We're 30% of the way to our goal of 2,500 donations by Friday! Help us catch up ⏩ Give Now

A toxic derailment, by the numbers

Mar 8, 2023
Thousands of people have been affected by the Norfolk Southern accident near East Palestine, Ohio, and the full scope of the disaster remains to be calculated.
 A Norfolk Southern train passes under a bridge in East Palestine, Ohio. On Feb. 3, an NS train carrying hazardous materials derailed, raising environmental concerns and stirring outrage from the town's residents.
Michael Swensen/Getty Images

Chemical tax to clean up toxic sites gets new life as part of infrastructure deal

Jul 2, 2021
Environmental justice groups hope the deal will restore a funding source to clean up Superfund sites: an excise tax on chemicals.
Revenue from a new excise tax on chemicals like Benzene and Mercury would go into the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund to clean up hazardous sites.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Toxic accidents database could improve emergency planning

Apr 2, 2019
Environmental groups say people living near industrial chemical facilities could soon get better information on what’s being spewed into the air around them when accidents happen.
Sulfur in coal is a big cause of air pollution.
Reid Frazier

"The public has a right to know": Fracking companies don't have to disclose chemicals linked to health concerns

Nov 15, 2017
With drilling and fracking, the ingredients that make up the chemicals used to obtain oil and gas are legally allowed to be kept confidential.
A natural gas drill at a hydraulic fracturing site on in Springville, Pennsylvania, in 2012.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Documents show undisclosed EPA health concerns on fracking chemicals

Nov 14, 2017
The agency approved chemicals that carry risks including tumors and poisoning of the lungs.
Pump jacks are seen using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
David McNew/Getty Images