SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN)

"A measure that will ban local governments from passing heat-protection ordinances inspired strong emotions from the public Thursday, but lawmakers approved the bill backed by big business interests."

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raised concerns in a letter to its Georgia counterpart about the state utility’s storage of coal ash."

"Community organizations teach individuals to manage their land with fire in states like Georgia, where 93 percent of the land is privately owned".

"Drought and last winter’s hard freeze have caused a massive shortage, driving up prices by 500 percent or more."

"The Trump administration failed to account for risks to endangered species when it allowed Florida to take over a federal permitting program for wetlands, a federal judge ruled Thursday."

"The sweet, earthy scent of tomatoes hangs in the air as a crew of 44 workers speeds through rows of vines. They fill 32-pound buckets with fruit, then deliver them to co-workers waiting on the backs of flatbed trucks who dump the contents into crates to be sorted and packaged."

"In his first four weeks in office, Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has filled the ranks of state environmental posts with fossil fuel industry executives."

"A bill backed by Kentucky’s poultry industry and approved by the Senate Thursday would subject drone operators to new restrictions that opponents warn could help hide health and safety hazards in food production."

"A company’s plan to mine minerals near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its federally protected wildlife refuge neared final approval Friday as Georgia regulators released draft permits for the project, which opponents say could irreparably harm a natural treasure."

"As states across the country roll back how much they pay rooftop-solar owners for the surplus electricity they send back to the grid, Puerto Rico is bucking the trend, protecting its generous solar credits until at least the end of the decade."