‘Day of Reckoning’: Trial Over Greenpeace’s Role in Pipeline Protest Begins

Lawyers for the pipeline company Energy Transfer and Greenpeace fired their opening salvos in a North Dakota courtroom Wednesday morning in a civil trial that could bankrupt the storied environmental group. The suit revolves around the role Greenpeace played in massive protests against construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline nearly a decade ago. The pipeline, … Read more

Trump Says E.P.A. Layoffs Will Cut Staff by 65 Percent

During his cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Trump casually mentioned that Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, intended to fire 65 percent of employees, an incision so deep that officials said it would hobble the E.P.A. Mr. Trump said Mr. Zeldin “thinks he’s going to be cutting 65 or so percent of … Read more

Europe Relaxes Rules on Company Climate Reports

The European Commission on Wednesday proposed to substantially loosen the requirements on companies to report on the social and environmental impacts of their operations. The proposal would limit the rules to companies with more than 1,000 employees and revenue over 50 million euros ($53 million), which means that about 80 percent of companies currently covered … Read more

Trump and Republicans Set Their Sights on California’s Electric Car Plan

The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are preparing an unusual legislative maneuver in an effort to eliminate one of the country’s most ambitious climate policies, an order that was designed to shift the auto industry toward electric cars. They plan to vote to overturn a California ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars … Read more

She Lobbied for Formaldehyde. Now She’s at E.P.A. Approving New Chemicals.

Formaldehyde, the chemical of choice for undertakers and embalmers, is also used in products like furniture and clothes. But it can also cause cancer and severe respiratory problems. So, in 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency began a new effort to regulate it. The chemicals industry fought back with an intensity that astonished even seasoned agency … Read more

Mass Federal Firings May Imperil Pets, Cattle and Crops

Shortly after taking office for the second time, President Trump began making deep cuts to agencies and programs that play critical roles in human health, slashing funding for medical research, halting global health aid and firing scores of workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the campaign to downsize government, which has … Read more

The World Bank Pivoted to Climate. That Now May Be a Problem.

As the Trump administration imposes deep cuts on foreign aid and renewable energy programs, the World Bank, one of the most important financiers of energy projects in developing countries, is facing doubts over whether its biggest shareholder, the United States, will stay on board. While the Trump administration has voiced neither support nor antipathy for … Read more