ENVIRONMENT - Huffington Post Investigative Fund

ENVIRONMENT: China Hides Rising Number of Environmental Disasters

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:16:08 +0000

As Americans observe with horror the destruction caused by the BP oil spill, similar disasters in China are happening quietly and without coverage from Chinese or international press. Read more »

BP SPILL: Invisible Natural Gas is Unseen Disaster in Gulf

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:22:51 +0000

The oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico has produced countless photos of environmental disaster, but an unseen menace may be destroying ecosystems deep underwater. Natural gas, which many identify as the cause of the initial Deepwater Horizon blast, has been seeping into the water at an alarming rate, but gauging its impact is difficult because it is invisible and odorless. Read more »

ENVIRONMENT: Role of Consultants Unnoticed in BP Spill

Stephanie Gleason — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:00:04 +0000

R.E.M. Solutions, a Houston consulting firm, produced identical environmental reports for three oil companies drilling in the gulf. Each report said 11 times that an oil spill was “unlikely to have an impact base don the industry wide standards for using proven equipment and technology for such responses.” Read more »

ENVIRONMENT: Costs Rising on Not-So-Clean 'Clean Coal'

Kimberly Leonard — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:53:38 +0000

Communities in several Midwestern states signed up with Peabody Energy Corporation to take part in the Prairies State Project, an energy undertaking in which they were promised clean, inexpensive electricity. With construction underway, the costs have doubled — costs that will be incurred by communities locked into 28 years of higher utility bills. Read more »

Scientific Findings Muzzled Even Under Obama?

Kimberly Leonard — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:27:54 +0000

Last week, Investigative Fund reporter Danielle Ivory disclosed how the Environmental Protection Agency isn't including all available scientific data to decide whether the use of atrazine, a common and controversial herbicide sometimes found in tap water, puts the public's health at risk. Read more »

Water Supply Carries Others' Meds

Kimberly Leonard — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:30:23 +0000

A scientific analysis of the Ohio River revealed the water was filled with chemicals and pharmeceuticals, causing alterations in fish and possibly endangering the 5 million people who use it as drinking water. Some scientists say there is no cause for alarm, as the products have been detected in very low concentrations, but others say the concentrations are higher in specific parts of the river.

By James Bruggers Read more »

Weighing Safety of Weed Killer in Drinking Water, EPA Relies Heavily on Industry-Backed Studies

Danielle Ivory — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:37 +0000

Agency Says Company's Evidence 'Scientifically More Robust' than Independent Research

Companies with a financial interest in a weed-killer sometimes found in drinking water paid for thousands of studies federal regulators are using to assess the herbicide’s health risks, records of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show. Many of these industry-funded studies, which largely support atrazine’s safety, have never been published or subjected to an independent scientific peer review. Read more »

TODAY'S BEST: Sites in Illinois Left Toxic for Decades

Kimberly Leonard — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:24:05 +0000

The Chicago Tribune and graduate students from the University of Illinois found 100 instances in which Illinois grounds have been left contaminated, exposing residents to hazardous chemicals such as tar and cyanide. Utility companies are responsible for these sites but are not accountable to anyone in terms of getting the cleanup done in a timely fashion, therefore some sites have remained toxic for decades. On a national scale, thousands of manufacturing plants have yet to be identified for cleanup — a process that would cost the United States $120 billion. Read more »

GOOD READ: Reusable Bag Study Finds Bacteria--But Test was Funded by Plastics Industry

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:24:23 +0000

The reusable bag movement hit a speed bump recently when a study found bacteria living in a high percentage of the cloth totes. It turns out that study was funded by the American Chemistry Council, which represents plastic bag makers. While their findings indicated E. Coli was present in the bags, it didn't specify which strains, many of which are harmless. Read more »

GOOD READ: Cleaning the Water but Fouling Land

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:38:24 +0000

As thousands of tons of waste are removed from the Gulf, its disposal on land is coming under scrutiny. Companies contracted by BP to transport oil-stained sand, containment booms and other byproducts of the cleanup effort have been witnessed dumping waste haphazardly throughout the region, often in places trying to regain visits from tourists. Other reports indicate oily sand being left exposed to rainwater, causing a leak onto previously-unsoiled land. Read more »

GOOD READ: Recommended Level of Toxic Pesticide Mysteriously Jumps in California

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:52:38 +0000

Scientists studying methyl iodide have long contended the pesticide is a potential carcinogen and neurotoxin, and recommend a safe exposure level for humans of .08 parts per billion. Recently, as California began using methyl iodide on strawberries, the recommended level jumped to 96 parts per billion. Scientists are perplexed, and maintain the chemical is extremely dangerous at the higher level. Read more »

GOOD READ: Agency Could Have Done More to Quell Massive Wildfire

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:52:02 +0000

The U.S. Forest Service claims they exhausted their options while fighting the L.A.-area Station wildfire in 2009. Documents reveal the agency failed to order enough tankers during the fire's critical early stages. Experts say an early air attack on the fire could have prevented the flames from spreading.

