Here’s What Climate Change Is Doing to the West
A wildfire burns in Medford, Ore.Usfs/Planet Pix/Zuma This story was originally published by High Country News and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The complexity of climate change means it’s hard to trace simple lines from cause to effect in daily life, much less plan for the future. That’s one reason the federal government updates its…
Cory Booker’s New Bill Has a “Snowball’s Chance in Hell” of Passing
Mel Evans/AP This story was originally published by CityLab and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. On October 23, Senator Cory Booker, one of the members of Congress most capable of harnessing bipartisan cooperation, introduced the Environmental Justice Act of 2017, which was devoid of one Republican sponsor. If passed, the bill would force the federal government to…
Rebuilding Puerto Rico Will Cost $95 Billion, Says Island’s Governor
Andrea Booher/Planet Pix/ZUMA Wire Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said Monday that the territory will need $94.4 billion to recover from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. That’s a staggering figure for an island already struggling to make payments on its outstanding debt of more than $70 billion and nearly $50 billion in unfunded pension obligations. “The scale…
The Republican Tax Plan Is an Assault on Renewable Energy
Solar energy companies don’t fare much better. The House GOP plan would also repeal the Investment Tax Credit for big solar projects that start construction after 2027. House Republicans also propose eliminating the $7,500 credit for electric vehicle purchases, which analysts say “could cripple the emerging EV market.” Along with the proposed changed to the…
We Now Know Just How Bad the Flint Water Crisis Was for Pregnant Women
A Flint resident holds up a bottle of the city’s water along with hair pulled from her drain.Molly Riley/AP This story was originally published by The Atlantic and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. When the city of Flint, Michigan, temporarily switched its water source to the Flint River in 2014, it didn’t treat the water…
“We Didn’t Have to Suffer Like That”: Inside a Texas Prison During Hurricane Harvey
Mother Jones Illustration; Bruno Monteny/Getty; kodda/Getty In late August, Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the southeast Texas coast bringing with it extreme winds and dropping more than four feet of rain across Houston and the surrounding area. The catastrophic flooding caused thousands to evacuate, including many state prisoners who were moved to drier and safer facilities elsewhere…