Must-read recap: The New Lede's top stories
Worsening PFAS waste problem; growing fracking risks; near-daily hazardous chemical accidents; PFAS industry lobbying; Minnesota must clean up nitrate contaminated water; PFAS in Wisconsin wells.
EPA data shows US toxic PFAS waste problem is worsening, watchdog group says
The average amount of waste containing toxic PFAS chemicals that is shipped around the US each month has almost quadrupled since 2018, according to an analysis of government data by a watchdog group.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data points to about 10,344 shipments totaling almost 27 million kilograms of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) waste in the last five years, since the agency first began collecting the data.
The findings, released Nov. 9, reflect “a small percentage, we believe, of the amount of PFAS waste that is being generated, transported, stored, and disposed of in the US,” said Tim Whitehouse, executive director of the watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), which authored the report. “There’s no reporting requirement.”
The EPA data supports the need for the agency to regulate PFAS under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C, which authorizes the agency to set regulatory standards for the management of hazardous waste from “cradle to grave,” says the report. PEER and the Environmental Law Clinic at Berkeley, on behalf of the Green Science Policy Institute and community groups around the country, petitioned the EPA in 2019 and 2020 to regulate PFAS as hazardous waste. (Read the rest of the story.)
Risks of fracking are “real and growing,” report warns
The human and environmental health risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, are “real and growing,” according to a new report synthesizing nearly a decade of research.
The Fracking Science Compendium, ninth edition was released in October by Concerned Health Professionals of New York and Physicians for Social Responsibility, and adds to evidence of numerous problems posed by natural gas extraction through fracking and fracking-associated infrastructure, from pipelines and compressor stations to appliances such as gas furnaces and stoves. The report compiles data and conclusions from thousands of studies, including peer-reviewed papers, investigative media reports and government documents.
“Our examination uncovered no evidence that fracking can be practiced in a manner that does not threaten human health directly or without imperiling climate stability upon which human health depends,” the report states.
For years, scientists have warned that living in close proximity to a fracking operation elevates one’s risk of developing various diseases or health impairments, and the science substantiating these exposure-based outcomes has only gotten more robust over the years. (Read the rest of the story.)
Hazardous chemical accidents happening with “alarming frequency”
(A version of this story is co-published by The Guardian.)
Hazardous chemical accidents are occurring almost daily, on average, in the United States, exposing people to dangerous toxins through fires, explosions, leaks, spills and other releases, according to a new analysis by nonprofit researchers.
The report, which was prepared by Coming Clean, in conjunction with a network of environmental and economic justice organizations in the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters, documents what it calls an “alarming frequency” of accidents, and comes a month before US regulators are expected to release final rules aimed at preventing such incidents. It comes one day after an explosion and fire at a Texas petroleum processing plant injured at least one plant worker and triggered evacuations and stay-at-home-orders to community residents.
The report is in line with a prior analysis revealed in The New Lede in February, which reported such incidents were happening approximately every two days. The new report shows 829 hazardous chemical incidents from Jan. 1, 2021, through Oct. 15 of this year, or roughly one every 1.2 days. The report includes revised higher numbers for 2021 not included in the February analysis that reflect incidents at a number of Texas facilities amid extreme cold temperatures in February of that year. The research is based on capturing incidents of chemical spills via monitoring news sources; researchers say the figures should be regarded as conservative because not all of them are reported in the news media.
The majority of the incidents tallied are connected to the fossil fuel industry, including the use, transport, production and disposal of fossil fuels and fossil fuel products, according to the report, which is accompanied by a searchable database of chemical incidents. (Read the rest of the story.)
PFAS industry spent over $110 million on recent lobbying, report finds
Chemical industry advocates have spent more than $110 million in recent years on lobbying efforts that included opposing laws designed to reduce the use of, and exposure to, a group of toxic chemicals known as PFAS, according to a new study.
Lobbying expenditures from 2019 to 2022 undermined toxic chemicals legislation that would impact industries that make and use per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), according to Food & Water Watch, which published the report on Tuesday. During that period, only four of more than 130 bills introduced by Congress to help clean up PFAS became law.
“There’s a whole disproportionate amount of money being spent by the opposing side to try to avoid any kind of meaningful action,” said Amanda Starbuck, research director of Food & Water Watch. “If we want to stop the production and the contamination from PFAS, even before we get into the cleanup part of it, we really need some comprehensive legislation. I think this report shows what’s standing in the way.” (Read the rest of the story.)
US regulators order Minnesota to clean up nitrate contaminated water
(This report, co-published with Circle of Blue, was made possible by an investigative reporting fellowship awarded by the Alicia Patterson Foundation and the Fund for Investigative Journalism.)
In recognition of pervasive farm-related water contamination, federal regulators have ordered three Minnesota state agencies to address “imminent and substantial endangerment to the health” of thousands of residents who are being exposed to high levels of nitrate contamination in their drinking water.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered state officials to urgently address a nitrate-contaminated drinking water crisis threatening the karst region in southeastern Minnesota and provide safe, alternative drinking water for impacted residents.
The EPA directive, which was issued last week, comes in response to a petition filed last spring by the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) and ten other groups calling on the agency to investigate. The action also comes as federal and state authorities in Corn Belt states are expressing growing concerns about threats posed by farm-related water pollution.
“The feds are interested in human health,” said Jeff Broberg, director of the Minnesota Well Owners Organization, an advocacy group. “That’s been the missing link in considering the hazards of nitrate pollution.” (Read the rest of the story.)
PFAS chemicals found in 71% of tested Wisconsin wells
The majority of private wells providing water for 450 Wisconsin homes tested positive for harmful chemicals, though mostly at low levels, according to a new study.
The analysis, published November 2, tested the wells for 44 types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Researchers found that 71% of the wells were contaminated with 4% of the private wells containing PFAS levels that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s proposed maximum contaminant levels. Roughly 1% had PFAS levels above the state’s recommended groundwater standards. The researchers said their work is the first to sample shallow groundwater away from known PFAS contamination sites in the state. Examining well water is important because about one quarter of Wisconsin residents get their drinking water from over 800,000 private wells.
“A big takeaway is we found PFAS in the majority of wells, but at very small levels in most of those locations,” said Steven Elmore, program director of the Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). To find it at detectable levels in shallow groundwater is not surprising, he said, noting that PFAS has been found in rainwater across the country and in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, which flank the state. (Read the rest of the story.)