influence public opinion on climate change"

Activism [26]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Politics [21]
Journalism & Media [23]
Laws & Regulations [11]
People & Population [27]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
International [28]
Canada [29]
Source: The Narwhal [30], 10/09/2026
- Read more about Pro-Oil-And-Gas Group Tracks Journalists, First Nations And Enviros [25]
Fake Caroline [31]

"Editors are facing an influx of AI-written pitches, including at science publications like mine. What now?"

Environmental Politics [21]
Journalism & Media [23]
Technology [32]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
International [28]
Source: Columbia Journalism Review [33], 10/09/2026
- Read more about Fake Caroline [31]
World’s Largest Penguin Colony Suffers ‘Enormous Population Crash’ [34]

"The world’s largest penguin colony has declined by two-thirds since 2011, most likely because of the climate crisis, a study has revealed."

Biodiversity [35]
Climate Change [36]
Wildlife [37]
Public [13]
International [28]
Antarctica & Arctic [38]
South America [39]
Source: Guardian [40], 10/09/2026
- Read more about World’s Largest Penguin Colony Suffers ‘Enormous Population Crash’ [34]
Isaias Live Updates: Storm Strengthens Into Hurricane Ahead of Expected Landfall [41]

"Isaias became a hurricane less than 20 hours after becoming a tropical storm. It's the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, and the ninth named storm of the season."

Climate Change [36]
Disasters [42]
People & Population [27]
Water & Oceans [43]
Public [13]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [44]
Source: USA TODAY [45], 10/08/2026
- Read more about Isaias Live Updates: Storm Strengthens Into Hurricane Ahead of Expected Landfall [41]
A Rising Sea and the Toxic Tides That Could Be Unleashed [46]

"At SA Recycling Terminal Island, a worker using a crane builds a 20-foot-high mountain of crushed trucks, buses and cars. ... The shredded steel and upholstery release toxic material such as lead, zinc and copper.

Chemicals [47]
Environmental Health [20]
Pollution [12]
Waste [48]
Public [13]
California [49]
Source: Capital & Main [50], 10/08/2026
- Read more about A Rising Sea and the Toxic Tides That Could Be Unleashed [46]
Oil Industry Won’t Stop One of Its Dirtiest Practices, Even After Pledges [51]

"Norma Lopez Cadena tries to keep her granddaughters indoors — out of sight from the 65-foot flare burning excess gas from more than a dozen oil wells."

Air [52]
Chemicals [47]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [20]
Environmental Justice [53]
Laws & Regulations [11]
People & Population [27]
Pollution [12]
Waste [48]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [54]
Source: Bloomberg [55], 10/08/2026
- Read more about Oil Industry Won’t Stop One of Its Dirtiest Practices, Even After Pledges [51]
New Documents Add to Evidence in Climate Deception Case Against ExxonMobil [56]

"Court filings by the Massachusetts attorney general’s office include previously undisclosed documents, revealing new details about internal deliberations at the oil giant."

Climate Change [36]
Conflict/Corruption [19]
Disasters [42]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Politics [21]
Journalism & Media [23]
Pollution [12]
Science [57]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: Inside Climate News [58], 10/08/2026
- Read more about New Documents Add to Evidence in Climate Deception Case Against ExxonMobil [56]
New Pacific Climate Fund Gets $15 Million Boost But Remains Below Target [59]

"Nations including Fiji and Ireland said on Wednesday they were donating about $15 million to a fund to finance climate resilience and adaptation projects in Pacific islands, but pledges remain far below the fund's target."

Climate Change [36]
Disasters [42]
Environmental Health [20]
Environmental Justice [53]
Environmental Politics [21]
People & Population [27]
Water & Oceans [43]
Public [13]
Australia & Oceania [60]
Source: Reuters [61], 10/08/2026
- Read more about New Pacific Climate Fund Gets $15 Million Boost But Remains Below Target [59]
This Hidden Device Could Free Up Gigawatts Of Power For The US Grid [62]

"Millions of electric motors run inside the country’s buildings, often inefficiently. Variable frequency drives can slash motors’ power use and reduce grid strain."

Climate Change [36]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Infrastructure [63]
Technology [32]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
International [28]
Source: Canary Media [64], 10/08/2026
- Read more about This Hidden Device Could Free Up Gigawatts Of Power For The US Grid [62]
Water Bills Surged More Than Other Costs in US Homes Over 10 Years: Report [65]

"The price of water increased faster than inflation, grocery prices and median household income, nonprofit Food & Water Watch found in a new analysis."

Consumer [66]
Economy & Business [67]
Environmental Health [20]
Infrastructure [63]
Water & Oceans [43]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: Inside Climate News [68], 10/08/2026
- Read more about Water Bills Surged More Than Other Costs in US Homes Over 10 Years: Report [65]
Cattlemen's Lobby Group Treated Climate Change as a PR Problem [69]

"New research has revealed more examples of the National Cattlemen’s Association’s efforts to downplay and deny the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions."

