Disasters

"A federal judge on Monday partially ruled that the first Trump administration erred when it weakened aspects of the Endangered Species Act.

The ruling (attached below) was heralded by environmental groups, saying it underscored that “federal agencies must use the best available science when assessing harm to species, they cannot ignore incremental harm to critical habitat, and the agencies must firmly commit to any measures relied upon to reduce harm to imperiled plants and animals.” (Emphasis added—ed.)

"Interior Secretary Doug Burgum can convene the Endangered Species Committee, or “God Squad,” on March 31 to approve the Pentagon’s request to exempt all Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operations from the Endangered Species Act because of national security needs, a judge ruled Friday."

"Home insurance is buckling under climate risk and construction trends. Find out how your state fares."

"The US has caused an eye-watering $10tn in global damages to the world over the past three decades through its vast planet-heating emissions, with a quarter of this economic pain inflicted upon itself, new research has found."

"Crews on Tuesday began evaluating damage from a surprise downpour that sent floodwaters raging through a neighborhood near downtown Honolulu — the latest bout in a series of storms and flooding that have pummeled the state over the past two weeks."

"The Trump administration’s new wildfire agency is taking shape at the Interior Department, coalescing around a mission to prioritize swiftly putting out fires on public lands, even as some experts question that strategy."

"Libyan authorities were towing a Russian tanker drifting in the Mediterranean for the past three weeks, after the vessel was damaged in a suspected sea drone attack, officials said Tuesday."

"A tool thousands of communities at risk for hurricanes use to decide when to evacuate residents is set to expire Friday because the acting Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator has held up its full renewal, according to emails reviewed by The Washington Post, as well as four current and two former officials familiar with the situation."

"The president has approved just 23 percent of blue state requests for disaster aid, compared to 89 percent for red states."

"After smashing March heat records in 14 states and the U.S. as a whole, the gigantic heat dome that’s baked the Southwest is creeping eastward and may end up being one of the most expansive heat waves in American history, meteorologists and weather historians said."