Safeguarding Public Health and the Environment

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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more news

Obama Administration Proposes Vehicle Emissions/Fuel Economy Program

Sep 15, 2009 by Matthew Madia

Following through on a pledge made by President Obama in May, the administration proposed new standards today that would cap carbon dioxide emissions from cars and light trucks in an attempt to stem society’s contribution to global warming.

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EPA Discloses Toxic Coal Ash Sites

Sep 1, 2009 by Brian Turnbaugh*

In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from several environmental groups, the EPA released a list of 584 coal ash dump sites around the country. Coal ash is the toxic leftover waste from coal-fired power plants. The list identifies wet coal ash dumps, which are more dangerous than dry landfills because they are more vulnerable to leaks, overflows, and failures. The information is central to protecting public health and the environment. Last December, a dike failed at a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal ash dump. The spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, TN sent more than 1 billion gallons of toxic sludge flowing into the nearby community and the Emory River.

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EPA Finds Secret Fracking Chemicals in Drinking Water

Aug 31, 2009 by Brian Turnbaugh*

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has discovered numerous pollutants in well water near gas drilling sites, including chemicals that are used in a controversial technique called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The investigation in central Wyoming is the first water testing by EPA examining the impacts of gas drilling on drinking water. However, EPA is hobbled in its duty to protect the public because gas drillers are allowed to keep secret the chemicals they pump into the ground – toxic chemicals that may be entering ground water supplies.

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Vehicle Emissions Rule Sent to White House for Review

Aug 27, 2009 by Matthew Madia

In May, President Obama announced that his administration would set new, nationwide standards for vehicle fuel efficiency in order to reduce tailpipes’ contribution to global warming. The administration said it would use a plan developed by the state of California as a model.

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EPA Ignoring Problem of Herbicide in Drinking Water -- Report

Aug 25, 2009 by Brian Turnbaugh*

A recent report criticizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for poor monitoring of drinking water for spikes in the level of atrazine, a dangerous herbicide. The analysis also finds widespread atrazine contamination of watersheds and drinking water in the Midwest and Southern United States. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published the report and called on EPA to improve watershed monitoring and testing of drinking water, and to create a website for the public to access the data. NRDC also calls for phasing out the use of atrazine.

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EPA Releases Toxics Data Early

Aug 19, 2009 by Brian Turnbaugh*

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the most recent Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data several months earlier than usual. The early release of 2008 data represents a concrete action taken by the new EPA leadership to improve transparency following numerous pronouncements calling for such actions. The TRI database tracks releases and transfers of more than 650 toxic chemicals by facilities nationwide.

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Obama Administration Joins Roadless Rule Battle

In an Aug. 13 filing, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reserved its right to appeal a district court ruling and support the 2001 roadless rule that protects millions of acres of forest land. If the district court ruling striking down the rule is allowed to stand, it would conflict with a recent appeals court decision upholding the roadless rule. The administration's support for the roadless rule could bring years of conflict over the rule's status to an end.

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CDC Attempts to Track Health and Pollution Connections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched a website to allow the public to track environmental and public health information. The new National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network is intended to be a dynamic Web-based tool for tracking and reporting environmental hazards and the health problems that may be related to them. The tracking network offers information on several environmental hazards and health conditions, such as asthma, cancer, and certain air and water contaminants.

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Judge Lets Mountaintop Mining Rule Stand, Cites Rulemaking Flaws

Aug 13, 2009 by Matthew Madia

A federal judge will not allow the Obama administration to dispense with a Bush-era regulation that eased environmental restrictions on mountaintop mining operations.

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. declined to grant the Interior Department’s request to reject the rule and send it back to the agency.

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EPA Seeks Public Input on Clean Water Plan through Online Forum

Aug 7, 2009 by Brian Turnbaugh*

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking the first step in implementing Administrator Lisa Jackson's call for greater transparency and improved enforcement of EPA's clean water programs. To gather ideas for its nascent Clean Water Enforcement Action Plan, the agency is accepting comments from the public through a new online forum on EPA's blog.

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