Environmental Geochemistry Issues Semi-Monthly

Clovis wins $22M against Shell Oil over toxic drinking water (Andrea CASTILLO, The Fresno Bee ; December 21, 2016) http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article122257349.html N. B.:  For additional information on 1,2,3-Trichloropropane drinking water contamination in the State of California, please refer to "Blog Archives" for my former blog post on the subject dated November 19, 2016 .

EPA's final fracking report re-writes takeaways (Scott K. JOHNSON,  Ars Technica;  December 14, 2016) http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/12/epas-final-fracking-report-re-writes-takeaways/ EPA reverses course, highlights fracking contamination of drinking water (Tom SCHECK and Scott TONG, APM Reports ; December 13, 2016) http://www.apmreports.org/story/2016/12/13/epa-fracking-contamination-drinking-water Outside experts ding EPA fracking report's optimistic conclusions (Scott K. JOHNSON,  Ars Technica;  August 13, 2016) http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/08/outside-experts-ding-epa-fracking-reports-optimistic-conclusions/ U. S. EPA Final Report Documentation: EPA Releases Final Report on Impacts from Hydraulic Fracturing Activities on Drinking Water (News Releases,  U. S. EPA ; December 13, 2016) https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-releases-final-report-impacts-hydraulic-fracturing-activities-drinking-water Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and ...

Tribe files federal tort claim for mine spill (Noel Lyn SMITH, Farmington Daily Times ; December 5, 2016) http://www.daily-times.com/story/news/local/navajo-nation/2016/12/05/tribe-files-federal-tort-claim-mine-spill/95020404/ 'Colossal damage':  Navajo Nation sues US govt for $160mn over Colorado mine spill ( RT.com ; 6 December 2016) https://www.rt.com/usa/369306-navajo-nation-epa-lawsuit/ Websites: Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency http://navajonationepa.org/main/index.php Operation Yellow Water - Press Releases http://operationyellowwater.com/press/

Slawson Exploration Company, Inc. Clean Air Act Settlement  (Enforcement,  U. S. EPA ; December 1, 2016) https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/slawson-exploration-company-inc-clean-air-act-settlement Slawson Exploration Company, Inc. to Make System Upgrades and Undertake Projects to Reduce Air Pollution in North Dakota (Office of Public Affairs,  U. S. Department of Justice ; December 1, 2016) https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/slawson-exploration-company-inc-make-system-upgrades-and-undertake-projects-reduce-air Documentation : United States District Court for the District of North Dakota, Western Division (United States of America vs. SLAWSON Exploration Company, Case 1:16-cv-00413-CSM ; December 1, 2016) https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/enrd/pages/attachments/2016/12/01/denver-559319-v1-dn_1_complaint.pdf

Cancer-causing chemical found in Grimmway Farms water (Joseph LUIZ, The Bakersfield Californian ; April 27, 2018) http://www.bakersfield.com/news/cancer-causing-chemical-found-in-grimmway-farms-water/article_86da0e2a-48e8-11e8-9d57-9f100d1e9ec6.html Investigation:  High levels of contaminants in our water wells (Kahtia HALL, KBAK/KBFX Eyewitness News ; November 18, 2016) http://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/high-levels-of-contaminants-in-our-water-wells Website: 1,2,3-Trichloropropane ( California State Water Resources Control Board) http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/123TCP.shtml TCP in California's Drinking Water ( Clean Water Action ) http://www.cleanwateraction.org/features/tcp-californias-drinking-water Pages Tagged "123 TCP" ( Community Water Central/El Centro Comunitario Por El Agua ) http://www.communitywatercenter.org/tags/123_tcp

Study:  Next US President must act fast on the Colorado River (Ken RITTER, Associated Press ; October 31, 2016) http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/1ab540bf158f462699b4dd0dce5f4eb3/study-next-us-president-must-act-fast-colorado-river Websites : The Colorado River Future Project Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment (Colorado Law; University of Colorado, Boulder ) http://www.colorado.edu/law/research/gwc Lower Colorado River Operations:  Lake Mead, Lake Mojave and Lake Havasu [ U. S. Bureau of Reclamation ( USBR )] http://www.usbr.gov/lc/riverops.html

Millennium Bulk Terminals Longview (MBTL) proposal| Environmental Review | Southwest Regional Office (SWRO) | Washington State Department of Ecology, SEPA, public comment, coal export, Longview, Kelso, Columbia, Draft EIS, Environmental impact study, Cowlitz county

