Tag Archives: environment

Biden Vetoes Bill That Would Gut EPA Clean Water Rules

The Associated Press reports: Defending his administration’s actions on clean water, President Joe Biden on Thursday vetoed a congressional resolution that would have overturned protections for the nation’s waterways that Republicans have criticized as overly intrusive. Republicans — and some Democrats — targeted an Environmental Protection Agency rule protecting thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, labeling it an …

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Florida Sees Rash Of Wildfires Amid “Severe Drought”

The Orlando Sentinel reports: With less than 2 inches of rain this year, Orlando is enduring its second driest stretch from Jan. 1 to April 5 since the late 1800s and also its hottest on record for that period. The city, Central Florida and much of the state’s peninsula are experiencing a widening severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought …

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EPA Proposes Limits On “Forever Chemicals” In Water

USA Today reports: The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed limiting the amount of harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water to the lowest level that tests can detect, a long-awaited protection the agency said will save thousands of lives and prevent serious illnesses, including cancer. The plan marks the first time the EPA has proposed regulating a toxic group of …

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House GOP Votes To Overturn Clean Water Protections

The Associated Press reports: The House on Thursday voted to overturn the Biden administration’s protections for thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, advancing long-held Republican arguments that the regulations are an environmental overreach and burden to business. House Republicans used the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to block recently enacted executive-branch regulations. The measure now heads to …

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Rail Firm Will Pay To Temporarily Relocate Residents

The Hill reports: Norfolk Southern will pay for temporary relocation for people who live within a mile of the site of a train derailment that spilled hazardous chemicals, amid ongoing cleanup efforts. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a Sunday update that the company will provide “additional financial assistance” that may include “ temporary lodging, travel, food, clothing, and …

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GOP Will Seek To Roll Back Environmental Protections

Politico reports: Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his team have spent weeks assembling a marquee energy package designed to unite their fractious conference and accomplish one of their biggest pledges from last year’s gas-price-obsessed midterms. The energy package — which they aim to pass the last week of March — is set to include some of the party’s most popular pitches …

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GOP Opposes “Burdensome” Rail Safety Regulations

Playbook reports: Republicans on Capitol Hill have spent two weeks torching the Biden administration for what they call a slow response to the Ohio rail disaster — but on Tuesday, some GOP lawmakers urged their colleagues not to rush out laws putting new strictures on freight rail. That means Democrats may face trouble getting a divided Congress to adopt the …

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Rail Company Ordered To Clean OH Site, Pay All Costs

NBC News reports: The Environmental Protection Agency announced a sweeping enforcement action against Norfolk Southern on Tuesday, compelling the rail company to conduct and pay for cleanup actions associated with the Feb. 3 derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio. “The Norfolk Southern train derailment has upended the lives of East Palestine families, and EPA’s order …

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Buttigieg Unveils Package Of Rail Safety Reforms

The Associated Press reports: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wants the nation’s freight railroads to immediately act to improve safety while regulators try to strengthen safety rules in the wake of a fiery derailment in Ohio that forced evacuations when toxic chemicals were released and burned. Buttigieg announced a package of reforms Tuesday — two days after he warned the railroad …

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24 Republican AGs Sue Feds Over Clean Water Rules

Reuters reports: West Virginia and 23 other Republican-led states sued the federal government on Thursday, alleging the Biden administration’s rule establishing protections for seasonal streams and wetlands under a landmark environmental law violates the U.S. Constitution and sows confusion for landowners. “This is a textbook case of federal overreach,” said Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia’s attorney general, during a press conference. …

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Study: Penises Have Gotten 24% Larger In 30 Years

Stanford Medicine’s Scope Blog reports: According to trends in male reproductive health data, sperm quality and testosterone levels have declined over the last few decades, sounding alarm bells for Michael Eisenberg, MD, a professor of urology at Stanford Medicine. It’s made him wonder: Should we be concerned about other differences in men’s reproductive health? In a study published Feb. 14 …

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Rail Officials Dodge Meeting With OH Town’s Residents

Pittsburgh’s CBS affiliate reports: The Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment and the intentional burning of some of the hazardous chemicals on board has invited affected residents to a town hall meeting Wednesday evening to discuss lingering questions. Hours before the town hall meeting, rail operator Norfolk Southern said it will not be in attendance. In a statement …

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Senate Republicans Seek To Roll Back Water Protections

Politico reports: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) is looking to permanently repeal the Biden administration’s waters of the U.S. — or WOTUS, which Republicans say is overreaching and will burden farmers and businesses. The WOTUS rule determines which waters and wetlands fall under federal protection, and is a decades-long battle in Congress, the courts and federal agencies. Capito expects a …

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Scientists: Last Eight Years Were Hottest On Record

The New York Times reports: The world remained firmly in warming’s grip last year, with extreme summer temperatures in Europe, China and elsewhere contributing to 2022 being the fifth-hottest year on record, European climate researchers said on Tuesday. The eight warmest years on record have now occurred since 2014, the scientists, from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, reported, …

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England To Ban Single-Use Plastic Cutlery And Plates

The BBC reports: Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed. It is not clear when the ban will come into effect but it follows similar moves by Scotland and Wales. Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said the move would help protect the environment for future generations. Campaigners welcomed the ban, …

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United Nations Scientists: Ozone Layer Is Recovering

The New York Times reports: The protective ozone layer in the upper atmosphere could be restored within several decades, scientists said Monday, as recent rogue emissions of ozone-depleting chemicals from China have been largely eliminated. In a United Nations-sponsored assessment, the scientists said that global emissions of CFC-11, a banned chemical that has been used as a refrigerant and in …

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Captain Of Exxon Valdez Oil Tanker Dies At Age 75

The Washington Post reports: Joseph Hazelwood, captain of the tanker Exxon Valdez when it ran aground in Alaska’s Prince William Sound in March 1989, leaking 10.8 million gallons of crude oil in a massive environmental catastrophe that ravaged maritime habitats and brought sweeping inquests into who was to blame, died on July 21. He was 75. The toll to the …

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City EPA: NYC’s Harbor Is Cleanest Since 19th Century

Brooklyn Paper reports: The group gathering in the water between piers 2 and 3 at Brooklyn Bridge Park were taking part in a .8-mile open water swim to Pebble Beach Cove organized by the group Urban Swim. The group hosts several open water swims around New York Harbor to raise awareness of water accessibility and water health in the city. …

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53% Have Personally Felt Effects Of Climate Change

Changing America reports: As record-breaking heat waves continue to grip the country, a new Economist/YouGov poll finds 53 percent of U.S. adults report personally having felt the effects of climate change. Findings were based on responses from 1,500 individuals between July 23 and 26. Of those surveyed, 23 percent said they have not felt the effects of climate change, 18 …

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Analysis Finds 2200 “High-Hazard” Dams In Poor Shape

The Associated Press reports: The dam at El Capitan Reservoir is seen Friday, April 8, 2022, in Lakeside, Calif. Constructed four generations ago, the massive rock and clay dam is capable of storing over 36 billion gallons of water — enough to supply every resident in San Diego for most of a year. Today, it’s three-quarters empty — intentionally kept …

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