The New Lede

Texas Farmers, Watchdog Group Demand EPA Act on PFAS in Farm Fertilizer

by Elizabeth Duan | February 22, 2024
In the wake of fresh evidence that US farms are being poisoned by PFAS-laden fertilizers, a watchdog group and two Texas farm families said Thursday they plan to sue regulators to try to force protective actions. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has violated the Clean Water Act by ...

Dead livestock and poisoned water — Texas farmers sue over PFAS contamination

by Elizabeth Duan | February 20, 2024
Two Texas farm families have seen their health decline, their pets and livestock sickened and killed, their water poisoned and and their property values wiped out due to high levels of chemical contamination linked to a company marketing treated sewage sludge as a fertilizer and soil ...

EPA scores enforcement wins, losses in 2023; announces funding for vulnerable communities

by Elizabeth Duan | December 20, 2023
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scored both wins and losses in its enforcement of environmental laws for 2023, stepping up fines for polluters and on-site inspections but cleaning up fewer pollutants than it has in a decade, according to the agency’s annual enforcement and ...

New scientific integrity policy lacking teeth, critics warn

by PEER | September 14, 2023
But according to a letter sent to HHS this month by 11 advocacy organizations, the draft policy would do little to stem what has become a systemic problem in key federal agencies whose work is supposed to protect the public but too often is swayed by political and/or corporate interests ...

Guest column: EPA has lost its way

by Tim Whitehouse | November 16, 2022
It has been more than 20 years since I worked as a senior attorney at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), using my legal training to help enforce the Clean Water Act and advise agency managers on a range of hazardous waste issues ...