diff --git a/.github/workflows/mdtf_tests.yml b/.github/workflows/mdtf_tests.yml
index 4e74747e6..85367909e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/mdtf_tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/mdtf_tests.yml
@@ -85,10 +85,6 @@ jobs:
         echo "env dir  ${CONDA_ENV_DIR}"
         # MDTF-specific setup: install all conda envs
         ./src/conda/conda_env_setup.sh --all --micromamba_root ${CONDA_ROOT} --env_dir ${CONDA_ENV_DIR}
-        #micromamba create -y -f ./src/conda/env_base.yml
-        #micromamba create -y -f ./src/conda/env_python3_base.yml
-        #micromamba create -y -f ./src/conda/env_NCL_base.yml
-        #micromamba create -y -f ./src/conda/env_R_base.yml
         echo "Creating the _MDTF_synthetic_data environment"
         micromamba create -y -f ./src/conda/_env_synthetic_data.yml
     - name: Generate Model Data
@@ -138,8 +134,8 @@ jobs:
         ./mdtf_framework.py --version
         # run the test PODs
         ./mdtf -v -f ${{matrix.json-file}}
-        # Debug
-        cat ${POD_OUTPUT}/MDTF_NCAR.Synthetic_1975_1981/Wheeler_Kiladis/Wheeler_Kiladis.log
+        # Debug POD log(s)
+        # cat ${POD_OUTPUT}/MDTF_NCAR.Synthetic_1975_1981/Wheeler_Kiladis/Wheeler_Kiladis.log
     - name: Get observational data for set 2
       run: |
         echo "${PWD}"
diff --git a/src/environment_manager.py b/src/environment_manager.py
index 3f36b0251..df3b7ae33 100644
--- a/src/environment_manager.py
+++ b/src/environment_manager.py
@@ -331,8 +331,10 @@ def activate_env_commands(self, env_name):
         # conda_init for bash defines conda as a shell function; will get error
         # if we try to call the conda executable directly
         conda_prefix = os.path.join(self.conda_env_root, env_name)
-
+        env_config_file = ""
         if os.path.split(self.conda_exe)[-1] == 'micromamba':
+            # micromamba appends env info to the shell config file
+            # that needs to be sourced in the sub-shell for each POD process
             home_dir = os.path.expanduser('~')
             if os.path.isfile(os.path.join(home_dir, '.bashrc')):
                 env_config_file = os.path.join(home_dir, '.bashrc')
@@ -344,8 +346,6 @@ def activate_env_commands(self, env_name):
                 env_config_file = os.path.join(home_dir, '.tcshrc')
             elif os.path.isfile(os.path.join(home_dir, '.zshrc')):
                 env_config_file = os.path.join(home_dir, '.zshrc')
-            else:
-                env_config_file = ""
             return [
                 f'source {self.conda_dir}/conda_init.sh {self.conda_root}',
                 f'source {env_config_file}',