"Environmentalists on Monday sued the Interior Department over its temporary appointments of top officials to positions that typically require a Senate confirmation."
A long-standing law designed to protect public information about environmental impacts is facing an unfavorable overhaul, while a proposal dictating how EPA uses scientific findings in its rulings is nearing finalization. WatchDog has those items, plus how states are using the COVID-19 pandemic to restrict press and more.
For reporters investigating the coronavirus-environment connection, you might look to the untreated sewage that can sometimes overflow municipal systems during wet weather, possibly bringing the novel pathogen to beaches and other places where people can get sick from it. The latest TipSheet takes a look at the reality, plus provides story ideas and reporter resources.
"President Trump in recent weeks has sought to block or downplay information about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic as he urges a return to normalcy and the rekindling of an economy that has been devastated by public health restrictions aimed at mitigating the outbreak."
"New York City has suspended its composting program because of the coronavirus. Here’s an alternative that’s easy, clean and good for the climate."
"William Perry Pendley will serve for at least another month as acting director of the Bureau of Land Management, despite activist groups warning Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to expect a lawsuit should he extend Pendley’s assignment running the agency."
"Dr. Rick Bright, the ousted director of the office involved in developing a coronavirus vaccine, formally filed an extensive whistleblower complaint Tuesday alleging his early warnings about the coronavirus were ignored and that his caution at a treatment favored by President Donald Trump led to his removal."
"Local governments outside the U.S. have long been pressuring insurance companies to sever ties with fossil fuels, and the issue is starting to gain some traction domestically."
"Environmentalists are questioning spending by wildlife managers who oversee a conservation effort for the lesser prairie chicken after money was used on a building and salaries rather than on projects to help the bird."
The story of Smokey’s 420, mom-and-pop pot shop that’s taken a more environmental perspective. Plus, why the explosion in the infant business legal cannabis could be bad news for the environment, if left largely unregulated.
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