"The cleanup and reclaiming of coal mines in seven Appalachian states will cost billions, and Kentucky and West Virginia have the largest bills coming due, according to an environmental group’s new report."
"Lawyers say Todsen Design and Construction’s libel case against two individuals and the Qualicum Beach Preservation Society — each fighting to protect a small coastal Douglas fir forest from development — will test a fairly new provincial law designed to halt strategic lawsuits against public participation".
"Seventeen million gallons of untreated sewage were discharged into California’s Santa Monica Bay between Sunday evening and early Monday morning, spurring beach closures, as well as criticism of how health officials notified the public about potential safety risks."
"The Amazon rainforest is now emitting more carbon dioxide than it is able to absorb, scientists have confirmed for the first time."
"The Mexican government officially abandoned the policy of maintaining a fishing-free zone around the last 10 or so remaining vaquita marina."
"The European Union has announced a raft of climate change proposals aimed at pushing it towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. A dozen draft proposals, which still need to be approved by the bloc's 27 member states and the EU parliament, were announced on Wednesday."
"Environmental groups hailed a sweeping $3.5 trillion domestic spending plan announced by Democrats, saying it would make “transformational investments” in clean energy and jobs and put the nation on a path to cut greenhouse emissions by at least 50% by 2030. The plan also would move the country toward a carbon-free electric grid by 2035, with 100% of U.S. electricity powered by solar, wind, nuclear and other clean energy sources."
July 14, 2021 — SEJ wrote a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan calling on him to make clear that EPA scientists and staff are permitted and even encouraged to share their expertise and work with journalists. This comes on the heels of a leaked internal email reminding EPA employees in one of the agency's offices that they are not allowed to respond directly to press queries, after Regan had pledged earlier this year that the agency would operate "in a fishbowl."
"When Brandon Jorgensen picked up the phone, he was in the middle of staging his latest house in Napa, California. “We are getting very very close to, I wouldn’t say fireproofing, but fire-resisting a house,” Jorgensen, an architect, said, speaking from the home’s driveway."
