Category Archives: environmental cleanup

Anadarko pollution map

Posted on April 7, 2014 by tbach

The Anadarko Petroleum settlement of environmental health claims against its Kerr-McGee subsidiary has rightfully garnered a lot of attention in the last few days:  the biggest environmental cash settlement in Department of Justice history, the $5.15 billion settlement involves clean up … Continue reading →

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Exxon Valdez Oil Spill–25 Years Later

Posted on March 24, 2014 by caitlin

On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground along the Bligh Reef, spilling an estimated 260,000 to 750,000 barrels of crude oil from the Prudhoe Bay oil field into the Prince William Sound–enough to fill 125 Olymplic … Continue reading →

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PCBs, GE, & FOIA

Posted on March 9, 2014 by tbach

Yesterday’s Albany Times Union published damning information about GE’s PCB contamination of the Hudson River.  The polluted 200-mile stretch from Hudson Falls to the Atlantic Ocean makes it one of the largest Superfund sites, according to the EPA.  PCBs were banned in 1977 and are … Continue reading →

Posted in bioaccumulation, carcinogens, CERCLA, drinking water, environmental cleanup, environmental law, EPA, fish consumption advisories, FOIA, PCBs, public health, synthetic chemicals | Comments Off on PCBs, GE, & FOIA

Public Health and Environmental Protection

Posted on September 30, 2013 by tbach

While Caitlin attended the VLS symposium on Friday, I was at the University of Michigan Law School’s Environmental Law and Policy Program’s fall conference.  Co-sponsored by the school’s Environmental Law Society and the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law, … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture and human health, built environment, climate change and health, environmental cleanup, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental justice, EPA, Fine Air Particulates, lead, mercury, NRDC, pesticides, pollution control standards, precautionary principle, public health, risk assessment, risk management, vulnerable populations | Comments Off on Public Health and Environmental Protection

THE INLAND WATERS RULE: Can Numeric Water Quality Criteria Save Lake Erie?

Posted on April 14, 2013 by mkyle

In the 1960s, pollution in Lake Erie was so extensive that the lake was frequently declared “dead” in the media. In his original 1971 edition of The Lorax, Dr. Seuss referred to the lake’s degraded condition in describing the poor Humming-Fish and their … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, algal blooms, Clean Water Act, dead zones, environmental cleanup, environmental health, environmental law, EPA, Great Lakes, nonpoint source pollution, water quality standards | Comments Off on THE INLAND WATERS RULE: Can Numeric Water Quality Criteria Save Lake Erie?

Canadian Tar Sands and the United States

Posted on April 6, 2013 by molive

Oil spills have been a hot-button topic ever since the Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Beaches were closed, and people were warned not to consume seafood that was caught in the Gulf. More recently, attention has … Continue reading →

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Legislation Proposes Moratorium on Mountaintop Removal Permits Until Health Consequences Are Invesitgated

Posted on February 20, 2013 by ju11

     On Wednesday, February 13th, Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-25) introduced the Appalachian Community Health Emergency Act (H.R. 526) in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The legislation would place a moratorium on all new mountaintop … Continue reading →

Posted in Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, environmental cleanup, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental justice, EPA, Fine Air Particulates, fish consumption advisories, pollution control standards, public health, public health law, Uncategorized, vulnerable populations | Comments Off on Legislation Proposes Moratorium on Mountaintop Removal Permits Until Health Consequences Are Invesitgated

Environmental Issues on the U.S. Army Bases in Korea: Complex Relationship between Policies and Public Health and Environmental Health Law

Posted on February 3, 2013 by KarenLee

After the Korean War, the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) was drafted to secure the military support and cooperation of the United States Forces in Korea (USFK). However, there were several incidents where the two countries conflicted. In May 2011, … Continue reading →

Posted in CERCLA, dioxins, environmental cleanup, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental justice, environmental law, public health, public health law, WHO | Comments Off on Environmental Issues on the U.S. Army Bases in Korea: Complex Relationship between Policies and Public Health and Environmental Health Law

Revising Fish Consumption Rates in the Pacific Northwest: The Inextricable Link Between Environmental Protection & Human Health

Posted on January 26, 2013 by mkyle

The Problem of Low Fish Consumption Rates Washington State is currently in the process of revising its fish consumption rates (FCRs). The current rates were developed in the 1980s and 1990s, and recent studies indicate that Washingtonians consume much more fish … Continue reading →

Posted in CERCLA, Clean Water Act, cooperative federalism, dioxins, environmental cleanup, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental justice, environmental law, EPA, fish consumption advisories, mercury, PCBs, pollution control standards, public health, public health law, public participation process, risk assessment, risk communication, risk management, vulnerable populations, water quality standards, WHO | Comments Off on Revising Fish Consumption Rates in the Pacific Northwest: The Inextricable Link Between Environmental Protection & Human Health