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Home > Water & Oceans

‘They’re Back’ — Veteran Journalists on Braving the Specter of Trump’s Return [1]

How can environmental reporters best cover the upheavals of a second Trump administration? SEJournal commissioned a special analysis to draw on the experience of reporters who were there to chronicle the first. Contributing editor Jennifer Weeks spoke to more than half a dozen news veterans of Trump’s earlier environmental and energy policy initiatives, with insights and tips on how to handle what’s ahead.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Air [3]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Justice [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Natural Resources [13]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Visibility: 
Public [17]

"Trump Team’s Endgame: Gut EPA" [18]

"President Donald Trump appears to welcome the EPA boss’ plan to cut most of the agency’s workforce."

Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Justice [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [20]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [17]
National (U.S.) [21]
Source: E&E News [22], 02/28/2025

Questions, Confusion as Trump Pauses Key Funds for Shrinking Colorado River [23]

"An executive order issued in the early days of the Trump administration hit pause on at least $4 billion set aside to protect the flow of the Colorado River. The funds from the Inflation Reduction Act were offered to protect the flow of the water supply for about 40 million people and a massive agricultural economy. With the money on hold, Colorado River users are worried about the future of the dwindling water supply."

Agriculture [24]
Climate Change [5]
Economy & Business [25]
Environmental Politics [9]
Food [26]
Infrastructure [27]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Natural Resources [13]
People & Population [20]
Technology [28]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [17]
National (U.S.) [21]
Source: KUNC [29], 02/28/2025

"Mass Layoffs Begin at NOAA, With Hundreds Said to Be Fired in One Day" [30]

"The Trump administration has begun firing employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of the world’s premier centers for climate science."

Air [3]
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
Economy & Business [25]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Politics [9]
Environmental Studies [31]
Fish & Fisheries [32]
Natural Resources [13]
People & Population [20]
Science [33]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [17]
National (U.S.) [21]
International [34]
Source: NYTimes [35], 02/28/2025

"Utah Could Become The First State To Ban Fluoride In Its Drinking Water" [36]

"Utah could become the first state to ban fluoride in its drinking water, alarming public health experts and dentists who note the mineral’s role in reducing tooth decay across the nation. The Republican-controlled statehouse sent the legislation to Gov. Spencer Cox (R) last week after both chambers passed it largely along party lines."

Chemicals [4]
Consumer [37]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Politics [9]
Environmental Studies [31]
Health [38]
Infrastructure [27]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [17]
National (U.S.) [21]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [39]
Source: Washington Post [40], 02/27/2025

Pipeline Company’s $300M Lawsuit vs. Greenpeace Heads To Trial In N. Dakota [41]

"A Texas pipeline company’s lawsuit seeking potentially hundreds of millions of dollars from Greenpeace was set to advance with opening statements Wednesday in a trial the environmental organization calls an effort to silence critics of the oil industry."

Activism [42]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Justice [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Infrastructure [27]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [17]
National (U.S.) [21]
Canada [43]
Source: AP [44], 02/26/2025

"Early Landings Of Alaska Crabs Show Signs Of Recovery" [45]

"Fishermen have unloaded nearly 3 million pounds of Alaska snow crab at the Port of Dutch Harbor in the Bering Sea, a strong indication the species is recovering from a catastrophic collapse caused by a marine heat wave in 2018 and 2019, fishermen and fisheries officials say."

Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
Fish & Fisheries [32]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Natural Resources [13]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [17]
National (U.S.) [21]
Alaska and Hawaii [46]
Source: E&E News [47], 02/25/2025

Open Door to Industry for Trump Environmental Agency Appointees [48]

It’s not just the heads of Trump administration environmental agencies who come from the industries they now are entrusted to regulate. The latest TipSheet explains that it’s also the political appointees below them — officials responsible for overseeing air, water, toxic chemicals, Superfund, forests and drilling — who are now likely examples of regulatory capture. A short list. Plus, more from our new Trump 2.0 EJWatch special section [49].

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [50]
Topics on the Beat: 
Agriculture [24]
Air [3]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Economy & Business [25]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Politics [9]
Forests [51]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Natural Resources [13]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Waste [52]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [21]
Visibility: 
Public [17]

"Trump Administration Drops Work On Stronger Building Codes For Disasters" [53]

"For the past 25 years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has helped develop building codes, the construction standards that help houses survive hurricanes, wildfires and earthquakes. Now, the Trump Administration has ordered that to stop, according to people involved with the work."

Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Politics [9]
Infrastructure [27]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Planning & Growth [54]
Technology [28]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [17]
National (U.S.) [21]
Source: NPR [55], 02/24/2025

7 Trillion Tons: "Climate Change Is Shrinking Glaciers Faster Than Ever" [56]

"Climate change is accelerating the melting of the world’s mountain glaciers, according to a massive new study that found them shrinking more than twice as fast as in the early 2000s."

Climate Change [5]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [17]
National (U.S.) [21]
International [34]
Source: AP [57], 02/24/2025

Pages

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/they-re-back-veteran-journalists-braving-specter-trump-s-return [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [17] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [18] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-team-s-endgame-gut-epa [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [21] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [22] https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-teams-endgame-gut-epa/ [23] https://www.sej.org/headlines/questions-confusion-trump-pauses-key-funds-shrinking-colorado-river [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/food [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [29] https://www.kunc.org/news/2025-02-26/questions-and-confusion-as-trump-pauses-key-funding-for-shrinking-colorado-river [30] https://www.sej.org/headlines/mass-layoffs-begin-noaa-hundreds-said-be-fired-one-day [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [34] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [35] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/climate/noaa-layoffs-trump.html [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/utah-could-become-first-state-ban-fluoride-its-drinking-water [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [38] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [39] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [40] https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/02/25/utah-ban-fluoride-water/ [41] https://www.sej.org/headlines/pipeline-company-s-300m-lawsuit-vs-greenpeace-heads-trial-n-dakota [42] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [43] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/canada [44] https://apnews.com/article/dakota-access-pipeline-greenpeace-north-dakota-f0b594dce3ef18c09c9b5672a2873f09 [45] https://www.sej.org/headlines/early-landings-alaska-crabs-show-signs-recovery [46] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii [47] https://www.eenews.net/articles/early-landings-of-alaska-crabs-show-signs-of-recovery/ [48] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/open-door-industry-trump-environmental-agency-appointees [49] https://www.sej.org/publications/sej-news/trump-20-ejwatch [50] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [53] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-administration-drops-work-stronger-building-codes-disasters [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [55] https://www.npr.org/2025/02/20/nx-s1-5303478/fema-trump-building-codes-floods-hurricane-disasters [56] https://www.sej.org/headlines/7-trillion-tons-climate-change-shrinking-glaciers-faster-ever [57] https://apnews.com/article/glaciers-melting-climate-change-ice-loss-af8ff74dbbb9aabdc537adcbc9eb6010 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=129 [59] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=126 [60] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=127 [61] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=128 [62] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=131 [63] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=132 [64] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=133 [65] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=134 [66] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=922