Sustainability
Electrical Fire Knocks Out Spent Fuel Cooling at Nebraska Nuclear Plant
The safety of spent fuel pools, as at the Fort Calhoun plant outside Omaha, has been an issue since the accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant
Stories by ProPublica
Health
Highlighting Drug Industry Influence, Watchdog Says Overmedication in Nursing Homes Is Troubling
Nursing homes are unnecessarily administering powerful antipsychotic drugs to many elderly residents, including those with dementia who could suffer life-threatening side effects, according to a new government watchdog report...
Sustainability
Deteriorating Oil and Gas Wells Threaten Drinking Water Across the Country
Old holes made in search of oil and gas have been abandoned but may be providing paths for contamination to creep up
The Sciences
Real CSI: Patchy U.S. Death Investigations Put the Living at Risk
Only about 20 percent of coroners have forensics certification, and most face limited resources and large workloads, according to a new investigation
Sustainability
Climate Benefits of Natural Gas May Be Overstated
Policymakers and the energy industry have been looking to natural gas in recent years as a more climate friendly fuel with half the greenhouse gas emissions of coal, but EPA research is casting doubt on that plan...
Sustainability
Gulf Spill Cleanup Chemicals May Cause New Environmental Concerns
On Thursday BP began using the chemical compounds to dissolve the crude oil, both on the surface and deep below, deploying an estimated 100,000 gallons
Sustainability
BP Suffers Multiple Lapses in Years Leading to Oil Spills
The global oil giant responsible for the fast-spreading spill in the Gulf of Mexico is no stranger to major accidents
Sustainability
How Senator Vitter Battled the EPA Over Formaldehyde's Link to Cancer
Why is formaldehyde still listed by the EPA as a probable rather than a known carcinogen, despite major scientific research linking it to leukemia and other forms of cancer?
Sustainability
Natural Gas Drilling Produces Radioactive Wastewater
Wastewater from natural gas drilling in New York State is radioactive, as high as 267 times the limit safe for discharge into the environment and thousands of times the limit safe for people to drink...
Sustainability
What Are the Dangers of Drilling for Natural Gas?
A new environmental review from New York State details some of the issues surrounding drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus shale
Sustainability
With Natural Gas Drilling Boom, Pennsylvania Faces Flood of Wastewater
A spate of water contamination problems in Pennsylvania have been linked to new natural gas drilling in the state
Sustainability
EPA: Chemicals Found in Wyoming Drinking Water Might Be from Natural Gas Drilling
Federal environment officials investigating drinking water contamination have found that at least three water wells contain a chemical used in the natural gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing...
Sustainability
Does Natural Gas Drilling Make Water Burn?
Drilling for natural gas has caused explosions, polluted aquifers and even burning water
Health
CDC Study Finds Rocket Fuel Chemical in Baby Formula
Perchlorate has been found in powdered infant formula by scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
Sustainability
How the West's Energy Boom Could Threaten Drinking Water for 1 in 12 Americans
A rush to develop domestic oil, gas and uranium deposits along the Colorado River and its tributaries threatens its future
The Sciences
EPA Pick Hit for New Jersey Record
Some colleagues have accused Lisa Jackson, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency, of being too cozy with industry, but environmentalists defend her
Sustainability
Drill for Natural Gas, Pollute Water
The natural gas industry refuses to reveal what is in the mixture of chemicals used to drill for the fossil fuel
