Health and Public Safety
August 5, 2014 -
As the EPA gets ready to release the nation's first-ever federal coal ash regulations, and while state legislatures like North Carolina's grapple with protecting waterways from the toxic power plant waste, a new report has documented another serious health problem from coal ash: airborne pollution, which can damage lungs, cause immune system problems, and lead to heart attacks and strokes.
August 1, 2014 -
Republican governors' and legislatures' refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act is leading to hospital closures, job losses and even deaths -- especially in rural Southern communities. But some conservative individuals and groups are calling on GOP leaders to reconsider their stance.
July 31, 2014 -
This week's Environmental Protection Agency hearings on the proposed plan to clean up carbon pollution from power plants offered a ringside seat to the political fight that's pitting those with a financial interest in the high-carbon economy against those whose top priority is the well-being of future generations.
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.
July 22, 2014 -
A new report looks at the well-being of children by state and finds that those living in Appalachia and the South are facing especially difficult conditions, including growing poverty and economic inequality. It calls for smart investments to ensure all children have the chance to live up to their full potential.
July 16, 2014 -
The NC Mining and Energy Commission is taking public comments on the state's proposed fracking rules through Sept. 15. Meanwhile, environmentalists are urging the commission to reinstate the ban on the controversial gas drilling technique.
July 14, 2014 -
Republican Mayor Adam O'Neal of Belhaven, NC is walking to the nation's capital to make the case for Medicaid expansion following the closure of a hospital critical to the residents of his rural coastal community.
