Department of Energy: Observations on Efforts by NNSA and the Office of Environmental Management to Manage and Oversee the Nuclear Security Enterprise, GAO-16-422T: Published: Feb 23, 2016. Publicly Released: Feb 23, 2016. Nuclear Nonproliferation: Preliminary Observations on IAEA’s Role in Verifying the Iran Agreement, GAO-16-417: Published: Feb 12, 2016. Publicly Released: Feb 23, 2016. Unaccompanied… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Energy
GAO Reports – Hardrock Mining, Health Care Fraud, Military Enlisted Aides, Unaccompanied Children, DOD Service Acquisition, Military Base Closures
Hardrock Mining: BLM and Forest Service Have Taken Some Actions to Expedite the Mine Plan Review Process but Could Do More, GAO-16-165: Published: Jan 21, 2016. Publicly Released: Feb 22, 2016. Health Care Fraud: Information on Most Common Schemes and the Likely Effect of Smart Cards, GAO-16-216: Published: Jan 22, 2016. Publicly Released: Feb 22,… Continue Reading
EPA Releases Online Mapping Tool to Help Protect Drinking Water Sources
Via EPA – “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released DWMAPS – the Drinking Water Mapping Application to Protect Source Waters. This robust, online mapping tool provides the public, water system operators, state programs, and federal agencies with critical information to help them safeguard the sources of America’s drinking water. DWMAPS allows users to learn… Continue Reading
Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations
CRS report – Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations, Christopher M. Blanchard Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs, February 5, 2016. “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ruled by the Al Saud family since its founding in 1932, wields significant global influence through its administration of the birthplace of the Islamic faith and by virtue of its… Continue Reading
Dive Against Debris: Employing 25,600 scuba divers to collect data
Via Data Driven Journalism – “To date, Dive Against Debris surveys have been conducted in over 50 countries, with the top reporting countries being the United States, Thailand and Greece. As more divers get involved with Dive Against Debris, Project AWARE continues to bring visibility to the problem of marine debris and helps to identify… Continue Reading
Lawsuit Prompts Offshore Fracking Moratorium Off California Coast
Center for Biological Diversity, January 29, 2016 – “The federal government must stop approving offshore fracking from oil platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel under a legal settlement filed today in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The agreement resolves a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit that challenged the U.S. Department of the Interior’s practice… Continue Reading
Linking ‘toxic outliers’ to environmental justice communities
Environ. Res. Lett. 11 (2016) 015004 doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/1/015004. Linking ‘ toxic outliers ’ to environmental justice communities, Mary B Collins, Ian Munoz and Joseph JaJa “Several key studies have found that a small minority of producers, polluting at levels far exceeding group averages, generate the majority of overall exposure to industrial toxics. Frequently, such patterns go… Continue Reading
Natural gas leak at CA storage site raises environmental concerns
EIA report, February 1, 2016 – “On October 23, 2015, Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) detected a major leak at Aliso Canyon, an underground natural gas storage facility located 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Aliso Canyon storage facility, which has 115 wells, is the second-largest natural gas storage field in the western United… Continue Reading
Rolling Stone – Who Poisoned Flint, Michigan?
Stephen Rodrick – A writer returns home to find a toxic disaster, giant government failure and countless children exposed to lead “Recently, Michigan was forced to declare a state of emergency in Flint. Some of the public servants involved have resigned. Now, the feds and the state are investigating what one water expert calls one… Continue Reading
Paper – Linking ‘toxic outliers’ to environmental justice communities
Linking ‘toxic outliers’ to environmental justice communities. Mary B Collins, Ian Munoz and Joseph JaJa. Published 26 January 2016 © 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd • Environmental Research Letters, Volume 11, Number 1 “Several key studies have found that a small minority of producers, polluting at levels far exceeding group averages, generate the majority of overall… Continue Reading
GAO Reports – Banking Compliance, Defense Infrastructure, Small Business Investment Companies, Water Infrastructure
Banking: Federal Agencies’ Compliance with Section 302 of the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act, GAO-16-213R: Published: Jan 27, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 27, 2016. Defense Infrastructure: Improvement Needed in Energy Reporting and Security Funding at Installations with Limited Connectivity, GAO-16-164: Published: Jan 27, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 27, 2016. Small Business Investment Companies:… Continue Reading
Best Practices for Reducing Near-Road Pollution Exposure at Schools
EPA – Best Practices for Reducing Near-Road Air Pollution Exposure at Schools “Motor vehicles are a major source of air pollution in the United States. Research suggests that particulate matter (PM) from vehicles, notably heavy-duty diesel vehicles, may be especially harmful. While vehicle emissions have decreased over the past several decades due to EPA’s emissions… Continue Reading
