Environmental, Health and Safety News | Volunteer EHS News Network Dedicated to Protecting People & Our Planet

Stimulating summer class focusing on military as specialized workplace

Are you looking for an outstanding 1 credit summer class that addresses military exposures, veterans health, and service-linked policies? This course is ideal for you! It is designed to appeal to students from many disciplines, including those from *outside* of GWU. We can certainly accommodate students wishing to participate online. Summer II 2020 –...
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Department of Energy Invests $74 Million in Building and Construction Technologies and Innovations

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $74 million for 63 selected projects to research, develop, and test energy-efficient and flexible building technologies, systems, and construction practices to improve the energy performance of our Nation’s buildings and electric grid. Awardees include National Laboratories, universities, small businesses, and industry partners. America’s 125 million residential and commercial buildings use...
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Department of Energy Awards $187 Million to Strengthen U.S. Manufacturing Competitiveness

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced approximately $187 million in funding, including $48 million of cost share, for 55 projects in 25 states to support innovative advanced manufacturing research and development. These projects address high-impact manufacturing technology, materials, and process challenges that advance the Trump Administration’s goal to strengthen domestic manufacturing competitiveness and position...
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Coronavirus Rare Incubation of 24 Days Means quarantines need to be 6 weeks long instead of 3 weeks.

(Brian Wang) A new study shows the coronavirus ncov 2019 has a median incubation period was 3.0 days but the range is 0 to 24.0 days. This would mean that quarantines need to be 6 weeks long instead of 3 weeks. Clinical characteristics of 2019 novel coronavirus infection in China Lancet has published a...
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EPA Hires Wisconsin Environmental Rockstar as Administrator for EPA’s Region 5!

(FET) EPA Names new Administrator for Region 5 Kurt Thiede of Wisconsin has been named regional administrator for EPA Region 5, overseeing environmental protection eﬀorts in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. He comes to this role with extensive experience promoting and protecting the environmental health of the Great Lakes region. He is an 18year veteran of WDNR, and previously spent four years as the administrator for the Land Division. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife management and biology from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, and in 2016 he received an outstanding alumnus award from their school of natural resources. Read more about Mr. Thiede at EPA: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-administrator-epas-region-5-office-chicago
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Energy Department Announces $18.8 Million for Hydrothermal and Low Temperature Geothermal Research

(DOE) the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $18.8 million toward the research and development (R&D) of innovative subsurface geothermal technologies. DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) will fund up to six projects focused on two topic areas: Topic 1: Exploration RD&D: Hidden Geothermal Systems in the Basin and Range; and Topic 2:...
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Anhydrous Ammonia Chemical Release — Lake County, Illinois, April 2019

On April 25, 2019, a farm tractor towing two 2-ton ammonia tanks on a county road in Lake County, Illinois, experienced a mechanical failure that resulted in the release of anhydrous ammonia, a colorless, pungent, irritating gas that can cause severe respiratory and ocular damage (1). Approximately 80% of anhydrous ammonia produced in the...
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Audit Health and Safety Conditions with New HazardAssess App

(CCOHS) Take action to reduce or eliminate health and safety risks in your workplace with the new HazardAssess app, available free of charge on iOS and Android. Audit your health and safety conditions, identify concerns, and report them for action and follow-up. HazardAssess guides you through 12 distinct health and safety topics, prompting you...
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Safeguarding: The First Line of Defence

(CCOHS) Working with machinery puts workers at risk. Safeguarding is the essential first line of defense against potentially serious injuries caused by machine operation. Understand how safeguards can protect you and reduce the risk of injury. Many machines found on shop floors and in factories have moving parts that rotate, reciprocate, punch, slide, grind,...
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Occupational Cancer: Take Action to Prevent Exposures

Every day millions head out to work, maybe not fully aware that in their job or place of work, they are being exposed to cancer-causing substances. These carcinogens can be viruses, chemicals, naturally occurring minerals, or solar radiation. Recent statistics from the World Health Organization show that cancer kills an estimated 9.6 million people...
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EPA Posts Great Lakes Trash Free Waters RFA Questions and Answers

EPA has posted an updated set of questions and answers pertaining to its Great Lakes Trash Free Waters RFA. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020 GLNPO held an informational webinar on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Trash Free Waters Request for Applications (RFA). During the webinar, the EPA team shared key information about the RFA’s...
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U.S. Surgeon General Highlights the Value of Worker Well-Being and the NIOSH Total Worker Health(R) Approach

