skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: An Invisible Health Menace from Flaring in ND

play audio
Play

Monday, August 14, 2017   

BISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakotans are still fighting air pollution, even as the Environmental Protection Agency takes the next steps toward removing regulations on methane-flaring at oil and gas well sites.

A new report from the Dakota Resource Council finds methane is affecting local residents' health, causing or exacerbating respiratory problems such as asthma, and driving people out of the Bakken region where wells are most heavily concentrated.

For the report, Lisa Deville, president of Fort Berthold Protectors of Water and Earth Rights, looked at wells through an infrared camera and found flares invisible to the naked eye all around her community.

"We have been advocating for more research and monitoring because we don't know the environmental impact or health impact from this oil and gas extraction," she states.

The public comment period on a proposed two-year stay of the EPA's methane-flaring standards came to an end last week.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt says the agency has to balance environmental regulations and economic growth. Pruitt made two stops in North Dakota last week, but did not visit the Bakken region.

Deville says she will continue to fight for tougher oversight to protect North Dakotans' health. But she contends Pruitt will hand the oil and gas industry a big win if the EPA does away with regulations on flaring.

"Pruitt is only looking out for industry by loosening up these regulations that would save millions of Americans,” Deville maintains. “It's been a challenge. We've been testifying on this methane rule since 2014, when they very first brought it to North Dakota."

Deville adds one reason she continues to speak out for environmental safeguards is the well-being of her children.

"I don't want my children to think, 'You never did anything for me and here I am, I can't even grow food on my land,'” she states. “And this is the only that we have left. This is the only land that my people have left."




get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021