water pollution

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.

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 28, 2014 - Most North Carolinians think the state legislature has not done enough to address Duke Energy's recent coal ash spill into the Dan River. Their dissatisfaction crosses party lines -- and could affect the outcome of a key U.S. Senate race.

July 25, 2014 - Duke Energy contractors have finished cleaning up as much coal ash as they intend to from the Dan River -- leaving behind about 90 percent of the toxic waste left by the February spill. Meanwhile, state politicians continue to hammer out details of legislation that leaves ratepayers on the hook for addressing the company's coal ash woes.

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.

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.

June 23, 2014 - A new report looks at industrial pollution releases into the nation's rivers and finds that waterways across the South face especially toxic contamination -- and would benefit from efforts to strengthen the Clean Water Act.