(CDC) In a recent article in Public Health Reports, the U.S. Surgeon General, Vice Admiral (VADM) Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, recognizes the important relationship between employment and health. The article, “The Value of Worker Well-being,” also highlights the efforts of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the NIOSH Office of Total...
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State Health Agency Responds to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today testing is in process for five people for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in our state. Results are pending in these cases. Test results for an additional patient under investigation were negative. “DHS is actively monitoring this outbreak and working with our local, state, and...
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Two Nasty Traits Of This Coronavirus, Typically Not Seen Together

Compiled what follows from a Series of Thirteen Tweets by physician (MD) and scientist (PhD) Dr. Dena Grayson. Emphasis is mine. Dr. Dena Grayson: Having YEARS of experience developing an Ebola treatment, I was concerned about this Coronavirus Outbreak from the outset, because this coronavirus strain is very contagious, causes severe illness, and NO treatments or vaccines are...
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CDC Page on Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

CDC is closely monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus (termed “2019-nCoV”) that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and which continues to expand. Chinese health officials have reported more than a thousand infections with 2019-nCoV in China, including outside of Hubei Province. Infections with 2019-nCoV...
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Nimonik hosting a Free Online Comprehensive Compliance Workshop.

Hello, On January 30th, Nimonik is hosting a Free Online Comprehensive Compliance Workshop. To benchmark your compliance efforts in 2020, here are 5 powerful questions to ask your teams: Do you understand your compliance obligations? Does your team have the competence to stay in compliance? Are there controls in place to meet your compliance...
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With Hospitalizations on the Rise, DHS Wants to Avoid a More Deadly Flu Season

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) today announced our state has seen 459 hospitalizations for influenza this season, more than three times as many than at this time last year. Admissions to intensive care units for respiratory illnesses are also on the rise. And already, 11 Wisconsinites have died due to complications from...
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Community Care, Inc. to Begin Certification Process to Deliver Family Care Services to Dane County

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) received notification from Care Wisconsin and My Choice Family Care managed care organizations (MCOs) of their intent to merge into one entity effective January 1, 2020. Both entities provide services within Wisconsin’s Family Care program in Dane county. Family Care is a Wisconsin long-term care program operating...
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DataFAIRy

The post DataFAIRy appeared first on Pistoia Alliance.
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Seasons Greetings

Dear members, friends and colleagues, We’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a peaceful and happy holiday season and a prosperous 2020. From all at the operations team: Steve Arlington Martyn Wilkins Ashley George Beeta Balali-Mood Roger Frechette Nick Lynch David Proudlock Tanya Randall Zahid Tharia John Wise ...
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SEED project gets started

The SEED (Semantic Enrichment of ELN Data) Project is pleased to announce its official “start-up” January 2020. Following the recent presentation at the Pistoia Alliance conference in Boston by Steve Penn ( Pfizer), there is a high level of interest in the project and this has been confirmed by offers of funding that enable...
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UDM V6 to be released in January

The goal of the Unified Data Model (UDM) project is to create and publish an open, extendable and freely available data format for the exchange of experimental information about compound synthesis and their testing. The UDM project are pleased to announce the release of Version 6.0 in January 2020. This will be the...
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China building more nuclear power facilities than any other country

BEIJING, China – There are currently eleven nuclear power units under construction in China, the largest number of nuclear power facilities under construction in the world. The country has 47 nuclear power units already in operation, the third highest across the globe, accoding to a report by The People’s Daily. The Chinese government made the decision...
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2020 PFAS Seminar on remediating PFAS contaminants

The 2020 PFAS Seminar that will bring together renowned industry leaders with knowledge on remediating PFAS contaminants in surface water, groundwater, drinking water, wastewater/bio solids, and recycled water. Learn what’s working now! Keynote SpeakerMike Abraczinskas, DirectorNorth Carolina Department of Environmental QualityDivision of Air QualityPresenting: Emerging Compounds from an Air Perspective – A Case Study...
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Occupational Reproductive Hazards for Female Surgeons in the Operating Room

JAMA: Importance Higher rates of infertility and pregnancy complications have been found for female surgeons compared with the general population. Several reproductive hazards are present in the operating room and may be associated with these findings. Hazards should be identified and controlled to minimize risks. Observations: Studies comparing surgeons with the general population show...
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Wanted: Water Department Manager in Milwaukee

