Stephen Lee
@stephenlee-ca.bsky.social
Bloomberg Environment reporter covering climate change and EPA. Proud Bloomberg Guild member, loyal Canadian, and two-time National League MVP.
FEMA must consider renewables when rebuilding Puerto Rico's electrical grid, federal judge says. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
FEMA Must Consider Renewable Energy in Puerto Rico, Judge Rules
The Trump administration must consider renewable energy alternatives in rebuilding Puerto Rico’s electrical grid, a federal judge ruled.
news.bloomberglaw.com
October 3, 2025 at 3:35 PM
FEMA must consider renewables when rebuilding Puerto Rico's electrical grid, federal judge says. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
EPA has told staff not to participate in events hosted by the Environmental Law Institute in their professional capacity. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
EPA Wants Staffers to Skip Professional Law Association’s Events
Environmental Protection Agency employees are being told not to participate in events hosted by one of the nation’s premier environmental legal associations, according to a letter reviewed by Bloomber...
news.bloomberglaw.com
September 25, 2025 at 4:07 PM
EPA has told staff not to participate in events hosted by the Environmental Law Institute in their professional capacity. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Dozens of Congressional Dems tell appeals court the EPA "gold bars" video is "patently irrelevant" to the climate grants case; instead, it "concerns efforts to award different grant money <after> the November 2024 election."
September 18, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Dozens of Congressional Dems tell appeals court the EPA "gold bars" video is "patently irrelevant" to the climate grants case; instead, it "concerns efforts to award different grant money <after> the November 2024 election."
White House released its new AI action plan today, centered around deregulation and faster permitting. "Stagnation is a political choice, and the Trump administration is choosing better." news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
White House Rolls Out New Action Plan to Speed AI Development
The White House released a three-part action plan Monday to speed the development of artificial intelligence in the US.
news.bloomberglaw.com
September 15, 2025 at 4:31 PM
White House released its new AI action plan today, centered around deregulation and faster permitting. "Stagnation is a political choice, and the Trump administration is choosing better." news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
DC Circuit rules that the EPA does have the authority to claw back $16 billion in climate grants, overturning a lower court decision. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
EPA Allowed to Block Greenhouse Gas Grants, DC Circuit Says
A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled that the EPA can hold back billions of dollars in federal grants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions issued under the Biden administration.
news.bloomberglaw.com
September 2, 2025 at 3:50 PM
DC Circuit rules that the EPA does have the authority to claw back $16 billion in climate grants, overturning a lower court decision. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
EPA has fired some of the employees who signed the dissent letter critical of Lee Zeldin. At least 10 other tenured employees got a notice of proposed removal. The rest had their administrative leave extended. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
EPA Fires Some Staffers Who Signed Letter Critical of Leadership
The EPA on Friday terminated at least five of the roughly 140 employees who signed a public letter in June critical of the agency’s political leadership, according to the staffers’ union.
news.bloomberglaw.com
August 29, 2025 at 11:10 PM
EPA has fired some of the employees who signed the dissent letter critical of Lee Zeldin. At least 10 other tenured employees got a notice of proposed removal. The rest had their administrative leave extended. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Google's a little worried about the Trump administration's idea of mining the sea floor off the coast of American Samoa. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Google Among Groups Concerned With Trump’s Deep-Sea Mining Plan
Google told the Trump administration it’s worried about a plan to mine the seafloor for critical minerals, saying it could damage the company’s planned underwater cable system.
news.bloomberglaw.com
August 14, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Google's a little worried about the Trump administration's idea of mining the sea floor off the coast of American Samoa. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
PennEnvironment notes it (along with the Clean Air Council) sued US Steel in 2019, saying "the crumbling, poorly maintained, highly polluting Clairton plant posed a health threat to communities across the Mon Valley, as well as to its own workers."
August 11, 2025 at 6:25 PM
PennEnvironment notes it (along with the Clean Air Council) sued US Steel in 2019, saying "the crumbling, poorly maintained, highly polluting Clairton plant posed a health threat to communities across the Mon Valley, as well as to its own workers."
