U.S. Environmental Protection Agency News

Group Suing Chemical Giant Dow over Pesticide Used in California

Chemical manufacturing giant Dow fails to warn people in farming communities throughout California when a potentially dangerous pesticide is applied to nearby fields, health advocates claimed in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. Telone is among the most commonly used pesticides in …

Feds Investigate Illinois Firm Fined for Exposing Staff to Asbestos

U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration proceedings against an Illinois construction company fined for allegedly importing Mexican workers to remove asbestos are on hold as federal officials look into possible criminal activity by the company. OSHA last year fined Joseph …

8 Suits Filed over Crude Oil Spill along Louisiana’s Bayou Teche

Eight lawsuits have been filed by people seeking damages from a Texas industrial services company that spilled about 12,500 gallons of crude oil in March along and into the Bayou Teche in Louisiana. The Advocate reports the suits against Houston-based …

Massachusetts Firm to Pay EPA $199K Over Hazardous Waste Claims

A Massachusetts company that manufactures materials used in laboratory analysis has agreed to pay $199,500 to settle claims by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it violated state and federal hazardous waste laws. Waters Technologies Corp., based in Taunton, …

EPA Nails Tesoro’s Washington Oil Refinery for Safety Violations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined the Tesoro oil refinery in Anacortes, Wash. nearly $720,000 for alleged safety violations. The EPA said last week it filed a complaint seeking penalties for violations found during two facility inspections in 2011. …

American Lung Association Says California Has Nation’s Dirtiest Air

Millions of Californians live in places with dirty air, according to an annual report card issued this week that ranks two major urban areas in the state as the nation’s most polluted. Bakersfield tops the list for having the most …

Idaho Ski Park Developer Settles with EPA over Asbestos Violation

A Boise, Idao ski and snowboard park developer has agreed to pay the federal government $10,000 to settle a claim that it violated asbestos removal regulations. The Idaho Statesman reported that Gateway Parks LLC was accused of not giving the …

Report: State of Michigan ‘Fundamentally Accountable’ for Flint Water Crisis

The state of Michigan is “fundamentally accountable” for Flint’s lead-contaminated water crisis because of decisions made by its environmental regulators and state-appointed emergency managers who controlled the city, an investigatory task force concluded on March 23. The panel, appointed by …

Cleanup Plan Finally Approved For Contaminated Montana Town

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted final approval this week to a costly cleanup program for a Montana community where health officials say hundreds of people have been killed by asbestos poisoning. The agency’s action comes more than 15 years …

Some Asbestos Left Behind in Montana Town Amid Move to End Cleanup

Federal officials say their final analysis of a Montana community wracked by deadly asbestos contamination shows a costly and much-criticized cleanup is working – even though about 700 properties have yet to be investigated. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has …