Environmental Capture
The Environmental Capture capture lane traces 139 verified events documenting this mechanism of institutional capture.
Top 10 actors in this lane
10 actors · 1619–2026
Capture lanecorruptiondemocraticexecutivefinancialintelligencejudiciallaborlegislativemediamilitaryotherregulatory
Status
confirmed
alleged
disputed
| Date | Event | Lanes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-22 | EPA Weakens National Park Haze Rule, Shields Coal Plants from Pollution Control Evaluations
3 src EPA · National Parks Conservation Association · Sierra Club · Earthjustice | confirmed | |
| 2026-03-20 | Half of National Weather Service Offices Critically Understaffed, Eight Cease Overnight Operations
3 src NOAA · National Weather Service · five former NWS directors | confirmed | |
| 2026-03-20 | NV Energy Declines to Extend Lake Tahoe Wholesale Power Supply, Citing Data-Center Demand; ~49,000 Liberty Utilities Customers Need Replacement Supply by Mid-2027
4 src NV Energy · Liberty Utilities · California Public Utilities Commission · Google · +2 | confirmed | |
| 2026-03-19 | 24 States and 15 Local Governments Sue EPA Over Repeal of Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding
4 src AG Letitia James · EPA · Trump administration | confirmed | |
| 2026-02-23 | Legal Scholars Assess State Climate Authority After Endangerment Repeal; California Formally Sues EPA
6 src California Attorney General Rob Bonta · Massachusetts Attorney General · Connecticut Attorney General · Legal Planet · +2 | confirmed | |
| 2026-02-21 | Independent Analysis Projects 58,000 Additional Deaths and $4.7 Trillion in Costs from EPA Endangerment Repeal
4 src U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Lee Zeldin · Donald Trump · Inside Climate News · +2 | confirmed | |
| 2026-02-18 | EPA Endangerment Finding Repeal Published in Federal Register; Coalition Lawsuits Filed Same Day
7 src U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Lee Zeldin · Earthjustice · Natural Resources Defense Council · +5 | confirmed | |
| 2026-02-13 | House Democrats Launch Investigation into DOJ Congressional Surveillance
4 src Jamie Raskin · Pramila Jayapal · Robert Garcia · Pam Bondi · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2026-02-13 | Jim O'Neill and Mike Stuart Depart HHS in Leadership Shakeup Ahead of Midterms
3 src Jim O'Neill · Mike Stuart · Robert F. Kennedy Jr. · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2026-02-12 | EPA Repeals 2009 Endangerment Finding on Greenhouse Gases
4 src U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Lee Zeldin · Donald Trump | confirmed | |
| 2026-02-11 | AG Bondi Photographed with Rep. Jayapal's Epstein Files Search History
4 src Pam Bondi · Pramila Jayapal · Department of Justice · Mike Johnson · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2026-02-11 | Trump Orders Pentagon to Purchase Coal-Fired Electricity
4 src Donald Trump · U.S. Department of Defense · Department of Energy · Peabody Energy | confirmed | |
| 2026-02-08 | EPA Advances Rollback of Four PFAS Drinking Water Standards
3 src U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Lee Zeldin | confirmed | |
| 2026-02-02 | GAO Report Reveals Education Department Paid $38M to Idled Civil Rights Staff
3 src U.S. Government Accountability Office · U.S. Department of Education · Linda McMahon · Bernie Sanders · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2026-01-18 | EPA WOTUS Rollback Moves Forward After Public Comment Period
3 src U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Lee Zeldin · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | confirmed | |
| 2025-12-20 | Defense Secretary Hegseth Orders 'Operation Hawkeye Strike': Massive Retaliatory Strikes Against ISIS in Syria
3 src Pete Hegseth · Donald Trump · Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar · William Nathaniel Howard · +2 | reported | |
| 2025-12-10 | DOJ Leaders Attack Federal Judges for Disqualifying Lindsey Halligan as Unlawfully Appointed U.S. Attorney
4 src Pam Bondi · Todd Blanche · Lindsey Halligan · Judge Cameron McGowan Currie · +4 | reported | |
| 2025-12-09 | Department of Justice Eliminates 50-Year-Old Disparate Impact Standard from Civil Rights Enforcement, Requiring Proof of Intentional Discrimination
3 src Pam Bondi · Harmeet Dhillon · Department of Justice | confirmed | |
