Environment

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, has started to erupt for the first time in nearly four decades, prompting volcanic ash and debris to fall nearby, authorities said Monday. The eruption began late Sunday night in... Read More

PALMERSTON NORTH, New Zealand (AP) — How do you stop a cow from burping? It might sound like the start of a humorous riddle, but it's the subject of a huge scientific inquiry in New Zealand. And the answer could... Read More

WASHINGTON — Climate change is creating harm to the United States that is 68% worse than most of the rest of the world, according to a federal report announced this week. “The things Americans value most are at risk,” a... Read More

As the world warms and extreme weather events mount, governments and corporations have been called on to address climate change by top officials, climate scientists and activists and to curb levels of heating. The planet's temperature has already risen by about 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees... Read More

IRVING, Texas — ExxonMobil and CF Industries, a global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products, have entered into what the parties describe as the “the largest commercial agreement of its kind” to capture and permanently store up to 2 million... Read More

MISSOULA, Mont. — An environmental group is suing the U.S. Forest Service for the flame retardant it drops on western wildfires, saying the chemical pollutes waterways and violates the Clean Water Act.  The Forest Service dropped more than 761,000 gallons... Read More

NEW YORK — A first-of-its-kind study has found that 83% of the 114 waterways tested across the country were contaminated by dangerous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.  Over the course of the study, 113 local Waterkeeper groups collected samples from 114... Read More

LAPLACE, La. — The Environmental Protection Agency is warning Louisiana officials that their failure to protect residents from air pollution in a two-county industrialized area might be a violation of civil rights laws. The area known as “Cancer Alley” is... Read More

WASHINGTON — Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Clean Water Act.  In observance of that milestone, President Joe Biden on Monday signed a proclamation celebrating how it revolutionized “America's responsibility to protect and restore the vital... Read More

MONTREAL — Rio Tinto is partnering with the Canadian government to invest up to $537 million over the next eight years to decarbonize its operations in Sorel-Tracy, Québec, and to position the business as a center of excellence for critical... Read More

PARIS — French energy multinational TotalEnergies and Belgium-based building materials manufacturer Holcim are collaborating on the full decarbonization of a cement production facility in Obourg, Belgium. The project will see the two companies assess a wide array of solutions and... Read More

TRENTON, N.J. — Lawmakers in the state of New Jersey on Wednesday unveiled a new initiative aimed at helping the Trenton Water Works produce safe drinking water that meets all requirements of the state’s Safe Drinking Water Act. The new... Read More

WASHINGTON — A total of $4.9 billion in funding is available to bolster the activity in the carbon management industry and ultimately help significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power generation and industrial operations.  The funding, which is being made... Read More

WASHINGTON — Vanessa Nakate, 25-year-old Ugandan climate activist and recently appointed UNICEF goodwill ambassador, visited Washington last week to meet with staff at the World Bank charged with leading international climate finance. She also spoke to the National Press Club... Read More

WASHINGTON — After Hurricane Ian ravaged Florida with Category 4 winds, a House committee met Thursday to discuss how the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act might help combat climate change. Climatologists predict fierce hurricanes like Ian will become a feature... Read More

WASHINGTON — Businesses aren’t alone in their efforts to offset carbon emissions; individuals also have the chance to balance their impact on the environment. And a growing crop of subscription services has popped up giving anyone the chance to contribute... Read More

PASADENA, Calif. — When a government, business or individual purchases a carbon offset, often a tree is planted — but trees aren’t all the same, and each type absorbs more carbon at different stages of growth. So, who tracks exactly... Read More

LOS BANOS, Calif.— “We like to say that we grow water. We harvest the water that naturally occurs in plants,” Terry Paule, co-founder and chief executive officer of Botanical Water Technologies shared during a rare look inside BWT’s globally patented,... Read More

BOSTON — It is no secret that one of the main features of a changing climate is a dramatic reordering of the global water cycle. Droughts are becoming more plentiful in places once lush with greenery and epic rain events,... Read More

WASHINGTON — It was smoke and more smoke that consumed a Senate hearing Wednesday on how to prepare for wildfires and whether to grant limited exceptions to the Clean Air Act. The four bills discussed at the Senate Environment and... Read More

TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks have issued several public health advisories in recent days due to the increased prevalence of blue-green algae in the state’s lakes.  State... Read More

CASTAIC, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters battling a Southern California wildfire were pulled back at times to find rest and shade on Thursday, a day after seven were sent to the hospital in the midst of a grueling heat wave. Progress... Read More

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi’s capital, the largest city in the state, does not have enough water pressure left to meet the critical needs of its 180,000 residents after the city’s long-failing, main water treatment facility finally gave up the ghost... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on Monday announced it is closing three popular shellfishing areas on the north shore of Long Island to protect public health over the upcoming Labor Day holiday. The areas... Read More

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s attorney general filed a lawsuit last week to roll back President Joe Biden’s order that restores land and protections for two national monuments in the state. Former President Donald Trump slashed 2 million acres from... Read More

Zombie ice from the massive Greenland ice sheet will eventually raise global sea level by at least 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) on its own, according to a study released Monday. Zombie or doomed ice is ice that is still attached... Read More

LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Denise Vaccaro bought her home on the Jersey Shore over 20 years ago, charmed by the little beach at the end of a sandy spit on Barnegat Bay where she could sit and read while... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is designating some toxic industrial compounds used in cookware, carpets and firefighting foams as hazardous substances under the so-called Superfund law. The designation means that releases of long-lasting chemicals known as PFOA and PFOS that meet or... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Wind Energy Technologies Office of the U.S. Department of Energy is seeking information that could lead to future funding for better technologies to keep bats from flying into wind energy turbines. The potential impacts on bats are... Read More

WASHINGTON — Environmentalists are pressing their case that natural gas is not clean energy with a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., and a petition to the Biden administration. In one example, Washington Gas Light Co. is defending itself against a first-of-its-kind... Read More