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Are Combined Sewer Overflows Causing Pollution in Your Local Waters? [1]

Decades after the nation’s capital began its historic cleanup, sanitary sewage still occasionally swamps the Potomac River. Are sewage systems also dumping human waste and other pollutants into waterways near you? This week’s TipSheet has the background on the problem of combined sewage overflow, as well as resources for finding out what’s happening near you.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Environmental Health [3]
Health [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Planning & Growth [6]
Pollution [7]
Waste [8]
Water & Oceans [9]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [10]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [11]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [12]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [13]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [14]
Visibility: 
Public [15]

Dirtying the Waters: Texas Ranks 1st in Violating Water Pollution Rules [16]

"Texas has a dirty secret. Its industries are routinely violating environmental laws by dumping excess chemicals and human waste into its rivers and bays, often without consequence."

Pollution [7]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [15]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [14]
Source: Texas Observer [17], 03/19/2018

"US Coal Hasn’t Set Aside Enough Money To Clean Up Its Mines" [18]

"Schemes that favour coal companies in Appalachia have left a national shortfall experts said was ‘one of the biggest public failures that has gone under the radar’."

Energy & Fuel [19]
Laws & Regulations [20]
Pollution [7]
Public [15]
National (U.S.) [10]
Source: Climate Home News [21], 03/19/2018

"Air Pollutant Reviews Stalled; EPA Advisers Haven’t Met in Months" [22]

"Three required scientific reviews for federally regulated air pollutants are on hold due to EPA delays and Administrator Scott Pruitt’s November shake-up of the external air quality science board that advises the agency."

Air [23]
Environmental Health [3]
Environmental Politics [24]
Pollution [7]
Science [25]
Public [15]
National (U.S.) [10]
Source: BNA [26], 03/16/2018

Environmental Justice Adviser Slams Pruitt Plan to Weaken Coal Ash Rules [27]

"A newly appointed environmental justice adviser to the Environmental Protection Agency is criticizing an agency proposal to roll back regulations governing coal ash ponds, saying doing so would hurt disadvantaged communities."

Energy & Fuel [19]
Environmental Health [3]
Environmental Politics [24]
Pollution [7]
Public [15]
National (U.S.) [10]
Source: InsideClimate News [28], 03/16/2018

WHO Launches Study After Microplastics Found In 90% Of Bottled Water [29]

"The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced a review into the potential risks of plastic in drinking water after a new analysis of some of the world’s most popular bottled water brands found that more than 90% contained tiny pieces of plastic."

Chemicals [30]
Environmental Health [3]
Pollution [7]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [15]
International [31]
Source: Guardian [32], 03/15/2018

Searching for Environment Themes at Sundance 2018 [33]

While environmental themes were less prominent at the Sundance Film Festival this year, our correspondent JoAnn Valenti unearthed ecological messages from documentaries that explore the emergence of climate change refugees in the face of sea level rise, the escape from modernity into wilderness and the confrontation of environmental threats by young innovators.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [34]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [35]
Air [23]
Chemicals [30]
Climate Change [36]
Environmental Health [3]
Environmental Politics [24]
Forests [37]
Government [38]
Health [4]
Natural Resources [39]
People & Population [40]
Planning & Growth [6]
Policy [41]
Pollution [7]
Water & Oceans [9]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [10]
International [31]
Australia & Oceania [42]
Visibility: 
Public [15]

As Threat of Coal-Ash Pollution Grows, Data May Diminish [43]

Coal ash can contaminate surface and ground water with toxic heavy metals. But as this week’s TipSheet reports, Trump deregulation aims to loosen EPA rules on its disposal. That may mean a big local pollution story. If journalists can find the data, that is. The latest on the new rules, plus resources for coverage.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Chemicals [30]
Energy & Fuel [19]
Environmental Health [3]
Environmental Politics [24]
Government [38]
Health [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [20]
Pollution [7]
Water & Oceans [9]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility: 
Public [15]

Tribe: Dakota Access Pipeline Leak Technology Can't Detect All Spills [44]

"The Standing Rock Tribe argues in a report that thousands of barrels of oil a day could leak into the Missouri River and not be detected by the company's equipment."

Energy & Fuel [19]
Pollution [7]
Technology [45]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [15]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [46]
Source: InsideClimate News [47], 03/13/2018

Wisconsin Wants Break From Ozone Rules In Advance Of Foxconn [48]

"Despite evidence that southeast Wisconsin is violating new and tougher emissions standards for smog, state officials are asking the Trump administration to set aside a recent federal finding and conclude the state is complying with the law."

Air [23]
Laws & Regulations [20]
Pollution [7]
Public [15]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [11]
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [49], 03/13/2018

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/are-combined-sewer-overflows-causing-pollution-your-local-waters [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [10] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [11] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [12] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mid-atlantic [13] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northeast [14] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [15] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [16] https://www.sej.org/headlines/dirtying-waters-texas-ranks-1st-violating-water-pollution-rules [17] https://www.texasobserver.org/dirtying-the-waters-texas-ranks-first-in-violating-water-rules/ [18] https://www.sej.org/headlines/us-coal-hasn%E2%80%99t-set-aside-enough-money-clean-its-mines [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [21] http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/03/14/us-coal-hasnt-set-aside-enough-money-clean-mines/ [22] https://www.sej.org/headlines/air-pollutant-reviews-stalled-epa-advisers-haven%E2%80%99t-met-months [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [26] https://bnanews.bna.com/environment-and-energy/air-pollutant-reviews-stalled-epa-advisers-havent-met-in-months?context=landing-heroes [27] https://www.sej.org/headlines/environmental-justice-adviser-slams-pruitt-plan-weaken-coal-ash-rules [28] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/15032018/epa-regulations-coal-power-plant-waste-ash-ponds-toxins-health-jeremy-orr-water-testing [29] https://www.sej.org/headlines/who-launches-study-after-microplastics-found-90-bottled-water [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [31] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [32] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/15/microplastics-found-in-more-than-90-of-bottled-water-study-says?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco [33] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/searching-environment-themes-sundance-2018 [34] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [38] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [39] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [40] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [41] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [42] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/australia-oceania [43] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/threat-coal-ash-pollution-grows-data-may-diminish [44] https://www.sej.org/headlines/tribe-dakota-access-pipeline-leak-technology-cant-detect-all-spills [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [46] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-plains [47] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09032018/dakota-access-oil-pipeline-leak-detection-technology-standing-rock-water-safety-energy-transfer-partners [48] https://www.sej.org/headlines/wisconsin-wants-break-ozone-rules-advance-foxconn [49] https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2018/03/13/wisconsin-wants-break-trump-administration-ozone-rules-advance-foxconn-development/412726002/ [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=427 [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=424 [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=425 [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=426 [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=429 [55] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=430 [56] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=431 [57] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=432 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=782