Environmental Integrity Project

A federal judge in South Carolina found that EPA's decision to cut the $2.8 billion Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant program was unlawful and voided the action. The program was set up under the Inflation Reduction Act to provide community groups and local governments with grants meant to reduce air pollution, address high utility costs, and improve deteriorating infrastructure.

However, the judge did not issue a permanent injunction to require the EPA to resume the program because doing so would require rehiring staff that oversee the grants, who were fired by the Trump Administration.

This ruling is an important step, but damage has already been done. Communities lost access to critical funding, projects were delayed, and staff responsible for administering the grants were fired. It will take significant resources to get back on track after EPA’s unlawful actions.

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12062026/judge-rules-trump-environmental-justice-grant-cancellations-unlawful/

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the administration will not set national environmental standards for the fast-growing data center industry, arguing that states and local communities know what works best for them and are better positioned to determine pollution and water-use requirements.

EPA has also cited the AI boom to justify rolling back pollution rules at coal plants and easing guidance for diesel generators so they can be used at data centers for more than just back-up emergency power.

Our recent report, State of Decline, found that 27 states have cut environmental agency budgets over the past 15 years. These reductions raise concerns about whether states have the resources to protect communities from the coming wave of data centers and the air and water pollution that will follow in their wake.

If states are expected to regulate pollution from the booming data center industry, how will they do it without adequate staff or funding? Both EPA and states have an obligation to ensure this fast-growing industry complies with the law and doesn’t expose communities to unsafe levels of pollution.

Politico article: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/10/zeldin-data-centers-states-00956574

State of Decline report: https://environmentalintegrity.org/reports/state-of-decline/

The Trump Administration recently announced it will spend nearly $700 million to revive the coal industry. Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, a 1950 law that grants presidents broad authority over national security-related industries and said his actions will allow coal plants to invest in upgrades that will extend their operational lives for decades.

Under this act, the administration will support 13 coal plants and help build new coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia, the first new U.S. plants since 2013. Funding will also be used to help restart a closed coal-fired power plant in Maryland and build a coal export terminal in California that's been delayed for years.

Reviving the coal industry is an investment in pollution and bad for public health. Using wartime law for this purpose is a clear abuse of power and inconsistent with the Defense Production Act.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-coal-mining-power-plant-climate-electricity-0a7126d66de97b10f32eaa39b1af669f

Trump’s EPA is distributing $1 billion to address drinking water contaminated by PFAS and another $2.9 billion to help find and replace lead pipes as part of its promise to “Make America Healthy Again.”

But the funds were appropriated back in 2021 under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which promised to provide more than $50 billion over 5 years to improve U.S. water infrastructure, including $15 billion specifically for replacing lead water lines.

Trump has proposed cutting EPA's budget in half in 2027, including a 90 percent reduction in funding for lead pipe replacements.

Trump’s EPA can’t claim credit for investing in clean drinking water while simultaneously proposing deep cuts to EPA funding and slashing programs that replace dangerous lead pipes. Protecting public health requires sustained investment, not rebranding and budget reductions.

https://grist.org/buildings/bidens-clean-drinking-water-plan-is-being-rebranded-as-maha/

In 2023, the Supreme Court stripped protections from millions of acres of wetlands. Now, a new study finds that wetland destruction in the United States has increased the amount of flood insurance claims by $10 billion over the last 40 years, and that the value of flood-mitigation from unprotected wetlands is estimated to be $177 billion.

Researchers used flood insurance claims data to calculate the dollar value of wetlands in reducing river flooding, while also considering rainfall and land use changes, like parking lots. They believe that since the Supreme Court removed Clean Water Act protections for many wetlands, quantifying flood control benefits of wetlands is more crucial than ever.

Wetlands are vital natural defenses that reduce flooding, protect communities, and save billions in damages. We must prioritize conserving and restoring wetlands to safeguard people, ecosystems, and our future.

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02062026/wetlands-destruction-will-worsen-flooding/

Trump’s EPA is attempting to create a misbegotten permitting program for coal ash dumps, reopening a comment period on a 2020 proposal from Trump's first term that would create a system for companies to obtain "permits for life" for coal ash dumps.

