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In the News: Inside Climate News January 16, 2026

Will Trump’s Push to Drill on California Public Lands be More Successful This Time Around?

Michelle Ghafar, Attorney, California Regional Office: “They didn’t look at any of that new information or change of circumstances and analyze how any of that could change the impact that they identified.”

A Gulf of Mexico Rice’s whale — one of the world’s rarest whales — observed in the western Gulf of Mexico in 2024. The species is the only large whale species that lives year-round in North American waters. (Paul Nagelkirk / NOAA Fisheries - NMFS ESA/MMPA Permit #21938)
From the Experts January 16, 2026

As a kid, he came face to face with one of the rarest whales in the world — he just didn’t know it yet

A photo of the whale caught a researcher’s eye, sparking a scientific odyssey spanning 56 years. Today, amid a push to expand fossil fuel drilling in the Gulf, Rice’s whales face extinction.

Isocycloseram, a “forever chemical” insecticide that falls into the class of highly persistent PFAS, was approved for use on a host of food crops, including tomatoes, oranges, and more. (Colby Winfield / Unsplash)
Press Release January 15, 2026

Lawsuit Challenges Trump EPA’s Latest Approval of ‘Forever Chemical’ Pesticide

Isocycloseram was approved for use on golf courses, lawns, and a host of food crops

In the News: Slate January 14, 2026

It’s Responsible for One of the Worst Oil Disasters Ever. It’s Counting On Trump to Let It Do It Again.

Sam Sankar, SVP of Programs, Earthjustice: “The first Trump administration saw oil companies as its “partners.” The second Trump administration treats them as its “customers.””

document January 14, 2026

Challenge to DOE’s order to force Washington’s last coal plant to keep operating

On behalf of public interest groups, Earthjustice challenged the Department of Energy’s (DOE) illegal order forcing Washington’s last coal plant to operate past its planned retirement date. The groups’ request for rehearing was filed with DOE in response to the 90-day order issued Dec. 16, just two weeks before TransAlta’s last coal-burning unit was legally required to shut down on Dec. 31.

(Patrick J. Endres / Getty Images)
Article January 14, 2026

Why We’re Fighting Trump on Multiple Fronts to Protect the Arctic

The administration wants to maximize oil and gas drilling in Arctic regions of the U.S. We’re in court to stop them.

Press Release January 14, 2026

Over 30 Organizations Urge USDA to Limit Federal Support for Manure Digesters

Hundreds of millions of dollars intended to cut energy costs have been funneled to costly manure digesters, benefitting industrial-scale livestock operations

document January 13, 2026

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Amended and Supplemented Complaint

Updated complaint resumes litigation to protect the 1.56 million-acre Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas leasing, adding new claims challenging Interior’s October 2025 decision to again open the Coastal Plain to leasing.

Caribou on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. (Florian Schulz / protectthearctic.org)
Press Release January 13, 2026

Groups Challenge Arctic Refuge Leases and Drilling Plan

Updated complaint restarts paused litigation to protect the 1.56 million-acre Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas leasing

In the News: The Southern Maryland Chronicle January 13, 2026

EPA Delays Coal Plant Wastewater Rules

Thom Cmar, Deputing Managing Attorney, Midwest Regional Office: “It’ll cost all of us in the long run because it will encourage more expensive, dirty coal plants to continue operating for longer and it will mean more arsenic, mercury and lead in our waterways.”

Today, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland is enjoyed by recreationists. In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act to protect U.S. waterways from abuses like the oily industrial pollution that caused the river to catch on fire in 1969. (Tony Dejak / AP)
Press Release January 13, 2026

Trump EPA Undercuts State and Tribal Authority Under Clean Water Act

EPA’s proposal creates confusion for state and tribal nations to protect water quality

The coal-fired Centralia Power Plant, owned by TransAlta Corporation and located in Washington State, began operating in 1971. The plant’s air emissions harm human health and create haze pollution in what should be our most pristine areas, including Mt. Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades National Parks. (Steven Baltakatei Sandoval / CC BY-SA 4.0)
case January 13, 2026

The Trump Administration Stands in the Way of the Shutdown Mandated by Law Since 2011 of Washington State’s Last Coal Plant – TransAlta’s Centralia Plant

The Trump administration is falsely invoking emergency powers to resurrect coal-fired power.

In the News: The Washington Post January 12, 2026

EPA says it will no longer consider health costs in pollution regulations

Patrice Simms, VP of Litigation for Healthy Communities: “EPA uses the idea of ‘uncertainty’ here to justify its decision not to provide any monetized benefits of reducing pollution. But the result of this decision is effectively to assign a benefit of zero dollars to reducing these pollutants.”

Press Release January 9, 2026

EPA Rejects Colorado’s Regional Haze Plan, Including Coal Plant Retirement Dates

Trump administration continues to undermine Colorado’s efforts to turn the page on coal

In the News: Canary Media January 9, 2026

EPA plans to give 11 coal plants a free pass on toxic ash disposal

Lisa Evans, Senior Counsel, Clean Energy Program: “EPA never reviewed these demonstrations. If they did, I am confident that they would likely find that each of the plants are ineligible for an extension.”

In the News: The East Hampton Star January 8, 2026

LaLota a Critical ‘No’ on Wolf Protections

Ben Levitan, Attorney, Biodiversity Defense Program: “This attack is not just about the harm it would bring to wildlife and ecosystems; it’s also a threat from the Trump administration to violate the law and ignore the popular will in order to serve well-connected special interests.”

In the News: Politico January 8, 2026

Appeals court asked to consider new records on Everglades detention center

Tania Galloni, Managing Attorney, Florida Office: “We now know that the federal and state government had records confirming that they closely partnered on this facility from the beginning but failed to disclose them to the district court. They cannot continue to evade responsibility for what they’ve done to the Everglades.”

Since 2009, the “endangerment finding” has formed the legal backbone for some of our most important climate protections, including limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. (Pi Lens / Shutterstock)
feature January 8, 2026

Trump is Failing the Climate Test. Will You Pass Our Climate Quiz?

See how well you understand what the Trump administration is up to