[Source: The National Law Review] With a historic election all but in the rear-view mirror, a key question is whether and how President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will deliver on the sweeping environmental justice (EJ) agenda advanced on the campaign trail. Defined by the EPA as the “fair treatment and Read More…
Tag: EPA
California environmental groups tell Biden not to pick Mary Nichols for EPA
[Source: KQED] A coalition of some 70 California environmental justice groups, national environmentalists and other organizations sent a letter to Joe Biden’s transition team Thursday asking the incoming president to avoid picking Mary Nichols as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Nichols has been reported to be Biden’s top candidate to lead the EPA. The outgoing Read More…
Schumer calls for an environmental justice leader to serve as next chair of the CEQ
[Source: Senate Democrats] Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) released the following statement today urging that the next Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality be someone who will defend environmental safeguards, meaningfully engage with environmental justice communities, and coordinate a bold climate and clean energy agenda that works for everyone, regardless of Read More…
Biden shortlist for White House key environmental post shows focus on environmental justice
[Source: Reuters] President-elect Joe Biden is vetting three environmental justice leaders to head up the White House agency that will take the lead in coordinating efforts to safeguard communities disproportionately affected by pollution, according to sources familiar with the process. The shortlist for head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) signals a Read More…
Trump Nemesis Mary Nichols on Short List to Run Biden EPA
[Source: Bloomberg New] If Joe Biden wins the presidency, his EPA chief could be a clean air champion from California who has fought President Donald Trump on automobile pollution or an environmental justice activist from Mississippi. Biden’s campaign has heard recommendations for both California air regulator Mary Nichols and Mississippi’s Heather McTeer Toney to lead Read More…
White House speeds environmental rollbacks ahead of election
[Source: Forbes] The Wall Street Journal reports the Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to finalize new rules this week rescinding Obama-era regulations of methane gas emissions for oil-and-gas producers, as the Trump administration continues its systematic rollback of environmental regulations—which is reportedly speeding up ahead of November before a Democratic administration potentially takes over. The Read More…
California’s clean-air programs take a hit in new funding squeeze
[Source: CalMATTERS] Some of California’s key environmental programs for battling smog and climate change have lost nearly $105 million as the state grapples with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter shared with CalMatters, the state’s Department of Finance notified lawmakers of reductions to funds from the proceeds of California’s landmark cap Read More…
U.S. EPA proposing first-ever airplane emissions standards
[Source: Reuters] The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday announced it was proposing the first U.S. emissions standards for commercial aircraft. In 2016, the U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) agreed on global airplane emissions standards aimed at makers of small and large planes, including Airbus SE and Boeing Co., which both backed the standards. Read More…
As EPA steps back, states face wave of requests for environmental leniency
[Source: NPR] Some of the country’s most polluting industries have flooded state regulators with requests to ease environmental regulations, according to an NPR review of hundreds of state environmental records. Companies across the country say the pandemic is interfering with their ability to comply with laws that protect the public from pollution. State environmental authorities Read More…