rssPosts by Eartha Jane Melzer
Petition asks EPA to regulate fracking chemicals
In a petition filed on behalf of 114 state and national groups, the environmental law firm EarthJustice is urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require natural gas drilling companies to disclose the chemicals they use.
Exxon now acknowledges ruptured pipeline in Yellowstone River transports tar sands
Though Exxon Mobil initially insisted that the pipeline that ruptured and spilled into Montana’s Yellowstone River this month carried only low sulfur crude from Wyoming, the company has now acknowledged that the pipeline is used to transport tar sands crude from Alberta.
ICE misses deadline for report on allegations of racial profiling and abuse by agents
In April U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton met with community groups in Detroit, promising to investigate reports of racial profiling and abuse by agents in the Detroit field office and issue a report within 30 days. This deadline has now passed with no indication as to when or how the agency will formally respond to concerns about unjust and violent immigration enforcement practices.
Michigan announces new transparency measures for fracking
Natural gas companies will be required to document their water use and regulators will publish some information about the chemicals used in the fracking process under rules announced Wednesday by the state Dept. of Environmental Quality.
Congressional report: Cutting oil company tax breaks is unlikely to affect consumers
Opponents of ending tax breaks for big oil companies argue that closing tax loopholes will result in higher prices at the pump, but a report from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service finds that ending the tax breaks is unlikely to cause a rise in prices.
Homeland Security: America is unprepared for nuclear emergency
The nation’s public health systems are ill-equipped to deal with a major nuclear emergency according to a 2010 analysis by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security.
U.S. Senate defeats amendments to limit EPA powers
The Senate has rejected a Republican amendment that would have blocked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
Critics say EPA radiation monitoring system not adequate
Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s network of radiation monitors does not reach the public quickly and some monitors are not functional, critics say.
FRAC Act could leave some rural wells unprotected
Legislation to restore federal regulation of fracking would not protect households that draw water from private wells because such wells are not overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, fracking opponents warned this week.
EPA finds radioactive iodine in rainwater in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Sunday that it has found radioactive iodine in rainwater water in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts at levels higher that those considered safe in drinking water.
