The popularity of residential solar is seeing a steep reversal due to shifting state and federal policies driven by powerful utility interests. And while some say the decline is simply a mild adjustment, others fear the market for residential solar may be on the brink of a long-term slide.
Managing editor Brian Bienkowski joined the Behind the Lens podcast to discuss recent reporting on how air pollution impacts pregnant women and could trigger early labor.
Managing editor Brian Bienkowski joined WCMU — a northern Michigan NPR affiliate — to discuss how recent federal cuts may impact cleanup at a St. Louis, Michigan, Superfund site.
By Brian Bienkowski
As the US wrestles with how to deal with widespread PFAS pollution in drinking water supplies, most utilities are lacking advanced filtration systems that could protect public health from not just PFAS but an array of harmful contaminants, according to a new study.
By Brian Bienkowski
Steel and coke plants in the US are regularly releasing illegal amounts of air pollutants and the Trump administration’s delay on stricter rules at these plants leaves fenceline communities struggling for long-sought federal help, according to a new report.
By Brian Bienkowski
Children highly exposed to an insecticide prior to birth showed signs of impaired brain development and motor function, according to a new study of chlorpyrifos — a pesticide still used on US crops despite decades of warnings about its impact on children’s health.
By Brian Bienkowski
Roughly a quarter of the nation’s large cattle, dairy and hog farms are located in just 30 US counties, a new satellite-mapping study has found. The research also links large farms — whether in these dense hotspots or scattered elsewhere — to elevated air pollution.
By Brian Bienkowski
Plastics are a “grave” danger to humans and the planet, responsible for an estimated $1.5 trillion annually in health-related costs, and nations need to center human health as they finalize the global plastics treaty, scientists said in a new report released Monday.
The Trump administration’s new AI action plan aims to make the US a leader in developing and deploying the technology. This sweeping proposal would fast-track AI development by exempting data centers from environmental protections. It may also increase reliance on fossil fuels. Experts warn it could strain US water and power supplies, deepen pollution in vulnerable communities and sideline clean energy.
By Brian Bienkowski
Boosting US solar power by 15% could reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions from the nation’s electricity sector by more than 8.5 million metric tons, the equivalent of removing the emissions of nearly two million gas-powered cars annually, according to a new study.