| 2025-12-09 | Federal Judge Orders Release of Ghislaine Maxwell Grand Jury Materials Under Epstein Files Transparency Act
3 src Paul Engelmayer · Ghislaine Maxwell · Department of Justice · Donald Trump · +1 | reported | |
| 2025-12-08 | State Department Revokes Record 85,000 Visas Including 8,000 Student Visas Since January, More Than Double 2024 Rate
3 src State Department · U.S. Department of Homeland Security | confirmed | |
| 2025-12-08 | Supreme Court Signals Intent to Overturn 90-Year Precedent Protecting Independent Agency Leaders from Presidential Firing, Expanding Executive Power
3 src U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · Rebecca Slaughter · John Roberts · +4 | confirmed | |
| 2025-12-06 | National Park Service Removes MLK Day and Juneteenth from Fee-Free Days, Adds Trump's Birthday
5 src Interior Department · National Park Service · Donald Trump · Doug Burgum · +6 | confirmed | |
| 2025-12-05 | Federal Judge Orders Release of Epstein Grand Jury Materials from 2005-2007 Florida Investigations
4 src Rodney Smith · Donald Trump · Pam Bondi · Todd Blanche · +3 | reported | |
| 2025-12-05 | RFK Jr.'s Reconstituted CDC Panel Votes to Roll Back Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendation
5 src Robert F. Kennedy Jr. · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices · Donald Trump · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2025-12-03 | State Department Orders H-1B Visa Denials for Content Moderation and Fact-Checking Workers
4 src State Department · Marco Rubio · Tech companies · H-1B visa applicants · +5 | reported | |
| 2025-12-03 | U.S. Institute of Peace Rebranded as 'Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace' After Armed Takeover
4 src Donald Trump · State Department · U.S. Institute of Peace · Federal Judiciary | reported | |
| 2025-12-02 | Trump Pardons Former Honduran President Convicted of Drug Trafficking
3 src Donald Trump · Juan Orlando Hernández · Tim Kaine · Dick Durbin · +2 | confirmed | |
| 2025-11-27 | USCIS Halts All Afghan Asylum Decisions After DC Shooting: Collective Punishment for Entire Nation
3 src Joseph Edlow · Marco Rubio · Donald Trump | confirmed | |
| 2025-11-20 | Trump Threatens Six Democratic Congress Members with Execution for Reminding Military of Duty to Refuse Illegal Orders
5 src Donald Trump · Elissa Slotkin · Mark Kelly · Chris DeLuzio · +9 | reported | |
| 2025-11-19 | Interior Department Proposes Opening 1.27 Billion Acres to Offshore Drilling, Largest OCS Program in History
6 src Doug Burgum · Bureau of Ocean Energy Management · Department of the Interior | confirmed | |
| 2025-11-07 | Cornell University Agrees to Pay $60 Million and Accept Federal Oversight to Restore Research Funding
3 src Cornell University · Michael Kotlikoff · Trump Administration | reported | |
| 2025-11-05 | Supreme Court Hears Landmark Tariff Case, Justices Express Deep Skepticism of Trump's Emergency Powers
3 src Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court | confirmed | |
| 2025-10-29 | Supreme Court to Review Trump's Federalization of National Guard in Chicago, Nationwide Implications
3 src April Perry · Donald Trump · JB Pritzker · U.S. Supreme Court | confirmed | |
| 2025-10-27 | DHS Posts Halo Video Game Image Comparing Immigrants to Parasitic Aliens Requiring Extermination
4 src U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Kaelan Dorr · Marcus Lehto · Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2025-10-18 | Senate Confirms Industry Lobbyist to Lead EPA Chemical Safety Division
2 src Douglas Troutman · American Cleaning Institute · United States Senate · Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | confirmed | |
| 2025-10-15 | Pentagon Chief Hegseth Blocks Military Officials From Contacting Congress Without Approval
3 src Pete Hegseth · Steve Feinberg · Pentagon | reported | |
| 2025-10-10 | Analysis Finds 40+ Trump Administration Appointees With Fossil Fuel Industry Ties
2 src Chris Wright · Doug Burgum · Trump Administration · Public Citizen · +1 | reported | |
| 2025-10-10 | Musk's Boring Company Accused of 800 Environmental Violations in Las Vegas
2 src Elon Musk · Boring Company · Nevada Regulators | reported | |
| 2025-10-07 | White House Provides 'Concierge Service' to Fossil Fuel Industry