Many of the Trump administration’s environmental justice grant cuts are, paradoxically, hurting white communities that overwhelmingly support him. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Trump Country Feeling Pain of Environmental Justice Grant Cuts
In February the skies opened over southwestern Virginia, dumping seven inches of rain in a torrent that washed out roads, destroyed homes and businesses, and prompted Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) to declar...
news.bloomberglaw.com
August 5, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Many of the Trump administration’s environmental justice grant cuts are, paradoxically, hurting white communities that overwhelmingly support him. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Trump's plan to build AI data centers on federal lands and Superfund sites isn't sitting well with environmentalists or EJ activists. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Trump’s Plan to Speed Permitting for AI Criticized Over Land Use
The White House’s new plan to fast-track AI data centers has critics worried about harms to the climate and environment, especially if the administration makes good on its bid to build on public lands...
news.bloomberglaw.com
July 25, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Trump's plan to build AI data centers on federal lands and Superfund sites isn't sitting well with environmentalists or EJ activists. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
New political hires today, brought on to help advance the Trump administration's energy/mining agenda: Taylor Childress and Scott Prutting (not Pruitt) at Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council
July 21, 2025 at 7:22 PM
New political hires today, brought on to help advance the Trump administration's energy/mining agenda: Taylor Childress and Scott Prutting (not Pruitt) at Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council
It's not that unusual to let people pay extra for faster government service, as the One Big Beautiful Bill does for NEPA reviews, sources say. But will it actually improve permitting? news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Trump Tax Law’s Permit Fee Seen as Speeding Environment Reviews
There’s precedent for the expedited permitting fee tucked into the tax and spending law President Donald Trump signed last week—but also uncertainty about whether it will actually work as intended, fo...
news.bloomberglaw.com
July 9, 2025 at 1:07 PM
It's not that unusual to let people pay extra for faster government service, as the One Big Beautiful Bill does for NEPA reviews, sources say. But will it actually improve permitting? news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
EPA employees who signed a letter critical of Lee Zeldin have been placed on administrative leave. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
EPA Puts 139 Employees on Leave Who Criticized Leadership (1)
The EPA has placed on administrative leave 139 employees who signed their names to a Monday letter that was sharply critical of the Trump administration.
news.bloomberglaw.com
July 3, 2025 at 6:26 PM
EPA employees who signed a letter critical of Lee Zeldin have been placed on administrative leave. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Emily Domenech, new head of the federal Permitting Council, says her goal is to get more data centers, AI facilities, and mines not just through the process faster, but also to a "yes." (No paywall.) news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Trump’s Permitting Boss Aims to Deliver on AI Data Center Plans
The White House’s new permitting director wants to vastly expand her office’s work in getting projects built—including, for the first time, data centers and artificial intelligence facilities.
news.bloomberglaw.com
June 4, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Emily Domenech, new head of the federal Permitting Council, says her goal is to get more data centers, AI facilities, and mines not just through the process faster, but also to a "yes." (No paywall.) news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
The EPA is rolling out an agency-wide AI chat tool and is encouraging all employees to use it as much as possible to analyze data, write statements, and do environmental monitoring. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Trump’s EPA Develops New AI Tool to Aid Staff, Not Decide Policy
The EPA is rolling out an artificial intelligence tool agency-wide on Thursday that it says will supercharge its staff’s capabilities, a goal the new administrator set when first joining the agency.
news.bloomberglaw.com
May 22, 2025 at 2:02 PM
The EPA is rolling out an agency-wide AI chat tool and is encouraging all employees to use it as much as possible to analyze data, write statements, and do environmental monitoring. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Citing "a time when our members are facing unprecedented attacks," AFGE is hosting a webinar on suicide prevention for federal and DC government workers.
May 19, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Citing "a time when our members are facing unprecedented attacks," AFGE is hosting a webinar on suicide prevention for federal and DC government workers.
