U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The federal agency responsible for environmental protection, now reversing its own climate findings. - Defendant in wave of federal lawsuits over endangerment revocation

For seventeen years, the Environmental Protection Agency's 2009 endangerment finding—the determination that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases threaten public health—served as the legal foundation for virtually all federal climate regulation. On February 13, 2026, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin officially revoked it, eliminating the basis for vehicle emissions standards, power plant rules, and regulations on oil and gas facilities in what the administration called 'the largest deregulatory action in American history.'

Updated 7 days ago

The federal agency that brought the original 2022 lawsuit alleging EES Coke violated the Clean Air Act's New Source Review requirements. - Plaintiff; secured $100M penalty after seeking $140M

EES Coke Battery has no employees. Every worker at the Zug Island coke plant near Detroit is on the payroll of a DTE Energy subsidiary. For years, that corporate arrangement helped DTE argue it wasn't responsible for the facility's sulfur dioxide pollution. On February 17, a federal judge disagreed—and used that very arrangement as evidence to hold three DTE parent entities liable as "operators" under the Clean Air Act, ordering them to pay $100 million.

Updated Feb 20

Develops the annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks tracking emissions and forest carbon absorption since 1990. - Publishes annual U.S. greenhouse gas inventory including forest carbon

American forests have stored more carbon over the past two decades than at any point in the last century. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identifies what's driving this: forest age accounts for the largest share, locking in 89 million metric tons of carbon annually as trees reach peak growth stages. Climate factors—temperature, precipitation, and elevated carbon dioxide—add another 66 million metric tons per year.

Updated Feb 13

The federal agency responsible for setting and enforcing environmental standards including lead exposure limits in air, water, and consumer products. - Primary enforcement body for lead regulations

For most of the twentieth century, Americans inhaled roughly two pounds of lead per person annually from car exhaust alone. A new University of Utah study analyzing century-old hair samples confirms the scale of this unintentional mass poisoning—and the dramatic reversal that followed. Lead concentrations in human hair dropped from 100 parts per million before the 1970s to less than 1 part per million today, a 100-fold decline documented through specimens preserved in family scrapbooks.

Updated Feb 7

EPA regulates air pollutants, including greenhouse gases, from vehicles and other sources under the Clean Air Act. - Attempting to rescind Endangerment Finding and vehicle GHG standards

On December 3, 2025, President Donald Trump unveiled a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposal to slash Biden‑era Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, cutting the projected 2031 light‑duty fleet target from about 50.4 miles per gallon to roughly 34.5 mpg and phasing in only 0.25–0.5% annual increases instead of the 2% per year previously planned. The rule would also bar automakers from trading efficiency credits after 2028, a change that especially hurts EV‑focused companies that sell credits to gasoline‑heavy manufacturers.

Updated Jan 2

EPA’s Class VI decisions determine whether CRC’s carbon-storage ambitions can operate at scale. - Permitting authority for Class VI CO2 injection wells relevant to CRC’s CCS plans

The CRC–Berry all-stock combination is now in the paperwork-and-plumbing phase: CRC’s post-close 8-K confirms Berry is a wholly owned subsidiary, discloses an amendment that increased CRC’s elected credit-facility commitments to $1.46 billion, and sets a 71-day deadline to publish the required pro forma financials for the combined company.

Updated Dec 18, 2025

The EPA writes and enforces U.S. pollution rules; today it’s re‑opening many of its own. - Rewriting and delaying key vehicle pollution and climate rules under Trump‑appointed leadership

The EPA isn’t killing Biden’s vehicle pollution rules outright. It’s slow‑walking them to the edge of a cliff. A senior official says the agency plans to keep looser 2026 standards in place for two extra model years instead of enforcing tougher limits on smog‑forming pollution starting in 2027.

Updated Dec 12, 2025