Environmental Protection Agency

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A Landmark Climate Rule Is Being Eliminated

EPA is poised to roll back key 2009 basis for tougher emissions rules

(Newser) - The EPA is expected to revoke a landmark rule on climate emissions in the coming days that would remove limits on greenhouse gases from power plants and cars. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal report that the agency is poised to scrap a 2009 "endangerment finding"...

EPA Making Big Change on Air Pollution Standards

Agency plans to stop factoring in human ailments and deaths, reports the New York Times

(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to change how it weighs the impact of dirty air—by no longer putting a dollar figure on many of the lives it could save, reports the New York Times . The newspaper describes the move as a "seismic shift" that may make it...

Some Airlines Serve Potentially Unsafe H2O
You May Want to Skip the
Coffee, Tea on Your Next Flight
in case you missed it
Jan 11, 2026 2:25 PM CST

You May Want to Skip the Coffee, Tea on Your Next Flight

Research reveals that airline drinking water has become a public health issue

(Newser) - Next time you reach for a cup of coffee at 30,000 feet, you might want to think twice. The nonprofit Center for Food as Medicine & Longevity analyzed more than 35,000 onboard water samples from 10 major and 11 regional US airlines over a three-year stretch and concluded...

EPA Wants to Strip Protections From 85% of Wetlands

Areas with intermittent and ephemeral streams could soon be open for development

(Newser) - The Trump administration on Monday proposed a sharp rollback of federal protections for wetlands, rivers, and other waterways, a move that could remove safeguards from most wetlands around the country and potentially affect drinking water sources for millions of Americans. The proposed rule would limit the Environmental Protection Agency's...

US Goes Big on Coal With Rescue Plan

Trump administration plans $625M investment, will make it easier to mine

(Newser) - The White House unveiled a sweeping package Monday aimed at revitalizing the nation's coal industry, a move that leans into President Trump's rejection of climate change concerns . Highlights:
  • Federal officials pledged $625 million to modernize aging coal plants, which should allow some that would have otherwise closed
...

Wildfire Smoke Poised to Be Top Climate Health Threat

Study notes tens of thousands of annual deaths from smoke exposure, with more harm expected

(Newser) - A new study forecasts that wildfire smoke will become the leading climate-related health hazard in the United States, eclipsing risks like extreme heat by midcentury. The analysis estimates that smoke is already responsible for upward of 41,000 excess deaths annually—a figure more than double previous estimates. Researchers...

EPA Moves to Rescind a Major Key in Climate Regulation

'Endangerment finding' from 2009 found greenhouse gases were toxic to public health

(Newser) - President Trump's administration on Tuesday proposed revoking a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for US action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. The proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule rescinds a 2009 declaration that determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger...

EPA's Zeldin: We're Ditching Our Research Arm

Agency is getting rid of its R&D office, starting mass layoffs of thousands overall

(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it's eliminating its main science arm and reducing agency staff by thousands. The agency's Office of Research and Development has long provided the scientific underpinnings for its mission to protect the environment and human health. The EPA, which in May said it...

EPA's Lab Animals Going Up for Adoption

Critics blame funding cuts, administration cites animal welfare concerns

(Newser) - The EPA is launching a new program allowing the adoption of some of its 20,000 lab animals as the agency faces major staffing and research cuts under the Trump administration. The plan to have staff members adopt animals including zebrafish and rats from an EPA lab in North...

139 EPA Employees Who Voiced 'Dissent' Are Put on Leave

They were accused of 'unlawfully undermining' the Trump administration's agenda

(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday put on administrative leave 139 employees who signed a "declaration of dissent" against its policies, accusing them of "unlawfully undermining" the Trump administration's agenda. In a letter made public Monday, the employees wrote that the agency is no longer living up...

EPA Employees Object to Trump's Policies

Around 200 staff members sign letter listing 5 actions they consider harmful

(Newser) - Around 200 employees of the Environmental Protection Agency have signed a declaration of dissent detailing their opposition to President Trump's policies and the dangers they see in his actions. Retired employees and scientists and academics who don't work for the agency, including 20 Nobel laureates, also signed the...

EPA Rolls Back Biden-Era Limits on Forever Chemicals in Water

We'll 'work to provide common-sense flexibility in the form of additional time for compliance,' says Zeldin

(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it plans to weaken limits on some so-called forever chemicals in drinking water that were finalized last year, while maintaining standards for two common ones. The Biden administration set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, finding...

Report: Feds Are Killing Off Energy Star

Program to certify energy-efficient appliances has saved consumers around $500B since 1992

(Newser) - The popular Energy Star program has saved consumers hundreds of billions of dollars since it was introduced in 1992, but sources say the Trump administration is preparing to kill it off. The program, a public-private partnership, certifies energy-efficient appliances, helping consumers reduce energy costs. The program is part of the...

Trump Calls for $163B in Cuts Next Year

President also wants to increase defense spending

(Newser) - President Trump unveiled a 2026 budget plan on Friday that calls for sweeping cuts to federal programs and an increase in defense spending. Some key highlights follow, though the Wall Street Journal offers a reminder that any presidential blueprint is largely a "symbolic wish list" meant to lay out...

Trump Orders Federal Agencies to 'Sunset' Green Protections

President's executive order decries 'an energy landscape perpetually trapped in the 1970s'

(Newser) - Federal agencies like the EPA, Department of Energy, and Fish and Wildlife Service have received their mandate from the top: It's time to let go of a slew of environmental protections. On Wednesday evening, President Trump signed an executive order that directed agencies tied to energy and environmental guidance...

FBI: Habitat for Humanity Among Groups Under Investigation

As well as other organizations that received Biden-era grants

(Newser) - Sources say the FBI, under the direction of the Trump administration, is moving to criminalize organizations that received Biden-era climate grants. In court filings Wednesday, Citibank said that the FBI, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Treasury Department requested that the accounts of some nonprofits and state government agencies be...

EPA Chief Announces Historic 'Day of Deregulation'

Climate scientists object as Zeldin says changes will cut the cost of living and help business

(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced the repeal of dozens of protections—including rules concerning air and water pollution and wetlands—in what Administrator Lee Zeldin called "the most consequential day of deregulation in American history." Zeldin revealed the actions in a series of news releases and...

EPA Chief Wants to Claw Back $20B in Grants

Clean energy advocates say attempt to rescind 'green bank' grants is illegal

(Newser) - In a major reversal, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency says he will try to rescind $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects. In a video posted on X , Administrator Lee Zeldin says the EPA would revoke contracts for a still-emerging...

Senate Confirms EPA Pick With a Mandate From Trump

Lee Zeldin is to pursue deregulation, higher energy production

(Newser) - Lee Zeldin, President Trump's choice to run the Environmental Protection Agency and throw out many of the regulations it enforces, was confirmed Wednesday by the Senate. The vote was 56 to 42. Zeldin, who doesn't have much experience in environmental regulation, said during his confirmation hearing that he...

EPA Throws Hammer Down on 2 Toxic Chemicals

Full ban announced for TCE, partial ban of dry-cleaning staple perc—both tied to various cancers

(Newser) - Bans of two toxic chemicals first proposed last year have finally come to fruition. On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency barred the use of trichloroethylene (aka TCE) and perchloroethylene, also referred to as perc—both solvents used in consumer products and industrial settings and that have been tied to various...

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