Washington, DC -- The Trump administration is rolling back safety standards for trains carrying highly explosive materials such as oil. The rule, established by the Obama administration, came after a number of deadly and dangerous explosions from such trains in the US and Canada, including the Mosier, Oregon fire which forced the evacuation of nearly the entire town and the Lac Megantic disaster, which killed 47 people and resulted in the destruction of more than 30 buildings.
In a notice to be published to the Federal Register tomorrow, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will finalize a one-year delay of a rule designed to limit methane pollution from oil and gas operations on public lands. The rule has already withstood legal attack from industry, as well as an attempted repeal in Congress.
Downingtown, Pennsylvania on Tuesday became the 52nd municipality in the country to commit to transition to 100 percent clean and renewable energy.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection again waived its opportunity to review the water quality impacts of a fracked gas pipeline, this time with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Washington, DC -- Today, Politico reported that the Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector General will establish a “factual record” regarding Scott Pruitt’s meeting with the National Mining Association, investigating whether he violated anti-lobbying laws.
Today, Goleta, California became the 51st city in the country to commit to transition to 100 percent clean and renewable energy.
On Tuesday evening, the Buncombe County Commission voted to commit to transition to 100 percent clean and renewable energy for all municipal operations by 2030 and countywide by 2042.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Interior Secretary Zinke finally released full recommendations for the future of the country’s national monuments. The recommendations follow a sham review by Secretary Zinke and call for reductions to Gold Butte and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monuments, while recommending a rollback of protections for six of other monuments, opening them to destructive resource extraction.
Northern California, Southern Oregon-- Today, Secretary of the Interior Zinke released recommendations to drastically cut the boundaries of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.The Cascade-Siskiyou Monument is home to a vast diversity of wildlife and plant species. The decision comes after the Department of the Interior received more than 2.8 million public comments-- of which 98% of people urged for their current and future protection. The recommendation adds to the single biggest attack on public lands and wildlife in America’s history.
Las Vegas, NV-- Today, Sec. of the Interior Zinke unveiled his appalling National Monuments recommendation for Gold Butte National Monument. His calls for a shrinking of Gold Butte National Monument-- leaving the land vulnerable for more development-- changes that will damage this unique and irreplaceable landscape.