Environment

2024-03-18 18:03:02
by Dan McCue
EPA Finalizes Ban on Ongoing Use of Asbestos

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized a rule to prohibit the ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos, the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized a rule to prohibit the ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos, the only known form of asbestos currently used in or imported into the United States. The ban is the first to... Read More

2024-03-15 20:24:49
by Tom Ramstack
Senate Told Growing Wildfire Threat Needs New Strategies

WASHINGTON — The number of wildfires driven by climate change has grown but the U.S. effort to control them has... Read More

WASHINGTON — The number of wildfires driven by climate change has grown but the U.S. effort to control them has not, according to emergency response officials at a Senate hearing Thursday. At least not fast enough to prevent disasters like... Read More

2024-03-15 20:06:35
by Dan McCue
DOE to Provide Conditional $2.26B Loan for Lithium Project in Nevada

WASHINGTON — The Department of Energy is extending a conditional $2.26 billion loan to Lithium Americas Corp. to support its... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Energy is extending a conditional $2.26 billion loan to Lithium Americas Corp. to support its effort to build a lithium carbonate processing plant in Nevada. Once operational, the plant, which will be located in Thacker... Read More

2024-03-15 19:11:47
by Dan McCue
EPA Sets Tougher Limits on Gas Used to Sterilize Medical Devices

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized tougher restrictions on ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing gas commonly used to... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized tougher restrictions on ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing gas commonly used to sterilize medical devices. The new standards specifically target commercial sterilization facilities. The agency called them “the strongest measures in U.S.... Read More

US, Canada and Indigenous Groups Announce Proposal to Address Cross-Border Mining Pollution

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The U.S., Canada and several indigenous groups announced a proposal on Monday to address pollution from... Read More

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The U.S., Canada and several indigenous groups announced a proposal on Monday to address pollution from coal mining in British Columbia that officials say has been contaminating waterways and harming fisheries on both sides of the... Read More

Fewer Fish and More Algae? Scientists Seek to Understand Impacts of Historic Lack of Great Lakes Ice

RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Michigan Tech University biologists have been observing a remote Lake Superior island's fragile wolf population every... Read More

RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Michigan Tech University biologists have been observing a remote Lake Superior island's fragile wolf population every winter since 1958, but they had to cut this season's planned seven-week survey short after just two weeks. The ski... Read More

Wildfire Grows Into Second-Largest in Texas History

A fast-moving wildfire burning through the Texas Panhandle grew into the second-largest blaze in state history Wednesday, forcing evacuations and... Read More

A fast-moving wildfire burning through the Texas Panhandle grew into the second-largest blaze in state history Wednesday, forcing evacuations and triggering power outages as firefighters struggled to contain the widening flames. The sprawling blaze was part of a cluster of... Read More

2024-02-27 18:53:27
by Dan McCue
House Republicans Raise Questions About EV Charger Program

WASHINGTON — Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are raising questions about the implementation of the Biden administration’s... Read More

WASHINGTON — Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are raising questions about the implementation of the Biden administration’s electric vehicle charger subsidy program. In a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, a trio... Read More

White House Is Distributing $5.8B From Infrastructure Law for Water Projects

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it is distributing another $5.8 billion for water infrastructure projects around the... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it is distributing another $5.8 billion for water infrastructure projects around the country, paid for by one of its key legislative victories. The new allocations will go to projects in all 50 states,... Read More

2024-02-16 19:15:50
by Tom Ramstack
Environmentalists Sue EPA for Data on Health Risks of Forever Chemicals

WASHINGTON — Environmentalists sued the Environmental Protection Agency this week in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking information about health... Read More

WASHINGTON — Environmentalists sued the Environmental Protection Agency this week in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking information about health risks from forever chemicals in fluorinated plastic containers. The two groups that sued accuse the EPA of withholding information about... Read More

In Rural Utah, Concern Over Efforts to Use Colorado River Water to Extract Lithium

GREEN RIVER, Utah (AP) — A plan to extract lithium — the lustrous, white metal used in electric vehicle batteries... Read More

