ENVIRONMENT

Inside Climate News -  Texas agencies reported 252 new cases of groundwater contamination during 2023 in the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee annual report.  The latest report compiles 2,870 open cases of groundwater contamination, some of which date back decades. Nearly every county in Texas is impacted by the problem. During 2023, Texas regulators notified 34 local authorities—from El Paso to Houston—that newly identified contamination could impact their public drinking water. An additional 289 property owners were notified that groundwater contamination may impact their private wells. 

EcoWatch -  The Montana Supreme Court upheld a landmark victory on Wednesday, affirming a lower court’s decision that the energy policies of the state violated youth activists’ constitutional rights to a clean environment. The ruling in Held v. Montana last August invalidated a law stopping regulators from taking into consideration the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions when issuing permits for new fossil fuel projects, reported The Guardian.

The six-to-one decision was the first state supreme court decision of its kind in the United States. “This ruling is a victory not just for us, but for every young person whose future is threatened by climate change,” said 23-year-old Rikki Held, the lawsuit’s named plaintiff, on Wednesday, as The New York Times reported...

The young environmental activists were represented by attorneys from nonprofits Western Environmental Law Center and Our Children’s Trust.

The Washington Post -  A series of atmospheric rivers is expected to drench Northern California and the Pacific Northwest beginning this weekend and lasting through the end of next week, potentially disrupting holiday travel and increasing flood risks.