"State agencies on Wednesday issued key permits for the controversial Line 5 tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac, concluding the project’s benefits outweigh drawbacks that include disruption to Native American burial sites and harm to wetlands and rare species."
"Gas prices are still elevated, making the gap between fueling a conventional car and an electric vehicle more striking."
"The Trump administration has green-lighted plans for a road through 10 miles of wilderness lands in Alaska, despite pending litigation from environmentalists who say it would destroy sensitive wetlands and prime migratory bird habitat." "Residents of a remote coastal community have long sought the gravel road, which is opposed by environmentalists who say it will destroy important migratory bird habitat."
"The Justice Department subpoenaed several New York Times reporters on Friday to testify about their reporting, the latest instance of federal officials taking the unusually aggressive step of demanding that journalists appear before grand juries." "The Times confirmed that the reporters received the subpoenas, saying that in some instances, federal agents showed up to the reporters’ homes to deliver the legal demands."
"The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it is proposing to loosen requirements for pollution controls that rein in emissions from heavy duty trucks." "The administration said the technical changes are expected to allow for more flexibility for truck companies, when compared to a Biden-era rule."
"On a warm summer morning, two fire officials navigate an SUV along a narrow road that switchbacks high into the hills above the town of Fairfax, California, where thickets of trees conceal hundreds of homes. When the road dead-ends, they head back down through the same hairpin turns, pointing out where a wildfire would roar into the path of fleeing vehicles."
"Tour de France riders are set to face scorching conditions as a new heatwave sweeps through the country, with temperatures around Carcassonne, where Tuesday's fourth stage begins, forecast to reach 41 degrees Celsius (106 Fahrenheit)."
The spike in prices at the pump in recent months, thanks largely to the U.S.’s war with Iran, offers energy and environment reporters numerous local reporting angles, writes the latest TipSheet. A quick perspective and backstory, then more than a dozen story ideas to pursue, smart questions to ask and useful reporting resources to tap.
"President Donald Trump on Friday pardoned 11 people, including a former business partner of Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and nine people identified by the White House as having helped people bypass emissions control systems on vehicles."
"Research suggests 41,800 premature US deaths in 2024 were attributable to road pollution"
