"New agreement cuts vaquita's protected area by 86%. Gov't says smaller area will help fishermen.
Only 7 to 10 vaquitas left in Gulf of California."
"The EPA administrator is visiting battleground districts and states in the runup to the midterm elections. Are the trips for policy or politics?"
"The USDA has received more applications for forest aid than it can pay out, leaving Michigan landowners in limbo after a historic ice storm."
"Hundreds of imperiled species, including North Atlantic right whales and rusty patched bumble bees, could face greater threats from industry and development."
There’s a long history of hunting and fishing in the federal refuge and hatchery system. But the Trump administration has now thrown the doors wide, opening millions of acres in hundreds of locales across much of the country. TipSheet examines what’s missing in this dramatic policy shift, and offers insights and resources for reporting on the impact on the nearest refuge to you.
"After 20 months of chaos, many U.S. scientists are hoping the results of the 3 November midterm elections will lead to changes in some of the White House policies they find most objectionable. But policy experts say there’s no guarantee that Democrats, even if they regain control of one or both chambers of Congress, will achieve meaningful boosts in federal support for research or an end to political interference by President Donald Trump’s administration."
"President Trump's new executive order allowing the use of red-dyed diesel on highways is aimed at lowering costs for truckers and farmers grappling with diesel prices that remain near record highs. But experts say they are skeptical that the order could deliver sweeping savings."
"An 18-year veteran of the US Department of the Interior has resigned in protest from the sprawling federal agency, denouncing “a deeply troubling assault on the rule of the law” that took place at the department under Donald Trump."
"John Evich, a commercial fisherman in Washington and Alaska, has voted for President Donald Trump three times, viewing him as someone who would fight for his industry. But these days, Evich is weary of the high cost of doing business at sea, with fuel prices rising and trade hostilities with Canada jeopardizing markets for the crabs that he pulls off the ocean floor."
"The leaders of the Chesapeake Bay cleanup have officially missed another deadline for achieving their nutrient-reduction targets needed to meet the estuary’s water-quality goals — the third time that’s happened in as many tries."
