Thousands have left the federal workforce, and those who remain face significant uncertainty about their professional futures.
legislation & regulations
Plan to End NEPA’s “Regulatory Reign of Terror” Is Finalized
The Trump administration has finalized a plan to roll back regulations outlined by one of our nation’s bedrock environmental laws.
A Debate over Wakes in the Land of 10,000 Lakes
Wakeboats are turning Minnesota’s lakes into summertime surf spots, but the artificial chop can shake up the lake bed, too. New wake data can help communities plan for responsible recreation.
Policy Success: Fees and Bans on Plastic Bags Reduce Beach Trash
Regardless of the patchwork of regulations aimed at limiting plastic bag use in the United States, new research indicates that such legislation does, indeed, limit the number of plastic bags found on beaches.
Supreme Court Lets Trump Proceed With Mass Firings
The Trump administration can act on its planned restructuring of the federal government, the United States Supreme Court announced in an 8 July decision.
EPA Proposes Removal of Carbon Dioxide Limits on Power Plants
On 11 June, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to repeal federal limits on power plant carbon emissions, including a Biden-era rule requiring power plants to control 90% of their carbon pollution and a 2015 standard limiting carbon dioxide emissions from new fossil fuel-fired power plants.
Tracking Science Policy Decisions and Approaches
The new administration has taken an array of decisive actions with far-reaching consequences for Earth and space scientists. Use our new tool to help sort them out.
Executive Order Seeks to Revive “America’s Beautiful, Clean Coal Industry”
President Trump signed an executive order to drastically reduce restrictions on domestic coal production on 8 April. It lays out plans to enable coal mining on federal lands, identify and revise existing regulations and policies that seek to transition the country away from coal production, and identify regions where “coal-powered infrastructure” can be used to support artificial intelligence data centers.
Firings Reversed: Judge Says Some Federal Workers Must Be Reinstated
Today, a federal judge in San Francisco ordered the Trump administration to offer reinstatement to all probationary employees previously fired from the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury and Veterans Affairs.
Unregulated Industrial Contaminants Detected in Some U.S. Drinking Water
Communities of color are more likely to have higher levels of these contaminants in their drinking water.
