DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Hazardous 'forever chemicals' in water, food, and air won't disappear with new EPA rules. But 6 simple tactics can reduce your exposure at home.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Hazardous "forever chemicals" called PFAS are contaminating drinking water, food, and air. It may be impossible to completely avoid PFAS, but there are a few simple ways to reduce your exposure. A 2019 study found that people had lower PFAS levels in their blood after eating at home, and higher levels after eating fast food or at restaurants. A few types of water filters can diminish PFAS levels, though they may not completely remove the chemicals from the water. It was previously updated to reflect disagreements in the scientific community about the degree of PFAS exposure from Teflon.

☆ U.S. proposes limits for cancer-causing chemicals in drinking water
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed the first-ever national drinking water standard for six cancer-causing chemicals known as polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Under the new standard, the agency will require public water systems to monitor for six PFAS chemicals, inform the public if PFAS levels exceed proposed standards in the drinking water supply, and take action to reduce PFAS levels. It is the first time since 1996 that drinking water standards have been proposed for a new chemical under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Environmental groups welcomed the new standards but said it was up to retailers and chemical companies to make a difference. "I’m looking forward to hearing from those who will be impacted by this announcement, including local water systems and ratepayers across the country, on how we can provide assistance for implementation," she said.

☆ Biden proposes first national limits on toxic 'forever chemicals' in drinking water
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed the first nationwide restrictions on so-called "forever chemicals" in drinking water after discovering the compounds are more dangerous than previously known — even at undetectable levels. The chemicals, known as perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, have been voluntarily phased out by U.S. manufacturers. The EPA's proposed standards cover six PFAS that have polluted drinking national water supplies. The proposal would regulate PFOA and PFOS as individual contaminants, and would regulate four other PFAS — PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and GenX Chemicals — as a mixture. For PFOA and PFOS, the agency proposed a binding drinking water limit of four parts per trillion per chemical.

☆ Biden proposes stricter limits on toxic wastewater from coal plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

McNally as it passes Mitchell Power Plant, a coal-fired power-plant operated by American Electric Power (AEP), on the Ohio River in Moundsville, West Virginia. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed stricter limits on how coal-fired power plants dispose of wastewater containing pollutants like arsenic and mercury, which have contaminated the country's rivers, lakes, streams and underground aquifers. In 2021, the Biden administration said it was kicking off a new rulemaking process to reverse the wastewater rollback and would unveil new requirements on wastewater by next fall. Meanwhile, many coal plants were allowed to dispose of toxic wastewater into waterways as the agency drafted new limits. "EPA's proposed science-based limits will reduce water contamination from coal-fired power plants and help deliver clean air, clean water, and healthy land for all."

☆ Biden administration announces plan to stop water plant hacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Suzanne Smalley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 3 (Reuters) - The Biden administration announced on Friday a new plan to improve the digital defenses of public water systems. The water system plan, which recommends a series of novel rules placing more responsibility for securing water facilities at the state-level, follows several high-profile hacking incidents in recent years. In February 2021, a cyberattack on a water treatment plant in Florida briefly increased lye levels in the water, an incident that could have been deadly if an alert worker had not detected the hack quickly. EPA officials say they have a "robust technical assistance program" in place to support public water systems that need cyber support. The water treatment industry was also critical of the administration's announcement on Friday.

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO says Ohio town safe after chemical train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed, igniting a dayslong fire. A company spokesperson told CNBC Norfolk Southern has been in communication with the agency and in compliance with its requests since the incident. He said Norfolk Southern has reimbursed or committed a "downpayment" of $6.5 million to East Palestine and will continue financial assistance to residents. Shaw in the interview denied the lawyer's claims after the company made public statements that doing testing absolved Norfolk Southern of no liability. Shaw said Norfolk Southern is fully cooperating with the NTSB and the FRA to come up with the root cause of the derailment.

☆ Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says his office made a criminal referral in East Palestine train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Rebecca Shabad | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday said that his office has made a criminal referral in response to the recent train derailment over the border in East Palestine, Ohio, and the aftereffects on the environment and nearby communities. Shapiro shared the information during a press conference in East Palestine with Ohio Gov. Meanwhile, consumer advocate Erin Brockovich is planning a town hall in East Palestine for Friday. In an interview Tuesday on MSNBC, she reacted to footage of Regan and DeWine drinking an East Palestine resident's tap water.

☆ The workers who are supposed to lead the US response to the climate crisis are feeling 'burned out'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There's a staffing crisis at the nation's top environmental agency, union officials say. The number of Environmental Protection Agency employees today is similar to the Ronald Reagan era. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. "People are burned out," Marie Owens Powell, an EPA employee and the president of its union chapter known as AFGE Council 238, told Insider. "Communities need to implement these programs, whether it's replacing lead service lines for drinking water or cleaning up environmental pollution."

