Supremely out of order: Supreme Court order on ICE guidelines violates tradition
In the span of a month, the Supreme Court overturned a half-century-old abortion right, knocked down a century-old New York concealed firearm carry law, made it much harder to hold law enforcement accountable for constitutional violations, frustrated the EPA’s ability to regulate emissions and eroded the wall between church and state, a series of activist rulings in the name of constitutional ...
news.yahoo.com‘Forever chemicals’ may have polluted 20m acres of US cropland, study says
PFAS-tainted sewage sludge is used as fertilizer in fields and report finds that about 20m acres of cropland could be contaminated A farmer harvesting soybeans on a farm near Waukegan, Illinois. Photograph: Tannen Maury/EPA About 20m acres of cropland in the United States may be contaminated from PFAS-tainted sewage sludge that has been used as fertilizer, a new report estimates. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 9,000 compounds used to make products heat-, water
news.yahoo.comTed Cruz laments angry supreme court hearings a day after angry airport fracas
Texas senator filmed becoming confrontational with airport staff after missing check-in window for flight from Bozeman, Montana The film showed the masked Cruz remonstrating with the two staff members and an armed officer. It was not possible to hear what was said. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA In Washington on Monday, the Texas senator Ted Cruz complained that supreme court confirmation hearings have become increasingly angry and confrontational. In Bozeman, Montana the previous day, however, t
news.yahoo.comThe cold, hard truth about EVs in winter
Data: Recurrent; Chart: Baidi Wang/AxiosMore Americans are opting to purchase an electric vehicle, but some EV owners are surprised to find out how much their car's driving range is compromised by winter weather. Why it matters: Getting over the hurdles of buying an EV — the higher sticker price, knowing where to charge it or the fear of getting stranded — is hard enough.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeIf your car doesn't live u
news.yahoo.comSupreme Court conservatives seem skeptical of EPA’s authority for broad emissions regulation
Some of the Supreme Court’s conservative justices seemed skeptical Monday that the Environmental Protection Agency can proceed with sweeping regulation of climate-warming emissions from the nation’s power plants without clearer authority from Congress.
washingtonpost.comAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez announces positive Covid test
Progressive congresswoman ‘experiencing symptoms’Office says political star had booster vaccine shot last year Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks in Washington. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA The Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has tested positive for Covid-19. In a statement on Sunday evening, the office of the New York progressive said she was “experiencing symptoms and recovering at home. “The congresswoman received her booster shot this fall and encourages everyone to get their b
news.yahoo.comMonsanto Successor Companies Agree to Clean Up Remaining Surface Contamination at Sauget Superfund Sites under Federal Settlement
Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia LLC, successors to Monsanto Company, will complete the cleanup of four former landfills and waste lagoons in Sauget, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. The settlement will require the companies to reimburse EPA $700,000 in past costs spent at the sites and take responsibility for implementing EPA’s cleanup plan estimated to cost $17.9 million. The hazardous waste includes toxic substances and known carcinogens, including PCBs, dioxin, lead, cadmium, benzene and chlorobenzene. The cleanup requires placing engineered caps over identified waste areas, conducting vapor intrusion mitigation and controlling access to the sites. The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.
justice.govPipeline Company Sentenced for Largest-Ever Inland Oil Spill
By law, the federal fines in this case will go to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund used to respond and clean up future oil spills. “Summit gave misleading and incomplete statements to the government about the duration and size of the spill. “Investigations revealed that the spill occurred over 143 days and released more than 29 million gallons of contaminated waters into the environment, including tributaries of the Missouri River. EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, EPA Region 8, the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, the North Dakota Industrial Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Interior and the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish provided assistance to the criminal investigation.
justice.govDecades before Steve Bannon was charged with contempt of Congress, Rita Lavelle was tried
It’s rare for the Justice Department to bring contempt charges against government officials refusing to comply with subpoenas, but it happened in the case of Rita Lavelle, a former federal environmental official under President Ronald Reagan.