California Announces Proposed Rules on Agricultural Pesticide Use near Schools and Child Day-care Centers (Charlotte FADIPE, Press Release - California Department of Pesticide Regulation ; September 29, 2016) http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pressrls/2016/160929.htm Notice : DPR 16-004 Pesticide Use Near Schoolsites [ California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) ] http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/legbills/rulepkgs/16-004/16-004.htm Publication : A Guide to Pesticide Regulation in California ( CDPR ; December 2011) http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pressrls/dprguide/dprguide.pdf

Report: Californians May Be Drinking Oil Industry Chemicals (Patrick SULLIVAN, Press Release - Center for Biological Diversity ; October 4, 2016) Technical Report: Hazard Assessment of Chemical Additives used in Oil Fields that Reuse Produced Water in Agricultural Irrigation, Livestock Watering, and Groundwater Recharge in The San Joaquin Valley of California:  Preliminary Results (SHONKOFF et al. , 2016) http://psehealthyenergy.org/data/Preliminary_Results_13267_Disclosures_FINAL.pdf

The Cobalt Pipeline:  Tracing the path from deadly hand-dug mines in Congo to consumers' phones and laptops  (Todd C. FRANKEL, Michael Robinson CHAVEZ, Jorge RIBAS; Washington Post , September 30, 2016) https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/congo-cobalt-mining-for-lithium-ion-battery/ Video:  The long descent into an artisanal mine | Mobile Power, Human Toll   ( Washington Post; September 27, 2016)

Mosaic plant sinkhole dumps 215 million gallons of reprocessed water into Floridan Aquifer (w/video) [Christopher O'DONNELL, Tampa Bay Times ; September 16, 2016] http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/mosaic-plant-sinkhole-dumps-215-million-gallons-of-reprocessed-water-into/2293845 Sinkhole at Phosphate plant dumps 215 million gallons of acidic water into Floridan aquifer (Monivette CORDIERO, Orlando Weekly/WFLA News ; September 16, 2016) http://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2016/09/16/sinkhole-at-phosphate-plant-dumps-215-million-gallons-of-acidic-water-into-floridian-aquifer Selected Publications : Nuclide migration and the environmental radiochemistry of Florida phosphogypsum (BURNETT and ELZERMAN, 2001) http://www.iaea.org/inis/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/33/016/33016282.pdf Potential Uses of Phosphogypsum and Associated Risks ( U. S. EPA 402-R92-002 ; May 1992) https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-07/documents/0000055v.pdf...

These are the forgotten victims of the West's drought (Justin NOBEL, National Geographic ; August/September 2016) http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/nevada-drought/ $4.5 Million program to explore agriculture and water management on tribal lands (Jane TORS, Nevada Today - University of Nevada, Reno ; March 24, 2015) http://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2015/native-waters Drought Prompts Disaster Declaration for Most of Nevada ( AgWeb/Associated Press ; February 5, 2015) http://www.agweb.com/article/drought-prompts-disaster-declaration-for-most-of-nevada-naa-associated-press/ Selected Research Publications: Environmental Characteristics of the Great Basin and Mojave Desert Spring Systems (SADA and LUTZ, 2016) https://lccnetwork.org/sites/default/files/Resources/EnvironmentalCharacteristics_of_GreatBasin%26MojaveDesert_SpringSystems_Final.pdf Trends and climatic sensitivities of vegetation phenology in semi-arid and arid ecosystems in the US Great Basin du...

Live Links from posted DESMOG article regarding the WRDA 2016 and the Reversal of Coal Ash Pollution Rules  Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2016 https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/s2848/BILLS-114s2848rs.pdf With Nod to Flint Crisis, Senate Weighs a $9 Billion Water Infrastructure Bill (Coral DAVENPORT, New York Times ; September 7, 2016) http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/us/politics/senate-water-bill.html Proposed Bill Could Weaken Federal Coal Ash Rules, Threaten Public Health ( Environmental Integrity Project ; September 9, 2016) http://environmentalintegrity.org/archives/8575 EPA Releases Long-Anticipated Rules For Disposal Of Coal Ash (Kate SHEPPARD, Huffington Post ; December 19, 2014) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/19/epa-coal-ash_n_6356072.html Anti-coal activists get a boost from Tennessee ash spill and other mishaps (Kate SHEPPARD, Grist ; February 20, 2009) http://grist.org/article/coal-lotta-shakin-goin-on/ Coa...