☆ Factbox: Timeline of Ohio train derailment containing hazardous chemicals cargo
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 14 (Reuters) - A timeline of events since a Norfolk Southern Railroad-operated train derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, while carrying hazardous materials from Illinois to Pennsylvania. Feb. 5: National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Michael Graham says video footage of the accident points to possible "mechanical issues on one of the rail car axles." Feb. 6: Crews drain and burn off an "unstable" toxic chemical cargo from five rail cars of the train. Feb. 14: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says 20 cars were carrying hazardous materials, including 10 that derailed. The NTSB says 38 cars in total left the tracks and that the ensuing fire damaged 12 more cars.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A new private company will take over power generation units owned by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, the public corporation currently in charge of generating energy on the U.S. territory. The power generation equipment in Puerto Rico, plagued by ongoing blackouts and decaying infrastructure, is on average about 45 years old — twice the age of those on the U.S. mainland. The company and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) are currently undergoing a transition process set to last 100 days. Officials in Puerto Rico have been taking steps toward privatizing power generation for some time. Power customers in Puerto Rico have seen seven electric rate increases last year, even though people in Puerto Rico already pay about twice as much as mainland U.S. customers for unreliable service.

☆ 'Concerning' map reveals where fish caught in the US are full of hazardous 'forever chemicals'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fish in lakes and streams across the US are contaminated with hazardous "forever chemicals." Since their invention in the 1930s, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have multiplied and spread. They found PFOS — one of the most notorious substances — was the largest contributor to PFAS contamination in fish. Last year, the EPA lowered the level of PFOS in drinking water it considers safe to 0.02 parts per trillion. He said he's also seen PFAS contamination advisories for fishing spots in Sweden, where he lives.

☆ U.S. EPA tightens soot standards for first time in decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Fine particulate matter, or soot, comes from sources ranging from power plants to cars and trucks. It causes lung and heart damage and has been found to disproportionately affect low-income communities, according to EPA. "Fine particulate matter is both deadly and extremely costly," EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters, adding the decision was "based on sound science and a rigorous evaluation of the data that we have at hand." The EPA said it would also take public comment on revising the level to as low as 8 µg/m3, and as high as 11 µg/m3. The EPA also opted to retain the current primary 24-hour PM 2.5 standard of 35 µg/m3, despite a CASAC recommendation to lower that number to 25 µg/m3.

☆ EPA issues clean water rule that repeals Trump administration changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration on Friday issued a rule that defines which types of waterways in the U.S. will receive federal water quality protections under the 1972 Clean Water Act, repealing a Trump-era rule that federal courts rejected and that environmental groups argued left waterways open to pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army said the revised rule is based on definitions that were in place before 2015, when the Obama administration sought to expand federal protections. Federally protected waters qualify for government programs focused on maintaining water quality and preventing oil spills, among other things. Environmental groups have long argued that efforts to loosen federal water protections would significantly harm the country's sources of safe drinking water. Farming groups, oil and gas producers, and real estate developers have criticized such regulations as overbearing and burdensome to business, and many supported the 2020 Trump administration rule that attempted to dismantle protections.

The Detroit automaker's average estimated real-world fuel economy and its carbon emissions ranked the second-worst in the industry for the 2021 model-year, according to the EPA. Both automakers decreased their fuel economy and increased C02 emissions since the 2016 model-year, according to the EPA, as did Hyundai Motor , Mazda and Volkswagen . The 2021 average vehicle fuel economy was at an all-time high of 25.4 miles per gallon, unchanged from the year prior. Its average fuel economy, which is measures in terms of miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent, or mpge, was 123.9 miles. Just 4% of 2021 vehicles were electric, plug-in hybrids or fuel cell vehicles, though the EPA projects that figure will rise to 8% in 2022.

The EPA is expected to announce multiple years of renewable fuel obligations, Reuters has previously reported. The agency is also expected to include in the announcement a request for comment for provisions regarding electricity use under the law, the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the sources said. Under the RFS, oil refiners are required to blend billions of gallons of biofuels into the nation's fuel mix, or buy tradeable credits from those that do. Reuters previously reported that the EPA is expected to propose that electric vehicles be eligible for renewable fuel credits, according to sources. Earlier this year, the EPA set biofuel blending mandates for 2022 at 20.63 billion gallons and retroactive volume mandates for 2021 at 18.84 billion gallons and for 2020 at 17.13 billion gallons.

☆ COP27-US targets methane in 'relentless' emissions focus
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It would also force methane emissions reductions from flaring equipment and create a system to detect leaks from "super-emitter" sites quickly so operators can repair them faster and local community residents are aware. The EPA said the stronger rules would reduce methane from the oil and gas industry by 87% below 2005 levels and would help the United States to meet its commitment under the Global Methane Pledge to cut methane emissions economy-wide by 30% this decade. OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY LOBBYINGThe oil and gas industry had urged the agency to exclude hundreds of thousands of low-producing wells on the grounds frequent monitoring would be inefficient and costly. It dovetailed with a U.N. announcement on Friday that it will launch a global public database of methane leaks detected by space satellites to encourage companies and governments to plug them. The EPA will take public input on the methane rule until Feb. 13, 2023 and plans to finalize it by the end of that year.