2 src Brittany Kelm · National Energy Dominance Council · Fossil Fuel Industry · White House | reported | |
| 2025-09-26 | Gabbard Terminates Global Trends Intelligence Report and Unit Over Climate Change Analysis
2 src Tulsi Gabbard · DNI · Jake Sullivan | reported | |
| 2025-09-26 | Supreme Court Allows Trump to Withhold $4B in Foreign Aid Through Illegal 'Pocket Rescission'
2 src U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · Elena Kagan · Mike Johnson · +1 | reported | |
| 2025-09-23 | Axon Acquires Prepared for $800-900 Million, Adding AI-Powered 911 Call Processing to Complete Surveillance Pipeline
3 src Axon · Prepared · Rick Smith | confirmed | |
| 2025-09-22 | Supreme Court Agrees to Reconsider Humphrey's Executor, Review Trump's Power to Fire Agency Heads
2 src U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · Rebecca Slaughter · Federal Trade Commission · +1 | reported | |
| 2025-09-18 | Education Department Inspector General Probes DOGE's Illegal Access to Student Loan Data
2 src Elon Musk · Department of Government Efficiency · Education Department · Inspector General | reported | |
| 2025-09-15 | Trump's Offshore Wind Assault Threatens 17,000+ Jobs, 99 Renewable Projects Canceled
2 src Donald Trump · Doug Burgum · Orsted · Department of Interior | reported | |
| 2025-09-11 | Senate Republicans Change Rules to Confirm Trump Nominees in Batches Without Individual Scrutiny
3 src John Thune · Senate Republicans · Donald Trump | reported | |
| 2025-09-11 | State Department Adds 'Fidelity' Criterion, Retaliates Against Diplomats for Honest Analysis
3 src State Department · American Foreign Service Association · Donald Trump · Career Diplomats | reported | |
| 2025-09-10 | Labor Department Inspector General Opens Investigation Into Jobs Data Manipulation
3 src Labor Department Inspector General · Erika McEntarfer · Donald Trump · Bureau of Labor Statistics | reported | |
| 2025-09-10 | Treasury Secretary Bessent Eliminates Climate Risk Assessment Panels
3 src Scott Bessent · U.S. Treasury Department · Financial Stability Oversight Council | reported | |
| 2025-09-09 | Trump Spending Legislation Creates $40 Billion in New Fossil Fuel Subsidies
2 src Donald Trump · Harold Hamm · Kelcy Warren · Fossil Fuel Industry | confirmed | |
| 2025-09-05 | Trump Signs Executive Order Renaming Pentagon as 'Department of War'
3 src Trump · Pete Hegseth · U.S. Department of Defense | confirmed | |
| 2025-09-02 | Supreme Court Allows Trump to Remove FTC Commissioner, Gutting Agency Independence
2 src Chief Justice John Roberts · Donald Trump · Rebecca Slaughter · U.S. Supreme Court · +1 | reported | |
| 2025-08-29 | EPA Fires At Least 8 Employees Who Signed Letter Criticizing Trump's Environmental Rollbacks
3 src Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · Lee Zeldin · Trump | reported | |
| 2025-08-29 | Federal Circuit Court Rules Trump Tariffs Violated IEEPA, Exceeded Presidential Authority
3 src U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit · Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court | confirmed | |
| 2025-08-29 | OMB Director Russell Vought Inserts Political Conditions Into 100+ Budget Accounts, Blocking Congressional Appropriations
2 src Russell Vought · Office of Management and Budget · Trump · U.S. Congress | reported | |
| 2025-08-29 | Trump Invokes 'Pocket Rescission' to Claw Back $4.9 Billion in Congressionally Approved Foreign Aid
3 src Trump · State Department · United States Agency for International Development · U.S. Congress | reported | |
| 2025-08-19 | State Department Revokes 6,000+ Student Visas, Targeting Palestinian Activists
3 src State Department · Marco Rubio · U.S. Department of Homeland Security | confirmed | |
| 2025-07-29 | EPA Proposes Rescinding Endangerment Finding at Indiana Truck Dealership: Zeldin Calls It 'Largest Deregulatory Action in History'
6 src Lee Zeldin · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Donald Trump | confirmed | |
| 2025-07-15 | Climate Programs Dismantled - NOAA Faces 27% Budget Cut
4 src NOAA · Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research · U.S. Global Change Research Program · Heritage Foundation · +2 | confirmed | |
| 2025-06-24 | Trump Fires Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner, Raising Concerns About Regulatory Capture
