Environment
Cleaning up world’s largest radioactive mess
“A USA Today investigation reveals that seven decades after scientists came to the US during World War II to create plutonium for the first atomic bomb, a new generation is struggling with an even more daunting task: cleaning up the radioactive mess. Several senior engineers cited design problems that could bring the treatment plant’s operations…
Read MoreRisks and benefits vary for citizens along Keystone XL route
“If the Keystone XL oil pipeline were approved today, residents in the six states along its route would not receive equal treatment from TransCanada, the company that wants to build the project.“ “In Kansas, for example, lawmakers gave TransCanada a 10-year tax exemption, which means the state won’t receive any property tax revenue from the…
Read MoreBusinesses benefit from Florida environmental fund
An elderly couple was forced to move from their home after petroleum from an old gas station leaked into the ground and contaminated their well water. The couple was unaware of the Inland Protection Trust Fund, which was created by the state of Florida in 1986 “to respond to leaking petroleum storage tanks … which…
Read MorePipeline stretching 100’s of miles has little oversight
“In Pennsylvania’s shale fields, where the giant Marcellus strike has unleashed a furious surge of development, many natural gas pipelines today get less safety regulation than in any other state in America, a Philidelphia Inquirer review shows. Hundreds of miles of high-pressure pipelines already have been installed in the shale fields with no government safety…
Read MoreEPA releases secret ‘watch list’ that includes chronic polluters
Two decades ago, Democrats and Republicans together sought to protect Americans from nearly 200 dangerous chemicals in the air they breathe. That goal remains unfulfilled. Today, hundreds of communities are still exposed to the pollutants, which can cause cancer, birth defects and other health issues. An ongoing investigation by the Center for Public Integrity, with…
Read MoreEPA adds seven Florida air polluters to Watch List
“The Pinellas County Resource Recovery Facility is one of the nation’s largest waste-to-energy trash incinerators. The plant’s boilers consume 3,000 tons of garbage every day, creating saleable energy that allows the county facility to turn a $20 million annual profit.” However, in an investigation done by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, partnered with the…
Read More4 million cubic yards of radioactive waste in CO town’s backyard
“Cotter Corp.’s uranium mill near Cañon City, CO has the state’s backing to permanently dispose of radioactive waste in its tailings ponds, despite state and independent reports over a 30-year period showing the ponds’ liners leak.” However, the Denver Post reports that in “a 2004 internal state health department memo, it went so far as…
Read MoreCA fires won’t deter 150-home development, despite high-risk area
“Following the deadly Esperanza wildfire in Southern California in October 2006, in which five U.S. Forest Service firefighters were killed, a task force recommended tougher zoning and code enforcement to limit development in the mountain forests considered high fire hazard zones. Yet within a year of those recommendations, Riverside County supervisors gave the go-ahead to…
Read MoreSubsidiary of Koch Industries has direct interest in Keystone XL
“In recent months Koch Industries Inc., the business conglomerate run by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, has repeatedly told a U.S. Congressional committee and the news media that the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline has “nothing to do with any of our businesses.” But Inside Climate News reports that the company has told…
Read MoreTexas’ top politicians hiding just how much radiation is in the water
In a one-hour comprehensive special, KHOU-TV revealed how Texas and U.S. authorities often allow the public to drink water with more radioactive contamination than is allowed by federal law. “A Matter of Risk” also uncovered a report by state-scientists that nearly a quarter of a million Texans drink water that give them a 1 in…
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