Disasters

"Nuclear Rules in Japan Relied on Old Science"

"In the country that gave the world the word tsunami, the Japanese nuclear establishment largely disregarded the potentially destructive force of the walls of water. The word did not even appear in government guidelines until 2006, decades after plants — including the Fukushima Daiichi facility that firefighters are still struggling to get under control — began dotting the Japanese coastline."

Source: NY Times, 03/28/2011

Smoke From Climate-Fueled Wildfires Added To 1000s Of US Deaths Over 15 Years

"Wildfires driven by climate change contribute to as many as thousands of annual deaths and billions of dollars in economic costs from wildfire smoke in the United States, according to a new study."

Source: AP, 05/09/2025

US Will Stop Tracking Costs Of Extreme Weather Fueled By Climate Change

"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will no longer track the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters, including floods, heat waves, wildfires and more. It is the latest example of changes to the agency and the Trump administration limiting federal government resources on climate change."

Source: AP, 05/09/2025

USFS and NPS Worker Cuts Leave Wildland Firefighting Crews Short-Staffed

"Trump administration funding cuts and a loss of federal workers who help support wildland firefighting continues to make planning for the upcoming wildfire season a challenge, according to forest and fire officials in Washington state and Oregon."

Source: AP, 05/09/2025

Asbestos Clinic Forced To Close In Montana Town Where Thousands Sickened

"BILLINGS, Mont. — An asbestos screening clinic in a small Montana town where thousands have been sickened by toxic dust from a nearby mine has been abruptly shuttered by authorities following a court order to seize the clinic’s assets to pay off a judgment to the railroad BNSF."

Source: AP, 05/09/2025

"Congress Counters Trump With Massive FEMA Restructuring Plan"

"A bipartisan group of House members is drafting a sweeping bill to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency — and in some cases expand its services — in an effort to head off President Donald Trump’s threats to shrink or abolish the agency."

Source: E&E News, 05/09/2025

Leader of FEMA Is Dismissed as Trump Admin Takes Aim at the Agency

"The ouster of Cameron Hamilton, less than a month before the start of the hurricane season, came a day after he told lawmakers that FEMA was vital to communities “in their greatest times of need” and should not be eliminated."

Source: NYTimes, 05/09/2025

Trump Admin Decommissions Sea Ice Data That Warned of Arctic Climate Change

"Key datasets used to monitor the impacts of climate change in the Arctic have emerged as the latest victim of cost-cutting by the Trump administration at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

Source: Inside Climate News, 05/08/2025

"Democratic-Led States Sue To Prevent Trump From Gutting Health Agencies"

"A group of Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit on Monday to challenge the Trump administration's decision to gut the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by firing 10,000 of its employees and shuttering entire agencies within the department."

Source: Reuters, 05/08/2025

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