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Environmentalists Will Be Seeing Trump Forces in Court — Often [1]

The judiciary is looking to become a major environmental battleground for journalists to watch in the coming months and years, as activists confront the Trump administration over its deregulatory campaign. The new Issue Backgrounder maps out the action, explaining how key laws foster citizen suits, while numerous nonprofits are staffed up to sue. Plus, some ways to track the action.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Biodiversity [5]
Chemicals [6]
Climate Change [7]
Consumer [8]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Government [11]
Infrastructure [12]
Journalism & Media [13]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Natural Resources [15]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Waste [18]
Water & Oceans [19]
Wildlife [20]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [21]
Visibility: 
Public [22]

Environmental Justice Grants Disappear. Environmental Injustice Does Not [23]

Decades of effort to tackle the often-intractable problems of environmental injustice, supported in recent years by billions in funding, are now facing the knife under the Trump administration. The latest TipSheet provides a thumbnail history of government initiatives and why it matters, then offers a dozen story ideas and reporting resources to tell the story in your community.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [24]
Topics on the Beat: 
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Government [11]
Health [25]
Journalism & Media [13]
Laws & Regulations [14]
People & Population [26]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [21]
Visibility: 
Public [22]
October 17, 2025

WildPhotos Nature Photography Symposium, London, UK or online [27]

Join WildScreen, in partnership with Wildlife Photographer of The Year, either at the British Library, London, UK or online for a one-day nature photography symposium featuring 14 award-winning nature photographers, sharing the stories, craft and impact behind some of the most iconic recent wildlife photography.

Other Events [28]
Visibility: 
Public [22]
Topics on the Beat: 
Journalism & Media [13]
Wildlife [20]
Region: 
International [29]
Europe [30]

RFK Jr. Says DARPA Is Spraying "Chemtrails" — With No Basis In Fact [31]

"The white streaks behind planes are condensation trails made of ice, not chemicals sprayed by the Defense Department"

Air [4]
Journalism & Media [13]
Science [32]
Transportation [33]
Public [22]
National (U.S.) [21]
Source: Poynter [34], 05/09/2025

"Trump Officials Ask Court to End Protections for a Strutting, Showy Bird" [35]

"The Trump administration has moved to end federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken, a showy grouse with the misfortune of inhabiting southern and central grasslands long sought-after for agriculture and energy development."

Biodiversity [5]
Climate Change [7]
Energy & Fuel [36]
Environmental Politics [10]
Environmental Studies [37]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Natural Resources [15]
Pollution [17]
Wildlife [20]
Public [22]
National (U.S.) [21]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [38]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [39]
Source: NYTimes [40], 05/09/2025

Smoke From Climate-Fueled Wildfires Added To 1000s Of US Deaths Over 15 Years [41]

"Wildfires driven by climate change contribute to as many as thousands of annual deaths and billions of dollars in economic costs from wildfire smoke in the United States, according to a new study."

Air [4]
Climate Change [7]
Disasters [42]
Environmental Health [43]
Environmental Studies [37]
Forests [44]
People & Population [26]
Pollution [17]
Science [32]
Public [22]
National (U.S.) [21]
Source: AP [45], 05/09/2025

US Will Stop Tracking Costs Of Extreme Weather Fueled By Climate Change [46]

"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will no longer track the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters, including floods, heat waves, wildfires and more. It is the latest example of changes to the agency and the Trump administration limiting federal government resources on climate change."

Biodiversity [5]
Climate Change [7]
Disasters [42]
Environmental Politics [10]
Journalism & Media [13]
Natural Resources [15]
People & Population [26]
Science [32]
Public [22]
National (U.S.) [21]
Source: AP [47], 05/09/2025

USFS and NPS Worker Cuts Leave Wildland Firefighting Crews Short-Staffed [48]

"Trump administration funding cuts and a loss of federal workers who help support wildland firefighting continues to make planning for the upcoming wildfire season a challenge, according to forest and fire officials in Washington state and Oregon."

Disasters [42]
Environmental Politics [10]
Forests [44]
Natural Resources [15]
People & Population [26]
Public [22]
National (U.S.) [21]
Source: AP [49], 05/09/2025

Asbestos Clinic Forced To Close In Montana Town Where Thousands Sickened [50]

"BILLINGS, Mont. — An asbestos screening clinic in a small Montana town where thousands have been sickened by toxic dust from a nearby mine has been abruptly shuttered by authorities following a court order to seize the clinic’s assets to pay off a judgment to the railroad BNSF."

Chemicals [6]
Disasters [42]
Environmental Health [43]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Natural Resources [15]
People & Population [26]
Pollution [17]
Public [22]
National (U.S.) [21]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [39]
Source: AP [51], 05/09/2025

"Trump Taps MAHA Influencer For Surgeon General, Replacing First Pick" [52]

"The White House pulled the nomination of Janette Nesheiwat to be the surgeon general in favor of Casey Means, a key figure in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement."

Climate Change [7]
Environmental Health [43]
Environmental Politics [10]
Government [11]
Health [25]
Journalism & Media [13]
Pollution [17]
Science [32]
Public [22]
National (U.S.) [21]
Source: Washington Post [53], 05/09/2025

Pages

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/backgrounders/environmentalists-will-be-seeing-trump-forces-court-often [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/backgrounders [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [21] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [22] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [23] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/environmental-justice-grants-disappear-environmental-injustice-does-not [24] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [27] https://www.sej.org/calendar/wildphotos-nature-photography-symposium-london-uk-or-online [28] https://www.sej.org/category/event-type/other-events [29] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [30] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/europe [31] https://www.sej.org/headlines/rfk-jr-says-darpa-spraying-chemtrails-no-basis-fact [32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation [34] https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2025/what-is-darpa-strontium-chemtrails-rfk-kennedy/ [35] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-officials-ask-court-end-protections-strutting-showy-bird [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [38] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-plains [39] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [40] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/climate/trump-prairie-chicken-endangered-species-list.html [41] https://www.sej.org/headlines/smoke-climate-fueled-wildfires-added-1000s-us-deaths-over-15-years [42] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [43] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [45] https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-pollution-climate-change-deaths-9b8c7459e1f27b7688a137a9f4ef0929 [46] https://www.sej.org/headlines/us-will-stop-tracking-costs-extreme-weather-fueled-climate-change [47] https://apnews.com/article/climate-weather-service-disaster-flood-wildfire-cost-53b9d8f5dc8563e2e70804d9c67b9404 [48] https://www.sej.org/headlines/usfs-and-nps-worker-cuts-leave-wildland-firefighting-crews-short-staffed [49] https://apnews.com/article/washington-oregon-wildland-wildfire-firefighting-forest-trump-df90c3da2dae47ecd3f0d3eb319394b4 [50] https://www.sej.org/headlines/asbestos-clinic-forced-close-montana-town-where-thousands-sickened [51] https://apnews.com/article/libby-montana-asbestos-clinic-shuttered-bnsf-87e2e20926916a97da6821d8afe50be4 [52] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-taps-maha-influencer-surgeon-general-replacing-first-pick [53] https://wapo.st/4m7TXaN [54] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81?page=301 [55] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81?page=298 [56] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81?page=299 [57] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81?page=300 [58] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81?page=303 [59] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81?page=304 [60] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81?page=305 [61] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81?page=306 [62] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81?page=4777