Features


EPA Offers Tips for Homeowners with Flooded Wells

Cathy Magliocchetti of EPA's Region III offered tips on the agency's blog recently for people whose private wells and septic systems may have been flooded as a result of Hurricane Irma's impact on the East Coast.

NY Governor Appoints Eight to Drinking Water Quality Council

Scheduled to meet for the first time Oct. 2, the council will address a range of emerging water quality issues. Its first task will be to make recommendations to establish enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for three priority emerging contaminants: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and 1,4-dioxane.

New UNEP Reports Aid in Coral Reef Protection

"A Guide to Assessing Coral Reef Resilience for Decision Support" will help environmental planners and managers assess, map, and monitor coral reef resilience and use the results to prioritize management actions that support resilience in the face of climate change.

This image shows Arctic sea ice on Sept. 13, 2017, when the ice reached its annual minimum. The yellow line marks the 30-year average minimum sea ice extent from 1981 through 2010. (Credit: NASA

End-of-Summer Arctic Sea Ice Extent Eighth-Lowest on Record

And Antarctica is heading to its maximum yearly sea ice extent, which typically occurs in September or early October. NASA reported this year's maximum extent is likely to be among the five lowest in the satellite record — a continuation of the low extents in 2015 and 2016.

Affected Florida Counties Urged to Accelerate Debris Cleanup

Plans submitted to the department will be posted publicly on its website. All of the plans must include an estimated date of completion, and any county that plans to request reimbursement for debris removal following Irma must submit a plan.

Agreement Reached to Reduce Baltimore Sewage Overflows

The new proposed agreement calls for mandatory stream quality monitoring for pollutants, including pathogens, with results posted quarterly, and greater transparency, with draft plans posted to the city's website and made available 45 days before they are due to interested parties.

New York Offers ZEV Rebates to Municipal Fleets

The state promises that its zero-emission vehicle and infrastructure investments will advance Gov. Cuomo's clean transportation and climate change goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Environmental Impact of Harvey Still Unknown, Expected to be "Dire"

Environmental Impact of Harvey Still Unknown, Expected to be "Dire"

At best, experts said that the long-term environmental health consequences of the storm will be “dire.”



Chemical Plant Suffers Two Explosions Due to Flooding

Chemical Plant Suffers Two Explosions Due to Flooding

Early Thursday morning, two explosions generating billows of thick black smoke were reported at a flooded chemical plant in Crosby, Texas, just 30 miles northeast of downtown Houston

Hurricane Harvey Spurs Energy Shutdowns

Hurricane Harvey Spurs Energy Shutdowns

As Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath continue on a path of destruction, oil and gas companies located in the epicenter of Texas’ refining industry have been forced to halt operations.

Canada Creates Climate Change Panel of Experts

The panel will support the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, which is Canada's plan to meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, and create clean growth and jobs through investments in clean technology, innovation, and infrastructure.

First Convention on Mercury Control Now in Force

"The Minamata Convention shows that our global work to protect our planet and its people can continue to bring nations together. We did it for the ozone layer and now we're doing it for mercury, just as we need to do it for climate change – a cause that the Minamata Convention will also serve. Together, we can clean up our act," said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment.

Cal FIRE Awards Grants to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Sequester Carbon

Landowners will retain ownership of their land and will not be restricted from using it for activities such as timber harvest, hunting, fishing, and hiking; the grants will protect more than 28,285 acres of forests from development.

This graphic shows dissolved boron in bedrock groundwater at the plant site: CSES-Colstrip, Montana.

Montana DEQ Seeks Comments on Colstrip Reports

The three reports are required under the Administrative Order on Consent between the agency and Talen Montana, LLC. They concern the industrial wastewater facilities at the Colstrip Steam Electric Station.

New French River Dam Opened in Ontario

The dam is one of three dams that control the outflow from Lake Nipissing. They're essential for maintaining its water level and for regulating the flow of water into the French River. During the $21.9 million replacement project, new dams were built slightly downstream from the original dams, which were then removed.

Order Signed for Mexico's Largest Wind Park

"Mexico is undergoing a historical moment in its energy policy and we are extremely pleased to play an active role in this process. By building Mexico's largest wind park with Vestas' turbines, we are taking a bold step in the country's transition towards renewables," said Adrián Katzew, CEO of Zuma Energía.

Ohio EPA Sets Water Quality Standards Meeting

The agency's proposed changes in its water rules include clarifying exceptions from water quality standards that apply to pesticide application, construction activities, and dredging. Changes will be discussed at the Aug. 23 meeting in Columbus.

INTERPOL Operation Nets 1.5 Million Tonnes of Illegal Waste

Most of the illegal waste discovered during the operation was metal or electronic waste, and generally it was related to the car industry. In all, 226 waste crimes and 413 administrative violations were found, including criminal cases of 141 shipments carrying a total of 14,000 tonnes of illegal waste and 85 sites where more than 1 million tonnes of waste was illegally disposed.

In the early 1990s, the federal government began listing salmon species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Today, federal agencies have listed 18 species of salmon, steelhead, and bull trout as either threatened or endangered.

New Leader Chosen for Washington's Salmon Recovery Office

Steve Martin has been executive director of the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board since 2001.

Workers are expected to finish removing Ball State

Smokestacks Coming Down at Ball State University

The two stacks became obsolete after the Muncie, Ind., university switched to a closed-loop geothermal system and shut down its coal-fired boilers in 2014.

Featured Webinar