Latest news with #environmentalcleanup
CBS News
4 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Waste destruction system in Lake Elmo aims to remove PFAS from water
How new technology at Lake Elmo is aiming to remove PFAS from water How new technology at Lake Elmo is aiming to remove PFAS from water How new technology at Lake Elmo is aiming to remove PFAS from water Efforts are underway in Lake Elmo to remove dangerous PFAS chemicals from the environment. Friday morning, technology was unveiled that's focused on destroying PFAS. "Here in Lake Elmo, we are the epicenter of PFAS. We don't want to be," said John Holtz, a Lake Elmo councilmember. Lake Elmo is a community that's been dealing with PFAS for years. They are dangerous and potentially cancer-causing chemicals once created by 3M, that have found their way into drinking water. It's why the city is welcoming this waste destruction system. "We, in essence, have behind me today a large pressure cooker, a little bit more complicated though, that destroys any kind of hazardous, organic waste," said Gary Hopper of General Atomics. General Atomics and Bay West are companies who partnered to create this demonstration. It's called a Perses system, and it uses chemistry to destroy contaminants. "You take water, and you mix all these dangerous organics in it. Then what happens is you pressurize it and go to high temperature and the reaction kinetics are so violent they just rip apart the molecules," said John Follin of General Atomics. Designers said that it's not just PFAS the system destroys, but it also eliminates a number of other dangerous chemicals. When everything is removed, salt water is left behind. The Lake Elmo demonstration is temporary, but it is something that could eventually become permanent. Fifteen million dollars in funding came from the Department of Defense, which is responsible for environmental cleanups. The goal is to eliminate PFAS now, for families and future generations. "We are in this together. We are one team making sure our constituents have safe drinking water," said DFL Rep. Betty McCollum. "It is a nationwide challenge that affects us, in our states and municipalities," said John Glabach, Bay West CEO. Rep. McCollum said they've secured $600 million nationwide to address PFAS on military bases and in communities. The funding is for research, detection, public outreach and PFAS destruction, like what's currently happening in Lake Elmo.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The US buried millions of gallons of wartime nuclear waste – Doge cuts could wreck the cleanup
In the bustling rural city of Richland, in south-eastern Washington, the signs of a nuclear past are all around. A small museum explains its role in the Manhattan Project and its 'singular mission – [to] develop the world's first atomic bomb before the enemy might do the same'. The city's high school sports team is still known as the Bombers, with a logo that consists of the letter R set with a mushroom cloud. Richland lies just 30 miles from the Hanford nuclear site, a sprawling plant that produced the plutonium for America's atomic weapons during the second world war – including the bomb dropped over Nagasaki. Over the decades, thousands of people in the Tri-Cities area of southern Washington worked at the plant, which shuttered in 1989. But a dark legacy of Hanford still lingers here: vast amounts of highly radioactive waste nobody is quite sure what to do with. Residents have long spearheaded an operation to deal with 56m gallons of nuclear waste left behind in dozens of underground tanks – a cleanup that is expected to cost half a trillion dollars and may not be completed until 2100. The government has called it 'one of the largest and most expensive environmental cleanup projects worldwide'. In recent weeks, what has already been a costly and painstakingly slow process has come under renewed scrutiny, following an exodus of experts from the Department of Energy (DoE) that is overseeing the cleanup being executed by thousands of contract workers. Related: Nuclear waste ravaged their land. The Yakama Nation is on a quest to rescue it According to local media, several dozen staff, who reportedly include managers, scientists and safety experts, have taken early retirement or been fired as part of a broader government reduction overseen by Elon Musk and his 'department of government efficiency'. The government has refused to provide a specific figure for how many people involved with cleanup efforts have left. The top DoE manager at the Hanford site, Brian Vance, who had many years of experience, resigned at the end of March without giving a reason. The changes have thrown the communities around the Hanford plant into limbo. And while the Department of Energy has said that only six staff have been fired, and reiterated its commitment to the cleanup, that hasn't managed to assuage locals' concerns. Those raising the alarm include politicians from both parties, environmental activists, and Indigenous communities who have historically owned the land on which the 560 sq mile (1,450 sq km) site sits. The US senator for Washington Patty Murray said workers were already understaffed, and that cutting further positions was 'reckless'. 