Largest Civil Penalty Ever Proposed by Agency WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–July 2, 2012.  The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today proposed a record $3.7 million civil penalty and 24 enforcement actions against Enbridge Energy for the July 25, 2010, crude oil spill near Marshall, Mich.   “We[Read More…]

Environmental groups take legal action to protect clean water Nashville, TN–(ENEWSPF)–July 2, 2012.  Community and environmental groups appealed a pollution permit issued to Tennessee Valley Authority (“TVA”) for its Gallatin coal-fired power plant to prevent toxic discharges of heavy metals and other harmful waste byproducts of burning coal. The plant’s[Read More…]

Mike Weightman tours Fukushima Daiichi (Click to enlarge.) Global Nuclear Industry Takes Steps to Improve Safety at Facilities Worldwide AUSTRIA–(ENEWSPF)–2 July 2012.  As a leader in creating and promoting standards for nuclear safety, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) spearheaded the global response to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi[Read More…]

MAINE–(ENEWSPF)–July 2, 2012.  With more than half the United States in a drought and much of the continent in warmer-than-normal conditions, the best advice for your lawn right now might be this: Ignore it. That’s right. Ignore it. Don’t mow. Don’t water and don’t fret. Sure, if you don’t water[Read More…]

SAN FRANCISCO–(ENEWSPF)–July 2, 2012.  A new report, China Development Bank’s overseas investments: An assessment of environmental and social policies and practices, released today by Friends of the Earth U.S. and BankTrack, concludes that the China Development Bank, which is rapidly becoming an important player in international development finance, currently lacks[Read More…]

WASHINGTON, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–July 2, 2012.  As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to deploying every available source of American energy and reducing our reliance on imported oil, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced new funding available to pursue[Read More…]

 Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–July 2, 2012,   The French Ministry of Agriculture has issued a ban on the neonicotinoid pesticide thiamethoxam due to concerns over the chemical’s impacts on pollinators, especially honey bees. The pesticide product containing thiamethoxam, Cruiser OSR, is manufactured by Swiss chemical giant Syngenta and has been used as[Read More…]

SPRINGFIELD, IL–(ENEWSPF)–June 29, 2012.  The anticipated long stretch of hot, dry weather and low water levels in Illinois will set the stage for fish kills this summer in water bodies from small ponds to large backwater lakes along large rivers in the state.  The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)[Read More…]

MAINE–(ENEWSPF)–June 29, 2012 At a Home Depot in Rhode Island these three insect-killing products were side by side and priced identically yesterday. Only one of them is safe to use around your home, however. It’s that time of year here in New England when most lawns have been fertilized and[Read More…]

WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–June 29, 2012.  Today, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu recognized the opening of Rockwood Lithium’s expanded manufacturing facility in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.  Rockwood is leveraging a $28.4 million investment from the Recovery Act to expand its North Carolina lithium production facility as well as its production operations in Silver[Read More…]