Environmental News

Biden’s Climate Accord Move Welcomed by World Leaders

New U.S. President Joe Biden wasted no time on making known his intentions regarding climate change on his first day in office, saying he was signing an executive order to undo a number of the Donald Trump’s environmental policies. Biden’s …

Investors Sue Parent Company Behind Alaska Gold Mine

The company behind a proposed copper and gold mine in Alaska faces lawsuits from investors claiming it misled shareholders who have seen an 85% drop in stock value since the summer. Two lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in New …

California Sues Companies to Recover Costs for Lead Pollution Cleanup

A lawsuit has been filed against multiple companies connected to a now-closed battery recycling plant years after California regulators pledged to recover cleanup costs from those responsible for spreading lead pollution to thousands of homes in southeast Los Angeles County. …

Montana Requires $285M Cleanup Bond from Coal Company

Montana environmental regulators have forced the owners of a power plant to provide a $285 million cleanup bond, a move some local organizations hailed as a victory for conservation. But Talen Energy, the owner of the Colstrip Power Plant, filed …

Environmentalists Say U.S. Insurers Lag Behind Peers on Fossil Fuels

U.S. insurance companies lag behind their global peers by enabling the fossil fuel industry, according to a report from an environmentalist group out this week. The Insure Our Future campaign released its fourth annual scorecard on insurers’ climate policies: Insuring …

Top Investor Group Including Allianz Warns Firms to Cut Ties to Coal

Some of the world’s largest insurers and pension schemes are warning companies they invest in not to finance, insure, build, develop or plan new thermal coal plants or face sanctions, including possible divestment. The Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, whose members …

Oregon Easing Some Asbestos Rules to Speed Wildfire Cleanup

Oregon officials are relaxing some requirements for handling ash and debris containing asbestos to speed work in removing debris from homes and buildings destroyed by wildfires. The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission on Friday also authorized the temporary stockpiling of asbestos-containing …

California Ban on Fracking by 2024 Criticized as Too Late

California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved Wednesday to end issuing new hydraulic fracturing permits by 2024, a delay criticized by many environmental groups but characterized as legally and politically realistic by another. “He can suspend fracking now, but he is punting …

‘Dead Zone’ in Gulf Much Smaller This Year Following Tropical Storms

Tropical weather stirred up the Gulf of Mexico, reducing this year’s dead zone off Louisiana’s coast to the third-smallest ever measured, the scientist who has measured it since 1985 said Tuesday. Marine ecologist Nancy Rabalais said the area where there’s …

Colorado Paying $7M for Cleanup of Former Alaska Mine

A Colorado company agreed to a $7 million cleanup plan for Alaska’s only uranium mine, which has left radioactive waste in the Tongass National Forest. Newmont Corporation is expected to fill the former Ross-Adams Mine in the Prince of Wales …