Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 22m

When the El Segundo Chevron oil refinery exploded last week, how did local media cover the fire? Some coverage focused on facility malfeasance and air quality. Some coverage still focused on gas prices.

legal-planet.org/2025/10/07/s...

Some Good News About the El Segundo Chevron Explosion - Legal Planet

The El Segundo explosion is a good reminder of the air pollution from oil and gas: The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental news.

legal-planet.org

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 16h

Huge loss for LA Times readers, who have benefited from one of the only *opinion* columnists in the climate space. It's allowed for passionate reporting. The paper retains great talent on the Climate & Environment desk, but Sammy's voice will be one to follow in whatever new adventure.

Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 18h

Well, folks, personal news: After 7 years, today is my last day with @latimes.com.

It's been a privilege working with some of the world's best journalists at my hometown paper. Thank you to everyone who's read and supported my work.

I'm not done telling climate stories. More news to come.

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 21h

Russ Vought said he would put career civil servants “in trauma." Do we want traumatized air traffic controllers?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Sean Duffy says the safety of the air traffic control system will start being impacted next Sunday if the shutdown continues

Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 22h

"With beef out of favor, food-related emissions are down 60%"

What climate headline would you like to see in 2050? Share it. @grist.org's Looking Forward newsletter recently wrote about future climate headlines.

grist.org/looking-forw...

The Looking Forward Newsletter Archive

grist.org

Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 22h

Trump’s EPA plans to rewrite a rule curbing a major source of greenhouse gas emissions from air conditioners & refrigerators. But appliance makers, @evanhalper.bsky.social reports, had been preparing for months to comply with the rules and voiced apprehension. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Appliance makers balk at Trump’s latest climate rollback

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it would rewrite a Biden-era rule aimed at limiting hydrofluorocarbons, a potent greenhouse gas.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 22h

A Grist story by @fridagarza.bsky.social examines why California’s small farmers are feeling squeezed, as well as a lifeline: The state’s farm-to-school grant program has been effective at supporting economically disadvantaged farmers in the face of mounting federal cuts. grist.org/food-and-agr...

Small farmers are more squeezed than ever. A California grant program offers a lifeline.

A recent report shows that the state’s farm-to-school grant program has been effective at supporting economically disadvantaged farmers in the face of mounting federal cuts.

grist.org

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 22h

Keeping with industrial waste, this week’s song is “This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven,” the rare Pixies song with environmental themes (industrial sludge, fires burning, etc). Each week, The Drain suggests a climate soundtrack. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHC9...

Pixies - Monkey Gone To Heaven (Official Video)

YouTube video by 4AD

www.youtube.com

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 22h

The Chevron explosion reminded me of a groundbreaking report from August that found air pollution from oil and gas causes more than 90,000 premature deaths across the US each year. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Air pollution from oil and gas causes 90,000 premature US deaths each year, says new study

Study analyzed health impacts of fossil fuels from exploration to end use, and found communities of color bear brunt of harm

www.theguardian.com

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 22h

Turns out Chevron’s facility has received notices that it was in violation of environmental safety rules 46 times — 13 came in the last year. "There is a very good possibility we are never going to know what really caused this," @jklyou.bsky.social told the LAT. www.latimes.com/environment/...

Chevron's El Segundo refinery has a history of safety and environmental violations

Over the last five years, Chevron's El Segundo refinery has 46 violations of environmental safety rules; over the last decade, it was also issued 17 OSHA violations.

www.latimes.com

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 22h

Chevron said fence line monitoring did not reveal any “exceedances.” That might have been good luck. UCLA scientist Suzanne Paulson told @laist.com that we lucked out because winds were blowing offshore. laist.com/news/climate...

laist.com

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 22h

“As someone who lives less than a mile from the Torrance Refinery, the explosion in El Segundo came as no surprise,” my UCLA colleague Brennon Mendez told me. A decade after an explosion there, Torrance residents are still organizing for fundamental safety improvements.

