Environmental Integrity Project

On Monday, the Trump administration announced it’s weakening federal fuel efficiency standards, undoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slowing the transition to cleaner electric vehicles.

Under the new rules, automakers will be required to meet an average fuel efficiency of 34.9 miles per gallon for new cars and light trucks in model year 2031 — far below the standard of 50.4 miles per gallon set by the Biden administration.

Trump says this will save consumers money on cars, but with gas prices hovering at record highs, reducing vehicle efficiency not only leads to more harmful emissions, but could also cost drivers more at the pump over the long-term.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/climate/trump-gas-cars-mileage-standards.html

We’re hiring an Environmental Engineer (remote or in-person)!

EIP is accepting applications for an Engineer to join our team working to hold industrial polluters and federal and state agencies accountable for compliance with the Clean Air Act and other environmental laws.

We will accept applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

To apply visit: https://environmentalintegrity.org/who-we-are/job-opportunities/

New research in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives highlights a range of deficiencies in how the US regulates 100s of pesticides used on crops, but also in lice treatments applied to children’s scalps, home lawn fertilizers, and flea and tick treatments.

The EPA considers a pesticide’s individual health risks but does not consider the combined effect of multiple chemicals. Many pesticide chemicals are registered as “inert,” allowing companies to potentially avoid health scrutiny.

Many top officials in the EPA’s pesticide and chemical safety offices are former industry lobbyists. The pesticide office in particular has been viewed as being heavily infiltrated by industry.

EPA is not doing its job in keeping Americans safe from chemicals used in crops and consumer products, and that’s no surprise when the leadership is made up of industry insiders.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/26/breast-cancer-us-pesticide-products

NEWS ALERT: Community Group Challenges Expansion at Louisiana Tank Storage Terminal

Today, Refined Community Empowerment filed a petition for judicial review challenging the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s (LDEQ) decision to renew and modify International-Matex Tank Terminals’ (IMTT) Title V air permit for its St. Rose Terminal. The lawsuit asks the court to vacate the permit because LDEQ approved an expansion of the facility without conducting and documenting key air quality analyses required by state and federal law.

The permit would allow construction of a new ammonia storage and export system and more than a dozen bulk storage tanks next to communities already burdened by industrial pollution. The ammonia system would support St. Charles Clean Fuels’ planned “blue” ammonia manufacturing plant. It includes several ammonia emission sources, including four ammonia storage tanks, flares, marine and truck loading operations, and related equipment capable of transferring large volumes of ammonia for export. The 15 additional tanks would store crude oil, methanol, and other petrochemical products that emit toxic air pollutants, including benzene and n-hexane.

“We are asking the Court to enforce basic safeguards that must be followed for this industrial expansion,” explained Haley Lewis, senior attorney for Environmental Integrity Project. “When a company wants to build massive petrochemical tanks next to people’s homes, they should have to follow the law.”

Learn more: https://environmentalintegrity.org/news/community-group-challenges-expansion-at-louisiana-tank-storage-terminal/

A new Trump executive order rescinded an Obama-era executive order meant to clean up Chesapeake Bay. Lawmakers in Maryland say Trump's move revokes vital federal resources that help states improve the health and productivity of the Chesapeake Bay area.

Trump's order also calls on federal agencies to “encourage the repeal or rescission of stormwater management fees imposed by States or localities.” Stormwater pollution is considered the fastest growing source of pollution impacting the Chesapeake watershed.

Weakening federal support or encouraging the removal of stormwater fees could make it harder to reduce pollution and protect the Bay. Trump's action harms communities that depend on the bay to survive.

https://marylandmatters.org/2026/09/17/maryland-officials-grapple-with-bizarre-trump-executive-order-on-chesapeake-bay/

Ohio communities have been used as disposal sites for fracking wastewater for years, but hazardous waste is now rising to the surface. As concerns grow over drinking water contamination and health risks, local water authorities are calling for a moratorium on new injection wells.

Ohio pumps about 1.4 billion gallons of wastewater underground each year, with up to half coming from out of state, mainly Pennsylvania. The state has permitted more than 240 injection wells for oil and gas waste. By comparison, there are 19 such injection wells in Pennsylvania and a few dozen in West Virginia.

Ohio must put stronger regulations in place for fracking wastewater disposal to protect communities dealing with polluted drinking water.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/climate/ohio-fracking-wastewater-acton-moratorium.html

According to a UCLA study ranking oil and gas operations by emissions, an Energy Transfer site near Shreveport, Louisiana, was named the largest single "super-emitter" of methane.

From January 2025 to June 2026, the facility released methane at 1.72 tons per hour, which is 15 times the threshold for a “super-emitter” event under a Biden-era EPA program that the Trump administration recently put on hold. Energy Transfer was responsible for 75 methane plumes during the study period, three times more than the next operator.

Releasing this much methane threatens public health and forces nearby communities to bear the consequences. Energy Transfer is a major oil and gas company with the resources to address this ongoing pollution problem and protect the communities living near its facilities.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/14/us-companies-methane-pollution-rankings

Dr. Kimberly Terrell is a Research Scientist at the Environmental Integrity Project, a nonprofit environmental watchdog organization where she provides technical support to communities impacted by heavy industry.

Her research focuses on racial disparities and health impacts associated with industrial pollution. In 2022, she published the first study to provide evidence that toxic air pollution contributes to Louisiana’s high cancer burden. Her work continues to focus on environmental justice and the effects of industrial pollution on Louisiana communities.

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The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is taking years to respond to pollution violations and is failing to require petrochemical industries in the Lake Charles region to take actions to fix the causes of the violations, putting the local community at risk of dangerous air pollution.

These are the conclusions of an analysis that the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and Micah Six Eight Mission sent in a letter to LDEQ leadership today. EIP analyzed state compliance and enforcement records for 23 petrochemical facilities in the Lake Charles region between January 2021 and August 2026.

The analysis found that none of the LDEQ enforcement actions required the companies to investigate the root causes of the violations and implement specific solutions. In particular, LDEQ did not direct the companies to make specific changes to equipment or operations, improve monitoring, develop corrective-action plans, or verify a return to compliance.

Instead of taking strong enforcement actions that remedy violations and make sure they don’t happen again, LDEQ tends to only require companies to submit reports, information or test results, according to the letter to the state agency from the Environmental Integrity Project and Micah 6:8 mission.

“Air pollution violations should not be allowed to linger for years,” said Lauren Fleer, Director of Science and Engineering at EIP. “Louisiana is not doing enough to make industry clean up their operations and comply with the Clean Air Act. The result is that people living downwind are breathing in pollution.”

Learn more: https://environmentalintegrity.org/news/louisiana-failing-to-require-cleanup-of-industrial-air-pollution-violations-in-lake-charles-region/