Pollution

"Along any busy roadway, the remnants of car exhaust hang in the air, among them nitrogen oxides and ozone. These pollutants, which are also released by many industrial facilities and power plants, float through the air for hours to years. Scientists have long known that these chemicals are harmful to human health. But now, a growing body of evidence suggests that these same pollutants also make life harder for insect pollinators and the plants that rely on them."

"In hundreds of U.S. cities and towns, extreme rainfalls are overwhelming outdated sewer systems, flooding waterways with untreated sewage."

"Tropical Storm Debby brought intense rainfall and flooding threats to North Carolina on Thursday, highlighting the vulnerability of hog lagoons and wastewater treatment plants."

"Despite aging pipes and vulnerable children, schools face no national requirement to test for lead"

"Fracking wastewater, injected underground for permanent disposal, traveled 12 miles through geological faults before bursting to the surface through a previously plugged West Texas oil well in 2022, according to a new study from Southern Methodist University."

"Patsy Hirsch and her husband moved to an Elgin subdivision nearly three decades ago, drawn by a backyard thicket of oak, hickory and cherry trees so dense the canopy blotted out the sun."

"Companies and others responsible for some of America's most toxic waste sites are using a federal health agency’s faulty reports to save money on cleanups, defend against lawsuits and deny victims compensation, a Reuters investigation found."

"Scientists believe artificial light may be affecting natural ecology of plant life by creating extended photosynthesis"

"Teton County residents have opened an additional front in their fight with Wyoming officials regarding development of state school trust land near Teton Village, this time challenging the approval of a commercial incinerator that opponents claim poses a grave health, fire and economic risk to locals."

"Oklahoma’s oil industry pays into a voluntary fund to clean up oil wells, but many drillers opt out. The money that has been refunded to these companies in recent years could have restored an estimated 1,500 orphan well sites."