"Girls living nearest to the Fukushima nuclear disaster zone have almost a 70 per cent increased risk of thyroid cancer, the World Health Organisation says."
"CARLSBAD, Calif. — On a calm day, a steady rain just about masks the sound of Pacific Ocean water being drawn into the intake valve from Agua Hedionda Lagoon. Listen hard, and a faint sucking sound emerges from the concrete openings, like a distant straw pulling liquid from a cup."
In the World War I era, the U.S. Army thought it was disposing of dangerous toxic chemicals in waste pits located near what is now American University. Then residential houses were built on top of the site. Today, the danger and efforts to clean it up are still a problem.
"Cleanup of radioactive waste at nuclear sites across the country — including one in Washington state where waste tanks may be leaking 1,000 gallons per year — would be delayed under automatic spending cuts set to take effect Friday."
"For Jesslyn Brown, sequestration could not come at a worse time of the year."
"Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project will take about 19 months longer to complete than originally expected and cost about $740 million more than originally thought, the company said Thursday."
"The federal budget sequester took effect on March 1 with a number of likely environmental impacts. With $1.2 trillion in cuts over the next decade and $85 billion through the end of the fiscal year in September, layoffs and difficulties in enforcing the nation's environmental regulations are expected."
James Bruggers has worked for more than 30 years as a reporter in Montana, Alaska, Washington, California and Kentucky, covering coal, energy, air quality, water quality, and local and state government environmental agencies, as well as some general assignment. For about 20 years, James has been an active SEJ member, including serving as the SEJ president who helped spearhead SEJ's awards, endowment and Freedom of Information programs. He has not missed an Annual Conference since 1994. He is on staff at The (Louisville) Courier-Journal, Kentucky's largest news organization, and has written a daily blog, Watchdog Earth, since 2006.
"A US court has declared the conservation group Sea Shepherd to be 'pirates' and ordered it to stop its aggressive actions against Japanese whalers."
"The number of Detroit children with lead levels exceeding a newly revised federal guideline has dropped more than 70 percent, from about 10,000 kids to 2,900 since 2004. Nevertheless, the number of children with elevated lead levels in Detroit and other Rust Belt cities remains much higher than the national average, and low-income people of color are most at risk."
