Environment

WASHINGTON -- Tracy Harden, owner of Chuck’s Dairy Bar in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, told a Senate panel Thursday about how a 2019 flood along the Mississippi River Delta devastated her community. High waters inundated 548,000 acres, nearly half of it... Read More

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Smoke and ash from massive wildfires in the American West clouded the sky and led to air quality alerts Wednesday on parts of the East Coast as the effects of the blazes were felt 2,500 miles... Read More

This article is by Prachi Patel and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. Single-use straws and forks, plastic sandwich bags and wraps, and disposable cups can all wreak havoc on the environment. Many consumers are switching from these products to reusable alternatives with... Read More

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters scrambled on Friday to control a raging inferno in southeastern Oregon that's spreading miles a day in windy conditions, one of numerous conflagrations across the U.S. West that are straining resources.  Authorities ordered a new... Read More

Oregon is currently at the heart of one of the most expensive and destructive wildfire seasons of the past decade. According to data from the National Interagency Fire Center, six wildfires across the state are currently burning over 280 thousand... Read More

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Airport officials facing jet fuel shortages are concerned they'll have to wave off planes and helicopters that drop fire retardants during what could be a ferocious wildfire season, potentially endangering surrounding communities. Sporadic shortages at some... Read More

This article is by Prachi Patel and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. Using compostable forks and spoons might soothe an environmentalist’s soul, but the reality is that most of this cutlery ends up in landfills, where it sits around just like conventional... Read More

Firefighters were working in extreme temperatures across the U.S. West and struggling to contain wildfires, the largest burning in California and Oregon, as another heat wave baked the region, straining power grids. The largest wildfire of the year in California... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday asked people and businesses in the nation's most populous state to voluntarily cut how much water they use by 15% as the Western United States weathers a drought that is... Read More

The deadly heat wave that roasted the Pacific Northwest and western Canada was virtually impossible without human-caused climate change that added a few extra degrees to the record-smashing temperatures, a new quick scientific analysis found. An international team of 27... Read More

Experts say environmental education needs greater investment if future generations are to be able to fully respond to the climate emergency.   According to an article in Environmental Education Research, co-authored by Alan Reid, editor, and Justin Dillion, Jo-Anne Ferreira and... Read More

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The silvery blue waters of the Great Salt Lake sprawl across the Utah desert, having covered an area nearly the size of Delaware for much of history. For years, though, the largest natural lake west... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Environmental advocates promoted a plan to Congress Tuesday that calls for the United States to reach a 100% clean energy economy by 2050. Fossil fuels and coal-fired electrical generating plants would be replaced by solar power, hydroelectric dams... Read More

After a record-breaking heatwave scorched swathes of the Pacific Northwest over the weekend, excessive heat watches continued to be in effect for regions stretching from Northern California to British Columbia, Canada. The heatwave, which climate scientists say is a one... Read More

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Many Americans aching for normalcy as pandemic restrictions end are looking forward to traditional Fourth of July fireworks. But with a historic drought in the U.S. West and fears of another devastating wildfire season, officials... Read More

WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden announced Tuesday he would meet with state governors next week to map out a strategy for handling disasters from severe weather. Heat and drought in western states is creating wildfires and crop damage. The National... Read More

WASHINGTON - Despite being in the early phases of an investigation into PFAS contamination at nearly 700 U.S. military installations, the Department of Defense says the future environment clean-up of these facilities will cost at least $2.1 billion and likely... Read More

PHOENIX (AP) — Much of the American West has been blasted with sweltering heat this week as a high pressure dome combines with the worst drought in modern history to launch temperatures into the triple digits, toppling records even before... Read More

OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Each year Lake Oroville helps water a quarter of the nation's crops, sustain endangered salmon beneath its massive earthen dam and anchor the tourism economy of a Northern California county that must rebuild seemingly every year... Read More

This article is by Emma Bryce and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. Researchers have discovered that a medical device used to detect cancer in humans can also be employed to detect mislabeled seafood, and other meats—with 100% accuracy. The... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Some of America’s best oceanographers made a plea to Congress Monday to protect the oceans from environmental disaster or risk devastating consequences for the human population. They said global warming was increasing floods and hurricanes, raising sea levels... Read More

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy on Wednesday awarded 11 grants totaling over $4.7 million for watershed management projects that will benefit wetlands, lakes and streams. Each grant will reduce sediment, nutrients and other contaminants to help... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Department of the Interior on Tuesday canceled all oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge pending a new environmental review. The sale of the leases was one of the final acts of the Trump... Read More

ARLINGTON, Va. - Venture Global LNG unveiled plans last week to capture and sequester carbon at two of its liquid natural gas facilities in Louisiana. Having concluded a comprehensive engineering and geotechnical analysis at the sites in Calcasieu Pass and... Read More

Wildlife advocates pressed the Biden administration on Wednesday to revive federal protections for gray wolves across the Northern Rockies after Republican lawmakers in Idaho and Montana made it much easier to kill the predators. The Center for Biological Diversity, Humane... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Everyone on a congressional panel Tuesday agreed that safe drinking water is an important health priority but several lawmakers disagreed that the Biden administration’s plan for pursuing it is practical. “I have a lot of doubts that it... Read More

PALM BEACH, Fla. - It’s not a good time to be a state or federal official with oversight over South Florida’s long abused plumbing system. In just the past several days, a coalition of environmental groups has called on Gov.... Read More

This article is by Berly McCoy and was originally published by Anthropocene magazine. In 2010, the Convention on Biodiversity proposed a list of 20 targets aimed at preserving global biodiversity—from increasing public awareness to preventing species extinctions. The targets were part of... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Energy last week announced $35 million in funding that will help slash carbon emissions and scale up the volume and efficiency of renewable biofuel. The 15 awarded research projects are housed at colleges, universities,... Read More

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Environmental groups and scientists with two universities want U.S. wildlife managers to consider reintroducing jaguars to the American Southwest. In a recently published paper, they say habitat destruction, highways and existing segments of the border wall... Read More