Michael Phillis

Stay informed with Michael Phillis’s coverage and analysis.

  • Vials containing water with forever chemicals, or PFASEnvironment

    Trump’s EPA is about to roll back limits on forever chemicals in drinking water that were imposed by the Biden administration

    By Michael Phillis and The Associated Press
  • A bronze sign marks the location of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquartersEnvironment

    EPA plans to eliminate Energy Star—the program that told consumers which appliances used less energy

    By Michael Phillis, Alexa St. John, and others
  • A once-every-four-years report card on the upkeep of America's infrastructure gave it a “C” grade.Environment

    America’s $9.1 trillion infrastructure problem could start to get worse, report warns

    By The Associated Press, Tammy Webber, and others
  • FILE – A bridge along Interstate 26 is destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Oct. 4, 2024, in Erwin, Tenn. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)Finance

    U.S. infrastructure improved with big Biden spending—but only from a C- to a C

    By Tammy Webber, Michael Phillis, and others
  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington, DCPolitics

    Federal judge blocks Trump administration from killing $14bn in climate grants awarded under Biden because its ‘vague and unsubstantiated assertions of fraud are insufficient’

    By Michael Phillis, Matthew Daly, and others
  • FILE – Water flows down the Sandusky River between farms, Aug. 26, 2024, in Fremont, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)Environment

    Chemicals in sewage sludge spread on pasture land as fertilizer cause cancer, EPA says

    By Michael Phillis and The Associated Press
  • Adult woman running outdoorsLife

    A warming climate poses new health risks for runners

    By Michael Phillis and The Associated Press
  • A water utility plant in PennsylvaniaEnvironment

    Cyberattacks against America’s critical water supplies are dire and getting worse—’systems are not doing what they are supposed to be doing’

    By The Associated Press, Michael Phillis, and others
  • Janet McCabeTech

    Chinese, Iranian, and Russian gangs are attacking U.S. drinking water and officials are alarmed

    By Michael Phillis, Matthew Daly, and others
  • BP oil spillEnvironment

    BP paid just $1,300 each to 79% of the Deepwater oil spill victims because of a single switched word in the multibillion-dollar settlement

    By Travis Loller, Michael Phillis, and others
  • Michael ReganEnvironment

    Biden administration issues first-ever limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water, cutting exposure for 100 million people

    By Michael Phillis and The Associated Press
  • RiverEnvironment

    America has made almost no progress shrinking the Gulf of Mexico’s ‘dead zone’ despite 30 years of trying, EPA says

    By Melina Walling, Michael Phillis, and others
  • Leominster, MA – September 13: A man looks at the waterfall that developed in his front yard from a flooded stream in the back of his property on Apple Tree Lane. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)Environment

    Millions of Americans have already moved away from flood-prone ‘climate abandonment areas,’ scientists find. They project huge flood risk in the Midwest through 2053

    By Michael Phillis, Camille Fassett, and others
  • Nicholas Hartnett, owner of Pure Power Solar, lifts a solar panel to the roof of a home in Frankfort, Ky., Monday, July 17, 2023. Since passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, it has boosted the U.S. transition to renewable energy, accelerated green domestic manufacturing, and made it more affordable for consumers to make climate-friendly purchases, such as installing solar panels on their roofs. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)Finance

    Nearly 80 major clean energy factories announced in year since Biden’s IRA passed: ‘It seems like every week there’s a new factory facility somewhere’

    By Isabella O'Malley, Michael Phillis, and others
  • FILE – A road bisects a wetland on June 20, 2019, near Kulm, N.D. The Supreme Court has made it harder for the federal government to police water pollution. The decision from the court on Thursday, May 25, 2023, strips protections from wetlands that are isolated from larger bodies of water. It’s the second ruling in as many years in which a conservative majority has narrowed the reach of environmental regulations. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)Environment

    Supreme Court curbs U.S. government regulation of wetlands, making them easier to develop

    By John Flesher, Michael Phillis, and others