By Jeremy Deaton This year, state legislatures will redraw the electoral map. The GOP controls most state legislatures, and they are expected to draw congressional districts to favor Republicans, which will make it easier for them to win a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, even if they fail to win the most […]
By Jessica Corbett Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday was the lone progressive to vote against Tom Vilsack reprising his role as secretary of agriculture, citing concerns that progressive advocacy groups have been raising since even before President Joe Biden officially nominated the former Obama administration appointee. The Senate voted 92-7 to confirm Vilsack, with Sanders […]
By Taryn MacKinney First, the bad news: An analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists reveals that federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have lost hundreds of scientists since 2017. The good news: With the Biden administration already acting on its pledge to lead with science, a […]
By Jacob Carter Since 1918 the federal government has implemented its authority under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) to hold industries accountable for the death of birds due to their operations. Such operations include the spraying of insecticides that poison birds, maintaining oil pits that can lead to drowning, or contact with infrastructure such […]
By Katy Neusteter The Biden-Harris transition team identified COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change as its top priorities. Rivers are the through-line linking all of them. The fact is, healthy rivers can no longer be separated into the “nice-to-have” column of environmental progress. Rivers and streams provide more than 60 percent of our […]
Democrats have won control of the Senate and with it, a fighting shot at passing meaningful climate legislation. The Associated Press called the two Georgia runoff Senate races for Democrat Reverend Raphael Warnock at 2:05 a.m. EST Wednesday morning and for Democrat Jon Ossoff at 4:16 p.m. EST Wednesday afternoon. Their win means the Senate […]
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to ban the keeping of big cats as pets, after the Netflix documentary series Tiger King drew renewed attention to the issue this spring. H.R. 1380, or the Big Cat Public Safety Act, passed the House 272 to 114, CBS News reported. Specifically, it limits who is permitted […]
On Wednesday, governments responsible for 40 percent of the world’s coastlines and 20 percent of global fisheries announced a series of new commitments that comprise the world’s biggest ocean sustainability initiative. The fourteen countries, which combined control an ocean area the size of Africa, committed to sustainably manage their national waters by 2025 and encouraged […]
The UK has taken steps toward becoming the first European country to ban the export of live animals for slaughter. Environment Secretary George Eustice announced the new plans Thursday, The Guardian reported. The ban would fulfill a campaign promise from the ruling Conservative Party, BBC News explained. “We are committed to improving the welfare of […]