[Source: Phys.Org] A peer-reviewed study by scientists at the Environmental Working Group estimates that more than 200 million Americans could have the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS in their drinking water at a concentration of 1 part per trillion, or ppt, or higher. Independent scientific studies have recommended a safe level for PFAS in Read More…
Category: U.S. News
White House speeds environmental rollbacks ahead of election
[Source: Forbes] The Wall Street Journal reports the Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to finalize new rules this week rescinding Obama-era regulations of methane gas emissions for oil-and-gas producers, as the Trump administration continues its systematic rollback of environmental regulations—which is reportedly speeding up ahead of November before a Democratic administration potentially takes over. The Read More…
Analysis of renewable energy points policy makers to path toward more affordable and reliable carbon-free electricity
[Source: Caltech News] As more states in the U.S. push for increased reliance on variable renewable energy in the form of wind or solar power, long-term energy storage may play an important role in assuring reliability and reducing electricity costs, according to a new paper published by Caltech researchers. Graduate student Jackie Dowling, who works Read More…
COVID-19 and a new hire’s expired identity document
[Source: CalChamber] We just hired an employee who doesn’t have a current identity document. Her driver license expired on April 1, and she says that she hasn’t been able to renew it due to COVID-19. Can we hire her? Yes. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a temporary policy beginning on May 1, 2020, that Read More…
U.S. EPA proposing first-ever airplane emissions standards
[Source: Reuters] The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday announced it was proposing the first U.S. emissions standards for commercial aircraft. In 2016, the U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) agreed on global airplane emissions standards aimed at makers of small and large planes, including Airbus SE and Boeing Co., which both backed the standards. Read More…
Trump looks to scale back environmental reviews for projects
[Source: Associated Press] President Donald Trump is ready to roll back a foundational Nixon-era environmental law that he says stifles major infrastructure projects, but that environmentalists say has served for decades as a safeguard for low-income and minority communities. Trump was traveling to Atlanta on Wednesday to formally announce changes to the National Environmental Policy Read More…
As EPA steps back, states face wave of requests for environmental leniency
[Source: NPR] Some of the country’s most polluting industries have flooded state regulators with requests to ease environmental regulations, according to an NPR review of hundreds of state environmental records. Companies across the country say the pandemic is interfering with their ability to comply with laws that protect the public from pollution. State environmental authorities Read More…
US economy could take nearly a decade to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, according to the CBO
[Source: Business Insider] It could take the US economy nearly 10 years to recover from fallout stemming from the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns to curb the spread of disease, the Congressional Budget Office said Monday. The CBO now projects that over the 2020-2030 period, cumulative nominal output will be $15.7 trillion less than it previously Read More…
CBO projects virus impact could trim GDP by $15.7 trillion
[Source: Associated Press] The Congressional Budget Office said Monday that the U.S. economy could be $15.7 trillion smaller over the next decade than it otherwise would have been if Congress does not mitigate the economic damage from the coronavirus. The CBO, which had already issued a report forecasting a severe economic impact over the next Read More…