Features


Lead used in a battery in the United States will continue in the manufacture-recycle-manufacture loop for nearly 280 years.

This Earth Day, Do Your Part and Recycle Your Old Vehicle Batteries

It's possible that cars on the road today are being powered by the same materials that were in a battery used in a vehicle from decades ago. In fact, lead used in a battery in the United States will continue in the manufacture-recycle-manufacture loop for nearly 280 years.

Why the Ocean Matters More than We Realize

Why the Ocean Matters More Than We Realize

Ocean advocate says those watery depths hold solutions to Earth's most alarming challenges.

This photo of a Great Egret in the Everglades National Park is a National Park Service Photo by Rodney Cammauf.

Jewell Visiting Everglades National Park for Earth Day 2016

She will be joined by federal, state, and conservation partners to celebrate one of the largest conservation projects ever undertaken by the Park Service. Through a collaborative effort between it and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, infrastructure improvements began in 2009 to restore flow by replacing sections of the Tamiami Trail roadway with bridges.

Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, the mosquitoes that alos spread dengue and chikungunya viruses.

American College of Physicians Calls for Global Climate Action

"The American College of Physicians urges physicians to help combat climate change by advocating for effective climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, helping to advance a low-carbon health care sector, and by educating communities about potential health dangers posed by climate change," said ACP President Dr. Wayne J. Riley

In advance of one storm approaching the Gulf of Mexico, Pemex prepared to evacuate 15,000 workers.

DOI Issues Offshore Well Control Regs

"The well control rule is a vital part of our extensive reform agenda to strengthen, update, and modernize our offshore energy program using lessons learned from Deepwater Horizon," Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said.

By going green, business owners can obtain the same energy from renewables for half the cost and can avoid future rate hikes.

Earth Day Goes Corporate

When put into hard numbers, the financial benefits of a project that optimally combines solar and efficiency can seem too good to be true.

In Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 13, 2015, workers lifted a vehicle from an area that flooded; FEMA reported both bridge approaches were washed away by the floodwaters. Climate change is making floods and storms more frequent and more severe. (FEMA/Bill Koplitz photo)

Report Assesses Climate Change's Impacts on Workers

Most at risk are outdoor workers, including agricultural workers, commercial fishermen, construction workers, transportation workers, and first responders, but workers in hot indoor environments such as warehouses and factories are also at risk of heat illnesses.

Volume 1 covers events leading up to the explosion and fire, and volume 2 contains critical technical analyses of the blowout preventer

Judge Issues Final Order in BP Case

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier's April 4 order confirms the company's $18.7 billion settlement of federal and state claims announced last July.



This photo is a complete view of the DFTO system. (Dürr Systems, Inc. photo)

How Thermal Oxidation Can Increase the Sustainability of a Chemical Plant

For this manufacturer of organic chemicals operating many smaller processes, a single centralized thermal oxidizer system was the most cost-effective path to expand production while meeting new emission controls requirements.

This article originally appeared in the April 2016 issue of Environmental Protection.

How the Green Data Center Revolution Affects Your Website

Most Internet users think of a website as existing strictly in the virtual world, however, every website requires a hosting computer, and that host computer both uses electricity and produces a lot of heat that must be dissipated.

Cross-Border Truck Convoy Ready to Roll

The challenge is also backed by ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, with hopes to accelerate the development of convoy-driving corridors in Europe and pave the way for EU legislative changes.

Spend a day in a data center and you will come away with a deep appreciation that indoor noise exposure is a priority safety consideration. (Digital Realty Trust, Inc. photo)

Data Center EH&S 101

Stakeholders' concerns range from asbestos and lead-based paint typically found in older and/or legacy data centers to fire-resistant clothing, contractor and construction management, elevated work such as portable and fixed ladders, and rooftop maintenance.

This article originally appeared in the April 2016 issue of Environmental Protection.

Global Power Generation Could be Severely Affected by Global Water Shortfall in 2030

Global Power Generation Could be Severely Affected by Global Water Shortfall in 2030

A 2016 research paper in the Journal Nature predicts a 40 percent shortfall of available water across the globe by 2030 with effects not just for drinking, food production, hygiene and public health, but also for 98 percent of global electric power generation.

Large-Scale Composting: Effective, Efficient Water Conservation Strategy for Public Works

Well-documented results attest to the power of composted nutrient-rich biosolids and organics when properly applied as a soil amendment to conserve water in many ways.

What is Legitimate Recycling? In essence, it is not "sham" recycling. For example, foundry sand cannot be recycled as playground sand but could be recycled for use in creating industrial molds. Sham is now more than what is in the eye of the beholder.

The Solid Waste Rule: A Summary of 2015 Revisions

The 2015 Solid Waste Rule is more stringent than the earlier versions of the Rule, and EPA is requiring authorized states to modify their programs in order to comply with the 2015 Sold Waste Rule.

In recognition of Groundwater Awareness Week, the NGWA hopes that more people will take the time to realize just how vital groundwater is to us. Simply put, life as we know it would not be possible without groundwater.

The Importance of Groundwater

In recognition of Groundwater Awareness Week, the NGWA hopes that more people will take the time to realize just how vital groundwater is to us. Simply put, life as we know it would not be possible without groundwater.

"The plan underscores the importance of implementing the projects in the state water plan. Without those projects in place, Texas will face an 8.9 million acre-foot shortage of water in 2070 in a drought and economic losses of approximately $151 billion by 2070," said Peter Lake, a member of the Texas Water Development Board.

Texas Draft 2017 Water Plan Out for Comments

"The plan underscores the importance of implementing the projects in the state water plan. Without those projects in place, Texas will face an 8.9 million acre-foot shortage of water in 2070 in a drought and economic losses of approximately $151 billion by 2070," said Peter Lake, a member of the Texas Water Development Board.

This demonstration SuperTruck vehicle topped 10 mpg and was displayed at the U.S. Department of Energy

SuperTruck II Goals Announced

DoE said SuperTruck II projects will research, develop, and demonstrate technologies to improve heavy-truck freight efficiency by more than 100 percent when compared with a manufacturer's best-in-class 2009 truck, with an emphasis on technology cost-effectiveness and performance.

With an approved Initial Funded Priorities List that invests $183 million in restoration projects, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council will now begin to prioritize projects to receive funding from BP settlement funds.

USDA's Vilsack Becomes Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council's Chair

With an approved Initial Funded Priorities List that invests $183 million in restoration projects, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council will now develop the next iteration of the Comprehensive Plan and begin to prioritize projects to receive funding from BP settlement funds.

Called the world

Port of Long Beach Set to Open 'Greenest' Container Terminal March 11

Middle Harbor eventually will have the capacity to handle 3.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units annually. "LBCT is committed to ushering in this new era the right way," said President Anthony Otto. "This includes our investment in all zero-emissions cargo handling equipment and comprehensive training."