Choose your location
InsideClimate News
Judge Orders Oil and Gas Leases in Wyoming to Proceed After Updated BLM Environmental Analysis
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia this month allowed the sale of leases for oil and gas drilling on almost 120,000 acres of public land in Wyoming. The ruling comes three months after the same court determined that the Bureau of Land Management had failed to adequately tie the environmental impacts from proposed oil and gas drilling to its decision to hold a lease auction, placing the sale agreements on hold.
Fossil Fuel Development and Invasive Trees Drive Pronghorn Population Decline in Wyoming
Pronghorn in Wyoming are experiencing long-term declines in the number of young they are rearing due to increased oil and gas development and encroaching woody vegetation, according to a new study. Although pronghorn populations in Wyoming have been largely stable, the new analysis shows that many herds are experiencing long-term declines in fawn production.
New York Regulators Found High Levels of TCE in Kindra Bell’s Ithaca Home. They Told Her Not to Worry
ITHACA, N.Y.—On the ice, life made sense. Kindra Bell has played ice hockey in Ithaca since she was a kid and later, as a freshman, her team brought home the Ivy League Championship for Cornell University. But her diagnosis, well, that didn’t make any sense to her at all....
Electric Vehicles Strain the Automaker-Big Oil Alliance
Politically Charged: Fourth is a series about how political polarization threatens the EV future. Since the dawn of U.S. environmental law more than half a century ago, America has tried to reconcile its love of the automobile with its hope for a liveable future. And whether the battle was over...
North Carolina’s Iconic College Town Struggles to Redevelop a Toxic Coal Ash Mound
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—No dog parks. No golf. No soccer or football. No child care centers, apartments or homes. No community gardens unless they’re in raised beds. The list of forbidden uses on 10 contaminated acres containing 46,000 tons of coal ash in Chapel Hill is nearly as long as what is allowed: offices, stores, municipal services, walking trails, transit and parking.
In Idaho, Water Shortages Pit Farmers Against One Another
TWIN FALLS, Idaho—Along the banks of the Snake River, below the Magic Valley’s fields of barley, wheat and corn, groundwater from a massive aquifer springs from steep, dark rock and crashes down the cliff to the river. As the river runs from its headwaters near Yellowstone, springs like...
In New Mexico, a Walk Commemorates the Nuclear Disaster Few Outside the Navajo Nation Remember
RED WATER POND ROAD, New Mexico—As Tony Hood walked along New Mexico Highway 566 last Saturday, he thought about where he was 45 years earlier, when an earthen dam broke at the site of a uranium mill operated by the United Nuclear Corp., releasing 94 million gallons of radioactive water and 1,100 tons of uranium waste across portions of New Mexico, Arizona and the Navajo Nation.
The Barely Recognizable J.D. Vance as Trump’s Vice Presidential Running Mate
From our collaborating partner “Living on Earth,” public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by host Steve Curwood with Dan Gearino, a staff writer at Inside Climate News based in Columbus, Ohio. The 2024 presidential election has already been tumultuous, but in some respects it’s just beginning....
Louisiana’s ‘Business-Friendly’ Climate Response: Canceled Home Insurance Plans
This story was originally published by Floodlight, a nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on climate accountability. Louisiana homeowners will no longer have the assurance of holding onto their longtime property insurance policies after a damaging storm. And they could start seeing increases in premiums and deductibles since the state’s insurance commissioner convinced lawmakers to deregulate Louisiana’s insurance industry.
As States Recover from Climate-Related Disasters, They Also Must Prepare for Future Ones
This summer has brought a revolving door of climate-fueled disasters across the U.S.—from Hurricane Beryl in Houston to the wildfires tearing through California. But what happens in the aftermath of these extreme weather events? For many states, recovery is no longer just about trying to return to normal, but rather rebuilding to prepare for future disasters as climate change accelerates.
Plastics Pollution Has Become a ‘Crisis,’ Biden Administration Acknowledges
Single-use plastic would be phased out of all U.S. government operations by 2035 under a new federal plastics pollution strategy unveiled Friday by President Joe Biden’s administration, which cited a “crisis” of littered oceans and poisoned air due to plastics. “The Federal government is—for the first time—formally...
When a Retired Scientist Suggested Virginia Weaken Wetlands Protections, the State Said, No Way
A little over a year after the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the range of wetlands the federal government can protect, a Virginia board turned down a petition that would have similarly limited local officials from regulating certain wetlands within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The June decision by the State Water...
Funds to Help Low-Income Families With Summer Electric Bills Are Stretched Thin
In San Elizario, Texas, tucked between cotton fields and the U.S.-Mexico border fence, nearly 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. When the summer heat hits here, electric bills skyrocket—and paying them is a struggle. Olivia Figueroa, executive director of the local organization AYUDA Inc., has lost track of how many people have sought help.
Lithium Critical to the Energy Transition is Coming at the Expense of Water
Lithium needed for batteries that power electric vehicles and store electricity from renewable energy projects is likely to deplete—and in some cases, contaminate—local water supplies, according to a new paper published this week. From mining the mineral to processing it for battery use, water is essential for producing...
Rooftop Solar Was Having a Moment in Texas Before Beryl. What Happens Now?
While much of the Houston area suffered through heat and electricity failures following Hurricane Beryl last week, Bill Swann never lost power. He could depend on the 16 solar panels mounted in his backyard and a battery system to provide for the basic needs of his house in the suburban community of Hilshire Village.
Montana Is a Frontier for Deep Carbon Storage, and the Controversies Surrounding the Potential Climate Solution
A new project aims to take carbon dioxide pollution, likely from two natural gas processing plants in Wyoming, and store it thousands of feet underground beneath the wide-open prairies of southeastern Montana. The project, currently in the final phase of public input, comes as new federal pollution rules prioritize capturing...
In Alabama’s Bald Eagle Territory, Residents Say an Unexpected Mining Operation Emerged as Independence Day Unfolded
LANGSTON, Ala.—In a state-owned lodge atop Taylor Mountain in Lake Guntersville State Park, the walls are covered with paintings of bald eagles. Busts of the national bird carved in stone adorn end tables in the wood-paneled lobby. This is Bald Eagle Country, here in rural Marshall County. The birds,...
Tribes and Environmentalists Press Arizona and Federal Officials to Stop Uranium Mining Near the Grand Canyon
PHOENIX—Members of environmental groups stood together in the lobby of the Arizona State Capitol Executive Tower late last month to deliver a petition to Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, requesting that she stop uranium mining activities near the Grand Canyon National Park. The Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, National...
Trump’s Environmental Impact Endures, at Home and Around the World
Former President Donald Trump dismantled the pillars of U.S. climate policy when he exited the Paris climate accord and rolled back more than 100 regulations to protect air, water, endangered species and human health. But it’s clear, as he officially assumes his role as the Republican nominee and standard bearer...
NATO Report Outlines Growing Climate Risks to Global Security
Last week, world leaders from more than 30 countries across North America and Europe gathered in Washington to discuss the top security threats facing members of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. During the summit, NATO released a report outlining the accelerating threats emerging from a top foe: climate change....
InsideClimate News
3K+
Posts
11M+
Views
InsideClimate News is an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan news organization that covers clean energy, carbon energy, nuclear energy and environmental science—plus the territory in between where law, policy and public opinion are shaped.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.