Articles by Jim Efstathiou Jr. and Brian K. Sullivan

2017 ‘One of Worst’ for U.S. Weather with 15 Events Costing $1 Billion or More

In the year that President Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris accord and downplayed global warming as a security threat, the U.S. received a harsh reminder of the perils of the rise in the planet’s temperature: a destructive rash …

Scientists Blame Extreme Weather, Heat on Man-Made Climate Change

Some of last year’s crazy weather — including extreme heat around the world to unusually warm waters in the Bering Sea — can be blamed on man-made climate change, according to a report from a group of weather researchers. Scientists …

Duke in Talks with U.S. on 2014 North Carolina Coal Ash Spill

Duke Energy Corp., the largest U.S. utility owner, is in settlement talks with the U.S. government over a coal ash spill in North Carolina’s Dan River. The company expects a proposed agreement could be reached in the next several days, …

Safety Agency to Probe Fracking Risks After Deaths of 4 Workers

The Obama administration is investigating the health risks of hydraulic fracturing after at least four deaths among oilfield workers since 2010 in North Dakota and Montana. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said the workers were exposed to …

North Dakota Oil Boom Brings Surge in Worker Fatalities

Oil and gas workers in North Dakota are six times more likely to die on the job than their peers in other states as inexperienced workers join the state’s oil and gas boom, according to a report by a labor …

Mining Industry Vows to Fight Obama Administration Coal Dust Rule

The Obama administration ordered a 25 percent cut in the levels of coal dust in U.S. mines to reduce deadly black lung disease, a move that drew criticism from the mining industry and the threat of a lawsuit. The rule …

States Collaborating on Rules to Address Earthquake Risks of Fracking

Several U.S. states are banding together to combat the mounting risks of earthquakes tied to the disposal of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. Regulators from Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio met for the first time this month in …

Sea-Level Rise Too Fast for Current Forecast Tools, Study Says

By the time climate change reduces crop yields or frequently floods New York City subways, it will be too late to avert damage without better forecasting tools, a panel of scientists said in a report released today. Dangerous rises in …

States Going After Employers Who Misclassify Workers as Independent Contractors

When construction slowed during the recession, some companies hired workers and wrongly designated them as independent contractors to avoid paying insurance, taxes, fair wages and overtime. Danny Odom, chief operating officer of Odom Construction Systems, Inc. in Knoxville, Tennessee, says …