"In one of the nation’s poorest towns, the mayor and others are planning to build a solar installation, a weatherization resource center, and a gleaming new resilience hub."
The Freedom of Information Act is a key tool for environmental journalists, but firings at many federal agencies’ FOIA offices threaten to seriously undermine it. That’s the warning from WatchDog Opinion, which points to dire implications for the free flow of information on public health and environmental health threats. A look at what’s at stake and what some are doing to keep FOIA alive.
Even as U.S. government agencies rush to wipe climate change information (or even the mention of the word climate) from their websites, others are racing to reconstruct lost data elsewhere. Case in point is a rescued database on climate risks preserved by The Guardian. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox has more on the preserved database and how best to use it.
"The cancellation of a meeting of top advisors to the agency’s scientific research arm, with no explanation or plans to reschedule, signals bad news for public health and the environment, say former advisors."
"The president’s suite of executive orders to decimate environmental regulations will propel his administration into court."
"The Trump administration wants to effectively break up NOAA and end its climate work by abolishing its primary research office and forcing the agency to help boost U.S. fossil fuel production, budget documents show."
Next week, hundreds of environmental journalists are expected to gather in Arizona for #SEJ2025, the Society of Environmental Journalists’ expansive annual conference. Co-chair Kendal Blust has highlights of the four-day event, plus how the challenges facing the Southwest are those of communities across the United States, and why now is a critical time for journalists to come together. Read her rundown and register now, before the April 16 midnight deadline.
"President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management has withdrawn from consideration."
"Sean Donahue’s nomination to lead the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of General Counsel advanced on a party-line vote despite Donahue lacking basic legal experience like taking a deposition or drafting a pleading."
