Environmental news from mainstream news sources Reuters, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press USA Today and BBC America.
- Have You Bought a Tesla Recently? We Want to Hear From You. Tesla sales are rebounding in Europe even though many people have negative feelings about Elon Musk, the company’s chief executive. We want to know why.
- Average U.S. Gasoline Price Falls Below $4 for First Time in MonthsDrivers are enjoying some relief at the pump after the United States and Iran signed an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- D.O.J. Seeks to Halt Pollution Lawsuit Against Elon Musk’s Data CenterThe department cited national security concerns, saying Elon Musk’s company had played a crucial role in the Iran war. It also argued it has the authority to stop environmental lawsuits brought by citizens.
- The World Is Draining Oil Reserves, Raising Pressure for a Peace DealThe amount of oil and fuel stored by businesses and governments has fallen sharply since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
- The Iran War is Forcing Energy-Importing Countries to Turn InwardThe Iran war is pushing countries to prioritize domestic energy in order to protect themselves from volatile oil and natural gas markets.
- Oil Prices Jump as Middle East Tensions BuildSome analysts said the main international oil price, which was up 6 percent on Monday, could climb much higher in the coming weeks if the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t reopen.
- How NextEra Energy Wielded Political Power in FloridaNextEra, which is seeking to buy Dominion Energy, has often butted heads with consumer groups, residents and journalists in its home state.
- Greenpeace’s Long War With a Pipeline Titan Enters a Strange New PhaseThis month, a North Dakota court barred Greenpeace from saying what it wanted in a European court, an unusual move. The environmental group says it is forging ahead.
- G.D.P. Is a Flawed Measure of Prosperity. Alternatives Are On the Way.The United Nations has a new plan for weighing economic gains alongside health and environmental progress. But consensus is elusive.
- Tesla’s Semi Truck could Jolt the Trucking IndustryCalifornia truckers have expressed strong interest in the Tesla Semi because it costs much less and can travel further on a charge than electric trucks sold by established manufacturers.
- Bipartisan Bill Would Impose New Annual Fee on Electric VehiclesA House transportation bill introduced this week would require owners of electric cars to pay $130 to cover the cost of road repairs.
- As Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Sites, an Environmental Disaster UnfoldsAfter invading more than four years ago, Moscow has usually been the one causing ecological disaster. But Kyiv’s strikes, intended to cut into the Kremlin’s oil revenue, have flipped the script.
- Which Countries Are Profiting From the Iran War Oil ShockAn analysis of oil export data offers clues about which nations have benefited from higher prices, and which have lost a lot of revenue.
- Can Some Very Tiny Particles Cool the Planet? One Tech Company Says Yes.Stardust Solutions says its tiny spheres can reflect the sun’s rays without harming people or the environment. Critics say private companies have no business altering Earth’s atmosphere.
- What to Know About the Federal Gas Tax Trump Wants to SuspendPresident Trump said he would like to suspend the 18.4-cent-a-gallon tax, but it’s a move that may save drivers only a few dollars a month.
- Dean Buntrock, Maestro of Waste Management, Dies at 94Anticipating how the environmental movement would affect trash disposal in the United States, he built a 12-truck garbage company into a coast-to-coast behemoth.
- Why Is Gas So Much More Expensive in Some States Than Others?Shipping, taxes, competition and environmental regulations all play a part in the cost of gasoline. That can lead to stark differences in pump prices.
- Soil at D.C. Golf Course Where East Wing Debris Was Dumped Contains Toxic MetalsThe National Park Service said the dump of debris, between the fourth and ninth holes, does not exceed environmental limits. Opponents disagree.
- Home on the Range No More: Trump Wants Bison GoneThe Trump administration is evicting bison herds from federal grasslands in Montana, siding with ranchers and Republican leaders over environmentalists and tribal leaders.
- The ‘Gates to Hell’ Are Dimming. That May Not Be a Good Thing.A flaming crater of gas has burned in Turkmenistan for decades. Satellite imagery suggests that the fires are decreasing, but the environmental implications are unclear.
- The World Needs Natural Gas Now, but the U.S. Is Exporting All It CanEven the largest global supplier of liquefied natural gas can’t make up for the shortfall since the war in Iran cut off an important source.
- ICE Warehouse Plan Faces Delay Over Lack of Environmental ReviewsOfficials have argued in court filings that the projects are exempt from federally required assessments, but are scrambling after a judge disagreed.
