"BP Spill Left Big Oily 'Bathtub Ring' on Seafloor"
"The BP oil spill left an oily "bathub ring" on the sea floor that's about the size of Rhode Island, new research shows."
Source: AP, 10/28/2014
Pollution
Last U.S. Coal-Fired Ship Finally Stops Dumping Ash Into Lake Michigan
"The 2014 season for Lake Michigan's only coal-powered passenger and car ferry comes to a close Sunday, signaling the end of the controversial practice of dumping coal ash into the Great Lake. When the vessel resumes operations in 2015, it will no longer release the waste material into those waters."
Source: Huffington Post, 10/27/2014
"Appeals Court Clears Way for Start Of EPA's Cross-State Rule"
"Federal appellate judges greenlighted yesterday U.S. EPA's implementation of a program to curb air pollution that drifts between states."
Source: Greenwire, 10/27/2014
"DEP Revokes Water Lab’s Certification After Guilty Plea"
"West Virginia regulators have revoked the state certification for a Raleigh County laboratory, following the guilty plea of a lab supervisor who admitted he and other employees falsified coal industry samples so mining operations would appear to be in compliance with water pollution standards."
Source: Charleston Gazette, 10/23/2014
Enviros Ask EPA To Study Drinking Water Pollution From Kewaunee Dairies
"Citing a rash of contaminated wells in Kewaunee County, a coalition of environmental groups on Wednesday petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use its emergency authority to investigate pollution of groundwater from dairy manure."
Source: Wisconsin Watch, 10/23/2014
WV Chemical Maker Wary After ‘Near-Catastrophic’ Fracking Incident
"As the Tomblin administration considers a plan to allow natural gas drilling under the Ohio River, a major chemical maker in Marshall County has been fighting a proposal for hydraulic fracturing near its plant, citing a 'near-catastrophic' gas-well incident last year that might be linked to geologic conditions beneath the river."
Source: Charleston Gazette, 10/23/2014
"Maryland Poultry Farms Fined for Reporting Lapses"
"Nearly one in five large Maryland chicken farms has been fined recently, state regulators have disclosed, because the growers failed to file information required annually outlining what they did to keep their flocks' waste from polluting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries."
Source: Baltimore Sun, 10/23/2014
Frackers Use Loophole To Avoid Permits for Dangerous Chemicals: Report
"Federal laws meant to protect drinking water require fracking companies to get a permit before using diesel fuel in the drilling process."
Source: Columbus Dispatch, 10/23/2014
Why Doesn't Congress Want You To Read These Reports?
For decades, Congress has refused to release taxpayer-funded reports by the Congressional Research Service. Fortunately, the Federation of American Scientists' Government Secrecy Project gets them and releases them. Here are some new explainers that may be of use to environmental journalists.
SEJ Publication Types:
Topics on the Beat:
Visibility:
"The Problem With America’s Abandoned Mines"
"A mine plans its death before its birth. The leftover waste from mines is so hazardous that mining companies must figure out what to do with it decades in advance, even before they start digging."
Source: Ctr for Investigative Reporting, 10/22/2014
Pages
Advertisement 
