Chemicals

"Utility officials in Maine and elsewhere around the country are developing first-of-their-kind plans to eliminate toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” from sewage sludge spread as fertilizer on farmland."

"The outcome of a Chemours Co. lawsuit challenging a PFAS health advisory the EPA set for drinking water could affect cleanups, public health, and regulatory processes, attorneys said in recent interviews. The lawsuit focuses on a particular PFAS used to make a type of chemical, perfluoroalkoxy alkanes (PFA), important to the semiconductor industry."

"SATARTIA, Miss. – On Feb. 22, 2020, a clear Saturday after weeks of rain, Deemmeris Debra'e Burns, his brother and cousin decided to go fishing. They were headed home in a red Cadillac when they heard a boom and saw a big white cloud shooting into the evening sky."

"Texas officials have vowed to oppose federal regulations aimed at reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations. But the report says plugging leaks and upgrading wells is poised to be a big business in the Lone Star State."

"Fracking companies used 282 million pounds of hazardous chemicals that should have been regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act from 2014 to 2021."

"Methane emissions from landfills—one of the largest sources of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions—could be reduced through stronger regulations and better emissions monitoring, according to a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project, an environmental organization based in Washington."

"The Biden administration is moving to close a loophole that had exempted hundreds of inactive coal ash landfills from rules designed to prevent heavy metals like mercury and arsenic from seeping into groundwater, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday."

"Residents of communities with bigger Black and Hispanic populations are more likely to be exposed to harmful levels of “forever chemicals” in their water supplies, a new study has found."

"It is one of the defining competitions of our age: The countries that can make batteries for electric cars will reap decades of economic and geopolitical advantages. The only winner so far is China."

"Global plastic pollution could be slashed by 80% by 2040, according to a report from the UN Environment Programme (Unep). The changes needed are major, but are also practical and affordable, the agency said."