The Environmental Protection Agency

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The US announces the first-ever national drinking water limits on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ The Biden administration on Wednesday finalized strict limits on certain so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water that will require utilities to reduce them to the lowest level they can be reliably measured. The rule is the first national drinking water limit on toxic PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are widespread and long-lasting in the environment. Read more.

Why this matters: Such efforts followed dramatic shifts in the Environmental Protection Agency’s health guidance for PFAS in recent years. Less than a decade ago, EPA issued a health advisory that PFOA and PFOS levels combined shouldn’t exceed 70 parts per trillion. Now, the agency says no amount is safe.   Officials say these limits will reduce exposure for 100 million people and help prevent thousands of illnesses, including cancers. EPA Administrator Michael Regan says the rule is the most important action the agency has ever taken on PFAS.   Utility groups warn the rules will cost tens of billions of dollars each and fall hardest on small communities with fewer resources. While some funds are available to help utilities, legal challenges are sure to follow.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ New EPA rule says 218 US chemical plants must reduce toxic emissions that are likely to cause cancer   Fast-food wrappers that contain PFAS are no longer sold in the US, the FDA says   Court approves 3M settlement over ‘forever chemicals’ in public drinking water systems

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EPA Finalizes New Standards for Cancer-Causing Chemicals

The Environmental Protection Agency will drastically reduce cancerous air pollution from chemical plants. The regulation, announced last week, comes two years after a ProPublica analysis identified more than a thousand toxic hot spots that elevate the cancer risk of millions of Americans.

https://www.propublica.org/article/epa-finalizes-new-standards-for-cancer-causing-chemicals?

The EPA Has Done Nearly Everything It Can to Clean Up This Town. It Hasn’t Worked.

Nearly 100 people crowded into the library in Calvert City, Kentucky, in February when the Environmental Protection Agency hosted a public meeting on air pollution. Many had discovered flyers in their mailboxes explaining how the agency had found “elevated levels” of chemicals that “can pose an increased risk of cancer.”

https://www.propublica.org/article/calvert-city-kentucky-epa-pollution-westlake-sacrifice-zones?

[phkrause]

Jury: BNSF Railway contributed to 2 deaths in Montana town where asbestos sickened thousands

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A federal jury on Monday said BNSF Railway contributed to the deaths of two people who were exposed to asbestos decades ago when tainted mining material was shipped through a Montana town where thousands have been sickened.

https://apnews.com/article/buffett-railroad-trial-asbestos-montana-town-18b38ddf8ca43646b81748c5102f889f?

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Strict new EPA rules would force coal-fired power plants to capture emissions or shut down

WASHINGTON (AP) — Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

https://apnews.com/article/power-plants-coal-natural-gas-biden-epa-5c96ca146e7f70b47806beb4bc3713e6?

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EPA bans consumer use of a toxic chemical widely used as a paint stripper but known to cause cancer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it has finalized a ban on consumer uses of  methylene chloride, a chemical that is widely used as a paint stripper but is known to cause liver cancer and other health problems.

https://apnews.com/article/epa-bans-methylene-chloride-toxic-paint-stripper-2af690a9c03d514a9cb9771c82400ba3?

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Toxic Gaslighting: How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe

Kris Hansen had worked as a chemist at the 3M Corporation for about a year when her boss, an affable senior scientist named Jim Johnson, gave her a strange assignment. 3M had invented Scotch Tape and Post-­it notes; it sold everything from sandpaper to kitchen sponges. But on this day, in 1997, Johnson wanted Hansen to test human blood for chemical contamination.

https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story?

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EPA warns of increasing cyberattacks on water systems, urges utilities to take immediate action

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it issued an enforcement alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation’s drinking water.

https://apnews.com/article/water-utilities-cyberattack-epa-russia-1435b3e6a569aa046e05c7947f0a0f3d?

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Thanks to Biden’s EPA, we’re making progress on climate

The EPA is slashing carbon, soot, mercury, methane and tailpipe pollution — delivering cleaner air, healthier families and good jobs. Thank you, President Biden and EPA administrator Michael Regan for making climate — and our health — a priority.

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Solutions for Pollution are cleaning up power plants

A spate of recent actions by President Biden’s EPA are delivering cleaner air and water — and a healthier climate. It’s happening thanks to strong new standards on power plant pollution, including: Soot Carbon Mercury Coal ash Learn more.

