With a rich payout to lawyers but little for plaintiffs, Bayer’s Roundup settlement faces critics, doubts
A class action settlement proposed in the nationwide Roundup litigation would award $675 million to lawyers who negotiated the settlement, while plaintiffs suffering from cancer would receive, on average, $10,000 to $165,000 each, according to a new court filing in the case.
Colorado CAFOs linked to ammonia air pollution hotspots
Levels of airborne ammonia, which can harm people’s ability to breathe, are increasing three times faster each year in Colorado’s Front Range where there are clusters of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) compared to nearby urban areas without the massive livestock farms, according to a new study.
Cheers to independent journalism: A message to TNL readers
The first time I heard Amy Goodman’s voice on the independent news program Democracy Now!, it was 2016 and I was fresh out of journalism grad school. I was still new to Washington, DC, where I lived in an eclectic seven-person group house and wrote about earthquakes and asteroid dust for my (paid!) internship at a science news magazine.
Farm country critics balk at carbon capture projects, citing health risks of “grand experiment”
Julie Fosdick’s farm in Logan County, Illinois, has been in the family for almost 200 years, but it wasn’t until recently that it started attracting attention for its potential to make other people money. With 200 acres of mostly corn and soybeans that she manages for her four siblings, she’s drawn “a constant barrage” of offers from people interested in populating her land with solar panels or wind turbines.
Health advocates demand federal action in nitrate “health emergency”
More than 80 health and environmental groups are calling on federal agencies to use emergency powers to protect Americans from a “public health emergency” driven by industrial farming practices that are dangerously polluting drinking water.
Controversial Farm Bill measure targeting state animal laws heads to Senate showdown
Animal welfare advocates are preparing for a fight in the US Senate where the new Farm Bill will be taken up in the next couple months, bringing with it a contentious provision that would undo state measures to protect livestock.
A pesticide so toxic it’s banned in over 70 countries -but plants in the South are releasing it into the air
WAYNESBORO, Miss. — Wayne County, Mississippi, in a quiet southeast corner of the state, is home to about 20,000 people surrounded by forest and farmland. But Wayne distinguishes itself in two ways: it is home to a Sipcam Agro plant that processes the toxic herbicide paraquat. Within the US, the plant is the largest single emitter of paraquat.
US judge calls proposed Bayer Roundup settlement a “filthy” deal
In a tense hearing on Thursday, a federal judge who has been overseeing thousands of cases in nationwide Roundup litigation expressed scathing criticism of a proposed class action settlement that Roundup maker Bayer is pushing forward in a Missouri court.
In a MAHA win, House passes Farm Bill stripped of language that would have protected pesticide companies
Federal lawmakers on Thursday passed the House version of the Farm Bill, removing controversial language that would have provided some protections for pesticide companies facing lawsuits over alleged health harms.
No safe bets – Supreme Court glyphosate case seen too close to call
Monday’s Supreme Court hearing over a federal law governing pesticide regulations left observers largely unsure how the court will rule in the case involving the former Monsanto company and the herbicide glyphosate, with many seeing the ultimate decision as too close to call.