Normal permits have to be periodically renewed, which provides an opportunity for permit writers and the public to evaluate compliance and hold permittees accountable. Permits for life dramatically limit accountability. The proposal also involves a "permit shield," which would limit citizen enforcement and leave oversight in the hands of understaffed agencies with little appetite for enforcement.

Compounding that problem is that the proposed rule would also authorize dangerous "general permits" that would enable CCR units to bypass site-specific scrutiny. General permits would also silence citizens because EPA would not require public comment for sites to get covered by a general permit.

Companies should be held accountable for pollution that threatens nearby communities. Limiting citizen oversight through less enforceable permits for life will put the public at risk.

EPA is accepting public comments on the ruling to weaken coal ash safeguards until June 29.

To comment on the ruling, visit https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OLEM-2019-0361

E&E News Article: https://www.eenews.net/articles/epa-to-create-permitting-system-for-coal-ash-dumps/

The waste management industry is increasingly pushing trash incinerators as a solution to waste from synthetic forever chemicals known as PFAS. A new industry trade group report alleges that Minnesota's incinerators are reducing their PFAS chemical emissions by 99.6 percent. However, experts say that U.S. incinerators are largely failing to eliminate PFAS air pollution.

A former DuPont PFAS scientist criticized the industry-backed study in Minnesota, saying there is insufficient data to support the conclusion. Research suggests incineration can create smaller toxic PFAS byproducts, and airborne PFAS risks may be greater than previously understood.

These findings raise serious concerns about how PFAS can spread through the air and persist in the environment. If PFAS incineration is creating toxic byproducts, we need stronger oversight and faster action to reduce the use of PFAS-containing products.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/30/garbage-incinerators-pfas-forever-chemicals

A tank containing 600,000 gallons of caustic “white liquor” recently exploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging paper mill in southwestern Washington, killing 11 people. The chemical is used to break down wood chips into a packaging board for products like juice cartons.

In 2025, EIP reported that the mill's boiler, installed in 1928, was the oldest of 185 large pulp and paper mills in the U.S. included in our analysis. Aging boilers often have worn components that can lower efficiency, increase pollution, and elevate the risk of mechanical failures and explosions.

While the exact cause of the deadly explosion remains under investigation, the incident underscores the need for industrial companies to modernize aging equipment and improve safety systems to help prevent future disasters.

NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/30/us/11-dead-longview-washington-chemical-explosion.html

Paper Trail of Pollution: https://environmentalintegrity.org/reports/paper-trail-of-pollution/

Louisiana lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would have allowed communities near oil and petrochemical facilities to access fenceline air monitoring data at more than 100 high-risk facilities. The state currently monitors air quality at less than two dozen sites.

If it had become law, refineries and petrochemical plants would be required to install and maintain fenceline monitoring systems, share hourly pollution data with the public, and alert the public in real time if pollution levels are unsafe.

EIP Research Scientist Kimberly Terrell has extensively studied the health impacts of industrial pollution in Cancer Alley. She told lawmakers that Louisiana’s existing equipment is not designed to detect many of the most toxic chemicals in emissions, such as ethylene oxide and vinyl chloride.

Communities living near refineries and petrochemical plants should have real-time access to air monitoring data so families know what they are breathing and can better protect their health.

https://lailluminator.com/2026/05/26/air-monitor/

Trump’s EPA is slowing down a plan to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), chemicals linked to climate pollution, despite the rules being signed into law during Trump’s first term with support from industry groups and both political parties.

Project 2025 called for repealing the HFC rules, though analysts say the move is unlikely to lower grocery prices. Experts point instead to tariffs, extreme weather, and rising fuel costs tied to the war in Iran as major drivers of higher food prices.

This is yet another example of EPA rolling back public health protections. Slowing the phaseout of climate-polluting HFCs does little to address the real causes behind rising grocery prices.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/climate/trump-super-pollutants-hfc-epa-climate-change.html