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EPA administrator Regan is driving the clean car boom

EPA’s new clean car standard means: $6,000 in average savings for buyers by 2032. More choices for consumers. $13 billion in annual public health benefits. Prevention of 7 billion tons of pollution by 2055. Learn more about the biggest single climate rule in history.

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Wall Street Is Investing In Your Asbestos Poisoning

Private equity firms are quietly buying up a literal toxic asset: companies’ liabilities for decades of asbestos poisoning. Some Wall Street firms are scoring huge payouts to take on the hassle and financial risks of people getting sick and dying from asbestos exposure — and they can use threadbare oversight and cutthroat legal maneuvers to delay and deny these victims’ claims. 

https://www.levernews.com/wall-street-is-investing-in-your-asbestos-poisoning/

[phkrause]

Weedkiller ban

 

The EPA has issued an emergency suspension of the common weedkiller DCPA, also known as Dacthal, citing risks to unborn children. It marks the first time the agency has used its emergency suspension authority in 40 years. Dacthal is commonly applied to grasses, artificial turf, crops including strawberries, cotton and field beans and vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and onions, the EPA said. In a Tuesday news release, the agency warned that some pregnant people who handle DCPA products could be exposed to levels that are up to 20 times higher than what the EPA considers safe for unborn babies, potentially causing "irreversible lifelong health problems."

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Eight states file court brief challenging California’s electric vehicle mandate

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird led a coalition of eight state attorneys general in filing a court brief supporting Ohio’s lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over California’s electric vehicle mandates.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/08/14/eight-states-file-court-brief-challenging-californias-electric-vehicle-mandate/?

[bonnie1962]

On 8/8/2024 at 4:53 PM, phkrause said:

Weedkiller ban

 

The EPA has issued an emergency suspension of the common weedkiller DCPA, also known as Dacthal, citing risks to unborn children.

Very surprising that the liberal lefties are not whining about disinformation. Someone goofed. How can Dachal possibly risk something that is not real.  Especially in MN, our happy little governor is in favor of abortion on demand up to birth. His stance on abortion has plenty of support from "Christians"  . Can someone explain how Dacthal can cause risk to a unborn child. Or better yet, can christians  explain how they vote enthusiastically for those that know the unborn is a child but like Pilate, wouldnt  get their hands dirty and  do it themselves

 

[phkrause]

Biden EPA Rejects Plastics Industry’s Fuzzy Math That Misleads Customers About Recycled Content

The Environmental Protection Agency has taken the first ever federal action against a system that misleads consumers about the recycled content in plastic products.

https://www.propublica.org/article/epa-rejects-mass-balance-plastics-recycling-safer-choice?

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EPA Scientists Said They Were Pressured to Downplay Harms From Chemicals. A Watchdog Found They Were Retaliated Against.

Three reports issued by the agency’s inspector general detailed personal attacks suffered by the scientists — including being called “stupid,” “piranhas” and “pot-stirrers” — and called on the EPA to take “appropriate corrective action” in response.

https://www.propublica.org/article/epa-scientists-faced-retaliation-after-finding-harm-from-chemicals?

[phkrause]

Biden sets 10-year deadline for US cities to replace lead pipes nationwide

WASHINGTON (AP) — A decade after the Flint, Michigan, water crisis raised alarms about the continuing dangers of lead in tap water, President Joe Biden on Tuesday set a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace their lead pipes, finalizing an aggressive approach aimed at ensuring that drinking water is safe for all Americans.

https://apnews.com/article/lead-pipes-epa-flint-biden-wisconsin-4aae63134894762cbe904ee460e62708?

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Formaldehyde Causes More Cancer Than Any Other Toxic Air Pollutant. Little Is Being Done to Curb the Risk.

In a world flush with hazardous air pollutants, there is one that causes far more cancer than any other, one that is so widespread that nobody in the United States is safe from it.

https://www.propublica.org/article/formaldehyde-epa-trump-public-health-danger?

Formaldehyde Cancer Risk in Your Neighborhood

Formaldehyde causes more cancer than any other toxic chemical in the air. It’s emitted from cars, trucks, planes, industrial facilities and many other sources. It’s also formed in the atmosphere when other chemicals combine in the presence of sunlight. Even if you don’t live in a high-traffic or industrial area, the geography and climate of your area could increase your cancer risk from formaldehyde because of this so-called “secondary formation.”

https://projects.propublica.org/formaldehyde-cancer-risk-map/?

ps:This is one of the Organizations that the trump people want to get rid of!!!!!