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

GOOD READ: BP Payout Process Leaves Workers Unpaid and Angry

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:41:00 +0000

BP asserts it has paid 20,000 of the 42,000 claims it received from people whose livelihood have been destroyed in the oil leak's aftermath. Reports from the Gulf suggest another reality, one where adjusters lose paperwork and underestimate lost income. Read more »

GOOD READ: Florida Officials Test Beaches Mostly by Looking at Them

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:37:01 +0000

Unlike neighboring states, Florida isn't routinely testing the water on its beaches for traces of crude oil washing up from the Deepwater Horizon leak. The state is relying only on visual tests, which miss oil that has dissolved into the seawater. That worries health officials, who say unseen oil can be harmful. Read more »

DON'T MISS: Attention is on Coastlines, But Crisis is on Ocean Floor

Kevin Liptak — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:38:22 +0000

As BP and the government work to minimize the impact of the oil leak on Gulf of Mexico coastlines, many are expecting the damage underneath the surface to be far worse. The oil leaking into the water column, paired with the chemical dispersants used to clean it up, is exacting untold damage on fish populations, coral beds and water oxygen levels.

FROM DER SPIEGEL

CURIOUS: California Ignoring Own Experts and Allowing Use of Strawberry Pesticide

Kevin Liptak — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:33:58 +0000

Despite the warnings of state scientists and a panel convened to review the studies, California regulators are approving the use methyl iodide in strawberry fields. Studies show the chemical causes thyroid cancer and miscarriages.

FROM CALIFORNIA WATCH

VIDEO WATCH: Fisherman's Wife Claims Noxious Oil Dispersants Made Husband Sick

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:55:22 +0000

The wife of a fisherman contracted by BP to clean up oil in the Gulf of Mexico speaks out to CNN, claiming her husband was made physically ill from the oil fumes and dispersants. Read more »

GOOD READ: Jacksonville Sold Contaminated Dirt to Residents

Kevin Liptak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:51:13 +0000

After excavating a pond and finding a homemade landfill, Jacksonville officials were supposed to test the dirt for toxins. Read more »

U.S. Congressman Renews Attempts to Ban Controversial Herbicide Atrazine

Danielle Ivory — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:41:27 +0000

A member of Congress is seeking to ban one of the nation's most widely-used herbicides, which has turned up in drinking water in some states. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is for the second time proposing legislation that would outlaw any use or trade of atrazine. Read more »

IRE Awards Finalist

Nick Penniman — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:03:25 +0000

Investigative Reporters and Editors recently announced its 2009 award recipients. Our story about a herbicide called atrazine was a finalist. Atrazine is the second-most-widely-used herbicide in America; farmers saturate their crops with it. As our reporting shows, it may cause a significant risk to humans, animals and the environment. Read more »

Nation’s Largest Private Water Utility Joins Lawsuit Against Herbicide Maker

Danielle Ivory — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:07:13 +0000

The nation’s largest private water utility company has joined a federal lawsuit that aims to force the manufacturer of atrazine, a widely-used herbicide, to pay for its removal from drinking water. Read more »

Cities Sue Manufacturer of Weed-Killer Found in Tap Water

Danielle Ivory — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:54:48 +0000

Federal Lawsuit Seeks Funding to Remove Atrazine from Water Supply

A coalition of communities in six Midwestern states filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to force the manufacturer of a widely-used herbicide to pay for its removal from drinking water. Read more »

Federal Regulator Gets Derivatives Advice From Industry Insiders

Keith Epstein — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:15:36 +0000

Advisory Group to Commodities Commission Dominated by Finance Lobbyists, Execs

Like many federal agencies contemplating reform these days, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission is hearing a lot from the industry it regulates.

But executives and lobbyists don’t always have to knock on the commission’s door. Some are already inside. Read more »

How Credit Raters Fended Off Oversight From Congress and SEC

Ben Protess — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:49:16 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is the second of three articles by the Investigative Fund on the credit rating companies. Read the others here and here.

When the nation’s top credit rating companies came under attack in Washington in recent years, Charles E. Schumer often emerged as their strongest ally. Read more »

Stimulus Fuels Gold Rush For Electronic Health Systems

Fred Schulte — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:29:06 +0000

Competition Among Companies Spawns Bus Tour, Creative Sales Techniques

The government’s $45 billion plan to jump-start a national shift to electronic medical records has touched off a gold rush among scores of technology firms – even as many experts question whether the benefits of the products are being oversold. Read more »

Fuzzy Math? Rising Costs in Government's Digital Health Stimulus

Fred Schulte — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:01:03 +0000

Spending Could Be Double The Obama Administration's Public Estimate of $19 Billion

Creating digital medical records for every American within the next five years – a key provision of President Obama’s stimulus package -- could cost more than twice the $19.5 billion figure that has been cited by federal officials.

Federal budget documents show that actual spending for the plan, which will use stimulus money to help doctors and hospitals defray the cost of installing high-tech records systems, could hit nearly $47 billion. Read more »

In Reversal of Bush Policy, EPA Launches New Study of Atrazine’s Health Effects

Danielle Ivory — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:59:47 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency today reversed its stance on the potential hazards of atrazine, one of the most commonly-used herbicides in the country, saying it will re-examine how the chemical affects human health.

