The Environmental Protection Agency recently decided to put a nearly two-year delay on new rules intended to reduce the number and damage resulting from accidents at U.S. chemical plants that can result in deadly explosions, fires, and the release of poisonous gas. But the attorneys general for 11 states say the Trump administration has overstepped its authority with this decision. [More]
epa
11 States Accuse Trump Administration Of Illegally Delaying Safety Regulations For Chemical Plants
By 7.24.17
Survey Says: 87% Of Us Think Auto Makers Should Improve Fuel Economy
By 6.29.17
You may really like cars, or driving, but if you’re like most people you probably don’t actually enjoy buying or pumping gas. It’s expensive, tedious, smelly, and flammable, and a new survey finds that a vast majority of us would prefer if our cars could be more efficient so we wouldn’t have to fill ’em up as often. [More]
12 States Say They Will Sue Trump Administration If EPA Rolls Back Vehicle Emissions Standards
By 6.9.17
The environmental fight between certain states and the Trump administration continues, with more than a dozen attorneys general putting the White House on alert that they will sue if the Environmental Protection Agency moves forward with its plan to undo automotive greenhouse gas emissions standards that the previous administration put in place. [More]
Justice Dept., EPA Sue Fiat Chrysler Over ‘Dirty Diesel’ Ram Trucks, Jeep Cherokees
By 5.23.17
Just as Volkswagen cleans up the remnants of its dirty diesel scandal, the folks at Fiat Chrysler find themselves on the receiving of a lawsuit brought by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department accusing the carmaker of rigging its own diesel engines to fool emissions tests. [More]
Justice Dept. May Go After Fiat Chrysler For Skirting Emissions Standards
By 5.18.17
Now that both the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) have accused Fiat Chrysler of using “defeat device” software to skirt emission standards in more than 100,000 vehicles, the Department of Justice is expected to file a lawsuit against carmaker. [More]
Senators Urge FDA To Ban Possible Carcinogen Found In Shampoo, Lotion
By 4.14.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
You might not be familiar with “1,4-Dioxane” but it’s a chemical component commonly used in everyday products, such as shampoos, lotions, and cosmetics. It may also cause cancer, which is why a pair of U.S. Senators are urging the Food & Drug Administration to begin the process of eliminating this chemical from consumer products. [More]
EPA Taken To Court For Ignoring Its Own Science In Deciding To Not Ban Pesticide
By 4.6.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
When Scott Pruitt recently took over as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, one of his first decisions was to deny a petition seeking a ban on a controversial pesticide — only months after scientists of the agency said it poses a significant health risk. Now the EPA is being taken to court for its decision to ignore its own recommendation. [More]
6 Things Consumers Should Know About The White House’s Proposed ‘Skinny’ Budget
By 3.16.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
The Trump White House has released its first big-picture public proposal on federal spending for 2018. This initial pass — the so-called “skinny” budget — is basically an outline that doesn’t get into the finer details. However, the changes that are described in the document are nonetheless wide-sweeping, recommending significant cuts or culling of a number of programs you may currently take for granted. [More]
States Will Go To Court To Stop EPA Rollback Of Fuel-Efficiency Standards
By 3.15.17
President Trump has made it known that his administration intends to oblige the auto industry’s request to roll-back longterm standards for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency in most new vehicles. However, some states say they will go to court to fight carmakers’ attempts to undo these guidelines. [More]
Monsanto May Have Ghostwritten Parts Of Reports Concluding That Roundup Is Safe
By 3.15.17
Glyphosate, the main chemical in the weed-killer Roundup, is one of the most popular herbicides on the planet, but newly unsealed court documents suggest that Roundup’s manufacturer, Monsanto, may have written at least some of an academic research paper used to demonstrate glyphosate’s safety. [More]
White House To Rescind EPA Mileage, Greenhouse Gas Standards
By 3.15.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Following a request by auto industry lobbyists for new EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to rescind the agency’s longterm fuel-economy and emissions standards, President Trump is expected to announce that his administration will indeed undo the guidance locked in during the last days of the Obama White House. [More]
Automakers Ask New EPA Chief Pruitt To Rescind Mileage, Greenhouse Gas Standards
By 2.22.17
Now that Scott Pruitt — the former Oklahoma Attorney General who repeatedly sued the Environmental Protection Agency — has been sworn in as the Administrator of the agency whose policies he once attacked, auto industry lobbyists are calling on the EPA to put a stop to longterm fuel-economy and emissions standards locked in by the previous White House. [More]
Fiat Chrysler Accused Of Using Potential “Defeat Devices” In More Than 100,000 Trucks, SUVs
By 1.12.17
A day announcing criminal charges and a $4.3 billion settlement in the Volkswagen “Dieselgate” scandal, the Environmental Protection Agency is accusing another carmaker, Fiat Chrysler, of using “defeat device” software to skirt emission standards in more than 100,000 vehicles. [More]
Volkswagen Finally Has A Fix For 70,000 Of Its “Dirty Diesels”
By 1.6.17
Try, try, and try again, and eventually you’re bound to get it right. Or at least that appears to be the case for Volkswagen and regulators who have finally reached a deal to fix thousands of diesel vehicles equipped with so-called “defeat devices” that skirt federal emissions standards. [More]
Senators Ask Trump’s EPA Nominee To Disclose Oil Industry Connections
By 12.28.16
Earlier this month, President-elect Donald Trump selected Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as his nominee to head up the Environmental Protection Agency — an agency that Pruitt is also currently suing. Now, a group of six U.S. Senators has called on Pruitt to disclose his reported connections to the oil industry. [More]
Attorney General Who Is Suing The EPA Picked By Trump To Head EPA
By 12.7.16
President-elect Trump’s nominee to run the Environmental Protection Agency is Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, who has strong ties to the energy industry, is an outspoken critic of climate change, clean energy efforts, and federal regulation in general, and who is currently involved in multi-state lawsuits against the very agency he may soon be put in charge of. [More]
Harley-Davidson To Pay $15M To Resolve Creation Of “Super Tuners” That Violate Emission Standards
By 8.18.16
Turns out that the use of so-called “defeat devices” to cheat federal emissions standards isn’t just relegated to four-wheeled vehicles made by Volkswagen. Harley-Davidson today agreed to settle charges it violated the Clean Air Act by paying $15 million, as well as buying back and destroying nearly 340,000 “super tuners” that emit higher amounts of certain air pollutants than what the company certified to EPA. [More]
Thinking Of Recharging Your AC Unit? Here’s What You Absolutely Need To Know About Replacement Refrigerants
By 5.24.16
Someday soon(ish), it’ll be warm again in most parts of the country, and you might be thinking of giving your home or car air-conditioning a bit of a boost to prepare for the summer heat. Whether you’re working with an HVAC technician or doing it yourself, it matters what you’re using to recharge that AC unit, and some refrigerants are better left unused. [More]
