Environment

State's Ban on Uranium Mining Upheld by U.S. Supreme Court

The Virginia case involved questions about legislative intent and the power states have under an atomic energy law.

  • By Bill Lucia

State's Ban on Uranium Mining Upheld by U.S. Supreme Court

The Virginia case involved questions about legislative intent and the power states have under an atomic energy law.

  • By Bill Lucia
Environment

State's Ban on Uranium Mining Upheld by U.S. Supreme Court

The Virginia case involved questions about legislative intent and the power states have under an atomic energy law.

  • By Bill Lucia

A High Stakes Debate Over an Environmental Permitting Law That Empowers States

States have blocked pipelines and coal facilities using the process. President Trump and some Republicans are pushing to revamp it.

  • By Bill Lucia

How Forgotten Ports Have a Big Role to Play in the Future of Offshore Wind

Along the East Coast, states and companies are joining to make big investments in port upgrades, as the region eyes a decade of job growth tied to renewable energy.

  • By Gregor Macdonald

Paying Homeowners to Transform Yards Into Bee-Friendly Habitats

The "Lawns to Legumes" program, approved by legislators in Minnesota, will reimburse homeowners who plant wildflowers and other pollinator-friendly plants in their yards.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Planting a Habitat for Pollinators on City Streets

A pollinator protection task force in Madison, Wisconsin led to a median-planting project designed to provide a friendly environment for bees and butterflies.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

$831 Million Project to Repel Invasive Fish From Great Lakes Gets Army Corps Greenlight

One advocate describes a “race against time” to block Asian carp, which pose a threat to native wildlife.

  • By Bill Lucia

Sniff, Sit, Play: Using Dogs to Detect Invasive Species

Puddles, a 2-year-old Jack Russell mix, is helping Fish and Wildlife officials in Washington state prevent the spread of invasive species of mussels.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

To Control Forest Fires, Western States Light More of Their Own

Prescribed fires were burned on over 3 million acres in Western states in 2017.

  • By Sophie Quinton

Coral Reefs Provide Flood Protection Worth $1.8 Billion Every Year—It’s Time to Protect Them

COMMENTARY | A new report shows that coral reefs reduce damage from floods across the United States and its trust territories by more than $1.8 billion every year—and pinpoints that value state by state.

  • By Michael Beck, The Conversation

Composting, Clean-Ups and Comprehensive Planning to Combat Litter

Prince George's County, Maryland, has struggled for years with litter. Officials have launched a multi-year, multi-pronged effort to tackle it.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

U.S. House Bill Calls for New Limits on Chemicals in Drinking Water

The legislation targets a class of industrial compounds known as “PFAS,” which have stoked public health concerns.

  • By Bill Lucia

Requiring Buildings Become Eco-Friendly, From the Top Down

The New York City Council passed a bill that would mandate green roof space on all new and some renovated buildings.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

New York City Leaders Launch Ambitious Climate Plan

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Indiana Chamber rebuffs newly registered coal lobbyist Scott Pruitt ... Hurricane-recovering Florida Panhandle braces for wildfires ... Tennessee considers plan to fit school buses with traffic cameras.

  • By John Tomasic

States Move to Crack Down on Air Conditioners’ Pollutants

A handful of states are beginning to look at the how they can phase out hydrofluorocarbons, focusing initially on large, commercial refrigeration units.

  • By Alayna Alvarez

‘Clean Energy’ Transition Promises Wide Range of Well Paid Jobs, Study Finds

The findings come amid debate about the "Green New Deal."

  • By Bill Lucia

Mapping Where Traffic Air Pollution Hurts Children the Most

COMMENTARY | Despite a decline in traffic-related asthma cases between 2000 and 2010, there were still 141,900 childhood asthma cases due to traffic-related air pollution in the U.S. in 2010.

  • By Haneen Khreis, The Conversation

Trump Order Puts State Power Over Pipeline Approvals in Crosshairs

The president charges that there’s “state level abuse” with a certain Clean Water Act certification needed for natural gas pipelines and other energy projects.

  • By Bill Lucia

New York Bans Single-Use Plastic Bags

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Investigating earthquakes in Alabama ... A fight about Chik-Fil-A in San Antonio ... Considering a seasonal gas tax hike.

  • By Laura Maggi

Americans Drove a Record Number of Miles Last Year

That's 3.2 trillion miles on the road, based on new U.S. DOT estimates.

  • By Bill Lucia

Not Out of the Woods Yet—State Borrows $100 Million As it Looks to Solve Forest Controversy

The story of Oregon's Elliott State Forest is one of logging, litigation, old trees, imperiled animals, and school funding.

  • By Bill Lucia

The Feds Are Driving A National Policy of Sprawl

COMMENTARY | "Any legislative or policymaking approach to climate that fails to see the connections between emissions, how and where we build, and our transportation infrastructure decisions, will be destined to fail."

  • By Calvin Gladney