"The Trump administration has placed a former Koch Industries official in charge of research that will shape how the government regulates a class of toxic chemicals contaminating millions of Americans’ drinking water — an issue that could have major financial repercussions for his former employer."
"The Department of Housing and Urban Development does not know when it will release $16 billion in disaster mitigation funds to Texas, Puerto Rico, Louisiana and other states that have suffered from major disasters since 2015."
"WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency has appointed a scientist who argues for easing regulations on lower-level radiation exposures to lead the agency’s radiation advisory committee.
Acting EPA head Andrew Wheeler on Thursday announced the appointment of Brant Ulsh, a health physicist, as one of the EPA’s science advisers and the panel chairman. Ulsh has been a leading critic of the EPA’s decades-old position that exposure to any amount of ionizing radiation is a cancer risk.
"President Trump tweeted Monday that he will nominate David Bernhardt, a veteran lobbyist who has helped orchestrate the push to expand oil and gas drilling at the Interior Department, to serve as its next secretary."
Small market environmental beat reporting can shine a light on serious issues that affect local residents, and Texas Observer’s Christopher Collins does that with a passion. That’s the word from judges for the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual reporting awards, who recently honored Collins for his work, citing his mix of hard-hitting info and interesting characters. In the latest Inside Story, Collins shares how he gets his story ideas, overcomes challenges and focuses on how issues affect real individuals.
If a wood stove seems like a good solution to the winter’s bitter cold, you may want to think again. The unhealthful particulate pollution many such stoves generate has prompted new federal emission standards. But some states are pushing back, and the EPA is now considering a two-year delay in the new regulations. This week’s TipSheet has the latest news and why it matters, plus story ideas and reporting resources.
February 5, 2019 — I'm the grateful recipient of an SEJ Fund for Environmental Journalism travel grant. SEJ's generous support allowed me to go to India to report on air pollution. In addition to the stories it enabled me to write for the New York Times, the Guardian and Smithsonian at the time, that grant was the first step in my work on a book about air pollution — "Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution."
"The Bureau of Reclamation today seized control of drought contingency plans on the Colorado River, saying states failed to meet yesterday's deadline for finalizing their own shortage agreements."
"Tens of thousands of children skipped school in Belgium on Thursday to join demonstrations for action against climate change, part of a broader environmental protest movement across Europe that has gathered force over the past several weeks."
"The pounds of pollutants and waste that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reduced under the Trump administration are at their lowest levels in a decade, according to an analysis by the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) published Friday.
EPA’s 2018 reduction of pollution and hazardous waste is the second-lowest amount on record, dating back to 2008. President Trump’s first year in office, 2017, was the worst year, according to the analysis.
