Topic: Clean Water Policy

EPA wetlands order can be challenged by land owners, Supreme Court rules

The Idaho couple, saying the ‘EPA used bullying and threats of terrifying fines’ to halt building of their dream home, thanks Supreme Court justices for ‘affirming’ their right to a court hearing.

Gulf oil spill could result in criminal charges for BP employees

The Wall Street Journal reports that federal prosecutors are targeting several Houston-based engineers and at least one supervisor employed by British oil giant BP connected to the 2010 Gulf oil spill.

Capybara discovered near California sewage treatment plant (video)

Capybara swims through a waste treatment plant in California last month. The capybara had been seen nearby several times.

Sendai Airport reopens, but Japan still lacks plan to end nuclear crisis

One month after the March 11 quake that triggered a tsunami and damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japanese authorities say they're still crafting plan to end the nuclear crisis.

Fukushima update: Major aftershock hits Japan; cash and safes are washing ashore

One month after the March 11 quake that triggered a tsunami and damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Japanese observed a moment of silence. A 6.6 temblor shook Japan again.

Radioactive leak plugged, officials now eye hydrogen buildup: Japan nuclear timeline

Officials say workers have stopped highly radioactive water from leaking into the ocean from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant's No. 2 reactor. Concerns now center on a buildup of hydrogen inside reactor No. 1.

Five ways House Republicans are striking fear in environmentalists

House Republicans are attempting to shape US environmental policy by attaching to their 2011 spending plans so-called "riders" that would target regulations ranging from greenhouse gases to mining.

Why is Japan dumping radioactive water into the ocean?

Japanese officials allowed owners of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant to empty tanks holding 10,000 tons of slightly radioactive water into the ocean – in order to make room to pump highly contaminated water out of reactor No. 2.

Japan nuclear mystery: Where are pools of radioactive water coming from?

The contaminated pools in the reactor turbine buildings have created a tough new challenge for officials trying to contain the Japan nuclear crisis. The source of radioactivity is a mystery.

Top 10 senators seeking earmarks

The omnibus spending bill died Thursday in the Senate amid controversy over the practice of earmarking, or inserting funding for pet projects into legislation. Here are the senators who sought the most spending for their states, ranked by the monetary value of proposed earmarks, whether alone or with others.

US sues BP, eight others to cover cleanup, losses from Gulf oil spill

Justice Department seeks unlimited payments from BP and other companies to cover cleanup costs, economic losses from this year's huge Gulf oil spill. The civil suit alleges safety lapses by BP and others.

Hungary toxic sludge reaches Danube River: Top 10 environmental disasters worldwide

The toxic sludge now covering 15 square miles of Hungary and seeping into the Danube River is a serious environmental disaster whose severity and long-term consequences are still unclear. Will the release of the 35 million cubic feet of alumina refining waste become one of the Top 10 manmade environmental disasters of the past century?

Oil spill jail time for BP officials? It could happen.

BP officials could be prosecuted under the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act, and the Endangered Species Act. So could federal officials if they aided and abetted any illegal acts.

Ocean acidification: another path to EPA rules on carbon emissions?

In a legal settlement Thursday, the EPA agreed to help states test coastal waters for acidity, and to weigh whether to tighten rules on carbon emissions to address ocean acidification.

The Clean Water Act and the economics of ambiguity

If the Supreme Court narrows the ambiguous definitions in the Clean Water Act, will companies create new domestic pollution havens?

EPA and CO2: If the right hand don't get you, the left one might

Chesapeake Bay left up a creek

Failure of cleanup efforts has left America's largest estuary still nearly 'dead.' Why?

EPA vetoes huge Mississippi Delta flood control project

Using a rare veto, the Environmental Protection Agency rejected a federal plan Tuesday for the Army Corps of Engineers to build the world’s largest water pump in the Mississippi Delta.