Earthjustice hits the news as a public-interest legal champ suing to curb pollution and protect ecosystems; nonprofit law group, SF-based, fights environmental cases.
As of early March 2026, President Trump hosted major tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI to sign a voluntary 'ratepayer protection pledge.' The pledge commits these firms to build or buy their own power generation for AI data centers to prevent electricity price hikes for consumers amid surging energy demand. Experts remain skeptical about the pledge's enforceability and impact on rising utility costs.
The US Interior Department announced that TotalEnergies will receive nearly $928 million to cancel offshore wind leases off North Carolina and New York. The company will instead invest in US fossil fuel projects, including a liquefied natural gas plant in Texas, reflecting a shift away from renewable energy under the current administration.
A UN expert reports Mexico is a pollution sink for the US, with over 1,000 contaminated sites, including waste imports and industrial pollution affecting communities' health. The government faces criticism for lax standards and unchecked environmental damage, especially in sacrifice zones.
The Trump administration is moving to roll back 2024 and 2029-era coal wastewater limits and renew emergency orders keeping aging coal plants running to meet rising electricity demand driven by AI data centers. Michigan’s Campbell plant is at the center of a legal challenge as federal orders to keep plants open face scrutiny for signaling an energy emergency.