Water & Oceans

Lapses in Enforcement by Trump's EPA May Yield Local Environment Stories

Enforcement has usually been serious business at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Now it seems many pollution laws are going unpoliced. TipSheet explains how the EPA’s own resources can help investigative reporters find violations, track regulatory actions and uncover nationwide patterns of corporate mismanagement.

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Suit Claims Capped Alabama Coal Ash Pond Still Polluting Groundwater

"Coosa Riverkeeper filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Alabama Power, alleging significant groundwater pollution violations from the utility’s Gadsden coal ash pond that has been capped in place since 2018."

Source: Inside Climate News, 07/30/2025

EPA Aims to Kill Bedrock Scientific Finding For Key Climate Rollback

"The proposal is President Trump’s most consequential step yet to derail federal climate efforts and appears to represent a shift toward outright denial of the scientific consensus." 

"Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said on Tuesday the Trump administration would revoke the scientific determination that underpins the government’s legal authority to combat climate change.

Source: NYTimes, 07/30/2025

"Opinion: A Half-Century After ‘Jaws,’ The Truth Is Clear"

"There are few summer traditions more predictable than turning sharks into profit. Fifty years ago, on June 20, 1975, “Jaws” established the template for the modern-day blockbuster, combining mass marketing and high-concept thrills that all but guarantee mega box-office returns. But the film’s lasting power lies in how it transformed a relatively obscure marine predator into a cultural icon and villain that could be used for financial gain."

Source: Washington Post, 07/29/2025

Fishing Groups Push To Delay Protections For Endangered Right Whale To 2035

"A Maine congressman and several commercial fishing groups are getting behind a push to delay rules designed to protect a vanishing species of whale for 10 years. The North Atlantic right whale numbers only about 370 and has declined over the last 15 years."

Source: AP, 07/29/2025

"Senate Spending Bills Take Trump To Task"

"Senate appropriators on Thursday approved a $41.5 billion spending bill to fund the Interior Department and EPA, setting up a showdown with the House and President Donald Trump. The bill represents a bipartisan compromise on the agency budgets, a necessity given the need to attract 60 votes on appropriations measures in the Senate."

Source: E&E News, 07/29/2025

"Denied Federal Flood Relief, A Maryland Town Is Left On Its Own"

"The residents of Westernport, Maryland, overwhelmingly voted for Trump. But after FEMA denied its aid request, the town feels like the president has turned his back on them."

Source: Washington Post, 07/28/2025

"Controversial Interior Department Aide From DOGE to Leave Agency"

"Tyler Hassen, a former Texas oil executive from Elon Musk’s government efficiency team who was given sweeping powers to overhaul the Department of the Interior, is leaving the agency, he confirmed on Friday."

Source: NYTimes, 07/28/2025

Climate Advocates Outraged At Trump Admin Plans To Fast-Track AI Sector

"The Trump administration has unveiled plans to speed the development of the highly polluting artificial intelligence sector, sparking outrage from climate advocates. Rolled out on Wednesday, the 28-page scheme pledges to remove so-called “bureaucratic red tape” and streamline permitting for datacenters, semiconductor manufacturing facilities and fossil fuel infrastructure."

Source: Guardian, 07/28/2025

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