‘Green News Report’ – May 6, 2025

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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Drastic cuts to National Weather Service endanger public safety, former weather chiefs warn; Trump Justice Department sues four states to block climate laws and lawsuits; PLUS: Trump moves to open up the sea floor to mining and shrink national monuments… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): 75 percent of North America’s bird species are in decline, study says; Rural communities were promised millions in disaster funds. Trump says no; Scientists map where orphan wells pose threats to aquifers; Trump admin. plans to shut down money-saving Energy Star program soon, sources say; Park Service suspends air-quality monitoring at all national parks; 150+ Nobel-Prize winning scientists warn of imminent global famine… PLUS: Treated Like Dirt: Uncovering the toxic soil lurking in L.A.’s burn zones… and much, MUCH more! …

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…

• Drastic cuts to NWS endanger public safety, former weather chiefs warn:
• US weather forecasting is more crippled than previously known as hurricane season nears (CNN):
  There is not a single manager in place at the hurricane-prone Houston-Galveston forecast office, according to a NOAA staff member who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal…One NWS forecast office, in Goodland, Kansas, is no longer operating 24/7, with about a dozen more likely to shift to non-24-hour operations if action isn’t taken this month.
• Former National Weather Service leaders warn about “loss of life” from NOAA cuts (CBS News):
  “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life,” their letter said. “We know that’s a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines — and by the people who depend on their efforts.” Some forecast offices might be so short-staffed they have to function only part-time, they warned.
• Former Weather Service Leaders Warn Staffing Cuts Could Lead to ‘Loss of Life’ (NY Times)
• Scientists don’t know why atmospheric CO2 levels spiked in 2024:
• A Grim Signal: Atmospheric CO2 Soared in 2024 (Inside Climate News):
  Scientists are worried because they can’t fully explain the big jump, but they think it might mean that carbon absorption by forests, fields and wetlands is slowing down—a major problem for the world.
• Scientists Alarmed by Signs of Collapse in Earth’s Natural Carbon Sinks (Mother Jones, 10/15/2024)
• Trump administration minimized federal climate scientists’ findings of record CO2 growth (CNN)
• Trump DOJ sues four states to block climate laws and lawsuits:
• Justice Department sues Hawaii, Michigan, Vermont and New York over state climate actions (AP):
  The DOJ lawsuits, which legal experts called unprecedented, mark the latest of the Trump administration’s attacks on environmental work and raises concern over states’ abilities to retain the power to take climate action without federal opposition.
• Trump and GOP confront state climate plans on two fronts (Axios):
  “The idea the federal government can preempt states from even attempting to file lawsuits is outlandish, and the complaint does not fairly represent relevant legal authorities,” Jonathan Adler, a professor at Case Western Reserve University, tells me via email.
• Trump Is Picking New Climate Fights With States. Here’s Why. (NY Times):
  When the executive order was first issued, many legal experts said it amounted to little more than a signaling exercise because presidents do not have the power to alter state laws. The new legal actions will test the limits of that theory, and also test the willingness of states to pursue their climate plans.
• In ‘Highly Unusual’ Move, Trump DOJ Sues to Block States From Holding Fossil Fuel Companies Accountable for Climate Crisis (EcoWatch)
• New ‘Climate Superfund’ Laws Face Widening Legal Challenges (NY Times)
• Hawai’i takes action to address climate impacts:
• Hawaii lawmakers raise hotel tax to help the state cope with climate change (CNN)
• “Hawai’i will not be deterred” from suing Big Oil (Exxon Knews)
• Trump Admin. moves to shrink boundaries of at least 6 national monuments
• Trump officials consider shrinking 6 national monuments in the West (Washington Post)
• AUDIO: Interior officials are reviewing the ‘appropriate size’ of 6 national monuments in the Mountain West (NPR)
• Trump administration expected to shrink six national monuments (Center for Western Priorities)
• Burgum confirms the administration is reviewing national monument boundaries (The Hill)
• Trump signs executive order to expand deep sea mining:
• AUDIO: Scientists are raising the alarm about Trump’s deep sea mining executive order (NPR):
  [F]or years, there have been international talks about whether to allow this industry and what the rules should be, but this executive order directs U.S. agencies to basically ignore those negotiations and act on their own…”This is just going to say, you know, the U.S. is going to stake claim to a part of international waters that is supposed to be for the benefit of all humankind and say, no, this part is ours, and we’re going to do what we like with it.”
• UN body warns over Trump’s deep-sea mining order (AFP/Yahoo News):
  “No state has the right to unilaterally exploit the mineral resources of the area outside the legal framework established by UNCLOS,” ISA head Leticia Carvalho said in a statement, referring to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
• Trump deep sea mining order violates law, China says (BBC)
• 18 states sue Trump Administration to halt attacks on wind energy:
• States sue Trump administration over halt on wind energy development (Utility Dive)
• States sue Trump administration for blocking the development of wind energy (AP):
  Attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., are challenging an executive order Trump signed during his first day in office, pausing approvals, permits and loans for all wind energy projects both onshore and offshore. They say Trump doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally shut down the permitting process, and he’s jeopardizing development of a power source critical to the states’ economic vitality, energy mix, public health and climate goals.
• 18 States Sue Over Trump’s Halting of Wind Power Projects (NY Times):
  The halt threatens jobs and holds back energy production at a time the president has claimed an “energy emergency,” state attorneys general said.
• 17 Democratic-led states [+ D.C.] sue over Trump anti-wind moves (The Hill)

‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…

For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Daily Headlines page

• 75 percent of North America’s bird species are in decline, study says (Washington Post)
• AUDIO: Rural communities were promised millions in disaster funds. Trump says no. (NPR)
• US seeks to weaken global development finance efforts, UN document shows (Reuters)
• Treated Like Dirt: Uncovering the toxic soil lurking in L.A.’s burn zones (LA Times)
• Scientists map where orphan wells pose threats to aquifers (Inside Climate News)
• Trump admin plans to shut down money-saving Energy Star program soon, sources say (CNN)
• Most Americans use federal science information on a weekly basis, a new poll finds (NPR)
• Park Service suspends air-quality monitoring at all national parks (Washington Post)
• More than 150 Nobel-Prize winning scientists warn of imminent global famine: ‘We must act now’ (Techorean)
• Republicans say EVs don’t pay their fair share. Here’s the math. (Washington Post)
• Scientific societies say they’ll step up after Trump puts key climate report in doubt (AP)
• A guide to the 4 minerals shaping the world’s energy future (Grist)
• Wall Street Journal: Clean energy transition is unstoppable (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Can we avoid the enshittification of clean-energy tech? (David Roberts, Volts)
• Stop emissions, stop warming: A climate reality check (Dr. Andrew Dessler, Climate Brink)
• The Climate Fight Will Continue (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Who Will Care for Americans Left Behind by Climate Migration? (Pro Publica)
• Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? (The Oceanography Society)
• How Oil Companies Manipulate Journalists (Drilled)
• Abrupt reduction in shipping emission as an inadvertent geoengineering termination shock produces substantial radiative warming (Nature)
• How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
• The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
• Plug-in hybrids vs. electric cars: We did the math on which is better for you (Washington Post)
• How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
• Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here’s How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
• Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
• Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
• Exxon’s Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
• Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)