Senate Poised to Pass Water Bill Reversing Coal Ash Pollution Rules Every two years the Senate passes a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which contains the funding necessary to protect America's water infrastructure. This year's legislation includes $9 billion worth of spending on water delivery infrastructure and runoff containment and abatement, among other projects. As currently written, this bill also would allocate $280 million to address…

SoCal Gas to pay $4-million settlement over massive Porter Ranch gas leak (Alice WALTON, Los Angeles Times ; September 13, 2016) http ://www.latimes.com/local/ lanow /la-me-porter-ranch-settlement-20160913-snap-story.html N. B.:  For more background information regarding the Porter Ranch Natural Methane Gas Leak Disaster , please refer to "Blog Archives" for these selected former blog posts under the following titles and dates: Natural Methane Gas Leak Disaster - Aliso Canyon, CA.                              December 24, 2015 Update:  Porter Ranch Natural Methane Gas Leak - Aliso Canyon, CA.           January 7, 2016

Russian metals giant admits red river leak [Liza UDILOVA,  Agence France Presse (AFP) ; September 12, 2016] http://www.france24.com/en/20160912-russian-metals-giant-admits-red-river-leak N. B.:  For additional information on this subject, please refer to "Blog Archives" for my former blog post entitled, "Red Alert as river turns 'puce from pollution' in Arctic" dated September 7, 2016.

Moments After Judge Denies DAPL Injunction, Federal Agencies Intervene ( ICTMN Staff ; September 9, 2016) http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/09/09/dakota-access-construction-shut-down-near-standing-rock-army-corps-doj-doi-165743 Joint Statement from the Department of Justice, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Interior Regarding Standing Sioux Tribe v. U. S. Army Corps of Engineers https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/joint-statement-department-justice-department-army-and-department-interior-regarding-standing Judge Temporarily Halts DAPL Construction on Select Land but Not on Desecrated Area ( ICTMN Staff ; September 6, 2016) http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/09/06/judge-temporarily-halts-dapl-construction-select-land-not-desecrate-area-165700 " On Saturday, September 3, Dakota Access Pipeline and Energy Transfer Partners brazenly used bulldozers to destroy our burial sites, prayer sites and culturally significant artifacts,” said Cha...

Moments After Judge Denies DAPL Injunction, Federal Agencies Intervene ( ICTMN Staff ; September 9, 2016) http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/09/09/dakota-access-construction-shut-down-near-standing-rock-army-corps-doj-doi-165743 Joint Statement from the Department of Justice, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Interior Regarding Standing Sioux Tribe v. U. S. Army Corps of Engineers https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/joint-statement-department-justice-department-army-and-department-interior-regarding-standing Judge Temporarily Halts DAPL Construction on Select Land but Not on Desecrated Area ( ICTMN Staff ; September 6, 2016) http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/09/06/judge-temporarily-halts-dapl-construction-select-land-not-desecrate-area-165700 " On Saturday, September 3, Dakota Access Pipeline and Energy Transfer Partners brazenly used bulldozers to destroy our burial sites, prayer sites and culturally significant artifacts,” said Cha...

US clears way for cleanup of Colorado Mine after huge spill (Dan ELLIOTT, Associated Press ; September 7, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/bc58b712152b4549b2bdbd5791b3b54e/us-clears-way-cleanup-colorado-mine-after-huge-spill Website : Current NPL Updates:  New Proposed NPL Sites and New NPL Sites ( U. S. Environmental Protection Agency ; September 7, 2016) https://www.epa.gov/superfund/current-npl-updates-new-proposed-npl-sites-and-new-npl-sites

Red Alert as river turns 'puce from pollution' in Arctic (Olga GERTCYK, The Siberian Times ; September 7, 2016) Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant - Copper Nickel Smelter ( Mining Atlas Map ) https://mining-atlas.com/operation/Nadezhda-Copper-Nickel-Smelter.php BELLONA Report 2010: Environmental Challenges in the Arctic   Norilsk Nickel:  The Soviet Legacy of Industrial Pollution http://bellona.org/assets/sites/3/Norilsk-Nickel-The-Soviet-Legacy-of-Industrial-Pollution.pdf

Legal Victory Overturns Federal Plan to Open 1 Million Acres of California Public Land to Drilling, Fracking (September 6, 2016) N. B.:  To gain more information and documentation concerning the The  Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Hydraulic Fracturing Rules , please refer to the following four (4) former blog posts found in "Blog Archives" under the following titles and dates: Pending Legal Challenges of the BLM Fracking Rule.                 June 12, 2015 BLM and Resuming Oil and Gas Lease Auctions.                        August 29, 2014 BLM and Uninspected Fracking Wells.                                         June 15, 2014 BLM's New Fracking Rules Give Industry a Free Pass...              May 27, 2013

