WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Donald Trump gave into pressure from the American people and signed a bill for desperately needed disaster recovery money after holding it up in an attempt to gain funding for his unpopular border wall. The bill will deliver much needed funds for Puerto Rico and other climate impacted areas across the United States. The bill will also extend of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) -- the single largest source of flood insurance that protects five million American households that are located in flood plains.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- This morning, in an interview with Piers Morgan on the show “Good Morning Britain” following Donald Trump’s meeting with Charles, Prince of Wales, Donald Trump stated “I believe that there’s a change in weather, and I think it changes both ways.”
Yesterday, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration is going to new lengths to hide the severity and urgency of the climate crisis from the American public. The U.S. Geological Survey will begin to limit how far into the future it projects the impact of climate change in its reports. Additionally, the next National Climate Assessment (NCA), an interagency report that examines the impact of climate change, will no longer include worst-case scenario projections. At the same time Trump is gutting the NCA’s data, he is creating a new panel staffed by extreme climate deniers in attempts to undermine it entirely.
Recently reported by E&E and Nature, the Environmental Protection Agency is zeroing out funding for a network of research centers focused on environmental threats to kids, leaving several ongoing studies about the impacts of pollution on child development in limbo.
Yesterday, the Trump Administration released an updated 2020 budget proposal after the original proposal received sharp criticism for it’s deep cuts to dedicated programs that protect the Great Lakes and other iconic bodies of water across the country.
The Trump Organization is facing $2.1 million a year in fines by New York City beginning in 2030 for excessive climate-disrupting emissions from its buildings, including Trump Tower.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo celebrated the climate crisis during the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting, stating, “Steady reductions in sea ice are opening new passageways and new opportunities for trade.” Last week, the Trump administration tried to remove any mention of climate change from the Arctic Council’s declaration, and when asked on Sunday about how he would rank the climate crisis among national security threats, Pompeo reportedly said, “I can’t rank it.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On the heels of his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Mueller report on the Trump Administration’s attempts to obstruct justice, today Attorney General William Barr declined to show up for the House Judiciary Committee hearing. In yesterday’s Senate hearing, Barr acknowledged that he had barely read the report before releasing his summary. Report author, Robert Mueller, in a letter to Barr, took issue with Barr’s summary stating that Barr’s summary misreported the findings and confused the nation.
Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives -- led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Select Committee Chair Kathy Castor --will vote on the first piece of major climate legislation in nearly 10 years. The bill, H.R. 9 or the Climate Action Now Act, will reaffirm the United States’ commitment to the landmark Paris Agreement by prohibiting the Trump administration from spending any money on withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and requiring the administration to produce a plan for meeting our international commitments.
Montana — Late Friday, a federal judge ruled that the Trump Administration’s Interior Department illegally lifted the moratorium placed on new coal mining leases on public lands. Sierra Club challenged the Interior Department’s 2017 action along with Center for Biological Diversity, Citizens for Clean Energy, Defenders of Wildlife, EcoCheyene, Montana Environmental Information Center, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, and WildEarth Guardians -- all represented by Earthjustice.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Attorney General Barr released redacted versions of the Mueller report to Congress and to the public. Even with these redactions, the report reveals new details about Donald Trump’s actions and gives Congress the power to continue the investigation which includes subpoenaing Barr and bringing Special Counsel Robert Mueller in to testify. Mueller was unable to conclude that Trump did not obstruct justice.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Attorney General Barr released a summary of the Mueller report that raised further questions about Donald Trump’s actions. Barr has a public record of bias against the Special Counsel’s inquiry, having sent a memo to the Department of Justice arguing that the Special Counsel’s investigation into obstruction of justice was “fatally misconceived,” less than a year ago and prior to his nomination to be Attorney General.