GREEN RIVER, Utah (AP) — A plan to extract lithium — the lustrous, white metal used in electric vehicle batteries — in southeast Utah is adding to an anxiety familiar in the arid American West: how the project could affect... Read More

2024-02-02 22:25:19
by Tom Ramstack
EPA Adds More ‘Forever Chemicals’ to List of Hazardous Substances

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed adding nine PFAS, or "forever chemicals," to its list of hazardous... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed adding nine PFAS, or "forever chemicals," to its list of hazardous materials. The "hazardous" designation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act means PFAs will get tougher regulatory scrutiny. They were... Read More

Auto Dealers Up Campaign Urging Administration to Halt EPA Tailpipe Emission Limits Regulation

DETROIT (AP) — More than 4,700 auto dealerships across the United States urged President Joe Biden in a letter Thursday... Read More

DETROIT (AP) — More than 4,700 auto dealerships across the United States urged President Joe Biden in a letter Thursday to halt the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to enforce stricter vehicle-pollution standards. The missive comes just weeks before the agency’s... Read More

Cold Hard Facts: Winter EV Charging Woes Prove Need for Consumer Choice and Smarter Policy

In the United States, transportation accounts for close to 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, if we’re going to achieve our... Read More

In the United States, transportation accounts for close to 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, if we’re going to achieve our carbon reduction targets, addressing and solving the problems associated with transportation sector-based carbon emissions is imperative. It has also been... Read More

Arctic Freeze Continues to Blast Huge Swaths of the US With Sub-Zero Temperatures

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A dangerous Arctic blast will continue sweeping across the U.S. on Monday and linger through at... Read More

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A dangerous Arctic blast will continue sweeping across the U.S. on Monday and linger through at least midweek, prolonging a bitter cold that set record-low temperatures in parts of the country and threatens to further disrupt... Read More

Drilling Under Pennsylvania's 'Gasland' Town Has Been Banned Since 2010. It's Coming Back.

A year after pleading no contest to criminal charges, one of Pennsylvania’s leading natural gas companies is poised to drill and frack... Read More

A year after pleading no contest to criminal charges, one of Pennsylvania’s leading natural gas companies is poised to drill and frack in the rural community where it was banned for a dozen years for polluting the water supply. Coterra Energy Inc.... Read More

Conservationists, Tribes Say Deal With Biden Administration a Road Map to Breach Snake River Dams

SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. government said Thursday it plans to spend more than $1 billion over the next decade... Read More

SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. government said Thursday it plans to spend more than $1 billion over the next decade to help recover depleted populations of salmon in the Pacific Northwest, and that it will help figure out how to... Read More

Offshore Wind Project Cancellations Jeopardize Biden Clean Energy Goals

WASHINGTON (AP) — The cancellation of two large offshore wind projects in New Jersey is the latest in a series... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The cancellation of two large offshore wind projects in New Jersey is the latest in a series of setbacks for the nascent U.S. offshore wind industry, jeopardizing the Biden administration’s goals of powering 10 million homes from... Read More

Louisiana Was Open to Cancer Alley Concessions. Then EPA Dropped Its Investigation

For more than a year, the Environmental Protection Agency investigated whether Louisiana officials discriminated against Black residents by putting them... Read More

For more than a year, the Environmental Protection Agency investigated whether Louisiana officials discriminated against Black residents by putting them at increased cancer risk. Federal officials said they had found evidence of discrimination and were pressuring the state to strengthen oversight of... Read More

2023-10-30 14:15:02
by Dan McCue
Potential of US Hydrogen Market Takes Center Stage at Summit

WASHINGTON — Events large and small happen in the nation’s capital all the time, but few seem to represent the... Read More

WASHINGTON — Events large and small happen in the nation’s capital all the time, but few seem to represent the level of promise manifested at the recent Hydrogen Americas 2023 summit at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.... Read More

2023-10-22 21:52:13
by Dan McCue
Comment Deadline Extended on Biden Plan for Alaska Petroleum Reserves

