Posts Tagged ‘Water Pollution’
EPA Helps Kentucky Roll Back Water Quality Protections
Just today, after several months of delays, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its decisions on the Kentucky Department of Water’s (DOW) amendments to the Kentucky Water Quality Regulations. Unfortunately, the EPA has approved substantive changes to the selenium freshwater chronic standard that will not adequately protect aquatic life and will be difficult, if not…
Read MoreN.C. Citizens Speak Up About Power Plant Water Pollution
By Sarah Kellogg Four out of five power plants currently have no limits on the levels of heavy metals they can dump into rivers and lakes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, however, is preparing to change that, and in the process they are hearing from impacted citizens around the country. Since June, more than 165,000…
Read MoreWorkers Exposed to Toxins at Kingston Ash Spill Cleanup
By Kimber Ray A federal lawsuit alleges that Jacobs Engineering Group knowingly exposed workers to toxic substances during cleanup of the 2008 coal fly ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tenn. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 22, claims Jacobs Engineering deliberately misrepresented the health hazards of fly ash, failed to…
Read MoreFederal Court Orders EPA to Move Forward on Coal Ash Regulations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C. – A federal judge agreed with environmental and public health groups that the Environmental Protection Agency needs to set federal regulations for the safe and proper disposal of toxic coal ash. A copy of the judge’s order can be found here: http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/RCRA_NOI_Order.pdf The groups filed the lawsuit in April 2012…
Read MoreGroups Win Latest Round in Frasure Creek Lawsuit
The lawsuits between Appalachian Voices and partners and Frasure Creek Mining read like the most complicated court crime novel, with fascinating — but slow-moving — plot twists galore. Eric Chance, AV’s water quality specialist, leads us through the latest attempts by the state of Kentucky to block environmental organizations from the proceedings.
Read MoreStudy Reveals Mountaintop Removal’s Isotopic Fingerprint
By Nolen Nychay Editorial intern, Fall 2013 Researchers at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment identified three unique isotopes, or irregularly formed elements, that seem to have a direct correlation with mountaintop removal coal mines. The isotopes identified were sulfate, strontium, and inorganic carbon — all occur naturally but are found in unusually high…
Read MoreBudget Hacks in White House Bow to Industry Pressure on Clean Water Rule
We’ve written before on the Front Porch Blog about the need to dramatically strengthen federal limits for wastewater discharges from the nation’s power plants, which account for roughly two-thirds of all toxics that wind up in America’s rivers, streams and other waters. In June, the Environmental Protection Agency, finally, issued a proposal to update the…
Read MoreHouse Votes to Block EPA on Coal Ash
This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2218, a bill that strips the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate coal ash. The bill fails to protect human health and the environment from the unsafe disposal of toxic coal ash waste. The bill’s supporters, led by bill author Rep. David McKinley (R-WV), continue…
Read MoreConcerns Grow Over the EPA’s Stance on Selenium Pollution
In February, we wrote about the new selenium water quality standards being proposed by the Kentucky Division of Water and urged concerned citizens to express their concern to the state. Now, Kentucky has gone ahead with its proposal, submitting the new standards to the EPA for review. While the EPA may deny Kentucky’s proposed standards,…
Read MoreThe Environment on The Hill: Congress Continues to Undermine Essential Protections
Yesterday was a busy day on Capitol Hill. With multiple hearings on environmental issues in the House and Senate, Congress is trying to get a lot of business done before the August recess. House Natural Resources Committee Questions OSM Director Pizarchik Joseph Pizarchik, Director of the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSM) was…
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