Swampy McSwampface: EPA Chief Ruining Environment Living in Polluter Lobbyist Condo

As key figures of the Trump administration face mounting concerns about conflicts of interest, a growing number of critics are calling for the resignation of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt after ABC News revealed that last year he rented a D.C. condo owned by the wife of a top energy lobbyist, in what some are describing as "a sweetheart deal." "This deal stinks like the swamp Scott Pruitt is mired in.

Trump officials prepare to undo fuel-efficiency targets despite some automakers’ misgivings

Top Trump administration officials are engaged in a heated debate over how to undo federal fuel-efficiency targets for cars and light trucks, as manufacturers voice concern that a major rollback of an Obama-era rule could go too far and fracture the nation's auto market. The internal negotiations over relaxing carbon-emission limits for cars and SUVs slated to be sold in model years 2022-2025 underscore the challenge officials face in trying to fulfill President Trump's 2017 promise to ease the regulatory burden on Detroit.

Jeff Sessions Gets Time Magazine Cover Story, But No One Can Get Past That Photo

FEBRUARY 02: U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, a committee member, waits for the beginning of a meeting of Senate Environment and Public Works Committee February 2, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Committee chairman Sen. John Barrasso suspended the rules and passed the confirm of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to become the next administrator of Environmental Protection Agency with only Republican votes, after Democratic members have boycotted the meeting for a second day.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch now three times the size of France

A huge, swirling pile of trash in the Pacific Ocean is growing faster than expected and is now three times the size of France. According to a three-year study published in Scientific Reports Friday, the mass known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is about 1.6 million square kilometers in size -- up to 16 times bigger than previous estimates.

Dems: Did EPA security staffer steer contract to associate? Source: AP

Senate Democrats are pressing Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt on whether a key member of his taxpayer-funded security team improperly steered a government contract to a personal business associate. The Associated Press reported in December that EPA paid $3,000 to Edwin Steinmetz Associates to have Pruitt's office swept for hidden listening devices.

Washington State Is Set to Vote on a Carbon Tax. For the Governor, It’s a Gamble.

Want the latest climate news in your inbox? You can sign up here to receive Climate Fwd: , our new email newsletter. This week in the statehouse in Olympia, Wash., Gov. Jay Inslee is battling to bring a vote on a historic climate change policy that he has pursued for years: instituting the nation's first tax on planet-warming carbon dioxide pollution.

Congress Calls For Investigation Into Obama Holdover Who Colluded With Unions

The chairman of a House investigative subcommittee asked the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General to investigate reports an Obama administration appointee may have violated anti-lobbying laws. Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold wants EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins to investigate Chemical Safety Board member Rick Engler's working with union activists to pressure Congress for funding.

It’s up to us to protect Earth

President Donald Trump's first year in office seemed to be dedicated to undoing key legislation ensuring clean air and water, and his proposed budget aligns with his anti-environment agenda. It includes a 31 percent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency, which is largely responsible for protecting human health and the environment.

Interior to replace Obama-era rule on methane emissions

In this June 12, 2014 file photo, oil pumps and natural gas burn off in Watford City, N.D. The Interior Department says it is replacing an Obama-era regulation aimed at restricting harmful methane emissions from oil and gas production on federal lands. A rule being published in the Federal Register this week will replace the 2016 rule with requirements similar to those that were in force before the Obama administration changed the regulation.

Ap Fact Check: Epa chief sees good in warming, experts don’t

In this Jan. 30, 2018, file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt testifies before the Senate Environment Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Pruitt is once again understating the threat posed by climate change, this time by suggesting that global warming may be a good thing for humanity.

Trump pulls nomination of Kathleen Hartnett White for top environmental post

The White House said Sunday that Kathleen Hartnett White asked that her name be pulled from consideration for the position. President Trump withdrew the nomination of Kathleen Hartnett White to be the top environmental official in the White House Saturday after Senate Democrats attacked her climate change views, and few Republicans came to her defense.

Serious Questions Surround BWMS Testing

Serious questions have been raised regarding the testing of ballast water management systems . In order for a BWMS manufacturer to sell its equipment for use on commercial vessels operating in U.S. waters, the equipment must be tested in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency requirements and the equipment must then obtain a type approval certificate from the Coast Guard.

Pressed on Trump, Pruitt softens ’16 assessment

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt sought to distance himself Tuesday from his 2016 statements that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump is a bully who, if elected, would abuse the Constitution. Pruitt made the comments in February 2016 while appearing on a conservative talk radio program in Oklahoma, where he served as the state's Republican attorney general.

EPA ends clean air policy opposed by fossil fuel interests

The Trump administration announced Thursday it is doing away with a decades-old air emissions policy opposed by fossil fuel companies, a move that environmental groups say will result in more pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency said it was withdrawing the "once-in always-in" policy under the Clean Air Act, which dictated how major sources of hazardous air pollutants are regulated.

Democratic attorneys general compete to churn out lawsuits against Trumpa s agenda

With Democrats struggling to stop President Trump in Washington, a cadre of attorneys general have stepped up to claim leadership of the anti- Trump resistance, using the courts to try to derail the administration's agenda. Massachusetts, New York and California are leading the way, with Maryland, Washington and Hawaii also playing major roles in launching legal battles to stop executive actions on issues such as immigration, the environment and Obamacare.

In praise of the Trump-appointed regulators who saved us from Rick Perry’s disastrous coal plan

Energy Secretary Rick Perry's plan to bolster coal-fired and nuclear power plants was rejected by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Jan. 8. Energy Secretary Rick Perry's plan to bolster coal-fired and nuclear power plants was rejected by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Jan. 8. Perry, more famously known for his appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" and for saying, "Oops," during a GOP presidential candidate debate in 2011 when he couldn't name the third federal agency he would shut down, made an absurd pitch to revive coal usage despite the cost his plan would have imposed on utility ratepayers and the potential devastation to the environment.

Fact check: Trump’s claims over airline safety, veterans and pollution

US president Donald Trump and members of his administration have taken unearned credit for airline safety, pollution clean-ups and major advances in care for veterans. The president ignored fatality-free years in aviation during the Obama administration when he declared 2017 the safest year on record and suggested that was because he has kept a sharp eye on airlines.