"The Trump administration has fired about 17 independent inspectors general at government agencies, a sweeping action to remove oversight of his new administration that some members of Congress are suggesting violated federal oversight laws." EPA, Energy Dept., Interior, Commerce, Agriculture are included in the list.
"President Trump is stocking the Environmental Protection Agency with officials who have served as lawyers and lobbyists for the oil and chemical industries, many of whom worked in his first administration to weaken climate and pollution protections."
Former Congressman Lee Zeldin, the Trump administration nominee to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has scant expertise in the field and little appeal to environmental groups. But at a Senate hearing earlier this month, the Trump loyalist aimed to score points by confirming the existence of climate change and deflating rumors of an agency move out of the Capital. The latest EJ TransitionWatch takes a look at Zeldin's prospects.
To many, plants are a merely green backdrop, indistinguishable and inconsequential. But, freelancer Karen Mockler says that such “plant blindness” belies an urgent need for our notice. More than a third of the world’s trees and thousands of other plant species face extinction. Their plight — and their many blessings — offer perceptive journalists a wealth of reporting and storytelling opportunities. Mockler on why to write about plants.
Join us for SEJ's 34th annual conference, hosted at Arizona State University! The ongoing devastation of wildfires in Los Angeles is a stark reminder of the urgency of this moment for environmental journalism. As extreme weather and natural disasters grow in frequency and magnitude, a shift in the political climate adds another layer of complexity to covering these issues. Now more than ever, our collective mission to uncover and share critical and empirical truths about science, energy, policy, health impacts and equity is vital.
"The LA fires have left domestic workers and day laborers jobless. They may soon be hired for wildfire cleanup work, where they can be exposed to ash and other toxins."
"In one of the first acts of his second term, President Trump is seeking to put his stamp on California water policy by directing the federal government to put “people over fish” and send more water from Northern California to the Central Valley’s farms and Southern California cities."
"The U.S Army Corps of Engineers announced last Friday it’s moving forward with an altered version of the Yazoo Pumps, a flood relief project that the agency has touted for decades. The project now also has the backing of the Environmental Protection Agency, whose veto killed a previous iteration in 2008 because of the pumps’ potential to harm 67,000 acres of valuable wetland habitat."
"The House on Thursday passed legislation that supporters say will improve how the nation manages its forests to prevent fires but opponents argue will undercut environmental safeguards."
"The committee that decides the fate of endangered species is rarely summoned. But the president’s “energy emergency” could change that."
"The Trump administration is putting its faith in an empowered “God Squad” that might help energy projects maneuver around Endangered Species Act obstacles.
In verse meant to be far-reaching, President Donald Trump’s new executive order designating an “energy emergency” strengthens what the landmark environmental law formally calls the “Endangered Species Act Committee.”
Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/mass-firing-trump-removes-independent-inspectors-general-17-agencies
[2] https://apnews.com/article/trump-inspectors-general-fired-congress-unlawful-4e8bc57e132c3f9a7f1c2a3754359993
[3] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-stocks-epa-oil-gas-and-chemical-lobbyists
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/climate/epa-staff-oil-gas-chemical-industry-lobbyists.html
[5] https://www.sej.org/publications/ej-transitionwatch/epa-nominee-heads-approval-despite-inexperience
[6] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/telling-stories-silent-sentinels
[7] https://www.sej.org/calendar/sej2025-annual-conference-arizona
[8] https://www.sej.org/headlines/workers-clean-after-la-fires-can-state-keep-them-safe
[9] https://calmatters.org/environment/wildfires/2025/01/la-fires-worker-cleanup-safety/
[10] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-wants-upend-calif-water-policy-officials-say-it-could-do-harm
[11] https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-01-23/trump-california-water-policy
[12] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-support-corps-moving-forward-yazoo-pumps
[13] https://mississippitoday.org/2025/01/22/with-epa-support-the-corps-is-moving-forward-with-the-yazoo-pumps/
[14] https://www.sej.org/headlines/amid-raging-fires-house-passes-contentious-forestry-bill
[15] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5103306-wildfire-prevention-bill-passes-house/
[16] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-resurrects-god-squad-bend-esa
[17] https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-resurrects-god-squad-to-bend-the-esa/
[18] https://www.sej.org/search_results
[19] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=387
[20] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=384
[21] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=385
[22] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=386
[23] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=389
[24] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=390
[25] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=391
[26] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=392
[27] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=5017