"Maymead, a company that plans to build a controversial asphalt plant south of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is suing a consulting firm and one of its former employees, alleging they committed fraud, civil conspiracy and deceptive trade practices in spearheading opposition to the project."

"Residents and environmental advocates are challenging a county’s handling of a proposed data center campus, citing concerns over public input, environmental impacts and electricity costs."

"The 255-MW plant in North Carolina was meant to help meet data center demand. Regulators took the rare step of rejecting the permit amid a growing national backlash."

"Million-dollar homes increasingly replace small-town beach vibes, pushing out longtime residents and transforming oceanfront communities."

"Officials in the Upper Colorado River Basin plan to continue draining Flaming Gorge in Wyoming to protect Lake Powell, one of the basin’s largest reservoirs."

"The words "climate change" are slowly being removed from textbooks in Florida and from the state's education standards."

"A group of commercial fishers, fishing guides and seafood processors in southwest Louisiana is suing liquefied natural gas company Venture Global, claiming that dredging operations in preparation for the construction of a new terminal resulted in a sediment spill that killed millions of oysters and diminished catches of finfish, crabs and shrimp."

"Laws in Louisiana and other states now curb the use of community-collected data. In Louisiana, public air monitors are often located miles from major industrial polluters and fail to test for some of the most dangerous chemicals."

"A review of court records in Winston County shows criminal prosecutions over trash debt have spanned decades. The Southern Poverty Law Center says the practice is illegal and immoral."

"Florida’s wildlife agency has proposed new rules to strengthen protections for sloths imported into the state, four months after an Inside Climate News investigation revealed dozens of wild sloths from South America died at a planned Orlando tourism attraction."