EHS Today Environment - Water
Task Force Releases Final Strategy for Reversing Deterioration of Gulf Ecosystem
The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force on Dec. 5 released its final strategy for long-term ecosystem restoration for the Gulf Coast, following extensive feedback from citizens throughout the region. ...
Clean Water Act Violations Carry Hefty Price Tag for Lafarge North America
Unauthorized stormwater discharges and other alleged violations will cost Lafarge North America Inc., a construction materials supplier, $740,000 in Clean Water Act penalties along with upwards of millions of dollars to develop and maintain a nationwide compliance program. ...
Study: Bacteria May Not Have Battled the Methane Released in BP Explosion
A new study suggests that bacteria may not, in fact, have consumed the methane released by the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion in 2010 – a finding that could have implications not only for the Gulf of Mexico’s ecosystem, but also for how scientists predict global warming effects...
April 20 Marks First Anniversary of BP Oil Spill
The April 20, 2010 explosion that rocked BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and triggered a catastrophic environmental disaster that would result in millions of barrels of oil spilling into the Gulf. On this first anniversary of the explosion, U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairman (CSB) Chairman Dr. Rafael Moure-Eraso commented on the board’s investigation surrounding the disaster...
Arsenic-Polluted Water Impacts Work Arrangements in Bangladesh
New research shows that the arsenic contamination of drinking water in Bangladesh – called the “largest mass poisoning of a population in history” by the World Health Organization and responsible for a host of slow-developing diseases – also impacts work arrangements, which creates an immediate and toxic effect on the struggling nation’s economy...
HPI Products Inc. and Owner to Pay $150,000 in Environmental Penalties
HPI Products Inc., of St. Joseph, Mo., along with an affiliated property holding corporation and the owner of both companies, have agreed to pay a total of $150,000 in civil penalties, in addition to covering undetermined cleanup costs at six of their chemical processing and manufacturing facilities, to settle a series of alleged violations of state and federal environmental laws...
Minimizing Toxic Health Effects from the Gulf Oil Spill
While oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill may have stopped gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, experts are far from finished working to anticipate, outline and minimize the disaster’s potential health risks, according to a University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health researcher involved in helping the federal government deal with the spill’s repercussions...
EPA Responds to Enbridge Kalamazoo River Spill
EPA has assumed the role of federal on-scene coordinator in response to the Enbridge oil spill in the Kalamazoo River. In that role, EPA will coordinate the response activities carried out by federal and state officials and will direct the response efforts carried out by Enbridge Inc...
CSB to Investigate Deepwater Horizon Blowout
In response to a request from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to conduct a full and thorough investigation into the causes of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Chairman John Bresland pledged to investigate the accidental chemical release that destroyed the rig – but also stressed that such an investigation may pose a challenge to the board’s resources...
Consortium to Study, Minimize Effects of Gulf Oil Spill
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is partnering with two Louisiana institutions to determine the myriad impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil discharge into the Gulf of Mexico and to devise and implement possible solutions to the disaster...
Sandy Says: Where Was BP’s Credit Check?
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is another grim reminder that due diligence on the part of government agencies is necessary when lives and the environment are at stake...
AIHce 2010: Investing in Our Future with Clean Energy
Inside a packed theater in the Colorado Convention Center, the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce) kicked off in Denver on May 24 with an opening session that featured Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who stressed that investing in clean energy is the key to protecting our communities and our future...
EPA Announces Plans to Regulate Coal Ash
On May 4, EPA announced it is proposing national rules to ensure the safe disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants...
OSHA Focuses on Safety of Oil Spill Responders
On May 3, OSHA Administrator David Michaels was on site in Louisiana with a team of hazardous materials professionals to lead an effort ensuring that cleanup workers responding to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico receive necessary protections...
EPA Launches BP Oil Spill Web Site
As part of the ongoing federal response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, EPA established a Web site on April 30 to inform the public about the spill’s impact on the environment and the health of nearby residents...
EPA Issues Mountaintop Mining Guidance to Reduce Environmental Impact
EPA has announced a set of actions to clarify and strengthen environmental permitting requirements for Appalachian mountaintop removal and other surface coal mining projects to prevent significant and irreversible damage to watersheds...
Researchers: Mountaintop Mining Poison Fish
According to a Wake Forest University biologist, dead and deformed fish indicate selenium pollution from mountaintop coal mining, which causes damage to the environment and poses public health risks...
Survey: Improved Chemical Security Makes Millions Safer
A new survey by the Center for American Progress identified 554 drinking water and wastewater plants in 47 states that have replaced extremely hazardous substances with safer and more secure chemicals or processes...
Managing Environment: Sustainability: The Water Challenge
“…Water, water, everywhere. Nor any drop to drink.” These two famous lines are from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1798). They summarize, in large part, the concern for water...
Chemical Safety Board Initiates Investigation of DuPont Facility in Belle, W.Va.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Accident Investigation Board (CSB) voted to initiate an investigation of recent accidents at the DuPont chemical complex in Belle, W.Va., following a release of highly toxic phosgene on Jan. 23 that fatally injured a veteran operator...
Groups Worldwide Remember Bhopal Disaster, Urge Dow to Clean Up Site
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal chemical disaster, thousands of supporters around the world will participate in an International Day of Action on Dec. 3 to pressure Dow Chemical, the current owner of Union Carbide, to clean up the water in Bhopal and face criminal charges in India...
Report Finds Groundwater in Bhopal Communities Is Still Polluted
Nearly 25 years after an industrial tragedy killed thousands of people in Bhopal, India, a new report from The Bhopal Medical Appeal (BMA) shows that the groundwater in surrounding Bhopal communities remains contaminated with toxic chemicals...
EPA Calls for Best Projects for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson is looking for a few good projects to fulfill the goals of President Barack Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative...
EPA Administrator Jackson Takes New Steps to Improve Water Quality
EPA is making available comprehensive reports and data on water enforcement in all 50 states...
Research Examines the Financial, Health Costs of Coal Mining
The costs of illness and premature deaths in Appalachia related to coal mining far outweigh economic benefits the industry brings to the region, said Michael Hendryx, Ph.D...