Dakota Access Pipeline:  Standing Rock Sioux Issue Urgent Appeal to the United Nation Human Rights Officials (ICTMN Staff, Indian Country Today Media Network ; August 20, 2016) http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/08/20/dakota-access-pipeline-standing-rock-sioux-issue-urgent-appeal-united-nations-human North Dakota pipeline construction halted until court date (James MacPHERSON, Associated Press ; August 18, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/48abe54c07b046b7befe0bc273f4dd73/north-dakota-pipeline-construction-halted-until-court-date Website: Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Department of Water Resources http://srstwater.com/programs/about/index.asp?program_ID=waterresources

Navajo Nation Sues Environmental Protection Agency for Gold King Mine Spill (Miriam WASSER, Phoenix New Times ; August 16, 2016) http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/navajo-nation-sues-federal-government-for-gold-king-mine-spill-8556166 Gold King Mine Spill (Multiple; Indian Country Today Media Network ) http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/tags/gold-king-mine-spill The color of dread: The Animas River runs yellow, again (Susan GREENE, The Colorado Independent ; May 25, 2016) http://www.coloradoindependent.com/159459/the-color-of-dread-the-animas-river-runs-yellow-again New Mexico sues EPA over Gold King Mine Spill (Noel Lyn SMITH, Daily Times ; May 23, 2016) http://www.daily-times.com/story/news/local/four-corners/2016/05/23/new-mexico-sues-epa-over-gold-king-mine-spill/84801730/ N. B.:  Copy of filed Lawsuit Complaint document available for perusal at the end of the aforementioned Daily Times news article. Begaye to Sue Gold King Mine and EPA (Donovan QUI...

SoCal hit with worst smog in years as hot, stagnant weather brings surge in hospital visits (Tony BARBOZA, Los Angeles Times ; August 11, 2016) http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-summer-smog-20160805-snap-story.html 2016 'State of the Air' Report Finds More than Half of Americans Live with Unhealthful Levels of Air Pollution (Allison MACMUNN, American Lung Association ; April 20, 2016) http://www.lung.org/about-us/media/press-releases/2016-state-of-the-air.html 2016 State of the Air Report ( American Lung Association ) http://www.lung.org/assets/documents/healthy-air/state-of-the-air/sota-2016-full.pdf Health of the Air (Marron Institute of Urban Management and the American Thoracic Society) http://www.healthoftheair.org/

Toxic Chemicals Contaminate Drinking Water for over 6 Million Americans, Study Finds (Seerat CHABBA, International Business Times ; August 11, 2016) http://www.ibtimes.com/toxic-chemicals-contaminate-drinking-water-over-6-million-americans-study-finds-2400192 Selected Research Articles: Detection of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAs) in U. S. Drinking Water Linked to Industrial Sites, Military Fire Training Areas, and Waste Water Treatment Plants  ( HU et al. , 2016) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.estlett.6b00260# Perfluoroalkyl Compounds in the Aquatic Environment:  A Review of their Occurrence and Fate ( AHRENS , 2011) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lutz_Ahrens/publication/47622154_Polyfluoroalkyl_compounds_in_the_aquatic_environment_a_review_of_their_occurrence_and_fate/links/00b7d53762cfedaf12000000.pdf Website: Toxic Substance Portal - Perfluoroalkyls ( ATSDR - Public Health Health Statement for Perfluoroalkyls ) http://www.atsdr...

Melting ice sheet could release frozen Cold War-era waste : Climate change could remobilize abandoned hazardous waste thought to be buried forever beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet, new research finds.

Suit:  California failed to study oil well impact on water (Brian MELLEY, Associated Press ; August 3, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0cb7cbb4362f4d0aa1c92a5548656dfa/environmentalists-sue-state-over-ok-oils-wells-aquifer Lawsuit Seeks to Halt Illegal Dumping of Toxic Oil Waste into California's Imperiled Water Supplies ( EarthJustice.org ; May 7, 2015) http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2015/lawsuit-seeks-to-halt-illegal-dumping-of-toxic-oil-waste-into-california-s-imperiled-water-supplies Interactive Map:  Oil Industry Dumping Toxic Waste into California's Underground Water ( The Center for Biological Diversity ; biological diversity.org) http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/publications/maps/highlighted_maps/enhanced_oil_recovery_wells.html N. B.:  To learn more about this and surrounding issues, please refer to "Blog Archives" for the selected (of many) former blog posts shown below: Underground Injection:  Enhanced Oil Recovery and Disposal...

