"A federal judge on Tuesday ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was liable for damage caused by its decision to retain floodwaters upstream of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs during Hurricane Harvey, a move that caused severe and widespread flooding to homes and businesses on the far-west outreaches of the Houston region."
"U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday called for more federal money and oversight to shore up the nation’s aging dams following an Associated Press investigation that found scores of potentially troubling dams located near homes and communities across the country."
"House Democrats introduced sweeping climate legislation Tuesday that would halt fossil fuel production on public lands for at least a year as the nation prepares to drastically cut climate-warming pollution from its own land holdings."
"Congress is providing a little more budgetary heft to EPA's inspector general, which has been fighting with the agency's leadership over access to staff and information."
"A coalition of twelve mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday released a draft plan for an ambitious cap-and-trade program to curb tailpipe emissions from cars, trucks and other forms of transportation, tackling what has fast become the largest source of planet-warming gases."
FOIA is under fire. And for journalists who rely on open records to do their work, the coming year may prove a crucial test of policies at key federal agencies on the beat. This special WatchDog TipSheet takes a deep dive on looming FOIA controversies at Interior and EPA, flagging potential flashpoints for 2020.
"A historic graveyard in Texas lies within the barrier’s 150ft ‘enforcement zone’ the government has said it plans to raze".
"The EPA would get $9.06 billion in the current fiscal year ending next September under a spending bill that Congress will vote on this week.
The agency would receive $208 million more in fiscal 2020 than the current $8.8 billion budget. That’s nearly $3 billion more than President Donald Trump’s budget request, but less than the $9.53 billion offered in the House bill that passed the chamber in June. It’s similar to the levels in the Senate-passed bill."
"The Trump administration's support for oil development in Alaska's North Slope could have dramatic climate impacts, even if top brass doesn't upend current Obama-era restrictions on fossil fuel development."
"As cities in the South start exploring ways to expand renewable energy, some are running into an obstacle that could set those plans back decades: The nation's largest public utility, concerned about its income base, has started pressuring its customers to lock in long-term contracts that critics say could leave the region relying on fossil fuels for years to come."
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