Environmental Protection Agency
March 15, 2010--Saving U.S. water and sewer systems would be costly (New York Times)
Today, a significant water line bursts on average every two minutes somewhere in the country, according to a New York Times analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data.
March 1, 2010--Rulings restrict Clean Water Act, foiling E.P.A. (New York Times)
Thousands of the nation’s largest water polluters are outside the Clean Water Act’s reach because the Supreme Court has left uncertain which waterways are protected by that law, according to interviews with regulators.
February 23, 2010--Supreme Court Denies 3 High-Profile Environmental Cases (New York Times)
In its first set of orders since returning from a monthlong recess, the Supreme Court declined yesterday to consider three separate industry challenges to federal environmental regulations.
February 3, 2010--States struggling with EPA rules (USA Today)
States are slashing funds for environmental programs, threatening their ability to meet federal standards for clean air and water. All but two states, Montana and North Dakota, have made significant cuts to initiatives ranging from toxic waste cleanup to sewage treatment, says Steve Brown, executive director for Environmental Council of the States, which unites state agencies.
February 1, 2010--Obama's 2011 budget trims environment, fattens energy spending (Environmental News Service)
The Obama Administration today sent to Congress an overall budget of $3.8 trillion in fiscal year 2011 that projects a record budget shortfall of $1.6 trillion. There are 126 terminations, reductions, and other areas of savings identified that will save approximately $23 billion next year, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
January 18, 2010--Florida first state for EPA nutrient limits in surface waters (Environmental News Service)
The U.S. EPA is planning to impose limits on phosphorus and nitrogen in Florida waters that will be the first federal standards for nutrient pollution in the waters of a state. This action would potentially have consequences for other states.
EPA Releases Final WaterSense Specification For New Homes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just released its final WaterSense Single-Family New Home Specification, creating the first national, voluntary specification for water-efficient new homes.
December 23, 2009--Feds release new plan to revive Calif. delta (Denver Post)
Senior Obama administration officials released a new action plan Tuesday aimed at bolstering the federal government's role in solving California's water crisis and restoring the vast freshwater estuary that provides drinking water to millions of households.
December 23, 2009--Feds mull regulating drugs in water (Denver Post)
Federal regulators under President Barack Obama have sharply shifted course on long-standing policy toward pharmaceutical residues in the nation's drinking water, taking a critical first step toward regulating some of the contaminants while acknowledging they could threaten human health. A burst of significant announcements in recent weeks reflects an expanded
December 11, 2009--Asarco pays $1.79 billion to fix sites (New York Times)
After a four-year legal battle, a mining company has paid the government a record $1.79 billion to settle claims for hazardous waste pollution across 19 states, federal agencies announced Thursday. Officials said the payment on behalf of the company, the American Smelting and Refining Company, or Asarco, was the nation’s largest environmental bankruptcy settlement.
