Peter Dykstra: Support your local enemies of the state

Peter Dykstra: Support your local enemies of the state

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This Tuesday, the 27th, is designated as Giving Tuesday. It's the day when we're encouraged, exhorted, and maybe a little guilt-tripped to support all manner of worthy causes.


This was a big year for journalists – the first full year of our presidential designation as Enemies of the State.

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Diluting the meaning of "toxics"

Oxford Dictionaries has named "toxic" as its official word of the year. We use it a lot in its original context – to identify a poisonous or harmful substance. But the real growth in use of the word has been as a metaphor – "toxic" relationships or "toxic" attitudes, like those that inspired the #MeToo movement.

Oxford reports a 45 percent increase in searches for the word. Environmental scientists and activists have labored for years to defeat the notion that "dilution is the solution to pollution." Now, it's the word "toxic" itself that faces dilution.

Didn't see that one coming.

Belated birthday wishes

Credit: Gage Skidmore/flickr

Last Thursday, Senator Jim Inhofe turned 84. I have a standing interview request with the Senator for Nov. 17, 2034, his hundredth birthday – he's an unusually youthful octogenarian, so he may make it.

At that time, I'm looking for a sit down to discuss how the Senator's climate "hoax" is going.

Zinke: Next to resign?

There's stiff competition on which Trump principal will go next: Chief of Staff Kelly? Homeland Secretary Nielsen? But for those who keep records on such things, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is another likely pick, with multiple ethics investigations underway.

Ronald Reagan's scandal-plagued EPA Administrator Anne Gorsuch Burford and Interior Secretary James Watt both made fairly quick exits – Gorsuch lasted two years, two months before spending more time with her family, including future Supreme Court Justice and son Neil. Watt made it two years, nine months.

Scott Pruitt bested the elder Gorsuch, exiting in a year and six months. If Zinke leaves any time before next October, Trump's environmental team will enjoy a clean sweep in the swampy Olympics.

A house is loaded onto a truck at a dock next to a body of water.

How a First Nation’s housing project could spark a home-rescue revolution

A small First Nation in British Columbia is showing how salvaged homes can become sustainable housing — and a blueprint for greener development.

David Beers and Quinn Kelly report for The Tyee.

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Rows of solar panels in a large parking lot with a sign in the foreground displaying a General Motors logo.

Michigan reimagines its toxic land as a solar-powered future

Michigan wants to clean up its polluted past by turning contaminated industrial sites into a new solar-powered frontier.

Douglas J. Guth reports for Inside Climate News.

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Beige mushrooms grow alongside moss on a wet fallen log.
Credit: Rob/Unsplash

Mushrooms are cleaning up wildfire ruins — and may revive toxic land across America

After the deadly Los Angeles wildfires turned homes into chemical-laced rubble, one scientist is using mushrooms and native plants to detoxify the land and rethink how to clean up after disaster.

Mattha Busby reports for Atmos.

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A group of people at a demonstration holding signs in support of science.
Credit: Photo by Vlad Tchompalov/Unsplash

Trump’s EPA quietly backs off from enforcing pollution laws

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically scaled back enforcement against major polluters, raising fears about the future of public health protections.

Tom Perkins reports for Grist.

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Red car with EV charger hooked up to it.

Trump administration sued by 17 states over frozen funds for electric vehicle charging network

Seventeen states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for halting billions in federal funding intended to expand the national electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Sophie Austin and Alexa St. John report for The Associated Press.

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White microscopes on top of black table.

Zeldin’s EPA restructuring could curb climate action and strain environmental protections

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under Administrator Lee Zeldin, is downsizing staff to 1980s levels despite decades of added environmental responsibilities and growing public health challenges.

Sean Reilly, Jean Chemnick, Ellie Borst, and Miranda Willson report for E&E News.

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A space satellite hovering above the coastline.
Credit: SpaceX/Unsplash

Trump moves to end federal studies on rocket and satellite pollution, raising concerns over Musk’s influence

The Trump administration plans to shut down research led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) into pollution from satellites and rockets that is tied in part to Elon Musk’s expanding space ventures.

Tom Perkins reports for The Guardian.

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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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