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.
Pa. Judge Orders Marcellus Shale Fracking Settlement Records Unsealed
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 03/22/2013"A Washington County judge [Wednesday] morning ordered unsealed a court-approved settlement between Marcellus Shale development companies and a family that claimed the drilling operations damaged their health."
"New Center To Set Stringent Standards for Fracking in East"
McClatchy-Tribune, 03/21/2013"WASHINGTON — A coalition of energy companies, environmentalists and Pennsylvania-based philanthropies announced Wednesday the creation of a center that would provide more stringent standards for fracking and natural gas development in the Eastern United States."
"Bay’s Intersex Fish Mystery Remains Unsolved"
Wash Post, 03/18/2013"Ten years have gone by since one of the weirdest discoveries in the Chesapeake Bay region, on the south branch of the Potomac River — male smallmouth bass with lady parts, eggs in places where they absolutely should not be."
"Fracking's 'Revolving Door' Draws a Warning"
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 03/11/2013"Many of Pennsylvania's policymakers, regulators and enforcement workers have come from the oil and gas industry they oversee, or they leave state jobs for industry jobs, according to a recent report that questions the impacts of such a "revolving door" on public policy decisions."
"Can Climate-Change Denier Ken Cuccinelli Win a Swing State?"
National Journal, 03/05/2013"In storm-battered Virginia, the Republican candidate for governor still doubts the science."
"The Toxic Waste Pit Next Door"
Washingtonian, 03/01/2013In the World War I era, the U.S. Army thought it was disposing of dangerous toxic chemicals in waste pits located near what is now American University. Then residential houses were built on top of the site. Today, the danger and efforts to clean it up are still a problem.
"High Court Throws Out $1B Fraud Verdict in Exxon Leak Case"
Baltimore Sun, 02/27/2013"Maryland's highest court on Tuesday struck down the bulk of a fraud case against ExxonMobil Corp. stemming from an underground gasoline leak in Baltimore County, reversing most of $1.65 billion in judgments and dealing a stunning blow to hundreds of families."
"Briny Water Flows Into Southwestern PA Streams"
PublicSource, 02/21/2013Two retired outdoorsmen -- with help from water researchers -- are testing streamwater in western Pennsylvania. They are struggling to get EPA attention to chemicals they fear could be related to the fracking boom.
"U.S. Seeks Shutdown of Barbour Slurry Dam"
AP, 02/20/2013"MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The U.S. Department of Labor wants a federal judge to order the immediate shutdown of a potentially dangerous West Virginia coal slurry impoundment it says hasn't been certified by a professional engineer for two years."
"Forecast Troubling for Central Appalachian Coal"
Charleston Gazette, 02/04/2013"CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Long-term forecasts for coal production in West Virginia and the rest of Central Appalachia continue to show major declines are underway -- and still to come -- for the region's mining industry."
"Sandy's Wake Leaves Shore Birds in Dire Straits"
AP, 02/04/2013"When red knots descend on the beaches of Delaware Bay this spring famished from their marathon flight toward the Canadian Arctic from the tip of South America, the rosy-breasted shorebirds may find slim pickings instead of the feast of horseshoe crab eggs they count on to fuel the rest of their migration."
Enviros Threaten To Sue 3 Coal Plants for Polluting Chesapeake Rivers
Baltimore Sun, 01/29/2013"A trio of environmental groups warned Monday they would sue the operator of three coal-fired power plants in Maryland for allegedly discharging excessive amounts of nutrient pollution into Chesapeake Bay rivers and trying to mask their violations by transferring pollution 'credits' among facilities."
"A Desperate Try To Restock the Potomac’S Sturgeon"
Wash Post, 01/28/2013"Believe it or not, there’s a Chesapeake Bay fish in even worse shape than the recovering striped bass, the troubled blue crab and even the imperiled bay oyster. The Atlantic sturgeon, pushed to the brink of extinction by overfishing and development, is little more than a memory in the Potomac River, ready for a spot in a museum."
Report Finds Chesapeake Bay Contaminants Widespread, Severe in Spots
Baltimore Sun, 01/22/2013"A new federal report finds toxic contamination remains widespread in the Chesapeake Bay, with severe impacts in some places, which health and environmental advocates say lends support to their push in Annapolis for legislative action on pesticides and other hazardous chemicals."
"Rift Widens Over Mining of Uranium in Virginia"
NY Times, 01/21/2013"CHATHAM, Va. -- In a landscape of rolling pastures and grazing cattle, Stewart East stepped from his pickup truck with a Geiger counter. He pointed it at a puddle filled by recent rains, and the instrument erupted in scratchy feedback."

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