"Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are teaming up with European researchers to launch a mission that will probe the oceans’ depths over the next decade — and chart their inexorable rise."
"EPA today proposed new restrictions on the use of the weedkiller atrazine, a widely used agricultural chemical. But environmentalists say EPA's plan weakens protections and would allow 50% more of the endocrine-disrupting herbicide linked to birth defects and cancer to end up in waterways."
FOIA is under fire. And for journalists who rely on open records to do their work, the coming year may prove a crucial test of policies at key federal agencies on the beat. This special WatchDog TipSheet takes a deep dive on looming FOIA controversies at Interior and EPA, flagging potential flashpoints for 2020.
"The first newborn right whale of the winter calving season has been spotted off the coast of Georgia."
"A federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved two Pacific Gas & Electric settlements totaling $24.5 billion to help pay the losses suffered by homeowners, businesses and insurers in the aftermath of catastrophic Northern California wildfires that sent the nation’s largest utility into a financial morass."
"A 120-year-old idea to make New Mexico's White Sands National Monument a national park could be realized before the end of the year."
"A new study says the wider use of heat pumps for heating and cooling homes and buildings could sharply reduce global fossil fuel emissions, but the solution has received relatively little policy support from governments, and its advantages are poorly understood by consumers."
"Federal prosecutors yesterday filed a criminal complaint against Timothy Litzenburg, who represented people affected by the herbicide Roundup, on charges that the Virginia attorney attempted to extort $200 million from a global chemical manufacturing company."
"Democrats this week had their best shot thus far to address climate change in the 116th Congress, but they walked away with a mixed bag."
"A dozen environmental and animal rights groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its decision not to update regulations that limit how much pollution from slaughterhouses can flow into rivers. "
