Chemicals

"A Philadelphia environmental group has filed an appeal to block a proposed $1.1 billion “advanced” plastics recycling plant in rural Pennsylvania after the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, exempted the facility from having to obtain a solid waste permit."

"The National Park Service dropped an unusual warning recently, urging visitors to stop licking toads."

"EPA coal ash regulations issued in 2015 allow polluting utilities to self-regulate. And a giant loophole exempts coal ash piles that stopped receiving coal plant waste before that year."

"For at least two days before a pipe exploded at its Texas gas export terminal, Freeport LNG had been trying to figure out what was wrong, records show. The June 8 blast forced the plant to close and took almost a fifth of U.S. liquefied natural gas exports offline."

"The amount of methane in the atmosphere is racing ahead at an accelerating pace, according to a study by the World Meteorological Organization, threatening to undermine efforts to slow climate change."

"A growing number of farms are seeking out pollinator-friendly certifications, but the two programs offering certification—run by the Xerces Society and Pollinator Partnership—are taking very different approaches."

"Dairy farmer Art Schaap had to watch his cows slowly die for over three years before the federal government paid him for the animals — contaminated with toxic “forever chemicals” from a nearby military base."

"The EPA outlined new tools and technology it plans to use to review the risks of new chemicals, part of an effort to address criticism about slow assessments, lack of transparency, and deficient consideration of potential hazards."