Environment

Energy Secretary Rick Perry was sworn in Thursday, apparently having come to terms with heading the agency he once wanted to abolish.

Rick Perry Sworn In As Energy Secretary

8:41pm March 02, 2017

by Maggie Penman

The former Texas governor was confirmed Thursday by a 62-37 vote in the Senate. While running for president in 2011, Perry pledged to eliminate the department, but he says he's changed his mind.

Bush Administration EPA Chief Urges Caution In Cutting Regulations

11:15am March 02, 2017

Rachel Martin speaks with Christine Todd Whitman, who led the Environmental Protection Agency under George W. Bush. She responds to President Trump's plan to roll back regulations and cut EPA funding.

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Frank Gehrke (right), California's chief snow surveyor checks the weight of the snowpack on a scale. Scientists say the snowpack is 185 percent of average, which is welcome news after the state's long drought.

Sierra Snowpack Smacks California's Drought

8:57pm March 01, 2017

by Richard Gonzales

Despite one of the wettest winters on record, California Gov. Jerry Brown hasn't declared the five-year drought over yet. But the water shortages may to be over.

The Navajo Generating Station located on the Navajo Indian Reservation, near Page, Ariz.

Navajo Workers At Coal-Fired Power Plant Brace For Its Closing

5:30pm March 01, 2017

by Laurel Morales

The largest coal-fired power plant in the Western U.S. will shut down 25 years earlier than expected. Environmentalists are celebrating, but hundreds of Navajo workers there are devastated.

Heavy Rainfall Strains One Of California's Most Essential Reservoirs

4:31pm March 01, 2017

by Kirk Siegler

Snow surveyors are measuring the health of the snow pack in the high altitude Sierra Nevada. After years of drought, much of the state is now experiencing one of its wettest years on record.

Warmer Temperatures Signal Early Start To Spring Weather

4:31pm March 01, 2017

Spring arrived early this year across much of the U.S. NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Jake Weltzin of the U.S. Geological Survey to find out how we know.

California is looking into ways to reduce the use of gas-powered lawn and gardening equipment because they will soon surpass cars as the biggest polluters in the state.

California Weighs Tougher Emissions Rules For Gas-Powered Garden Equipment

8:48am March 01, 2017

by David Gorn

Gas-powered gardening equipment will soon surpass cars as the worst polluters in California. It is considering stronger emissions standards for small gas engines and incentives to switch to electric.

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Massey Run, an intermittent stream that runs into Crum Creek in Pennsylvania's Montgomery County, is impacted by the Waters of the United States rule.

Trump Aims To 'Eliminate' Clean Water Rule

6:47pm February 28, 2017

The Obama-era "Waters of the United States" rule defines which small bodies of water are subject to U.S. authority. Opponents such as farmers, homebuilders and golf course owners say it goes too far.

Trump Orders Review Of Obama-Era Clean Water Rule

5:34pm February 28, 2017

by Nathan Rott

President Trump takes action to roll back another environmental regulation. The Clean Water Rule extends federal authority over smaller streams and marshes, but farmers, builders and others say it goes too far.

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A small pond serves as the water source for a cattle ranch in Tallula, Ill. The 2015 Waters of the United States rule, or WOTUS, expanded federal protections to a broader range of water sources.

Trump Aims To 'Eliminate' Clean Water Rule

3:28pm February 28, 2017

The Obama-era "Waters of the United States" rule defines which small bodies of water are subject to U.S. authority. Opponents such as farmers, homebuilders and golf course owners say it goes too far.