Articles by Valerie Volcovici

Biden Administration to Declare ‘Forever Chemicals’ Hazardous Substances

The Biden administration said on Friday it will propose designating certain “forever chemicals” as hazardous substances under the nation’s Superfund program, in a bid to spark cleanup of countless sites that have been found contaminated by the toxic industrial compounds. …

Biden EPA to Tackle Coal Industry Carbon With Rules on Other Pollutants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to use new limits on traditional pollutants like ozone and coal ash to help encourage the retirement of the nation’s remaining coal-fired power plants, after the Supreme Court limited the agency’s ability to impose …

U.S. Supreme Court Limits Federal Power to Curb Carbon Emissions

Conservative justices power 6-3 ruling; liberals dissent Ruling curbs EPA ability to regulate power plant emissions Biden vows to tackle climate change despite the ruling The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday imposed limits on the federal government’s authority to issue …

New Research Reveals U.S. Gas Pipeline Leaks Have Not Improved

Over 2,600 hazardous gas pipeline leaks in the United States caused more than $4 billion in damages and emergency services, killed 122 people, and released 26.6 billion cubic feet of fuel as methane or carbon dioxide, according to a report …

U.N. to Hold Companies to Their Net-Zero Pledges With Group of 16 Experts

The United Nations on Thursday announced the members of an expert group that will scrutinize corporate pledges to achieve net-zero emissions, an effort to prevent greenwashing as private sector climate plans proliferate. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said the group of …

EPA Power to Curb Carbon Emissions Questioned by Supreme Court

Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared skeptical of the federal government’s authority to issue sweeping regulations to reduce carbon emissions from power plants in a case that could undermine President Joe Biden’s plans to tackle climate change. The …

450 Scientists Accuse Major Ad/PR Firms of Spreading Climate Disinformation

More than 450 scientists on Wednesday called on the executives of major advertising and public relations firms to drop their fossil fuel clients and stop what the scientists said was their spread of disinformation around climate change. They sent a …

COP26 Climate Agreement Targets Fossil Fuels as Key Driver of Global Warming

GLASGOW – U.N. climate talks ended Saturday with a deal that for the first time targeted fossil fuels as the key driver of global warming, even as coal-reliant countries lobbed last-minute objections. While the agreement won applause for keeping alive …

Supreme Court to Weigh Curbing Federal Power to Limit Carbon Emissions

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a bid by states, including coal producer West Virginia, and industry groups to limit federal power to use the landmark Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions from power plants. The …

Biden Administration Wants Federal Contracts to Reflect Climate Risk

The Biden administration on Thursday began a process to amend federal procurement rules to require the U.S. government – the world’s largest buyer of goods and services – to factor the risks of climate change into its contracts. The administration …