TOOLBOX: Database May Reveal an Oil Spill Near You

June 30, 2010–Every spill report coming in to the NRC goes into a database which is, for the most part, publicly accessible. You can query the database online, or download it for use in your own computer-assisted reporting project.

TOOLBOX: Denver Post Finds Thousands of Drilling Spills in Colorado

June 30, 2010–A big fraction of the leaks and spills involved not merely oil, but produced water containing hydraulic fracturing fluid. You'll find lots of useful data on the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission website.

Manufacturing Plants Are Source of Drugs in Waterways

June 9, 2010–Wastewater treatment plants can't mitigate the problem, which is compounded by other sources of water contamination, such as drugs that end up in landfills or flushed down toilets, and metabolites or unutilized drugs that pass through people who take the drugs.

Dispersants Remain a Mystery to Public, Despite Fake "Disclosure"

June 2, 2010–Dispersant manufacturer Nalco failed to disclose the chemical identity of the ingredients to the news media or public, and ignored a US EPA order to stop using the product in the Gulf.

Public Water Wells Often Contaminated

May 26, 2010–A new US Geological Survey report indicates about 105 million US residents drink water from contaminated systems, often at pollutant concentrations that potentially pose a human health risk.

SO2 Final Rule Scheduled For June 2

May 26, 2010–Some counties in your region may no longer be in compliance and will need to take new pollution control measures.

TOOLBOX: EPA Adds 6,300 Chemicals and 3,800 Facilities to Database

May 19, 2010–Find out more about potentially toxic chemicals in public commerce in the Envirofacts database, updated by EPA with previously unavailable information it collects under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Gulf Dispersants Called Trade Secret

May 5, 2010–The exact ingredients of the chemical mixture being sprayed on and pumped into the spreading BP oil spill are secret, even though some are rated toxic and may endanger the health of Gulf residents and ecosystems.

Surefire Stories Near You: Start with Superfund Data Tools

April 28, 2010–US EPA's "National Priorities List" includes about 1,280 of the nation's worst sites. But there are tens of thousands of sites not on the NPL, and finding them is fairly easy.

EPA Begins Restoring Toxics Inventory After Downgrading

April 21, 2010–Sixteen chemicals may be added to the TRI, after nearly a decade of erosion under the Bush administration.