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.

Our new look and feedback

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Drop us a line at feedback@ehn.org ("Attaboys" always welcome).

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.

A fire burning at night with a forest in the background

When forests burn, lakes suffer

Elevated fire risk is becoming the new norm for the Upper Midwest, and hot fires have dire consequences for the water quality of remote lakes.

The interior of a data center with rows of servers

The vote that stopped a data center

Concerns are growing about the high energy, water and land demands of artificial intelligence tech hubs, while benefits for local people remain unclear.

A coal drill hovering over piles of coal

Why coal will lead to more deaths in Colorado

Across the nation, one of the dirtiest sources of power gets a lifeline from the Trump administration and state officials.
An overhead view of a street in Mumbai, India at night filled with cars, people, and shop entrances

India's Mumbai rations water supply as June rainfall hits 12-year low

Grappling with its driest June in more than a decade, the Indian city of Mumbai has cut water supply to construction sites and reduced industrial usage by 20% as reservoir levels decline.

A view of the facade of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC

An EPA researcher details the agency's assault on science

In January 2025, the Trump administration began shutting down projects within the EPA’s independent science division that touched on climate change and environmental justice.

Two men placing solar panels on a red tiled roof

Spain’s renewables revolution is paying off: electricity bills are lower despite energy crisis

Spain’s electricity bills have fallen while many other countries have seen a rise since the energy crisis caused by the outbreak of the Iran war.

A Newsweek magazine with Elon Musk on the cover
Credit: dennizn/Big Stock Photo ID: 258571144

Copy of Trump’s DoJ intervenes to back Elon Musk in datacenter pollution lawsuit

Justice department urges judge to throw out suit brought by NAACP over xAI’s methane-gas turbines in Mississippi.

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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