An Oil Pipeline As Long As The Keystone XL Has Been Fully Approved (Alejandro Davila FREGOSO, ThinkProgress;  July 28, 2016) http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/07/28/3802907/bakken-pipeline-gets-full-approval/?ref=yfp Native Communities Stand Up To Proposed Oil Pipeline:  'This is Keystone 3' (Katie VALENTINE, ThinkProgress ; May 5, 2016) http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/05/05/3774984/dakota-access-pipeline-indigenous-opposition/ Great Sioux Nation Defends its Waters from Dakota Access Pipeline (Chelsey LUGER, Indian Country Today Media Network ; April 6, 2016) http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/04/06/great-sioux-nation-defends-its-waters-dakota-access-pipeline-164042 Website:  DAPL Project - The Route (Energy Transfer Partners, L. P.) http://www.daplpipelinefacts.com/about/route.html

Contractor finds toxic mercury leak in Vallejo's Lake Curry Dam (Emily KIRSCHENHEUTER, KRON 4 News ; July 19, 2016) http://kron4.com/2016/07/19/contractor-finds-toxic-mercury-leak-in-vallejos-lake-curry-dam/ Pipeline spews crude in California, but none reaches beach (Alicia CHANG, Associated Press ; June 23, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/54c2aff77a8c451480389fc7cc345cbc/210000-gallons-oil-spills-california-pipeline Fracking Has Contaminated Drinking Water, EPA Now Concludes (Neela BANERJEE, InsideClimate News ; June 5, 2016) https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05062015/fracking-has-contaminated-drinking-water-epa-now-concludes N. B.:  A link to the US EPA 2015 study report entitled, "Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources (External Review Draft)" is available within the aforementioned InsideClimate News article.

Research Articles: National Survey of Lead Service Line Occurences (CORNWELL et al., 2016) http://www.awwa.org/publications/journal-awwa/abstract/articleid/57880483/issueid/55120975.aspx?getfile=\\pers75apppcr\personify\serverfiles\dcdfiles\57880483\jaw201604cornwell_pr.pdf Reaction to the Solution:  Lead Exposure following Partial Service Line Replacement  (RENNER, 2010) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866705/pdf/ehp-118-a202.pdf Out of Plumb:  When Water Treatment Causes Lead Contamination (RENNER, 2009) http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/117/12/ehp.117-a542.pdf Websites: Section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water Act:  Prohibition on Use of Lead Pipes, Solder and Flux [ U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)] https://www.epa.gov/dwstandardsregulations/section-1417-safe-drinking-water-act-prohibition-use-lead-pipes-solder-and Lead and Water [Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)] https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/...

EWG's 2016 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce : Check out EWG's 'Dirty Dozen' and 'Clean 15' lists to help decided when you should splurge for organic and when you can save money by buying conventional fruits and vegetables.

Playing 'Russian Roulette" with Explosive Oil (Brock STONEHAM, MSNBC Originals ) Websites: Riverkeeper Alliance http://www.riverkeeper.org/about-us/our-allies/ Waterkeeper Alliance http://waterkeeper.org/

TransCanada shuts down Keystone after oil seeps to surface (Michael De SOUZA, National Observer; April 4, 2016) http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/04/04/news/transcanada-shuts-down-keystone-after-oil-seeps-surface Keystone XL's Older Pipeline Twin Spills Oil in South Dakota (Katie VALENTINES, ThinkProgress.org ; April 4, 2016) http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/04/04/3766363/keystone-pipeline-spills/

Man-made earthquakes are a threat to 7 MILLION Americans:  Map reveals how fracking has increased risk of U. S. tremors (Ellie ZOLFAGHARIFARD, Daily Mail UK ; March 28, 2016) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3512784/USGS-revises-seismic-risk-map-include-quakes-caused-humans.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490 USGS Open-File Report 2016-1035 2016 One-Year Seismic Hazard Forecast for the Central and Eastern United States from Induced and Natural Earthquakes (PETERSEN et al., 2016) http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2016/1035/ofr20161035.pdf Video Energy Technologies and Manmade Earthquakes - What's the Connection?   ( National Research Council of the Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine ; July 19, 2013)

Special Report:  State isn't using blood test data that could help focus Exide clean up efforts (Tony BARBOZA and Ben POSTON, Los Angeles Times ; March 25, 2016) http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-exide-health-20160326-story.html Exide plant will pay for blood tests for residents (Jessica HARRISON and Alan ZAREMBO, Los Angeles Times ; September 12, 2013) http://articles.latimes.com/2013/sep/12/local/la-me-blood-lead-20130913 Website: Exide Update (City of Vernon, California) http://www.cityofvernon.org/exide-update N. B.:   The document history of the Exide Technologies Vernon Battery Recycling plant from January 2013 to January 2016 is available for perusal and download from this City of Vernon website.

