"The contamination of U.S. drinking water with man-made “forever chemicals” is far worse than previously estimated with some of the highest levels found in Miami, Philadelphia and New Orleans, said a report on Wednesday by an environmental watchdog group."
As part of our “2020 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment” to help reporters track the stories coming their way this year, SEJournal Online looks ahead to major developments on the beat — from Washington, D.C. to the Arctic, from public lands to fossil fuels. We also explore pending news on transportation, agriculture, nukes, federal funding, freedom of information and even algae. Also under our gaze, key facets of the climate story. Read our overview analysis and then dive deep into the full offering of special Backgrounders, TipSheets and WatchDogs.
Despite warnings that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would be dismantled under the Trump administration, it remains very much alive, thanks to the realities of politics and litigation. Yet its staffing, enforcement and science advisory roles remain under the gun. In the latest of our Backgrounders for the “2020 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment,” we read the tea leaves on the future of the EPA.
"Trenton Water Works — a 200-year-old utility that is owned and operated by the city and serves 217,000 customers in Trenton, Hamilton, Lawrence, Ewing and Hopewell Township — plans to spend $150 million over the next five years to replace more than 36,000 lead service lines in the water system."
"Last May, an air monitor on the border of the East Coast's largest oil refinery recorded a level of cancer-causing gas more than 21 times the federal limit. In June, an explosive early-morning fire rocked the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, terrifying nearby residents."
"The cleanup of an industrial site in suburban Detroit from which contaminated water leaked last month will likely cost millions of dollars, officials of Michigan’s environmental agency said Wednesday."
"A Georgia town welcomed America's largest coal plant. Now, residents worry it's contaminating their water."
"A multi-billion dollar boom in petrochemical plants proposed along the U.S. Gulf Coast could pump as much greenhouse gas into the air as 131 coal-fired power plants by 2030, according to a study released on Tuesday by University of Texas researchers."
"Is the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load and its cleanup deadline enforceable? The answer is complicated."
"Plans to build Minnesota’s first copper-nickel mine suffered a major setback Monday when the state Court of Appeals reversed three permits issued to PolyMet Mining Corp. and kicked them back to state regulators for additional review."
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