In The News / Jul 3

• Concerns over bisphenol A continue to grow.

  New animal studies link the chemical bisphenol A, which leaches from such polycarbonate plastics and food can linings, with heart arrhythmias in females and permanent damage to a gene important for reproduction. The results suggest that even adult exposures may cause harm. Science News

• EPA allows TVA to dump spilled coal ash in Alabama.

  The nation's largest utility can dump millions of tons of coal ash from a Tennessee spill into an Alabama landfill, federal regulators said Thursday, despite criticism that the plan is unfair to one of Alabama's poorest counties. Associated Press

• Chevron must halt Richmond expansion.

  A judge has ordered Chevron Corp. to stop work on its controversial oil refinery expansion in Richmond, handing environmentalists their biggest victory to date in a long fight over the project. San Francisco Chronicle, California

• Politicians reconsider drilling off Florida coast.

  For years, oil production has been largely banned in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast. That's because of concerns that a major spill could devastate the state's most important industry: tourism. But now, some officials appear willing to reconsider. All Things Considered, NPR

• Agency focused on cutting toxics loses funding.

  It is a miniscule slice of the state’s $27 billion budget - less than $1.5 million to fund the obscure Toxics Use Reduction Institute, part of a state-mandated program that has reduced the use of hazardous substances by local manufacturers 41 percent in its 20-year history. That funding has been eliminated. Boston Globe, Massachusetts

• West Virginia Supreme Court delays ruling in DuPont appeal.

  The West Virginia Supreme Court has delayed a ruling in DuPont Co.'s appeal of a $400 million verdict against the company for polluting the Harrison County town of Spelter. The appeal is one of the biggest cases to reach the court in recent memory. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia

• Tiverton soil cleanup to start in fall.

  The remediation will mark an end to a major legal battle settled in U.S. District Court in May, which also inspired legislation signed by Governor Carcieri that raises maximum fines against corporate polluters. Providence Journal, Rhode Island

• Creative solutions found for some abandoned mines.

  Decades–old gold, silver and zinc mines have left a toxic legacy still felt today in the West. This summer, the Environmental Protection Agency celebrates a few creative solutions to get new owners to clean up and redevelop old mine sites. Puget Sound KUOW Public Radio, Washington

• Feds: DEP does not properly oversee mining flood prevention.

  West Virginia regulators and coal operators have not properly implemented state rules meant to keep strip mining from contributing to flooding during heavy rains over narrow mountain hollows, according to a new federal report. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia

• Climate declaration to get global boost.

  The U.S., European Union and 12 of the world's largest nations plan to embrace "an aspirational goal" of reducing emissions of global-warming gases by 50% by 2050, according to a draft declaration by world leaders set for release next week in Italy. Wall Street Journal

• Green power takes root in the Chinese desert.

  Through a combination of carrots and sticks, Beijing is steering an immense push toward wind and solar power, while the U.S. is just starting. New York Times

• A Tasmanian tragedy?

  Tasmanian industrial foresters and environmentalists have been fighting over the issue of clearcutting the island’s forests for decades. The battle is over nothing less than the future of Tasmania, and an important resource for mitigating climate change. Mongabay

• Diet to pass Minamata redress boost.

  The Diet is set to enact new legislation offering financial relief to more victims of Minamata mercury-poisoning in the 1950s and '60s by easing standards of recognition of the disease. Kyodo News, Japan

• Old story in waste removal.

  The sequence that played out at a Queens recycling plant this week, leaving three people dead, is more common than many realize — and a standard hazard in the waste management and sewage industries. New York Times

• Sunscreen's shady business.

  If you've ventured into the sun protection aisle lately, you've probably noticed a distinct shortage of fun in the sun. Can sunscreen really provide perfect sun protection? Color me skeptical. Mother Jones