Public

"Wildfire Fighters, Unmasked in Toxic Smoke, Are Getting Sick and Dying"

"The smoke from the wildfires that burned through Los Angeles in January smelled like plastic and was so thick that it hid the ocean. Firefighters who responded developed instant migraines, coughed up black goo and dropped to their knees, vomiting and dizzy."

Source: NYTimes, 08/20/2025

"This Class Of Toxic Pesticides Is Now Prevalent In Michigan Waters"

"A commercially valuable but unpronounceable toxicant with multiple chemical variations is being increasingly found at harmful levels in Michigan waters. Sound familiar? It’s not PFAS or PCBs this time. Now, it’s neonicotinoids, or “neonics” — a type of synthetic pesticide that’s widely used on corn and soybeans."

Source: MLive, 08/20/2025

"Another Gold Rush Could Bring Open Pit Mines To South Dakota’s Black Hills"

"A gold rush brought settlers to South Dakota’s Black Hills roughly 150 years ago, chasing the dream of wealth and displacing Native Americans in the process. Now, a new crop of miners driven by gold prices at more than $3,000 an ounce are seeking to return to the treasured landscape, promising an economic boost while raising fears of how modern gold extraction could forever change the region."

Source: AP, 08/20/2025

As Great Salt Lake Dries Up, Clouds Of Dangerous Dust Blow Into Boomtowns

"Dozens of dust events probably happen each year across the 120-square-mile playa once covered by the Great Salt Lake. But there are no comprehensive state or federal records of them."

Source: Washington Post, 08/20/2025

Court Puts The Brakes On Contested Land Transfer For Arizona Copper Mine

"A U.S. appeals court has temporarily blocked the transfer of federal forest land in Arizona to a pair of international companies that plan to mine one of the largest copper deposits in North America. ... The land includes Oak Flat — an area used for centuries for religious ceremonies, prayer and gathering of medicinal plants by the San Carlos Apache people and other Native American tribes."

Source: AP, 08/20/2025

Erin To Churn Up Dangerous Swells And Winds From Florida To New England

"Hurricane Erin churned slowly toward the eastern U.S. on Tuesday, stirring up treacherous waves that already have led to dozens of water rescues and shut down beaches along the coast in the midst of summer’s last hurrah. While forecasters remain confident the center of the monster storm will remain far offshore, the outer edges are likely to bring damaging tropical-force winds, large swells and life-threatening rip currents into Friday."

Source: AP, 08/20/2025
August 21, 2025

SciLine Media Briefing: EPA Climate Regulations Under Threat

SciLine’s next briefing will cover the state of evidence leading to the adoption of the EPA’s “endangerment finding” in 2009 and how it has evolved since, implications of rolling back the finding for federal and state regulations and climate goals, and what these changes could mean at the local level. 1 p.m. ET.

Visibility: 

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Public