"The toxic smoke from the fires, combined with disruption to the economy, health care system, and mental health may lead to thousands of deaths over the coming years."
"President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for interior secretary told a Senate panel Thursday the U.S. can leverage development of fossil fuels and other energy sources to promote world peace and voiced concerns about the reliability of renewable power sources promoted under the Biden administration."
"President-elect Trump’s pick for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, Lee Zeldin, appears poised to be able to carry out the significant level of climate and environmental deregulation Trump has indicated he plans to pursue after a Thursday hearing moved him toward his likely confirmation."
"Toyota’s heavy-duty trucking unit was fined $1.6 billion on Wednesday over fraudulent emissions testing and other violations."
"The Biden administration announced $22.4 billion in loans for eight U.S. utilities across 12 states on Thursday, in what may be the swan song for an Inflation Reduction Act program aimed at cutting carbon emissions and energy bills by helping build and retrofit power plants and bolster the grid."
Many journalists can’t imagine themselves writing an opinion piece, but veteran reporter Tim Wheeler suggests they reconsider. With public distrust of news media mounting and government willingness to inform plummeting, Wheeler says it’s more important than ever for journalists to explain what they do and why it matters. Advice and an annotated example: How to put on the opinion writer’s hat.
"A billionaire couple was accused of withholding water that could help stop Los Angeles’ massive wildfires. Democratic leadership was blamed for fire hydrants running dry and for an empty reservoir. Firefighters were criticized for allegedly using “women’s handbags” to fight the fires. Those are just a few of the false or misleading claims that have emerged amid general criticism about California’s water management sparked by the fierce Los Angeles fires."
"Twelve Texas counties have recently exceeded federal air quality standards for particulate matter, commonly known as soot. But Texas environmental regulators are proposing that only four of them be required to take action to improve their air quality."
"Landlords and real estate agencies are jacking up the rent on houses as demand outstrips supply in fire-torn LA."
"House Republicans are eying a process called reconciliation to boost oil and gas drilling, and approve specific mining projects, which would only require a simple majority for passage."
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