"Levels in Lakes Mead and Powell have not been so low since 1957, underscoring a water crisis that plagues seven states that rely on the Colorado River."
"A POLITICO analysis finds that while the administration wiped out hundreds of billions in clean-energy tax breaks, spending has been harder to unwind."
"Research shows heat amplifies the dangers of pesticides for farmworkers, and that the problem is poised to grow as the global climate warms."
"Washington state will impose a fire-resistant building code in high-risk areas. Wildfire-prone areas are being excluded, some say."
"The Trump administration is defending a flood policy imposed by the Biden administration and supported by environmental groups against efforts by Republican-led states to overturn it in court."
"The Trump administration has paused all border barrier construction work at Big Bend National Park, after a flurry of videos showing bulldozers marring the protected landscape drove a furious backlash."
"For decades, communities have relied on the agency's cancer risk estimates to hold polluters accountable. This year, it's missing."
If you’ve been pondering what recent Cyclospora, Legionella and Ebola outbreaks tell us about the state of preparedness for future pandemics, Backgrounder has some sobering insights. A reminder of the uneven response to COVID-19 and a look forward at how current Trump administration policy has weakened public health structures and likely left us unready for what’s ahead.
"Indigenous Xinca villagers burn plastic to dispose of it and stoke cooking fires, unwittingly exposing themselves, their children and environment to deadly pollutants. An ambitious project aims to change that."
"A massive new gas plant in Texas will be built with much less efficient technology than regular gas plants. It’s far from the only data center power project to rely on dirty turbines."
