In the news
E-85 Mileage Loophole for Carmakers: Car companies promoting E-85 as an alternative to gasoline are getting credit from the government for nearly double the gas mileage their vehicles actually achieve...
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California's rocket fuel standard four times tougher than feds'
California has proposed an enforceable limit of 6 parts per billion for perchlorate (rocket fuel) in drinking water--four times more stringent than the EPA's waste-site cleanup standard of 24 parts...
Obama Would Cut Subsidies to Wealthy Farms
The Obama administration's proposed 2012 federal budget released today targets several wasteful agriculture programs, including cutting $4.25 billion over 10 years from subsidies to large farm...
EPA Approves Wider Use of Destructive Corn Ethanol
Here's who lost out today (Jan. 21) when the Environmental Protection Agency decided to allow the use of fuel containing up to 15 percent ethanol (E15) in any gas-powered car or truck built since 2001...
Defining a True Safety Net for Struggling Farmers
With Congress in recess, talks on reshaping the federal Farm Bill, due for action in 2012, have been set aside while nervous lawmakers focus on the November elections.
Oil and Gas Sites Costing Colo. Communities
Construction on 9,500 new oil and gas wells in western Colorado is creating erosion and runoff that's clogging towns' irrigation systems and raising cleanup costs.
Pollution Decreasing Male Births?
Environmental Health Perspectives examines the possible connection between a startlingly low male birth rate and industrial pollution among a population of Native Americans in Ontario living right...
Can Synthetic Food Additives Be Organic?
Yes, if major food processors have their way in the Senate. According to Beyond Pesticides and the Organic Consumers Association, if the food processors get their amendment through the Senate this...
Lead in Lunchboxes
An Oakland group found lead in 27 soft vinyl lunchboxes in a recent study, a quarter of the products tested. The lead was on the surface of the plastic, where it could easily leach onto children's...
What Revolving Door? Industry and Government Share an Office in Utah
Here is a news story you may need to read twice. It's about people on energy company payrolls, consultants whose livelihoods depend on plundering our natural treasures, and who are now charged with...
Utah Denies Request to Test Fish for Mercury
Two Utah state agencies have denied a request for an independent testing program of mercury levels in fish in the Great Salt Lake Basin. In February the U.S. Geological Survey announced that the lake...
Fight Back Against Dirty Energy’s PR Machine
The energy industry spends millions of dollars on lobbying and public relations to fend off pressure for necessary changes to their core businesses. The way to fight back is for local groups...
New “Chemical Safety” Bill Would Put People at Greater Risk
There's a growing consensus – except in the chemical industry and among its lobbyists and allies in Congress – that when it comes to protecting people and the environment from dangerous chemicals, the...
12 Chemical Facilities Putting the Most Americans at Risk
There are more than 12,000 chemical plants that put Americans at risk with large amounts of chemicals, and 89 of those endanger more than 1 million people. Unfortunately, those most at risk in the...
Robin Hood in Reverse
The House of Representatives will debate this week whether to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $40 billion over the next 10 years – and eliminate food assistance for roughly...
Research
Public Energy Enemy No. 1
Duke Energy is the largest investor-owned electric utility in the U.S., serving 7.7 million customers in North and South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. But a deep dive into Duke's actions, portfolio and regulatory filings reveals another distinction: Considering its size, environmental record, puny investments in solar and wind power, and schemes to penalize customers who want to
It’s Only Fair: Protecting the Land in Return for Subsidies
The pending Senate version of the farm bill includes a provision to relink conservation compliance with crop insurance subsidies. Chairman Lucas's competing House version does not.
Research
California Drinking Water
The array of toxic pollutants in California drinking water could in combination cause more than 15,000 excess cases of cancer, according to a peer-reviewed study by scientists at Environmental Working Group – the first such study to assess the cumulative risk from carcinogenic drinking water contaminants.
Guest Blog: Toxic chemical reform must help, not hinder states and victims’ rights
In the United States, the framework for safeguarding people and the environment against the dangers of toxic chemicals comprises three mutually reinforcing legal systems: federal regulation, state and...
Chemical Agriculture on the Attack, Again
Keeping politicians on message can sometimes be difficult. That also holds true of corporate chiefs and movie stars. Even the most seasoned, media-savvy folks veer off their talking points on occasion...
Research
Iowa’s Private Wells Contaminated by Nitrate and Bacteria
Des Moines Water Works has struggled for years to provide safe drinking water to its customers, battling nitrate contamination from upstream farms. But contamination from agricultural practices may be even worse for the estimated 230,000 to 290,000 Iowans whose drinking water comes from private wells, an investigation by Environmental Working Group and Iowa Environmental Council finds.
It’s Time for a Mandatory National Registry of Fracking Chemicals
If oil and gas companies were injecting potentially toxic fluids into the ground near your home or your children's schoolyard, wouldn't you want to know about it?
Is Organic Really Better?
A new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that organic crops have higher concentrations of antioxidants, lower levels of cadmium and nitrates and fewer pesticide residues than...
Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Spew Methane, Study Finds
If you think the risks associated with fracking for oil and gas disappear once a well stops producing and goes out of commission, think again. And that goes for conventional drilling technologies, too...
