Protesters disrupt U.S. panel’s fossil fuels pitch at climate talks – “It’s ludicrous for Trump officials to claim that they want to clean up fossil fuels, while dismantling standards that would do just that”

By Jonathan Watts 10 December 2018 Katowice, Poland (The Guardian) – A Trump administration presentation extolling the virtues of fossil fuels at the UN climate talks in Poland has been met with guffaws of laughter and chants of “Shame on you”.Monday’s protest came during a panel discussion by the official US delegation, which used its […]

Trump administration replaces academics on National Park Service advisory panel with business executives and big Republican donors

By Dino Grandoni and Juliet Eilperin 6 December 2018 (The Washington Post) – Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has resurrected a federally chartered board that advises the National Park Service with his own appointees, nearly a year after most of its former members resigned in frustration. [cf. Nearly all members of U.S. National Park Service advisory […]

Bulldozers soon to plow through National Butterfly Center for Trump’s border wall – “That should be an affront to all Americans”

By Silvia Foster-Frau 6 December 2018 (San Antonio Express News) – Bulldozers are expected to soon plow through the protected habitat of the National Butterfly Center along the Rio Grande to clear the way for President Trump’s border wall, which got a green light from the Supreme Court this week. [cf. National Butterfly Center issues […]

Trump administration attacks landmark environmental rules – “An unprecedented rollback of Clean Water Act protections”

By Ellen Knickmeyer 7 December 2018 WASHINGTON (AP) – One after another, landmark U.S. protections for climate, air and land are in the crosshairs of the Trump administration as his agency leaders move past early fumbles and scandals to start delivering on a succession of promised environmental rollbacks. On Thursday, the Interior Department proposed easing […]

Climate talks pause as battle over key science report looms – U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait call for upcoming IPCC study to be “noted” but not “welcomed”

By Frank Jordans 9 December 2018 KATOWICE, Poland (AP) – A diplomatic standoff over a single word could set the stage for a bigger showdown during the second half of this year’s U.N. climate summit. Negotiators took time out Sunday to rest after the first week of talks ended on a sour note the previous […]

Billionaire GOP donor gave Scott Pruitt $50,000 for legal expenses

By Brady Dennis and Juliet Eilperin 6 December 2018 (The Washington Post) – Scott Pruitt, who resigned this summer as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency amid a flurry of ethics inquiries, received $50,000 for his legal defense fund from a Wisconsin billionaire, according to a financial disclosure released Thursday.The contribution came this year […]

We are drowning in a devolved world: An open letter from Devo – “Is there any question that De-evolution is real?”

By Gerald V. Casale 6 December 2018 (Noisey) – In 2018, 15 years after becoming eligible, Devo was nominated for the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. The honorees will be announced a week from today. I was immediately struck by the timing of our sudden recognition: When Devo formed more than 40 years ago, […]

Sarah Sanders: U.S. climate change report “not based on facts”

By Brett Samuels 27 November 2018 (The Hill) – White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday dismissed the findings of a government report that warned of the impending consequences of climate change, claiming it’s “not based on facts.” “The president’s certainly leading on what matters most in this process, and that’s on having […]

California wildfires: Trump will say anything to deny the grim facts of global warming

19 November 2018 (Desdemona Despair) – In August 2018, it was “environmental terrorist groups” causing California’s forest fires. Before that, it was water regulations. Now, California just needs to rake its forests and manage them like Finland.Anything to deny the obvious: global warming is causing California’s megafires.Throughout 2018, the Trump administration has undertaken a Stalinist […]

Climate change omitted from list of EPA research objectives

24 October 2018 (Silencing Science Tracker) – On 24 October 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a draft “Air and Energy Strategic Research Action Plan” (Action Plan) for the period from 2019 to 2022. The Action Plan identifies research needed to “address[] EPA priorities and mandates” with respect to air pollution. Unlike previous versions, […]

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