Agriculture [18]
Climate Change [36]
Environmental Politics [21]
Journalism & Media [23]
Pollution [12]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: Inside Climate News [70], 10/08/2026
- Read more about Cattlemen's Lobby Group Treated Climate Change as a PR Problem [69]
See How Extreme Wildfires Are Transforming Forests [71]

"As wildfires surge through some of the most treasured landscapes in the nation, two new studies show that supercharged blazes make it harder for forests to recover."

Biodiversity [35]
Climate Change [36]
Disasters [42]
Forests [72]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: Washington Post [73], 10/08/2026
- Read more about See How Extreme Wildfires Are Transforming Forests [71]
Texas Sues To Stop Release Of Data Center Records, Says Could Aid Terrorists [74]

"The Public Utility Commission of Texas is asking a Travis County judge to block the release of information showing where data centers and virtual currency mines operate, saying those details could aid terrorists."

Climate Change [36]
Conflict/Corruption [19]
Consumer [66]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [20]
Environmental Politics [21]
Journalism & Media [23]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Pollution [12]
Technology [32]
Public [13]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [54]
Source: Texas Tribune [75], 10/08/2026
- Read more about Texas Sues To Stop Release Of Data Center Records, Says Could Aid Terrorists [74]

Pages

Source URL:https://www.sej.org/headlines/list/%2A/202?page=3

Links
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https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/6137733-alaska-oil-drilling-environmental-reviews/ [17] https://www.sej.org/headlines/lawsuit-seeks-answers-epa-s-abandoned-cafo-pollution-panel [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/conflictcorruption [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [24] https://www.thenewlede.org/2026/10/cafo-water-pollution-epa-panel-lawsuit/ [25] https://www.sej.org/headlines/pro-oil-and-gas-group-tracks-journalists-first-nations-and-enviros [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [28] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [29] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/canada [30] 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https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [44] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [45] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2026/10/07/tropical-storm-isaias-forms-hurricane-updates/92122394007/ [46] https://www.sej.org/headlines/rising-sea-and-toxic-tides-could-be-unleashed [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [49] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [50] https://capitalandmain.com/a-rising-sea-and-the-toxic-tides-that-could-be-unleashed [51] https://www.sej.org/headlines/oil-industry-won-t-stop-one-its-dirtiest-practices-even-after-pledges [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [54] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [55] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-10-05/exxonmobil-bp-among-companies-pledging-to-end-gas-flaring-but-problem-persists?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc5MTIzNDQzNiwiZXhwIjoxNzkxODM5MjM2LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUTUdEMEhUM0JaTkMwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIzRjRGRUZFRDYwMzQ0Q0RDQjlGMTIwNTMyNzFCMUVBQiJ9.jC8LqJEhiMvdCGXoQ0wfJlO6isfqtCxqIGj03-Gt3EE&leadSource=article-gifting [56] https://www.sej.org/headlines/new-documents-add-evidence-climate-deception-case-against-exxonmobil [57] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [58] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07102026/exxonmobil-climate-deception-new-evidence/ [59] https://www.sej.org/headlines/new-pacific-climate-fund-gets-15-million-boost-remains-below-target [60] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/australia-oceania [61] https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/pacifics-new-climate-fund-gets-15-million-boost-remains-far-below-target-2026-10-07/ [62] https://www.sej.org/headlines/hidden-device-could-free-gigawatts-power-us-grid [63] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [64] https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/energy-efficiency/hidden-device-free-up-gigawatts-grid [65] https://www.sej.org/headlines/water-bills-surged-more-other-costs-us-homes-over-10-years-report [66] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [67] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [68] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06102026/water-bills-surged-more-than-other-costs-in-us-homes-over-10-years-a-striking-new-report-shows/ [69] https://www.sej.org/headlines/cattlemens-lobby-group-treated-climate-change-pr-problem [70] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07102026/livestock-industry-lobby-group-downplayed-greenhouse-gas-emissions/ [71] https://www.sej.org/headlines/see-how-extreme-wildfires-are-transforming-forests [72] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [73] https://wapo.st/4y88V5x [74] https://www.sej.org/headlines/texas-sues-stop-release-data-center-records-says-could-aid-terrorists [75] https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/06/texas-data-center-lawsuit-paxton-water/ [76] https://www.sej.org/headlines/list/%2A/202 [77] https://www.sej.org/headlines/list/%2A/202?page=2 [78] https://www.sej.org/headlines/list/%2A/202?page=1 [79] https://www.sej.org/headlines/list/%2A/202?page=4 [80] https://www.sej.org/headlines/list/%2A/202?page=5 [81] https://www.sej.org/headlines/list/%2A/202?page=6 [82] https://www.sej.org/headlines/list/%2A/202?page=7 [83] https://www.sej.org/headlines/list/%2A/202?page=8 [84] https://www.sej.org/headlines/list/%2A/202?page=620