EPA officials said in a statement that the agency will take a close look at the weed-killer’s potential to cause cancer, as well as birth defects, low birth weight, and premature births. Agency scientists also will conduct research for the first time examining whether atrazine interferes with the hormone and reproductive systems of humans and amphibians. Read more »

Anatomy of an Attack Ad

Ben Protess — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:40:38 +0000

How Dick Morris Is Making Seniors Feverish About Health Care Reform

Standing in a medical exam room, a neurosurgeon in a white lab coat stares solemnly into the camera and warns that President Obama’s health care plan “will hurt our seniors” and “end Medicare as we know it.” Two networks, NBC and ABC, declined to run the 30-second ad, but it has probably reached millions of people on Fox, CBS and local stations as well as on the Web. Read more »

Energy Projects Lag in Stimulus Spending

Gary Cohn — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:53:15 +0000

President Obama has pledged to transform the nation’s energy policy and has made renewable energy a cornerstone of the $787 billion stimulus package, but so far the money for energy-related projects has been slow to leave Washington. Read more »

EPA's Failure to Publicize Drinking Water Data Prompts Rethinking in Agency, Congress

Danielle Ivory — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:55:56 +0000

There is some evidence that Congress -- and the Environmental Protection Agency -- are rethinking their policies on a commonly used weed-killer after disclosures that the EPA failed to notify the public about high levels of the herbicide in drinking water. Read more »

Herbicide Maker Asks that Lobbying be Excluded from Class Action Lawsuit

Danielle Ivory — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:36:48 +0000

Lawyers representing the maker of the herbicide atrazine are asking that documents related to the company’s lobbying and trade association activities be excluded from a class action lawsuit being filed by some Illinois water utilities. Read more »

Checking Your Water for Atrazine

Danielle Ivory — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:11:25 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that you ask your local water utility for its annual drinking water report if you are concerned about the levels of atrazine in your water. But, as we pointed out this weekend, these reports are not entirely reliable when it comes to the herbicide. Read more »

Water Utilities Lack Proper Filters for Weed-Killer

Danielle Ivory — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:11:00 +0000

Results from a federal drinking water monitoring program show that many public water companies are ineffective at removing a widely used weed-killer from their water supplies. Read more »

Geithner Moves to New Home, But Some Question His Temporary Digs

Philip Shenon — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:40:00 +0000

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has finally moved into a permanent home after eight months in Washington, leaving behind some lingering questions about the rent-free arrangement he enjoyed with a college friend who was a former Wall Street executive and now a top official at a major international lender. Read more »

Huff Fund on TV

Ben Protess — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:06:11 +0000

Huffington Post Investigative Fund reporter Danielle Ivory appeared this morning on the TV program “Democracy Now” to discuss her investigation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to inform the public that some drinking water in four states is laced with high levels of the weed-killer atrazine. Read more »

Check Out Our Atrazine Resources: New EPA Data, Our Video and NRDC Report

Danielle Ivory — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:43:29 +0000

As we reported yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency has been collecting data that shows people are drinking water laced with high levels of a weed-killer called atrazine.

But the EPA does not publish that data. (We obtained it through a Freedom of Information Act request.)

Since we have it, we’re publishing the raw data set ourselves. Now you’ll be able to search atrazine levels for about 150 community watersheds in ten states from 2003 to 2008. Read more »

VIDEO: Weed-Killer in the Water: How Safe is Atrazine?

Lagan Sebert — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:49:30 +0000

One of the nation's most widely-used herbicides has been found to exceed federal safety limits in drinking water in four states, but water customers have not been told and the Environmental Protection Agency has not published the results. American News Project producer Harry Hanbury contributed to this report.
» Related Story: EPA Fails to Inform Public About Weed-Killer in Drinking Water Read more »

EPA Fails to Inform Public About Weed-Killer in Drinking Water

Danielle Ivory — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:00:09 +0000

One of the nation’s most widely-used herbicides has been found to exceed federal safety limits in drinking water in four states, but water customers have not been told and the Environmental Protection Agency has not published the results. Read more »

Lobbying Showdown over the Future of Student Loans

Danielle Knight — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:28:17 +0000

When Sallie Mae, the nation's largest provider of student loans, saw the possibility of its own extinction in a plan advanced by the Obama administration, it did what just about any big corporation would do: It hired the best lobbyists money can buy.

That was standard procedure for Sallie Mae, which for two decades has almost single-handedly stymied attempts to reduce or eliminate federal subsidies to the multibillion-dollar private student loan industry. Read more »

How do Health Care Lobby Dollars Match Influence in Congress?

Adam Clark Estes — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:07:28 +0000

This afternoon, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT: $1,892,999*) and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Charles Rangel (D-NY: $1,372,369) head to the White House for a potentially pivotal meeting with President Obama on health care reform. In an increasingly uphill battle these two key Democrat legislators have been struggling lately with the inevitable bottom line: How much is effective health care reform going to cost? Read more »