"A lawsuit claiming billionaire Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” violates federal transparency rules was filed within minutes of President Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday, kicking off a legal battle over a key aspect of the incoming administration’s agenda."
"President Trump’s picks to lead the nation’s energy and environment-focused agencies all sailed through committee votes on Thursday morning."
"The Tohono O’odham Nation signed a co-stewardship agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for federal lands with deep cultural and religious ties for the tribal nation."
"The man tapped by President Donald Trump to be second-in-command of the federal agency that protects the public from environmental dangers is a lawyer who has represented companies accused of harming people and the environment through pollution." "David Fotouhi, a lawyer who recently challenged a ban on asbestos, worked to roll back climate regulations and water protections while serving in the Environmental Protection Agency during Trump’s first administration."
"The mother of Austin Tice, an American journalist abducted in Syria, said on Monday that she had met with Syria’s new leader in Damascus and expressed hope that “a page will be turned” in the more than decade-long search for her son."
"Former Trump administration officials and allies of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead EPA have popped up in that agency’s online staff directory as political appointees."
A single “reconciliation” bill, promised by House Speaker Mike Johnson in the first 100 days of the new Congress, could wipe out the outgoing administration’s climate ambitions. EJ TransitionWatch explains the budget process and spotlights a half dozen energy and environment provisions — affecting offshore drilling, methane emissions, electric vehicle incentives and more — that could be in the measure if the Trump administration gets its way.
"President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for interior secretary told a Senate panel Thursday the U.S. can leverage development of fossil fuels and other energy sources to promote world peace and voiced concerns about the reliability of renewable power sources promoted under the Biden administration."
"President-elect Trump’s pick for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, Lee Zeldin, appears poised to be able to carry out the significant level of climate and environmental deregulation Trump has indicated he plans to pursue after a Thursday hearing moved him toward his likely confirmation."
Many journalists can’t imagine themselves writing an opinion piece, but veteran reporter Tim Wheeler suggests they reconsider. With public distrust of news media mounting and government willingness to inform plummeting, Wheeler says it’s more important than ever for journalists to explain what they do and why it matters. Advice and an annotated example: How to put on the opinion writer’s hat.
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