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IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: The costs of climate change continue to mount, as extreme weather strikes across the U.S.; Trump Administration's FEMA already denying disaster aid, even to 'red' states; PLUS: Trump officials fired nuclear staff that oversee the country's nuclear weapons stockpile... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

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IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Senior DOJ prosecutor quit after being told to investigate Biden climate spending; Trump wants states to 'clean up forests' to stop wildfires but he cuts funds; EPA fires nearly 400 workers after OPM order; EPA chief seeks to claw back $20 billion in climate funding; CO and CT lowered utility bills by reining in lobbying; World’s largely unprotected peatlands are ticking 'carbon bomb', warns study... PLUS: After landing his dream job as a park ranger, he’s ‘heartbroken’ to be let go in federal cuts... and much, MUCH more! ...

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

• Kentucky hit by extreme floods, winter storms:
• Kentucky flooding: 12 dead from storm in KY, as US braces for another storm bringing cold, snow (ABC Newws)
• At least 14 dead in multi-state floods as rivers rise and rescues continue (CNN)
• Kentucky flooding updates: Rescue, recovery efforts continue Monday (USA Today)
• VIDEO: Beshear on FEMA, Trump administration's response as deadly flooding slams Kentucky (Yahoo News)
• Dangerous winter storm to sweep across U.S.:
• Deadly storm system brings heavy snow and flooding rains to multiple states (Axios):
  
  Flooding has gotten increasingly severe...Human-caused climate change is leading to more frequent and intense extreme precipitation events, according to multiple studies.
• Polar vortex-tied cold outbreak pushes into U.S. from the Arctic (Axios)
• California's drought-to-deluge cycle unleashes fires, floods, mudslides:
• Pacific Coast Highway went from smoldering to flooded in just few weeks: California's drought-to-deluge cycle on steroids (LA Times):
  
  Southern California is used to the cycle of drought and deluge, where fires are followed by flooding and debris flows. But the last few weeks have brought particular climate whiplash to residents of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena burn zones. The fires exploded in part because of a lack of winter rain, which left the landscape unusually bone-dry for January. The rains finally came, but they brought a second wave of challenges. Damage from this week's rains were negligible compared to the fires.
• Torrents of mud and floodwater cover roads and trap cars in LA, but city dodges another disaster (CNN)
• California considers letting victims of natural disasters sue oil companies for damages (AP)
• CA state 'insurer of last resort' runs out of money:
• California’s insurer of last resort runs out of money to pay L.A. fire claims (Washington Post)
• California’s High-Risk Insurer Gets $1 Billion Bailout After L.A. Fires (NY Times):
  
  The move will likely lead to higher costs for households across the state, and may push more insurers to leave, intensifying a home insurance crisis.
• FAIR Plan to assess insurers $1 billion for L.A. fires; consumers may be on the hook for nearly half (LA Times)
• California bill would require insurers to pay full coverage without itemized lists. (Yahoo News)
• Trump's FEMA denied aid extension to Georgia:
• White House denies Georgia’s request for extended Hurricane Helene relief deadline (WANF-Atlanta)
• VIDEO: Following Project 2025: FEMA Denies Disaster Funds to Georgia (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Ossoff blasts Trump administration's decision to deny Georgia Hurricane Helene relief extension (Fox 5 Atlanta)
• Trump revokes $80 million from NYC after threat to claw back FEMA cash used to care for migrants (Yahoo News)
• Exclusive: FEMA firings reveal roiling tension and confusion within the Department of Homeland Security (CNN)
• LA Fires: Trump's FEMA cancels funding for soil testing:
• FEMA doubles down on its decision to not test soil as part of wildfire cleanup (LA Times):
  
