Former US President Joe Biden speaks at a podium with a blue background and British and UN flags alongside him.

Credit: COP26/Flickr

FBI probes alleged fraud in Biden's $20 billion climate fund

The FBI is investigating contested accusations of fraud within the Biden administration's $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, questioning Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees about the program's oversight and fund allocation.

Spencer S. Hsu, Maxine Joselow, and Nicolás Rivero report for The Washington Post.

In short:

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, established under the 2022 climate law, aims to finance clean-energy projects, including solar panels and heat pumps, especially in low-income communities.
Justice Department efforts to freeze the funds faced resistance: A senior prosecutor resigned rather than comply, and a U.S. magistrate judge denied a seizure warrant due to insufficient evidence.
Despite the resistance, at least three grant recipients report their Citibank accounts have been frozen without explanation, hindering their operations.

Key quote:

"It's certainly unusual for any case to involve two different U.S. attorney offices declining a case for lack of probable cause and to have the Department of Justice continue to shop it. You can’t seize a truck, you can’t seize a backpack, you can’t seize a pair of socks without probable cause."

— Stefan D. Cassella, former federal prosecutor and asset forfeiture expert

Why this matters:

The aggressive pursuit of this investigation, despite internal opposition and legal hurdles, raises concerns about overreach by the Trump administration and the impact on clean energy initiatives. Freezing funds without clear evidence could stall projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving public health, particularly in underserved communities.

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A residential garbage can overflows with plastic bottles and other waste.

Credit: the blowup/Unsplash

New pricing system helps small town slash its garbage output

When Plympton, Massachusetts started charging by the bag for trash, it nearly halved the town’s garbage — and saved thousands of dollars in the process.

Tik Root reports for Grist.

In short:

Plympton cut its annual trash output from 640 to 335 tons after shifting from a flat-fee dump sticker to a “pay-as-you-throw” model charging per bag.
The new pricing system incentivized recycling and composting, saving the town about $65,000 a year and reducing landfill-related emissions.
Nearly half of Massachusetts municipalities now use PAYT, and experts say volume-based pricing drives waste reduction without unfairly burdening small or low-income households.

Key quote:

“We found that demand for waste disposal was really responsive to price. If you raise the price of trash, people are going to find ways to not put as much out at the curb.”

— John Halstead, retired professor of environmental economics at the University of New Hampshire and an author of a study on New Hampshire's pay-as-you-throw model

Why this matters:

Less landfill use means fewer toxics in the air and water, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and more recycled materials in circulation. Plympton’s story shows that smart policy doesn’t have to be punitive or complicated — it just has to make people see the cost of their choices, and let common sense do the rest.

How a government feud threatens decades of scientific progress

The Trump administration’s move to cut off $2.6 billion in federal research funding to Harvard has upended a vital engine of American science, with ripple effects that reach far beyond a single university.

Emily Badger, Aatish Bhatia, and Ethan Singer report for The New York Times.

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