EJToday is SEJ's selection of new and outstanding stories on environmental topics in print and on the air, updated every weekday. SEJ also offers a free e-mailed digest of the day's EJToday postings, called SEJ-beat. SEJ members are subscribed automatically, but may opt out here. Non-members may subscribe here. EJToday is also available via RSS feed. Please see Editorial Guidelines for EJToday content.
"153 Million Gallons of Sewage, Grease Dumped"
SC State, 02/21/2011"Sewage-filled tanker trucks have dumped 153 million gallons of human waste and restaurant grease at a Pelion disposal site that lies in one of the most vulnerable areas for groundwater pollution in South Carolina."
"Report Says Fly Ash Sites Leak Chromium Into Water"
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 02/03/2011"Two southwestern Pennsylvania fly ash disposal sites are among 28 such sites in 17 states that have contaminated groundwater by leaking toxic, cancer-causing hexavalent chromium, according to a new report by Earthjustice and two other environmental groups."
"EPA: Study by Dump Shows Chemicals at Safe Level"
AP, 01/14/2011"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday a new study by the largest toxic waste dump in the West showed its level of cancer-causing chemicals was too low to harm the health of a nearby community where an unusually high number of babies have been born with serious birth defects."
"State Approves Coal Ash Landfill In South Baltimore"
Baltimore Sun, 01/05/2011"State environmental officials approved new coal-ash landfill in southeast Baltimore Tuesday, saying "state-of-the-art" pollution controls there should allay nearby residents' fears that the power plant waste will blow into their neighborhoods and leak into the Patapsco River."
"Minnesota Sues 3M over Chemical Disposal"
AP, 12/31/2010"The state of Minnesota is suing 3M Co. over its disposal of chemicals previously used to make Scotchgard and other products."
"Dispute in Pennsylvania Town Highlights EPA’s Coal Ash Dilemma"
Center for Public Integrity, 12/06/2010Heavy metal-laden coal ash currently can escape EPA regulation if it goes to some "beneficial use." But residents of LaBelle, Pa., are finding that what may be beneficial for utility and mining companies may be harmful to the townspeople's health and environment.
California Recyclers Find Market for Toxic E-Trash Abroad
Sacramento Bee, 11/29/2010In California, recyclers are sending the discarded electronic devices they can not profitably reclaim toxic materials from to foreign countries -- where workers pick them apart by hand and are exposed to harmful substances.
New Jersey Gov. Aggressively Pursues Privatized Site Cleanup
NJ Spotlight, 10/18/2010"If there is one policy left over from the Corzine administration that has been fully and enthusiastically embraced by Gov. Chris Christie, it is a program privatizing the cleanup of the tens of thousands of contaminated waste sites in New Jersey."
"Department of Energy Agrees To Hanford Cleanup Deadline"
Tri-City Herald, 10/08/2010"The Department of Energy and Washington State Department of Ecology have reached agreement on a consent decree that sets new court-enforced deadlines for emptying Hanford tanks of radioactive waste and treating the waste."
"Bay Area Startup Turns Dirty Diapers into Compost"
GreenBiz, 09/30/2010"Fed up with sending their kids' dirty diapers to the local landfill, three Bay Area families launched a business two years ago aimed at turning soiled diapers into compost for farms, golf courses and plant nurseries."
"Toxic Overflow" (Part 1)
APTN, 09/22/2010"The contamination of many First Nations by unregulated landfills and dumps is a dirty story that has yet to be fully told. Aside from the mess you can see – and smell – the risk of groundwater pollution is probably the most severe environmental impact from these waste sites. Add an improperly engineered garbage dump and the results are more than toxic."
"Most Aspects of E-Waste Not Regulated In U.S., Va."
Richmond Times-Dispatch, 09/20/2010"The problem is old electronics, or e-waste -- computers, cellphones and other gadgets that people toss because they've found something newer and shinier."
"Environment Groups Cite Lansing Power Plant for Coal Ash Pollution"
Ithaca Journal, 09/10/2010Three environmental groups have issued a report detailing some 39 cases across the U.S. where pollution from the ash left from coal-burning electric power plants has cause pollution that often threatens human health. Now as EPA moves to close the electric utilities' longtime exemption from hazardous waste laws, industry lobbyists may have quietly put the fix in at the White House Office of Management and Budget.
"Sides Raise Concerns Over Coal Ash at EPA Hearing in Dallas"
Dallas News, 09/10/2010"Hundreds of people packed a public hearing Wednesday in Dallas to sound off on a federal proposal to label the ash from coal-burning power plants a hazardous waste."
"Judge Orders Pricey Selenium Cleanup at 2 Coal Mines"
McClatchy, 09/02/2010"A federal judge has ordered Patriot Coal Corp. to spend millions of dollars to clean up selenium pollution at two surface coal mines in West Virginia. Environmental groups said it was the first time a court had demanded restrictions on selenium, a trace mineral commonly discharged from Appalachian surface mines, where the tops of mountains are blown away to expose coal."

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