EPA

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EPA Issues Strongest-Ever Car Pollution Standards
New EPA Rules Will Change
the 'Menu' for Car Buyers
THE RUNDOWN

New EPA Rules Will Change the 'Menu' for Car Buyers

But some restrictions have been loosened from last year's proposal

(Newser) - The Biden administration has finalized Environmental Protection Agency rules that usher in the "strongest-ever pollution standards for cars," according to the agency. The rules, described by the Washington Post as Biden's "most far-reaching climate regulation yet," require steep emissions cuts that will speed up the...

129K Kids in Chicago Exposed to Lead in Water
68% of Kids
in Chicago
Exposed to
Lead in Water
NEW STUDY

68% of Kids in Chicago Exposed to Lead in Water

That's 129K children under 6, researchers say

(Newser) - More than two-thirds of kids aged 5 or younger in Chicago are exposed to lead in drinking water, which can mean many harmful consequences, according to a new study. The Guardian previously analyzed 24,000 city water tests, finding water from a third of homes contained lead above 5 parts...

US Bans Last Type of Asbestos in Use Here

Chrysotile asbestos, a carcinogen, is used in bleach, brake pads, and more

(Newser) - The EPA on Monday announced a comprehensive ban on asbestos, a carcinogen that's still used in some chlorine bleach, brake pads, and other products and that kills thousands of Americans every year, per the AP . The final rule marks a major expansion of EPA regulation under a landmark 2016...

Smuggling Greenhouse Gases Is Now a Thing

Michael Hart is first in US to be hit with such a charge after alleged transport of HFCs from Mexico

(Newser) - A Southern California man was arrested Monday on suspicion of smuggling refrigerants into the US from Mexico, and federal prosecutors said he's the first person to be charged with violating regulations intended to curb the use of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The indictment alleges Michael Hart...

EPA Tightens Rules on One of Deadliest Forms of Air Pollution

It's the first time the regulations on particle matter have been changed since 2012

(Newser) - The Biden administration is setting tougher standards for deadly soot pollution, saying that reducing fine particle matter from tailpipes, smokestacks, and other industrial sources could prevent thousands of premature deaths a year, reports the AP . The Environmental Protection Agency rule finalized Wednesday is the first change to the limits in...

EPA Sets Fees to Cut Oil, Gas Industry Methane Emissions

The gas is responsible for one-third of global warming

(Newser) - With US gas and oil production at record highs, the Biden administration on Friday announced moves to counter the resulting release of methane gas. For the first time, oil and gas companies would have to pay a fee to the Environmental Protection Agency for emitting methane during production, the New ...

Food Waste Accounts for 58% of Methane in Landfills

More than 50 local officials are asking the EPA to help accelerate food scrap recycling

(Newser) - More than one-third of the food produced in the US is never eaten. Much of it ends up in landfills, where it generates tons of methane that hastens climate change. That's why more than 50 local officials signed onto a letter Tuesday calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to...

Biden Administration Weakens Wetlands Protections

Feds say SCOTUS ruling left them with no choice

(Newser) - The Biden administration weakened regulations protecting millions of acres of wetlands Tuesday, saying it had no choice after the Supreme Court sharply limited the federal government's jurisdiction over them. A new rule requires that wetlands be more clearly connected to other waters like oceans and rivers, a policy shift...

Supreme Court Limits EPA Power on Water Pollution

Majority sides with couple who sought to build home on wetlands in Idaho

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Thursday made it harder for the federal government to police water pollution in a decision that strips protections from wetlands that are isolated from larger bodies of water, per the AP . It's the second decision in as many years in which a conservative majority of...

EPA Wants End Date on Emissions From Power Plants

Supreme Court blocked attempt during Obama administration

(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency wants power plants to almost eliminate their carbon dioxide emissions, an effort blocked by the Supreme Court during President Barack Obama's administration. The Biden administration proposal, which is still being developed, probably would force fossil fuel-burning plants to capture the carbon dioxide emissions from their...

Judge Freezes Clean Water Rule in 24 States

Opponents call the federal regulation a burden on farmers and ranchers

(Newser) - A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a federal rule in 24 states that is intended to protect thousands of small streams, wetlands, and other waterways throughout the nation. US District Judge Daniel L. Hovland in Bismarck, North Dakota, halted the regulations from the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers...

'Aggressive' New Tailpipe Rule Could Boost EV Sales

EPA proposal could require up to two-thirds of new vehicles to be electric by 2032

(Newser) - The Biden administration is proposing strict new automobile pollution limits that would require up to two-thirds of new vehicles sold in the US to be electric by 2032, a nearly tenfold increase over current electric vehicle sales. The proposed regulation, announced Wednesday by the EPA, would set tailpipe emissions limits...

Another Train Flies Off the Tracks in Fiery Accident

BNSF train carrying ethanol, corn syrup derails in Raymond, Minnesota; local homes evacuated

(Newser) - A train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire in Minnesota early Thursday, and nearby residents were ordered to evacuate their homes, authorities said. The AP reports that a BNSF train derailed in the town of Raymond, roughly 100 miles west of Minneapolis, at about 1am, according to...

DDT Dumped Decades Ago Off LA Coast Is Still Potent

Broad effort tries to assess the Pacific Ocean contamination introduced decades ago

(Newser) - Research revealed this week confirmed some scientists' worst fears about the dumping of barrels of DDT off the California coast in the 1940s and '50s: Much of the banned toxic chemical remains in its most potent form. "We still see original DDT on the seafloor from 50, 60,...

EPA Downgrades Air Quality in Colorado, Forcing Changes

Tweaked gasoline blend will cost consumers more

(Newser) - After missing a deadline last summer to improve air quality, Denver and the northern Front Range of Colorado are in for tougher federal regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that the areas now are classified as "severe" violators of air standards, the Denver Post reports. Refineries will have...

Supreme Court Hands Loss to Green Advocates

Justices limit EPA's ability to limit emissions from power plants

(Newser) - In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited how the nation's main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. By a 6-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority, the court said that the Clean Air...

SCOTUS Hears Case That Could Doom Biden Climate Plan

Case against EPA could severely restrict power of federal agencies

(Newser) - The Supreme Court heard a case Monday that could end up limiting the power of the Environmental Protection Agency—and every other government agency. The court heard two hours of arguments on whether the EPA should have the authority to regulate power plants, and some members of the court's...

A Controversial Pesticide Is Banned From Food Crops

EPA prohibits use of chlorpyrifos, overruling the Trump administration

(Newser) - A long-running battle over a controversial pesticide is over—the EPA has banned the use of chlorpyrifos on food crops, reports NPR . The insecticide has been used for decades on crops, particularly soybeans, fruit trees, nut trees, broccoli, and cauliflower, per the AP . However, studies have linked it to neurological...

EPA's First Climate Update Since 2016 Is Dire

'Americans are seeing and feeling the impacts up close with increasing regularity'

(Newser) - The EPA's website dedicated to climate change indicators wasn't updated once under the Trump administration. Now, it's been given a facelift —and a disturbing one at that. The US is in unprecedented territory with the effects of climate change intensifying even since 2016, according to the...

Trump Administration Won't Tighten Air Quality Standards

EPA scientists were among the experts who wanted a change

(Newser) - Despite evidence of the harmful effects of air pollution on people with COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, the Trump administration has decided against tightening soot standards. The Environmental Protection Agency instead will lock in limits put in place by President Obama's administration in 2012 for another five years. Experts...

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