Waste

EPA Enforcement Falls to Record Low Under Trump 2.0

The enforcement of environmental laws suffered a dramatic collapse during the Trump administration’s first year, several studies have found. Even the most serious violations, typically referred to the Department of Justice, are left unpursued because of DOJ staffing declines. The latest Backgrounder has the details, a look at the administration’s rationale for the decline and the implications for the environment and public health.

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Trump Approves Federal Emergency Declaration For Potomac River Sewage Spill

"Donald Trump approved a federal emergency declaration Saturday related to a sewer main break north of Washington DC that threatens to put a stink on the US’s 250th anniversary celebrations in the US capital this summer."

Source: Guardian, 02/23/2026

"Trash Piles Up In Havana As US Oil Chokehold Halts Garbage Trucks"

"Garbage has begun to pile up on street corners in the Cuban capital of Havana, attracting hordes of flies and reeking of rotten food, in one of the most visible impacts of the U.S. bid to prevent oil from reaching the Caribbean's largest island."

Source: Reuters, 02/17/2026

"Conservation Groups File Appeal Challenging Colorado CAFO Water Permits"

"Colorado officials are failing to require legally mandated water quality monitoring near concentrated animal feeding operations, allowing for widespread water contamination with animal waste, conservation groups allege in a new legal challenge to the state."

Source: The New Lede, 02/12/2026

TVA Says It Now Doesn’t Want To Close Two Coal-Fired Plants

"The nation’s largest public utility says it now would prefer to keep operating two coal-fired power plants it had planned to shutter, changing course before a meeting of its board, which has a majority of members picked by the coal-friendly Trump administration."

Source: AP, 02/11/2026

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