Pollution

State of the Air Report Spotlights Persistent Pollution Problems

Happen to have any air breathers in your audience? Then the latest State of the Air Report will give you fodder to cover the persistent pollution problems that plague the skies. This week’s TipSheet has the backstory on the fight against air pollution and five smart ways to tell the story from a local-regional context.

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Trump EPA Illegally Dragging Its Feet On Limiting Methane Gas: Judge

"The Trump administration has illegally delayed rules limiting the discharge of climate-changing methane gas from landfills around the United States and must act on plans for California and several other states by September, a federal judge ruled Monday.

The EPA was to approve or disapprove the state plans by Sept. 30, 2017, and to prepare its own solution two months later for states without an approved plan.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, 05/07/2019

Interior Loosens Drilling Safety Rules Dating From Deepwater Horizon

"The Trump administration on Thursday made public its rollback of a major offshore-drilling safety regulation, significantly weakening an Obama-era rule that was put in place after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, which killed 11 people and sent 4.9 million barrels of oil gushing into the sea, causing the worst oil spill in American history."

Source: NY Times, 05/03/2019

"Louisiana House To Debate Keeping Industrial Pollution Reports Secret"

"Louisiana legislators are considering whether chemical plants and other industrial facilities should be allowed to conduct voluntary pollution audits that would remain secret and to grant legal immunity for certain violations discovered by the audits."

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 05/02/2019

High Levels of Toxic PFAS Chemicals Pollute Breast Milk Around World

"Decades after DuPont and 3M first discovered that the perfluorinated chemicals making them fortunes could be transmitted from mothers to babies, millions of women around the world are passing dangerous amounts of these toxic compounds to their children, according to a report published on Monday."

Source: The Intercept, 05/01/2019

Environmental Groups Sue U.S. Steel Over Monongahela Valley Pollution

"Two environmental organizations filed a federal lawsuit in Pittsburgh Monday alleging that U.S. Steel Corp.’s illegal operation of its three Mon Valley facilities following a Dec. 24, 2018 fire, that knocked out pollution controls at its Clairton Coke Works, damaged the health of nearby residents."

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 05/01/2019

Between the Lines: Forging a Future for a ‘Forgotten River’

Washington, D.C.’s long-neglected Anacostia River bears both tragedy and beauty. And author Krista Schlyer plumbs its depths in her most recent book, “River of Redemption.” In this Between the Lines, she speaks of her connection to the urban waterway, as well as her latest reporting on the environmental impact of the border wall.

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Track Wetlands Stories with National Inventory Tool

As a battle brews over which U.S. waters are protected, environmental journalists can use an invaluable national database to pinpoint vulnerable wetlands. This week’s TipSheet has more on the National Wetlands Inventory, the backstory on wetlands protection, why it matters, and reporting resources and story ideas.

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