Weekend Reader:  The shove heard 'round the planet (sort of)

Weekend Reader:  The shove heard 'round the planet (sort of)

EPA's strongarm tactics with reporters bode ill for the environment and the First Amendment

If you define the planet as a small, somewhat insular coterie of journalists working a largely-neglected beat, then yes, this is a Shot Heard 'Round the Planet. (h/t, Ralph Waldo Emerson).


This week, the beleaguered EPA press staff went Full Soprano on an Associated Press reporter trying to attend a meeting. While some reporters were admitted to an agency briefing on PFAS—perfluorinated chemicals linked to cancer and present in many American water systems—others were blocked. Journalists from CNN and E&E News were told they could not enter, but AP's Ellen Knickmeyer was grabbed by security guards and shoved away from the room, according to Knickmeyer and witnesses.

EPA reversed course and phoned Knickmeyer to apologize, according to published reports. But that any federal agency's professional staff could think that this was a smart tactic to begin with shows how big the gap is between the Administration of a man who says "everyone's talking about" his run at the Nobel Peace Prize and those of us in the Fake Media.

Will heads roll at EPA over this? Well, consider that Scott Pruitt's head is fully attached despite the ethical swamp he seems to have created with abandon.

My colleagues at the Society of Environmental Journalists emailed a letter to EPA, pointing out how "patently ridiculous" EPA's behavior was. Tucked into SEJ President Bobby Magill's letter was an ironic gem. EPA had explained that the room wasn't big enough to include all reporters—including some who say their requests for inclusion, by phone or email, were ignored.

"Surely, larger rooms were available at the EPA headquarters or in a nearby federal building or hotel."

It turns out the nearest hotel, barely more than a red-tie-length away from EPA's Pennsylvania Avenue HQ, is the Trump International Hotel. I get it. Nice one.

The bottom line on this one is fairly obvious, and was made by quite a few people this week: Contempt for the environment is a hallmark of the new EPA—revulsive to many, but not strictly unconstitutional. Contempt for a free press is contempt for the First Amendment, so there's some new ground being broken in Mr. Pruitt's neighborhood.

As President Trump might say, everyone's talking about it. At least in our community.

Top Weekend News

Inspiring read from Drew Philip in The Guardian on Appalachian tree-sitters seeking to stop a pipeline.

Why gasoline prices have risen by 31% since Memorial Day last year. (CNN)

From the Miami Herald: Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine is basing his run for Florida Governor on climate concerns. And it's complicated.

New Republic's Emily Atkin: What is Kilauea's climate impact?

From Ensia: Why are environmental groups so white? (Ed. Note: And why are we still asking this after 30 years?)

Opinion Pieces and Editorials

The News-Review of Roseburg, OR editorializes on EPA's harsh treatment of reporters.

Not unrelated, from the Montana Post: A congressman best known for assaulting a reporter last year has banned public meetings with his constituents due to "security risks."

Flashback: Reporter Sharon Lerner's New York Times op-ed previewed some of the concerns that surfaced during EPA's reporter fracas this week.

Podcasts of Note

EHN's Peter Dykstra and Living On Earth host Steve Curwood discuss how seafood species are moving north in warming waters.

Rollbacks, Swamp Drainers and Denial For This Week

From Jeremy Deaton of Nexus Media: Study finds close links between racist behavior and climate denial.

From the AP's shovee, Ellen Knickmeyer: EPA's collusion with the Heartland Institute.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: While coal plants decline in the U.S., American firms are promoting their expansion in Southeast Asia.

Stencil of an electric vehicle on a brick pavement.

EU shifts course on climate policy as deregulation accelerates

The European Union has begun scaling back major environmental protections under the Green Deal, sparking concern among campaigners who say the bloc is rapidly losing its climate leadership.

Ajit Niranjan reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
Car tailpipe up close.

Republicans push to eliminate fines for carmakers that violate fuel economy rules

Senate Republicans are backing a proposal that would strip penalties from federal fuel economy standards, a move critics say could drive up gasoline use and tailpipe pollution.

Brad Plumer and Jack Ewing report for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
View of the U.S. capitol building
Credit: Jacqui/Pixabay

Proposed tax rules risk choking U.S. clean energy projects over China supply links

A budget bill moving through Congress could block most U.S. clean energy projects from receiving tax credits if any part of their supply chain includes ties to China.

Dan Gearino reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Weight scales on an image of a smokestack.

EPA faces class action lawsuit over canceled environmental justice grants

A coalition of nonprofits, tribes, and local governments is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after it abruptly canceled $3 billion in environmental justice grants awarded under the Biden administration.

Tracy J. Wholf reports for CBS News.

Keep reading...Show less
Flooded river with bare trees in distance against a cloudy sky.

Vermont defends landmark climate law as Trump administration and oil industry sue

Vermont is preparing for a drawn-out legal fight after President Trump’s Justice Department joined fossil fuel interests in suing to block the state’s new Climate Superfund law, which seeks to make oil companies pay for decades of greenhouse gas emissions.

Nina Sablan reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Graphic image of two human heads facing away from one another.

New AI tool raises concerns over industry's ability to sow doubt on pollution research

A chemical-industry-backed researcher is using artificial intelligence to question links between pollution and health risks, prompting concern among scientists about bias and regulatory delay.

Dharna Noor reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
a car that is sitting upside down on top of a pile of debris after a tornado.

FEMA delays and funding cuts leave state emergency programs in limbo

State and local emergency management agencies are facing growing uncertainty as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) delays major grant programs and President Trump signals plans to dismantle the agency.

Jennifer Berry Hawes reports for ProPublica.

Keep reading...Show less
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.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.