'There is nothing 'efficient' about indiscriminately firing thousands upon thousands of workers in red and blue states whose work is badly needed,' the Democrat said. Dan Newhouse, the local Republican congressman is similarly concerned. 'A strong, well trained federal workforce is essential,' he wrote in a weekly newsletter to constituents. Concerns have also been raised by some over the difficulty former workers face in making medical compensation claims to the government for everything from cancer to acute pulmonary disease linked to their time at the plant. Taken together, there is fresh anxiety in a community, where many are still living with the health and environmental effects of Hanford. ••• Richland, part of the Tri-Cities, was obtained by the army in 1943 to house workers engaged in top-secret efforts to produce plutonium used in the world's first nuclear explosion – the-so-called 'Trinity' device tested some 200 miles from Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 1945. Though the city was returned to the public a decade later, it can still feel like a company town. To get anywhere near what is known as Hanford's B-reactor, the world's first full-scale plutonium production reactor, you need to sign up for an official tour. Yet a view of its grey, single tower, looming from the hillside, can be seen from state route 24, close to the Columbia River. Those expressing concern about the federal government downsizing include local Indigenous groups who historically owned the land where the site is located and were pushed off it by the government. The Hanford plant area contains the location of several sacred sites, among them Gable Mountain, which were used for ceremonies, and the area of Rattlesnake Mountain, or Lalíik, which has for centuries been used to hunt elk. The site is also located close to the Yakama Indian Reservation, home to 11,000 people, and the tribe has long pushed to be central to decisions about the cleanup and what it is eventually used for. The tribe recently signed a deal to carry out their first elk hunt in the area for seven decades. 'One of the biggest fears is that without proper manpower, there might not be a very good crew for the cleanup of the property,' says Gerald Lewis, chairman of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. 'Without this cleanup, that's been happening for a number of years, we're afraid of a nuclear mishap.' Dr Elizabeth McClure, a health data specialist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, is currently conducting research in the communities around Hanford. She says there is a history of government-led cover-ups over the years at the site, including what is known as 'the Green Run', the intentional release of 8,000 so-called curies of iodine-131 into the atmosphere in 1949. By comparison, the leak of radioactive material at the Three Mile Island accident in 1979 involved just a dozen. The Green Run was only acknowledged by the government in 1986. It later emerged that so-called 'downwinders', suffered higher rates of cancer and harm to their lymphatic system. She says Indigenous communities, and other marginalised groups, are often not included in research into the broader impact of places such as Hanford. 'In public health, we're doing work to improve the wellbeing of the public,' she says. 'If you aren't getting the insights and feedback of who's being harmed, you're not going to be able to make improvements.' Also monitoring developments is Hanford Challenge, an environmental group that has highlighted – among other issues – the estimated million gallons of radioactive waste already leaked into the soil because several dozen storage tanks are cracked. A plan to send 2,000 gallons of waste for treatment in Utah or Texas was put on hold after protests from communities on the route, including the city of Spokane and the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Nikolas Peterson, a spokesperson for Hanford Challenge, is concerned about job losses and how it will impact a cleanup operation that is taking place far away from the public eye. 'This level of reduction in staffing raises serious concerns about oversight, accountability and continuity. While the contractor workforce performs the bulk of the cleanup work, DoE staff play a critical role in setting priorities, ensuring compliance and maintaining transparency with the public,' he said. 'A diminished federal presence could slow decision-making, weaken oversight and reduce opportunities for meaningful engagement with stakeholders.' ••• For former plant workers like Larry White, the legacy of Hanford is complex. White says he loved the camaraderie of the job, sucked up the hour-long commute, and didn't grumble when he was required to put on protective gear that made the temperature soar. But the job left him with lingering scars. White developed skin cancer and a progressive lung disease that has made it painful to breathe. Even now, as the 83-year-old makes out medical compensation claims, he is not one to complain, even though it hurts to breathe. 