On September 9, 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) seeking further comment on the November 2025 proposed rule to update the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS).
The day before Nepal and Tibet suffered catastrophic flooding due to glacial collapse, the Trump administration issued a proposal that would weaken the role of the most recent National Climate Assessment (NCA) in federal policy and planning. On August 25, 2026, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USCGRP) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a proposal to amend the 5th NCA, issued in 2023, to include caveats calling the study’s worst-case climate projections “implausible.”
EDGI is expanding its Public Comments Initiative! Launched in 2024 to encourage effective engagement with federal rulemaking, the initiative now includes a workshop series and expanded resources to help more individuals, communities, and organizations write effective public comments on proposed federal environmental rules.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has proposed policy changes that would politicize its grantmaking process and threaten the integrity of federally-backed research.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 21, 2026 CONTACT: Report authors are available to answer media questions. To arrange an interview, please direct media inquiries to shannanlenke.stoll@envirodatagov.org. Greenhouse Gas Reporting Data Identifies Top Polluters July 21, 2026 — A proposed rule effectively eliminating the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) ends (or severely delays) EPA’s collection of emissions … Read more
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget, in conjunction with more than 40 federal agencies, has proposed dramatic changes to federal grant guidelines that would politicize federal grantmaking and weaken scientists’ and research organizations’ ability to pursue independent research for the public good. The proposed rule would put political appointees in charge of the distribution … Read more
EPA is proposing to weaken drinking water protections related to so-called forever chemicals (PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Join the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) and our panel of PFAS experts Phil Brown, Alissa Cordner, and Marianne Sullivan for a workshop on writing public comments in response to this proposed rollback.
In April 2026, EPA’s main page for Hurricane Helene was deleted, alongside all other EPA pages related to the September 2024 Category 4 storm that were not news releases. This home page previously offered an overview of the storm and detailed EPA’s emergency response efforts. The page linked to several resources, including information about recovery progress, EPA’s hurricane resources, and news.
Workshop TitleShare Your Voice: Effective Public Comment Writing for EPA’s Proposal to Weaken Coal Ash Disposal Standards OverviewJoin the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) and coal ash expert Dr. Grace Schwartz for a workshop on writing effective public comments on EPA’s proposed rule to weaken standards for the disposal of coal ash, or coal combustion residuals (CCR). Coal … Read more
Workshop Title Share Your Voice: Effective Public Comment Writing for EPA’s Proposal to Weaken Standards for Ethylene Oxide Emissions OverviewJoin the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) for a workshop on writing effective public comments on EPA’s proposed rule to weaken ethylene oxide emissions standards from commercial sterilization … Read more