11-4: Five quick things for your Saturday

Winter's coming. We all have chores to do. Let's make this simple: Five quick hits to keep you up to date on our environment and health.



Gov't climate report at odds with Trump and his team

Coverage of the federal climate assessment takes Trump to task:

AP's Seth Borenstein:

As President Donald Trump touts new oil pipelines and pledges to revive the nation's struggling coal mines, federal scientists are warning that burning fossil fuels is already driving a steep increase in the United States of heat waves, droughts and floods.

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Three top stories for Saturday

  1. New Jersey sets new PFOA level below Vermont standard. New Jersey last week set its safe drinking water standard for the chemical PFOA at 14 parts per trillion, 30 percent lower than Vermont's standard. (Vermont Public Radio)
  2. Louisville neighborhoods use trees to fend off heart disease. The poets were right all along: Trees are a drug, in ways marvelous and often misunderstood. We underestimate at our peril the powers of a walk in the woods. (USA Today) (thanks to Univ. of Louisville's Alex Carll for pointing us to that story)
  3. Will the bird that dodged a bullet pay the price of peace? "Armed conflict is good for preventing deforestation." (Mike Shanahan, Under the Banyan)

One must-read opinion

As ice shelves crumble and the Twitter president threatens to pull out of the Paris accord, author Jonathan Franzen reflects on the role of the writer in time of crisis (The Guardian)

One beautiful thing

Those are my kids (and dog), at 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday. Eleven inches of snow fell overnight in Bozeman, Montana.

It's ski swap weekend here, and people are already to find a sweet deal on winter gear. I told my kids we weren't moving the car until the driveway was clear.

Amazing how much energy a motivated kid has.

Today's gift in Bozeman is reminder for us all: Get outside and enjoy the weather. It's beautiful out there.

white and red airplane pouring red powder on fire with dark smoke in background.
Credit: Ben Kuo/Unsplash

Endangerment finding: Trump allies near 'total victory' in wiping out U.S. climate regulation

A small group of conservative activists has worked for 16 years to stop all government efforts to fight climate change. Their efforts seem poised to pay off.
EXXON sign against blue-sky background
Credit: Wolterk/BigStock Photo ID: 151650362

Longtime Exxon lawyers retreat from oil company’s climate cases

Attorneys from the law firm Paul, Weiss are no longer representing the oil company in at least four lawsuits that ask the fossil fuel industry to pay for climate impacts.

Solar panels on a snowy landscape

How Ukraine is turning to renewables to keep heat and lights on

Russia continues to bomb Ukraine’s fossil-fueled power plants, leaving much of the nation shivering during a brutal winter. But Ukraine’s new emphasis on developing decentralized power — from solar panels to wind turbines — is advancing an unexpected green energy transition.
Iceland's snowy, icy, landscape

How a warming planet could turn Iceland into a glacier

Human-driven warming could cause the collapse of AMOC, a powerful ocean current system, and throw Iceland into a deep freeze.
Big yellow mining truck at coal mine work site
Credit: pkproject/BigStock Photo ID: 90725906

Wyoming coal production nosedives, with more trouble ahead

Stockpiles at coal-burning utilities are flush following a mild winter and increasing competition from renewables and natural gas.
The White House with lawn and trees in foreground.

Trump team: EPA pushback fueled fed-firing rule

The regulation is designed to swiftly remove policymaking civil servants who undermine the president’s directives.
Old oil pump jack in a grassy green field.

Illinois taxpayers could be on the hook for millions in cleanup costs from old oil and gas wells

A new report suggests Illinois could be on the hook for plugging and cleaning up thousands of inactive and abandoned oil and gas wells scattered across the state.

From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

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