EPA has failed us. The MAHA Commission just proved it.
By George Kimbrell
On Sept. 9, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released its long-awaited “Make Our Children Healthy Again” Strategy Report, which was supposed to set policy recommendations that would address the urgent public health crisis caused by our industrial food system. Unfortunately, but perhaps predictably, and as foreshadowed by a leaked draft report in August, at the end of the day the MAHA commission utterly betrayed the grassroots MAHA movement, and anyone else that cares about creating a healthier future for our food, serving up only a few crumbs instead of the healthy new meal promised.
Rooftop solar is in a slump. Are dark days ahead?
The popularity of residential solar is seeing a steep reversal due to shifting state and federal policies driven by powerful utility interests. And while some say the decline is simply a mild adjustment, others fear the market for residential solar may be on the brink of a long-term slide.
MAHA report draws fire as critics say corporate pressure trumps public health
A long-awaited and highly controversial report issued on Tuesday by the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) commission provides a few “crumbs” for public and environmental health advocates, but big wins for powerful food and chemical industries seeking to skirt limits on their products and practices.
Small communities left behind as advanced water treatment for PFAS proves broader benefits
By Brian Bienkowski
As the US wrestles with how to deal with widespread PFAS pollution in drinking water supplies, most utilities are lacking advanced filtration systems that could protect public health from not just PFAS but an array of harmful contaminants, according to a new study.
EPA walks back proposal to limit water pollution from meat and poultry plants
By Shannon Kelleher
In a move celebrated by US meat and poultry producers but mourned by environment and health advocates, federal regulators are walking back a proposed rule that would have strengthened water pollution standards for slaughterhouse operators.
As Iowans wrestle with polluted waters, politics get in the way
By Carey Gillam
When a team of scientists embarked two years ago on a $1 million landmark study of Iowa’s persistent water quality problems, they knew that the findings would be important to share. But now, after the completed study pointed to agricultural pollution as a significant source of the key US farm state’s water quality problems, public officials have quietly stripped funding away from plans to promote the study findings.
Congress proposes scrapping PFAS measures that protect public servants and others
By Shannon Kelleher
Congress is proposing to reverse measures that protect military service members, firefighters and others from harmful PFAS chemicals.
Postcard from California: State’s status as clean energy pacesetter threatened by Trump’s attacks
By Bill Walker
For decades, California has been on the cutting edge of US environmental policy. The state has enacted landmark measures to regulate air and water pollution, protect residents from exposure to toxic chemicals, and combat the climate crisis. Many of its groundbreaking policies have spread to other states.
Oil and gas industry linked to thousands of yearly US deaths and preterm births, study finds
By Shannon Kelleher
Air pollution from oil and gas activities is responsible for an estimated 91,000 deaths and over 10,000 premature births in the US each year, according to a new study that examined the impacts of the industry through its lifecycle from extraction to refining to burning fuel in power plants.
The unseen harvest: Pesticides, cancer and rural Missouri’s health crisis
KENNETT, MO. — Nestled in Missouri’s Bootheel is the small town of Kennett, the Dunklin County seat. With just over 10,000 residents, it’s a close-knit community where good-natured teasing is a common show of affection. Once a sprawling swampland, it has since been transformed into an expanse of flat, fertile fields where agriculture stands as the backbone of the region’s economy.