environmental health
December 22, 2014 -
Environmentalists say a long-awaited federal rule governing disposal of the toxic waste left over after burning coal is "too little and too late" -- and that when the next disaster inevitably occurs the White House will share the blame.
October 16, 2014 -
The North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission will consider an environmental group's petition to craft rules protecting people from toxic air emissions from fracking operations, a growing concern among public health experts.
September 15, 2014 -
A study by researchers at five universities found contamination of drinking water in Texas and Pennsylvania from gas drilling operations. The authors say it wasn't fracking per se that caused the contamination but faulty gas well construction -- though they note that fracking could potentially affect well integrity.
August 22, 2014 -
North Carolina has passed the nation's first state law regulating coal ash, but it's being met with protests for not doing enough to protect public health and the environment -- and for placing oversight in the hands of political appointees in a state where Duke Energy is a major campaign financier.
August 19, 2014 -
The first public hearing on North Carolina's proposed fracking rules will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 20 in Raleigh, with three other hearings set for the central and western parts of the state. Environmental advocates have reviewed the rules and are offering their ideas for how they should be changed to better protect natural resources and public health.
July 30, 2014 -
The Government Accountability Office says environmental regulators are failing to adequately enforce rules for wells used to dispose of toxic waste from oil and gas drilling.
June 26, 2014 -
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory gave a radio interview last week in which he made a number of misleading claims about coal ash and his administration's response to Duke Energy's toxic pollution. With the issue still at the top of the legislature's agenda, we examine those claims and set the record straight.