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.
Information Commissioner To Probe 'Muzzling' of Government Scientists
Toronto Star, 04/01/2013"Wide-ranging investigation, which will look into six different federal departments, is to review incidents in which the media was thwarted when trying to speak to Canadian government scientists about their work."
"As OSHA Emphasizes Safety, Long-Term Health Risks Fester"
NY Times, 04/01/2013"OSHA devotes most of its budget and attention to responding to here-and-now dangers rather than preventing the silent, slow killers that, in the end, take far more lives. Over the past four decades, the agency has written new standards with exposure limits for 16 of the most deadly workplace hazards, including lead, asbestos and arsenic. But for the tens of thousands of other dangerous substances American workers handle each day, employers are largely left to decide what exposure level is safe."
"EPA to Study Flame Retardant Chemicals. Finally."
Mother Jones, 04/01/2013"The EPA announced [March 27] that it will study the health and environmental risks of 23 chemicals, with an emphasis on chemical flame retardants that are found in many common products."
"More Diagnoses of Hyperactivity in New C.D.C. Data"
NY Times, 04/01/2013"Nearly one in five high school age boys in the United States and 11 percent of school-age children over all have received a medical diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to new data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
"Wyoming Power Plant Stalls 17 Years, Faces Skepticism"
AP, 04/01/2013"WRIGHT, Wyo. -- In Wyoming, folks call it the 'No Elk' plant, an $800 million project that -- once finished -- was meant to supply coal-fired power to 100,000 homes and support dozens of full-time jobs on the rolling prairie of northeast Wyoming."
"After Five Years, Has the Bay Area Wood Burning Ban Spared the Air?"
Contra Costa Times, 04/01/2013"Despite some lingering anger over wood-burning rules, Bay Area air quality officials say a five-year burn ban has paid off for the region's 7 million residents."
Obama Admin Moves Ahead With Sweeping Rules Requiring Cleaner Gasoline
Wash Post, 03/29/2013"The Environmental Protection Agency will move ahead Friday with a rule requiring cleaner gasoline and lower-pollution vehicles nationwide, amounting to one of President Obama’s most significant air pollution initiatives, according to people briefed on the decision."
"Court: EPA Can Stop Some Power Plant Modifications"
AP, 03/29/2013"TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Government regulators can try to halt construction projects at power plants if they think the companies didn't properly calculate whether the changes would increase air pollution, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, marking the latest twist in a decades-long fight over the Clean Air Act."
"As Fracking Proliferates, So Do Wastewater Wells"
Texas Tribune, 03/29/2013"GONZALES, Tex. -- In a dusty lot off the main highway in this South Texas town, Vern Sartin pointed to a collection of hose hookups and large storage tanks used for collecting wastewater from hydraulic fracturing jobs."
"Canada Only UN Member To Pull Out of Droughts and Deserts Convention"
CTV News, 03/29/2013"Canada has become the first country to drop out of the UN convention to combat desertification."
EPA Sets New Requirements for Ballast Water Dumped By Ships
AP, 03/29/2013"TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued new requirements Thursday for cleansing ballast water dumped from ships, which scientists believe has provided a pathway to U.S. waters for invasive species that damage ecosystems and cost the economy billions of dollars."
"Americans Oppose Paying for Storm-Ravaged Beaches"
AP, 03/29/2013"WASHINGTON -- More than 4 out of 5 Americans want to prepare now for rising seas and stronger storms from climate change, a new national survey says. But most are unwilling to keep spending money to restore and protect stricken beaches."
"Most Chinese Cities Hiding Vital Pollution Data From Public"
South China Morning Post, 03/29/2013"Most city governments on the mainland withheld vital information on pollution from the public last year, with many scaling back their disclosure to protect polluters as economic growth slowed, two major environmental organisations said in a study released in Beijing yesterday."
Climate, Herbicide May Doom 'Great Migration' of Monarch Butterflies
ClimateWire, 03/29/2013"...Over the past couple of years, the number of monarch butterflies that reach the Mexican sanctuaries has been declining, generating concern among rural communities that rely on spillovers of butterfly tourism activities, as well as entomologists, biologists, ecologists and monarch aficionados around the world. ..."
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"Coal Tar Industry Fights Bans on Sealants"
Chicago Tribune, 03/29/2013"Lobbying group funds research, argues products are safe despite government studies linking them to pollution."

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