The Christian Science Monitor | Energy/Environmenthttps://www.csmonitor.comCoverage of the environment from The Christian Science Monitor.The Christian Science Monitor | Energy/Environmenthttps://images.csmonitor.com/csm/2024/04/1172291_2_csmlogo_feed_250x30_standard.pnghttps://www.csmonitor.comChristian Science Monitor. All rights reserved.300en-usWed, 16 Sep 2026 11:44:24 EDTThe EPA may soon deploy AI to regulate toxic chemicals. It’s not telling the public.https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0915/ai-epa-trump-chemicals-pesticides-environment?icid=rss3a063e7866b6e09fd75b6a453b1924bdFederal law requires U.S. government agencies to disclose how they’re using AI tools in their work. But in the case of the EPA, this doesn’t appear to be happening.Tue, 15 Sep 2026 05:00:17 EDTAaron GlantzStory HinckleyWhere have all the Atlantic hurricanes gone? El Nino's might brings record slow storm seasonhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0912/el-nino-hurricane-atlantic-climate-environment?icid=rssd00f323105f5afe04be4bce4724e0426 On Saturday, the Atlantic set a record for the longest start to a season without a hurricane since the satellite era began. Experts say El Nino creates conditions that prevent storms from developing, despite warm ocean waters.Sat, 12 Sep 2026 09:36:29 EDTSeth Borenstein‘Cold weather’ Massachusetts now must problem-solve for rising heathttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0908/summer-heat-massachusetts-climate?icid=rssb57012b4bb72151ef8f1e69850c5ad2bMassachusetts was known as a “cold weather” state. But rising temperatures have prompted it to find solutions such as “cool parks” and a heat resilience officer.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:21:34 EDTGoodluck AjehUtah planned the world’s biggest data center. Then came the bipartisan pushback.https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0901/utah-data-centers-stratos-project?icid=rssd950047b212f1c2612cdbbe6ea58219bUtah aims to be industry-friendly. But choosing a fragile ecosystem to house a sprawling facility has generated intense grassroots opposition.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:00:09 EDTStory HinckleyMelanie Stetson FreemanBear necessities: Drought pushes hungry animals closer to humanshttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0826/drought-bears-food-colorado?icid=rss9bf23df9719cd7de867aa0e85b60e1b8Bear encounters are way up in Colorado as drought pushes them closer to people in search of food.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:13:22 EDTSarah MatusekEndangered Species Act gets revamped rules. What effect could they have?https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0819/endangered-species-act-trump?icid=rss2ed2bc9eafa9b145402a2130bad4184fThe Trump administration says changes to Endangered Species Act rules balance costs and benefits. Conservationists see risks for habitats.Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:56:34 EDTMedara UdoekongRare ‘super El Niño’ spikes ocean temps to new recordhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0810/Rare-super-El-Nino-spikes-ocean-temps-to-new-record?icid=rss5bbe717c849dc596d1d737c5016c448bOcean surface temperatures hit record highs this July as a rare “super El Niño” upends air and ocean temperatures around the globe.Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:49:32 EDTStory HinckleyThe US needs more electricity. Can the grid deliver?https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2026/0804/electricity-prices-grid-expansion-backlog?icid=rss4fe909514bf23c79da3952847edc93c6Efforts to modernize the aging electric grid, amid surging demand for power, are running up against challenges, including bureaucratic delays.Tue, 04 Aug 2026 12:11:17 EDTLaurent BelsieHere’s where Trump has canceled wind farms – and how states are pushing backhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0729/wind-farms-energy-power-trump?icid=rss1de557f5db8abfeb21de875ace8a47a2President Donald Trump directed the U.S. government to pay billions to stop wind energy projects from going forward. In response, states have sued.Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:29:28 EDTCameron PughUtah residents react as Trump slashes national monumentshttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0715/utah-bears-ears-grand-staircase-escalante?icid=rssacd2ef63fc0d1efd5f736b28d195bd21President Donald Trump signed proclamations this week dramatically slashing the size of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:26:27 EDTStory HinckleyVoters signal opposition to AI data centers in local primarieshttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0624/data-center-elections-republicans?icid=rss8fe52e0c360bec21e6fc80837820d67cVoters in local primaries Tuesday ousted Republican incumbents who had supported data center projects.Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:00:29 EDTStory HinckleyHot chicken is OK, but soda isn’t? Battle over SNAP scrambles red-blue politics.https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0623/snap-nutrition-maha-chicken-candy-soda?icid=rss85c4786ba76971b29d4a093a894fe4a4Both parties have been enacting state-level bans on using SNAP benefits for soda and candy. On Monday, a federal judge said the new rules violate federal laws governing the food program.Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:54:53 EDTStory HinckleyWhy the latest farm bill matters, from SNAP benefits to crop insurancehttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0622/farm-bill-subsidies-snap-nutrition?icid=rss11f046fcedd62670a2335c125553f4b1Sticking points over costs and priorities are complicating lawmakers’ efforts to pass expansive legislation.Mon, 22 Jun 2026 13:55:30 EDTStory HinckleyIn Utah, growing pushback over a city-sized data centerhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0605/utah-stratos-data-center-kevin-oleary?icid=rss22f682b2f1d7eec802a0cfbcbb0e8f90The Stratos Project, backed by investor Kevin O’Leary, has scaled back its planned footprint near Utah’s Great Salt Lake. But scientists still see big risks for the local environment.Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:58:00 EDTStory HinckleyWhy climate scientists have dropped a worst-case scenariohttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0603/climate-change-rcp-8.5?icid=rssa92b5ef0b135bdf49f290c409bcd62fcInternational scientists decided it is no longer useful to study the most extreme model of runaway global warming. So why are some people upset?Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:03:49 EDTStory HinckleyWhy the US will pay a French company nearly $1 billion to give up wind farm planshttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0328/total-energies-trump-wind-farm?icid=rss38cdf595c8ea6d498944d180c34a64b2The Trump administration’s deal to pay TotalEnergies to shift from wind farms to U.S. fossil fuel investment appears to be a novel use of taxpayer funds. It also fits within a broader White House effort to restrict the offshore wind industry.Sat, 28 Mar 2026 05:00:09 EDTCameron PughAfter 100 years, and decades of cleanup, shellfishing set to return to Boston Harborhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0325/boston-harbor-clams-oysters-cleanup?icid=rssde1df329f76bfe8c4138a59f0e13a839Decades of cleanup efforts in Boston Harbor will allow a few towns to open beaches for recreational shellfishing, which had been mostly banned since 1925.Wed, 25 Mar 2026 17:30:15 EDTCameron PughMelanie Stetson FreemanTrump rescinds EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases. What’s the impact?https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0213/epa-endangerment-finding-coal-solar-climate?icid=rss9efb800c5515406cb874796267df8a1cPresident Trump and his team held a “Clean, Beautiful Coal” event this week and are rescinding a rule that enables the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. But the moves come as renewable energy sources including solar are increasingly in demand.Fri, 13 Feb 2026 05:00:28 ESTVictoria HoffmannA year after LA wildfires, slow recovery but ‘a feeling of hope’https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2026/0107/la-fire-anniversary-recovery?icid=rss15f927fd5e7503d429cda8d851dd6697The Eaton and Palisades wildfires destroyed 13,000 homes, and left thousands more uninhabitable. Some survivors are frustrated at the pace of recovery. Wed, 07 Jan 2026 05:00:10 ESTAli MartinJacob TurcotteEPA’s new clean-water rules: What a farmer, builder, and scientist sayhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2025/1122/epa-clean-water-act?icid=rss8de5b844851bcd551ee45a1048501459The EPA proposes to narrow the scope of a key part of the Clean Water Act – a change criticized by environmental groups but welcomed by businesses.Sat, 22 Nov 2025 05:00:13 ESTAli Martin