Environmental Politics

"The US Department of Health and Human Services has launched a “massive testing and research effort” involving hundreds of scientists worldwide that will determine “what has caused the autism epidemic” by September, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday. But experts expressed doubt that the research would be done in good faith, given Kennedy’s history of linking autism and vaccines despite strong evidence that the two are not connected."

"A conservation group on Wednesday named the Mississippi River the “most endangered river of 2025,” citing threats to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which plays a key role in federal flood management."

"The cement industry has set ambitious goals to cut its carbon footprint. But as federal funding dries up, its path to a greener future is less clear."

"For years, the U.S. Justice Department has worked to unravel a global hacking campaign that targeted prominent American climate activists. Now, public tax filings reviewed by NPR reveal an unexpected link between the company that allegedly commissioned the attacks and some of the victims."

"The 12206 ZIP code, which encompasses West Hill, Beverwyck and Upper Washington Avenue, has one of the state's highest concentrations of childhood lead poisoning."

"The chemical manufacturing company that has publicly touted its products, business strategies and chemistries in ad campaigns aimed at polishing its image will further harm North Carolinians if it is successful in keeping thousands of pages of documents sealed in court, environmental organizations argue."

"The Trump administration is moving to rescind two key Biden-era rules finalized by the Bureau of Land Management last year that advanced protections for millions of acres across the West and Alaska’s North Slope."

"EPA appealed Wednesday a federal judge’s order that prevents the agency from blocking $20 billion in climate grants, escalating a legal squabble over the frozen Biden-era money."

"The National Weather Service is preparing for the probability that fewer forecast updates will be fine-tuned by specialists, among other cutbacks, because of “severe shortages” of meteorologists and other employees, according to an internal agency document."

"The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed a major change to how threatened species are considered in agency actions by removing regulatory language that seeks to prevent their habitats from being degraded."