epa

Legal Agreement Could Cut Toxic Emissions in Cancer Alley

Legal Agreement Could Cut Toxic Emissions in Cancer Alley

A legal settlement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the town containing the census tract with the worst air pollution in the country could significantly reduce harmful emissions in the area known as “Cancer Alley.”  The proposed agreement was posted on the Federal Register Tuesday and would settle two lawsuits brought by members […]

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    EPA Investigating Racism in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ Permitting Decisions

    EPA Investigating Racism in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ Permitting Decisions

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating whether the Louisiana state departments of Environmental Quality and Health illegally discriminated against black residents in permitting decisions regarding two chemical plants and a grain export terminal. Petitions to the EPA seeking an investigation allege the state departments failed to provide proper notice and comment opportunities to […]

    New PFAS Definition by EPA Omits Pharmaceutical, Pesticide Chemicals

    New PFAS Definition by EPA Omits Pharmaceutical, Pesticide Chemicals

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created a new “working definition” of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. The updated definition is narrower, leaving out many chemicals in pharmaceuticals, pesticides and even some refrigerants.  Scientists are concerned that the agency’s redefining of PFAS makes these chemicals seem less toxic, and critics have […]

    EPA Expected to Extend Use of Bee-Killing Pesticides

    EPA Expected to Extend Use of Bee-Killing Pesticides

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to approve a proposal to extend the use of four neonicotinoids for the next 15 years. These pesticides are known to be especially dangerous for essential pollinators, like bees and butterflies, and have been linked to the widespread decline of insect populations. Despite citing the pesticides imidacloprid, […]

    Gas Stoves Are a Bigger Climate Threat Than Previously Thought, Study Finds

    Gas Stoves Are a Bigger Climate Threat Than Previously Thought, Study Finds

    Gas stoves emit methane even when they are not in use, a new study has found, and this makes them a bigger contributor to the climate crisis than previously believed.  The research, published in Environmental Science & Technology Thursday, concluded that the annual methane emissions from gas stoves in the U.S. are equivalent to about […]

    EPA to Address Air and Water Pollution in ‘Cancer Alley’

    EPA to Address Air and Water Pollution in ‘Cancer Alley’

    After a week-long environmental justice trip to Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana in November, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan announced that the EPA will address residents’ complaints about contaminated drinking water, chemical plants placed close to residences and a school and toxic air, The Washington Post reported. Regan said the EPA will invest […]