Water Department Manager in Milwaukee to help their company grow. What You Will Be Doing Implement Corporate Strategic Plan Create Business Unit Plan (BUP) to direct development of staff and products Recognize staffing needs, assist with hiring Assist Marketing in preparation of Proposals: project plan and approach, staff assignments, fee development and risk assessment...
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Despite everything, U.S. emissions dipped in 2019

From the GRIST Surging natural gas was the biggest reason for coal’s demise. Gas comes with its own problems for the climate– burning it releases carbon, and leaks release methane — but replacing coal with gas led to a decline in globe-warming gases, Houser said. Renewable energy from hydroelectricity, solar power, and wind turbines,...
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134 million Americans – more than 41% – lived in counties with unhealthy levels of either ozone or particulate pollution

The American Lung Association’s 19th annual “state of the air” report found that 134 million Americans – more than 41% – lived in counties with unhealthy levels of either ozone or particulate pollution in 2014-2016. In a country with over 270 million vehicles, America’s air suffers from tailpipe pollution. Health impacts of air pollution...
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Can adoption of pollution prevention techniques reduce pollution substitution?

The open source journal PLOSOne had a recent article of potential interest to the P2 community. The researchers used TRI data to determine the extent to which adoption of P2 practices reduces pollution substitution. They found that adoption of P2 techniques reduces toxic air and water releases equally, but it is associated with increases...
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Nationally-Recognized Family Care Program Approved for Five More Years

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today that the nationally-recognized Family Care program has been approved to continue for five more years. Family Care allows frail elders and adults with physical, developmental, or intellectual disabilities to remain in their homes or communities whenever possible. The approval comes from the Centers for Medicare...
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Wisconsin Health Officials Find E. coli O157 in Bagged Romaine Salad from Salinas Valley, California

As part of the ongoing investigation into the multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 ( E. coli O157) infections, Wisconsin health and food safety officials have found E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in an unopened bag of pre-washed chopped romaine collected from an ill person’s home. Additional laboratory testing is pending to determine if the...
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Health Agency Reminds State Residents That Cold Can be Deadly

Having already seen record-breaking cold this year, and with frigid temperatures in the forecast for most of the state this week, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) wants to remind residents to take steps to be safe and stay warm as temperatures fall . Last winter, 75 people died from exposure to cold...
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DHS Investigates Outbreak of Adenovirus Infections on College Campuses

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is investigating multiple cases of adenovirus (add-e-no-virus) infection on college campuses around the state. Adenovirus infections most commonly cause respiratory illness, and while serious illness is rare, in some cases it can lead to pneumonia or death. “Adenovirus infection is easily spread, which is why we tend to...
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DHS Urges Residents to Set a Healthy Table this Thanksgiving

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is urging state residents to take extra care while preparing their Thanksgiving meals this week. While hygiene is always important in food preparation, recent outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 and hepatitis A infections shines a bright light on how vital hygiene is. “The holidays are a time...
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Pistoia Alliance Report 2030

This report is intended for all members and friends of the Pistoia Alliance, and any others interested in its work supporting cross-industry collaboration and innovation.It sets out to consider what the life science, biopharma R&D and healthcare ecosystem might look like in 2030. The objective is to ensure that the Pistoia Alliance, its...
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AI CoE 2020 Drug repurposing datathon announced

Our second drug repurposing datathon is dedicated to finding a cure to Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). This is a rare (1000 cases a year worldwide) and deadly form of cancer in children. Over the last 50 years the understanding of DIPG as a heterogeneous group of tumors requiring a personalized medicine approach has...
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US Conference Report 2019

Winners of the 2019 President’s Startup Challenge Announced, as The Pistoia Alliance Looks to the Future Boston, 30 October, 2019 – The Pistoia Alliance, a global, not-for-profit alliance that works to lower barriers to innovation in life sciences R&D, has announced the winners of the 2019 President’s Startup Challenge at its annual member...
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Annual General Meeting 2019

All members invited to attend the Pistoia Alliance AGM. Wednesday 4th December 2019 at 16:00 to 17.00 GMT via Webinar All individuals involved in the activities of the Pistoia Alliance within its member companies are cordially invited to attend the Pistoia Alliance Annual General Meeting. Please reserve the time and register for...
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President’s Challenge 2019 – Finalists Announced

