Pollution

"The Biden administration is moving to tighten oversight of projects that benefitted from Trump-era loosened water protections, but some projects including a controversial Georgia mine will likely be able to escape new scrutiny."

"Documents reveal Georgia Power went to great lengths to advocate for risky waste storage. After a ProPublica investigation exposed this practice, the EPA is trying to block the move."

"The Interior Department has signed an agreement with several other federal agencies to organize its nationwide effort to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells."

"Pollution from plastics is a global emergency in need of a robust UN treaty, according to a report."

"The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is readying its first-ever restrictions on methane emissions and planning to press pipeline companies on the issue in the coming months, marking a significant shift for a federal agency traditionally focused on safety and oil spills."

"For Chuck McGinley, an engineer who devised the go-to instrument for measuring odors, helping people understand what they smell is serious science."

"The Supreme Court’s order yesterday blocking vaccine-or-test requirements for large employers sent a daunting message to environmental lawyers. Legal observers say the court, which is now dominated by six conservative justices, has signaled its interest in reining in the regulatory authority of federal agencies. And EPA could be next."

"The Biden administration last week quietly and abruptly announced that developers can no longer rely on decisions made under a high-profile Trump-era Clean Water Act rule about which waters are federally protected to obtain new permits."

"A severely corroded pipeline ruptured and spilled more than 300,000 gallons (1.1 million liters) of diesel fuel just outside New Orleans after the operator delayed needed repairs, according to federal records."

"Australia and New Zealand sent surveillance flights on Monday to assess damage in Tonga, isolated from the rest of the world after the eruption of a volcano that triggered a tsunami and blanketed the Pacific island with ash."