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IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Outrage grows over Trump Administration's delayed FEMA response to deadly Texas flood disaster; As new flash flooding strikes around the U.S., new data reveals inadequacy of FEMA flood maps; PLUS: Wildfire allowed to burn at Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim, destroys a National Park treasure... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

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IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Why Kristi Noem hates FEMA; Dangerous weather predictions will get tougher after these Trump administration actions; The Trump admin just hired 3 outspoken climate contrarians; Texas Flood Survivors: "Trump Knows Best"; Trump admin says it won't publish climate report on NASA site as promised; Recurrent wildfires across the Mediterranean region are changing the landscape; An Ohio solar project overcomes local opposition and misinformation... PLUS: 10 Ways to keep your home cool this summer... and much, MUCH more! ...

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

• Storms, flash floods strike across eastern half of the U.S.:
• Why the US is under water... climate change is making it worse (CNN):
  
  Hourly rainfall rates have grown heavier in nearly 90% of large US cities since 1970, according to a recent study from the nonprofit research group Climate Central. Many of the nation’s roads, sewers and drainage systems were not designed to handle the kind of rainfall events that are now becoming more common.
• Extreme rain and flash flooding swamps Northeast metro areas, killing at least 2 people (CNN):
  
  Flooding was reported near Newark, New Jersey, New York City, northern Virginia and southern Maryland, according to the National Weather Service. Two people died in Plainfield, New Jersey, after a vehicle was swept away by floodwater, Union County spokesperson Kelly Martins told CNN in a statement.
• VIDEO: Severe thunderstorms take aim at Midwest, risk of flash floods returns to the South (NBC News)
• VIDEO: Texas Flooding Again as "1 in 1000" Year Events Pile Up (This Is Not Cool)
• Monday’s flood risk in Texas increases as cluster of thunderstorms brings heavy rainfall (CNN)
• Texas flood threat hinders search for victims of deadly July 4 flooding
  (CBS News)
• FEMA allowed Camp Mystic expansion into dangerous floodplain:
• FEMA removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from 100-year flood map before expansion, records show (AP):
  
  But Syracuse University associate professor Sarah Pralle, who has extensively studied FEMA’s flood map determinations, said it was "particularly disturbing" that a camp in charge of the safety of so many young people would receive exemptions from basic flood regulation...Experts say Camp Mystic's requests to amend the FEMA map could have been an attempt to avoid the requirement to carry flood insurance, to lower the camp’s insurance premiums or to pave the way for renovating or adding new structures under less costly regulations.
• Texas flood disaster shows elevation is salvation and new codes are needed (CNN)
• As Texas Flood Raged, Camp Mystic Was Left to Fend for Itself (NY Times)
• Before Tragedy, Texas Repeatedly Rejected Pleas for Flood Alarm Funding (NY Times, no paywall)
• First Street data show FEMA flood maps underestimate threat:
• FEMA's flood maps often miss dangerous flash flood risks, leaving homeowners unprepared (CBS News):
  
  FEMA's mapping process is often shaped by political pressures. Local governments and developers sometimes fight to avoid high-risk designations to avoid insurance mandates or restrictions on development, leading to maps that may understate actual risks and leave residents unaware of their true exposure.
• New data reveals FEMA missed major flood risks at Camp Mystic (NPR):
  
  Nationwide, First Street found more than twice as many Americans live in dangerous flood-prone areas than FEMA's maps suggest, leaving many homeowners and even local officials unaware of the risk. "The unknown flood risk is bad from a preparation, financial standpoint, but there's a human element here that often gets overlooked," said Jeremy Porter, head of Climate Implications at First Street.
• Floods are getting more dangerous around the country, not just in Texas (NPR)
• As the World Warms, Extreme Rain Is Becoming Even More Extreme (NY Times):
  
  Colossal bursts of rain like the ones that caused the deadly flooding in Texas are becoming more frequent and intense around the globe as the burning of fossil fuels heats the planet, scientists say. Warm air holds more moisture than cool air, and as temperatures rise, storms can produce bigger downpours. When met on the ground with outdated infrastructure or inadequate warning systems, the results can be catastrophic. These were the ingredients for tragedy in Texas.
• Outrage grows over DHS Sec. Noem's delayed FEMA response
• 72 Hours Too Late: Kristi Noem’s Cost Controls Paralyzed FEMA as Texans Drowned (All Chronology)
• FEMA’s response to Texas flood slowed by Noem’s cost controls (CNN):
  
