pollution

Brazil Anger Over Toxic UK Waste

Brazilian police are investigating after 64 containers with more than 1,400 tonnes of hazardous UK waste were found in three of the country's ports.

The authorities say that among the material which was brought in illegally they discovered batteries, syringes, condoms and nappies.

Since the initial discovery, another 25 containers with hospital waste were found, also apparently from England.

In a statement the British Embassy in Brazil promised "immediate steps".

It said the UK was completely opposed to any kind of illegal trade in waste.

Posted in pollution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14, 2009
2:08 PM

CONTACT: National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)
Jim Stratton, NPCA, 907.229.9761
Lindsay Bartsh, NPCA, 650.269.2911
Melissa Blair, NPCA, 907.441.6722

Report Finds Lake Clark National Park in Pristine Condition, Resources Threatened by Mining

Park’s ecosystem is one of the healthiest in the country; Pebble Mine could harm park’s clean waters and wild salmon runs

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - July 14 - An assessment released today by the nation's leading voice for the national parks, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), finds that Lake Clark National Park & Preserve's ecosystem is in excellent condition, receiving one of the highest scores among parks assessed throughout the nation, largely because of the park's remoteness, lack of major road systems, and distance from sources of pollution.

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NPCA is a non-profit, private organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and enhancing the U.S. National Park System.

National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Links:

Posted in conservation, Environment, mining, pollution

Nuclear Power Isn't Clean or Cheap

An Eagle-based company wants to build a 1,600-megawatt nuclear power plant in Elmore County.

The U.S. Congress is considering a bill that proposes the nation build 100 new nuclear power reactors over the next 20 years.

Idaho Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson has embraced nuclear power, and like others, promotes it as cheap and clean. They argue also that nuclear energy emits no greenhouse gases. But it is unclear which part of the nuclear energy cycle they're referring to. Nuclear power is neither cheap nor clean.

Posted in depleted uranium, Energy, Environment, nuclear power, nuclear waste, pollution

Bhopal: The Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry

BHOPAL - Unable to steer safely in the mud, the driver of our rickshaw pulls into the side of the road to allow us to take shelter from torrential rain. There, under a shop's awning, a small crowd of people are standing together waiting for the weather to break. They include Sapna Sharma and her brother-in-law, Sanjay. Sanjay is holding his 18-month-old nephew, Anshul, who has kohl-rimmed eyes and silver bracelets on his ankles. As we stand talking, some of the people start pointing to the child's hands and feet while speaking animatedly to us in Hindi.

Posted in bhopal, Environment, Health, Human Rights, pollution, India

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2009
2:30 PM

CONTACT: Earthjustice
Raviya Ismail, Earthjustice, (202) 667-4500, ext. 237

Court Rejects Bush Administration Air Pollution Waivers

Case aimed at reducing smog in America’s most polluted communities

WASHINGTON - July 10 - A federal appeals court today rejected Bush administration rules that allowed major power plants and factories to emit uncontrolled pollution into the air in cities that already have severely polluted air. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found the Environmental Protection Agency rules illegally let plants buy rights to pollute -- sometimes from plants hundreds of miles away -- instead of installing modern emission controls.

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Earthjustice is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth, and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment. We bring about far-reaching change by enforcing and strengthening environmental laws on behalf of hundreds of organizations, coalitions and communities.

Earthjustice Links:

Posted in Environment, pollution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2009
2:41 PM

CONTACT: Center for Biological Diversity
Rebecca Noblin, (907) 274-1110

Polar Bears Poisoned by Pesticide Pollution: Lawsuit to Be Filed to Force EPA to Protect Arctic From Pesticide Contamination

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - July 8 - Today the Center for Biological Diversity notified the Environmental Protection Agency of its intent to file suit against the agency for failing to consider impacts to the polar bear and its Arctic habitat from toxic contamination resulting from pesticide use in the United States.

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At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature - to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law, and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive.

Center for Biological Diversity Links:

Posted in conservation, Environment, pollution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2009
11:41 AM

CONTACT: Food & Water Watch
Julie Anderson (202) 683-2500

BP Records Show One of World’s Largest Oil and Gas Platforms Lacks Documents Needed for Safe Operation and Maintenance

Food & Water Watch Urges Federal Agencies to Launch Investigation into British Petroleum’s Atlantis Before Accident Leads to Environmental Devastation

WASHINGTON - July 8 - Today Food & Water Watch, a national consumer advocacy organization, urged the U.S. Department of the Interior and Minerals Management Service (MMS) to immediately suspend production on the largest moored floating dual oil- and gas-production facility in the world pending further investigation of documents critical to the project's safe operation and maintenance.

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Food & Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer organization that works to ensure clean water and safe food. We challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take action and by transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink.

Food & Water Watch Links:

Posted in Environment, oceans, oil, pollution, water

Court Allows Gold Mine to Dump Waste in Lake

The U.S. Supreme Court's Monday decision allowing a gold mine near Juneau to discharge its waste into a fish-bearing lake could be the final word in the long-running dispute.

But environmentalists hope that it is not.

Their lawsuit over the Kensington mine, 45 miles northwest of Juneau, fueled a bitter war between industry boosters and environmentalists in the state's capital.

Statewide, the suit cast a shadow over Alaska's mining industry, and in particular, the massive Pebble copper and gold prospect in Southwest Alaska.

Posted in Environment, mining, pollution, water quality

EPA Declares Public Health Emergency in Asbestos-Ridden Libby, Montana

WASHINGTON, DC, June 17, 2009 (ENS) - The first public health emergency ever declared by the U.S. EPA exists at the Libby asbestos site in northwest Montana, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced today. Vermiculite contaminated with asbestos was mined in Libby until 1990. Hundreds of asbestos-related disease cases have been documented in this small community, which covers the towns of Libby and Troy.

Posted in Environment, epa, Health, pollution

USA, Canada to Modernize Great Lakes Water Quality Pact

NIAGARA FALLS, New York, June 15, 2009 (ENS) - The United States and Canada have agreed to update the 37-year-old Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement that commits both countries "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon met Saturday at the Rainbow Bridge that connects the two countries to announce their intention to modernize the agreement.

Posted in climate change, Environment, pollution, water

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