"Independent U.S. oil companies suffering from the meltdown in crude prices are pressing President Donald Trump for financial help, but the political blowback is likely to thwart any significant action to help the industry."
"The White House is strongly considering pushing federal assistance for oil and natural gas producers hit by plummeting oil prices amid the coronavirus outbreak, as industry officials close to the administration clamor for help, according to four people familiar with internal deliberations."
"Saudi Arabia slashed its export oil prices over the weekend in what is likely to be the start of a price war aimed at Russia but with potentially devastating repercussions for Russia’s ally Venezuela, Saudi Arabia’s enemy Iran and even American oil companies."
"Researchers assembled a historical database of U.S. flood maps and home prices to estimate how much bad communication costs homebuyers." "At least 3.8 million U.S. homes lie in flood plains. Together, they may be overvalued by $34 billion."
"President Trump has tapped Nancy B. Beck, a former chemical industry executive, to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an independent federal agency charged with protecting the public against dangers like toxic substances in products."
"Alex Azar, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, admitted Wednesday that a vaccine for the coronavirus might not be affordable for all Americans."
Newsroom resources may be tighter than ever, but accountability journalism just got a big boost. A guest Reporter’s Toolbox outlines a massive new database of databases collected by the Investigative Reporting Workshop. See how it can be used for your environmental reporting (such as to look up contributions by actor/activist Mark Ruffalo, pictured). Plus, pitch your own ideas for additional datasets.
"Taxpayers are losing billions of dollars in potential revenue from oil and gas drilling on federal lands, according to two reports released this week."
"JPMorgan Chase, one of the world’s biggest lenders to fossil fuel projects, announced Monday that it would curb loans to coal firms and bar the financing of oil and gas developments in the Arctic."
In Part Two of our ongoing “Covering Your Climate: The Emerald Corridor” special report, we take a look at the impacts of climate change on the Pacific Northwest region — and how best to cover them. Our A-to-Z Guide explores 26 neglected angles and stories, plus resource links to get you started. And check out our inaugural backgrounder and watch in coming weeks for additional tipsheets and a toolbox.
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