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UrduToday, October 8, the Biden-Harris Administration issued a final rule requiring drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements also require more rigorous testing of drinking water…
Tag: EPA
Expert available: SCOTUS Decision on Air Pollution
As the Supreme Court wraps up its term, there are a number of major decisions to come. Among them is a decision in the case Ohio v. Environmental Protection Agency, on whether to temporarily stop the Biden administration’s “good neighbor” plan, which…
Steps to Combat Climate Change with 20 Billion Investment from the Emergency Protection Agency
Susan Anenberg, director of the GW Climate & Health Institute, and associate professor of environmental and occupational health at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. Anenberg’s research focuses on the health implications of air pollution and climate change.…
EPA Bans Last Form of Asbestos Used in United States
Susan Anenberg, is the director of the GW Climate and Health Institute, and professor of environmental and occupational health at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. She can talk about the risk asbestos presents to our health. Julie…
GW Experts Available: EPA Strengthens Rule on Harmful Soot Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is strengthening limits on soot, a harmful air pollution in which studies have shown that fine particles kill thousands of Americans every year. According to The Washington Post, the stricter standards could prevent thousands of premature…
Lung Disease Physicians and Researchers Disappointed by Environmental Protection Agency’s Slow-Motion Action to Curb Smog Ozone Air Pollution
In response to the Aug 21 announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the agency will delay action on lowering the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone pollution, American Thoracic Society President M. Patricia Rivera, MD, ATSF, issued the following statement
Research specialist on water law available to discuss U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the EPA and the Clean Water Act
Rutgers expert available for interview on Thursday U.S. Supreme Court decision on EPA and wetlands
UC Irvine PFAS Expert available to comment on Supreme Court’s ruling about EPA’s power to regulate water pollution
For an expert source on this breaking news, Scott Bartell, MS, PhD, UC Irvine professor of environmental and occupational health, is available for interviews. For the past 25 years, Bartell has dedicated his research to quantifying human exposures and health effects caused…
EPA Ruling on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Big Step in Improving Air Quality: American Thoracic Society
Today, the EPA announced its proposed rule to regulate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from power plants. Power plants, account for a quarter of all U.S. GHG emissions and is the largest stationary point source of such pollutants.
GW Experts: EPA Announces its Proposal Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Power Plants
WASHINGTON (May 11, 2023) – The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing today new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants. According to the Associated Press, it’s the most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution. GW faculty…
EPA Squanders Opportunity to Protect the American Public from Life-threatening Particulate Air Pollution
Today, the EPA released an inadequate proposed rule that fails to protect the health of the American public from the life-threatening effects of common daily exposures to the air pollutant, particulate matter.
EPA Awards $1 Million to UAlbany Researchers for Community Air Pollution Monitoring Projects
The projects are focused on enhancing air quality monitoring in communities across the U.S. in areas that are underserved, historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution, supporting President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.
PFAS in Food Packaging: Impacts of Upcoming Changes on Food Companies
IAFNS-led Nov. 14 webinar to explore federal and state developments and their implications.
Wetlands case before the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 3 explained
Among the first cases to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court for the October 2022 term will be Sackett v. EPA, No. 24-454 (2022). At stake is the definition of “waters of the United States” and the area of…
Better Sleep Linked with Higher Omega-3 Fatty Acids
IAFNS-supported global study links higher omega-3 blood levels with lower risk of excessively long sleep duration.
Study First to Link Weed Killer Roundup® to Convulsions in Animals
A study is the first to link the use of the herbicide Roundup® to convulsions in animals. Glyphosate, the weed killer component in Roundup®, is the world’s most commonly used herbicide. Results showed that glyphosate and Roundup® increased seizure-like behavior in soil-dwelling roundworms and provides significant evidence that glyphosate targets GABA-A receptors. These communication points are essential for locomotion and are heavily involved in regulating sleep and mood in humans. What truly sets this research apart is that it was done at significantly less levels than recommended by the EPA and those used in past studies.
