• Oregon Companies Settle with EPA for Illegal Disposal of Millions of Pounds of Reactive Hazardous Waste

    (SEATTLE - December 17, 2013) – Oregon Metallurgical of Albany, Ore. and TDY Industries of Millersburg, Ore. have agreed to pay a combined total of $825,000 in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations related to improper storage, transportation, and disposal of anhydrous magnesium chloride, a…

  • EDF Goes to Court to Defend the Mercury and Air Toxics Rule

    By Pamela Campos Last week, at the same time that the Supreme Court was considering states’ good neighbor obligations to protect  the health of residents in downwind states by controlling pollution from sources within their own states, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit was hearing…

  • Free “Green” Apps

    By Athena Motavvef I’m a college student who is always on the go, so being able to quickly pull out my smartphone to access e-mail, weather information, or the latest news is really helpful. As a regular user of apps and an intern with EPA’s Office of Public Engagement, I became interested in…

  • Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival celebrates its 66th year

    By Philip Russo, Plaquemines Parish Outreach Coordinator, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign During the first weekend in December, local residents and tourists alike celebrated the bounty of Plaquemines Parish’s cultural and economic successes at the 66th annual Plaquemines Parish Fair…

  • Latest Mississippi River Delta News: Dec. 17, 2013

    Nature has a role to play in coastal protection By Steve Cochran, Letter to the Editor, The Washington Post. Dec. 15, 2013. “Regarding the Dec. 9 news article “Study says U.S. can’t keep up with loss of its wetlands”: Last year, as part of ongoing efforts to reverse losses in the Mississippi…

  • It’s a generational thing: Evidence grows that environmentally induced epigenetic changes can be passed down from one generation to the next

    By Richard Denison Richard Denison, Ph.D. , is a Senior Scientist. We’ve blogged here before about the growing evidence that environmental exposures can cause changes in gene expression – not to be confused with mutations, which are changes in the DNA itself.  We’ve noted that these changes…

  • Decade of Sustainable Energy for All

    NEW YORK, NY — The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared the decade 2014-2024 as the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, underscoring the importance of energy issues for sustainable development and for the elaboration of the post-2015 development agenda. In adopting the…

  • A New Tradition for Holiday Lights

    Each Monday we write about the New England environment and way of life seen through our local perspective. Previous posts By Amy Miller It’s that wonderful time of year again. Along the country roads and city streets of New England, our real-life world of brown leaves, brown grass and gray skies…

  • Jesus! It Is Snowing In Jerusalem

    The worst snowstorm in decades hit the Middle East. It is the worst snow storms since 1953. “For the hundreds of thousands of refugees in Lebanon, as well as those in neighboring countries and the displaced in Syria, a storm like this creates immense additional hardship and suffering,” Amin…

  • Electronic Monitoring and Accountability in the Chesapeake Proves Effective

    Discussion about innovation, trends and shortfalls in fisheries monitoring tends to focus on large, off-shore fisheries in New England, Alaska and the Pacific.  Those regions are home to multi-species fisheries, with complex biological interactions, and are targeted by large boats that result in…

  • My Confidence in Future Young Scientists

    Crossposted from “It’s All Starts with  Science” By Thabit Pulak I watched as the young students of Magnet Science and Technology Elementary poured the sand and rocks into their soda bottles. The kids were learning how sand water filters work, and making their own mini versions of the filter.…

  • New study looks at groundwater transport flows and their effects on estuaries in the Mississippi River Delta

    By Alisha A. Renfro, Coastal Scientist, National Wildlife Federation Estuaries are some of the productive – and in many ways, some of the most complex – ecosystems in the world. The abundance and distribution of fish and wildlife within an estuary largely depends on the amount, location and…

  • New York Scales Up Solar Energy

    By Rory Christian New York Governor Cuomo announced last week that the NY-Sun Initiative , a public-private partnership launched last year to spur growth in solar energy, will provide an additional $30 million to stimulate more large solar and biogas projects in the New York City area. The move…

