When Lobbying is a Good Thing

The U.S. Capitol building.

Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government. There is bad lobbying and, as I learned, there is good.

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Study Shows Aquifers Threatened by Fracking

Pavillion, Wyoming. "Produced" water is brought back to the surface after fracking takes place. The water and fracking fluid is placed into evaporation ponds.

Throughout the U.S. oil and gas boom, frackers have countered public concerns about water contamination with the assurance that drilling operations target deposits that sit much deeper than drinking-water aquifers. This picture is not entirely accurate, according to recent research.

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The Right to Know Reader: Our Current Laws Do Not Protect You From Toxic Chemicals

A sign warning of the presence of asbestos.

Every day, just in the course of normal activities, we are exposed to an unbelievable range of toxic chemicals that we may not know about. Of the 80,000 plus chemicals that have been approved to be on the market in the United States, approximately 24,000 are “secret”. Literally, we don’t know what they are.

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A Rejuvenating Display of Ocean Abundance

A humpback whale surfacing in Monterey Bay.

In the fight to protect the health of our planet and of our communities, we all need sweet moments of inspiration to refuel and rejuvenate us. I’ve just had one in Monterey Bay, California.

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Radioactive Redux Near Colorado River

A uranium mine at the edge of the Grand Canyon.

As World War II ended and the Cold War heated up, the American military (and later, utilities) propelled a uranium rush in America’s southwest, creating a toxic legacy for the Navajo Nation.

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Pesticides: Stories from the Frontlines, Part 4

A child walks through a field.

In this final installment of a weekly series, farmworkers share stories from the frontlines, illustrating why we need an even stronger standard than EPA proposes.

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The Need to Fight for Michigan’s Dirtiest Zip Code

Southwest Detroit's Marathon Oil Refinery.

On April 27, 2013, thick, black smoke rose high above southwest Detroit from the flames at a nearby industrial facility. Three thousand residents were then ordered to leave their homes and evacuate the area. These residents are no stranger to poor air quality as their neighbors include a coal-fired power plant, a car factory, a water waste management plant, and the Marathon Ashland Petroleum oil refinery, one of 150 oil refineries in the country.

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