EPA Releases Online Mapping Tool to Help Protect Drinking Water Sources [Press Release,  U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; February 19, 2016] https://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/84b6d36a24667a7985257f5e0050f758?OpenDocument Drinking Water Mapping Application to Protect Source Waters (DWMAPS) [ U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; March 8, 2016] https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/dwmaps User Guide to the Drinking Water Mapping Application to Protect Source Waters [ Office of Water (4606M) , EPA 816-B-16-001; January 2016] https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-01/documents/dwmaps_userguide_public_1-20-16.pdf

Air pollution alert for greater Mexico City lifted (E. Eduardo CASTILLO, Associated Press ; March 17, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2842dec4490a471c965a8b64455c8953/mexico-city-extends-air-pollution-alert-4th-day Mexico City declares first air pollution alert since 2005 ( Associated Press ; March 14, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/d54f3d00d5bd4054959b33d3f67e1032/mexico-city-declares-first-air-pollution-alert-2005 Websites: Ozone Pollution ( State of the Air 2015 ; The American Lung Association) http://www.stateoftheair.org/2015/health-risks/health-risks-ozone.html Air Pollution in Mexico City:  Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map (World Air Quality Index) http://aqicn.org/map/mexicocity/ N. B.:   Other real time air quality may be searched on the aforementioned World Map site. U. S. EPA Report: Integrated Science Assessment for Ozone and Other Photochemical Oxidants ( Office of Research and Development , EPA 600/R-10/076F; Februa...

Nigeria sets for Ogoniland oil spill clean-up [ StarAfrica.com/l'Agence de Presse Africaine (APA) ; March 6, 2016] http://en.starafrica.com/news/nigeria-sets-for-ogoniland-oil-spill-clean-up.html Two Nigerian communities sue Shell for oil spills in Niger Delta (William WATKINSON,  International Business Times UK ; March 2, 2016) http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/two-nigerian-communities-sue-shell-oil-spills-niger-delta-1546978 Bonga Oil Spill:  Fishermen seek President Buhari intervention to get compensation [Johnson EYIANGHO, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) ; March 2, 2016] http://nannewsnigeria.com/bonga-oil-spill-fishermen-seek-president-buhari-intervention-get-compensation Ogoniland Oil Spills clean up will take up to 30 years (Thomas LAZZERI, Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network ; February 18, 2016) http://www.aefjn.org/index.php/370/articles/ogoniland-oil-spills-clean-up-will-take-up-to-30-years.html N. B.:  For more information on the Ogoniland (Niger Del...

Forget fracking.  Choking and lifting are latest efforts to stem U. S. shale bust (Swetha GOPINATH and Amrutha GAYATHRI, Reuters ; March 9, 2016) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shale-analysis-idUSKCN0WB1AI Oil Drillers Bet Choking Wells Will Keep Shale From Going Bust (Dan MURTAUGH and Rebecca PENTY, Bloomberg Business ; October 1, 2015) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-01/oil-drillers-bet-choking-wells-will-keep-shale-from-going-bust Oilfield Review Reports: Artificial Lift for High Volume Production (FLESHMAN and LEKIC, 1999) https://www.slb.com/~/media/Files/resources/oilfield_review/ors99/spr99/lift.pdf Let's Get the Most Out of Existing Wells (BARTZ et al., 1997) https://www.slb.com/~/media/Files/resources/oilfield_review/ors97/win97/exist_well.pdf Video: The Principle of a Choke Valve (Phil HURLEY, Duxvalves)

NC:  Duke Energy coal ash polluting water, fines may follow ( Associated Press/Seattle Times ; March 4, 2016) http://www.seattletimes.com/business/nc-duke-energy-coal-ash-polluting-water-fines-may-follow/ Judge wants to review scope of Duke Energy pollution deal (Emery P. DALESIO, Associated Press ; February 12, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2640dc6bbfff464aafc4cb653240785f/environmentalists-fight-7m-duke-energy-pollution-deal Regulator fines Duke Energy nearly $7M for coal ash spill (Emery P. DALESIO, Associated Press; February 9, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a27fa1f367024f04a29d1c6a3edd75a4/nc-regulator-fines-duke-energy-nearly-7m-coal-ash-spill Federal judge hits NC agency for Duke Energy coal ash duties (Emery P. DALESIO, Associated Press; October 21, 2015) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/9ec51db233d341c7b1b145f26a9ba8de/judge-hits-state-agency-over-duke-energy-coal-ash-pollution Most wells near Duke Energy ash ponds contaminated (Bruce HENDERSON,...

