JOURNALISTS: 

Still in need of some expert sources to help parse the Supreme Court’s ruling in West Virginia v. EPA? We’re here to help! Contact Climate Nexus for more info. 

FIRST LOOK(s): 

The Boston Globe will host a Twitter space with climate reporter Sabrina Shankman, who will moderate a conversation with the researchers behind the recent study finding toxic pollutants in gas stoves. Tune in TODAY at 10:00 am ET!

The Solutions Project, Uproot and the Solutions Journalism Network, will present an assessment of shifting media landscape trends surrounding renewable energy, water and food systems, and other issues in solutions journalism. TODAY at 3:30 pm ET. Download the Climate Solutions Narrative Trends Report.

Migrants Killed By Heat In Tractor Trailer Illustrate Systemic Failures: The horrific deaths of 53 people seeking a better life in the back of an abandoned tractor-trailer in sweltering heat is just the latest illustration of broken immigration and climate policy. “As horrific as this is, it is not the only time… It will not be the only time," Doris Meissner, head of the U.S. immigration system during the Clinton administration, told the Washington Post. Authorities do not even know the nationalities of all the deceased, some of whom were from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. "There are no names," a spokesperson for the San Antonio archbishop told the Post. Temperatures have broke records all over the world this spring and summer, with Texas experiencing multiple heatwaves. Temperatures in the San Antonio area reached 101°F on Monday when the victims were discovered and summer is only beginning. Advocates say deterrent policies — like Trump's "remain in Mexico" policy (on which the Supreme Court will issue a ruling today) and a policy, known as Title 42, implemented early in the pandemic to close borders but kept in place long after nearly all other measures public health experts say would actually help — have both forced desperate migrants to undertake more dangerous methods of entering the U.S. “It’s just that they try to come over here for a better life or live better, escaping gang violence and poverty,” San Antonio resident Efrain Trevino told the Texas Tribune. “And then they find death here in the United States.” (Increased death toll & general coverage: Texas Public Radio, Washington Post $, AP, New York Times $, Texas Tribune, Austin-American Statesman, Politico, TIME, CBS, Wall Street Journal $; Broader crisis: Texas Monthly, Prism Reports, USA Today, Vox, Houston Chronicle, Texas Tribune; Remain in Mexico: Border Report; Title 42: New York Times $; Global heat: Grist; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves; Commentary in A&O below)

Climate Change Means More Mice, Farther North: The extra mice in your house this winter may not entirely be the result of you not cleaning your kitchen thoroughly, the AP reports. As climate change makes winters warmer, white-footed mouse populations are rising as more are able to survive the winter. All this combines to increase mouse populations and allow them to spread further north. (AP)

Scientists Evaluating Link Between Climate Change, Derechos: Scientists are beginning to observe connections between climate change and the recent increase in derechos — large, fast-moving, violent thunderstorm complexed with exceptionally strong winds — but more research and data are needed, the Washington Post reports. Climate change is increasing the occurrence of the conditions necessary for derechos to occur. However, increased weather monitoring is also increasing the number of observed wind gusts above 75 mph, complicating the establishment of a direct connection between climate change and derechos. “If the odds of hot conditions are extending into the time of year that the atmospheric circulation is conducive to the storms, then global warming can increase the odds of those ingredients coming together [for a derecho],” Stanford climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh told the Post. The nine biggest derechos (as defined by strongest wind gusts) have all occurred in the last 10 years, with an exceptional correlation to high temperatures. Climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, amplified the intensity, duration and frequency of extreme heat and heat waves. (Washington Post $)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: LA County returns Bruce's Beach — now worth $20 million — to Black family it belonged to nearly 100 years ago (LAist, LA Times $, BBC, The Guardian, CNN, The Root, NBC)

SOUTH ASIA: Mudslide in northeast India leaves 14 dead, over 30 missing (AP)

FOSSIL FUELED WAR: Climate concerns grow as US helps Europe replace Russian gas (AP)

AIR POLLUTION IN YOUR KITCHEN: New study finds gas stoves release toxic chemicals — even when turned off (Fatherly)

COP27: ‘It’s a sham’: Egypt accused of restricting protest in run-up to COP27 (The Guardian)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: EU countries reach deal on climate laws after late-night talks (Reuters, AP), US retreats from pledge to end gas investments (E&E News)

GREENWASHING & DENIAL & DISINFORMATION: ‘Greenwashing’ isn’t about consumers (The Atlantic), Fake online accounts targeted rare earths projects (E&E $)

EACOP: Battle lines are drawn over mega oil pipeline for Uganda (The Times)

RICH BOYS AND THEIR TOYS: Billionaires are racing to space—and the climate is paying the price (TIME, Inside Climate News)

SCOTUS: Supreme Court’s EPA climate ruling expected [today] (E&E News, The Verge, Outside), What the looming Supreme Court’s EPA decision could mean for you (MSNBC), Supreme court poised to finish landmark term Thursday with two cases remaining (Washington Examiner), Supreme court narrows ruling for tribes in Oklahoma (New York Times $)