UAlbany Expert in Climate Change, Environmental Law Offers Insight on Supreme Court EPA Ruling
Albany, N.Y. (July 1, 2022) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday limited the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s authority to set climate standards for power plants. The court’s 6-3 ruling – which addressed an Obama-era regulation aimed at coal-fired power…
Supreme Court’s decision to limit EPA oversight of CO2 emissions ‘a thinly veiled attempt to protect the coal industry,’ Notre Dame expert says
Alan Hamlet is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences. His research focuses on integrated modeling of climate variability and climate change. In response to the recent Supreme Court EPA ruling, Hamlet said the following: “The…
Prof. Jonathan Adler says Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA serves as a ‘warning’ to other federal agencies with regard to regulation
Jonathan Adler, law professor and the director of the Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law, is available to discuss the West Virginia v. EPA decision. The Surpeme Court gutted the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to cut climate-warming carbon from the…
New Tool Will Assess Water Discharge Impacts from Florida’s Everglades
An innovative tool will holistically examine and diagnose key processes with numerical simulations and experiments and predict changes in responses to water management, ecological restoration and climate change. It is designed to provide a suite of environmental and ecological information on the state of the greater Florida Bay ecosystem as well as potential future changes. Importantly, this model could potentially predict underwater aquatic vegetation coverage, harmful algal blooms, and fisheries resources under climate change and/or Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program management scenarios.
Environmental health expert available to comment on breaking EPA findings on toxic “forever chemicals” in thousands of U.S. water systems
On June 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued nonbinding health advisories warning that two nonstick and stain-resistant compounds found in drinking water — PFOA and PFOS, also known as “forever chemicals” — pose health risks even at levels…
University of Oregon economist finds polluters sometimes game system to avoid penalties
Eric Zou, an assistant professor in the UO economics department, found that companies and in some cases government agencies will do what they can to help their communities’ air pollution levels meet federal standards, which he documented in a paper published earlier this year: “Unwatched Pollution: The Effect of Intermittent Monitoring on Air Quality.”
Research Update: Cleaning & Disinfecting PPE for Reuse
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented disruption in supply chains across multiple sectors including the shortage of critical personal protective equipment (PPE). In addition to hand washing and social distancing, various PPE items are used to prevent contact with…
Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Addressing Climate Change, Environmental Protection in 2021
New Brunswick, N.J. (Jan. 12, 2021) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick professors Robert E. Kopp and Pamela McElwee are available for interviews on how President-elect Joe Biden and his incoming administration could strengthen efforts to address climate change and protect the environment. Kopp, a professor in…
EPA Attacks Science and Breaks Precedent in Final Data Transparency Rule
The American Thoracic Society opposes the EPA’s final rule on Data Transparency issued in the waning days of the Trump Administration. The final rule, which is the focus of a press conference today, is a continuation of the Trump Administration’s persistent attack on the science showing the adverse health effects of environmental pollution. This rule would exclude vital scientific data from future EPA decision-making and make patient confidential information more vulnerable to public disclosure.
Presidential roundtable discussion: How do we restore science to policy making? Presidential roundtable discussion: How do we restore science to policy making?
Restoring science in the White House is the topic of the presidential roundtable discussion at that the Society for Risk Analysis’ (SRA) Virtual Annual Meeting, on Thursday, December 17 from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET.
Air pollution spikes linked to lower test scores for Salt Lake County third graders
More frequent exposure to air pollution spikes were associated with reduced test scores for third graders in Salt Lake County. Schools with a higher proportion of students of color and from households experiencing poverty were exposed to more peak pollution days than were schools serving middle- to upper- class and predominately white students.
University of Utah reaches 71% renewable energy
A new solar energy contract drastically reduces the University of Utah’s carbon footprint. The new solar contract will bring the university to 71% of all electrical energy coming from renewable sources.
Bacteria Can Defuse Dangerous Chemical In Passaic River
Bacteria that can help defuse highly toxic dioxin in sediments in the Passaic River – a Superfund hazardous waste site – could eventually aid cleanup efforts at other dioxin-contaminated sites around the world, according to Rutgers scientists. Their research, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, needs further work to realize the full potential of the beneficial bottom-dwelling microbes.
Water, conservation and policy experts warn new federal rule could harm U.S. waters
A group of aquatic scientists and policy experts warns that the Navigable Waters Protection Rule recently adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could profoundly degrade the nation’s water quality.
Scientists issue rebuke of new EPA rule that compromises U.S. waters
The Environmental Protection Agency enacted a new rule in April that strips federal Clean Water Act protections for more than half of all U.S. wetlands, temporary rain-fed streams, and connected groundwater between marshes and lakes and rivers. On Thursday, a…
S&T, EPA are Helping Coast Guard Prepare to Clean Up Following an Anthrax Attack
S&T and EPA collaborate in a joint project to help the Coast Guard decontaminate assets after a bioterrorist attack.
EPA Proposal to Change How It Evaluates Environmental Policy Ignores Science
The American Thoracic Society is extremely concerned with today’s announcement about changes in how the EPA evaluates the costs and benefits of environmental policy. While the details of economic analysis of environmental regulations are complex, the guiding principle is remarkably simple: compare all the costs and benefits of agency actions. The proposed changes in how costs and benefits are evaluated will sufficiently degrade the credibility of economic analysis conducted at the EPA to the point that it is no longer able to function as an objective policy analysis tool.
