EPA
As Congress tries to regulate ‘forever chemicals,’ local water systems push back
WASHINGTON — Local water utilities worried about getting hit with lawsuits and high cleanup costs are stepping up their lobbying of Congress as lawmakers move to regulate toxic chemicals found in drinking water. The bill, the PFAS Action Act of 2021, has garnered bipartisan support and two Michigan lawmakers, Reps. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat, and Fred Upton, a […]
It’s raining ‘forever chemicals’ in Cleveland. What’s being done to make Ohio water safe?
In April of this year, scientists decided to measure the healthiness of the rainwater falling over the Midwest. One of the places they measured was Cleveland, Ohio. The rain that fell on Cleveland this spring contained a surprisingly high amount of toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, according to scientists at the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition […]
U.S. Senate confirms North Carolina’s Regan as EPA chief
By Lisa Sorg, States Newsroom The U.S. Senate confirmed Michael Regan as the new EPA administrator Wednesday evening by a vote of 66-34. Regan, the outgoing Secretary of the Environment in North Carolina, is the first Black man to serve in the EPA’s top leadership role. “It’s a profound responsibility,” Sen. Tom Carper, a Delaware […]
On environmental protection, Biden’s election will mean a 180-degree turn from Trump policies
The Trump administration has waged what I and many other legal experts view as an all-out assault on the nation’s environmental laws for the past four years. Decisions at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department and other agencies have weakened the guardrails that protect our nation’s air, water and public lands, and have sided […]
Lawmakers: Trump’s environmental rollbacks threaten minority communities
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is suspending key environmental reviews during the pandemic that critics warn could further harm poor and minority neighborhoods around the country. Lawmakers and activists say the administration’s actions — meant to boost the lagging economy — could have disproportionate effects on minority communities that live near pipeline and power projects. […]
State AGs to Trump: Put the brakes on new regulations
WASHINGTON — Twenty-one attorneys general from across the country are pressing the Trump administration to freeze pending regulations so officials can focus on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The attorneys general sent a letter Tuesday to the White House Office of Management and Budget requesting that the administration cease other regulations and focus only […]
Methane pollution poses serious risks to our health
As the oil and gas industry expands rapidly in Ohio, so does the risk of methane pollution. Methane is the primary component of natural gas and is emitted at all stages of the oil and gas supply chain. The climate warming impact of methane over a 20-year period is estimated to be at least 86 […]
Trump EPA chief to Congress: Cut my funding
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler wants Congress to deeply cut funding for his own agency in the next fiscal year. The Trump administration this month asked Congress to slash the EPA’s annual budget by about $2.4 billion for fiscal 2021— that’s a 26% cut from the funding the agency received […]
Critics slam Trump attempt to overhaul bedrock environmental law
WASHINGTON — Concerned citizens and environmental activists from around the country traveled to the nation’s capital on Tuesday to blast the Trump administration’s plans to overhaul one of the nation’s bedrock environmental policy laws at a rare public hearing with administration officials. President Donald Trump last month unveiled a massive rewrite of the regulations associated […]
Saving Lake Erie from farm fertilizer runoff: Ohio’s options
Last week, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency announced via its draft 2020 water quality report that it will be developing a limit on the amount of phosphorus that can be dumped into the Lake Erie watershed. This was a big announcement for Lake Erie. Four years ago, Ohio signed a pact with Ontario and Michigan […]
Sherrod Brown pushes for action on bill that would tackle toxic chemicals in drinking water
Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is calling for U.S. Senate action on House-passed legislation that would would crack down on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of chemicals known as PFAS that are said to cause serious health problems. Brown’s call follows reports last week of PFAS chemicals found in Ohioans’ drinking water. “Ohio parents should not have […]
John Bolton, Ohio’s rivers and streams, and human trafficking
Each day in our newsletter, we are highlighting stories and commentary from other media big and small throughout Ohio and the nation. If you’d like to get this feature directly to your inbox, please sign up for our newsletter here. Catching Our Eye: Another firsthand witness. The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Michael S. Schmidt are reporting, […]