EPA News

Civil Rights Law Targets Louisiana ‘Cancer Alley’ Discrimination

Sprawling industrial complexes line the drive east along the Mississippi River to the majority-Black town of Reserve, Louisiana. In the last seven miles the road passes a massive, rust-colored aluminum-oxide refinery, then the Evonik chemical plant, then rows of white …

Jury Awards Illinois Woman $363 Million in Suit Over Plant’s Toxic Gas

A jury has awarded $363 million to a woman who alleged that a now-shuttered suburban Chicago plant that sterilized medical equipment exposed residents to a toxic industrial gas and gave her breast cancer. After a five-week trial, the Cook County …

BP Reaches $2.75 Million Settlement Over Indiana Refinery Pollution

Oil titan BP reached a $2.75 million settlement over air pollution from its largest refinery after environmentalists complained of repeated emissions violations at the Whiting facility in Indiana. The agreement is the second in the past year between advocacy groups …

EPA Denies Request to Exempt 2 Gulf Coast Plants From Air Pollution Rule

The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday denied a request by Cheniere Energy, a leading U.S. producer of liquefied natural gas, to exempt two Gulf Coast plants from a federal air pollution rule. An EPA spokesman says the agency on Tuesday …

Indiana Metalworking Lubricants Company to Pay $310,000 over Clean Air Act Violations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Indiana Department of Environmental Management announced a settlement on August 5 with Metalworking Lubricants Co. for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its used oil processing facility in Indianapolis. Under the terms …

Explainer: Will U.S. Supreme Court EPA Ruling Rein in Federal Regulators?

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to restrict greenhouse gas emissions from power plants in a 6-3 ruling that some legal experts said would more broadly curb the federal government’s regulatory power. Below is …

‘Forever Chemicals’ Pose Risk Even at Very Low Levels: EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency is warning that two nonstick and stain-resistant compounds found in drinking water are more dangerous than previously thought – and pose health risks even at levels so low they cannot currently be detected. The two compounds, …

Texas-Based Petrochemical Company to Cut Air Pollution

Three subsidiaries of a Texas-based petrochemical company settled allegations that they violated federal and state pollution control laws. The U.S. Department of Justice, in a news release, said Westlake Chemical Corporation agreed to make upgrades and perform compliance measures estimated …

EPA Power to Curb Carbon Emissions Questioned by Supreme Court

Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared skeptical of the federal government’s authority to issue sweeping regulations to reduce carbon emissions from power plants in a case that could undermine President Joe Biden’s plans to tackle climate change. The …

Louisiana Reaches $3.3 Million Settlement With Firestone Over Alleged Clean Air Act Violations

The United States, together with the State of Louisiana, announced that U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana has approved the consent decree resolving alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and several other federal and state environmental …