Aug 21 Trump administration plan rolls back Obama's coal emissions standards By Matthew Daly, Associated Press The Environmental Protect Agency announced late Monday that acting administrator Andrew Wheeler planned to brief the news media by telephone Tuesday on greenhouse guidelines for states to set performance standards for existing coal-fired power plants. Continue reading
Aug 14 EPA says Trump's fuel economy freeze could lead to more highway deaths By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press Internal documents show the Environmental Protection Agency privately questioned the Trump administration's finding that freezing Obama-era mileage standards would make drivers safer. Continue reading
Aug 09 EPA violated law by keeping harmful pesticide on the market, court says By Michael Biesecker, Associated Press In a split decision, the court said Thursday that Scott Pruitt, a Republican forced to resign earlier this summer amid ethics scandals, violated federal law by ignoring the conclusions of agency scientists that the pesticide chlorpyrifos is harmful. Continue reading
Aug 09 This EPA rule may expand asbestos use, and the deadline for feedback just passed By Nsikan Akpan Critics say a proposed rule would allow asbestos to make a comeback. EPA officials say it will do the opposite, filling a loophole that companies could use to manufacture asbestos. Here's what you need to know. Continue reading
Aug 05 Watch 4:01 Hundreds of toxic sites await cleanup under Superfund program By PBS News Hour In 1980, the Congress approved the Superfund program, generating money to clean up the country’s most hazardous toxic sites by imposing a tax on industries that polluted the most. Since 2000, the program’s purchasing power has declined by 40 percent… Continue watching
Aug 02 Watch 3:26 Trump administration plans rollback of fuel standards, setting up legal fight with states Over President Obama's tenure, rules were put in place that would have nearly doubled the average fuel economy standard in the U.S., which the Trump administration has argued goes too far. Now a new EPA proposal would set standards to… Continue watching
Aug 02 What Trump's plan to roll back fuel-economy standards means for your wallet and the environment By Nsikan Akpan And a look at how we got to this point. Continue reading
Jul 27 Wheeler breaks with Pruitt policy, saying EPA will enforce stricter pollution limits for glider trucks By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press Wheeler wrote in a memo that Pruitt appeared to have overstepped his authority in the July 6 order, which barred the agency from enforcing a cap imposed during the Obama administration on the annual production of higher-polluting tractor-trailers. Continue reading
Jul 19 Watchdog calls on EPA to strengthen oversight of state water systems after Flint crisis By Associated Press The EPA's Office of Inspector General says in a report that the agency must take steps now to be able to react more quickly in times of public health emergencies. Continue reading
Jul 17 EPA proposal to limit science studies draws more opposition By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press The rule would allow an EPA administrator to reject study results in making decisions about chemicals, pollutants and other health risks if underlying data is not public. Opponents said it would throw out the kind of public-health studies that underlie… Continue reading