Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Fracking and Water: It’s about more than Contamination

Jun 15, 2015 by Amanda Starbuck

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent study on the connection between fracking and water contamination made headlines earlier this month, with environmental groups seeing it as proof that fracking threatens drinking water and industry using it to argue that fracking is safe.

read in full

Long-awaited EPA Study Shows How Fracking Contaminates Drinking Water

Jun 5, 2015 by Amanda Starbuck

UPDATE (June 24, 2015): Last week, the University of Texas at Arlington released a study finding widespread contamination of drinking water from fracking. The study examined 550 drinking water wells located near fracking operations on the Barnett shale in northern Texas.

read in full

Final Clean Water Rule Will Protect Millions of Americans, Keep Our Water Clean

Jun 1, 2015 by Ronald White

Growing up next to the Hudson River in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s, it was clear to me even as a child that the smelly, dirty brown water containing floating debris and animal carcasses was in dire need of clean up. The Clean Water Act, passed by Congress in 1972, has resulted in significant improvements in the health of our nation’s rivers, lakes, and streams. The Hudson River is substantially cleaner now and is included as part of the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim.

read in full

The Public Wants EPA – Not Congress – to Protect Our Drinking Water

May 21, 2015 by Amanda Starbuck

UPDATE (May 28, 2015): Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the Clean Water Rule, closing loopholes that historically allowed polluters to dump waste into the streams and wetlands that feed our drinking water supply. One in three Americans’ drinking water comes from these sources, and so EPA’s rule is a win for public and environmental health. Among other provisions, the rule grants protection under the Clean Water Act to streams, wetlands, and rain-dependent waters that connect to navigable waters. 

***

read in full

Once Again, Oil Industry Puts Profits Before People in Fight for Stronger Ozone Standards

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2015—The oil industry has launched a misleading advertising campaign against stronger air quality standards. Touting the success of clean air standards that they consistently opposed, the American Petroleum Institute ads ignore the fact that new scientific research shows that today’s weak standards are not strict enough to protect the health of young children, the elderly, and those with asthma or respiratory problems. In fact, over 206 million Americans in 46 states now breathe air that scientists say is harmful to human health.

read in full

Boosting Energy Efficiency Can Combat Climate Change and Protect Our Health

May 15, 2015 by Ellie Joo

Cutting carbon emissions from U.S. power plants will help combat climate change, but it can also substantially reduce illnesses and deaths from other types of air pollution. Scientists from Syracuse, Harvard, and Boston universities compared the health impacts of three alternative policies related to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed carbon standards for existing power plants, and they found that increasing energy efficiency would be one of the most effective ways to cut power plant emissions and protect our health.

read in full

We Can Prevent Health Problems from Air Pollution by Strengthening Standards and Stopping Budget Cuts

May 13, 2015 by Ronald White

"My asthma is highly reactive to ozone. On days like this I can hardly walk across the room. My quality of life is trashed by ozone." This is just one of hundreds of personal stories about the devastating health impacts of air pollution that are posted on the American Lung Association’s State of the Air website.  

read in full

Tougher Ozone Pollution Standard, More Public Resources Needed to Help Americans Breathe Easier

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2015—Dirty air is unhealthy for everyone, but one type of air pollution – ozone – is especially dangerous to children, the elderly, those with diseases like asthma and heart conditions, and people living in poverty. In conjunction with Asthma Awareness Month, a new report and interactive map from the Center for Effective Government show how a tougher ozone standard and more public resources would create cleaner air for more than 206 million people in 46 states across the country.

read in full

Oregon Officials Want to Ban Toxins from Children’s Products. A Federal Bill Could Stop Them.

Mar 17, 2015 by Amanda Starbuck

Leaded gasoline. Lead-based paint chips. Bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles. These are a few things parents no longer have to worry about, thanks to government standards and safeguards. But we still have a long way to go in protecting our children from hazardous chemicals. Manufacturers can still use toxins in children’s products – without disclosing them to consumers.

read in full

EPA Delays Rule to Limit Carbon Emissions from New Power Plants

Jan 8, 2015 by Katie Weatherford

UPDATE (1/8/2015): The White House has announced that EPA will not meet today’s deadline for issuing a final rule to limit carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants. Instead, the agency will not finalize the rule until mid-summer, skirting a statutory deadline that requires EPA to finalize the rule within one year of its proposal. On a press call Jan.

read in full

Pages

  • ©2025 Project On Government Oversight
  • All Rights Reserved.
  • This an archive site of the materials produced by the Center for Effective Government (formerly OMB Watch) and is maintained by the Project On Government Oversight.