"How Abrupt U-Turns Are Defining U.S. Environmental Regulations"
"The polarization of politics means that rules are imposed, gutted and restored with each election. Experts say that’s bad for the economy."
Source: NYTimes, 04/29/2024
EJToday: Top Environmental Politics Headlines
EJToday is a daily weekday digest of top environment/energy news and information of interest to environmental journalists, independently curated by Editor Joseph A. Davis. Sign up below to receive in your inbox. For queries, email EJToday@SEJ.org. For more info, read an EJToday FAQ. Plus, follow EJToday on social media at @EJTodayNews, and flag stories of note by including the @EJTodayNews handle on your posts. And tell us how to make EJToday even better by taking this brief survey.
Want to join the EJToday team? Volunteer time commitments can vary from just an hour a month up to a daily contribution, and would involve helping to curate content of interest. To learn more, reach out to the director of publications, Adam Glenn, at sejournaleditor@sej.org.
Note: Members have additional options to choose from (you'll need your log-in info).
"For This Alaska Town, Whaling Is a Way of Life"
"The PBS documentary ‘One with the Whale’ explores the importance of subsistence hunting and gathering in a Yup’ik village—and what happens when mainlanders misunderstand it."
Source: Civil Eats, 04/29/2024Oil, Chemical Lobbyists Flood UN Talks On Cutting Plastic Pollution
"Nearly 200 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists plan to join this week's United Nations negotiations on the first global treaty to curb plastic pollution — a 37% jump from the previous gathering in November, an analysis released on Thursday showed."
Source: Reuters, 04/26/2024"White House Unveils Plan To Accelerate Power Grid Expansion"
"The Department of Energy created a one-stop shop for federal permitting, helping transmission developers avoid the lengthy patchwork of regulatory approvals that has slowed major projects. The program makes the department the lead agency in permitting and finalizes a yearslong, multiadministration effort to coordinate the work of at least nine agencies with a hand in permitting power lines."
Source: E&E News, 04/26/2024"In Coastal British Columbia, the Haida Get Their Land Back"
"By affirming Indigenous land ownership, British Columbia and the Haida Nation are signaling a new era for Indigenous relations."
Source: Hakai, 04/26/2024"Foes Wage Attacks As Biden Rolls Out Power Plant Rules"
"The Biden administration hopes its new rules will withstand an onslaught of legal and political opposition."
Source: E&E News, 04/26/2024EPA Could Allow 10x as Much of Toxic Pesticide on Your Tomatoes and Celery
"Against the guidance of scientific advisory panels, the EPA is relying on industry-backed tests to relax regulations on acephate, which has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders. “It’s exactly what we recommended against,” one panelist said."
Source: ProPublica, 04/25/2024"The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Is Still A Bipartisan Unicorn"
"As a competing bill emerges, supporters defend RAWA as the ’gold standard.’"
Source: High Country News, 04/25/2024"Global Plastic Pollution Treaty Talks Hit Critical Stage In Canada"
"Thousands of negotiators and observers representing most of the world’s nations are gathering in the Canadian city of Ottawa this week to craft a treaty to stop the rapidly escalating problem of plastic pollution."
Source: AP, 04/24/2024"Biden Admin Vows To Restore 8M Acres Of Wetlands"
"The Biden administration announced a goal Tuesday to protect and restore 8 million acres of wetlands over the next six years in an effort to counter development pressures and recently weakened federal regulations."
Source: E&E News, 04/24/2024"California, 21 Other States Back EPA Vehicle Emissions Rules"
"A group of 22 states led by California and five cities are backing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new tailpipe emissions rules after 25 Republican-led states sued the agency last week claiming the new regulations were unworkable and unlawful."
Source: Reuters, 04/24/2024Top Louisiana University Lets Oil Firms Influence Research – For A Price
"Louisiana State University allowed Shell to influence studies after a $25m donation and sought funds from other fossil fuel firms".
Source: Guardian/Lens, 04/23/2024Oil Companies Must Set Aside More Money to Plug Wells, But It Won’t Be Enough
"For the first time in more than 60 years, the Bureau of Land Management will force oil and gas companies to set aside more money to guarantee they plug old wells, preventing them from leaking oil, brine and toxic or climate-warming gasses." "The new Bureau of Land Management regulation, which applies to nearly 90,000 wells on federal public land, is hampered by math errors and overly optimistic cost projections."
Source: ProPublica/Capital & Main, 04/23/2024"Ohio Gov. DeWine Campaign Got Secret $2.5 Million Boost From Power Company"
"A dark money group funded by FirstEnergy spent $2.5 million to support the GOP hopeful as the utility pushed bailout of struggling nuclear plants."
Source: USA TODAY/Floodlight, 04/23/2024"A Web Of Front People Conceals Environmental Offenders In The Amazon"
"A paper trail left by a notorious land grabber reveals how he used relatives and an employee as fronts to evade environmental fines and lawsuits, shedding light on this widespread practice in the Brazilian Amazon."
Source: Mongabay, 04/23/2024
Advertisement 
