Environment
Half a billion dollars in grants awarded to boost the EV charging network
The Biden administration also said that the number of publicly available EV chargers has doubled since the president took office.
25 states file an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court to halt EPA’s carbon rule
The rule could end coal-fired power plants in America, attorneys general argue.
Supreme Court blocks an EPA plan to curb ozone air pollution
Environmental advocates worry that future challenges to federal policies could similarly “short-circuit the normal process of judicial review” by appealing directly to the Supreme Court.
Agencies spell out how climate change will affect their employees and what they’ll do to protect them
The Biden administration is looking to protect federal workers and agency missions in the fact of extreme weather.
Connolly presses EPA on air quality IT with new bill
Legislation the Virginia Democrat introduced Tuesday would codify watchdog recommendations to assess decades-old systems at the EPA.
Republican attorneys general mount a new attack on the EPA’s use of civil rights law
Twenty-three states want the Biden administration's EPA to curtail its approach to environmental justice.
BLM to finalize rule allowing federal leases targeted at protection of natural areas
The rule marks a shift in the agency’s focus toward conservation.
Biden’s environmental justice scorecard offers more questions than answers
The White House's own environmental justice progress report gives little insight into the green benefits delivered to disadvantaged communities.
WIC, rental assistance get funding boost in newly unveiled spending bills
But the bipartisan proposals for six bills would cut funding to housing and transit programs.
EPA expands its water program to help more disadvantaged communities apply for grants
Many communities lack the resources necessary to conduct the technical assessments needed to win federal grants. The EPA wants to help.
Federal permitting hampers climate goals and natural disaster mitigation, counties say
Officials, who are calling for reforms, say environmental regulations shouldn’t lead to yearslong waits to build transmission lines or impede their ability to respond to natural disasters.
Biden administration preps potential largest ever federal carbon-free electricity purchase
New efforts are part of an aggressive timeline for agencies to reduce their emissions.
White House finalizes rule requiring states to target vehicle pollution
The controversial requirement will almost certainly meet resistance from Republicans both in states and Congress, who question the legal basis for the new rules.
Still concerned about the Dakota Access pipeline? The feds are asking for comment, 7 years later.
The controversial pipeline near Standing Rock united the climate movement. Now regulators want the public to weigh in on the project’s environmental impact.
GSA plans $2 billion in cleaner construction projects
The agency is utilizing funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to support 150 construction projects using “low-embodied carbon” materials.
House proposes slashing $4B from the EPA
The GOP funding cuts, passed along party lines, would significantly impact state and local efforts to improve drinking water and reduce water pollution. Additional cuts would severely hamper environmental justice projects.
GAO: Army Corps’ cleanup of Manhattan Project-era sites suffers from management, cost uncertainties
Although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ cost estimate of contaminated sites associated with the early decades of nuclear weapons manufacturing sat at $2.6 billion at the end of fiscal 2022, that number could easily grow substantially over time.
Are the White House's zero-emission goals for federal buildings unrealistic? Yes, say some Biden administration officials
Funding concerns and renewable energy supply could hamper Biden's ambitious goals for federal agencies, though the White House maintains it is on track to meet them.
This little-known federal regulator could crack down on fraudulent carbon offsets
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is "uniquely situated" to stop carbon market manipulation.
Federal agencies plan to spend $770M ramping up their electric vehicle usage this year
The Biden administration has ambitious goals to electrify the federal fleet, but many obstacles remain.
