Weekend Reader for Sunday, Dec. 31

Weekend Reader for Sunday, Dec. 31

The most breathtaking evidence yet that the Swamp isn't being drained; Trump gets climate science wrong, again; Looking back at 2017, and looking ahead at more of the same for 2018; A perfect ending to a surreal 2017.

Top Weekend News

Optimism for 2018? If that's what you're after, for goodness sake, don't look here. The implosion of U.S. environmental politics in 2017 is likely to worsen in 2018. But there are some hopeful signs on the horizon.


Recycling turmoil: The always-volatile recycling industry is coping with its latest setback: China, a primary destination for U.S. recyclables, is banning import of "foreign waste.

Texas Tea's mood swings: Big-brain piece by Lawrence Wright in the New Yorker on whether Texas can break its boom/bust dependency on Big Oil.

Today's Climate must-read: How climate deniers game the system at Google to make science-free stories and diatribes show up at the top of your climate search results.

Opinions and Editorials

From fast-growing southwest Florida, the Naples Daily News counts up the progress and setbacks on the environment.

An energy Industry observer says 2018 is the pivotal year for solar versus coal. One one will emerge at year's end as a global leader.

Bloomberk.com weighs in on a rarely-asked, all-important question: Can the public handle the truth on the environment?

This Week in Trump

Several reasons for hope in 2018 U.S. environmental policy. But many more for despair. Many EHN and Daily Climate readers contact us, asking if we can publish more good news. Well, here it is for 2018 -- but it's still overwhelmed by the likelihood of bad news in U.S. environmental policy and politics. Just sayin'.

This, IMHO, is no way to drain a swamp. Albert Kelly is a longtime associate of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. The FDIC slapped the Oklahoma banker with a heavy fine and effectively banned him from any involvement with the banking industry again. Pruitt rewarded his old crony with the chairmanship of an EPA task force to "streamline" the perpetually controversial Superfund program. The story is brought to us by Sharon Lerner, a superb muckraker for The Intercept.

A Zinke joyride? A Newsweek investigation has raised questions about Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke using scarce wildfire funding for non-essential helicopter travel.

Perfect Ending to a Surreal Year

I'm from Jersey, and yes, I actually have a Cousin Vinny. But a more famous Vinny from Jersey schooled the President on climate science.chooled the President on climate science. Vinny Guadagnino, former cast member from MTV's "Jersey Shore," set things right when Trump Tweeted that last week's cold and snowfall in the Northeast bolstered his longstanding claim that climate change is a hoax.

Trump's fellow reality TV star responded in a Tweet that global warming "has to do with disruptions of atmospheric conditions, ocean patterns, jet streams, and shit like that."

A national forest sign on a dirt road in the woods

Forest Service layoffs cut 10% of agency’s workforce

The U.S. Forest Service is firing 3,400 employees, affecting roles in wildfire prevention, timber production and land restoration, following the deadline for a Trump administration program that encouraged voluntary resignations.

Marcia Brown and Jordan Wolman report for POLITICO.

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Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
A field full of solar panels in the midst of a farm with trees and buildings in the background on a partly cloudy day.

Uncertainty looms for rural clean energy initiatives

A halt on federal grants and loans has left small business owners and farmers unsure if they’ll be reimbursed for solar panels, irrigation pumps and other energy upgrades they installed under the promise of government support.

Isabella O’Malley reports for The Associated Press.

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

Pennsylvania sues federal government over Trump administration's climate funding freeze

Gov. Josh Shapiro is suing the federal government, alleging that the Trump administration’s freeze on billions in congressionally approved climate funds is illegal and jeopardizing Pennsylvania’s environmental programs and jobs.

Jon Hurdle reports for Inside Climate News.

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Ontario premier Doug Ford

Ford government ramps up energy spending ahead of Ontario election

Premier Doug Ford's government has pledged more than $17 billion for energy projects as it seeks a third term in the province's general election next week, reversing past decisions and betting heavily on nuclear power and natural gas.

Fatima Syed reports for The Narwhal.

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White building with tilted solar panels installed on the roof.

Trump’s energy secretary criticizes Germany’s transition to renewables

Chris Wright, the new U.S. energy secretary, dismissed Germany’s shift to renewable energy as costly and unreliable, but experts say his analysis ignores key details.

Dan Gearino reports for Inside Climate News.

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A field and pond and forest in background, with the setting sun and small clouds in the sky.
Credit: Flickr

Scientists link record heat to declining cloud cover

Global temperatures have surged in the past two years, and researchers now say a drop in cloud cover may be fueling the rise — and possibly triggering a feedback loop that accelerates warming.

Shannon Osaka reports for The Washington Post.

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Closeup of a road in los angeles pointing toward the ocean.

Los Angeles groundwater still depleted despite record rainfall, study finds

A year of extreme storms in 2023 failed to replenish Los Angeles’ deep groundwater supply, leaving aquifers struggling to recover from years of drought, a new study finds.

Sharon Udasin reports for The Hill.

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From our Newsroom
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.

People  sitting in an outdoors table working on a big sign.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

joe biden

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

Agents of Change in Environmental Justice logo

LISTEN: Reflections on the first five years of the Agents of Change program

The leadership team talks about what they’ve learned — and what lies ahead.

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