Pollution

"Detroiters Grapple With Unknowns As Lead, Arsenic Found At Demo Sites"

"Arsenic and lead are among the contaminants found at dozens of Detroit neighborhood demolition sites, according to the first round of test results released by the city late last month amid state and local investigations — at least one criminal — into potentially toxic dirt used as backfill across hundreds of vacant lots."

Source: Detroit Free Press, 01/14/2026

States Need More Help Replacing Lead Pipes. Congress May Cut Funds Instead.

"The Senate is taking up a spending package passed by the House of Representatives that would cut $125 million in funding promised this year to replace toxic lead pipes. "

Source: Inside Climate News, 01/13/2026

"Trump Administration Moves To Reverse Mining Ban Near Boundary Waters"

"The Trump administration and northeast Minnesota Republican Congressman Pete Stauber are taking action to end a 20-year mining ban near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area that was imposed three years ago under former President Joe Biden."

Source: MPR, 01/13/2026

"Under Trump, U.S. Adds Fuel to a Heating Planet"

"By pulling the United States out of the main international climate treaty, seizing Venezuelan crude oil and using government power to resuscitate the domestic coal industry while choking off clean energy, the Trump administration is not just ignoring climate change, it is likely making the problem worse."

Source: NYTimes, 01/13/2026

"EPA to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution"

"In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives, documents show."

Source: NYTimes, 01/13/2026

EPA’s Brownfields Data, Covered With Crud?

Hundreds of thousands of polluted, abandoned industrial sites — called brownfields — dot the United States. For reporters seeking local environmental stories, this profusion of problem spots cries out for coverage. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox points you to a series of government databases that track them and let you map them, but warns that the going won’t be easy. Find out why.

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