Report calls for stricter fertilizer rules as US nitrate pollution crisis grows
Lax regulations and mismanaged applications in the US are to blame for the tons of nitrogen fertilizer that runs off into waterways each year and contributes to water and air pollution, cancer and environmental damage, according to a report released Monday.
Pollution and cancer are on the ballot in Iowa
For the first time, the health and environmental damage from farming has moved from the margins to the apex of political priorities in Iowa, an agriculture colossus that is the nation’s largest grain and pork producer.
EPA delays reporting requirements for health-harming chemicals
Federal regulators are giving chemical manufacturers and petroleum refiners more time to provide data on a group of chemicals that have been linked to human health harms as officials consider tighter regulations.
With governor’s signature, Vermont becomes 1st in nation to ban weed killer linked to Parkinson’s disease
Vermont this week became the first US state to ban the weed-killing pesticide paraquat, backed by lawmakers who cited concerns about research showing the chemical may cause the incurable brain ailment known as Parkinson’s disease.
Bayer’s proposed Roundup settlement violates Constitution, new legal filing claims
Bayer’s proposed $7.25 billion class action settlement is a “sweetheart deal” that violates the US Constitution by running “roughshod over basic due process rights, according to a court filing Thursday that seeks to undo the nationwide program.
Pork lobbyist helping lead “nonpartisan” group working against state animal welfare laws
The Carver Center for Agriculture & Nutrition’s op-eds and analyses papers fail to mention that its chairman, Andy Curliss, is also the vice president of strategic engagement for the National Pork Producers Council, which has been leading the meat industry’s push against state animal welfare laws.
EPA walks back PFAS drinking water protections
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday proposed dropping limits for four cancer-linked “forever chemicals” in drinking water established during the Biden administration, saying the changes were rushed and not in compliance with federal law.
EPA failing to protect Iowa from farm pollution in drinking water supplies, lawsuit alleges
US regulators illegally backed away from responsibilities related to pollution-laden waterways in Iowa after meeting with officials from the state’s powerful farm lobby, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.
Loan transfer removes bulk of USDA digester delinquencies amid pause
The US government is no longer guaranteeing funding for the nation’s largest manure digester project that was years behind on paying its loans, but the troubled government loan program that had backed that project and many others remains on hold.
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.