The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has gotten closer to linking fracking in Wyoming with polluted underground water. There is always some possibility of hazard whenever toxic chemicals are pumped into the ground under high pressure. An extensive investigation by A. Lustgarten and N. Kusnetz for ProPublica suggests that a substantial water pollution hazard will be confirmed as testing continues. (updated) After years of complaints related to pollution and toxic air, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the EPA will be restricting the level of toxic emissions such as arsenic and mercury released into the air by utility plants.
If you are mystified by the political agenda that might lurk behind the construction of the KeystoneXL Pipeline (despite cost, the distance involved and the potential environmental risk), you might want to read an illuminating, lengthy post on the Neiman Watchdog, a website affiliated with the school of journalism at Harvard University linked above.
The recent increase in dust storms in the southwest, increasing incidences of asthmas in rural parts of those states, and concern over heavy dusting on snow in the rockies has the attention of climate researchers from the Colorado Plateau to Phoenix, reports the New York Times.
Something you might want to do if you own a private homesite is to provide a hospitable environment for birds and butterflies native to your area. Serious wildlife gardeners might opt to become certified by National Wildlife Federation.
Could we be polluting our oceans with microfibers by washing clothes? According to Conservation Magazine the answer is yes.
Conservationists have drafted guidelines that they hope will be adopted for all wind energy projects. Their goal is to minimize hazards to birds flying into 200+ foot turbines blades. According to the Los Angeles Times there has been a sizable increase in wind towers in California where Governor Brown is encouraging the expansion of alternative energy.
Seattle has banned plastic grocery bags announces the New York Times headline, but the story that follows reveals that the tug of war to select the more eco-friendly product is far from over. Manufacturers of paper, plastic and reusable totes are competing for marketshare by hyping the recyclability of their product.
Refusing to accept stimulus money to build a terminal to support fast and efficient rail transportation in Troy, MI, the city fathers appear to have taken a step backward in the effort to reduce pollution and traffic. Much like the governors of Wisconsin and New Jersey, the city rejected stimulus money adding them as a stop on a line out of Detroit. Politicians opposing the grant suggested that anything coming from Washington came with "strings." The New York Times story did not delve into the specifics of their concerns.
Thirty thousand citizens in southern China rebelled against a government plan to build a new coal-fired power plant in their manufacturing community reports Business Insider. Meanwhile Poland, according to MarketWatch.com appears to be planning a new wind farm project and The Guardian has just published news of eight new coal-fired power plants scheduled to be built in India, a country where nearly half the people live without electricity. UK journalist Terry Macallster reports their facilities are poised to contribute unwanted CO² emissions.
As the year closed a federal appeals court delayed the implementation of an EPA rule that was designed to reduce cross-state air pollution.
