Senate Trio's Climate Bill Said To Hide Info on Fracking Poisons

March 24, 2010–A March 23, 2010, Greenwire article reports that the draft Kerry-Lieberman-Graham climate bill may include language to keep potentially toxic ingredients from gas drilling secret from the public whose health may be harmed by them.

Enviros Seek Disclosure of Household Cleaning Product Ingredients

February 10, 2010–A court case involving a 1971 NY law may force manufacturers to make public unlisted toxic chemicals in products like stain remover, dish soap and laundry detergent. The cleanser industry says the action is "unwarranted, and that fears about health risks are misinformed," according to the AP.

EPA Reveals More High-Hazard Coal-Ash Sites

February 10, 2010–Disclosure of 22 electric-utility plans for handling coal-ash waste is a good start... but EPA also released the identities of some 40 more — previously undisclosed — scary ash impoundments.

Study Shows Managed Turf Is Net Greenhouse Gas Loser

February 3, 2010–A study by Univ. of California-Irvine researchers has found that while grass itself acted as a carbon sink, when other factors are taken into account — fuel burned to maintain the lawn, emissions from fertilizer spread to help it grow, etc. — four times as much carbon was emitted than was absorbed.

20% of Chemicals in Commerce Claim To Be 'Trade Secrets'

January 13, 2010–Washington Post reporter Lyndsey Layton writes about the thousands of chemicals exempted from EPA screening for potential harm to the environment and public health — and the three-decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that renders it possible, in the interest of protecting manufacturers' bottom lines.

DOE Lists Its Environmental Impact Statements Online

January 13, 2010–A handy research tool for investigative reporters is a full list of all the recent Environmental Impact Statements issued by the Department of Energy.

Forest Fire Retardants Not Always the Hero

August 9, 2000–The most commonly used slurry mixtures can be toxic to fish, aquatic invertebrates, and algae, can harm rabbits, birds, and humans, and can reduce vegetative diversity and boost the growth of weeds. Slurries and foams are mostly water, but they also include ammonium fertilizer, detergent, and other ingredients.