EPA flags microplastics as “priority” contaminants in drinking water
Federal regulators are moving to add microplastics to a list of drinking water contaminants marked for research, funding and possible regulation in the future.
Air & Water
Wisconsin manure digester at the center of USDA loan trouble
Five years after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) guaranteed more than $100 million to what’s billed as the “world’s largest manure biogas project”, the loans are in delinquency, which, along with operational failures and underperformance at such plants, has seemingly prompted an agency-wide pause on loan guarantees for such projects, according to The New Lede’s analysis of federal data.
Conservation groups file appeal challenging Colorado CAFO water permits
Colorado officials are failing to require legally mandated water quality monitoring near concentrated animal feeding operations, allowing for widespread water contamination with animal waste, conservation groups allege in a new legal challenge to the state.
WATCH: Michigan dairy CAFO battle – how much manure is too much?
A proposed 3,450-cow dairy in mid-Michigan is sparking fierce debate over clean water, antibiotic resistance and manure digesters. Supporters say it means jobs and renewable energy. Critics warn local rivers are already overwhelmed with dangerous contaminants associated with large livestock operations. The big question: how many animals can one watershed support?
A Michigan dairy CAFO clash over manure digesters and clean water
A proposed dairy CAFO in mid-Michigan is fueling a heated fight over clean water, manure pollution and the future of industrial farming — as supporters tout jobs and renewable energy, and critics warn local rivers are already overwhelmed.
In Iowa, many rivers and lakes improve briefly, then fall back into impairment
Following years of inaction on the Clean Water for Iowa Act, one lawmaker is looking to advance several smaller bills that would improve monitoring and strengthen permit requirements for large industrial farms.
Hearing underscores partisan rift over GOP proposal to loosen chemical safety rules
The deep rift between Democrats and Republicans over the future of the nation’s premier chemical safety law was on full display on Thursday in a hearing designed to kickstart legislation that would allow faster federal approvals for new chemicals.
Combatting agricultural pollution: Michigan’s new manure management rules
Michigan issued new requirements to the state’s big livestock and poultry producers to more safely manage the brown tide of manure they spread each year on farm fields. The state’s Farm Bureau and large livestock operations vow to fight.
US landfills emit nearly a ton of airborne PFAS a year, study finds
US municipal landfills leak roughly 1,800 pounds of PFAS into the air annually — evidence that the country’s garbage dumps are a persistent source of airborne “forever chemicals,” according to a new nationwide study.
Fresh warnings as a Maryland community’s PFAS crisis continues
A PFAS contamination crisis is continuing to plague a Maryland community as a plume of contaminated groundwater moves through the area, residents and their attorneys said this week.