“In November, the Keystone pipeline spilled roughly 210,000 gallons of bitumin from tar sands in northeast South Dakota, a spill that came on the heels of other spills on that same line in 2016 and 2011. Separately, in October, an accident at a TransCanada meter station in Ohio killed a maintenance worker following a leak of pressurized gas that did not ignite.” More …
Environment
Trump administration plan to scrap hunting rules condemned as ‘new low’
“The Trump administration is attempting to repeal a rule that bans the shooting of bear cubs, use of dogs and bait to hunt bears, and killing caribou from motorboats in Alaska’s federal wildlife refuges.” More …
White House, EPA headed off chemical pollution study
“Scott Pruitt’s EPA and the White House sought to block publication of a federal health study on a nationwide water-contamination crisis, after one Trump administration aide warned it would cause a “public relations nightmare,” newly disclosed emails reveal.” More …
Trump White House Cancels NASA Research Verifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions
“The White House has mounted a broad attack on climate science, repeatedly proposing cuts to NASA’s earth science budget, including the Carbon Monitoring System, and cancellations of climate missions such as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3 (OCO-3).” More …
EPA vs. Dept of Interior
“As Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt faces a seemingly endless stream of scandal, his team is scrambling to divert the spotlight to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.” More …
Scott Pruitt ousted EPA science advisers. Now he’s going after the science itself.
“Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt signed a new directive aimed at increasing transparency in science. The announcement poses a fundamental challenge to the agency’s work as a regulator by instituting new restrictions on the scientific findings used by the EPA.” More …
Dept. of Interior Ignores Booming Recreation Economy and Opens Public Land for Oil and Gas
“Last week the Interior Department issued a new policy streamlining oil and gas drilling on federal public land by cutting back on opportunities for the public to review and comment on leasing proposals and making environmental reviews optional.” More …
For Scott Walker and Wisconsin GOP, Business Comes Before Environment
“The changes in Wisconsin have wide-ranging implications for the public — from fewer protections for lakes, streams and wetlands to less money spent on recycling programs, state parks and public land purchases.” More …
Drilling Reawakens Sleeping Faults in Texas, Leads to Earthquakes
“For 300 million years faults showed no activity, and then wastewater injections from oil and gas wells came along.” More …
Walruses Face ‘Death Sentence’ as Trump Administration Fails to List Them As Endangered
“Fish and Wildlife Service decides Pacific walrus may be able to adapt to loss of sea ice and is unlikely to be seen as endangered ‘in the foreseeable future’.” More…