8 New Cleaning Ingredients Added to the EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients List
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice program approved eight cleaning product ingredients submitted by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) for inclusion in its Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL).
The decision marks the first time Safer Choice has approved a SCIL submission by a non-manufacturer.
EPA’S Attempt to Roll Back Regulations on Mercury and Toxic Air Emissions Ignores Science, Common Sense
Against the recommendation of the environmental, public health and even the electric power industry, this week the Environmental Protection Agency issued final rules to roll back regulations on mercury and toxic air emissions from our nation’s coal and oil-fired power plants. To justify taking such action, says the American Thoracic Society, the EPA ignored years of precedent – used by both Republican and Democratic Administrations – determining how the agency conducts cost benefit analysis of environmental regulations.
Former EPA Assistant Administrator Available to Comment on Agency’s Weakened Mercury Emissions Regulations
On April 16, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued a final ruling that removes the legal basis for regulating emissions of mercury and other hazardous pollutants from oil- and coal-fired power plants. Janet McCabe, a professor of practice at the…
Former EPA Assistant Administrator Available to Comment on Stalled Air Pollution Standards
On Tuesday, April 14, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced it would decline to impose stricter controls on particulate matter emissions, which are known to cause health problems and premature death. The current standard, enacted in 2012, limits the amount…
ATS Opposes Trump Administration Roll Back of Vehicle Emissions and Mileage Requirements
The Trump Administration’s decision to roll back emission and mileage standards for cars and trucks is bad for respiratory health.
Former EPA Administrator Available to Comment on Clean Car Rollback
Despite the ongoing public health crisis, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation moved forward today with a final rule to roll back automobile efficiency standards established in 2012. The new rule would allow US vehicles to emit…
Relaxing Environmental Rules Shows Poor Judgment in the Midst of COVID-19 Outbreak
Following reports of the Environmental Protection Agency’s move to implement broad changes that would relax environmental rules, the American Thoracic Society expressed disappointment with the plan.
EPA’s Revised Transparency Rule – “Worse than the First”
“Worse than the first, and still a bad idea,” was the reaction of ATS spokesperson Mary B Rice, MD, MPH, to the EPA’s proposed rule, “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science.”
Society for Risk Analysis Inducts William Ruckelshaus to the Pantheon of Risk Analysis
The Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) inducted William Ruckelshaus to the Pantheon of Risk Analysis. The Pantheon, established in 2008, recognizes luminaries and visionaries in risk analysis and serves to illustrate how the field contributes to the advancement of knowledge and public good.
EPA’s proposed rule raises concerns and hinders ability to carry out its mission, says Virginia Tech data management expert
As the EPA’s controversial proposed rule, Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science, gets closer to adoption, Virginia Tech data management expert Jonathan Petters says it raises concerns that effective regulations could be nullified. Petters has served as a fellow in the…
Omega-3 Continues to Show Protection Against Heart Disease-Related Death, Without Prostate Cancer Risk
Should you take omega-3 pills? Or try to have two to servings of omega-3 rich fish a week, as the American Heart Association recommends? It may seem a bit murky if you follow headlines about nutrition and health. That’s why researchers at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute continue to research the potential benefits and risks of this popular supplement, especially when it comes to prostate cancer risk and heart health.
Former EPA Administrator Available to Comment on US Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement
On Nov. 4, the Trump Administration formally notified the United Nations of its intent to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Accord, the first step in a year-long process to leave the international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.…
McCabe article analyzes EPA’s weakening of air pollution rules for industry
In a new article published by Harvard Law School, Janet McCabe, director of the Environmental Resilience Institute, details how the Trump Administration is weakening one of the long-established cornerstones of the Clean Air Act to appease industry at the expense of public health.
States’ rights at the center of California auto emission conflict
The Trump administration is expected to strike down California’s ability to set in-state auto emissions standards this week. The move pits California against the administration in an unprecedented legal battle over the states’ right to regulate air quality. David Bateman,…
Expert Available to Discuss White House Plans to Challenge CA Auto Emissions Rules
New Brunswick, N.J. (September 18, 2019) – Rutgers scholar Stuart Shapiro, an expert on federal and state regulating powers, can comment on the Trump administration’s plans to revoke California’s federal waiver for setting its own tailpipe-emissions rules, expected to be…
Former EPA administrator available to comment on expected rollbacks of methane regulations
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce today rollbacks to the federal regulation of methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas linked to climate change, strongly limiting standards created during the Obama administration. Janet McCabe, a professor of practice at…