  • Latest Mississippi River Delta News: Dec. 13, 2013

    Design competition solicits ideas for Louisiana's waterways By Diane Mack and BobMarshall, WWNO (New Orleans, La.). Dec. 13, 2013. “An international design competition is offering $400,000 for ideas about how to improve Louisiana's waterways. The Changing Course" design contest is…

  • Survey Highlights Public Trust in Companies Addressing Climate Change

    By Tom Murray For nearly 25 years, EDF has been working with the country’s leading businesses – McDonalds, FedEx, Walmart, and others – to improve efficiency, reduce pollution, and drive business value.  Together we have proven that environmental strategy is good business strategy. Now, a…

  • The Winning Trilogy to California's Climate Approach: Research, Reduce and Adapt

    By Erica Morehouse Nirvana, Lord of the Rings movies and a tasty BLT. Great things seem to come in threes – and California’s vigilant efforts to combat climate change are no exception. With this week’s release of a major climate adaptation plan draft from California's Natural Resources…

  • Broad Coalition Presents Case for Clean Air to the Supreme Court

    By Graham McCahan The U.S. Supreme Court just heard arguments in a case over the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) critically important Cross-State Air Pollution Rule . The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule would clean up the pollution from power plant smokestacks across the eastern U.S. that…

  • Internship: Communications Intern, Mississippi River Delta, Environmental Defense Fund

    With world attention focused on both the environment and the economy, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is where policymakers and business leaders turn for win-win solutions. This leading green group, with programs from Boston to Beijing, has tripled in size over the past decade by focusing on strong…

  • EPA Provides Updated Guidance to Schools on PCB-containing Lighting Fixtures

    (New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing important guidance to school administrators and maintenance personnel on how to properly maintain and manage fluorescent lighting with ballasts that contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Many older ballasts contain PCBs that…

  • Fuel Economy of New Vehicles Sets Record High /
    • Oregon Companies Settle with EPA for Illegal Disposal of Millions of Pounds of Reactive Hazardous Waste

      (SEATTLE - December 17, 2013) – Oregon Metallurgical of Albany, Ore. and TDY Industries of Millersburg, Ore. have agreed to pay a combined total of $825,000 in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations related to improper storage, transportation, and disposal of anhydrous magnesium chloride, a…

    • EDF Goes to Court to Defend the Mercury and Air Toxics Rule

      By Pamela Campos Last week, at the same time that the Supreme Court was considering states’ good neighbor obligations to protect  the health of residents in downwind states by controlling pollution from sources within their own states, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit was hearing…

    • Free “Green” Apps

      By Athena Motavvef I’m a college student who is always on the go, so being able to quickly pull out my smartphone to access e-mail, weather information, or the latest news is really helpful. As a regular user of apps and an intern with EPA’s Office of Public Engagement, I became interested in…

    • Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival celebrates its 66th year

      By Philip Russo, Plaquemines Parish Outreach Coordinator, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign During the first weekend in December, local residents and tourists alike celebrated the bounty of Plaquemines Parish’s cultural and economic successes at the 66th annual Plaquemines Parish Fair…

    • Latest Mississippi River Delta News: Dec. 17, 2013

      Nature has a role to play in coastal protection By Steve Cochran, Letter to the Editor, The Washington Post. Dec. 15, 2013. “Regarding the Dec. 9 news article “Study says U.S. can’t keep up with loss of its wetlands”: Last year, as part of ongoing efforts to reverse losses in the Mississippi…

    • It’s a generational thing: Evidence grows that environmentally induced epigenetic changes can be passed down from one generation to the next

      By Richard Denison Richard Denison, Ph.D. , is a Senior Scientist. We’ve blogged here before about the growing evidence that environmental exposures can cause changes in gene expression – not to be confused with mutations, which are changes in the DNA itself.  We’ve noted that these changes…

    • Decade of Sustainable Energy for All

      NEW YORK, NY — The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared the decade 2014-2024 as the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, underscoring the importance of energy issues for sustainable development and for the elaboration of the post-2015 development agenda. In adopting the…

    • A New Tradition for Holiday Lights

      Each Monday we write about the New England environment and way of life seen through our local perspective. Previous posts By Amy Miller It’s that wonderful time of year again. Along the country roads and city streets of New England, our real-life world of brown leaves, brown grass and gray skies…

