Publication Items

Fracking Associated with Well Water Toxics; Causation Not Yet Proven [1]

EPA warns Pavillion, WY residents not to drink or cook with their well water, and that the presence of methane (the main ingredient in natural gas) is so high that they should ventilate any room in which a shower is operating, and to not ignite anything in a closed room in which water is running.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [3]
Pollution [4]
Environmental Health [5]
Chemicals [6]
Region:
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [7]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Fracking Associated with Well Water Toxics; Causation Not Yet Proven [1]
Pipelines Spill Millions of Toxic Gallons Each Year [9]

A round-up of resources: from the recent Enbridge spill in Michigan to multiple spills over time by Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline; hearings of the US House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials; availability of pipeline maps; Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration info on safety standards, inspections, stakeholder communications; and much more.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [10]
Energy & Fuel [11]
Disasters [12]
Chemicals [6]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Pipelines Spill Millions of Toxic Gallons Each Year [9]
EPA Gets TRI Data Out Quickly This Year [14]

The early release includes only about 80% of the total expected submissions. Updates should be available in August and September, and the agency will release its analysis later in 2010.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [6]
Government [16]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about EPA Gets TRI Data Out Quickly This Year [14]
EPA Gets TRI Data Out Quickly This Year [17]

Data for the 2009 Toxics Release Inventory, released July 28, 2010, includes only about 80% of the total expected submissions so it's not possible to look at category totals, trends, and other aspects that require 100% of the data until later this year. However, you can report immediately on many local emitters, including evaluations of their totals and trends.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [6]
Pollution [4]
Government [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about EPA Gets TRI Data Out Quickly This Year [17]
Pollution Is Significant in National Parks [18]

Both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (primarily from combustion sources) and pesticides are pervasive in 8 diverse US national parks, according to two Environmental Science & Technology studies by international teams of university and government agency researchers.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [19]
Chemicals [6]
Natural Resources [20]
Pollution [4]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Pollution Is Significant in National Parks [18]
Natural Gas Hazards Drawing Federal Attention [21]

After hearing for years about public concern over the adverse health and environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing used to increase production of natural gas, US EPA has begun a process (including 4 public meetings in July; CO, NY, PA, TX) to decide what the issues are and how to address them.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [6]
Energy & Fuel [11]
Health [22]
People & Population [23]
Environmental Health [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [24]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [25]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [7]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Natural Gas Hazards Drawing Federal Attention [21]
Many Petroleum Companies Routinely Emit Significant Toxics [27]

The University of Massachusetts Political Economy Research Institute's "Toxic 100 Air Polluters" indicates 4 of the worst 12 air polluters are petroleum companies. You can use this resource to look at other groupings of companies, such as utilities, or drug, chemical, or metals manufacturers, or to look at any of the individual companies.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [19]
Chemicals [6]
Energy & Fuel [11]
Pollution [4]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Many Petroleum Companies Routinely Emit Significant Toxics [27]
TOOLBOX: Denver Post Finds Thousands of Drilling Spills in Colorado [28]

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.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [6]
Energy & Fuel [11]
Pollution [4]
Region:
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [7]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about TOOLBOX: Denver Post Finds Thousands of Drilling Spills in Colorado [28]
TOOLBOX: Database May Reveal an Oil Spill Near You [29]

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.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [6]
Energy & Fuel [11]
Pollution [4]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about TOOLBOX: Database May Reveal an Oil Spill Near You [29]
Manufacturing Plants Are Source of Drugs in Waterways [30]

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.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [31]
Chemicals [6]
Consumer [32]
Health [22]
Pollution [4]
Water & Oceans [3]
Environmental Health [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Manufacturing Plants Are Source of Drugs in Waterways [30]

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