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 22h

The bad explosion at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo was a good reminder about the costs of oil & gas products. For months, the conversation in California has been dominated by breathless coverage of gas prices. Will this be a reset? 🧵 legal-planet.org/2025/10/07/s...

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 1d

woah

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 1d

Let’s talk about ‘whoa.’

First of all, ‘woah’ is not yet considered an established spelling variant of ‘whoa.’

While ‘woah’ has grown in prevalence since the late 20th century, ‘whoa’ is still about 5 times as common as ‘woah.’

Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 1d

masterful squeezing it into a 3-minute segment too!

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 1d

AB 1167, the California Ratepayer Protection Act

Leah Stokes @leahstokes.bsky.social · 1d

Governor Newsom has a bill on his desk to hold utilities accountable, and get them to stop passing along their dark money campaigns to everyday Californians.

Is he going to side with utilities, or side with the public and help lower electricity rates?
energyandpolicy.org/california-l...

California passes bill curbing utilities use of ratepayer money for political spending

State lawmakers last week made California the seventh state to pass a bill limiting investor-owned utilities from using customer money to pay for political and lobbying costs.

energyandpolicy.org

Reposted by Evan George

Plenary Popehat Power @kenwhite.bsky.social · 1d

It’s important to flood social media and news channels with news about how ICE lies, so that potential jurors see it.

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 1d

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.

trib.al

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Reposted by Evan George

Ryan Grim @ryangrim.bsky.social · 6d

After announcing a $20 billion bailout of Argentina, the White House now says it's pausing $18 billion in funding for NYC infrastructure projects

Russ Vought would love nothing more than to tear this country down to its studs

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 4d

It was “contained” but not extinguished as of 7am this morning

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 4d

“I thought we got nuked or something,” one person playing soccer nearby the Chevron refinery told the LA Times. Good notes from @jklyou.bsky.social about air quality below. ⬇️ www.latimes.com/california/s...

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 6d

Subscribe to The Drain here for our free weekly roundup of environmental and climate news legal-planet.org/2025/10/01/w...

At a Loss for Words? Resist Climate Silence - Legal Planet

Trump can't erase climate change. The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

legal-planet.org

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 6d

“California is what’s left of environmental policy,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said at NY Climate Week. “New York remains the climate leader,” Chuck Schumer said at a Climate Week event. Who do you agree with?

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 6d

China’s Xi Jinping pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10 % by 2035. There are good reasons for China to set unambitious targets and even better reasons to think China will actually exceed that pledge, writes @asiapolicy.asiasociety.org's Li Shuo. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/o...

Opinion | China Is the Adult in the Room on Climate Now

www.nytimes.com

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 6d

One world leader who is not at a loss for words on climate and climate skeptics is Pope Leo XIV, who gave his first official climate speech at the Raising Hope conference, to mark the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si. apnews.com/article/vati...

Pope Leo XIV takes aim at climate skeptics as he embraces predecessor's environmental legacy

Pope Leo XIV is taking aim at skeptics who he says “ridicule those who speak of global warming.” Leo presided over the 10th anniversary celebration of Francis’ landmark ecological encyclical, Laudato ...

apnews.com

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 6d

“When world historians tell the story of 2025,” @billmckibben.bsky.social writes, “it will be about the passing of technological, and hence economic, and hence political leadership from the U.S. to China, in the span of eight months.” billmckibben.substack.com/p/the-stupid...

The Stupidest Speech in UN History

Everyone's saying so!

billmckibben.substack.com

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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 6d

Oh good, EPA enforcement inspections will pause, while Interior Department workers processing oil and gas permits stay at work. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Government shutdown 2025: A guide to what’s still open, what’s closed and what’s fuzzy

While Social Security checks, mail and student loan bills will still be delivered, millions of workers are still set to suffer financial hardship.

www.politico.com

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