"The country’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas benefited from what critics say is a questionable IRS interpretation of tax credits."
"The payments to states drain a large share of FEMA’s budget reserves, raising questions about the agency’s ability to respond to disasters."
"A North Dakota judge on Friday finalized a $345m judgment against Greenpeace in a lawsuit pursued by pipeline company Energy Transfer over the environmental group’s role in protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline."
"Casey Means, Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, faced senators’ questions about her stance on vaccines, pesticides and RFK Jr.’s agenda."
"The president said he had negotiated a deal with tech giants to cover the energy costs of data centers, but offered few details. Experts said such pledges could prove difficult in practice."
"Federal energy officials on Wednesday announced a record $26.5 billion loan to electric utilities in Georgia and Alabama, saying the loan will save customers money as the companies undertake a huge expansion driven by demand from computer data centers."
"At least one Republican lawmaker is formally pushing back on President Trump’s effort to boost a controversial herbicide, glyphosate, that’s reviled by supporters of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement."
"A top US regulatory official on Monday championed controversial chemical review reforms that critics say will support industry interests while weakening protections against toxic chemicals for the public."
"President Donald Trump’s Interior Department is withholding key ethics disclosure information for Karen Budd-Falen, a high-ranking agency appointee who is facing calls for an investigation into her financial ties to a massive lithium mining project, Public Domain has learned."
The enforcement of environmental laws suffered a dramatic collapse during the Trump administration’s first year, several studies have found. Even the most serious violations, typically referred to the Department of Justice, are left unpursued because of DOJ staffing declines. The latest Backgrounder has the details, a look at the administration’s rationale for the decline and the implications for the environment and public health.
