"The Trump administration’s method of keeping the controversial acting head of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in power even after his nomination is withdrawn is likely not legal, according to experts who have reviewed the orders."
As Democratic and Republican parties plan their nominating conventions beginning next week amid a pandemic and a recession, it’s instructive to examine the state of thinking about a “green recovery.” Backgrounder looks at the politicking and policies behind the notion that a massive clean energy plan could be good not just for addressing climate change, but also the economy.
"David Vela's short tenure as acting director of the National Park Service ended abruptly today [Friday]."
"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a major employee union signed an agreement Thursday after years of disputes."
"A $1 billion project to harness carbon dioxide emissions from a Texas coal plant suffered chronic mechanical problems and routinely missed its targets before it was shut down this year, according to a U.S. Department of Energy report."
"The federal government isn’t set up to help communities move from one place to another in response to climate change threats, the Government Accountability Office said in a report Wednesday."
"How did it come to this? A virus a thousand times smaller than a dust mote has humbled and humiliated the planet’s most powerful nation. America has failed to protect its people, leaving them with illness and financial ruin. It has lost its status as a global leader. It has careened between inaction and ineptitude. The breadth and magnitude of its errors are difficult, in the moment, to truly fathom."
"The utility behind a $61 million anti-climate bribery scheme is trying to buy public officials across the country, a HEATED investigation shows."
"William Perry Pendley pushed rhetoric, legal arguments, and policies that sought to deprive Indigenous people of their rights."
"Earlier this month, when the Trump administration told hospitals to send crucial data about coronavirus cases and intensive care capacity to a new online system, it promised the change would be worth it. ... Instead, the public data hub created under the new system is updated erratically and is rife with inconsistencies and errors, data analysts say."
