"Plastic Crisis Needs Binding Treaty, Report Says"
"Pollution from plastics is a global emergency in need of a robust UN treaty, according to a report."
Source: BBC News, 01/18/2022
Waste
In Orlando, A Mountain Of Coal Ash Evades EPA Rules. One of Many.
"Tucked among scattered pine and cypress trees near Orlando, Florida, a 175-foot-tall mountain of coal ash looms as a stark representation of this booming region's reliance on fossil fuels."
Source: NPR, 01/13/2022
"Jackpile Mine Toxic Legacy Continues At Laguna Pueblo"
"In the village of Paguate as June Lorenzo’s grandmother knew it growing up, orchards and fields of wheat and corn carpeted nearby hillsides. Streams traversed a verdant valley where people hunted and grazed sheep near the small farming community in Laguna Pueblo. This was before a massive mine cratered the nearby land and altered the skyline. Lorenzo has looked for old photos of that landscape, but they’re hard to find. That place exists now only in stories from elders."
Source: Indian Country Today, 01/04/2022
"Walmart Faces California Suit Alleging Huge Dumps of Toxic Waste"
"Walmart Inc. was sued by California for allegedly dumping hazardous waste including toxic cleaning supplies, pesticides and batteries in local landfills."
Source: Bloomberg Environment, 12/21/2021
After Decades, Some Of Most Toxic U.S. Sites Will Finally Get Cleaned Up
"New funding and the revival of a long-lapsed tax on chemical makers in the bipartisan infrastructure law mean cities like Newark will get money to restore toxic Superfund sites".
Source: Washington Post, 12/20/2021
High Rates Of Methane Spewing From Permian Oilfield Operations: Report
"Methane continues to escape at a high rate from oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin, according to an aerial survey released Tuesday that detected major methane plumes from 40% of 900 sites that were measured. The latest research conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund via helicopter during the first two weeks of November found that 14% of those plumes were the result of malfunctioning flares."
Source: Reuters, 12/15/2021
"Brownfields Sites Poised for Big Funding Amid Equity Concerns"
"Plans to use billions of infrastructure dollars to clean up and redevelop long-neglected brownsfield waste sites may cause unintended harm to low-income neighborhoods, advocates warned a House panel Wednesday."
Source: Bloomberg Environment, 12/10/2021
‘Polluter Pays’ Tax Could Jump-Start Languishing Superfund Cleanups
"Toxic Superfund sites vulnerable to flooding, hurricanes and wildfires driven by climate change should be prioritized for cleanup with funds from a tax on polluting industries reinstated in the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan approved by Congress last month, two environmental watchdog organizations urge in a new report."
Source: Inside Climate News, 12/10/2021
New Reporting Network Aims To Make Connections in the Mississippi Basin
The Mississippi River and its tributaries drain more than 40% of the continent, but most coverage of environmental stories within the Mississippi Basin is localized and siloed. The recently launched Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk hopes to help news outlets provide region-wide reporting that contextualizes issues like climate change-driven flooding and the Gulf of Mexico dead zone.
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When Reporting on Toxic Hotspots, Go Deeper With Cancer Registries
As awareness grows about how pollution can cause certain cancers, it’s smart to look beyond cancer risk and also explore available information about actual cancer cases. Reporter’s Toolbox explains how extensive data collected regularly in state-level cancer “registries” can take your coverage on the pollution-public health connection to another level. Plus, avoiding pitfalls in reporting possible clusters.
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