Environmental Glance
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company is belching smog-forming pollution into an area of South Memphis that already leads the state in emergency department visits for asthma.
None of the 35 methane gas turbines that help power xAI’s massive supercomputer is equipped with pollution controls typically required by federal rules.
The company has no Clean Air Act permits.
In just 11 months since the company arrived in Memphis, xAI has become one of Shelby County’s largest emitters of smog-producing nitrogen oxides, according to calculations by environmental groups whose data has been reviewed by POLITICO’s E&E News. The plant is in an area whose air is already considered unhealthy due to smog.
Dangerously hot in Alaska? New warnings show climate change impact.
Websites can be scrubbed of climate change references and the U.S. halted from international and national climate assessments, but rising temperatures leave their own evidence, especially in the nation’s most northern state.
Temperatures have climbed for decades in Alaska, where it’s warming two- to three-times faster than the global average. The heat warms surrounding waters, shrinks glaciers and sea ice and creates more hazardous conditions for people.
As a result, after batting around the idea for a while, National Weather Service offices in Juneau and Fairbanks, Alaska, will start issuing heat advisories for the first time this summer, said Rick Thoman, climate specialist with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. In the past, special weather statements were used to communicate heat risks.
Trump administration sues 4 blue states over climate suits, laws
The Trump administration has sued four Democratic-led states to try to block their climate-related lawsuits or laws.
On Wednesday, the administration sued Michigan and Hawaii in an attempt to block them from suing fossil fuel companies over climate change.
On Thursday, it sued New York and Vermont over their “climate Superfund” laws — which require fossil fuel companies to pay for emissions stemming from their products.
In lawsuits filed Wednesday, the Justice Department asked federal courts to permanently prevent Michigan and Hawaii from pursuing claims against fossil fuel companies.
The administration argued that it’s up to the federal government — not states — to regulate climate pollution and that therefore these lawsuits are unconstitutional.
White House dismisses authors of major climate report
The Trump Administration has dismissed the scientists working on the country's flagship climate report, a move that threatens to curtail climate science and make information about global warming less available to the public.
The National Climate Assessment is the most trustworthy and comprehensive source of information about how global warming affects the United States. It answers common questions about how quickly sea levels are rising near American cities, how much rain is normal for different regions and how to deal with wildfire smoke exposure.
The assessment is mandated by Congress, and its sixth edition was supposed to be released in late 2027. About 400 volunteer authors had already started work. They included top scientists as well as economists, tribal leaders and climate experts from non-profit groups and corporations.
Severe storms, 'long-lived' tornadoes, hail threaten central US
A severe weather outbreak was possible April 28 in the upper Midwest, forecasters warned, the first day of what could be a multiple-day siege of stormy weather over the central, eastern and southern states.
"The atmosphere will be very conducive for severe weather," the National Weather Service said.
A "widespread, significant" threat will develop, especially in the afternoon and evening, according to an online forecast from Weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce.
Strong tornadoes, large hail and high winds are all possible dangers, the Storm Prediction Center said.
Facing shortages, cities tap sewers to bolster drinking water supply
On a hot day, there’s nothing quite like a refreshing drink of water. But how would you feel if that water was sourced from the sewer?
As cities across the West brace for a drier future, they’re investing in advanced water purification technology. It flushes out the contaminants in wastewater so that the murky stuff that goes down your toilet can eventually come out ready to drink at your sink.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty here in terms of water resources, so we think that this is that next bucket of water that we need to tap into,” said Nazario Prieto, assistant director of Phoenix Water Services.
The city of 1.6 million people is building its first advanced water purification plant that could eventually process up to 15 million gallons of wastewater a day.
Powerful line of storms could bring tornadoes, hail the size of baseballs
As parts of the central U.S. recover from a deadly outbreak of severe weather, a line of storms is forecast to unleash large hail, heavy rain and tornadoes across the South.
Potent thunderstorms on April 22 will extend from northeastern Kansas to Texas and New Mexico, according to AccuWeather. The most powerful storms could unleash hail the size of baseballs, heavy rain and "a couple of tornadoes."
"Property damage can be significant in the strongest storms," AccuWeather warned.
Through the end of the week, the same southern states will be at risk of severe thunderstorms, large hail and tornadoes as a line of showers barrels across the region. On April 25, the heavy rain could extend into the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, AccuWeather said.
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