Articles by Travis Loller and Michael Phillis

Once Praised, Settlement to Help BP Oil Spill Workers Leaves Most With Nearly Nothing

When a deadly explosion destroyed BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, 134 million gallons of crude erupted into the sea over the next three months — and tens of thousands of ordinary people were hired to …

EPA Assessment Reveals Persistent Nutrient Pollution in US Rivers and Streams

The nation’s rivers and streams remain stubbornly polluted with nutrients that contaminate drinking water and fuel a gigantic dead zone for aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a recently released Environmental Protection Agency assessment. It’s a difficult …

Flooding Drives Millions to Move as Climate Migration Patterns Emerge

Flooding is driving millions of people to move out of their homes, limiting growth in some prospering communities and accelerating the decline of others, according to a new study that details how climate change and flooding are transforming where Americans …

Louisiana Was Open to Cancer Alley Concessions. Then EPA Dropped its Investigation

For more than a year, the Environmental Protection Agency investigated whether Louisiana officials discriminated against Black residents by putting them at increased cancer risk. Federal officials said they had found evidence of discrimination and were pressuring the state to strengthen …

Many US Cities Vulnerable to Low Water Pressure Amid Wildfire Dangers

Hours before devastating fires scorched the historic town of Lahaina on Maui, Kyle Ellison labored to save his rental house in Kula, a rural mountain town 24 miles away, from a different blaze. As high winds whipped burning trees and …

How Push for the Atomic Bomb Spawned Enduring Radioactive Waste Problems in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS (AP) __ The federal government and companies responsible for nuclear bomb production and atomic waste storage sites in the St. Louis area in the mid- 20th century were aware of health risks, spills, improperly stored contaminants and other …

EPA’s Lax Enforcement Leaves Thousands of Lead Pipes in Chicago Drinking Water

Even though lead in drinking water damages children`s development, the Environmental Protection Agency has forced very few cities to replace their lead pipes. Consider Chicago, with more water pipes made out of lead than any U.S. city, some 400,000. About …

EPA to Propose Limits on Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose restrictions on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water after finding they are dangerous in amounts so small as to be undetectable. But experts say removing them will cost billions, a burden that …

Few Homeowners Have Flood Insurance in Soaked California

On Sunday morning, Kyle Starks woke up to floodwaters that reached the door of his Jeep after yet another heavy rain storm drenched California. Emergency crews showed up with boats to float Starks and other residents of his rural mobile …

Major Texas Storm Surge Project Included in Defense Bill

Fourteen years after Hurricane Ike ripped through thousands of homes and businesses near Galveston, Texas — but mostly spared the region’s oil refineries and chemical plants — Congress has authorized the most expensive project ever recommended by the U.S. Army …