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Land Management is extending the public comment period on the proposed new protections for about... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Land Management is extending the public comment period on the proposed new protections for about 13 million acres of pristine wilderness in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The new deadline for commenting on the... Read More

2023-10-22 21:49:17
by Dan McCue
Developer Nixes $3.5B Carbon Capture Pipeline

OMAHA, Neb. — The developer of a proposed $3.5 billion carbon capture pipeline expected to run through four mid- and... Read More

OMAHA, Neb. — The developer of a proposed $3.5 billion carbon capture pipeline expected to run through four mid- and upper-midwestern states, summarily canceled the project on Friday, citing "the unpredictable nature of the regulatory and government processes involved." The... Read More

Communities Can't Recycle or Trash Disposable e-Cigarettes. So What Happens to Them?

With the growing popularity of disposable e-cigarettes, communities across the U.S. are confronting a new vaping problem: how to safely get... Read More

With the growing popularity of disposable e-cigarettes, communities across the U.S. are confronting a new vaping problem: how to safely get rid of millions of small, battery-powered devices that are considered hazardous waste. For years, the debate surrounding vaping largely centered on its... Read More

From Carrot Salad to Carrot Cake, It All Begins With Great Soil 

Great food comes from great ingredients. And great ingredients come from great soil.In my role as executive chef at the Culinary... Read More

Great food comes from great ingredients. And great ingredients come from great soil.In my role as executive chef at the Culinary Vegetable Institute, I’ve seen firsthand the role sustainability plays in our food supply.  Agriculture and food-related industries are expansive and... Read More

2023-10-05 18:13:44
by Tom Ramstack
Utility Agrees to Pay DC $57M in Record Environmental Settlement

WASHINGTON — The Washington, D.C., area’s biggest electrical utility agreed this week to pay a $57 million settlement that will... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Washington, D.C., area’s biggest electrical utility agreed this week to pay a $57 million settlement that will be used to clean up contaminants it dumped into the Anacostia River. The settlement with the D.C. attorney general was... Read More

Biden Memo Directs Agencies to Restore 'Healthy and Abundant' Salmon Runs

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a move that conservationists and tribes called a potential breakthrough, President Joe Biden has directed federal agencies to... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a move that conservationists and tribes called a potential breakthrough, President Joe Biden has directed federal agencies to use all available authorities and resources to restore “healthy and abundant” salmon runs in the Columbia River Basin. Biden's order... Read More

Inside Scientists' Mission to Save America’s Wine Industry From Climate Change

ALPINE, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. West Coast produces over 90% of America's wine, but the region is also prone... Read More

ALPINE, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. West Coast produces over 90% of America's wine, but the region is also prone to wildfires — a combustible combination that spelled disaster for the industry in 2020 and one that scientists are scrambling to neutralize.... Read More

2023-09-25 19:38:05
by Dan McCue
Appeals Court Rejects Bid for Stay of ‘Good Neighbor’ Pollution Plan

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Monday rejected an attempt by the state of... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Monday rejected an attempt by the state of Utah to block the Environmental Protection Agency from enforcing a plan to protect downwind states from smog that blows from... Read More

2023-09-25 14:51:39
by Dan McCue
Court Says Gulf Oil and Gas Lease Sale Must Proceed Without Restrictions

LAKE CHARLES, La. — A federal judge has ordered the Interior Department to proceed with a pending oil and gas... Read More

LAKE CHARLES, La. — A federal judge has ordered the Interior Department to proceed with a pending oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico without last-minute restrictions added to protect an endangered species of whale. U.S. District... Read More

2023-09-21 20:11:34
by Dan McCue
New ‘Climate Corps’ Will Serve as Green Jobs Training Program

WASHINGTON — In a bid to further kick-start the green economy that is key to both his climate and economic... Read More

WASHINGTON — In a bid to further kick-start the green economy that is key to both his climate and economic plan, President Joe Biden on Wednesday used his executive powers to create the American Climate Corps, the nation’s first large-scale... Read More

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