Pollution

A legal case over the effects of oil sands operations in Alberta by Syncrude Canada Ltd. on ducks is shaping up to be an environmental show trial.

"Responding to reports of environmental contamination in gas drilling areas across the country, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will conduct a nationwide scientific study to determine if the problems are caused by the practice of injecting chemicals and water underground to fracture the gas-bearing rock."

"A federal judge in Houston on Tuesday shot down a mammoth $100 million December verdict against BP's Texas City refinery, cutting the award to less than half a million and dealing the British oil giant a rare legal victory as it struggles to overcome several years of problems at the plant."

"New tests show that toxic pollution from an abandoned chemical plant near Delaware City is far worse than previously believed, posing even greater future risks to drinking water in the region."

Some Canadian scientists are racing to recover phosphorus from wastewater, where it is a harmful pollutant, for use as a fertilizer, where it can help feed a growing population.

"In a move that it says will save money and is a practical strategy for monitoring the state's waterways, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has proposed loosening its water quality standards."

The failure of aging water and sewer pipes damages streets and homes and causes pollution to seep into drinking water supplies in many cities across the country. The only solution may require higher water bills for consumers.

"Facing foreclosure, Gail Litz, 61, has sued the town of Goldsboro, Caroline County and the state, seeking millions of dollars in compensation and to halt the seeping sewage that is fouling her lake and forced her to close Lake Bonnie Campsites." The Maryland Department of the Environment ordered the town to build a public sewer system or pay fines of $100 per day if it didn't meet the deadlines. "Fourteen years later, the pollution continues unchecked. No fines have been collected. The lake remains contaminated."

"A political battle is heating up between Florida and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over how best to clean up the state's polluted waters."