"In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives, documents show."
Writers with disabilities and chronic illnesses explore perspectives on nature and environment in a unique anthology, “Moving Mountains.” Editor Louise Kenward discusses the recent volume with contributor William Allen in a new BookShelf “Between the Lines” Q&A — the connection between climate change and disability, the benefits of learning to rest, the value of engaging with different perspectives and more.
Hundreds of thousands of polluted, abandoned industrial sites — called brownfields — dot the United States. For reporters seeking local environmental stories, this profusion of problem spots cries out for coverage. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox points you to a series of government databases that track them and let you map them, but warns that the going won’t be easy. Find out why.
"The Supreme Court is poised to decide whether to take up a case involving weedkillers and cancer that could effectively curtail one of the largest waves of tort litigation in American history."
"The House passed a final spending bill on January 8 with deep cuts to the Department of the Interior. While the bill holds steady the budget for the National Park Service, it cuts the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s listing budget by 44 percent, bringing it to 2004 levels. The legislation will now head to the Senate where it is expected to pass."
"Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced deals Friday with three nuclear energy companies to help power its AI infrastructure, including the tech giant’s forthcoming Prometheus supercluster."
"Chevron met with Trump and spent millions lobbying him to let it continue operating in Venezuela. Now it is uniquely positioned to profit from the country’s vast oil reserves."
"A new 9.1-MW solar array will help residents of Waukegan, Illinois, reduce energy bills. State incentives for low-income solar made the project possible."
"Texas is responsible for more greenhouse-gas emissions than Saudi Arabia or the global maritime industry. Its oil, gas and petrochemical operations discharge tens of millions of pounds of toxic pollutants into the air each year, comprising almost one-fifth of such releases in the United States. It is the nation’s top emitter of the carcinogens benzene, ethylene oxide and 1,3-butadiene."
"The Environmental Protection Agency plans to let 11 coal plants dump toxic coal ash into unlined pits until 2031 — a full decade later than allowed under current federal rules."
Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-stop-considering-lives-saved-when-setting-rules-air-pollution
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/climate/trump-epa-air-pollution.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EFA.P6ui.qWj_RPRUhvnw&smid=url-share
[3] https://www.sej.org/publications/bookshelf/between-lines-writing-nature-through-illness-and-disability
[4] https://www.sej.org/publications/reporters-toolbox/epa-s-brownfields-data-covered-crud
[5] https://www.sej.org/headlines/war-over-weedkiller-might-be-headed-supreme-court
[6] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/climate/supreme-court-weedkiller-roundup.html?unlocked_article_code=1.DlA.nL-m.iwd8akvG951A&smid=url-share
[7] https://www.sej.org/headlines/conservation-groups-say-usfws-cuts-will-put-wildlife-risk
[8] https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2026/01/conservation-groups-say-usfws-cuts-will-put-wildlife-risk
[9] https://www.sej.org/headlines/meta-strikes-deals-three-nuclear-energy-companies
[10] https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5681202-meta-deals-nuclear-energy/
[11] https://www.sej.org/headlines/how-chevron-played-long-game-venezuela
[12] https://grist.org/energy/how-chevron-played-the-long-game-in-venezuela/
[13] https://www.sej.org/headlines/how-community-solar-turned-superfund-site-savings-illinois
[14] https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/illinois-waukegan-community-superfund-landfill
[15] https://www.sej.org/headlines/texas-enables-petrochemical-expansion-experts-warn-health-risks
[16] https://publichealthwatch.org/2025/12/30/texas-petrochemical-expansion/
[17] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-plans-give-11-coal-plants-free-pass-toxic-ash-disposal
[18] https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/fossil-fuels/epa-free-pass-toxic-ash-disposal
[19] https://www.sej.org/search_results
[20] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=1
[21] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=3
[22] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4
[23] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=5
[24] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=6
[25] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=7
[26] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=8
[27] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4898