"Power companies across the country have been quietly trying to charge their customers for millions of dollars worth of luxury expenses — including bi-weekly massages, access to exclusive country clubs and private jet travel — according to a new report from the Energy and Policy Institute (EPI), a utility watchdog."
"The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request from an electric utility in Kentucky to block an Environmental Protection Agency effort to address the health risks presented by coal ash, a toxic substance created by burning coal to produce electricity."
"Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Wednesday she’s suing a Saudi Arabian agribusiness for allegedly violating a public nuisance law, contending that its groundwater pumping threatens the public health, safety and infrastructure of local communities in a rural western county."
"Skin rashes, breathing difficulties and “generational rage” led residents to join a nationwide push against companies accused of endangering health and the environment."
""Federal disease trackers reported Tuesday that the first child diagnosed with bird flu in an ongoing U.S. outbreak was infected with a virus strain moving rapidly through dairy cattle, even though there is no evidence the youngster was exposed to livestock or any infected animals."
"U.S. wildlife officials announced a decision Tuesday to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies after years of warnings from environmentalists that populations are shrinking and the beloved pollinator may not survive climate change."
"President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he planned to expedite federal regulatory approvals, including all environmental permits, for any company or individual proposing to invest $1 billion or more in a construction project."
"Federal prosecutors sidestepped some Justice Department rules when they seized the phone records or emails of reporters as part of media leak investigations during the Trump administration, according to a new watchdog report being released as the aggressive practice of hunting for journalists’ sources could again be resurrected."
"Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked an effort by Democrats to pass a bipartisan bill that would give journalists greater protections under federal law – a move that comes in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump opposing the measure."
"A legal fight over an 88-mile proposed railway in Utah has set the stage for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide how federal agencies evaluate the environmental impacts of projects requiring their approval, a decision with the potential to drastically shift how projects are permitted across the nation."