David Uhlmann, who led EPA enforcement under Biden, is joining a boutique enviro law firm and returning to academia. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Biden’s Top EPA Cop to Help Cities, States Fight Trump in Court
The top environmental enforcer during the Biden era is gearing up to help cities and states push back against the Trump administration in new roles at a boutique law firm and a top environmental law s...
news.bloomberglaw.com
May 15, 2025 at 1:04 PM
David Uhlmann, who led EPA enforcement under Biden, is joining a boutique enviro law firm and returning to academia. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
McGill platform becomes safe space for conserving US climate research under threat (Globe & Mail) www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
McGill platform becomes safe space for conserving U.S. climate research under threat
The platform has been logging 39,000 weekly visits from academics and researchers
www.theglobeandmail.com
May 6, 2025 at 4:29 AM
McGill platform becomes safe space for conserving US climate research under threat (Globe & Mail) www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
President Trump's budget request would cut EPA's funding to its lowest level since the year of Chernobyl and the Buckner play. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
EPA Budget Would Be Deeply Slashed Under Trump’s Spending Plan
The EPA’s budget would be cut by more than half under President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2026 budget request, released Friday.
news.bloomberglaw.com
May 2, 2025 at 2:52 PM
President Trump's budget request would cut EPA's funding to its lowest level since the year of Chernobyl and the Buckner play. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
New GSA program awards employees with cash rewards if their agency cuts travel, training, and contract spending by at least 30% by July 31.
May 1, 2025 at 9:14 PM
New GSA program awards employees with cash rewards if their agency cuts travel, training, and contract spending by at least 30% by July 31.
Why does the dismissal of the National Climate Assessment authors matter? Because industry and local govt's rely on it, and national security and US prestige are on the line. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Trump’s Dismissal of Key US Climate Report Panel Triggers Alarms
The Trump administration’s dismissal of the authors of the National Climate Assessment poses risks for large sectors of the economy that depend on the report to guide everything from crop planning to ...
news.bloomberglaw.com
April 29, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Why does the dismissal of the National Climate Assessment authors matter? Because industry and local govt's rely on it, and national security and US prestige are on the line. news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Nuclear accidents are “traumatic for the human beings involved but have little appreciable effect on the biosphere.” @elizkolbert.bsky.social in the New Yorker. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Environmentalists Are Rethinking Nuclear. Should They?
Fourteen years after the Fukushima disaster, nuclear power is being rebranded as a climate savior, and fission is in fashion.
www.newyorker.com
April 16, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Nuclear accidents are “traumatic for the human beings involved but have little appreciable effect on the biosphere.” @elizkolbert.bsky.social in the New Yorker. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
The White House is quietly circulating guidance to the agencies about how they should change their internal permitting rules. (Agency-level rules had been seen by enviros as a bulwark against the recent nixing of the White House rules.) news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
White House Moves to Soften Project Permitting Rules at Agencies
The Trump administration is moving to reshape the way individual agencies handle environmental permitting, according to a White House document reviewed by Bloomberg Law.
news.bloomberglaw.com
April 16, 2025 at 6:08 PM
The White House is quietly circulating guidance to the agencies about how they should change their internal permitting rules. (Agency-level rules had been seen by enviros as a bulwark against the recent nixing of the White House rules.) news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to turn the funding taps back on, nationwide. "Agencies do not have unlimited authority to further a president's agenda." news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Federal Judge Unfreezes Climate Grant Money Trump Tried to Seize
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily ordered the Trump administration to turn the climate grant funding spigots back on nationwide, at least while lawsuits over frozen funds are pending.
news.bloomberglaw.com
April 16, 2025 at 12:01 AM
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to turn the funding taps back on, nationwide. "Agencies do not have unlimited authority to further a president's agenda." news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Climate United response to EPA's request for emergency stay in frozen grants case: "Climate United will not--and legally cannot--go on a multi-million dollar spending spree with federal funds for our own benefit." news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
EPA Seeks Pause in Climate Grants Case, Says Funds Could Be Lost
The Trump administration asked a federal court on Tuesday for an emergency stay pending its appeal in a legal tussle over $20 billion in EPA grants, saying the recipients will quickly spend the money ...
news.bloomberglaw.com
April 15, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Climate United response to EPA's request for emergency stay in frozen grants case: "Climate United will not--and legally cannot--go on a multi-million dollar spending spree with federal funds for our own benefit." news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...