Trump AI plan would “ramp up exploitation” of people and the environment, advocates warn
By Shannon Kelleher
The Trump administration this week released a plan to fast-track the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) in the US, delighting tech groups while alarming environmental advocates who point to the industry’s toxic emissions, high water usage and heavy reliance on fossil fuels.
EPA’s move to greenlight controversial dicamba herbicide sparks outrage
By Carey Gillam
In the latest reversal of American environmental protections, US regulators said this week that they plan to approve a trio of new herbicide products made with dicamba, a controversial chemical that has wreaked havoc across farm country and sparked years of litigation, and twice drawn court-ordered bans.
After contentious US committee vote, Bayer and allies a step closer to new federal protections for pesticides
By Carey Gillam
A group of US lawmakers failed on Tuesday to beat back a provision in a congressional appropriations bill that would help protect pesticide makers from being sued and could hinder state efforts to warn about risks of pesticide products.
WATCH: Controversial water contamination report targets Iowa agriculture
A controversial Iowa water safety report has confirmed what many people in the state have long feared to be true: Dangerously high levels of farm chemicals, including nitrates and pesticides are polluting waterways with potentially dire health consequences for hundreds of thousands of residents.
Q&A: A feared return to the “dark ages of science” seen in EPA’s dismantling of research unit
By Meg Wilcox
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed on Friday a plan to eliminate its science research arm in a move critics say will significantly undermine protections for human and environmental health.
New maps reveal 73 million people exposed to PFAS in US drinking water above EPA standards
By Shannon Kelleher
Over 73 million people in the US are being exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals in their tap water, according to an analysis of data from a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water monitoring program.
Gutting chemical safety board endangers millions of Americans, groups warn Congress
By Carey Gillam
A coalition of environmental, labor and public safety groups are calling on US lawmakers to reject the Trump administration’s move to eliminate a federal unit that investigates chemical accidents, citing risks to more than 170 million people who lives in zones at risk for such events.
New research finds sky-high insecticide levels in Colorado water
By Shannon Kelleher
Adding to evidence about the pervasiveness of pesticides that endanger human and environmental health, new research has found widely used insecticides in Colorado waterways at levels 100 times higher than what researchers say is needed to protect aquatic life.
Proposed federal law would turn tables on Big Ag, establishing a right to sue for pesticide injuries
By Carey Gillam
Taking specific aim at the global agrochemical companies Bayer and Syngenta, US Sen. Cory Booker on Thursday introduced legislation that would create a federal “right of action” allowing people to sue those pesticide makers and others for allegedly causing health harms such as cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
US House 2026 budget guts environmental protections
By Brian Bienkowski
Republicans are proposing deep cuts to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill, which additionally would provide new protections for pesticide makers and would limit federal help for farmers dealing with “forever chemical” contamination.