Features


Most U.S. adults expect food and beverage brands to actively help increase recycling of their packages.

Don't Overlook the Carton

For 2016, we are excited about the outlook of carton recycling. As much progress as we've made thus far, we are always looking forward to more.

WHO Calls for Strong Climate Agreement at UN Conference

WHO estimates that climate change is already causing tens of thousands of deaths per year from shifting patterns of disease, extreme weather events, and from the degradation of air quality, food and water supplies, and sanitation.

Production Materials Become Hazardous Waste Practically Overnight—EPA's Perspective on Abandoned Commercial Chemical Products

EPA has made checklists available to the regulated community, including the associated guidance regarding abandoned CCPs.

With more than 37 million tons of food being wasted each year, the EPA is encouraging families, school, businesses, and more to help reduce that amount of food waste with the Sustainable Management of Food program.

EPA Urges Public to Reduce Food Waste

With more than 37 million tons of food being wasted each year, the EPA is encouraging families, school, businesses, and more to help reduce that amount of food waste with the Sustainable Management of Food program.

These Norfolk Southern lower-emission locomotives were photographed in one of its Chicago railyards. (Norfolk Southern photo)

Norfolk Southern Running Greener Locomotives in Chicago

They are 3,000-horsepower engines that meet EPA's Tier-3 emissions standards for locomotives. NS will have 15 of them working at its five major Chicago railyards by the end this year and said the locomotives are expected to prevent the release of 7.58 tons of particulate matter and 196 tons of nitrogen oxides pollutants annually.

"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.

Meeting 2025 Water Efficiency Standards Today

It is expected that EO 13693 will be adopted by many private buildings and facilities as they seek ways to be greener and more sustainable.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be providing more than $300 million in grants and loans for 141 projects that will be working to improve water and wastewater infrastructures in rural communities throughout the country.

USDA to Award $314 Million for Water and Wastewater Improvements

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be providing more than $300 million in grants and loans for 141 projects that will be working to improve water and wastewater infrastructures in rural communities throughout the country.

Workers dismantled a steam generator in a unit at a German plant. More than half of all the operating nuclear power reactors are more than 30 years old, according to IAEA. (Photo by H. Vanhatalo/IAEA)

IAEA Announces 2016 Decommissioning Conference

Participants will discuss challenges, achievements, and lessons learned from nuclear site decommissioning and environmental remediation projects implemented during the past decade when they meet next May in Madrid.



Two cooling towers at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

Electric Power Generation Employment Down 42 Percent 2001-2014

Employment in nuclear power was essentially flat—it rose during the period but settled at 47,413 in 2014, up by 5 percent from 45,312 in 2001.

Colorado Receives EPA Grant for Air Monitoring in Denver

Colorado Receives EPA Grant for Air Monitoring in Denver

With a $399,000 grant from the EPA, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will be able to conduct air toxics measurements in the Globeville, Elyria, and Swansea neighborhoods that are located just adjacent to the I-70/I-25 freeway interchange.

Lighting in common areas of the Pentagon has been reduced during October 2015 to weekend levels, both to cut the mammoth building

Pentagon Lights Dimmed This Month

Lighting levels in common areas throughout the mammoth building are dimmed to the level used on weekends, in order to reduce the building's monthly utility bill of about $1.5 million and to motivate the 25,000 people working there to think about their energy use and ways to be more efficient.

Klaus Reichardt says California is leading the way for the United States in terms of water conservation.

California Turns Water into a Learning Opportunity

It was recently reported that California is using 31 percent less water today than it did in 2013. When you think about it, this milestone is actually part of a number of amazing developments in reducing the state's water consumption.

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

DOJ Files BP's Settlement Agreement

The agreement exceeds $20 billion and contains billions of dollars in claim settlement funds for five states, Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced. "Once approved by the court, this agreement will launch one of the largest environmental restoration efforts the world has ever seen," she said.

Light weight and easy to handle, the CCFRPM pipe awaits installation in a remote area.

Naches-Selah Irrigation District Upgrades System

The Naches and its tributaries drain a portion of the eastern side of the Cascade Range, east of Mount Rainier and northeast of Mount Adams. In terms of discharge, the Naches River is the largest tributary of the Yakima River.

EPA Strengthens Ozone Standards

The standards will tighten the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ground-level ozone to 70 parts per billion, down from from 75 ppb, in order to protect public health. Depending on the severity of their ozone problem, areas would have until between 2020 and 2037 to meet the standards.

Green floors are growing in popularity. (Tornado Industries photo)

Changes Ahead in Flooring

While they may not necessarily find their way into industrial locations, other floor types that are becoming more common today are what we could call "green" floors, mainly because they are made from more sustainable materials.

Milwaukee

Milwaukee Treatment Plant Passes Visitor Milestone

More than 20,000 visitors have toured the Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility, which Veolia manages and operates as part of its private-public partnership with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.

Weight, design, transportability are all key factors in making the most of measurements in the field. (SPECTRO Analytical Instruments GmbH photo)

Analysis of Soil and Sewage Sludge in the Field with a Portable ED-XRF Spectrometer

Commonly accepted methods for ICP-OES analysis of soil and sludge involve sample digestion or extraction. But this is not useful for some special applications like determining the presence of antimony in soil, for example.

EPA

EPA, California Accuse VW of Clean Air Act Violations

"Our goal now is to ensure that the affected cars are brought into compliance, to dig more deeply into the extent and implications of Volkswagen's efforts to cheat on clean air rules, and to take appropriate further action," CARB Executive Officer Richard Corey said.

People living within 9 square miles surrounding a major airport are exposed to higher levels of airborne toxins.

Solutions for Airports' Emissions

Those living within the nine square miles surrounding an airport are exposed to higher levels of airborne toxins.