With summer heat in many cities comes worsening air pollution, and a crop of smog-related stories. This week's TipSheet explains how smog forms and harms health, then helps you report on local smog factors and learn if your area is in "nonattainment" with EPA ozone standards, themselves a shifting target under Trump.
"The biggest of northern California’s giant redwood trees grow more than 250 ft. tall, with a circumference greater than 90 ft. at their base. The oldest have seen more than 3,000 years. These majestic trees have been here long before us, and if left undisturbed, would still be growing after everyone on the planet was dead."
"Congress passed a major piece of financial legislation yesterday that climate advocates say threatens their ability to pressure corporations to address environmental risks."
"President Trump’s White House is reviewing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed reconsideration of former President Barack Obama’s climate change rule for power plants."
"Coming off a record year for U.S. solar installations in 2016, the first quarter of 2017 wasn’t so bad either, according to data released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the industry’s lead trade group."
"President Trump concluded his 'infrastructure week' today by promising to 'hold the bureaucracy accountable.'"
"A federal judge has denied the Trump administration's appeal in a climate change lawsuit, paving the way for the unprecedented suit to go to trial."
"Dozens of public transit projects around the country are in danger of stalling as the White House’s plan to boost U.S. infrastructure fails to gain momentum — with thousands of jobs at risk."
"Chimpanzees do not deserve the same rights as people, a New York state appeals court unanimously concluded on Thursday, as it refused to order the release of two of the animals to a primate sanctuary."
"Seven former heads of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy — from both Republican and Democratic administrations—teamed up on Thursday to warn Congress that the Trump administration's budget could do 'serious harm' to America's energy future."
