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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

MA: Toxics

Burning wood releases fine particulate matter, which is easily inhaled and can lodge deep in the lungs, where it can cause chronic heart and lung disease and trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks, and premature death. (Adobe Stock)
Bills Aim to Close Biomass Loopholes in MA Clean Energy Laws

Environmental and community health advocates in Massachusetts are backing new legislation they say will close loopholes in the state's clean energy la…

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The Environmental Protection Agency proposes to lower the annual soot standards from 12 mcg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter of air) to a range of 9-10 mcg/m3, despite the agency's independent Scientific Advisory Committee recommending a standard between 8-10 mcg/m3.(Adobe Stock)
EPA Encouraged to Strengthen Air-Quality Standards for Soot

Environmental and health advocates say the Environmental Protection Agency's most recent proposal to strengthen national air-quality standards for soo…

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In 2020 alone, at least 2.58 billion cubic feet of methane gas leaked into communities and the atmosphere. (romaset/Adobe Stock)
Report: Last Decade Has Seen Too Many Methane Gas Leaks

A new report found in the last decade, there have been nearly 2,600 methane gas pipeline incidents in the U.S. serious enough to require reporting to …

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PFAS are used to make many products water-resistant, including raincoats. (Maksim Ksenofontov/Adobe Stock)
Scorecard Ranks Retail, Apparel Companies on PFAS Policies

Groups advocating for an end to the use of Perfluorinated and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS), known as "forever chemicals," ranked various retail …

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A bill before the General Assembly would mean wood-burning power plants can no longer be categorized as renewable. (Andrei Merkulov/Adobe Stock)
MA Groups: Time is Now to End Biomass Subsidies

Proposed legislation would end subsidies for wood-burning power plants in Massachusetts by removing biomass as an eligible fuel source for the Commonw…

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The landmark climate bill signed into law last month, among other measures, prioritizes decarbonizing buildings, which currently represent about 30% of the Commonwealth's emissions. (Adobe Stock)
MA Groups Look to Build on Landmark Climate Bill This Earth Day

BOSTON -- This Earth Day, as President Joe Biden convenes a climate summit with world leaders, Massachusetts environmentalists hope federal efforts …

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In the 2019-2020 winter, Massachusetts beekeepers reported a 47% drop in colony numbers. (Vadim/Adobe Stock)
New MA Pesticide Rules Made to Protect Pollinators

BOSTON -- Massachusetts has some new rules to restrict the use of pesticides. Neonicotinoids, or 'neo-nics' for short, will no longer be found on …

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It's estimated that globally, about 2,220 metric tons of mercury are emitted each year. (Denny Franzkowiak/Pixabay)
Harvard Prof.: EPA Off-Base with New Mercury Rule Analysis

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The Environmental Protection Agency says air-pollution controls placed in 2016 on mercury emitted from coal-fired power plants …

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Smog-creating air pollution from power plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania travels as far north as Massachusetts. (coffee/Pixabay)
Lawsuit Claims New EPA Rule Increases Interstate Smog in New England

BOSTON – Groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency to make it enforce the "Good Neighbor" provisions of the Clean Air Act, …

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Lead was found in water from almost half of public-school taps tested. (deepcove/Pixabay)
Advocates to Legislators: Get the Lead Out

LENOX, Mass. – Massachusetts needs to get the lead out of drinking water in schools and day-care centers. That's the message public-health …

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Public interest groups are concerned about a presidential executive order to cut two federal regulations for each new one released. (Mampato/Wikimedia)
Regulations Cuts Prompt Legal Action By Public-Interest Groups

BOSTON — Public interest law, environmental and labor groups are suing to stop the Trump administration's executive order to cut government …

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A new report projects 4,000 childhood asthma attacks every summer in the Bay State from pollution created by oil and gas facilities. (D. Petrobras/Wikimedia)
Smog from Oil, Gas Facilities Linked to Asthma Attacks for Mass. Kids

BOSTON -- A first-of-its-kind analysis of the health impacts in the U.S. from ozone smog pollution caused by the oil and gas industry found that …

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