washingtonpost.comLyondellBasell Companies Agree to Reduce Harmful Air Pollution at Six U.S. Chemical Plants
The settlement, announced today by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will eliminate thousands of tons of air pollution from flares. According to the complaint, the companies failed to properly operate and monitor their industrial flares, which resulted in excess emissions of harmful air pollution at five facilities in Texas and one in Iowa. Once fully implemented, the pollution controls are estimated to reduce emissions of climate-change-causing greenhouse gases, including CO 2 , methane, and ethane, by almost 92,000 tons per year. At certain facilities, Lyondell will operate flare gas recovery systems that recover and “recycle” the gases instead of sending them to be combusted in a flare. Lyondell will also perform air quality monitoring that is designed to detect the presence of benzene at the fence lines of the six covered plants.
justice.govSenator Mitch McConnell offers Democrats a short-term debt limit extension
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made an offer to Democrats Wednesday that would temporarily extend the government's borrowing ability, avoiding a default on its debts. CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang, CBS News' congressional correspondent Nikole Killion and Insider's politics reporter Oma Seddiq join "Red and Blue" anchor Elaine Quijano with the details.
news.yahoo.comEye Opener: Facebook suffers outage and allegations
Facebook is under pressure after a massive outage Monday and stunning allegations from a whistleblower set to testify on Capitol Hill. Also, the Pandora Papers reveal how the rich use American laws to hide money at everyone else's expense. All that and all that matters in today’s Eye Opener. Your world in 90 seconds.
news.yahoo.comFirestone Polymers Agrees to Settle Multiple Environmental Claims at its Louisiana Rubber Manufacturing Plant
Firestone Polymers LLC (Firestone) has agreed to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and several other federal and state environmental laws at the company’s synthetic rubber manufacturing facility in Sulfur, Louisiana. “EPA’s legal and enforcement team, working with DOJ and LDEQ, held the company accountable for reducing emissions, and won additional benefits for environmental justice communities in Southwest Louisiana with improved air monitoring systems. These penalties and the beneficial environmental project under the consent decree are the result of our efforts. Firestone will also complete a Beneficial Environmental Project in Louisiana by funding ambient air monitoring system upgrades in several locations in southwest Louisiana. The consent decree was lodged with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.
justice.govEnvironmental racism, unregulated chemicals, staffing shortages among the many challenges facing whomever Biden picks to lead the EPA in the Midwest
Candidates include Debra Shore, an elected commissioner at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, the agency that manages sewage and storm runoff in Chicago and Cook County, and Micah Ragland, a utility executive who helped lead the response to the Flint, Michigan, water crisis.
chicagotribune.comMore Florida school districts to require masks in battle against governor’s order
At least seven districts, accounting for more than a million students, are in defiance of DeSantis’s order banning mask mandatesFDA gives full approval to Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19 The first day of school at Barbara Goleman Senior High School in Miami Lakes, Florida on Monday. Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA Florida’s battle over school mask mandates has reached the governor’s doorstep after education leaders in the state capital, Tallahassee, became the latest to defy Ron DeSantis’s ban. Ro
news.yahoo.comParts of the US are getting dangerously hot. Yet Americans are moving the wrong way
As the climate changes, census data shows that Americans are shifting from safer areas of the US to the regions most at risk of heating and flooding Lake Mead, the United States’ largest reservoir, is at the lowest levels ever recorded. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA Science has provided America with a decent idea of which areas of our country will be most devastated by climate change, and which areas will be most insulated from the worst effects. Unfortunately, it seems that US population flows ar
news.yahoo.comJustice Department and EPA Reach Clean Air Act Settlement with Advanced Flow Engineering for Selling Defeat Devices
The complaint, filed simultaneously with the settlement, alleges that aFe’s manufacture and sale of these parts violate the Clean Air Act. “The increased particulate matter and NOx pollution stemming from defeat devices threatens the health of everyone, especially those with pre-existing health conditions, children and older adults. We also know that air pollution can lead to worse outcomes from COVID-19. Stopping the sale and use of defeat devices will help reduce harmful air pollution that exacerbates the health effects of pollutant exposures. To learn more, visit: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-compliance-initiative-stopping-aftermarket-defeat-devices-vehicles-and-enginesIf you suspect someone is manufacturing, selling or installing illegal defeat devices, or is tampering with emission controls, tell the EPA by writing to tampering@epa.gov.
