Trump-Linked Lobbyist Brian Ballard Is Now Pushing Coronavirus-Related Products
For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.Washington, even when shut down by coronavirus, is still Washington. And K Street, even remotely, is open for business, selling help to firms seeking stimulus money or approval for products related to the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, this means that some of the characters in…
“An Open License to Pollute”: The EPA Has Halted Enforcement Due to COVID-19
Ron Sachs/CNP via ZUMA For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones’ newsletters.In a wildly cynical turn of events, the Environmental Protection Agency has decided to broadly waive environmental law because of the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, the EPA’s head of enforcement Susan Bodine sent a letter to “All Governmental and…
The Trump Administration Is Enshrining Its Anti-Science Policy in the Midst of an Epidemic
Ron Sachs/CNP via ZUMA As more states learned they have rising numbers of confirmed cases of coronavirus Tuesday evening—now 16 states report at least 135 cases—the EPA made an important announcement: The agency is moving closer to finalizing a policy for restricting what health studies it can consider for any of the EPA’s scientific work. That…
Racist Policies in Urban Neighborhoods Have Created Deadly “Heat Islands”
slobo/iStock/Getty This piece was originally published in The Guardian and appears here as part of our Climate Desk Partnership. Deadly urban heatwaves disproportionately affect underserved neighborhoods because of the legacy of racist housing policies which have denied African Americans home ownership and basic public services, a landmark new study has found. Extreme heat kills hundreds of people…
Trump’s Latest Environmental Rollback Is a Middle Finger to Common Sense
The proposal would be the first major update to the law in more than four decades. The rules are certain to face legal challenges. NEPA has long been a target of industry groups, developers and Republican lawmakers who say it places unnecessary burdens on business and is used as a tool to block and delay…
A New Trump Rule Would Fast-Track Oil Pipelines Without Consideration of Climate Change
Environmental groups gather at the Capitol to oppose oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in October 2017. Tom Williams/AP The Trump administration will soon make it easier for projects like oil pipelines and highways to get federal approval regardless of their environmental risks and effects on climate change, according to the New…