  The Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have said that federal cleanup workers will remove toxic wildfire ash and rubble, along with a 6-inch layer of topsoil from properties. But, this week, federal officials told The Times they won't order soil testing to confirm that properties aren’t still contaminated after the removal...FEMA’s new stance ignores that during past wildfire responses, soil testing found a significant number of properties still contained unsafe levels of toxic chemicals even after 6 inches of topsoil was removed.
• How Trump’s EPA threatens efforts to clean up areas affected most by dangerous air pollution (Pro Publica)
• Trump following Project 2025's call to dismantle FEMA:
• As Red State Disasters Mount, Trump Kneecaps FEMA (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Trump Doubles Down on Call to Get Rid of FEMA (New Republic)
• FEMA faces shakeup under Trump while it wrestles with disasters on both coasts (AP)
• Who gets more disaster aid? Republican states. Experts explain that and more about FEMA (AP):
  
  "Most states don’t even have the ability, including Florida, to manage these disasters," without federal money and help, said Craig Fugate. Fugate has been a county emergency manager in Florida, head of the state of Florida’s disaster office under a Republican governor and director of FEMA under President Barack Obama.
• Trump/Musk layoff spree endangers grid reliability and nuclear weapons safety:
• At least 600 workers to leave BPA, spurring concerns about transmission grid (The Oregonian)
• Trump and Musk are playing 'Russian roulette' with the Northwest power grid (Latitude Media):
  
  Power dispatchers, transmission schedulers and planners, field workers, and realtime traders have been laid off from the nation’s power marketing administrations — federal agencies that market and transmit wholesale electricity...."It is clear that these impacts are all top down from the Trump-Musk team," says former Bonneville Power administrator.
• Trump officials fired nuclear staff not realizing they oversee the country’s weapons stockpile, sources say (CNN)
• Trump officials struggled to reinstate nuclear weapons staff after firing hundreds (CNN)
• Trump administration tries to bring back fired nuclear weapons workers in DOGE reversal (AP):
  
  Three U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off late Thursday, with some losing access to email before they’d learned they were fired, only to try to enter their offices on Friday morning to find they were locked out. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

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

For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists' Daily Headlines page

• Senior DOJ prosecutor quit after being told to investigate Biden climate spending, sources say (CNN)
• Trump wants states to 'clean up forests' to stop wildfires but he cuts funds (AP)
• EPA fires nearly 400 workers after OPM order (The Hill)
• After landing his dream job as a park ranger, he’s ‘heartbroken’ to be let go in federal cuts (CNN)
• Trump DOE delays implementation of Biden-era appliance efficiency rules (The Hill)
• Trump creates council for 'energy dominance,' boosts natural gas exports and offshore drilling (AP)
• Hundreds of FAA probationary workers fired by Trump administration, union says (CNN)
• EPA chief seeks to claw back $20 billion in climate funding (Reuters)
• Delayed CDC report shows increased evidence of bird flu spread to people (Washington Post)
• Colorado and Connecticut lowered utility bills by reining in lobbying (Grist)
• Coca-Cola says it may use more plastic due to Trump tariffs (BBC)
• Mexico orders factory cleanup after Guardian toxic waste investigation (Guardian)
• World’s largely unprotected peatlands are ticking 'carbon bomb', warns study (Guardian)
• Can we avoid the enshittification of clean-energy tech? (David Roberts, Volts)
• Stop emissions, stop warming: A climate reality check (Dr. Andrew Dessler, Climate Brink)
• The Climate Fight Will Continue (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Who Will Care for Americans Left Behind by Climate Migration? (Pro Publica)
• Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? (The Oceanography Society)
• How Oil Companies Manipulate Journalists (Drilled)
• Abrupt reduction in shipping emission as an inadvertent geoengineering termination shock produces substantial radiative warming (Nature)
• How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry's Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
• The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
• Plug-in hybrids vs. electric cars: We did the math on which is better for you (Washington Post)
• How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
• Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here's How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
• Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
• Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
• Exxon's Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
• Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)

                 

Article Categories: California, Environment, Kentucky, FEMA, Green News, Nuclear power/weapons, Climate change, Extreme weather, Arctic, Pollution, Electricity, wildfires