PROTECTING ACCESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

RTKnet: Hazardous Waste

As Mess is Sent to Landfills, Officials Worry About Safety (New York Times)

Although BP's environmental unit claims that oily waste material is not hazardous, environmental lawyers, local officials, and residents surrounding landfills are worried about health risks. Chemist Marianne L. Horinko of the EPA asserts, "I think these communities are properly concerned...If you have a sufficient concentration [of oil waste], it will exhibit the characteristics of toxicity."

(17 Jun 2010)

Coal's Toxic Sludge (Rolling Stone)

Rolling Stone reports on the hazards of coal waste, and industry efforts to thwart regulations. The article draws on TRI data and also describes the Bush administration's efforts to conceal information on the hazards of coal ash.

(26 Mar 2010)

Coal Ash Action Plans Disclosed (U.S. EPA)

The EPA has disclosed action plans from 22 electric utility facilities to improve the safety of their coal ash impoundments. The following utilities are still hiding critical information as trade secrets: Alabama Power Company, Duke Energy Corporation, First Energy Generation Corporation, Georgia Power Company, Gulf Power Company, and Mississippi Power Company.

(05 Feb 2010)