State sought to stop system off coast of Santa Barbara from resuming operations after Trump ordered its reopening

An oil pipeline can continue to operate off the California coast after a judge gave it the green light this week, despite the opposition of state regulators and environmental groups.

The system off the coast of Santa Barbara resumed operations earlier this year for the first time in more than a decade after Donald Trump ordered Sable Offshore Corporation to reopen it, citing US energy needs during the war in Iran.

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© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Administration’s plan to scrap drilling-free buffer zone around New Mexico site prompts scrutiny from Unesco

The Trump administration’s push to expand oil and gas extraction across the US is set to bring drilling near cherished natural and cultural sites, raising alarm among conservationists and prompting questions from the UN’s heritage body.

Unesco said it had received information on the administration’s plan to scrap a drilling-free buffer zone around the Chaco Culture national historical park in New Mexico, a world heritage site and one of the most important cultural areas in the US. A Unesco spokesperson said it had procedures regarding “potential threats” to a world heritage property and was awaiting a response from the federal government as to its impact.

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© Photograph: Cedar Attanasio/AP

© Photograph: Cedar Attanasio/AP

© Photograph: Cedar Attanasio/AP

Regulations that would block sale of older tires praised by environmental groups amid rightwing backlash

California has become the first state in the nation to mandate that replacement tires be energy efficient, a major auto industry regulation set to block the sale of older tires and make vehicles on the road greener.

State regulators have said the new rules will reduce emissions and drivers’ fuel costs. But the rules – which come as the Trump administrations fights to block other California restrictions to promote greener cars – have already sparked a rightwing backlash, with one conservative news outlet calling the policies a “massive overreach”.

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© Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

© Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

© Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Discovery marks latest grim finding in lake as water levels in crucial reservoir outside Las Vegas continue to decline

Human remains have once again been discovered at Lake Mead outside Las Vegas, Nevada, marking the latest in a line of gruesome discoveries as water levels in the crucial reservoir continue to drop, authorities said.

These remains were discovered on 16 August, USA Today reported. The National Park Service (NPS) told the outlet there did not appear to be anything suspicious about the body.

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© Photograph: Daniel Cole/Reuters

© Photograph: Daniel Cole/Reuters

© Photograph: Daniel Cole/Reuters

Image captured in early June shows animal foraging in the waterway in first since early 1900s, signaling its recovery

An otter has been spotted in the Bronx River for the first time in more than 100 years, in a further sign that New York’s previously befouled waterways are recovering some of their ecological health.

The North American river otter was photographed by a motion-activated camera foraging near some vegetation in the Bronx River, a waterway that flows through New York’s Bronx and empties into the East River.

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© Photograph: RJ Hawkins/Wildlife Conservation Society Education Dept

© Photograph: RJ Hawkins/Wildlife Conservation Society Education Dept

© Photograph: RJ Hawkins/Wildlife Conservation Society Education Dept

Firefighters describe being pushed to limit by a brutal wildfire season, with key leadership roles going unfilled

The US has faced a critical shortage of firefighters at the US Forest Service (USFS) this summer as thousands of fires erupted across the country.

Despite officials’ claims that the firefighting workforce was stronger than ever, the agency has failed to keep pace with escalating conditions and the catastrophic fires fueled by them, according to nine firefighters who spoke to the Guardian anonymously, because they are barred from disclosing the information to the public.

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© Photograph: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images

© Photograph: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images

© Photograph: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images

Storm also caused destructive flooding and damage to homes and infrastructure with one woman dead

• Tropical storm Lala wreaks ‘devastation’ to some areas of Hawaii’s Big Island

Crews in Hawaii are working to restore power to thousands of residents after the outer bands of Hurricane Lala battered the islands over the weekend, causing destructive flooding and killing one person.

On the hard-hit Big Island, crews were working to clear and restore roads, but some communities on the southern end of the island remained isolated as they were cut off from communication.

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© Photograph: James D DeCamp/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: James D DeCamp/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: James D DeCamp/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

The rule to require efficient replacement tires was praised by environmentalists. But manufacturers warned that the change would hurt American companies and increase tire prices.

© Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Molendotech will collate data from daily tests that detect E coli and other bacteria amid reports of swimmers falling ill

A UK university spinout behind a rapid bacterial water testing kit is planning to launch live water quality maps, as scores of beachgoers report falling ill after swimming.

Molendotech, a spinout from the University of Plymouth, sells a portable test that detects E coli and other bacteria in water and delivers results on the spot, without waiting for days to get laboratory results.

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© Photograph: Molendotech

© Photograph: Molendotech

© Photograph: Molendotech