EPA adds climate skeptic to science board

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew WheelerScience at the EPA has been a topic of much debate, and a lot of turmoil since President Trump took office. In that way, the addition of eight new members to the agency's much discussed Science Advisory Board isn't surprising. What may more surprising to some is the makeup of the new members announced Thursday. Most of the new members are...

Shutdown has held up EPA certification, new vehicle introductions

Exhaust emissions from tailpipe [photo: Simone Ramella, 2005, used under Creative Commons 2.0]Now that the government has reopened after a 35-day shutdown, EPA employees are going back to work facing a backlog. Toward the end of the shutdown last week, executives at all three major Detroit automakers expressed concern about certification delays that could affect new models they plan to bring to market. It can now begin addressing that...

EPA enforcement efforts slide 85 percent under Trump administration

Smokestacks pollution air qualityNot only do polluters have lower standards to meet under the Trump administration, they may not really have to meet those standards at all. That's the conclusion of a new study, published by the Washington Post, that shows enforcement activity has fallen drastically in the past two years since President Trump took office. The study, conducted by a...

Colorado adopts California electric-vehicle mandate

Volkswagen turbodiesels await their fate near Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado SpringsElectric cars aren't just for the coasts anymore. Colorado just became the 10th state to sign onto California's zero-emissions vehicle mandate, which will require automakers to sell electric cars there. At an event on Thursday where he rolled up in an electric car, Colorado's newly sworn governor, Jared Polis, signed an executive order aimed at...

Trump nominates coal-lobbyist Wheeler to head EPA

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew WheelerIn the midst of a government shutdown, President Donald Trump formally nominated Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to head the agency on Wednesday. Wheeler is a former lobbyist for coal mining company Murray Energy when the Obama administration was working to pass new restrictions on power plants that burn coal. Wheeler was confirmed as...

Trump relaxes coal emissions standards (again) over holiday week

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew WheelerFor the second time in a month, the Trump administration has rolled back emissions restrictions on coal-fired power plants. Early in December, the EPA announced a new proposal that would undo carbon-dioxide limits on coal plants, overturning one of President Obama's signature climate change programs, the Clean Power Plan, which never went into...

Oil industry funding supports campaign to roll back fuel-economy rules

Exhaust emissions from tailpipe [photo: Simone Ramella, 2005, used under Creative Commons 2.0]A new investigative report by the New York Times has revealed the puppeteer pulling the strings in the Trump administration's efforts to undo fuel-economy and emissions improvements: no surprise, the oil industry. Backed by America's largest refiners and organizations tied to or funded by the Koch brothers, an underground network coordinated a...

EPA rolls back emissions standards on coal plants

Coal power plant in ChinaOn Thursday, EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced a new rule that will allow coal-fired power plants to emit more than 35 percent more global warming pollution than the current law allows. The proposal came on the eve of a climate summit in Poland that started over the weekend where world leaders were set to codify the next steps in...

As EPA chief, Wheeler could prove a bigger foe to clean-air advocates

EPA Acting Administrator Andrew WheelerPresident Trump's new pick as EPA Administrator may be more effective at rolling back environmental progress than his scandal-plagued predecessor. On Friday, Trump announced that he plans to formally nominate Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler as EPA Administrator to replace Scott Pruitt, the former Oklahoma attorney general, who was known for...