Environmental Health

Michigan Evacuates 10,000+ As Flood Breaches Dams Near Dow Superfund Site

"Urging residents to evacuate and saying downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer late Tuesday declared a state of emergency for Midland County after the Edenville and Sanford dams breached."

Source: Detroit Free Press, 05/20/2020

"Thinking of Buying a Bike? Get Ready for a Very Long Wait"

"Some bicycle shops in Brooklyn are selling twice as many bikes as usual and drawing blocklong lines of customers. A chain of shops in Phoenix is selling three times the number of bikes it typically does. A retailer in Washington, D.C., sold all its entry-level bikes by the end of April and has fielded more preorders than ever in its 50-year history."

Source: NYTimes, 05/19/2020

Florida COVID-19 Website Guru Blasts Bosses, Hints At Data Suppression

"The state official managing Florida’s public “dashboard” of COVID-19 data says that her office has been removed from the project — and questioned the Department of Health’s commitment to “accessibility and transparency.”"

Source: McClatchy, 05/19/2020

EPA Settlements: Will Coronavirus Get Polluters Off The Hook?"

"Over the years, Phillips 66 and Cenovus Energy, the companies that own the Wood River Refinery in Roxana, Illinois, have been sued by both the state and federal government for polluting the air and discharging toxic wastewater into the Mississippi River."

Source: Grist, 05/19/2020

MD, VA, DC Plan To Sue EPA For Failing To Enforce Chesapeake Cleanup

"Two states and the District of Columbia say they plan to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to enforce a court-ordered agreement to dramatically lower pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary."

Source: Washington Post, 05/19/2020

EPA Emails: Trump Officials, Chemical Group Talked Before 2017 Settlement

"When the chemical company Brenntag received a fine in 2017, the National Association of Chemical Distributors asked for help from two new Trump administration appointees who previously worked in chemical lobbying, according to emails obtained by The Hill through a Freedom of Information Act request."

Source: The Hill, 05/19/2020

"Endangered Bats Are Evolving To Fight Off An Exotic Fungal Disease"

"Little brown bats, an endangered species, have declined by more than 90% due to white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that causes bats to wake up from hibernation, and consequently drains their essential fat reserves. A new study uses genetics to determine that little brown bats with certain genetic traits are more likely to survive the disease."

Source: Mongabay, 05/18/2020

"EPA Looking to Push Back Dirty Wood Stoves Deadline to Nov. 30"

"The EPA is looking to relax Friday’s deadline for businesses to stop selling older, dirtier residential wood stoves. The Environmental Protection Agency said it is proposing (RIN:2060-AU87) to give retailers until Nov. 30 to sell the outdated woodstoves."

Source: Bloomberg Environment, 05/18/2020

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Environmental Health