Environmental Health and Safety


Seabirds Study Shows Plastic Pollution Reaching Surprising Levels

Plastic pollution off the northwest coast of North America is reaching the level of the notoriously polluted North Sea, according to a new study led by a researcher at the University of British Columbia.

PHMSA Fines Enbridge Energy Record $3.7 Million

The fine announced July 2 is a civil penalty for the July 25, 2010, spill of 20,000 barrels of crude oil from a pipeline into the Kalamazoo River near Marshall, Mich.

Visibility to Improve at 18 National Parks and Wilderness Areas

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to approve Arizona’s air quality plan to control sulfur dioxide and soot at three power plants in the state.

First-Ever Changes in Exoplanet Atmosphere Detected

An international team of astronomers using data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has made an unparalleled observation, detecting significant changes in the atmosphere of a planet located beyond our solar system.

Rising Heat at the Beach Threatens Largest Sea Turtles, Climate Change Models Show

For eastern Pacific populations of leatherback turtles, the 21st century could be the last. New research suggests that climate change could exacerbate existing threats and nearly wipe out the population.

Oregon Landlord Cited for Failing to Notify Tenants of Lead Paint Hazards

The Curtis O. Baney Marital Trust of Oregon failed to notify tenants of potential lead paint risks in housing near Klamath Falls, Oregon, according to a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Study Slashes Deforestation Carbon Emission Estimate

A new study with NASA participation has sharply reduced previous estimates of how much carbon was emitted into Earth's atmosphere from tropical deforestation in the early 2000s.

U.S. Announces Clean Air Act Settlement With Wisconsin Utility

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a Clean Air Act (CAA) settlement with Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC) that will cover the utility’s three power plants in Alma and Genoa, Wis.



Dying Trees in Southwest Set Stage for Erosion, Water Loss in Colorado River

New research concludes that a one-two punch of drought and mountain pine beetle attacks are the primary forces that have killed more than 2.5 million acres of pinyon pine and juniper trees in the American Southwest during the past 15 years, setting the stage for further ecological disruption.

Half of Inhaled Soot Particles From Diesel Exhaust Gets Stuck in Lungs

The exhaust from diesel-fueled vehicles, wood fires and coal-driven power stations contains small particles of soot that flow out into the atmosphere. The soot is a scourge for the climate but also for human health.

Texarkana, Texas Receives Two Brownfields Grants Totaling $1.3 Million

At a Texarkana City Council meeting this evening, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced grant awards from the brownfields redevelopment program bringing the total to $1.3 million.

Eating Garbage: Bacteria for Bioremediation

Researchers at the University of Illinois have demonstrated that bacteria found in the dump can be used to neutralize the contaminants in the soil.

BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Worsened Marshes' Environmental Problems

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill temporarily worsened existing manmade problems in Louisiana's salt marshes such as erosion, but there may be cause for optimism, according to a new study.

Toyota to Expand Eco-Friendly Tie Up With BMW

Toyota Motor is expanding a tie-up with Germany's BMW on hybrid and fuel-cell vehicle technology as the global automakers push further into the "green" market, a report said on Monday.

Climate Change and the South Asian Summer Monsoon

The vagaries of South Asian summer monsoon rainfall impact the lives of more than one billion people.

Polyiso Insulation Reduces Carbon Dioxide Emissions by 4 Million Metric Tons Each Year

The Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA) has released a new study that analyzes and quantifies the energy and environmental contribution of polyisocyanurate insulation (polyiso) over the past 25 years.

Significant Sea Level Rise in a 2-Degree Warming World

The study is the first to give a comprehensive projection for this long perspective, based on observed sea-level rise over the past millennium, as well as on scenarios for future greenhouse-gas emissions.

Arctic Climate More Vulnerable Than Previously Thought

First analyses of the longest sediment core ever collected on land in the Arctic, published this week in Science, provide dramatic, "astonishing" documentation that intense warm intervals, warmer than scientists thought possible, occurred there over the past 2.8 million years.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Launches Interactive Website on Endangered Species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program has launched a new, web-based interactive map with information about endangered species success in every state.

EPA Announces $3 Million in Environmental Job Training Grants

Today at the Sewage and Water Board of New Orleans U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus announced that EPA is awarding $3 million to 15 grantees through the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) program.

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