"In a former Montana National Guard armory where more than 20 workers got sick, lead-laced dust bunnies the size of tangerines clogged the ventilation system. ... Hundreds of armories across the United States have been contaminated by dangerous amounts of lead dust, an 18-month investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive has found."
"U.S. EPA's contentious assertion that hydraulic fracturing hasn't caused 'widespread, systemic' problems with drinking water was added shortly after agency officials met with Obama White House officials to discuss 'messaging,' according to documents obtained by public radio reporters."
"Sea ice off Antarctica and in the Arctic is at record lows for this time of year after declining by twice the size of Alaska in a sign of rising global temperatures, climate scientists say."
"Outgoing EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy sounded a note of hope Monday in response to concerns that US environmental policy could face upheaval as control shifts from a Democratic to Republican presidency."
"Former Vice President Al Gore said Monday he had a 'productive' meeting with Donald Trump, calling it 'an extremely interesting conversation.'"
"Native American reservations cover just 2 percent of the United States, but they may contain about a fifth of the nation’s oil and gas, along with vast coal reserves. Now, a group of advisors to President-elect Donald Trump on Native American issues wants to free those resources from what they call a suffocating federal bureaucracy that holds title to 56 million acres of tribal lands, two chairmen of the coalition told Reuters in exclusive interviews."
"A Native American leader asked thousands of protesters to return home after the federal government ruled against a controversial pipeline, despite the prospect of President-elect Donald Trump reversing the decision after he takes office."
"Lawmakers reached a deal on a massive waterways bill that provides drought relief for California and emergency aid for the lead-stricken community of Flint, Mich."
Chance research on the concept of green burials leads one freelancer not just to a years-long writing project, but to a more intimate encounter with the growing practice. In this essay, Ann Hoffner shares her first-hand experience with green burials and the deeper meaning she discovers in them, as well as one tender goodbye in a quiet wood.
Keep an eye on the controversial practice of offshore drilling, suggests our latest TipSheet. The White House has just issued a new five-year plan that puts some sensitive areas off-limits. But the incoming administration looks set to expand drilling. Get resources and ideas for coverage.
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