Latest Pollution Headlines
All the headlines from our Pollution Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Farm Bill Keeps Lawmakers’ Own Crop Insurance Payouts Secret
Feb 4 2014 // Crop insurers successfully lobbied to keep several proposals out of the farm bill set to pass the U.S. Congress today — such as a requirement that would have forced farmer-lawmakers to disclose benefits they...
Freedom Industries: West Virginia Chemical Spill Bigger Than First Estimate
Jan 30 2014 // The company behind a chemical spill that contaminated the water supply of 300,000 people now estimates some 10,000 gallons of chemicals leaked, up from an earlier figure of 7,500 gallons, state regulators said Monday. West...
West Virginia Seeks Federal Funds for Chemical Spill Assessment
Jan 28 2014 // West Virginia is seeking a $350,000 federal grant to assess the damage of a chemical spill that polluted the water supply for 300,000 people. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said the money would help with monitoring, testing and...
Fishermen Group Suing NYC Over Sewage Spill During Sandy
Jan 27 2014 // A group of fishermen are suing New York City over shellfish bed pollution they believe was caused by massive releases of raw sewage during Superstorm Sandy. The Baymen’s Protective Association represents about 76...
The World’s Biggest Risks
Jan 27 2014 // The chronic gap between the incomes of the richest and poorest citizens is seen as the risk that is most likely to cause serious damage globally in the coming decade. That’s according to more than 700 global experts...
California Offshore Fracking Reports Sought by EPA
Jan 27 2014 // Federal environmental regulators will start requiring oil and gas operations off the Southern California coast to report chemicals discharged into the ocean from fracking. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in...
West Virginia Chemical Spill Firm Says It Has Insurance
Jan 23 2014 // The embattled company behind West Virginia’s chemical spill has reached a bankruptcy court deal for up to $4 million in credit from a lender to help continue operations, an attorney said. The arrangement will allow...
West Virginia Politicians Call for State, Federal Regulation of Chemicals
Jan 22 2014 // West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin this week proposed tighter regulations for chemical storage facilities after a spill contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people. Tomblin, the Democratic...
Poll: Utahns Back Tougher Air Pollution Standards, No-Drive Days
Jan 21 2014 // According to a statewide poll, Utahns favor stricter air pollution standards on industry by a 3-to-1 margin. The survey, commissioned by The Salt Lake Tribune, found 67 percent of those surveyed supported the stricter...
South Carolina Neighbors Sue Plant, Claim Pollution Caused Cancer
Jan 21 2014 // A Spartanburg, South Carolina neighborhood is suing a chemical plant, saying pollution has caused dozens of cancer cases. The lawsuit filed last week in federal court accuses a Hoechst Celanese polyester manufacturing...
New Health Warning Raises Concern in West Virginia Over Chemical Spill
Jan 17 2014 // A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning to pregnant women in West Virginia has raised alarms because officials, relying on the agency’s guidance, had been assuring residents their tapwater was safe...
Worsening Wealth Gap Is World’s Biggest Risk: World Economic Forum
Jan 16 2014 // The chronic gap between the incomes of the richest and poorest citizens is seen as the risk that is most likely to cause serious damage globally in the coming decade, according to over 700 global experts contributing to...
Calls for Tougher Chemical Regulation Follow West Virginia Spill
Jan 14 2014 // A chemical spill that left 300,000 people in West Virginia unable to drink their water is reviving calls for more stringent regulation of thousands of chemical storage sites in the U.S., especially those near water...
Chemical Firm, Local Water Company Sued Over West Virginia Spill
Jan 14 2014 // 13 Jan 2014 20:12 A West Virginia chemical maker was sued along with a local water company over a spill into the Elk River in the state capital, Charleston, that left businesses and residents without tap water for...
West Virginia Chemical Cleanup Continues; Probe of Leak Underway
Jan 13 2014 // West Virginia’s Governor sees the “light at the end of the tunnel” in the chemical leak that has compromised water service for about 300,000 in the state. Residents face a fifth day without drinking water...
California Offshore Fracking Reports Sought By EPA
Jan 10 2014 // Federal environmental regulators will start requiring oil and gas operations off the Southern California coast to report chemicals discharged into the ocean from fracking. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on...
Obama Administration Considers Rules on Use of Explosive Chemicals
Jan 7 2014 // Farmers and oil drillers may be required to report their use of explosive chemicals under measures the Obama administration is considering to avoid disasters such as a Texas blast that killed 14 people last year. Policy...
Environmental Group Says $7.8 Billion Wasted by Crop Insurance Program
Jan 6 2014 // A report commissioned by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) says that the federal crop insurance program over-compensated Corn Belt farmers by $7.8 billion during the 2012 drought. Insurance payouts that year totaled...
North Dakota Train Fire Restarts Oil Transport Safety Debate
Jan 2 2014 // The derailment and fire that led to the evacuation of a North Dakota town has renewed the debate over whether it’s safer to ship oil by rail or pipeline as the U.S. completes a review of the Keystone XL...
Appeals Court Upholds Convictions in Tennessee Asbestos Case
Dec 31 2013 // A federal appeals court last week upheld the convictions of two men found guilty of violating federal environmental laws during the demolition of a Chattanooga, Tenn., textile mill that contained large amounts of...
