Articles by Valerie Volcovici

Environmentalists Sue Over Trump Rollback of Offshore Oil Safety Regulations

A coalition of environmental groups on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Interior Department’s rollbacks of safety measures put in place by the Obama administration in the aftermath of the fatal 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The lawsuit …

West Virginia Coal Industry Data Shows Mines Releasing Excessive Pollution

Several West Virginia coal mines, including some owned by the governor’s family, have released many times the allowable amounts of pollutants into nearby waterways in recent years without being penalized by regulators, according to environmental groups citing state data. The …

Groundwater Near Most Coal Plants Polluted by Coal Ash

More than 90 percent of U.S. coal-fired power plants that are required to monitor groundwater near their coal ash dumps show unsafe levels of toxic metals, posing potential harm to drinking water, according to a study released by environmental groups. …

Groundwater Near Most Coal Plants Polluted by Coal Ash: Environmental Groups

More than 90 percent of U.S. coal-fired power plants that are required to monitor groundwater near their coal ash dumps show unsafe levels of toxic metals, according to a study released on Monday by environmental groups, which cited the potential …

Trump EPA Chief Tells Senators Climate Change ‘Not the Greatest Crisis’

U.S. President Donald Trump’s new pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency told lawmakers on Wednesday he does not believe climate change is a major crisis, and would continue to undo Obama-era emission limits if confirmed. Trump nominated EPA Acting …

Injury Rates Jump at Coal Giant Murray’s West Virginia Mines

Injury rates have more than doubled at five West Virginia coal mines acquired by Murray Energy Corp. in 2013, according to a Reuters review of federal data, as the firm sharply increased the amount of coal produced per manhour. Although …

Coal Industry Needs ‘Fundamental Shift’ to Address Black Lung Disease: Report

Coal companies need to make a “fundamental shift” in how they control exposure to coal dust in underground mines to address the recent surge in black lung disease rates, according to a federal report released Thursday. The National Academies of …

Coal Industry Tax Cut Threatens Miners’ Benefits Fund as Black Lung Cases Surge

As a young man, Barry Shrewsbury dug coal in the West Virginia mines and spent his time off hunting and fishing in the rolling hills. Now, at 62, he struggles to breathe and accomplish basic tasks such as shopping and …

EPA Wants to Rescind Obama Chemical Plant Regulations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took steps on Thursday to roll back and delay Obama-era rules aimed at improving safety at chemical plants, which had come in response to a 2013 explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas that killed …

Judge Orders Creation of Spill Response Plan for Dakota Access Pipeline

A federal has judge ordered Energy Transfer Partners LP to coordinate with local tribes and the Army Corps of Engineers to create an oil-spill response plan for the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline by next April, a decision he said will …