By Diane Regas China has announced the launch of a national emissions trading system that will become the world’s largest and most consequential environmental program, fulfilling a commitment of President Xi Jinping and setting up China to meet or even exceed its commitment to the Paris climate agreement. The nation is moving deliberately, gradually phasing […]
By Casey Ivanovich Halloween has arrived, and it’s time once again for goblins, gremlins and ghost stories. But there’s another threat brewing that’s much more frightening—because it’s real. An unrecognizable world is quickly creeping up on us as climate change progresses—and the anticipated impacts are enough to rattle anyone’s skeleton. Here are five of the […]
From Scott Pruitt to Betsy DeVos, President Donald Trump has notoriously appointed a slew of individuals with serious conflicts of interests with the departments they oversee. The latest is Michael L. Dourson, Trump’s pick to head the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, the government’s chemical safety program. Media reports reveal that the […]
By Martha Roberts The imposing limestone government building in central Washington where Scott Pruitt holds sway is increasingly operating away from public view with decisions made behind closed doors, once-public information blacked out, and influential insiders taking charge. As the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pruitt has also proven elusive, having spent […]
By Jack Pratt For decades, a weak law left Americans at risk from toxic chemicals in everyday products such as cleaners and fabrics. As a result, chemicals tied to infertility, learning disabilities and even cancer found their way into all our homes, schools and workplaces. A turn-around looked likely in 2016 when Congress passed a […]
As some of the nation’s largest crude processors and refineries shut down their facilities amid ” unprecedented” rainfall and flooding from Harvey, residents nearby are reporting noxious, gaseous smells clouding the air. “I’ve been smelling them all night and off and on this morning,” Bryan Parras, from the environmental justice group TEJAS, told New Republic […]
By Keith Gaby Like a television executive peddling reality shows, Scott Pruitt has decided to stage an exercise pitting the well-established science of climate change against a grab bag of fringe theories. It will be marketed by the Trump administration as an effort in the best traditions of scientific inquiry, but the real goal is […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has eliminated a backlog of more than 600 new chemicals it is reviewing under the agency’s new chemical safety program. “I am happy to report that the backlog of new chemical reviews is eliminated,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said. The goal of the agency “is to ensure […]
By Rory Christian and Larissa Koehler Electric vehicles (EVs) don’t make much noise on the road, but they’re generating a lot of buzz about the future of this technology and what it means for business and the environment. Cars, buses and trucks are the second biggest source of pollution in the U.S. after electricity production. […]