"The bankruptcy of major California utility PG&E Corp as a result of over $30 billion in costs from California wildfires sparked by the state’s prolonged drought will likely prompt more companies to discuss how they will respond to the effects of climate change on their businesses."
"The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine are considering a “quick-response capability” to challenge public misinformation about climate science."
"A document obtained by E&E News reveals that the Bureau of Land Management's Alaska office eliminated positions that regulate the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System."
"Heavy equipment has arrived at the National Butterfly Center, signaling the start of a border wall that will slice through the protected habitat."
"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.