EPA: EPA: Flame retardant chemical poses unreasonable risk (E&E News)

DOE: Watchdog finds Granholm violated Hatch Act, issues warning (The Hill, E&E News)

DOI: BOEM shakes up renewable leadership to serve offshore wind boom (E&E $), NPS begins ‘massive’ project to fix Tidal Basin’s aging sea walls (E&E News), Oil showdown: 3 ways Interior may shape industry (E&E News)

• OFFSHORE DRILLING LEASE SALES: Biden administration oil, gas auctions kick off with thin industry response (Reuters, AP), Environmental groups sue Biden administration for resuming oil and gas lease sales (The Hill, Reuters, Politico Pro $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Navy officials to war-game a climate disaster today (E&E $)

WHITE HOUSE: Offshore drilling plan poses climate test for Biden (Washington Post $)

• JUSTICE40: Funds for climate justice flow to groups around the US (AP)

THE HILL: Dems detail public land, renewable energy spending goals (E&E $), This Democrat wrote a water recycling law. It could benefit her financially. (Mother Jones), House Democrats push EPA on EJ, chemicals, climate (E&E $), House loads up Interior-EPA bill with nearly $1B in earmarks (E&E News)

ELECTIONS: Scott Pruitt, Trump’s disgraced former EPA chief, gets crushed in Senate primary (HuffPost), Pruitt loses Oklahoma Senate primary; Casten beats Newman (E&E News)

TRIBES: On Martha's Vineyard, tribal elders work to restore land to its pre-colonial state (NPR)

CITIES AND STATES: Texas proposes rules to ready natgas industry for weather emergencies (Reuters), California lithium tax would delay shipments to automakers, executives warn (Reuters), California regulators contemplate standardized rules for gas projects exceeding $100M (Utility Dive), PG&E, Tesla launch program to use customers’ Powerwall batteries to tackle California reliability concerns (Utility Dive), Let’s make a deal: what to know about the California budget (CAL Matters, AP), Newsom has a plan to keep the lights on in California — using fossil fuels (LA Times $)

FERC: GOP probes communication between FERC chair, White House (E&E $, Politico Pro $)

IMPACTS: Death risk soars with exposure to extreme heat and air pollution the same day: study (The Hill), One extreme climate event can worsen others, studies show (Axios), What’s wrong with the economy? Climate change, for one. (Grist), At least 1 dead after heavy rain in Austria (New York Times $), Bigger floods endanger millions of people living on $2 a day (E&E News)

HEAT: Extreme heat puts workers in danger. a new report calls for action. (Grist), Record heat wave cooks Japan, straining power grid (Washington Post $)

DROUGHT: The West just experienced an aspect of the climate crisis that scientists have warned of for years (Mercury News), Rice fields dry up as Italy's drought lingers on (AP)

WILDFIRES: Rices Fire swells to over 900 acres, as crews keep flames from jumping into Yuba from Nevada county (San Francisco Chronicle, KCRA Sacramento , ABC-10, AP, LA Times $, East Bay Times)

HURRICANES: Potential tropical storm could douse northern South America and Aruba (Washington Post $, AP), Disturbance 95L threatens heavy rains for Texas; disturbance PTC 2 speeds across southern Caribbean (Yale Climate Connections), What is the impact of climate change on hurricanes? (New York Times $)

(DE)FORESTATION: Logging is destroying Southern forests — and dividing US, Minnesotans help trees migrate north (Yale Climate Connections)

 environmentalists (Grist)

RENEWABLES: Meet the siblings making hydropower that actually protects rivers and fish (TIME), Offshore wind installations surged threefold last year (Canary Media), Offshore wind industry growth falling short of net zero goals (Reuters)

BUILDINGS: Greening deliveries isn’t just about the trucks (Energy Monitor)

OIL & GAS: More than 7 in 10 support temporary gas tax holiday: survey (The Hill), Oil exports to break records as refining shortages limit local processing (Houston Chronicle)

• RECORD PROFITS: Why more US oil is not lowering record gasoline prices (E&E $)

PIPELINES: D.C. Circuit rejects NEPA challenge to [Mountain Valley Pipeline] pipeline expansion (E&E News)

COAL: Poland to allow bad quality coal citing energy poverty risk (Reuters)

UTILITIES: With ‘real zero,’ NextEra pushes back against deceptive carbon offsets (Grist)

GRID: US power companies face supply-chain crisis this summer (Reuters)

EVs: EV battery output bigger challenge than EU combustion engine ban, says VW (Reuters), General Motors aims to make EV charging accessible to apartment residents (Utility Dive), Stellantis' French diesel engine plant to get EV motor boost (Reuters), VW plows cash into EV charging, surpassing Dieselgate (E&E $), VW: EV battery output bigger challenge than EU combustion engine ban (Reuters)

