Water & Oceans

"The salty breeze and ocean waves have beckoned stir-crazy residents of the coast back to their beloved beaches, social distancing norms be damned."

"Scientists have identified the highest levels of microplastics ever recorded on the seafloor."

"An official with the Federal Emergency Management Agency signaled support for policies backed by climate advocates that would require a property's flood risk to be disclosed before it's sold."

"The EPA has been too busy responding to the deadly coronavirus to work on its long-awaited proposal to manage huge volumes of pathogen-infested sewage and stormwater during heavy rains, the agency’s top wastewater official said Wednesday."

"Environmental groups launched their legal assault on the Trump administration's Clean Water Act rule today, filing a lawsuit that claims it would have 'devastating consequences on water quality across the country.'"

"In cities, human lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic have offered some respite to the natural world, with clear skies and the return of wildlife to waterways. Now evidence of a drop in underwater noise pollution has led experts to predict the crisis may also be good news for whales and other sea mammals."

"The people of California’s Imperial Valley can be as unforgiving as the region’s harsh desert climate. It’s been 16 years since Bruce Kuhn cast the fateful vote to transfer tens of billions of gallons of Colorado River water from the valley’s sprawling farms to thirsty coastal cities, reshaping water politics in California and across the West."

"Property rights advocates today filed one of the first lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's Clean Water Act rule, arguing that the regulation does not go far enough in limiting the law's reach."

"On the campaign trail in 2016, President Trump swung into California's agricultural hub and vowed to deliver more water to the drought-ridden state's farmers."

"A judge’s ruling that the federal government didn’t take adequate steps to protect endangered whales will probably result in another monthslong court battle, parties to the lawsuit said."