“The Bureau of Land Management plans to move forward on nearly 52,000 acres of proposed oil and gas leases in archaeologically sensitive parts of southeastern Utah.” More …
Energy
Trump Administration Halts Pollution Controls at Utah Coal Plants: Send in the Haze
“An appeals court granted a request Monday from President Donald Trump’s administration to halt a plan for new pollution controls at Utah’s oldest coal-fired power plants aimed at reducing haze near national parks. The development marks a reversal for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which last year under Barack Obama unveiled the rules and defended itself in a lawsuit brought by Utah and Rocky Mountain Power.” More …
Texas Chemical Plant Sued For Millions, First Responders Charge Gross Negligence
“Seven first responders filed a lawsuit Thursday against a chemical company whose Houston-area facility exploded after Hurricane Harvey. The lawsuit against Arkema and three of the company’s executives is seeking over $1 million in monetary relief, and alleges that the company did not adequately warn law enforcement and public health agencies about hazardous materials at the chemical plant. Those allegations come after Arkema and its lobbying group, the American Chemistry Council, lobbied to kill a federal rule designed to require companies to better coordinate and inform first responders about the toxic compounds at chemical plants. The rule would have taken effect in March.” More …
Scott Pruitt Is Dismantling EPA in Secret for the Same Reason the GOP Health Care Bill Was Secret
Today’s GOP agenda is unpopular and indefensible. More …
Russians Are Said to Be Suspects in U.S. Nuclear Site Hackings
“Hackers working for a foreign government recently breached at least a dozen U.S. power plants, including the Wolf Creek nuclear facility in Kansas, according to current and former U.S. officials, sparking concerns the attackers were searching for vulnerabilities in the electrical grid.” More …
Saudis Take 100% Control of America’s Largest Oil Refinery
“Saudi Aramco, the kingdom’s state-owned oil behemoth, took 100% control of the sprawling Port Arthur refinery in Texas… Port Arthur is considered the crown jewel of the US refinery system. The Gulf Coast facility can process 600,000 barrels of oil per day, making it the largest refinery in North America.” More …
Trump Officials Act to Tilt Federal Science Boards toward Industry
“New changes to EPA, Interior Department advisory groups could restrict or paralyze them, critics say.” More…
Study Finds Fracking Is Strongly Related to Increased Infant Mortality
“A new study of Pennsylvania counties published this week in the Journal of Environmental Protection shows for the first time that contamination from fracking kills babies. Results showed a statistically significant 29% excess risk of dying age 0-28 days in the ten heavily fracked counties of Pennsylvania during the four-year period following the development of fracking gas wells. Over the same period, the State rate declined by 2%. Conclusion: ‘About 50 more babies died in these 10 counties than would have been predicted if the rate had been the same over the period as all of Pennsylvania, where the incidence rate fell over the same period.'” More.
EPA Seeks to Scuttle Cleanup of Coal Power Plant Pollution
“Last week EPA administrator Scott Pruitt announced he would seek to rewrite Obama-era rules limiting water pollution from coal-fired power plants. The agency also sought to roll back tighter restrictions on pollution from coal mines.” More.