ACTIVISM: Climate activist Vic Barrett on wonder, transformation, and storytelling (Atmos)

AGRICULTURE: New report says plans to reduce methane fall short on big meat and dairy (Civil Eats), Farm groups balk at emissions disclosures for public companies (E&E $), War, weather endanger global food supplies, farm leaders say (Wall Street Journal $)

FOOD: Beyond Meat to offer sliced-steak product, CEO Ethan Brown says (Wall Street Journal $)

CARBON REMOVAL: Climeworks is building a bigger carbon removal plant — and getting some new competition (Grist, Reuters, The Verge, E&E $), Big Tech’s carbon removal scheme announces its first purchases (Protocol)

CARBON CAPTURE: Will carbon capture help clean New Mexico’s power, or delay its transition? (Energy News Network)

FINANCE: Chris Bowen to announce review of carbon credits system after expert labelled it a ‘fraud’ (The Guardian)

INTERNATIONAL: Australia plays down 'backsliding' by allies on coal, gas use (Reuters), Government policies will not get UK to net zero, warns damning report (The Guardian, Reuters), Canada in talks with Europe about east coast energy exports -foreign minister (Reuters), The green revolution sweeping Sweden (Washington Post $), What Australia’s power grid urgently needs for ‘once-in-a-century transformation’ away from fossil fuels (The Guardian)

• Children aren’t the future: where have all the young climate activists gone? (The Guardian, Eleanor Salter op-ed)
• The business case for abortion care policies (Fortune, Allyson Kapin op-ed)
• To limit greenhouse gas emissions, improve the way we measure them (The Hill, Marian Van Pelt op-ed)
• Social media influencers get media attention on climate change — grassroots activists don’t (Teen Vogue, Amber Chen and Alexia Leclercq op-ed)
• Even the ‘good fires’ can now turn disastrous (New York Times, David Wallace-Wells column $)
• Gas prices test American appetite for new Cold War with Russia (Wall Street Journal, Greg Ip column $)

MIGRANT DEATHS

• Migrant deaths in San Antonio show urgent need for reform (San Antonio Express-News, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick op-ed)
• More migrant bodies, and cynicism, discovered at the southwest border (Washington Post, Editorial Board $)
• San Antonio migrant deaths must shake the conscience of this nation (Dallas Morning News, Editorial Board)

Today's the Day SCOTUS Kills The Administrative State. (Probably.) 

Well friends, we knew it was coming. We thought it might have been last week, then Monday, then yesterday, but no, today's the day the Supreme Court publishes its opinion on West Virginia v EPA. 

As we explained back in May and yesterday, this SCOTUS season is both "the culmination of a well-funded strategy to flood the legal system with partisan ideologues to create, normalize, spread, and rule on arguments with a legal pretense but political purpose and/or profit motive" and "just the start of the damage this Court is going to do to the United States."  

And as we said Monday, this is a Court "polluters packed with 'numerical minority justices' — the only five in the history of the Supreme Court to be appointed and represent the views of a minority of voters" — whose unprecedented rulings fly in the face of the views of the majority of Americans and, you know, actual precedent. 

Which is, paradoxically, the silver lining here. 

Because while today's SCOTUS ruling will almost certainly be a significant obstacle to federal climate action (and potentially a whole host of other public health and consumer protections) that necessitates dramatic reforms to the Court if it is to regain its legitimacy, it's not going to be popular. Two-thirds of the country wants climate regulations, and 60% are worried about this decision. 

As they should be.  

We saw the Court  strip away the Constitutional right to abortion and strip away Native American sovereignty, undermine protections against police malfeasance and abuse, and again undermine campaign finance rules — all while shamelessly claiming the ballot box is the appropriate venue for these issues, while eviscerating voting rights protections and upholding racist voter suppression. And we won't forget. 

This decision will be the latest hurdle to overcome in this unfair marathon of a group project from hell that we call a country. The climate community doesn't need to educate more Americans on the threat of climate change — we're already living it.

What we need to understand now isn't the science of carbon pollution. It's the politics. 

But even beyond politics, it's power. 

Republicans and climate deniers didn't "win" by convincing more Americans they were right about fossil fuel pollution being delicious and nutritious. They didn't build majority support for their policies through persuasive media and good faith debating. 

They worked diligently, with hundreds of millions of donor dollars, over decades, to secure victory using raw power, inventing a norm to prevent Democratic President Obama from seating a Justice in an election year, then casting it aside to seat a Justice in the waning of the Republican Trump presidency. 

Multiple Justices have been credibly accused of sexual harassment, but they didn't slink away in shame, they DARVO'd- "deny, attack, reverse victim and offender," and are now out for revenge. 

This isn't a Court that will be reasoned with through compellingly elegant legal reasoning. It's a majority built with pure partisan power pushing aside precedent (and the democratic process). 

Hopefully it doesn't take the "they go low, we go high" crowd too long to figure that out. The stakes couldn't be higher, so as Mariame Kaba said, "Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair."

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