[phkrause]

How Much Formaldehyde Is in Your Car, Your Kitchen or Your Furniture? Here’s What Our Testing Found.

The air was packed with savory and sweet aromas when I walked into my colleague’s Brooklyn apartment for dinner. The sizzle and pop of rice and green beans cooking on the gas stove blended with soft jazz coming from the TV. Candle flames danced and flickered.

https://www.propublica.org/article/formaldehyde-levels-in-your-home-car-furniture?

 

Cancer-causing chemicals

The EPA on Monday banned the use of two cancer-causing chemicals that activists have been targeting for decades. The ban involves trichloroethylene, or TCE, a cancer-causing chemical that is common in manufacturing and can be found in water sources around the world, as well as all consumer uses and many commercial uses of perchloroethylene, or PCE, a solvent used in industries such as dry cleaning, manufacturing and auto repair. "It's simply unacceptable to continue to allow cancer-causing chemicals to be used for things like glue, dry cleaning or stain removers when safer alternatives exist," an EPA spokesperson said. Notably, rules passed in the final days of a presidential administration are subject to the Congressional Review Act, which would allow the incoming Senate to overturn the new regulations.

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EPA head says he'll roll back dozens of environmental regulations, including rules on climate change

In what he called the “most consequential day of deregulation in American history,” the head of the Environmental Protection Agency announced a series of actions Wednesday to roll back landmark environmental regulations, including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants, climate change and electric vehicles. Read More. ps:Of course they would!!

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A breakdown of the 31 EPA deregulatory moves around water, air, climate Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin on Wednesday announced nearly three dozen deregulatory moves that he said would spur the U.S. economy by rolling back rules that have unfairly burdened industry. Many of the moves would affect landmark regulations aimed at protecting clean air and water. Read more.

What to know: The EPA will reconsider policy on topics including power plant emissions standards; toxic emission limits on power plants; wastewater rules for coal and other power plants; uses for oil and gas wastewater; petrochemical emergency planning; and greenhouse gas reporting requirements.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ EPA terminates Biden-era climate grants worth $20 billion

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⚠️ New data: Pollution hits home

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Nearly half of Americans are now exposed to potentially dangerous levels of air pollution, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes from a new report. Why it matters: The findings, which predate the current Trump administration, come as the White House is reconsidering EPA rules and regulations meant to curb pollution and promote cleaner air. ? By the numbers: Just over 156 million Americans — 46% of the population — are living in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution, per the American Lung Association's 2025 State of the Air report.

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EPA investigation

The Environmental Protection Agency suspended and plans to investigate roughly 140 employees just days after they signed a public letter expressing concern about the treatment of federal employees and the Trump administration’s regulations on climate and public health. The letter outlined five key concerns: 1. Undermining public trust 2. Ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters 3. Reversing the EPA's progress in America's most vulnerable communities 4. Dismantling the Office of Research and Development 5. Promoting a culture of fear and forcing staff to choose between their livelihood and well-being “We took an oath to support and defend the Constitution,” said one EPA employee who was placed on leave after signing the letter. “We promised to follow science and follow the law. They are trying to scare us and squash any type of resistance before it starts.”

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Emissions Rule Rollback?

The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday proposed repealing a 2009 "endangerment finding" that declared six key greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, to be a threat to public health and welfare. The regulation underpins a range of emissions standards affecting motor vehicles, power plants, and oil and gas operations.    The "endangerment finding" was established following a Supreme Court decision recognizing greenhouse gases as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. The legal foundation enabled the EPA to set emissions restrictions, including a rule finalized last year that limits tailpipe emissions from passenger cars and light trucks. The transportation sector is the largest source of US greenhouse gases (see overview).     The proposal kicks off a 90-day public comment period. Environmental advocates warn repealing the finding would undermine efforts to address climate change and increase risks to the environment by allowing higher pollution levels. Industry groups welcomed the proposed rollback, claiming annual consumer savings of up to $54B.

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EPA decides it doesn't want companies to report greenhouse gases

The EPA on Friday formally proposed ending longtime requirements for many polluters to collect and report emissions of heat-trapping gases responsible for climate change.

https://www.axios.com/2025/09/12/epa-greenhouse-gas-reporting?