Pollution

Pollution Buildup At Conowingo Dam May Harm Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

12:18pm August 23, 2017

by Marie Cusick

A Maryland dam has been helping to clean up the Chesapeake Bay by holding back sediment that can harm aquatic life. But now the dam's sediment pools have filled up earlier than projected.

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Environment

Coal Ash Neighbors: Don't Raise Rates As Pollution Lingers

3:26pm July 13, 2017

by Associated Press, Emery Dalesio

The nation's largest electric company wants regulators in North Carolina to force consumers to pay nearly $200 million a year to clean up the toxic byproducts of burning coal to generate power.

Billy Crook's commercial crabbing boat, Pilot's Bride. He says it's looking like it's going to be a good year for crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay.

Chesapeake Bay Dead Zones Are Fading, But Proposed EPA Cuts Threaten Success

11:47pm June 28, 2017

After years of failed attempts at cleaning up the dead zones, the Chesapeake Bay, once a national disgrace, is teeming with wildlife again. But success is fragile, and it might be even more so now.

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Environment

Cuts To Emissions Testing Raise Environmental Concerns

11:52am May 15, 2017

by Christina Sandidge, Associated Press

North Carolina environmental officials say the state's air has become clean enough that only 22 of its 100 counties still have to conduct vehicle emissions testing.

A boy from a tribe in Northern Kenya stands on a dried-up river bed.

#CuriousGoat: Ask Us About Climate Change And Global Well-being

3:41pm March 17, 2017

by NPR Staff

What questions do you have about the toll that climate change is taking — and about possible solutions?

California is looking into ways to reduce the use of gas-powered lawn and gardening equipment because they will soon surpass cars as the biggest polluters in the state.

California Weighs Tougher Emissions Rules For Gas-Powered Garden Equipment

8:48am March 01, 2017

by David Gorn

Gas-powered gardening equipment will soon surpass cars as the worst polluters in California. It is considering stronger emissions standards for small gas engines and incentives to switch to electric.

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Some environmental justice advocates say California's cap-and-trade program hasn't done anything to clean up the air in low-income communities like Wilmington, where refineries are located near residential neighborhoods.

Environmental Groups Say California's Climate Program Has Not Helped Them

7:57pm February 24, 2017

by Emily Guerin

California's signature climate plan is under attack from environmental justice groups. Some say the cap-and-trade program hasn't done anything to clean up the air in low-income communities.

William Ruckelshaus is sworn in as administrator of the new Environmental Protection Agency as President Richard Nixon looks on at the White House on Dec. 4, 1970.

How The EPA Became A Victim Of Its Own Success

1:23pm February 17, 2017

by Nathan Rott

The Trump administration faces protests for its plan to aggressively rein in the EPA, an agency created by President Richard Nixon. But environmental protection was not always so politically divisive.

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A smog alert day in Dalian, China. The photo was taken on December 19.

Read The Smog-Inspired Poem That China Can't Stop Talking About

2:36pm January 12, 2017

by Emily Feng

It's written from the perspective of lung cancer. And it's striking a chord on social media.

People wearing protective masks walk near the iconic headquarters of Chinese state broadcaster Central China Television in Beijing, which has been blanketed by heavy smog.

WATCH: Time-Lapse Video Shows Wall Of Smog In Beijing

4:42pm January 03, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

The sky appears blue at the beginning of the 13-second video, then completely disappears from view in the haze of brown smog. Dozens of Chinese cities are currently under pollution alerts.