It's Official: Trump Budget Would Make Deep Cuts to Climate and Science Research
The Trump administration released its first official 2018 budget proposal this morning and copies obtained by multiple outlets yesterday confirmed deep cuts across the board for climate- and science-related research, grants, programs and agencies.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, one of the budget's biggest targets, would suffer a cut of $2.8 billion or nearly a third of its $8.1 billion current budget—much higher than previous estimates of 25 percent—including a $100 million cut for climate programs.
Funding for climate finance in the State Department budget, clean energy research at the Energy Department and funds for NOAA and NASA research also take serious hits in the draft proposal. The budget is one of the "skinniest" first budget documents in history and experts predict many of its short-on-policy-detail proposals will not sit well with Congress.
"Money talks, and Trump's budget proposal screams that the only thing that matters in his America is corporate polluters' profits and Wall Street billionaires," said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. "If Trump refuses to be serious about protecting our health and climate, or our publicly owned lands, then Congress must act, do its job, and reject this rigged budget."
Manish Bapna, managing director of World Resources Institute, agrees: "The administration should respect science and continue to respond to the growing impacts of climate change, which is understood by the scientific and security communities alike. It's now up to Congress to restore funding, recognizing that America's economic and security interests are intertwined with the well-being of people and the planet."
For a deeper dive:
General: New York Times, Washington Post, AP EPA: Washington Post, WSJ, Politico Pro, Bloomberg, Reuters State: Washington Post, Reuters
NOAA: Washington Post NASA: Washington Post DOE: Science Mag
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Yellowstone Grizzly Bears to Lose Endangered Species Protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone region on Thursday from the Endangered Species List. The decision comes despite serious concerns in the scientific community about a declining, isolated population with diminishing food resources and record-high mortalities, as well as strong opposition from an unprecedented number of Tribal Nations.
Southeast Is Ground Zero for Genetically Engineered Trees
By BJ McManama
ArborGen Corporation, a multinational conglomerate and leading supplier of seedlings for commercial forestry applications, has submitted an approval request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to deregulate and widely distribute a eucalyptus tree genetically engineered (GE) to be freeze tolerant. This modification will allow this GE variety to be grown in the U.S. Southeast. The reason this non-native and highly invasive tree has been artificially created to grow outside of its tropical environment is to greatly expand production capacity for the highly controversial woody biomass industry.
Think You're Eating '100% Natural' Chicken? Think Again
By Kari Hamerschlag
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Coal Boss Sues HBO Over John Oliver Show
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The Republican coal baron and outspoken Donald Trump supporter is suing Oliver, HBO, Time Warner and the writers for the show, the Daily Beast reported.
It's So Hot in Arizona, Meteorologists Need New Weather Map Colors
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As reported by MLive's Mark Torregrossa, with temperatures forecast to hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the Phoenix area, the folks at weatherbell.com had to use green for its Wednesday map because the other shades were already used.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: 'One Man Will Not Stop Our Progress'
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has let the world know that Donald Trump does not represent America in his choice to drop out of the Paris climate agreement.
Despite the president's lack of support for the environment, the rest of America will continue to work towards a brighter and greener future, as Schwarzenegger makes clear in the video above.
Natural Gas Is Not the Answer, New Study Finds
By Paul Brown
Natural gas will have to be phased out along with coal if the world is to be kept safe from dangerous climate change. And that seems likely to have to happen far sooner than most official forecasts, according to a new report.
If countries want to reach their Paris climate agreement goals of limiting the long-term world temperature rise to 1.5°C, then many of the proposals to increase gas production and distribution will be unnecessary. New terminals and pipelines will never be fully used and will become stranded assets.
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