September 18, 2020 3:08 PM EDT
Superfund sites deleted from the list during 2008-2016 are clustered in urban areas in the Midwest and the Northeast, and two sites were deleted in Puerto Rico and St Thomas (US Virgin Islands). Census tracts hosting these facilities have large percentages of people of color. In contrast, sites deleted since 2017 are located in communities with low percentages of people of color. Read more >
September 3, 2020 12:50 PM EDT
In Westlake Louisiana, near Lake Charles, a chemical manufacturing plant fire last week increased the public health threat environmental justice communities are already facing. The fire released chlorine gas into the air, leading to a ‘stay at home’ order for residents who had not evacuated in anticipation of Hurricane Laura. Because of that order, and directions to keep windows and doors closed and not use air conditioners, depending on their situations, people may have been at an increased risk of COVID-19 infection and adverse health effects from the chlorine gas, on top of the danger from Hurricane Laura. Read more >
August 13, 2020 1:30 PM EDT
Today, the EPA is finalizing rollbacks to methane standards governing oil and gas operations, dealing a major blow to climate, public health, and—oh, what’s that?—the fossil fuel lobby’s favored theory of change.
August 3, 2020 9:00 AM EDT
Suppressed studies. Muzzled scientists. Disbanded scientific advisory committees. These are some examples of the gross violations of scientific integrity that the Trump administration has carried out during its 3½ years in power. At the Union of Concerned Scientists, we have been tracking these attacks on science since day one and our tracker has now hit a new, grim milestone – the Trump administration has so far engaged in more than 150 attacks on science, far exceeding the attacks recorded during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. Read more >
July 30, 2020 12:14 PM EDT
On Monday, EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced an investigation into the so-called “SAFE” rule, which rolled back Obama-era global warming emissions and fuel economy standards and will cost both consumers and the environment. This investigation is just the latest example of the many ways in which the administration’s attempts to cut corners and ignore science are being challenged.