We are delighted to announce the 5 finalists for the Pistoia Alliance President’s Startup Challenge 2019. This year we have solutions covering diagnostics, lab of the future, AI and machine learning, in turn providing benefit to patients and help accelerate innovation and collaboration in R&D. You can find out more about each finalist...
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Agile UX: Designing Together

When you hear the word “agile” is it just a trendy buzzword to you? Do you find it flexible but risky? Too short sighted and an excuse not to think ahead? Does it conjure up images of sticky notes, cult like devotion, and taking itself too seriously? Or are you just bored hearing...
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From Theory to PoC in Three Months: A Blockchain Implementation story

For 12 weeks during the summer in 2018, Sebastian Coates (a then-colleague, now co-founder) and I had the rare opportunity to take a step into the world of enterprise blockchain at an industry leading pharmaceutical company. With blockchain being a nascent, cutting-edge technology, the opportunity to research and experiment with it presented a...
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FAIR Implementation

The post FAIR Implementation appeared first on Pistoia Alliance.
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OSHA Enforcement and Compliance Increases in 2019 To Keep America’s Workforce Safe

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) fiscal year (FY) 2019 final statistics show a significant increase in the number of inspections and a record amount of compliance assistance to further the mission of ensuring that employers provide workplaces free of hazards. OSHA’s enforcement activities reflect the...
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Clearing the Air on Respiratory Hazards

CCOHS – For many workers, their jobs can take an unexpected toll on their physical health. An occupational disease can be disruptive, disabling, and even fatal. However, workplaces can take preventive action on respiratory hazards that can lead to mesothelioma, lung cancer, silicosis, asbestosis, and other serious occupational diseases. Recognizing and preventing these work-related...
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Highly Radioactive Particles From Fukushima Mapped

A recent study published in the scientific journal “Chemosphere,” involving scientists from Japan, Finland, France, and the United States, addresses these issues. The team, led by Dr. Satoshi Utsunomiya, Ryohei Ikehara, and Kazuya Morooka of Kyushu University, a prestigious research school in Fukuoka, Japan, developed a method in 2018 that allows scientists to quantify...
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This humidity digester breathes in atmospheric water and exhales energy

(ScienceDaily) Integrating a super moisture-absorbent gel with light-active materials, researchers in Singapore have developed a humidity digester to dry the ambient air while generating energy. The method, presented November 20 in the journal Joule, is a green alternative to air conditioners with a trick — pulling water out of thin air. Like plants, artificial...
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A secretive startup backed by Bill Gates has achieved a solar breakthrough aimed at saving the planet.

CNN – Heliogen, a clean energy company that emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday, said it has discovered a way to use artificial intelligence and a field of mirrors to reflect so much sunlight that it generates extreme heat above 1,000 degrees Celsius. Essentially, Heliogen created a solar oven — one capable of reaching...
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Iowa wind farm sending many giant blades to landfills, will create over one million tons of fiberglass

“Landfills are really struggling to manage them, and they just decide they can’t accept them….” Bill Rowland, president of the Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations, said he’s unsure “we as a society” considered what would happen to the blades as older turbines are repowered. “There wasn’t a plan in place to say, ‘How...
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Wisconsin Announces Multi-Agency Coordinating Council for PFAS, Begins Process for Additional PFAS Rulemaking

(Michael Best & Friedrich LLP) Today, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began the process of implementing another priority in Governor Evers’ Executive Order #40 by creating the Wisconsin Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Council or “WisPAC.” The Council will be led by DNR and will coordinate PFAS-related activities among state agencies...
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NASA finds that Californians’ TRASH emits far more methane into the atmosphere than cattle ranches… should we ban trash services to solve the global warming problem?