The United States is among over 100 countries that have pledged to cut their methane emissions 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. They also say smaller wells often produce only insignificant methane emissions that don't warrant the cost and effort of a monitoring program. The problem, environmentalists say, is that collectively, the smaller wells produce a massive amount of climate-damaging methane. Exempting wells that produce less than 6 barrels per day would effectively exclude more than 80% of those marginal wells from the EPA rule, according to KIOGA. The supplemental ruling could also address the industry's use of flaring, or the deliberate burning of excess natural gas from well sites, which can also lead to methane emissions.

☆ I switched from a hybrid car to a $25,000 electric Mini Cooper. It's my first EV and it's so fun to drive.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Andrew Lambrecht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

He went with the 2023 Mini Cooper SE, which is a fully electric model priced at just over $25,000. I bought my first fully electric car, the Mini Cooper SE, in July. I gravitated toward the Mini Cooper SE, despite it costing slightly more, because it shares many of its technical components with the BMW i3 since BMW Group owns Mini. The gas cap on a 2023 red Mini Cooper SE. I've enjoyed every moment of owning my Mini Cooper SE.

☆ U.S. awards $1 billion to electrify school bus fleets
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 26 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled nearly $1 billion in awards to U.S. school districts to replace aging, gas-fueled school buses with cleaner, mainly electric models. The funding is the first tranche of $5 billion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hand out over five years through a clean school bus program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. The EPA's clean school bus program is part of a broader push by the administration to upgrade public school infrastructure and reduce pollution from old buses. Transitioning to an electric school bus fleet nationwide would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5.3 million tons per year, according to a study by the non-profit Public Interest Research Group. Last month, EPA said it would nearly double its planned $500 million in clean bus awards for this year due to overwhelming demand from school districts.

☆ The US never banned asbestos. These workers are paying the price.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Kathleen Mcgrory | Neil Bedi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +39 min

But protocols failed to match reality at the Niagara Falls plant, according to more than a dozen workers. In addition to those signature diseases, which are rare even among asbestos workers, the tiny strands can harm the body in other ways. In the 15 years that followed, congressional attempts to ban asbestos would continue to fall short. OSHA declined to make an official available for an on-the-record interview or comment on ProPublica's findings at the Niagara Falls plant. At the OxyChem plant in Wichita, union president Keith Peacock said he was comfortable with the way asbestos was handled.

☆ U.S. EPA opens civil rights probe into Mississippi capital's water crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday opened an investigation into Mississippi state agencies to determine if they violated civil rights in the majority Black city of Jackson in the course of funding of the city's water infrastructure. Representatives of those two departments and the office of Governor Tate Reeves did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Even before that crisis, the city had been under a boil water notice due to "elevated turbidity levels," meaning the water appear cloudy. That followed a string of disruptions to the city's water supply in recent years caused by high lead levels, bacterial contamination and storm damage. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Inflation Reduction Act's expanded biofuel incentives raise concerns about fraud
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Scott Cohn | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

watch nowThe Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in August includes historic investments to combat climate change. It may also open new avenues for fraud by expanding a program that has given federal authorities fits for years. That allowed them to rake in millions of dollars in incentives, even though they were producing very little fuel. Reining in fraudThe EPA says it has continued to beef up its enforcement as it learns more about implementing the program — and as incentives expand under the Inflation Reduction Act. "So, you're just spending money to take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act."

An LNG tanker is guided by tug boats at the Cheniere Sabine Pass LNG export unit in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, U.S., April 14, 2022. “Our turbine engineers determined a repair could improve the emission performance of the turbine," Robert Gray, senior environmental coordinator for the Sabine Pass plant, wrote. EPA spokesperson Tim Carroll said "the agency will work with Cheniere to assure they meet Clean Air Act obligations." Colin Cox, an attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project, said it was important for Cheniere to monitor the turbines to ensure continuous compliance moving forward. Louisiana and Texas regulators are responsible for overseeing compliance with federal clean air laws and regulations for facilities in their respective states.

☆ Elon Musk and Peter Thiel were both Silicon Valley outsiders until they joined forces to form PayPal. A new book reveals details of their tumultuous rise to the top.
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-23 | by ( Jonathan A. Knee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It is these stark differences in approach to business, management, and culture that make the story so engrossing. Thanks to a 2007 Fortune magazine cover story complete with a Godfather-esque photo, the "PayPal Mafia" have taken on unjustified mythic status in Silicon Valley. The Founders provides the tools needed to develop a more balanced view of Silicon Valley and its larger-than-life personalities. It also suggests which aspects of that era of Silicon Valley culture are worth preserving — or maybe even rediscovering. His most recent book is "The Platform Delusion: Who Wins and Who Loses in the Age of Tech Titans."

Search resuls for: "EPA's"

24 mentions found