Weekend Reader:  Read this and weep.
West, Texas explosion via YouTube

Weekend Reader:  Read this and weep.

A snapshot of the progress and opportunities lost on Election Day 2016.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is in the business of making sure we learn from disasters. They found the regulatory and management failures that killed 15 firefighters in the 2013 fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. The Trump Administration has let the CSB wither, and has recommended that it disappear entirely.


The tiny agency's budget is $12 million -- barely more than the cost of three weekend jaunts from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, according to the Government Accountability Oiffce.

Another oversight body, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), tried to weigh in on another Trump initiative -- the proposed intervention to aid failing coal and nuclear power plants by compelling coal and nuke power sales to the grid. The Administration cited "national security" concerns for such a move, but testifying before Congress this week, FERC commissioners said no such concerns exist.

But just in case we do need more uranium, there's this: An effort afoot to end a moratorium on uranium mining on land adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park. Citing possible risks to Colorado River water quality and to sacred sites, in 2012 the Obama Administration barred new mine leases in the area for 20 years.

And national security is also a premise for Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), who wants to roll back the environmental review process on extracting strategic metals like uranium. One of the major beneficiaries of such a move would be the mining giant Energy Fuels Resources, which holds mining claims near the canyon rim. As luck would have it, EF is owned by our new nemeses to the north: Canada.

One of the greatest bi-partisan advances in ocean protection could also fall in coming years. Both Presidents Obama and George W. Bush set aside massive areas as marine reserves. Trump and Zinke have targeted the Pacific Remote Islands Marine Monument for reduction in both size and scope. Centered around Johnston Atoll, 1,000 miles west of Hawaii, the Monument is nearly twice the size of Texas. Its ban on commercial fishing, including rapacious longline boats, may be revoked soon. Marine reserves are the saltwater equivalents of National Parks -- literally their 21st Century equals.

All from a President who has declared journalists, and our Fake News, to be America's biggest enemies. And all of the above without mentioning the relentless and picayune scandals of EPA's Scott Pruitt.

Top Weekend News

Ready for a little good news? For the first time in 33 years, the annual Chesapeake Bay Report Card shows some strong signs of a recovering Bay.

This summer could see record low water levels in the Colorado River and other western streams. (KUER Radio)y.y.

An AP investigation finds that "locally caught" and "sustainable seafood" are marketing terms that can often be used dishonestly.

Ken Ward, Jr. on conflicts of interest in West Virginia's natural gas deal with China. The West Virginia Gazette-Mail is part of a local reporting project with ProPublica.

Newly-elected President Carlos Alvarado's audacious pledge: A fossil-fuel-free nation by 2021. (MNN)

EHN's Must-Read Series, "Breathless"

EHN's Kristina Marusic has put together an ambitious series on challenges and solutions on asthma and air pollution. "Breathless" visits the schools, hospitals, and factories in the Pittsburgh metro area.

Opinion Pieces and Editorials

The Chicago Sun-Times unloads on climate change, Scott Pruitt, and the Trump Administration.

The Los Angeles Times renews its call for Scott Pruitt's head, but admits that it won't change the Trump Administration's environmental assault.

Dana Nuccitelli has a column in The Guardian criticizing the Wall Street Journal's "Big Oil propaganda."

This Week In Trump

The New York Times team's latest example of Scott Pruitt allegedly using his office for personal gain: Putting the arm on a Big Oil PR firm to score tickets to the Rose Bowl.

Republican opposition to Pruitt may have less to do with his ethical challenges than with his hostility toward ethanol.

Scientists at USGS face an onerous new requirement to get approval to attend science conferences: They must explain how their attendance will further one of Interior Secretary Zinke's goals. (Washington Post).

Podcasts of Note

Peter Sinclair's Climate Crock of the Week: The state of Germany's renewables transition.

On Public Radio International's Living On Earth, host Steve Curwood and EHN/Daily Climate's Peter Dykstra discuss the role of an infamous Superfund site as an open-air classroom; and a caper involving alleged water theft for fracking operations along the Texas-New Mexico border.

Get Ready for the Facepalm on This One:

From NPR: Alaska oil drillers are increasingly investing in technology to keep permafrost frozen to make oil drilling and transport easier. So we can get more oil. To melt the permafrost.

Tom's Restaurant sign on a corner diner on Broadway in New York City.

NASA shutters iconic New York climate lab as Trump slashes Earth science budget

A once-vital NASA climate lab perched above Manhattan’s Tom’s Restaurant will shut down at the end of May, displacing scientists and reflecting the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle federal climate research.

Oliver Milman reports for The Guardian.

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A vehicle exhaust pipe with smoke emitting from it.

Senate GOP maneuvers to block California’s plan to ban gas cars by 2035

Republicans in the Senate used a controversial procedural tactic to advance legislation that would block California from enforcing its planned ban on new gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2035, challenging both state environmental authority and longstanding Senate rules.

Carl Hulse reports for The New York Times.

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Purple flowers with the U.S. senate building in the background.

EPA chief clashes with Senate Democrats over Trump-era cuts to pollution and health programs

A bitter Senate hearing erupted into shouting as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin defended sweeping grant cuts and environmental rollbacks under President Trump, sparring with Democrats over transparency and health impacts.

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill.

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View of the coast of American Samoa with lush, tree-covered coastal hills and the ocean below.
Credit: Pixabay

U.S. backs plan to explore deep-sea mining near American Samoa amid legal and environmental concerns

A California company’s bid to mine the seafloor near American Samoa gained momentum after the U.S. Interior Department agreed to review its proposal following a Trump administration order to fast-track seabed mining.

Max Bearak reports for The New York Times.

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A downed tree in the middle of a city street.

Tornadoes tear through Black neighborhoods in St. Louis as FEMA delays and warning systems fail

A deadly tornado system ravaged Black neighborhoods in St. Louis, exposing long-standing failures in emergency alert infrastructure and the federal government’s disaster response.

Adam Mahoney reports for Capital B News.

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silhouette of people standing on tower crane during night time.

New climate plans could spur economic growth, says UN climate chief

Strong climate action, not delay, is the key to stabilizing a global economy rocked by droughts, hunger, and rising prices, the UN’s top climate official said this week.

Fiona Harvey reports for The Guardian.

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blue lake with glacier in the middle of the mountains.

As glaciers vanish, salmon gain new habitat and mining companies race for gold

Salmon are moving into lakes and streams newly formed by melting glaciers in Alaska and British Columbia, even as mining firms rush to exploit mineral-rich lands newly exposed by retreating ice.

Max Graham reports for Grist.

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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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