By Shannon Kelleher
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have banned the sale of cookware made with controversial PFAS chemicals, as well as the sale of cleaning products, dental floss, food packaging and other products containing the chemicals.
Massachusetts is one of many states nationwide with programs that encourage renewable energy development to meet robust greenhouse gas reduction goals. And like Massachusetts, many other states are sharpening their clean energy strategies to navigate the anti-renewable energy policies of the Trump administration.
By any measure, California’s San Joaquin Valley is one of the preeminent farming regions in the world. The agriculture industry’s seemingly bottomless thirst gives the Valley another distinction: It is losing its groundwater.
As US states increasingly pass laws to limit PFAS chemicals in consumer products, a debate is heating up over a California bill that proposes banning the sale of cookware with intentionally added “forever chemicals” beginning in 2030.
More than 200 million people are at risk of drinking tap water contaminated with chemicals that cause cancer, liver damage, birth defects and other reproductive harms, according to research released Wednesday that includes an interactive map of high-risk hot spots.
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.
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.
By Carey Gillam
Less than a month ahead of what would have been the first US trial over allegations that a popular weedkiller made by agrochemical giant Syngenta causes Parkinson’s disease, the parties have agreed to settle the case. With a looming Aug. 4 Philadelphia trial date, the case of Douglas Nemeth v. Syngenta, which previously was delayed multiple times, was being closely watched as the two sides battled over evidence to be presented and expert witnesses.
By Bill Walker
Last year California shipped more than 156 million pounds of plastic waste to poor countries, with almost three-fourths sent to Mexico and another 44 million pounds sent to developing nations in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. That’s the reality behind the blue recycling bins Californians fill with plastic waste for curbside pickup. We may think we’re recycling, but we’re really sending much of our waste out of sight, out of mind.
By Carey Gillam
In the nationwide legal battle between pesticide maker Syngenta and thousands of people suffering from Parkinson’s disease they blame on exposure to paraquat weed killer, plaintiffs are dying faster than they can get to trial.