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Justice Department Makes It Easier to Bypass Pollution Controls on Pickups

It has stopped criminal prosecutions of people who install β€œdefeat devices,” which make diesel trucks faster and more efficient but also dirtier.

Β© Acacia Johnson for The New York Times

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Trump uses wartime powers to dole out $700m to β€˜clean, beautiful’ coal

US president announces plans for two new coal plants, in Alaska and West Virginia, using Defense Production Act

Donald Trump is using wartime presidential authority to hand $700m to coal-fired power plants in the US, the latest move by the president to bolster what he called β€œclean, beautiful coal”, despite it being the dirtiest of fossil fuels.

β€œToday, we’re taking historic action to bring down the price of energy and the cost of living for all Americans with the power of clean, beautiful coal,” he said at a press conference on Thursday.

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Β© Photograph: Adrees Latif/Reuters

Β© Photograph: Adrees Latif/Reuters

Β© Photograph: Adrees Latif/Reuters

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I.R.A. Rebates for Appliance Swaps Could Be Phased Out

New guidance from the Energy Department would prevent people from receiving rebates after making such swaps.

Β© Bing Guan for The New York Times

The new guidance would also end rebates for the replacement of gas-powered dryers, heat pumps and water heaters.
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E.P.A. to Repeal Some Limits on β€˜Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

The rules were established by the Biden administration after research linked the compounds to a range of serious health problems.

Β© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, has argued that the agency made a procedural error when it established the drinking water standards in 2024.
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Trump Eases Restrictions on Climate β€˜Super Pollutants’

The administration is delaying a phaseout of hydrofluorocarbons, potent planet-warming chemicals used in air-conditioning and refrigeration.

Β© Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Replacing an air conditioning unit outside a home in western Pennsylvania during a heat wave last June.
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Fish and Wildlife Service Clears a Weedkiller, Saying It Won’t Cause Extinction

The finding effectively paves the way for continued use of atrazine, a widely used herbicide that has been linked to birth defects and cancer in humans.

Β© Julie Ingwersen/Reuters

Test plots at a Syngenta research site in Junction City, Kan. Atrazine is made primarily by Syngenta.
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The New β€˜Gold Rush’ of Geothermal Energy

A new wave of start-ups are trying to harvest emissions-free energy from inside the Earth, but the industry still faces significant challenges.

Β© Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Executives of Fervo and others celebrated the geothermal company’s I.P.O. on the Nasdaq on May 13.
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