EnviroPolitics Blog

EPA out to kill a bedrock scienific finding supporting climate action

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin

By Maxine Joselow and Lisa Friedman, The New York Times

July 29, 2025–Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said on Tuesday that the Trump administration would revoke the scientific determination that underpins the government’s legal authority to combat climate change.

Speaking at a truck dealership in Indianapolis, Mr. Zeldin said the E.P.A. planned to rescind the 2009 declaration, known as the endangerment finding, which concluded that planet-warming greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health. The Obama and Biden administrations used that determination to set strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions from cars, power plants, and other industrial sources of pollution.

“The proposal would, if finalized, amount to the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States,” Mr. Zeldin said. He said the proposal would also erase limits on greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks on the nation’s roads.

Without the endangerment finding, the E.P.A. would be left with no authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate the greenhouse gas emissions that are accumulating in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels.

The proposal is President Trump’s most consequential step yet to derail federal climate efforts. It marks a notable shift in the administration’s position from one that had downplayed the threat of global warming to one that essentially flatly denies the overwhelming scientific evidence of climate change.

It would not only reverse current regulations, but, if the move is upheld in court, it could make it significantly harder for future administrations to rein in climate pollution from the burning of coal, oil and gas.

Read the full story here

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Menhaden scarcity is dangerous news for Jersey Shore ospreys

*Wildlife biologist* *Ben Wurst is glad to see some young, but the overall picture for ospreys this year is grim. (Photos by Ryan Morrill)*

By JULIET KASZAS-HOCH, The Sand Paper

Wildlife biologists, conservation organizations, local fishermen, and even President Trump are monitoring a dramatic decrease in numbers of menhaden – known colloquially as bunker – in the Atlantic Ocean. On and near Long Beach Island, the scarcity of this small schooling fish not only has affected anglers who catch the bunker to sell to tackle shops for bait, it’s caused populations of ospreys to collapse, as the lack of menhaden leads to abandoned incubation or starvation of young.

“Results from surveys this summer are on track to be the lowest recorded since early recovery efforts for ospreys began in the early 1970s,” said Ben Wurst, a senior wildlife biologist with Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. “There is little doubt that this troubling decline is tied to the reduced availability of Atlantic menhaden – a critical food source – that has sustained the rebound of ospreys over the past several decades.”

Omega Protein, a Virginia-based subsidiary of Canadian seafood giant Cooke, has been targeted as a primary cause of the lack of menhaden. The company contracts with Ocean Harvesters, in Reedville, Va., to handle processing of the bunker – of which it catches many. In 2016, Wurst pointed out for reference, more than 323 million pounds of menhaden were landed in Virginia alone. In coastal Virginia, as in New Jersey, “osprey populations have collapsed, and the likely culprit is lack of prey,” he said.

Wurst oversees the N.J. Osprey Project, focused on monitoring and managing the statewide osprey population, which was nearly eliminated before a significant rebound after DDT was banned in 1972. Last Friday, July 18, he headed out by boat – along with CWF summer interns Marlee Canale, a field technician, and Sarah Neil, who works in communications – to check some of the raptors’ nests in the bay off Barnegat Light.

There have been a high number of nest failures in the area; on Friday, the group spotted just a few young, which Wurst banded for tracking. The same dearth of nestlings “has also been observed directly through livestreaming osprey cams from Cape May to Oceanville, and reported by some of our dedicated volunteers in other areas,” he explained. “Right now, all signs point to a lack of food.”

Read the full story here

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Two NJ organizations expand clean transportation collaboration

Egg Harbor Township, NJ – July 28, 2025 — The New Jersey Clean Cities Coalition (NJCCC) and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) have formalized a long-standing relationship with the signing of a new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that sets the stage for expanded collaboration on clean transportation, public education, and workforce development initiatives across Atlantic County and the greater South Jersey region.

This new agreement marks a strategic step in NJCCC’s broader commitment to increase its presence and programming in southern New Jersey. By aligning more closely with local leaders like ACUA—an organization nationally recognized for its sustainability and clean fleet leadership—NJCCC aims to amplify its impact and accelerate progress toward a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient transportation future.

As the first step under this partnership, NJCCC has placed a summer intern at the ACUA offices through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Accelerate Internship Program. Zach Grossman, a rising senior at Brandeis University majoring in physics and philosophy, is supporting ACUA and NJCCC’s clean fleet transition efforts while contributing to public outreach and clean energy education initiatives.

Grossman’s work includes conducting fleet analyses to assess the economic and environmental benefits of alternative fuels and zero-emission vehicles, supporting local engagement efforts, and helping develop educational materials that inform regional decision-makers. His internship will culminate in a final project presented to the U.S. DOE Accelerate Team later this summer.

“Working alongside people who are actively building a cleaner future is incredibly motivating,” said Grossman. “This internship is helping me understand the real challenges and solutions behind sustainable transitions—and how important collaboration is to making it happen.”

“We’re thrilled to have Zach on board and deeply value ACUA’s partnership,” said Chuck Feinberg, Executive Director of NJCCC. “This formal agreement is an important step as we expand our efforts in South Jersey. Together, we’re investing not only in clean technology—but also in the people and communities that make lasting change possible.”

