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Green News Report with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen 5/12/2026

‘Green News Report’ – May 12, 2026  |  With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen   · · · · ·   ‘Green News Report’ – May 12, 2026  |  With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): Butterfly Effect: Hormuz closure has widespread effects; EPA may ease regulation of chemical plastic recycling, and environmentalists worry; A super El Niño wiped out millions of people in 1877. Are we better prepared now?; As coal rebounds, more toxic mercury is in the air; Nonprofit sues to stop Trump changes to Reflecting Pool, a historic site … PLUS: Europe’s quest for green steel … and much, MUCH more! …

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…

• Iran War stalemate drags on:
• US and Iran are locked in a stalemate that’s neither peace nor war (MSN/Wall St. Journal):
  But instead of fighting, both sides have doubled down on dueling blockades that are hard to undo without one side blinking. The Trump administration has tightened a U.S. embargo of Iranian ports and vessels, while Iran has maintained its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy-transport waterway. “We’re in a situation where the only options left are a lot of bad options,” said Allison Minor, a former U.S. official on Middle East policy now at the Atlantic Council think tank.
• Aftermath: There Is No End to the War With Iran (David Dayen, The American Prospect):
  [T]oday I want to reflect on how the idea of “ending” the war is a kind of fallacy, both because the end isn’t really an end in material terms, and because it will do nothing to slow down an ongoing crisis triggered by the ridiculous decision to start bombing.
• Trump floats suspending the federal gas tax as prices soar:
• Trump wants to pause the federal gas tax. Here’s what that could mean. (Washington Post):
  Federal taxes on gasoline are levied at the terminal or refinery, or when it’s imported to the United States, rather than at a gas station, according to the Congressional Research Service. This would make it difficult for the government to ensure the savings would be passed onto consumers, it said.
• Trump says he’ll move to suspend federal gasoline tax. He can’t do it on his own (AP):
  Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday he has not “been a fan” of a gas tax suspension, but added: “You know, I’ve got some colleagues out there who think it’s a good idea. So, we’ll hear them out.’’
• Trump’s uphill climb on gas taxes (Axios)
• Trump wants to lift the federal tax on gas. But don’t expect much relief even if it happens (CNN):
  [P]ausing the 18.4-cent-per-gallon levy on gas and the 24.4-cent-per-gallon tax on diesel won’t do much to relieve drivers’ pain, multiple experts told CNN. Suspending the tax could wind up pushing up prices more and would hurt the Highway Trust Fund, which depends on the revenue from the levy.
• Trump is wrong: Gas prices have reached near record highs, not ‘come down very substantially’ (Politifact)
• Trump’s War on Wind Energy is bigger than previously known:
• 250+ onshore wind projects stalled as Pentagon freezes permitting (Canary Media):
  The Defense Department has stopped once-routine reviews that even wind projects on private land need to pass, jeopardizing a power source that could help meet skyrocketing demand.
• Wind projects are stalled because the Pentagon isn’t completing its reviews, industry group says (AP):
  The Pentagon is holding up the development of more than 250 new onshore wind farms on private lands by failing to complete its national security reviews, according to an industry group.
• Do Wind Turbines Mess with Radar? (This Is Not Cool)
• VIDEO: As War for Oil Destroys American’s Lives – the Real Threat is Wind Turbines (This Is Not Cool):
  Financial Times: The Trump administration has brought US onshore wind development to a halt citing national security concerns, representing a major escalation in the president’s crusade against renewable energy…The wind farms could generate 30 gigawatts, enough to power 15 million homes. Letters sent to developers in early April said the agency was reviewing its processes for evaluating energy projects’ impact on national security. The moves represent a dramatic escalation of the administration’s effort to shut down wind energy in the US, reaching for developments on private lands as well as public ones.

More Than 150 Wind Projects Stall as Pentagon Delays Reviews (NY Times):

The Trump administration is blocking more than 150 onshore wind farms across the United States by delaying military reviews that were once considered routine, according to a leading industry trade group..
• Judges reject oil industry effort to freeze climate liability lawsuits:
• State judges rebuff oil industry bids to halt climate cases (E&E News):
  Climate lawsuits in Hawaii and Oregon will make their way through state courts after judges in the two states rejected oil companies’ bids to freeze the cases.
• Judge Dismisses Trump Administration’s Bid to Block Hawaii Climate Lawsuit (Inside Climate News)
• The Trump admin is trying to stop state climate lawsuits. It isn’t working. (E&E News)
• Big Oil knew in the 1950s their product would cause climate crisis:
• Exxon Knew (Exxon Knew.org):
  Exxon knew about the dangers of burning fossil fuels decades ago. But instead of warning the public, they deceived the public, misled their shareholders, and robbed humanity of a generation’s worth of time to fight climate change.
• Exxon disputed climate findings for years. Its scientists knew better. (Harvard Univ.)
• Big Oil’s Climate Ads Have Propped Up Fake Promises and False Solutions for Past 25 Years, Report Finds (Inside Climate News)
• Trump DOJ sues states to halt climate liability lawsuits:
• DOJ takes Minnesota to court to stop state’s ‘woke’ climate lawsuit (Politico)
• GOP Congress moves to shield Big Oil from climate liability:
• Republican lawmakers attempt to shield big oil from climate lawsuits in ‘alarming’ bills (Guardian):
  New House and Senate bills, led by Harriet Hageman, a Wyoming representative, and Ted Cruz, a Texas senator, respectively, would give oil and gas companies broad legal immunity from policies and lawsuits aimed at holding the industry accountable for damages caused by its emissions. Dubbed the Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026, the proposal would protect the sector from liability. It is similar to a 2005 law that has largely blocked lawsuits against the firearms industry over gun violence.
• Republicans Seek Protections for Oil Giants Against Climate Lawsuits (NY Times):
  Utah passed a law to insulate oil companies against efforts to make them pay for their role in global warming. A nationwide version is in the works.
• AUDIO: Laura Peterson, UCS: Repubs Seek Immunity Law for Big Oil (The BradCast/The BRAD BLOG)
• Iran War energy shortages pushing African countries to electrify:
• Fuel shortages and high prices push adoption of EVs in Africa, led by Ethiopia (AP):
  Use of electric vehicles in Africa is surging, led by Ethiopia, as soaring prices and fuel shortages compel countries to opt for cleaner and cheaper transport.
• Nigeria and Kenya lead Africa’s push for electric vans assembled from Chinese EV kits

‘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

• Butterfly Effect: Hormuz closure has widespread effects (This Is Not cool)
• Europe’s quest for green steel (Canary Media)
• EPA may ease regulation of chemical plastic recycling, and environmentalists worry (AP)
• A super El Niño wiped out millions of people in 1877. Are we better prepared now? (Washington Post)
• As coal rebounds, more toxic mercury is in the air (NY Times, no paywall)
• Nonprofit sues to stop Trump changes to Reflecting Pool, a historic site (Washington Post)
• Trump nominates ousted FEMA leader to run the agency again (NY Times)
• Trump DOI cancels rule that made conservation a ‘use’ of public lands (AP)
• Why this tribe is buying up 100s of acres of farmland, and flooding it (NPR)
• ‘We’re dry:’ The new U.S. Wildland Fire Service prepares for extreme fire season (NPR)
• Trump FEMA panel seeks to weaken disaster response amid climate crisis (Guardian)
• These blue states aren’t getting fire prevention money from Trump (Washington Post)
• It’s the Age of Electricity and America isn’t ready (NY Times)
• Stop emissions, stop warming: A climate reality check (Dr. Andrew Dessler, Climate Brink)
• How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
• 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)