3 src Donald Trump · Christopher Hanson · Trent Morse · Nuclear Regulatory Commission | confirmed | |
| 2025-05-29 | Federal Courts Rule Trump's IEEPA Tariffs Illegal in Multiple Cases
3 src Donald Trump · Rudolph Contreras · U.S. Court of International Trade · U.S. Supreme Court | confirmed | |
| 2025-05-28 | HHS Cancels $766 Million Moderna Contract for H5N1 Pandemic Flu Vaccines
3 src Robert F. Kennedy Jr. · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services · Moderna · BARDA | confirmed | |
| 2025-05-07 | Puerto Rico Loses Over $4.7 Million in FEMA Climate Resilience Funding as Federal Recovery Stalls
2 src Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) · Kristi Noem · Jenniffer González-Colón · Central Office for Recovery Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3) | confirmed | |
| 2025-04-02 | Trump Invokes Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) to Impose Unprecedented Reciprocal Tariffs
3 src Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court | confirmed | |
| 2025-03-12 | EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Announces Historic Rollback of 31 Pollution Rules
5 src Lee Zeldin · Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Donald Trump · +3 | confirmed | |
| 2025-03-12 | EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Eliminates Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights
5 src Lee Zeldin · Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Donald Trump · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2025-02-14 | DOE Resumes LNG Export Approvals: Commonwealth LNG First Permit, Five Major Facilities Approved by September
7 src Chris Wright · Department of Energy · Commonwealth LNG · Venture Global · +3 | confirmed | |
| 2025-01-20 | Trump Declares National Energy Emergency on First Day to Bypass Environmental Regulations
2 src Donald Trump | confirmed | |
| 2025-01-20 | Trump Signs 'Unleashing American Energy' EO on Day One: Lifts LNG Export Pause, Opens Federal Lands, Targets EV Mandates
5 src Donald Trump · Chris Wright · Doug Burgum | confirmed | |
| 2025-01-17 | RFK Jr. Absent from CDC Bird Flu Pandemic Preparedness Exercise During Transition
2 src Robert F. Kennedy Jr. · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | confirmed | |
| 2024-02-08 | Michael Mann Wins Defamation Lawsuit After 12-Year Battle Against Climate Deniers
4 src Michael Mann · Rand Simberg · Mark Steyn · Competitive Enterprise Institute · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2023-08-08 | Maui Wildfires Kill Over 100 as Corporate Water Diversions and Land Development Create Tinderbox; Governor Suspends Native Water Rights After Disaster
5 src Josh Green · West Maui Land Company · Glenn Tremble · Kaleo Manuel · +3 | confirmed | |
| 2022-06-30 | Supreme Court Establishes Major Questions Doctrine in West Virginia v. EPA, Limiting Regulatory Power
5 src U.S. Supreme Court · Chief Justice John Roberts · Justice Clarence Thomas · Justice Samuel Alito · +10 | confirmed | |
| 2022-01-13 | Navient Settles for $1.85 Billion Over Student Loan Servicing Fraud - Steered Borrowers Into Costly Forbearances
3 src Navient · Letitia James | confirmed | |
| 2022-01-01 | Anduril AI-Powered Drones Deployed to Ukraine Since 2022
2 src Anduril Industries · Ukraine · U.S. Department of Defense · Palmer Luckey | confirmed | |
| 2021-01-15 | Russell Vought Founds Center for Renewing America, Christian Nationalist Policy Shop for Trump Return
3 src Russ Vought | confirmed | |
| 2020-08-25 | Secretary of State Pompeo Delivers Historic RNC Speech from Jerusalem Rooftop, Violating Hatch Act After Changing State Department Policy
4 src Mike Pompeo · Donald Trump · Office of Special Counsel | confirmed | |
| 2020-07-01 | CBP Awards Anduril $25 Million for Autonomous Surveillance Towers at Border
2 src Anduril Industries · U.S. Customs and Border Protection · U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Palmer Luckey | confirmed | |
| 2020-05-15 | Trump Dismisses State Department Inspector General Steve Linick
3 src Donald Trump · Mike Pompeo · Steve Linick · Eliot Engel · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2020-02-28 | Trump Calls Coronavirus "Their New Hoax" at South Carolina Rally
3 src Donald Trump | confirmed | |
| 2019-11-20 | Sondland Testifies - "Was There a Quid Pro Quo? The Answer Is Yes. Everyone Was in the Loop."
