Disasters

"Nuclear Rules in Japan Relied on Old Science"

"In the country that gave the world the word tsunami, the Japanese nuclear establishment largely disregarded the potentially destructive force of the walls of water. The word did not even appear in government guidelines until 2006, decades after plants — including the Fukushima Daiichi facility that firefighters are still struggling to get under control — began dotting the Japanese coastline."

Source: NY Times, 03/28/2011

Wildfires Used To ‘Sleep’ At Night. Climate Now Makes Them Burn Overtime

"Burning time for North American wildfires is going into overtime. Flames are lasting later into the night and starting earlier in the morning because human-caused climate change is extending the hotter and drier conditions that feed fires, a new study found."

Source: AP, 04/21/2026

Trump Interior Dept. Unveils Emergency Plans For Colorado River

"The Trump administration will pull its emergency levers to head off a major water and power crisis." "Interior said it will cut releases out of one of the river’s two main reservoirs, Lake Powell, to the minimum amount legally allowed — 6 million acre-feet — between now and October."

Source: E&E News, 04/21/2026

Green Group Warns Potomac Is Nation's Most Endangered River

"The Potomac River, otherwise known as “the nation’s river,” has been named the most endangered river in the country, following a massive sewage spill earlier this year and the ongoing buildout of thirsty data centers across the watershed."

Source: Virginia Mercury, 04/21/2026

"Environmental Groups Sue to Block BP’s Plan to Drill in Deep Gulf Waters"

"Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday to stop the British oil giant BP, which operated the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform that exploded in 2010, from starting a new $5 billion drilling project in ultra-deep waters in the Gulf of Mexico."

Source: NYTimes, 04/21/2026

DOJ Files Complaint Against DC And Its Sewage Authority For Massive Spill

"The Justice Department filed a complaint Monday in federal court against the city of Washington, D.C., and its water and sewer authority, seeking financial penalties for their role in a leak that led to millions of gallons of raw sewage spilling into the Potomac River."

Source: AP, 04/21/2026

"At ‘Sloth World’ in Florida, Wild Sloths Have Died by the Dozens"

"On a busy tourist strip in Orlando, behind noisy bars and souvenir shops, 21 sloths in crates reached the end of a grueling international trip. Soon, they would all be dead."

Source: Inside Climate News, 04/17/2026

Most Kids Living Near Omaha Massive Superfund Site Aren’t Tested for Lead

"Public health officials in Omaha, Nebraska, say not enough kids who live near the country’s largest residential lead cleanup site are tested for the metal. Faced with similar crises or concerns, 13 states have passed laws requiring all kids to get a blood test for lead early in life."

Source: Flatwater Free Press, 04/16/2026

"Trump Administration Holds Up NOAA Grant Funding"

"The Trump administration is holding up some National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant funding."

Source: The Hill, 04/15/2026

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