EnviroPolitics Blog

In a Trump-defense move, Penn med school scrubs out diversity

The university’s moves were in stark contrast to other local schools, including Temple and Drexel, though some schools nationally have taken similar steps.

By Susan Snyder, Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 15, 2025

The University of Pennsylvania’s medical school plans to dissolve committees having to do with diversity, equity, and inclusion and any roles that implement such efforts.

That’s what Roy Hamilton, vice dean for inclusion, diversity, and equity at the Perelman School of Medicine, communicated to a group of medical school diversity program leaders at a meeting this week, according to a source who attended but asked not to be identified for fear of retribution.

Its websites dealing with diversity also are under review by a university committee and will likely undergo removal or significant modification, the source said. Even the school’s pipeline programs that bring candidates from diverse backgrounds into the medical school for programming will be evaluated to be sure they do not discriminate against anyone, including nonminorities. Those programs also could be changed or dissolved, the source said.

That move represented one action Penn is taking to respond to President Donald Trump’s executive order threatening funding for colleges that employ diversity efforts. Penn Medicine is far from the only school at the Ivy League university taking such measures. Hamilton told attendees the directives were coming from College Hall, Penn’s main administration building.

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Decommissioning offshore oil rigs: A growing and dangerous worldwide business

By gCaptain, 2/10/25

Offshore oil and gas facilities do not last forever. When wells run dry or production is no longer profitable, companies face the task of decommissioning. This complex process involves retiring old structures, sealing wells, and restoring marine environments. In recent years, decommissioning work has grown worldwide due to aging infrastructures and stricter environmental regulations. While decommissioning is vital for safety and environmental protection, it also raises concerns about worker safety.

Below is an in-depth look at offshore decommissioning, how it is funded, and the specific risks that workers face as more wells and platforms reach the end of their operating lives.

Understanding Offshore Decommissioning

Offshore decommissioning refers to the series of steps taken to retire old oil and gas infrastructure at sea. This process can involve plugging and abandoning wells, removing topside equipment, dismantling platform structures, and disposing or repurposing materials. According to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), decommissioning must meet strict guidelines to ensure that unproductive wells are properly sealed, preventing leaks that could harm marine life orimpact water quality.

Decommissioning can be broken down into phases. First, companies must study and plan on how best to seal wells, remove pipelines, and possibly reuse platform components. Next, divers and specialized crews work on plugging wells with cement, making sure no hydrocarbons can escape into the sea. Afterward, structures such as platform decks or jackets may be taken apart and sent to shore for recycling or safe disposal. Alternatively, some platforms are modified into artificial reefs if certain criteria are met. The ultimate goal is to reduce environmental impacts and clear navigational hazards.

Read the full story here

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Pa. Gov. Shapiro sues over Trump administration funding freeze

By Ford Turner, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG – The Shapiro administration on Thursday sued the federal government over its implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive orders, challenging a freeze of federal funding and saying state agencies can’t access $1.2 billion and face roadblocks on $900 million more.

“The federal government has entered into a contract with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, promising to provide billions of dollars in Congressionally-approved funding,” Mr. Shapiro said in a news release. “With this funding freeze, the Trump administration is breaking that contract.”

Besides the $1.2 billion, the Shapiro administration said that as of Thursday there is another $900 million that requires “an undefined review by federal agencies” before it can be drawn down.

The firestorm over frozen funding broke out with the issuance of a memo by the Office of Management and Budget on Jan. 27, less than a week into Trump’s second presidency. Mr. Shapiro, a Democrat, said the next afternoon that state employees “literally can’t access the payment systems and the computer systems” used to run high-profile federal-state programs.

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Hard-fought NJ bill to reduce plastic packaging clears a hurdle

It took nine hearings in a single New Jersey Senate committee to spring loose a bill on Monday (S3398) that would shift responsibility for handling products in plastic containers to manufacturers. The plastics industry and their business allies continue efforts to block the legislation. Environmentalists and health advocates say it’s essential, pointing to studies showing plastic particles building up in our bodies.

Overview:
State lawmakers are advancing bills to make plastic producers more responsible for the waste they create through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs. EPR has been gaining traction as a promising waste management and reduction approach, with California, Colorado, Maine, and Oregon enacting EPR programs for plastic waste in recent years.
Building on legislation from these states, at least 11 other states have introduced 24 policies in 2024 to help improve their waste systems by establishing their own EPR for packaging programs.

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Trump’s next environmental target: Endangered species

Republicans have pushed to loosen protections for grizzly bears around Yellowstone National Park and the Continental Divide.
Photographer: Jonathan Newton/Getty Images

Bobby Magill, Bloomberg Law

Nonprofit environmental law groups adding attorneys
Rarely convened ‘God Squad’ seen as tool to trim animal protections

Environmental law groups are hiring a cadre of attorneys in a bid to block President Donald Trump’s deregulatory efforts, which they assert will dismantle endangered species protections.

The Center for Biological Diversity, which sued the first Trump administration more than 280 times, is adding six lawyers. Earthjustice, a nonprofit law firm that sued more than 200 times, is seeking eight more.

Both groups say they’re preparing to file possibly hundreds of lawsuits to challenge potential rollbacks under Trump’s Jan. 31 deregulation plan, which directs federal agencies to eliminate 10 rules for each new one they enact.

“We’re not as caught by surprise as we were last time around,” said Kristen Boyles, managing attorney for Earthjustice.

The scramble is a response to the disruption cascading across multiple departments and agencies, as the president and his newly formed Department of Government Efficiency seek to shrink government and repeal or replace every last vestige of the Biden agenda.

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The amazing Mr. Musk. Can he win playing both sides on China?

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks after taking the oath of office at the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

By Katrina Northrop and Vic Chiang, Washington Post

Elon Musk’s Tesla on Tuesday opened an enormous $200 million battery plant in Shanghai, near its car-making Gigafactory, deepening the company’s investment in China even as its CEO serves in an administration picking a trade war with Beijing.

Musk has been busy in Washington — he is spearheading President Donald Trump’s effort to radically reshape the federal government through his U.S. DOGE Service — and did not attend the ceremony in China.

But the new factory underscores his unusual position as economic tensions between the United States and China escalate.

“If he’s not playing things right on the edge, Elon Musk is not comfortable, so he’s in his element,” said Michael Dunne, a China auto industry consultant, adding that it reflected Musk’s apparent belief that he would innovate faster than everyone else, keeping him in good standing in China.

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What’s your take on Elon Musk? Send you comments to editor@enviropolitics.com, Maybe we’ll publish them in an upcoming post.

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