Across the country, developers regularly use flood map changes to build in vulnerable areas after getting FEMA to approve measures such as elevating homes, building retention ponds and raising the land with fill. But it's not always enough to prevent flooding and increased risks for people nearby.
Even in the gray fog of a pandemic, news about the future of the U.S. power sector has been dominated by a sunny outlook on renewable energy. In January, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that most new electric power generation in 2020 would come from wind and solar.
A rising tide of climate-related lawsuits across the U.S. could represent an important new front in the fight to limit harm from a warming planet, and force energy companies to foot the bill for measures to address it. But against the staunch opposition of energy producers and federal agencies also targeted in some of the suits, it's uncertain how much impact the litigation will have.
President Trump is revoking California's authority to set its own vehicle emissions standards, setting the stage for a Supreme Court battle.
A decade after General Motors teetered on bankruptcy, workers say they want some payback for their sacrifices.
Fresh off a spat with car makers, the Trump administration seems to be walking into another fight with a big industry over whether deregulation is going too far. The EPA has laid out a plan to roll back regulation of methane gas, saying it will save the oil and gas industry money.
Food and Drug Administration for the second time proposes a series of graphic warning labels for cigarette packs and advertising, but could face another legal challenge from the tobacco industry
The Endangered Species Act is getting an overhaul by the Trump White House that will affect hundreds of species now considered "threatened."
Big soda companies, pressured to reduce plastic use, back away from lobbying firm tied to group opposing bag bans.
New members of EPA science advisory panels, including some with industry ties, were not not properly screened for ethical conflicts, according to the Government Accountability Office.
The beverage industry trumpets its efforts at sustainability. Coca Cola, for example, has set a goal of making a full half of its packaging from recycled material by 2030. Yet, the industry repeatedly has blocked a key tool in increasing recycling rates: the bottle bill.
Driver-assistance technology is becoming more common. Major carmakers have pledged to make automated emergency braking standard on all vehicles by 2022, for example. But technical barriers, plus the general unease of consumers, make full automation a farther reach, despite what Elon Musk may say.
Lawyers presented a federal judge in Ohio with a proposal that would allow every town, city or county in the country to receive a payment from the companies that have made and sold prescription opioids. Local governments opting in to the settlement would get money to help address the public health crisis stemming from opioid abuse.
The Trump Administration is sticking to its plan to weaken vehicle emission standards, despite appeals from the auto industry that the rollback goes too far.
Now that China has banned imports of certain types of plastic and paper waste, thousands of tons of recyclables in some cities are being hauled to landfills. It's a big issue with no easy solution.
