"They’re on beaches, in parking lots and on sidewalks. You probably won’t catch the coronavirus from a discarded mask, but the litter poses a risk to the environment."

"Three Democratic senators are criticizing Interior Secretary David Bernhardt over reports that he refused to wear a mask in a meeting with tribes in Oregon earlier this month."

"3M Co. will determine the health risks of Alabama’s current and potential future PFAS contamination in a new agreement the company has reached with the state, which could influence the EPA’s regulations for the chemicals."

"New Hampshire’s governor signed into law a bill Thursday that sets some of nation’s toughest drinking water standards for a group of toxic chemicals and provides tens of millions of dollars for cleanup cost."

"As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates King Coal’s decline, Virginia could be on the hook for millions in cleanup costs if an anticipated wave of bankruptcies destabilizes its bond pool system for managing the risks of company failures."

"For years, money for flood protection in the Houston area went mostly to richer neighborhoods. A new approach prioritizes minority communities, and it’s stirring up resentments."

"Texas beaches may be open during the pandemic, but that doesn't mean they're safe places to swim, according to a new study of levels of fecal bacteria along the Gulf Coast."

"Both Republican and Democratic Ohio lawmakers are pushing to repeal the state’s nuclear bailout bill after this week’s release of a federal criminal complaint against House Speaker Larry Householder and others. Clean energy advocates say that would be a start, but more is needed to address eight years of lawmakers’ actions to slow the growth of renewables in the state."

"The world is on track to triple the amount of plastic we dump into the ocean in just two decades. But if civic and business leaders get their [act] together to curb the global plastics crisis, we could reduce that rate by 80%, according to two new reports on Thursday."

"New standards limiting how much toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS can be in Michigan’s public drinking water will take effect after a legislative committee adjourned without taking action to block or change them."