justice.govThe delta variant can reinfect you – but the chances of that happening are very small
With nine in 10 adults in England now carrying antibodies against Covid, and infections seemingly in retreat, it would be tempting to think the country's epidemic is all but over. Yet there is growing evidence that the delta variant is far better than previous strains at reinfecting people who have previously had the virus or been double jabbed. On Friday, Public Health England (PHE) upgraded its risk assessment for reinfection after a natural infection from amber to red, warning that the delta
news.yahoo.comWhy dogs are man's best friend – they were born to understand us
An unspoken bond of understanding exists between a dog and its owner and is unlike anything else in the natural world, scientists have found. A study has proved that dogs are genuinely in tune with human emotions, feelings and movements in a way no other species can mirror and have this ability at birth. The only attributable explanation, researchers say, is the development of a unique bond between the two species carved from more than 10,000 years of domestication. Scientists have long studied
news.yahoo.comAustralian man goes on hunger strike after mother dies while he was stuck in hotel quarantine
An Australian man whose mother died while he was in a hotel quarantine has gone on hunger strike to draw attention to the impossible situations facing people who seek exemptions from Covid restrictions on compassionate grounds. James Turbitt, who lives in Belgium, made an emergency dash home last week after he learned his 62-year-old mother was in hospital in Perth, Western Australia. But the only flight available was to Melbourne, on the other side of the country. So he asked authorities if he
news.yahoo.comExclusive: ‘Risk-averse’ NHS 111 algorithm piling pressure on ambulances
NHS 111 is piling the pressure on ambulances because medically untrained call handlers and "risk-averse" algorithms are sending paramedics to patients suffering with minor ailments such as period pain. Patients struggling to get through to GPs are instead ringing 111, which uses an algorithm – a series of questions – to identify what is wrong with a patient and where to direct them. Emergency doctors have warned that callouts for ambulances are up "20 to 30 per cent" up on normal, at a time when
news.yahoo.comEdmunds puts Tesla's range to the test
This undated photo by Edmunds shows five electric vehicles at a test track in the Mojave Desert, in California, undergoing testing for maximum range. A CHALLENGE FROM TESLAThe lackluster results prompted the automaker to reach out to the Edmunds test team. Once each vehicle’s range estimate indicated zero miles, we measured how far it could go before coming to a complete stop. AdEDMUNDS SAYS: Edmunds’ EV range test isn’t meant to be the definitive word on a vehicle’s range but rather a real-world complement to the laboratory-based EPA testing. We’ll continue to test to an indicated zero because we’d never advise customers to rely on the unpredictable buffer range.
Report: Advocacy group also hunting for source of unpleasant odor in Brunswick
BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division isn’t the only agency investigating the source of an unpleasant odor in Brunswick. Glynn Environmental Coalition, an environmental advocacy group, told the Brunswick News that citizens deserve an answer, and the GEC hopes to be able to provide one if the EPD can’t. Georgia’s EPD has received dozens of odor complaints throughout Glynn County since early December. AdThe GEC said it has launched a separate investigation into the source of the smell -- one that parallels the state’s investigation. Executive Director Rachael Thompson said the group will be looking into dew point as well as odor complaints and weather data, the Brunswick News reported.
What’s that smell? Unpleasant odor wafts through Brunswick
This map shows some of the odor complaints received by the state. In fact, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division has received dozens of odor complaints throughout Glynn County since early December. Dispatch logs show one person called last month about an odor “coming into her home, making her sick,” while others have reported smelling gas. While the Environmental Protection Division has yet to identify the source of the odor, Thompson said it is important that regulators get to the bottom of the issue once and for all. Title V permitsBased on some complaints, Thompson said, there has been speculation about the smell coming from an industrial plant nearby.
Study: Chipotle bowls contain cancer-linked chemicals
Joe Raedle/Getty Images(CNN) - The bowls at Chipotle have become a staple for the restaurant, but a new report is drawing some big concerns about them. The New Food Economy says it found the fiber bowls are exposed to chemicals that can lead to cancer. The study says the bowls are treated with "PFAS," also called forever chemicals. It helps bowls hold hot, wet, and greasy food. The chemicals also seep into the soil as the bowls break down, leading to toxic compost.