Samarco to pay at least $5 billion in Brazil dam spill deal (Lisandra PARAGUASSU, Brasilia/Reuters ; March 2, 2016) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-damburst-lawsuit-idUSKCN0W35U7 Mining Company Samarco's Dam burst in Brazil (Paul KIERNAN, Rogerio JELMAYER and Reed JOHNSON, Wall Street Journal ; November 5, 2015) http://www.wsj.com/articles/mining-company-samarcos-dam-bursts-in-brazil-1446763579 Actions Report/ Balanço das Ações   ( Samarco ; February 23, 2016) English version http://www.samarco.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Dossi--_24_02_ingl--s.pdf Portuguese version http://www.samarco.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Dossi--_24_02.pdf N. B.:   For additional information and photos, please refer to "Blog Archives"  for a former blog post under the following title and date: Mine Tailing Sludge from Brazilian BHP-Vale Samarco Dam Failure reaches the Atlantic Ocean November 25, 2015

Danish 'environmental catastrophe' kept quiet ( Metroexpress . dk / The   Local.dk; February 26, 2016) http://www.thelocal.dk/20160226/danish-environmental-catastrophe-kept-quiet Original Danish Article: Brand i Fredericia var skyline i udledning af flare tusind ton gødning http://www.mx.dk/nyheder/danmark/story/21387569

Sustainable Groundwater Management (SGM) Program -  California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Websites: Groundwater Sustainability Emergency Regulations http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/sgm/gsp.cfm Sustainable Groundwater Management Act ( SGMA ) http://www.water.ca.gov/cagroundwater/legislation.cfm Statewide Map:  Critically Overdrafted Groundwater Basins   ( January 2016 ) http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/sgm/pdfs/GW_basinsCriticalOverdraft_CA.pdf California DWR Draft Reports: Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Draft Emergency Regulations for Groundwater Sustainability Plans and Alternatives ( February 18, 2016 ) http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/sgm/pdfs/DRAFT_GSP_Emergency_Regulations_021816.pdf Groundwater Sustainability Program:  Draft Strategic Plan ( March 9, 2015 ) http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/sgm/pdfs/DWR_GSP_DraftStrategicPlanMarch2015.pdf N. B.:   Public review and written comment submissions reg...

City of Bakersfield set to reinstate old water wells due to lack of surface water (Kurt KELSEY, KGET TV 17 News ; February 18, 2016) http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/news/city-of-bakersfield-set-to-reinstate-old-water-wells-due-to-lack-of-surface-water Arvin water district working on long term solution that includes new wells (Steven HICKS, KERO TV 23 News ; April 15, 2015) http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/arvin-water-district-working-on-longterm-solution-that-includes-new-wells?autoplay=true Map:  Central Valley's Arsenic Contamination (2006 - 2013) (Aubrey Ann PARKER, circleofblue.org ; May 6, 2014) http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2014/world/arsenic-post/ Reports: Communities that Rely on Contaminated Groundwater Source for Drinking Water ( California Water Boards ; January 2013) http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/gama/ab2222/docs/ab2222.pdf California's Contaminated Groundwater:  Is the State Minding the Store? (HELPERIN et al., 2001) https://www.nrdc...

EPA :  Mine spill dumped 888,000 pounds of metals in river (Dan ELLIOTT,  Associated Press ; February 5, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2ed4e26cb9dc4120bb530d598f334bf9/epa-mine-spill-dumped-880000-pounds-metals-river EPA Updates Flint Response Website with Interactive Map, Chlorine Sampling Results ( Water and Wastes Digest ; February 1, 2016) http://www.wwdmag.com/epa-updates-flint-response-website-interactive-map-chlorine-sampling-results?eid=286061460&bid=1297314 N. B. :  For background information on the Gold King Mine Spill  (Colorado) and Flint's Water Contamination (Michigan), please refer to "Blog Archives"  for former blog posts under the following listed dates: October 7, 2015 August 10, 2015 August 6, 2015

First research links California quakes in oil operations (Ellen KNICKMEYER, Associated Press ; February 4, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a34e52dbfc0d4160911052821df8ed73/first-research-links-california-quakes-oil-operations Study:  Oil field operations caused California Earthquakes (David R. BAKER, SFGate ; February 4, 2016) http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Study-Oil-field-operations-caused-California-6808015.php Selected  Articles : NEW :  Oklahoma's induced seismicity strongly linked to wastewater injection depth (HINCKS et al. , 2018) http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/01/31/science.aap7911.full Human-Induced Earthquakes from Deep-Well Injection:  A Brief Overview (FOLGER and TIEMANN, 2015) https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43836.pdf Myths and Facts on Waste Water Injection, Hydraulic Fracturing, Enhanced Oil Recovery, and Induced Seismicity  (RUBINSTEIN and MAHANI, 2015) https://scits.stanford.edu/sites/defaul...

