Environmental Protection Agency

Oil and gas production is the nation's largest industrial source of methane, the main component of natural gas, and is a key target for the Biden administration as it seeks to combat climate change.

Starting with $1 billion, the EPA announced that 23 states and Puerto Rico would be getting money to clean up Superfund sites in a previously unfunded backlog.

Agency officials issued a final ruling on Wednesday saying chlorpyrifos can no longer be used on the food that makes its way onto American dinner plates. The move overturns a Trump-era decision.

The EPA plans to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, which are used in refrigerators and air conditioners. When HFCs are released into the atmosphere, they are extremely good at trapping heat.

Climate and health policies rely on scientific expertise. But the federal science workforce has been shaped by decades of political interference, underfunding and race and gender bias.

Studies based on private health data are crucial to understanding dangers posed by pollution. A new rule makes it harder for the EPA to consider many studies when setting safeguards.

The Environmental Protection Agency said the new rules will not result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists are calling for more stringent measures.