NASA scientists are helping California create a detailed, statewide inventory of methane point sources — highly concentrated methane releases from single sources — using a specialized airborne sensor. The new data, published this week in the journal Nature, can be used to target actions to reduce emissions of this potent greenhouse gas. Like carbon...
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BlackRock’s commitment to responsible investing must include human rights (commentary)

A forest in Brazil is set on fire to make way for soy plantations. An oil pipeline leak in South Dakota threatens the drinking water of local communities. A...
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‘Stand Down’: Bernhardt Blocks Aerial Mountain Goat Cull At Grand Teton

“The U.S. Secretary of the Interior directly intervened in an aerial goat cull underway in the Tetons last Friday, ordering Grand Teton National Park Acting Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail to...
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“Senate Confirms MacGregor for Second-Ranking Interior Spot”

“Katharine MacGregor, President Donald Trump’s nominee for deputy Interior secretary, was confirmed 58-38 by the Senate on Tuesday.” Energy & Fuel Environmental Politics Laws & Regulations Natural Resources National...
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“In Delaware, Dams Are Being Removed to Spur Fish Migration”

“When migratory fish follow their ancestral instinct to swim up Delaware’s Brandywine Creek during this spring’s spawning season, they will find, for the first time in more than 200...
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“Public Lands: National Park Boosters Encouraged By Republican Rhetoric”

“Senate Republicans are name-dropping national parks in broader public remarks on the upcoming legislative agenda, fanning hope among supporters of a maintenance backlog bill that floor time might be...
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3 Plutonium-Tainted Structures At High Risk Of Collapsing At Hanford

“Three radioactively contaminated underground structures at high risk of collapse on the Hanford nuclear reservation could be filled with concrete-like grout within a year.” Nuclear Power & Radiation Northwest...
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China beefs up wildlife trade ban as COVID-19 outbreak intensifies

China has banned the trade and consumption of wild animals in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 2,700 lives and infected more than 81,000...
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“USGS Whistleblower Alleges Poor Lab Conditions, Water Pollution”

“A U.S. Geological Survey lab in Seattle leached pathogen-laced wastewater into a Seattle wetland, possibly endangering salmon and trout, and has attempted to fire an employee who blew the...
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Climate Change, Soaring Flood Insurance Could Trigger A Mortgage Crisis

“Flood insurance is sold as protection from climate change. As costs rise, it could push people from their homes instead.” Climate Change Disasters Laws & Regulations Water & Oceans...
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“After Trump Mocks a Sea Wall in New York, Plan Is Abruptly Shelved”

“The Trump administration has unexpectedly halted a project to protect the New York City region from flooding during dangerous storms like Hurricane Sandy — a decision that came six...
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“Costa Rican Indigenous Land Activist Killed By Armed Mob”

“A Costa Rican indigenous defender has been killed by an armed mob while trying to reclaim ancestral land – the latest in a spate of violence targeting native communities...
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Passionate Public Comments Slam Trump NEPA Rule Rollback Proposal

“It cost $1,000 for Patricia Qasimah Boston to fly from Tallahassee to Washington and stay in a hotel. She traveled 800 miles for a three-minute appearance at a public...
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Camera traps confirm presence of lowland gorillas in central mainland Equatorial Guinea for first time in over a decade

Images of wild western lowland gorillas have been captured by camera traps deep in the jungles of central mainland Equatorial Guinea, marking the first time that the region’s gorillas...
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Can There Be A Hollywood Ending For The ‘Brad Pitt Of Mountain Lions’?

“Penned in by freeways, LA’s big cats face extinction – but a new wildlife crossing might be the answer”. Wildlife California Public Source: ,
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“JPMorgan Chase Takes Baby Step Toward Curbing Fossil Fuel Loans”

“JPMorgan Chase, one of the world’s biggest lenders to fossil fuel projects, announced Monday that it would curb loans to coal firms and bar the financing of oil and...
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“Alberta Court Rules Federal Carbon Tax Is Unconstitutional”

“The Alberta Court of Appeal has concluded the federal government’s carbon tax is an unconstitutional intrusion into provincial powers, handing Alberta a key victory in its battle with Ottawa...
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“Climate Change Could Pose ‘Catastrophic’ Security Threat, Experts Warn”

“Climate change could become a “catastrophic” threat to global security, as people lose their livelihoods, fall ill and battle over scarce water and food, a host of U.S. security,...
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“Mike Bloomberg Under Fire For ‘Not Very Ambitious’ Climate Plan”

“Mike Bloomberg has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to environmental advocacy causes, but his campaign is coming under fire for a climate plan that lags far behind the...
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“Trump Has Sabotaged America’s Coronavirus Response”

“In 2018, the Trump administration fired the government’s entire pandemic response chain of command, including the White House management infrastructure.” Environmental Health Environmental Politics Government Health National (U.S.) Public...
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