“ACUA is proud to host NJCCC and aid in their expansion into South Jersey,” said ACUA President Matthew DeNafo. “Our communities will greatly benefit from their resources and knowledge in alternative fuels and technologies.”

NJCCC previously assisted ACUA in obtaining $2 million in funding from DOE to build its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station and purchase new CNG vehicles for its fleet. The station and fleet have since saved Atlantic County ratepayers more than $6.6 million in benefits and prevented more than 9,423 metric tons of CO2e from entering the atmosphere.

NJCCC was also instrumental in obtaining $3.8 million in funding from the DOE for a future hydrogen energy project that will generate hydrogen from treated wastewater at ACUA’s Atlantic City treatment facility.

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Shipbuilders need welders. Trump would eliminate their training

By Jesse Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer

As President Donald Trump’s administration calls for a nationwide shipbuilding boom that would see the military’s fleet better compete with geopolitical rivals, Philadelphia’s shipyard aims to expand production and hire hundreds of local welders.

The recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” suggests eliminating the federal agency making that goal possible.

A tuition-free, grant-funded training program for trade workers at local community colleges is helping Hanwha — the Korean company that purchased the South Philadelphia shipyard last year — recruit would-be welders who will help the facility double its workforce in coming years, managers say.

The program from former President Joe Biden’s administration, dubbed the Good Jobs Challenge, is part of the Economic Development Administration’s sweeping initiative to train the nation’s workforce in high-demand, critical industries and bolster regional economies.

If the White House succeeds in its stated goal of defunding the EDA, however, the future of such workforce development programs is uncertain.

The proposal comes as Philadelphia faces a growing shortage of welders, and local workforce leaders say cuts could leave the city’s next generation of trade workers behind.

“We are concerned,” said Patrick Clancy, president and CEO of Philadelphia Works, the region’s top workforce board. “The Trump administration needs to realize if we want to bring all this stuff back into the United States around manufacturing, we need skilled people.”

Read the full story here

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Except for Tesla, EV sales strong, but for how long?

By Kathryn Krawczyk, Canary Media

So far, 2025 has been a mixed bag for EV sales in the U.S. A record 607,089 EVs left the lot in the first six months of the year, Cox Automotive reports, but sales in the second quarter were still lower than in Q2 2024.

A big part of that Q2 decline has to do with Tesla, which remains the U.S.’s top EV seller but has suffered stateside and around the world thanks to CEO Elon Musk’s stint in the White House. This week, Tesla reported its revenue dropped 16% in Q2 compared to the same period last year. Tesla doesn’t report its sales, but it delivered nearly 60,000 fewer vehicles in Q2 compared to a year ago.

General Motors, meanwhile, had better news to share. It sold 46,280 EVs in Q2, more than double its sales in the same period last year. That’s still a far cry from Tesla’s 380,000-plus deliveries, but it was enough to make GM the No. 2 EV brand in the U.S. And slower EV sales across the industry aren’t deterring GM CEO Mary Barra, who said the company sees EV production as its “North Star.”

Rivian reported a delivery decline in the second quarter but still plans to build new headquarters and an EV factory in Georgia. Smaller EV company Lucid says it delivered a record 3,309 cars in Q2.

Be prepared, though, for a rollercoaster in the next few months now that the “Big, Beautiful Bill” has sent EV tax credits to an early grave. Cox Automotive predicts EV sales will hit a new record in Q3 as buyers race to use federal incentives before they expire at the end of September. After that? “A collapse in Q4, as the electric vehicle market adjusts to its new reality.”

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Only hours into the job, new fed prosecutor for NJ fired by Trump

President Donald Trump speaks before Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, swears in Alina Habba as interim US Attorney General for New Jersey, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, March 28, 2025. (Pool via AP) ((Pool via AP))

By Colleen O’Dea, Senior Writer and Projects Editor, NJ Spotlight News

It’s still unclear who will be New Jersey’s next chief federal prosecutor. As interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s term draws to a close, the Trump administration rejected her replacement chosen by the state’s federal judges, continuing to bring politics into an office supposed to oversee the impartial administration of justice.

The appointment of Habba, President Trump’s former personal attorney, as the third U.S. attorney for the state this year was controversial from the start because of her lack of experience in both criminal and civil matters and because of numerous political statements she had made. Trump has nominated her to the position, which must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, where both New Jersey senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim oppose her nomination.

By law, when an interim U.S. attorney appointment expires, the district court appoints someone until the vacancy is filled. New Jersey’s court did that on Tuesday when it issued an order naming Habba’s first assistant attorney, Desiree Leigh Grace, as her successor. Grace has been with the U.S. attorney’s office for almost nine years, according to her profile on LinkedIn, and was named Habba’s first assistant on April 25. She is highly respected by other attorneys and staff, according to a number of sources.

Within hours, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on social media that Grace “has just been removed” from her position as first assistant attorney. Bondi said she supports Habba and criticized “politically minded” and “rogue” judges.

Read the full story here

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