Latest Pollution News
Wood pellets production boomed to feed EU demand. It's come at a cost for Black people in the South
GLOSTER, Miss. (AP) — This southern Mississippi town's expansive wood pellet plant was so close to Shelia Mae Dobbins' home that she sometimes heard company loudspeakers. She says industrial residues coated her truck and she no longer enjoys spending time in the air outdoors. ...
Monsanto agrees to $160 million settlement with Seattle over pollution in the Duwamish River
SEATTLE (AP) — Ending an eight-year legal battle, chemical giant Monsanto has agreed to a $160-million settlement with Seattle for its part in polluting a river that runs through the heart of the city with toxins that posed a threat to humans, fish and wildlife, the city attorney's office said...
Billion-dollar Mitsubishi chemical plant economically questionable, energy group says
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A $1.3 billion chemical production facility to be built in Louisiana by Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi is economically questionable and unnecessarily increases greenhouse gas emissions, according to an energy think tank report released Monday. The proposed...
EPA awards $4.3 billion to fund projects in 30 states to reduce climate pollution
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $4.3 billion in grants to fund projects in 30 states to reduce climate pollution. The money will go to 25 projects targeting greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, electric power, commercial and residential buildings,...
US appeals court allows EPA rule on coal-fired power plants to remain in place amid legal challenges
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a victory for President Joe Biden's administration, a federal appeals court on Friday ruled that a new federal regulation aimed at limiting planet-warming pollution from coal-fired power plants can remain in force as legal challenges continue. Industry groups...
New Jersey environmental justice law won't block power plant hotly fought by Newark residents
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — For nearly four years, residents of Newark's Ironbound section, a gritty, industrial neighborhood near an airport and surrounded by train tracks and many smelly sources of air pollution, had hoped an environmental justice law aimed at protecting communities like theirs would...
World's first hydrogen-powered commercial ferry to run on San Francisco Bay, and it's free to ride
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial passenger ferry will start operating on San Francisco Bay as part of plans to phase out diesel-powered vessels and reduce planet-warming carbon emissions, California officials said Friday, demonstrating the ship. ...
Marathon Oil reaches $241 million settlement with EPA for environmental violations in North Dakota
The federal government announced a $241.5 million settlement with Marathon Oil on Thursday for alleged air quality violations at the company's oil and gas operations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice...
Demand for rare elements used in clean energy could help clean up abandoned coal mines in Appalachia
MOUNT STORM, W.Va. (AP) — Down a long gravel road, tucked into the hills in West Virginia, is a low-slung building where researchers are extracting essential elements from an old coal mine that they hope will strengthen the nation's energy future. They aren't mining the coal that...
House backs bills to roll back energy efficiency standards for refrigerators, dishwashers
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Tuesday approved two bills rolling back Energy Department efficiency standards on refrigerators and dishwashers. Republicans called the Biden administration rules expensive and impractical, while Democrats defended them as a way for consumers...