Environment
Fire runoff raises concerns about water quality
The fire at the Winston Weaver fertilizer plant has raised concerns that nearby waterways may have become contaminated.
A satellite finds massive methane leaks from gas pipelines
A satellite has detected massive leaks of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from natural gas plants and pipelines. Most of these releases are deliberate, resulting from sloppy pipeline repairs.
Calls to volunteer fire departments are at a high but they have few first responders
Fewer volunteers are answering triple the number of calls they did decades ago and those who do show up tend to be older. Some departments were already stretched thin and then along came the pandemic.
A butterfly conservatory is shutting down due to right-wing harassment
The National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, has been embroiled in political turmoil after fighting against the erection of a border wall.
The Winston Weaver fertilizer fire and the impact of industry in residential areas
The conditions at the Winston-Salem fertilizer plant remain much the same with the fire still burning there, and residents within a one-mile radius of the blaze — roughly 6,500 people — s
Home generator sales are booming with mass outages, climate change and COVID
More extreme weather can mean extended blackouts, and it's especially disruptive for those working at home. Owners and experts offer guidance on what kind of generator to get and how to use it safely.
Climate-driven floods will disproportionately affect Black communities, study finds
Climate change means more flood risk from rising seas, hurricanes and heavy rain. Black communities in the southern U.S. are in the crosshairs, according to a new analysis.
A federal judge canceled major oil and gas leases over climate change
The ruling revokes leases sold in the Gulf of Mexico in the largest oil and gas lease sale in U.S. history. It says the Interior Department failed to consider the greenhouse gases it would produce.
Gas stoves leak climate-warming methane even when they're off
A study finds tiny leaks from loose fittings added up to more emissions than when stoves were in use. The impact of U.S. gas stoves on climate change amounts to the same effect as a half-million cars.