Chemicals

Hunt For Battery Metals Threatens Sámi Reindeer Herders' Homeland

"Tuomas Siilasjoki and Minna Näkkäläjärvi say they were taken by surprise when a mobile drill rig one day appeared in the horizon. Nobody had asked them about exploring for minerals inside their siida, a reindeer foraging area, in northern Finland. The Sámi families here in Tarvantovaara wilderness area fear the world's hunger for metals to ramp up the green economy will destroy their indigenous way of life."

Source: Barents Observer, 07/13/2020

From Louisiana to Taiwan, Green Activists Stand Up To Plastics Giant

"Formosa Plastics, a Taiwanese plastics company, intends to build a complex St. James Parish, Louisiana, a region already known as "Cancer Alley." Environmental activist Anne Rolfes faces criminal charges for a protest action she took to call attention to the company's history of harm." "From Southeast Asia to the United States, activists have called attention in recent years to the harmful impact of chemical companies such as Formosa Plastics Corporation, a Taiwanese petrochemical company that operates throughout the world, including the US."

Source: PRI The World, 07/10/2020

"Michigan, EPA Announce Plan To Clean Up ‘Green Ooze’ Site"

"DETROIT — Groundwater contamination at the former Electro-Plating services facility that was determined to be the source of a green ooze leak last year will be treated by injecting chemicals into the soil and treating the contaminants in place."

Source: AP, 07/02/2020

"New Hampshire House Passes Tough Drinking Water Standards"

"The New Hampshire House passed a bill Tuesday that would put into law some of country’s toughest drinking water standards for a group of toxic chemicals and provides tens of millions of dollars to help communities in the state meet the rules."

Source: AP, 07/01/2020

Building Materials Data Can Help Construct Environmental Stories

Toxics abound in many building materials, creating indoor environmental hazards for workers and residents alike. To help report the story, Reporter’s Toolbox details a massive database of chemicals and building materials, and explains how to use it to assess their presence in buildings in your community. Plus, story ideas to get you started.

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Small-Market Reporter Unmasks Race Gap in Pollution Response

When two towns — one an affluent suburb and the other a poor rural community — faced similar air pollution crises, lopsided government action made clear there was an underlying race and class divide. Reporter Sharon Lerner shares the story behind her award-winning reporting that tells the “Tale of Two Toxic Cities,” in our latest Inside Story Q&A.

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Environmental Justice: "St. James Parish Takes on Big Plastic"

"Beneath a searing Louisiana sun, a crowd gathers on a former sugar cane plantation to commemorate Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. Rows of unmarked graves stand nearby—believed to be the resting place of those who’d been enslaved on the plantation. A few people, clad in face masks, hold up a banner: Honoring Our Ancestors. Another sign, staked into the grass, is aimed not at the past, but at the future: FORMOSA: YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE."

Source: Hakai, 06/29/2020

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