Of the many ways Donald Trump’s return to the White House promises to upend federal policy, few are more predictable or damaging than the U-turn he and his allies threaten to take on climate change and environmental protection. Fortunately, California has considerable power to counter the onslaught.

Trump’s first administration rolled back ...Read more

Toilet water in Los Angeles will soon reduce the strain on Lake Mead, thanks in part to a $26.2 million boost that was announced Monday.

The recycled water will benefit Nevada and other states and tribes that depend on the lake for drinking water.

Named the Pure Water Southern California project, when it’s active, it will generate enough ...Read more

A beloved Mexican gray wolf, who was known among conservationists as a symbol of hope for the endangered species, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Arizona.

Several agencies have pledged up to $103,500 in reward money for information that “leads to successful prosecution” of those responsible for killing the wolf, the U.S. ...Read more

A nonprofit presented a clear demand in a new lawsuit against Florida’s environmental regulators: Follow the law and make your own rules to save Florida’s struggling springs.

The lawsuit, filed this month in Hernando County, comes nearly nine years after Florida lawmakers passed a measure that requires the Florida Department of ...Read more

LANSING, Mich. — Nearly 80 Michigan municipalities have challenged the legality of the state’s processing of permitting requests for large-scale solar and wind energy facilities — a controversial policy passed by Michigan Democratic lawmakers last year that diminishes local control.

The legal appeal, filed Nov. 8 in the Michigan Court of ...Read more

SACRAMENTO — California leaders are bracing for a clash with Donald Trump on most environmental issues when he returns to the White House, but they’re surprisingly aligned with him on forest management.

Since his first term as president, Trump has blamed the state for its devastating wildfires, telling leaders to thin out its forest and ...Read more

Home insurance rates are rising in the United States, not only in Florida, which saw tens of billions of dollars in losses from hurricanes Helene and Milton, but across the country.

According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, homeowners insurance increased an average of 11.3% nationwide in 2023, with some states, including Texas,...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Australian researchers, who spent years towing seal-shaped decoys through waters infested with great white sharks, have determined that wrapping the lures in very bright lights — sort of like aquatic Christmas trees — seems to turn sharks away.

That's because, from below, sharks are accustomed to seeing the dark silhouettes ...Read more

In a name-your-poison twist, a new study from the University of Illinois adds to the evidence that Chicago-area waterway pollution is slowing the relentless advance of the invasive silver carp.

Researchers turned their attention to a section of the Illinois River, about 50 miles from Chicago, where the silver carp’s progress stalled out more ...Read more

SpaceX executed a Sunday evening launch from Kennedy Space Center with a Monday launch attempt from Cape Canaveral on tap.

First up was a Falcon 9 rocket from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A on the Optux X/TD7 mission to launch a geostationary communication satellite built by Northrop Grumman for the Australian company Optus at 5:28 p.m. ET.

This was ...Read more

SpaceX is set for a Sunday evening launch from Kennedy Space Center with a Monday launch attempt from Cape Canaveral on tap.

First up is a Falcon 9 rocket from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A on the Optux X/TD7 mission to launch a geostationary communication satellite built by Northrop Grumman for the Australian company Optus at 5:28 p.m. during a 4:29...Read more

Striped bass populations in the lower Chesapeake Bay are not doing well, marking the second year in a row for below-average numbers in Virginia waters.

According to a 2024 survey from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, which monitors the success of young bass in the lower Chesapeake Bay, this year was “significantly lower” than the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It’s a scene that’s become routine with big blazes in the West. A plane dips low over a smoldering ridgetop and unleashes a ribbon of fire retardant, coating the hillside a bright pink. Onlookers cheer the display of firefighting prowess.

The U.S. Forest Service and other agencies each year drop tens of millions of gallons ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The 2024 hurricane season has hurled one storm after another, with some of those storms turning deadly.

And the season, which ends Nov. 30, didn’t let up in recent days, with Tropical Storm Sara forming in the western Caribbean Sea.

Here’s a look at what the season — which forecasters earlier this year said ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — King tides will sweep across San Diego beaches this weekend and a few others over the next few months, sending powerful waves surging against seawalls and making for unusually low tides — prime opportunities to explore tide pools.

The California Coastal Commission is asking the public to photograph the rising tidal waters as ...Read more

DENVER — Colorado ranchers are renewing their demand for state wildlife officials to delay the release of more wolves until they finalize more programs to prevent attacks on livestock.

Ranchers on Thursday formally asked Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners to delay the releases — expected in early January — to prevent communication ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Harford County is moving to preserve 1,110 acres of agricultural land to meet its goal of preserving 75,000 acres by 2040 as solar farms pose mounting pressure for land use across the state.

The 1,110 acres for preservation are outlined in 19 resolutions introduced to the Harford County Council in October. If all are passed, ...Read more

150 million years ago, Laurasia

The massive neck dips, casting a curving shadow on the mossy ground. The dinosaur's jaws close around its prize. The creature lifts its head, nearly dainty in scale, and contentedly gnaws a mouthful of ferns.

It's the late Jurassic Period in the super continent of Laurasia, some 85 million years into the reign ...Read more