Disasters

"Legionnaires’ Outbreak in Flint Was Met With Silence"

Michigan officials still say they cannot conclusively link an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease to Flint’s contaminated water supply, partly because sputum cultures were not collected from patients. But the possibility of a link was raised in internal government emails as early as October 2014, and state officials did not inform the public of the outbreak until last month.

Source: NY Times, 02/23/2016

"EPA Again Postpones Enbridge Fine for 2010 Kalamazoo River Spill"

"Negotiations between Enbridge Inc. and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have been extended again over a fine that could exceed $100 million for violations under the Clean Water Act in the pipeline operator’s 2010 Kalamazoo River disaster."

Source: InsideClimate News, 02/22/2016

Maine Law Hid Threats to Public from Oil Trains

Maine passed a law in 2015 that allowed railroads to keep oil-train routing information from the public — over the governor's veto. In the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting's Pine Tree Watchdog, Dave Sherwood reports how the provision was a bait-and-switch.

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Failure to Disclose Lead Threats in Drinking Water: Widespread Problem

Bad as it is, the Flint drinking water disaster is hardly uncommon. Even though the law requires authorities to tell the public of dangerous levels of lead in drinking water, they often don't.

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