The Senate parliamentarian advised lawmakers that they couldn't use the Congressional Review Act to revoke California's right to set vehicle standards. But they did it anyway. Expect a legal fight.
California, which has the unique ability to set vehicle standards, has set ambitious rules requiring all new cars to be zero-emission by 2035. The fate of those rules is now up to the Senate.
A report from Emory University scientists shows some people in the Coastal Georgia city have been exposed to toxic chemicals left over from Superfund sites.
Sen. Jon Ossoff and members of Georgia’s congressional delegation are raising concerns about recent EPA staff dismissals they say could threaten public health protections.
Acting EPA Administrator James Payne sent an email to members of the agency's Science Advisory Board and the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee informing them that both are being "reset."
The billionaire businessman has spent weeks campaigning relentlessly for Donald Trump. That dedication could lead to major benefits for him and his companies.
Several Georgia environmental organizations are pressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce national standards that would prevent Georgia Power from disposing of coal ash waste in a way that pollutes groundwater.
With the definition resolved, will the EPA come for polluting coal plants? Across America, millions of tons of toxic waste are sitting in pits next to coal plants. But whether they will get cleaned up has come down to a legal debate over the definitions of words.
The Phenix City wastewater treatment plant is discharging significantly more E. coli bacteria into the Chattahoochee River than the facility is permitted to, a river watchdog group has alleged.
As part of its ongoing effort to replace diesel-fueled school buses, the Biden administration on Wednesday said it will provide approximately 530 school districts across nearly all states with almost $1 billion to help them purchase clean school buses.
Wednesday the Environmental Protection Agency announced new drinking water standards to limit people's exposure to some PFAS chemicals. For decades, PFAS have been used to waterproof and stain-proof a variety of consumer products. These "forever chemicals" in a host of products — everything from raincoats and the Teflon of nonstick pans to makeup to furniture and firefighting foam. Because PFAS take a very long time to break down, they can accumulate in humans and the environment. Now, a growing body of research is linking them to human health problems like serious illness, some cancers, lower fertility and liver damage. Science correspondent Pien Huang joins the show today to talk through this new EPA rule — what the threshold for safe levels of PFAS in tap water is, why the rule is happening now and how the federal standards will be implemented.
Read more of Pien's reporting on the EPA's first ever rule on PFAS in drinking water.
Want to hear more about health and human safety? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover your question on a future episode!
A new satellite will take continuous measurements of dangerous air pollution in the U.S. That has scientists, and residents, warily optimistic about undoing decades of environmental injustice.
