Environmental Politics

"The Biden administration this week restored Obama-era farmworker protections from pesticides that were rolled back under the Trump administration."

"The amount of rain that Tropical Storm Helene unleashed over North Carolina was so intense, no amount of preparation could have entirely prevented the destruction that ensued. But decisions made by state officials in the years leading up to Helene most likely made some of that damage worse, according to experts in building standards and disaster resilience."

"As residents of western North Carolina piece together their lives following Hurricane Helene, few will be able to rely on federal flood insurance to help them rebuild."

"President Biden on Wednesday signed legislation exempting semiconductor manufacturing facilities from environmental reviews — despite objections from some Democrats and green activists who have expressed concerns about the potential for toxic waste."

"Democrats are deploying climate arguments against Republican Rick Scott in the state’s contentious Senate race."

"JD Vance and Tim Walz on Tuesday both avoided talking about the main cause of global warming that is powering the kind of violent weather that struck the Southeast this week: the burning of fossil fuels."

"Tommy Beaudreau, who served as the Interior Department’s No. 2 official before stepping down last year, violated federal ethics rules by failing to monitor his investments in oil companies and recuse himself from a related matter, the agency’s internal watchdog said in a report released Tuesday."

"When President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris appeared together at a rally for union members in Pittsburgh earlier this month, Harris opened her speech with a nod to the industrial legacy of a city in a key swing state for the presidential election."

"The Federal Trade Commission said on Monday that it would let the oil giant Chevron acquire Hess but that the chief executive of Hess would not be allowed to join Chevron’s board because of how he communicated with leaders of OPEC."

"U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will travel on Wednesday to North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to assess the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene in the southeastern U.S. which has killed at least 140 people."