  In essence, they say the order has stripped the agency of much of its autonomy at the very moment its help is needed most. "We were operating under a clear set of guidance: lean forward, be prepared, anticipate what the state needs, and be ready to deliver it," a longtime FEMA official told CNN. "That is not as clear of an intent for us at the moment."
• FEMA search and rescue teams take days to reach Texas after flooding as agency faces overhaul (CNN)
• VIDEO: '15% of calls were answered': NBC host fact-checks Kristi Noem on flood response (Raw Story)
• FEMA Didn’t Answer Thousands of Calls From Flood Survivors, Documents Show (NY Times)
• VIDEO: DHS Sec. Noem --- 'Some of what for what you saw for our response in Texas is going to be a lot of how President Trump envisions what FEMA would look like into the future'
• As the Texas Floodwaters Rose, One Indispensable Voice Was Silent (NY Times)
• Dismantling FEMA is bad risk management, experts say:
• Trump’s Plan to Push FEMA’s Role to the States Will Be a Fiscal Disaster (Carnegie Endowment for Peace)
• The Trump Administration Is Violating the First Rule of Disasters: Good disaster management is premised on preparation. (The Atlantic)
• VIDEO: Gov. Josh Stein on Trump dismantling FEMA (Aaron Rupar/Bluesky):
  
  "We don't get a huge storm every year. The country does. It doesn't make sense for each state to have a fully staffed emergency response team."
• The Trump administration says it wants to eliminate FEMA. Here's what we know (NPR)
• 'Abolishing FEMA' Memo Outlines Ways for Trump to Scrap Agency (Bloomberg/Insurance Journal):
  
  Potential changes included eliminating long-term housing assistance for disaster survivors, halting enrollments in the National Flood Insurance Program and providing smaller amounts of aid for fewer incidents - moves that by design would dramatically limit the federal government's role in disaster response.
• Democrats Should Say Who's Really to Blame for the Flooding in Texas (The New Republic)
• Noem dismisses Democratic calls for her resignation after deadly Texas floods (Washington Examiner)
• Wildfire destroys historic Grand Canyon North Rim lodge:
• Historic lodge on Grand Canyon North Rim destroyed by wildfire (USA Today)
• A wildfire that destroyed historic Grand Canyon Lodge spread after being allowed to burn for days (AP):
  
  A wildfire that tore through a historic Grand Canyon lodge and raged out of control Monday had been allowed to burn for days before erupting over the weekend, raising scrutiny over the National Park Service’s decision not to aggressively attack the fire right away.
• A look at the historic lodge on Grand Canyon North Rim destroyed by wildfire (AZ Central)
• Gov. Hobbs demands inquiry into federal response that led to Grand Canyon Lodge fire (Arizona Republic):
  
  "Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park. While the flame was started with a lightning strike, the federal government chose to manage that fire as a controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer."
• 2nd wildfire near Grand Canyon expands almost twentyfold over 24 hours (NBC News)

'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

• Why Kristi Noem hates FEMA (Salon)
• Dangerous weather predictions will get tougher after these Trump administration actions (USA Today)
• The Trump admin just hired 3 outspoken climate contrarians. Scientists are worried what comes next (CNN)
• Texas Flood Survivors: "Trump Knows Best" (This Is Not Cool)
• 10 Ways to Keep Your Home Cool This Summer (Bloomberg, no paywall)
• Trump admin says it won't publish climate report on NASA site as promised (AP)
• GOP House released Interior=EPA spending bill with deep cuts (E&E News)
• Osprey came back from the brink one. Now chicks are dying in nests (AP)
• Recurrent wildfires across the Mediterranean region are changing the landscape (France 24)
• An Ohio solar project overcomes local opposition and misinformation (Canary Media)
• Cancer risk doubles for pesticide applicators who used Carbaryl (The New Lede)/li>
  

• DuPont agrees to settle lawsuit over Hoosick Falls water pollution (Times Union)
• Unhealthy Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blankets The Upper Midwest (AP)
• David Attenborough's 'Ocean' is a brutal, beautiful wake-up call from the sea (AP)
• What's missing from the U.S. debate on electric vehicles (CSIS)
• A guide to the 4 minerals shaping the world's energy future (Grist)
• Wall Street Journal: Clean energy transition is unstoppable (This Is Not Cool blog)
• 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: Texas, Arizona, Environment, FEMA, Green News, Donald Trump, Climate change, Extreme weather, Public lands, wildfires, Kristi Noem