- Rescue Effort for Russian Tanker Fails, in a New Era of Maritime PerilThe ship, which carried fuel and natural gas, has been adrift for weeks in the Mediterranean Sea after a drone attack, alarming officials who fear an environmental disaster.
- A New Bureau Will Oversee Both Offshore Drilling and Seabed MiningThe new federal office will undo a change made after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. Critics say it could reduce environmental oversight.
- The ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Movement Is Cooling on Trump and RepublicansVaccine skeptics, ‘organic moms’ and environmental activists came together to elect President Trump. But some voters are disillusioned and might not turn out again.
- Sewage Spill Is Over, But Contamination Lingers In PotomacThough river monitoring shows bacteria levels have declined, scientists and environmentalists said a full recovery isn’t yet assured.
- As Democrats Outraise Republican Candidates, the G.O.P. Has This $600 Million EdgeEven as the party faces a worrisome political environment and its candidates are outraised by Democratic ones, powerful Republican groups and super PACs have built a colossal advantage.
- Supreme Court Rejects Oil Company Argument in Fight Over Great Lakes PipelineThe justices sided with Michigan officials, who have raised environmental alarms and pushed to decommission an aging section of the pipeline.
- E.P.A., Maryland Sue D.C. Utility Over Potomac River SewageIn separate lawsuits, environmental regulators said D.C. Water failed to prevent and contain a massive spill of raw sewage upstream of Washington.
- Strait of Hormuz May Not Return to Normal, Whether It’s Open or ClosedThe energy industry is planning for a future where the choke point on Iran’s southern coast is a lot less important.
- Environmental Groups Sue to Stop BP Kaskida Drilling PlanOpponents of the project, known as Kaskida, say an accident could be even worse than the Deepwater Horizon spill. The company says it’s learned from the past.
- Why a Democratic Senate, Once Unthinkable, Is a Real PossibilityHelped by a favorable national environment and strong candidate recruitment, Democrats are tied or ahead in four Republican-held seats, polls show.
- Reopening Strait of Hormuz Would Ease Oil Crisis but Only So MuchAnalysts said energy and shipping companies would be reluctant to fully restore operations until they were confident that hostilities were over.
- Supreme Court Sides With Oil Companies in Louisiana Coastal LawsuitsThe companies had asked the justices to clear the way to move environmental lawsuits out of state courts, to friendlier federal venues.
- Oil Prices Fall Sharply After Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Is OpenBut analysts said it was not clear how quickly the oil industry in the Persian Gulf would be able to get back to normal.
- Senate Votes to Allow Mining Near Boundary Waters WildernessThe move was a victory for a Chilean company that wants to build a copper and nickel mine, which environmentalists say could devastate fragile lakes and forests.
- Trump’s Latest Oil Blockade Brings Bigger Economic RisksOil markets shrugged it off, but the effort to hurt Iran could provoke retaliation that inflicts more damage on energy assets and the global economy.
- China’s Electrostate Is Poised to Win From War in the Middle EastA cluster of Chinese firms is poised to win big from the energy crisis set off by the war in the Middle East, building on booming investment in artificial intelligence.
- Iran War Drives Deeper Oil Shock Than Prices RevealThe war with Iran is preventing huge amounts of oil from flowing out of the Persian Gulf, but the prices that many people track don’t fully capture the scale of the disruption.
- Gas Prices Won’t Quickly Return to Prewar Levels, Even if the Strait of Hormuz ReopensSome wells can be turned on in days or weeks, but bringing the Gulf’s energy system back to something akin to normal will take months.
- The Three Big Questions Delaying New York’s BudgetLegislators are weighing tax increases on the wealthy and changes to laws meant to protect immigrants and the environment as the state budget deadline passes.
- ‘God Squad’ Waives Environmental Rules for Drilling in the Gulf of MexicoThe panel voted to override Endangered Species Act restrictions on oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico, home to critically endangered whales and other imperiled wildlife.
- Edward Russo Says Donald Trump Is an ‘Environmental Hero’Edward Russo, the only member of a White House task force, thinks the president doesn’t get enough credit for conservation at his golf courses, among other things.
- Are New York’s Environmental Concerns Worsening a Housing Shortage?Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing to exempt a majority of new housing from state environmental reviews, arguing that sufficient safeguards are in place at the local level.
