New York "is asking local government agencies to regulate key aspects of the natural gas industry, raising yet more questions about who will pay for manpower to oversee multinational energy companies setting up shop in Southern Tier's backyards."
"As U.S. Air Force officials marked the 50th anniversary of the deployment of nuclear missiles to sites in the rural United States this past week, residents in some of these communities are still grappling with another legacy — groundwater pollution from chemicals used to clean and maintain the weapons."
"Federal officials this week offered the first national blueprint on how to clean up methamphetamine labs — prompting state health experts to consider changes to their policies."
"Thirteen North Carolina coal ash ponds are leaking toxic pollutants into groundwater, according to an analysis of groundwater contamination data conducted by Appalachian Voices' Upper Watauga Riverkeeper team."
Missouri "allowed tourists at the Lake of the Ozarks to swim in waters that officials knew were infested with harmful E. coli bacteria for two weeks at the beginning of the summer tourist season, Gov. Jay Nixon said Wednesday."
"Three weeks ago, fish started dying in Dunkard Creek, a scenic stream that winds along the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border in Monongalia County."
"An oil field review starting with a state inspector questioning the size of spill containment facilities on Alaska's North Slope has resulted in a hefty civil payment for a subsidiary of BP PLC."
Use this roundup of sources to write a probing story about the ash, slag, and sludge from coal-burning electric utilities — which containins heavy metals that can pollute water, and even bury people's houses.
Journalists around the US who cover water quality, as well as those who cover coal mining and/or Appalachia, will benefit from an analytical NYT series and databases, combined with a Sept. 11 EPA announcement about extended NPDES permit reviews.
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