"At least a dozen federal agencies today signed an agreement to streamline the environmental permitting process, a White House official confirmed to E&E News."
"Scientists, environmentalists, and anyone who lives within a hundred miles of the winding Mississippi River will tell you—have told you, repeatedly, for 150 years—that efforts to tame the river have only made it more feral. But scientists would like more than intuition, more than a history of 18th-century river level gauges and discharge stations, more than written and folkloric memory. They would like proof.
"Senate Republicans fear they wouldn’t be able to confirm another nominee if Trump’s beleaguered EPA chief is ousted."
"The federal government’s top ethics official has taken the unusual step of sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency questioning a series of actions by Administrator Scott Pruitt and asking the agency to take “appropriate actions to address any violations.”"
"The EPA administrator has said he “didn’t know” about unusual salary bumps given to a pair of trusted aides, but a message from one of those staffers claims otherwise."
"Two counties, dozens of first responders and hundreds of neighbors claim in court documents that the Arkema chemical manufacturing plans committed negligence. Environmental advocates say lax industry regulations exacerbated the disaster."
The EPA turns to friendly media to share its news, while limiting access to mainstream reporters. And the agency moves to “weaponize” transparency. Those stories, plus, a new way to map political influence on environmental policy, and key reports made public, in the latest WatchDog TipSheet.
Watch live! This half-day conference, hosted by World Resources Institute and National Geographic Society, features keynotes by former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and astronaut Mae Jemison; the launch of WRI's new data platform on the planet’s resources pulse to add to your reporting toolkit; and a data journalism panel.
"Indonesia, acting on a request from Interpol, has seized a fishing boat carrying 600 illegal gillnets that can stretch up to 30 km (18 miles) after it evaded capture in several countries, the Fisheries Ministry said."
"Get ready to batten down the hatches. Again. In a preseason forecast issued Thursday, Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project predicts the upcoming hurricane season that begins June 1 will again be busy, although not as bad as the brutal 2017 season."
