News & Commentary

How to Start Saving the Planet in 100 Days: the Joe Biden Edition

January 25, 2021 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Here’s what we want to see from our new president on the environmental front between now and May.

Wildfires Can Spark Widespread Contamination of Public Water Supplies

October 22, 2020 Latest NewsUnited StatesJodi Helmer

In communities devastated by fires, scientists have found extremely high levels of toxic chemicals, like benzene, in tap water.

New York State Assembly Passes Ban on Toxic Teflon Chemicals in Food Packaging

July 23, 2020 Latest NewsNew YorkCourtney Lindwall

Most Americans already have detectable levels of PFAS in their blood. Prevention through protections like these are key.

The Trump Administration Wants to Set Water Safety Back 50 Years

January 31, 2020 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

With their latest rollback, the president and the EPA chief show that they either don’t understand how water pollution works—or simply don’t care.

Why Nobody Likes Trump’s Infrastructure Plan

February 16, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

For starters: It would endanger the environment, imperil water systems and other public assets . . . and then make states pay extra for it all.

Want to Make America Great Again? Don’t Let Its People Breathe or Drink Poison.

March 10, 2017 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The cruel and un-American folly of shutting down the EPA’s environmental justice program.

Why Is it So Easy for Officials to Cover Up Drinking Water Scandals?

March 8, 2016 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Vague regulations let government officials hide drinking water contamination from the public.

Skinflints

February 17, 2016 Latest NewsFlintJeff Turrentine

The crisis in Flint reveals the dangerous downside of treating public safety as just another line item.

Watered Down

January 26, 2016 Latest NewsFlintBrian Palmer

Flint made many mistakes, but its haphazard lead monitoring system was the worst of them.

Unleaded, Please

October 9, 2015 Latest NewsFlintSusan Cosier

Toxic tap water is just not acceptable in 2015 (in Flint, Michigan, or anywhere else).

Hotter = Drier

August 19, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaBrian Palmer

A new study shows how climate change is making the California drought worse.

Up (and Down) a Creek

August 11, 2015 Latest NewsColoradoClara Chaisson

Here’s what you need to know about the EPA spilling three million gallons of wastewater into a Colorado river.

Innovation Has Not Run Dry!

July 8, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

As summer heat compounds four years of drought, Californians are coping with water shortages in some wacky and smart (and desperate) ways.

Climate Change Vs. the Blob

April 14, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaBrian Palmer

A new study says a stubborn blob of warm ocean water is exacerbating the California drought.

Off the Rails

February 17, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Oil trains keep jumping the tracks, setting towns ablaze, and contaminating water supplies. Here’s why.

Coal Miner's Slaughter

January 6, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Living in a coal town is hazardous to your health.

Stop Polluting Our Water, Ash Holes!

December 19, 2014 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

The EPA has finally set standards for hazardous coal ash pits. Too bad they’re not good enough.

The First Step Is Admitting You Have a Problem

December 5, 2014 Latest NewsUnited States

The EPA won’t acknowledge nutrient pollution from farms and sewage, because then it would have to do something about it.

Slipping Through the Cracks

November 7, 2014 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

We’re losing billions of gallons of fresh, clean water thanks to leaky pipes.

Dam Shame

November 3, 2014 Latest NewsUnited States

Five of America’s worst.