3 src Gordon Sondland · Mike Pompeo · Mike Pence · Mick Mulvaney · +2 | confirmed | |
| 2019-11-15 | Ambassador Yovanovitch Testifies on Giuliani Smear Campaign and Removal from Ukraine Post
3 src Marie Yovanovitch · Rudy Giuliani · Donald Trump · Lev Parnas · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2019-10-30 | Interior IG Investigates Bernhardt for California Water Decision Benefiting Former Client Westlands
3 src David Bernhardt · Westlands Water District · David Murillo | confirmed | |
| 2019-10-22 | Acting Ukraine Ambassador Bill Taylor Testifies - Clear Quid Pro Quo for Biden Investigation
3 src Bill Taylor · Gordon Sondland · Rudy Giuliani · Donald Trump | confirmed | |
| 2019-10-08 | Trump Blocks Ambassador Sondland Testimony, Declares Total Obstruction of Congress
3 src Donald Trump · Gordon Sondland · Mike Pompeo · Adam Schiff | confirmed | |
| 2019-06-19 | EPA Finalizes Affordable Clean Energy Rule Replacing Clean Power Plan With Weaker Standards
4 src Andrew Wheeler · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Donald Trump · Coal Industry · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2019-06-13 | Michigan Drops All Criminal Charges in Flint Water Crisis, Promises New Investigation
3 src Dana Nessel · Nick Lyon · Eden Wells · Darnell Earley | confirmed | |
| 2019-04-11 | Interior Secretary David Bernhardt Confirmed Despite Extensive Conflicts from Oil and Gas Lobbying Career
3 src David Bernhardt · Donald Trump | confirmed | |
| 2018-07-09 | Coal Lobbyist Andrew Wheeler Becomes Acting EPA Administrator After Pruitt Resignation
4 src Andrew Wheeler · Donald Trump · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Faegre Baker Daniels · +2 | confirmed | |
| 2018-06-15 | Amazon aggressively pitches Rekognition facial recognition to ICE during family separation crisis
4 src Amazon · AWS · Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · DHS (Department of Homeland Security) · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2017-12-04 | Trump reduces Bears Ears National Monument by 85% to open lands for extraction
3 src Donald Trump · Ryan Zinke · Bureau of Land Management · Navajo Nation · +4 | confirmed | |
| 2017-11-20 | Nebraska PSC Approves Keystone XL Pipeline Route Despite Eminent Domain Controversy and Landowner Opposition
7 src Nebraska Public Service Commission · TransCanada Corporation · Bold Nebraska · Jane Kleeb · +2 | confirmed | |
| 2017-03-28 | Trump Signs Executive Order Dismantling Obama-Era Climate Regulations
3 src Donald Trump · Scott Pruitt · Lee Zeldin · Murray Energy Corporation | confirmed | |
| 2017-01-29 | Trump Approves Botched Yemen Raid Killing Navy SEAL Owens and 23+ Civilians Including 8-Year-Old American Girl
2 src Donald Trump · William Owens · Nawar al-Awlaki · Carryn Owens | confirmed | |
| 2017-01-24 | Trump Reverses Dakota Access Pipeline Denial, Orders Expedited Approval
4 src Donald Trump · Energy Transfer Partners · Kelcy Warren · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2017-01-11 | Rex Tillerson Confirmation Hearing Reveals ExxonMobil-Russia Conflicts and Sanctions Violations
3 src Rex Tillerson · Donald Trump · Igor Sechin · Vladimir Putin · +2 | confirmed | |
| 2016-11-20 | Law Enforcement Attacks Standing Rock Protesters With Water Cannons in Subfreezing Temperatures
4 src Morton County Sheriff's Department · Standing Rock Sioux Tribe · Mandan Rural Fire Department · Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council · +4 | confirmed | |
| 2016-09-03 | Standing Rock: Private Security and Police Attack Dakota Access Pipeline Water Protectors
3 src Standing Rock Sioux Tribe · Energy Transfer Partners · Private Security Contractors · Morton County Sheriff's Department · +1 | confirmed | |
| 2016-01-05 | Snyder Finally Declares State of Emergency After Federal Investigation and Public Outcry
3 src Rick Snyder · Barack Obama · Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | confirmed | |
| 2016-01-01 | Grayshift Founded in Atlanta to Develop GrayKey iPhone Unlocking Technology
3 src Grayshift · David Miles · Braden Thomas · Justin Fisher · +1 | confirmed |