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Budget deal includes funds for rural broadband expansion

Feb 15, 2019
Efforts to expand broadband service in rural areas got a boost from the budget bill approved this week on Capitol Hill. Under the deal, the Department of Agriculture will receive $550 million to support broadband infrastructure in rural, underserved areas. It’s estimated that almost 30 percent of rural residents are without broadband compared to less […]
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Critics say EPA moving too slowly on regulating chemicals found in Teflon

Feb 15, 2019
There’s a family of chemicals inside our bodies that’s linked to birth defects, immune system problems and, possibly, cancer. The chemicals — known by the acronym P.F.A.S. — are contained in Teflon, which is found in everything from microwave popcorn bags to non-stick pans. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency made a plan to regulate […]

High-speed rail plans in California suffer setback

Feb 15, 2019
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California does not have the $100 billion to fully build out the project.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California does not have the $100 billion to fully build out the project.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

U.S. ski industry steps up climate lobbying

Feb 14, 2019
The ski industry is speaking out about dwindling snowfall and shorter ski seasons.
The ski industry is speaking out about dwindling snowfall and shorter ski seasons.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

VW invests in more charging stations to tackle "range anxiety"

Feb 8, 2019
A Volkswagen subsidiary is pouring half a billion dollars into more charging stations for electric vehicles as sales grow. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.
Charging plugs sit connected to a Volkswagen e-Golf electric automobile to an electric charging station outside the Volkswagen AG (VW) factory on May 8, 2018 in Dresden, Germany.
Photo by Jens Schlueter/Getty Images

Senate confirmation process begins this week for EPA chief

Jan 15, 2019
Andrew Wheeler is expected to face tough questions about his former role as a lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry.
Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler testifies before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Aug. 1, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Carbon emissions rise but could slide in 2019

Jan 8, 2019
For the first time in four years U.S. carbon emissions increased, mostly because a booming economy used more energy resources, even with a shift toward renewable energy and natural gas. But can a booming economy and rising emissions decouple? Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

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What happens when a landfill runs out of space?

Jan 8, 2019
According to the Waste Business Journal, by 2021 the average landfill will only have 15 years of life left.
A truck empties its load of waste at the Shelford Landfill, Recycling & Composting Centre.
Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Loans for energy-efficient upgrades might be a bigger burden than a high energy bill

Jan 7, 2019
Some see a conflict of interest in how PACE loans are made.
Solar panels are installed on a roof.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

NYC traffic fatalities fall to an all-time low

Jan 2, 2019
The city's Vision Zero program has cut road deaths by a third over five years
Traffic moves across the Brooklyn Bridge, Aug. 2, 2018 in New York City. 
Drew Angerer/Getty Images