Highly efficient heavy metal ions filter (Peter RÜEGG, ETH Zürich News ;January 25, 2016) https://www.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2016/01/highly-efficient-heavy-metal-ions-filter.html

Fog Transports Mercury to Shore (Jillian KEMSLEY, Chemical & Engineering News ; January 25, 2016) http://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i4/Fog-Transports-Mercury-Shore-Studies.html?h=-5168616 Mercury-laden fog swirls over coastal California, Scientists find [Cheryl DYBAS, National Science Foundation (NSF); August 26, 2015] http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=136056 Research Articles: Total and monomethyl mercury in fog water from the Central California Coast (WEISS-PENZIAS et al., 2012) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1029/2011GL050324/asset/grl28862.pdf?v=1&t=ik4iu3al&s=ae8c5664374e809260c1eeeb888edbb61e4ffdd0 Total and Monomethyl Mercury in Terrestrial Arthropods from the Central California Coast (ORTIZ et al., 2014) http://fognet.ucsc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Ortiz-Weiss-Penzias-Total-and-MMHg-in-terrestrial-arthropods-from-central-calif-coast-Bull-Environ-Contam-Toxicol-2014.pdf Video:    Dr. Kenneth Coale pr...

Stephen Hume: Effluent linked to contaminated water in Okanagan ( The   Vancouver Sun ; February 1, 2016)

US agrees to environmental review of offshore oil fracking (Brian MELLEY, Associated Press ; January 29, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b8ceae449d89459a903bba2f56bd8d39/us-agrees-environmental-review-offshore-oil-fracking Press Release : Lawsuit Prompts Offshore Fracking Moratorium Off California Coast (Kristen MONSELL, Center for Biological Diversity ; January 29, 2016) http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2016/fracking-01-29-2016.html Reports : Troubled Waters:  Offshore Fracking's Threat to California's Oceans, Air, and Seismic Stability ( Center for Biological Diversity ; September 2014) http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/offshore_fracking/pdfs/Troubled_Waters.pdf Acidizing:  Treatment in Oil and Gas Operators [Briefing Paper; American Petroleum Institute (API)] http://www.api.org/~/media/files/oil-and-natural-gas/hydraulic-fracturing/acidizing-oil-natural-gas-briefing-paper-v2.pdf N. B .  For additional inform...

Natural Methane Gas Leak - Porter Ranch, Aliso Canyon, CA Leaking Los Angeles gas well ordered shut down ( Associated Press ; January 23, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/af937cce5e6c42d583e43269107942f9/leaking-los-angeles-gas-well-ordered-shut-down Refugio Pipeline Rupture - Santa Barbara, CA Oil stranded by pipeline break could be trucked out (Michael R. BLOOD, Associated Press ; January 22, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/9c48737dd06a49cb9522fb2338e23f5f/oil-stranded-pipeline-break-could-be-trucked-out California Farmer Drought Issues - Central Valley, CA The Latest:  Some California farmers expect no federal water (Scott SMITH, Associated Press ; January 22, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/125bd3a67f17448cbc04661e2b853205/latest-california-reservoirs-half-full-after-big-storms California farmers brace for water shortage despite El Nino (Scott SMITH, Associated Press ; January 17, 2016) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/874ea15d77c147ffb90e...

Brown declares a state of emergency at Porter Ranch amid massive gas leak (Tony BARBOZA, Los Angeles Times; January 6, 2016) http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brown-declared-emergency-at-porter-ranch-amid-massive-gas-leak-20160106-story.html Leaking gas well in Porter Ranch lacked a working safety valve (Zahira TORRES and Frank SHYONG, Los Angeles Times ; January 3, 2016) http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0104-gas-leak-20160104-story.html Websites : California Governor's Office of Emergency Services  ( Cal OES ) Aliso Canyon Gas Leak - Latest News http://www.caloes.ca.gov/ICESite/Pages/Aliso-Canyon. Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment  ( OEHHA ) Aliso Canyon Underground Storage Field, Los Angeles County http://oehha.ca.gov/public_info/emergency/alisocanyon.html Center for Disease Control and Prevention  - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC-NIOSH) n-Butyl Mercapta n http://www.cdc.gov/nios...