December 9, 2024

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international treaty on plastic pollution wrapped up its fifth session, known as INC-5, on 1 December without reaching agreement. 
Just another UN failure...

December 2, 2024

In Iran, “according to statistics, about 40,000 people fall victim each year due to air pollution and $12 billion in damage is inflicted on the country," Tasnim News Agency reported Health Minister Mohammadreza Zafarghandi saying on Friday.   Air pollution was one of the health concerns discussed at a meeting of the Academy of Medical Sciences on Friday, attended by Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.

November 25, 2024

In Houston after months of investigation in the Fifth Ward, one part of the study done by Union Pacific and the Environmental Protection Agency say there are no toxic levels of chemicals in the area where a cancer cluster was identified years ago. Fifth Ward residents are very frustrated with these findings considering they say they’ve been searching for answers for years. The cancer cluster was officially identified back in 2019, but they say it dates back decades.

November 18, 2024

Pennsylvania and other states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed are unlikely to meet their 2025 pollution commitments to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution

November 11, 2024

UN climate summits are at risk of “undue corporate influence" and "fossil fuel industry capture”, two corruption watchdogs warned, as oil and gas producer Azerbaijan prepares to host the Cop29 in November.

November 4, 2024

    . A New York judge criticized state Attorney General Letitia James’ pollution lawsuit against PepsiCo as “predatory” in his ruling to dismiss the state's 2023 complaint, which targeted the beverage giant’s supposed role in the pollution of the Buffalo River.  The attorney general’s office conducted a study which found that more than 17% of the trash in the Buffalo River came from PepsiCo products. By its count, the next highest contributor was McDonald’s at 6%.   But New York Supreme Court Justice Emitio Colaiacovo found that James ultimately failed to show that PepsiCo should have warned customers about the risks of the plastics found in its packaging, ruling that company had “no duty” to do so.  “There is no duty to warn of an obvious danger of which the product user is actually aware or should be aware as a result of ordinary observation or as a matter of common sense,” Colaiacovo wrote in a 19-page decision

October 28, 2024

DC's Office of the Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit against Fort Myer Construction Corporation on Oct. 17 for repeated violations of the District’s Water Pollution Control Act.

October 21, 2024

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a Biden administration regulation aimed at limiting pollution from coal-fired power plants to remain in place as legal challenges play out. The justices rejected a push to block the Environmental Protection Agency rule, marking the third time this month the majority has left an environmental regulation in place for now. One justice, Clarence Thomas, dissented....

October 14, 2024

The United States Supreme Court will not hear an emergency appeal effort by power plant owners and utility companies that had begged the high court to halt new pollution rules set out by the Biden administration and EPA.  In a one-page order, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts declined to hear the case, essentially leaving in place new toxic air pollution standards that will fall heavily on Montana’s Colstrip plant.

October 7. 2024

Neighbors of Bitcoin Mine in Texas File Nuisance Lawsuit Over Noise Pollution The incessant humming sound from thousands of fans cooling off computers that mine Bitcoin has enraged the community.

September 30, 2024

"As Azerbaijan readies to host the United Nations COP29 climate talks, residents near the capital, Baku, say oil pollution is posing a toxic hazard. The country's fossil-fuel resources have made it a leading player on the international market but people who live near the rigs complain that oil spills are ignored while state officials focus on promoting the country as a clean, thriving economy. "

September 23, 2024

In Houston, Texas the liquid natural gas pipeline fire in La Porte near Deer Park has been continuously burning and despite some officials stating that there's no air quality risk, some experts said it might lead to some air pollution...

September 16, 2024

The Black Warrior Riverkeeper and Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP), represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), are filing a lawsuit against Bluestone Coke. The environmental groups allege the company is in violation of the Federal Clean Water Act.

September 9, 2024

Riverkeeper in a swing states: The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper has sued the city of Atlanta for allegedly polluting the Chattahoochee River. The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper says the Clayton Water Facility is discharging illegal levels of pollution. In March of this year, E.coli bacteria in the river was traced back to the facility. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Executive Director Jason Ulseth says the city of Atlanta has allowed operational and maintenance failures at the facility to compound over time, failing to follow through on even the most basic equipment repairs.

September 2, 2024

A former landfill at the Jersey Shore with an already controversial past has been hit with a new $297,000 fine by New Jersey regulators.  The July violation against the owner of Aeromarine — Bayridge Realty Corporation — was issued after inspections showed the facility was not properly closed and improper access was provided to the property, according to a penalty notice

August 26, 2024

Counting the costs: there is anger over the Biden administration’s embrace of carbon capture and storage technology, which collects planet-warming carbon dioxide from industrial smokestacks so it can be stored, often in underground wells. Several activists said this can extend the life of dirty facilities because it opens the door for plant operators to argue they are climate-friendly. Meanwhile, their emissions continue to harm those nearby

August 19, 2024

A new study examined the climate effect of the mandated reduction of sulfur in ship exhaust emissions globally since 2020, and it suggests that the shipping regulation has reduced how much light is being reflected back into space, which has likely contributed towards the record warming over the last few years.  International shipping, while invisible to most of us, has a large impact on climate and air quality. There are nearly 100,000 large ships within the global commercial fleet, accounting for over 90% of international trade. Traditionally, ships have burned dirty, high sulfur fuel that emitted large quantities of sulfur gas and aerosol.

August 12, 2024

The New York City subway system is exposing commuters to toxic air that far exceeds health recommendations, a new study has found, with African Americans and Latinos disproportionately impacted

August 5, 2024

Jersey connections: protest at Formosa Plastics’ American headquarters in Livingston NJ led to the arrests of six people on August 2. Formosa Plastics has raised the ire of protesters hoping to bring more attention to the company’s history of pollution in Texas, Louisiana and Vietnam.

July 29, 2024

On July 25 at the UN, hypocritical SG Antonio Guterres intoned, "Extreme heat is having an extreme impact on people and planet.  The world must rise to the challenge of rising temperatures.  Thank you."

Then he flew off to Paris, and then who knows where else, on undisclosed publicly funded vacation. From those allowed in (Inner City Press is banned), now questions, only "Mr. Secretary-General, thank you very much on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association for doing this briefing."

July 22, 2024

Noting the plan to build a fourth power plant in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey, has been approved by the administration of Governor Phil Murphy, despite opposition from community groups who claim the project would worsen pollution in the area.  Environmentalists and community activists have put pressure on Murphy to halt construction of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission facility, which will provide backup electricity in the event of a power outage. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s compromise would permit PSVC to construct the Ironbound power plant, but only if it could be used in the event of a power outage

July 15, 2024

Marathon Oil Co., which is in deal to be bought by ConocoPhillips in $22.5 billion all-stock deal, has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Government regulators and to pay $241.5 million in penalties over climate- and health-harming emissions in North Dakota.

July 8, 2024

South Carolina environmental groups are suing a Columbia manufacturer for allegedly pumping dangerous "forever chemicals" into the Saluda River, threatening drinking water supplies used by West Columbia and Cayce

July 1, 2024

Water pollution levels in Paris’s River Seine remain much higher than allowed for bathing, data showed on Friday, one month before the Olympics in which the capital’s landmark waterway is meant to be one of the swimming venues

June 24, 2024