The Canadian government has officially recognized the marine portion of the Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area. The 8-square-mile marine refuge, located in a fjord roughly 150 miles northwest of Vancouver, is home to underwater sponges and rare corals and serves as an important throughway for salmon swimming upstream to spawn.

This year, at least 31 states are considering more than 260 policies to address the dangers of “forever chemicals,” polyvinyl chloride, formaldehyde, parabens, and other substances. Research now links PFAS to cancer, immune disease, and hypertension and shows that they don’t break down in the environment. Studies have found PFAS in the blood of 98 percent of the U.S. population.

Tribal nations and environmental groups scored a victory last week when a federal appeals court rejected nearly 200 new oil and gas drilling permits in the Greater Chaco region of New Mexico. The Greater Chaco region is home to many Pueblos and tribal nations who have occupied it for more than 2,000 years. It includes a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.