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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2018, paper and cardboard were the largest components of municipal solid waste in the United States with citizens throwing away a total of 67.4 million tons a year. Around 68 percent of that was recycled, while the other 32 percent was either incinerated or left in […]
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, […]
If you get your drinking water from an underground well, it may be contaminated with toxic forever chemicals. A new study from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found at least one perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) in 20 percent of private wells and 60 percent of public wells in 16 states in the Eastern U.S. […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest $1 billion in projects that encourage farmers, ranchers and owners of forested land to employ practices that help mitigate the effects of climate change by lowering greenhouse gas emissions or catching and storing carbon, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters on Monday. The new program is called […]
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 […]
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 […]