    • Jesus! It Is Snowing In Jerusalem

      The worst snowstorm in decades hit the Middle East. It is the worst snow storms since 1953. “For the hundreds of thousands of refugees in Lebanon, as well as those in neighboring countries and the displaced in Syria, a storm like this creates immense additional hardship and suffering,” Amin…

    • Electronic Monitoring and Accountability in the Chesapeake Proves Effective

      Discussion about innovation, trends and shortfalls in fisheries monitoring tends to focus on large, off-shore fisheries in New England, Alaska and the Pacific.  Those regions are home to multi-species fisheries, with complex biological interactions, and are targeted by large boats that result in…

    • My Confidence in Future Young Scientists

      Crossposted from “It’s All Starts with  Science” By Thabit Pulak I watched as the young students of Magnet Science and Technology Elementary poured the sand and rocks into their soda bottles. The kids were learning how sand water filters work, and making their own mini versions of the filter.…

    • New study looks at groundwater transport flows and their effects on estuaries in the Mississippi River Delta

      By Alisha A. Renfro, Coastal Scientist, National Wildlife Federation Estuaries are some of the productive – and in many ways, some of the most complex – ecosystems in the world. The abundance and distribution of fish and wildlife within an estuary largely depends on the amount, location and…

    • New York Scales Up Solar Energy

      By Rory Christian New York Governor Cuomo announced last week that the NY-Sun Initiative , a public-private partnership launched last year to spur growth in solar energy, will provide an additional $30 million to stimulate more large solar and biogas projects in the New York City area. The move…

    • Latest Mississippi River Delta News: Dec. 13, 2013

      Design competition solicits ideas for Louisiana's waterways By Diane Mack and BobMarshall, WWNO (New Orleans, La.). Dec. 13, 2013. “An international design competition is offering $400,000 for ideas about how to improve Louisiana's waterways. The Changing Course" design contest is…

    • Survey Highlights Public Trust in Companies Addressing Climate Change

      By Tom Murray For nearly 25 years, EDF has been working with the country’s leading businesses – McDonalds, FedEx, Walmart, and others – to improve efficiency, reduce pollution, and drive business value.  Together we have proven that environmental strategy is good business strategy. Now, a…

    • The Winning Trilogy to California's Climate Approach: Research, Reduce and Adapt

      By Erica Morehouse Nirvana, Lord of the Rings movies and a tasty BLT. Great things seem to come in threes – and California’s vigilant efforts to combat climate change are no exception. With this week’s release of a major climate adaptation plan draft from California's Natural Resources…

    • Broad Coalition Presents Case for Clean Air to the Supreme Court

      By Graham McCahan The U.S. Supreme Court just heard arguments in a case over the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) critically important Cross-State Air Pollution Rule . The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule would clean up the pollution from power plant smokestacks across the eastern U.S. that…

    • Internship: Communications Intern, Mississippi River Delta, Environmental Defense Fund

      With world attention focused on both the environment and the economy, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is where policymakers and business leaders turn for win-win solutions. This leading green group, with programs from Boston to Beijing, has tripled in size over the past decade by focusing on strong…

    • EPA Provides Updated Guidance to Schools on PCB-containing Lighting Fixtures

      (New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing important guidance to school administrators and maintenance personnel on how to properly maintain and manage fluorescent lighting with ballasts that contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Many older ballasts contain PCBs that…

    • Fuel Economy of New Vehicles Sets Record High / Fuel Economy Gains to Continue Under President Obama’s Clean Car Programs

      WASHINGTON – Today, EPA issued its annual report that tracks the average fuel economy of vehicles sold in the United States. The report shows that model year 2012 vehicles achieved an all-time high fuel economy of 23.6 miles per gallon (mpg). This represents a 1.2 mpg increase over the previous…

    Fuel Economy Gains to Continue Under President Obama’s Clean Car Programs

    WASHINGTON – Today, EPA issued its annual report that tracks the average fuel economy of vehicles sold in the United States. The report shows that model year 2012 vehicles achieved an all-time high fuel economy of 23.6 miles per gallon (mpg). This represents a 1.2 mpg increase over the previous…