Environment
High concentrations of dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ found in Midwestern rivers, report shows
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The Waterkeeper Alliance report found that 83% of the waters tested had at least one of these chemicals.
"forever chemicals"
Midwest river towns looking for answers after forever chemicals found in water
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Earlier in November, the EPA announced that PFAS contamination from the 3M factory has created “an imminent and substantial endangerment” of public and private drinking water supplies.
"waters of the U.S."
Large CAFOs are known polluters. Here’s why EPA permits only cover one-third.
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The Environmental Protection Agency is charged with protecting important waterways from pollution, but manure from concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, continues to harm waterways — and only one-third of the largest facilities have a federal permit.
EPA permits require CAFO operators to tell the agency how much waste the animals will produce and how the manure will be disposed of. States are largely responsible for issuing these permits, but that has resulted in patchy oversight, despite CAFOs being known environmental dangers. In some states with hundreds of large CAFOs, including Indiana, Idaho and Arkansas, zero facilities have a federal permit. Large CAFOs are defined by the EPA as housing the equivalent of 700 dairy cattle, 2,500 swine or up to 125,000 chickens.
A single CAFO can produce millions of gallons of manure per year. When the waste enters waterways, the nitrogen and phosphorus present in the manure can make water dangerous to drink and produce harmful algae blooms.
The Clean Water Act of 1972 mandated the EPA to protect “waters of the U.S.,” a much-debated term that currently includes interstate rivers and wetlands and the smaller bodies of water that flow into or otherwise impact those interstate waters.
Climate Change
Summer nights are heating up — and that’s impacting crops and livestock
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Climate experts say summer nights have gotten warmer, harming farmers and animals.
Ag & Water Desk
A federal funding program with bipartisan support helped clean up the Great Lakes. Could it work for the Mississippi River too?
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Mississippi River watershed communities like Bay City, Wisconsin are feeling the effects of environmental degradation. Advocates hope a proposed federal funding program, based on a successful initiative in the Great Lakes, could change this.
Agribusiness
E. Coli outbreaks linked to leafy greens continue despite FDA, industry prevention efforts
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Four outbreaks have occurred in the two years since the Food and Drug Administration announced its action plan to combat E. coli in leafy greens.
Agribusiness
San Diego County avocado farmers must pay water district thousands to switch their service — or lose it
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Dozens of local water agencies are scrambling to stop costs from spiraling out of control amid the high price of importing water and the impacts of climate change including wildfires.
Agribusiness
‘A pretty big sea change’: EPA says it will consider endangered species when approving new pesticides — without the threat of lawsuits
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Under the new approach, the EPA recently banned certain pesticides in more than a 100 U.S. counties.
Agribusiness
It takes tons of water to put meat on Americans’ plates. But most meat companies don’t ensure conservation in their supply chains.
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Climate change is making water more scarce in some areas, but water-intensive meat production isn’t slowing down.
Environment
Conservationists See Rare Nature Sanctuaries. Black Farmers See a Legacy Bought Out From Under Them.
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In Pembroke, the well-intended efforts of mostly white nature conservationists overlook one thing: The township’s Black farming community has never fully supported them. Now, a generations-old way of life is threatened by the push for conservation.