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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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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.

WV: Toxics

An estimated 16% of coal workers are affected by black lung disease and after decades of improvement, the number of cases of the disease is on the rise again, according to the American Lung Association. (Adobe Stock).<br />

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Black Lung cases rise, as federal benefits stagnate

The benefit payments miners sick with black lung disease receive are not keeping pace with the cost of living, a new analysis showed. Current …

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Federal data show millions of people live in counties lacking adequate air monitoring, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. (Adobe Stock)<br />
WV bill threatens community air monitoring efforts

After West Virginia House lawmakers advanced a bill to ban residents from using citizen air monitoring data in lawsuits, community groups said they …

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More than half of West Virginians live within a mile of an oil and gas well, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. (Adobe Stock)<br />
New federal methane rules expected to improve WV air quality

The Environmental Protection Agency is clamping down on methane emissions, and environmental groups say West Virginians' health will benefit…

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Exposure of miners to silica dust is a prime culprit in the current resurgence of black lung disease, according to the group Appalachian Voices. (Adobe Stock)
WV Miners Give Input on New Silica Dust Exposure Rule

West Virginia coal miners and advocates spoke out this week in support of new silica dust exposure standards at a public hearing held in Beckley…

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The Ohio River is the source of drinking water for more than 5 million people, according to the Ohio River Foundation. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Report Ranks Ohio River 'Second Most Endangered' in Nation

The Ohio River, a drinking water source for many West Virginians and millions in neighboring states, is the second "most endangered" river in the …

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The U.S. oil and gas industry emits 16 million metric tons of methane annually, which has the same near-term climate impact as 350 coal-fired power plants, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. (Adobe Stock)
New EPA Rules Would Target Flaring at WV’s Oil, Gas Wells

Under proposed rules from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, oil and gas well operations across the nation would be required to strengthen …

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Medical conditions due to exposure to PFAS chemicals in drinking water and by other means have cost the United States an estimated $62.6 billion, according to a July 2022 study published in the journal Exposure and Health. (Adobe Stock)
West Virgina Lawmakers Push to Regulate 'Forever' PFAS Chemicals

West Virginia lawmakers are expected to introduce legislation in 2023 aimed at regulating PFAS chemicals in the state's drinking-water systems…

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The <a href=Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits, loan guarantees and other incentives to encourage the implementation of carbon-capture technology. (Adobe Stock)">
Critics: WV Carbon Capture Hub a Boondoggle, Empty Promises

President Joe Biden's infrastructure law contains $10 billion to sow the seeds for the creation of pipelines to capture, transport and store carbon …

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Recent drinking water data from six states shows nearly 20% of states' drinking water systems had PFAS above the Environmental Protection Agency's 2022 interim revised health advisory levels. (Adobe Stock)<br />
New Report Highlights PFAS Contamination in West Virginia

A new report finds concerning levels of PFAS contamination in waterways near Martinsburg and Parkersburg. Environmental groups say the findings are …

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Research shows just 5% of power plants are responsible for 73% of the planet's emissions of carbon dioxide. (Adobe stock)<br />
Experts: Incentives for Renewables Even More Critical

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey was at the center of the Supreme Court's recent decision to curb the ability of the Environmental Prot…

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There are hundreds of natural-gas processing facilities in the nation, and more than half of these plants would meet the Toxics Release Inventory's chemical reporting thresholds for 21 different toxic chemicals, according to the EPA. (Adobe Stock)
New EPA Rules: Natural-Gas Facilities to Show Air-Pollution Data

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Natural-gas processing plants in West Virginia and around the country will soon have to start publicly reporting the chemicals …

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A 2020 report by the Environmental Working Group identified the presence of PFAS chemicals in the tap water of dozens of U.S. cities where contamination was not previously suspected. (Adobe Stock)<br />
EPA’s PFAS Roadmap Could Soon Improve WV Communities' Water Quality

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The federal government said it soon will begin taking steps to study and restrict the use of so-called "forever" chemicals …

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