Previous Pollution News 2022

E.P.A. Tightens Rules on Pollution From Vans, Buses and Trucks 12-20-22

For the first time in decades, the agency has restricted nitrogen dioxide emissions from heavy vehicles. Read more

Amazon’s plastic packaging waste grew 18% in 2021, report says 12-15-22

The retail giant says it generated 214 million pounds of plastic waste last year. An advocacy group says it produced three times as much. Read more

California’s two largest cities ban plastic foam 12-09-22

San Diego and Los Angeles join hundreds of municipalities nationwide that are phasing out polystyrene. Read more

Poultry Farm Aerial Investigations 11-29-22

The goal of the flight was to identify farms in the White Oak River Basin and look for permit violations that can lead to contamination in waterways. Read more

How Floating Wetlands Are Helping to Clean Up Urban Waters 11-22-22

As cities around the world look to rid their waterways of remaining pollution, researchers are installing artificial islands brimming with grasses and sedges. The islands’ surfaces attract wildlife, while the underwater plant roots absorb contaminants and support aquatic life. Read more

380 million tons of plastic are made every year. None of it is truly recyclable. 10-24-22

According to the Last Beach Cleanup, only 3 percent of Americans have access to recycling facilities that accept these trays. Credit: The Last Beach Cleanup. Read more

California Passed a Landmark Law About Plastic Pollution. Why Are Some Environmentalists Still Concerned? 10-12-22

California has a new environmental law that’s described as either a major milestone on the road to tackling the scourge of plastic pollution—or a future failure with a loophole big enough to accommodate a fleet of garbage trucks. Read more

Hawaii to US Navy: Quit polluting our waters 10-06-22

A $9 million fine and a sewage leak into Pearl Harbor are just the latest in a series of water crises. Read more

Toxins study notes Clean Water Act’s ‘unfulfilled promise’ 10-05-22

North Carolina is home to two of the top five watersheds in the country that had the highest amounts of toxins discharged in 2020 – the upper New River and the lower Cape Fear River, a new report finds. Read more

How California’s Salton Sea went from vacation destination to toxic nightmare 10-04-22

And why the shrinking lake might be key to meeting America’s clean energy goals. Read more

New study suggests coal ash pollution more widespread than previously thought 10-03-22

The study found large quantities of coal ash in the sediment, or sand, of five recreational lakes across North Carolina. Read more

Ocean oil pollution is growing — and not from oil spills 09-29-22

Cars and highways are among the top contributors to ocean oil pollution, study finds. Read more

In defense of darkness 08-05-22

Artificial light is polluting the night sky. What do we stand to lose? Read more

The search for the source of plastic pollution 07-21-22

Clean up efforts in the Pacific Northwest are directing their attention away from the end life of plastic to focus on the beginning. Read more

Here are 3 ways the EPA can still regulate climate pollution 07-15-22

After West Virginia v. EPA, the Clean Air Act still holds the keys to climate action. Read more

Urban Waters: Discovering the Hidden Beauty of a Jersey River 07-12-22

Flowing through hard-pressed Camden, New Jersey’s Cooper River was long abused and ignored by area residents. Read more

Nearly half of Amazon shareholders agree: Time to cut back on plastic packaging 06-14-22

They’re part of a growing movement calling for greater plastic reductions. Read more

Interior Department to phase out single-use plastics on all public lands 06-09-22

Agencies including the National Park Service will have until 2032 to eliminate them. Read more

EPA reaches tandem deals over ‘Cancer Alley’ pollution 06-06-22

Under a proposed consent decree that still needs a federal judge’s approval. Read more

Air Monitors Alone Won’t Save Communities From Toxic Industrial Air Pollution 05-18-22

Calvert City, Kentucky, has long had what people in other toxic hot spots have been begging for: monitors to prove they’re being exposed to toxic industrial air pollution. Read more

Report: Pollution is connected to 9 million deaths worldwide each year 05-18-22

World governments have made “strikingly little effort” to solve the problem. Read more

In ‘Silent Spring,’ Rachel Carson Described a Fictional, Bucolic Hamlet, Much Like Her Hometown. 05-10-22

Now, There’s a Plastics Plant Under Construction 30 Miles Away. Read more

The US only recycled about 5% of plastic waste last year 05-04-22

A new report highlights recycling’s failure to keep up with growing volumes of plastic trash. Read more

U.N. Adopts Historic Resolution Aimed at Ending Plastic Pollution 03-02-22

For the first time, the international community has agreed on a framework to curb the world’s growing plastic problem. Read more

The environmental costs of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 02-25-22

“Fighting around these sites risks generating extreme toxic pollution.” Read more

Plastic pollution is a global problem – here’s how to design an effective treaty to curb it 02-24-22

According to one widely cited estimate, by 2025, 100 million to 250 million metric tons of plastic waste could enter the ocean each year. Read more

Yes, disposable masks are made of plastic. And that’s a problem. 02-22-22

Masks are filling the oceans, killing marine life, and boosting carbon emissions. Environmentalists need to weigh in. Read more

Americans agree on something: Get single-use plastics out of our national parks 01-14-22

A new poll finds bipartisan support for ridding parks of plastic. Read more

Ghosts of Polluters Past 01-13-22

As new soil tests reveal the pervasiveness of lead contamination, one California barrio continues its long struggle for justice. Read more

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