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IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court not a big fan of federal agencies; Former ExxonMobil CEO now in charge of U.S. diplomacy; Trump's controversial EPA nominee muscled through GOP Senate Committee; PLUS: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe gears up for another court battle against the Dakota Access Pipeline... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

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IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Trump Supreme Court Nominee Could Hear Case Affecting Trump Golf Courses; Clean Water Protections Under Attack in Early Days of 115th Congress; As Drought Winds Down, CA Lawmakers Set Stage for Future Water Wars; 3 GOP governors invest in clean energy; Green movement 'greatest threat to freedom', says Trump adviser; Lawmaker Wants To Ease Rules On Drilling In Natl Parks... PLUS: Climate economist sounds the alarm... and much, MUCH more! ...

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY'S 'GREEN NEWS REPORT'...

• Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch to US Supreme Court, not a fan of federal agencies:
• Environmental groups denounce Trump’s ‘radical and dangerous’ Supreme Court pick (Climate Progress)
• Gorsuch is to the Right of Scalia on the “Chevron Doctrine”—Here’s Why it Matters (Huffington Post)
• Trump has given the right another Scalia (NY Magazine)
• Former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson now US Secretary of State:
• Rex Tillerson Is Confirmed as Secretary of State Amid Record Opposition (NY Times)
• Rex Tillerson needs to win battles at home before the wars abroad (Guardian UK):
  
  The new US secretary of state needs to win over a disgruntled staff before soothing allies alienated by Trump’s chaotic administration
• How Senators Voted on Rex Tillerson (NY Times)
• EPA pick Scott Pruitt on hold - for now [until it's not]:
• Scott Pruitt, Trump's E.P.A. Pick, Is Approved by Senate Committee (NY Times):
  
  A day after Democrats on the Senate environment committee boycotted a planned vote on Mr. Pruitt's nomination, the panel's Republicans reconvened on Thursday and temporarily suspended the committee's rules, which require the presence of at least two Democrats to hold votes, and approved Mr. Pruitt.
• Republicans suspend rules, advance Pruitt to floor vote without a single Democrat - a new tactic for getting Trump's controversial picks out of committee. (Climate Progress)
• Dem: Trump's EPA pick Pruitt gave answers 'shockingly devoid of substance' (The Hill):
  
  In dozens of cases in which senators asked about Pruitt's tenure as Oklahoma's attorney general, Pruitt told them to file public records requests with his office.
• How Republicans Will Try to Roll Back Obama Regulations (NY Times)
• NRDC sues over Trump withdrawal of toxic mercury discharge rule:
• EPA Illegally Yanked Mercury Rule After Trump Inauguration: Lawsuit (Reuters):
  
  As U.S. President Donald Trump takes aim at what he considers an excess of federal regulations, a new lawsuit accuses the Environmental Protection Agency of illegally rescinding a rule to reduce the discharge of mercury from dental offices, mere hours after Trump took office.
• NRDC Sues EPA Over Withdrawal of Mercury Protection Rule (NRDC):
  
  In its complaint, NRDC contends EPA cannot withdraw the mercury protection rule based on the Trump Administration's fiat because the rule is final. EPA issued the rule in December to limit substantially the amount of mercury dental offices across the nation discharge regularly.
• The NRDC Is Suing the EPA to Protect Mercury Pollution Limits (Pacific Standard):
  
  The White House is rolling back environmental and public health regulations put in place in the final weeks of Obama's presidency, and NGOs are fighting back.
• Standing Rock Sioux Tribe gears up for court battle over Dakota Access Pipeline - again:
• Standing Rock will challenge any suspension of pipeline's environmental review (Stand With Standing Rock):
  
  We stand ready to fight this battle against corporate interest superseding government procedure and the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans.
• Senator: Army Corps told to approve Dakota pipeline easement (Columbus Dispatch) [emphasis added]:
  
  "If it does become a done deal in the next few days, we'll take it to the judicial system," Archambault said. He added: "This is a good indicator of what this country is going to be up against in the next four years. So America has to brace itself."
• Review of pipeline could be beginning of end for opponents (AP):
  
  Given that the Army said in December that an environmental study was necessary, Mills said, the Army would have to explain how its new decision was consistent with the legal standards it used in December and how there's a reasonable basis for change. Otherwise the tribe could argue the reversal was "arbitrary and capricious," in violation of federal law, he said.
• Dakota Access Pipeline: Final part of project might get approved (CNN):
  
  [O]n Wednesday, Army Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost said the easement has not yet been approved. "The assistant secretary for the Army Civil Works will make a decision on the easement once a full review and analysis is completed in accordance with the directive," Frost said in a statement. That directive refers to President Donald Trump's January 24 order.
• Standing Rock Sioux Tribe says they are not associated with DAPL protesters who attempted to establish new camp (KFYR-TV, West North Dakota)
• Does Trump still owns stock in DAPL? (CBS)

'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (Stuff we didn't have time for in today's audio report)...

• Trump Supreme Court Nominee Could Hear Case Affecting Trump Golf Courses (NPR)
• Clean Water Protections Under Attack in Early Days of 115th Congress (Earth Justice)
• As Drought Winds Down, CA Lawmakers Set Stage for Future Water Wars (Civil Eats):
  
  Congress quietly passed water legislation in December that could drain the state's Bay Delta and endanger fish populations.
• Climate economist sounds the alarm (Bloomberg)
• Trump's order to kill regulations 2 for 1 is a mess (Vox)
• 3 GOP governors invest in clean energy (Forbes)
• Green movement 'greatest threat to freedom', says Trump adviser (Guardian UK)
• Lawmaker Wants To Ease Rules On Drilling In Natl Parks. Enviros Gripe (Washington Post)
• The Surprising Link Between Air Pollution And Alzheimer’s Disease (LA Times):
  
  With environmental regulations expected to come under heavy fire from the Trump administration, new research offers powerful evidence of a link between air pollution and dementia risk.
• Morton County Jury Finds 8 Pipeline Protesters Guilty (Bismarck Tribune)
• No country on Earth is taking the 2 degree climate target seriously (Vox):
  
  If we mean what we say, no more new fossil fuels, anywhere.

FOR MORE on Climate Science and Climate Change, go to our Green News Report: Essential Background Page

• NASA climate change video: This is the U.S. in 2100 (NASA).

                 

Article Categories: United Nations, Environment, U.S. Senate, Democrats, Republicans, U.S. Supreme Court, State Department, Green News, EPA, Donald Trump, Natural gas, Coal, North Dakota, Oil, Climate change, Exxon Mobil, Native Americans, Paris Agreement, Dakota Access Pipeline, Scott Pruitt, Rex Tillerson