'I was treated good while I was there. They took care of us,' says White, who owns and helps farm seven acres in Yakima, a town some 45 miles from Hanford. Since 2000, the government has paid out at least $2.2bn to former Hanford employees, representing 13,000 people. White is being helped by his son, Doug White, a consultant, community activist and part-time farmer who ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for Newhouse's seat in 2022. His son admits he is struggling with the paperwork required to process the claim and is struggling to get help. He says it is essential officials are transparent. 'I'm finding it extremely complicated, unintelligible and opaque,' says White. 'It's a struggle. It's an absolute struggle.' Another former staff member, Richard Badalamente, spent 22 years working as a behavioral scientist at the DoE's National Laboratory, originally part of the Hanford site. Today he's a campaigner for environmental and other causes. Badalamente, 88, says the concerns triggered by news about a reduction in staff symbolise the peculiar relationship between the Hanford community and its history. 'The concern is twofold,' he says. He says the economic 'fuel' for the region comes from the massive operation that may not be completed for 75 years. He adds: 'The concern is the Trump administration will not support a robust cleanup.' It appears many of the recent departures have come as part through voluntary redundancy, or delayed resignation program (DRP), that have been used in other government departments to trim numbers. The DoE said by email it would not provide a number for how many employees had opted for early retirement. It said all requests 'were subject to approval, and certain public safety, national security, law enforcement, or other essential employees may not be approved for participation'. It also would not say how staff had been selected. It confirmed Vance's deputy, Brian Stickney, was among those who had taken early retirement. Vance did not respond to inquiries from the Guardian. Asked about the impact on the cleanup, the spokesperson said: 'The DoE is committed to meeting cleanup responsibilities at Hanford safely and effectively while delivering on President Trump's mission to increase innovation across the federal government and promote greater efficiency and accountability.' In a note to staff, he said: 'Hanford's cleanup mission is one of the most complex and challenging in the world, and the progress we have made is nothing short of remarkable.' How swiftly that progress now goes remains to be seen. Back at the visitors' museum in Richland, near the black-and-white photos of Ronald Reagans's 1956 morale-boosting visit to Hanford, a 15-minute informational film highlights in plain, unemotional language the scale of the 'unintended consequences and legacies of the Manhattan Project'. Solving these complex environmental problems, the film says, will rely on the same 'drive, dedication, human ingenuity and political will' put into building the bomb. • This article was amended on 20 May 2025. It was iodine-131, not 'iodine-1', that was released into the atmosphere in 1949.
CBC
20-05-2025
- CBC
Atco substation deliberately targeted in shooting, Lloydminster RCMP say
An outage that knocked out power to residential homes in Lloydminster, Alta., early Monday was the result of someone shooting at an Atco substation, RCMP said. The substation, near 12th Street and 75th Avenue in the city's southwest, was deliberately targeted, police said in a news release. A firearm was discharged at the facility, intentionally striking an oil tank, RCMP said. The damage resulted in a significant power outage and the release of about 20,000 litres of oil. The incident could come with a $1.1 million price tag because of the damage to the substation and environmental cleanup, RCMP said. The outage happened at around 4:30 a.m.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Annual Kalamazoo River cleanup held on Saturday
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — A major community effort on Saturday brought hundreds of volunteers to the Kalamazoo River. Not just to clean it up, but to reconnect with it. Armed with gloves and trash bags, volunteers spent hours collecting debris from the water and riverbanks. Among the items pulled from the river were scrap metal, discarded needles and even a large stuffed animal. The annual event is part of a growing initiative to restore the Kalamazoo River and reestablish it as a shared public resource. It was organized by the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council, the Rotary Club of Kalamazoo, LINK Kalamazoo, and several local environmental groups. 'It's important because the river is a critical quality of life asset,' said Doug McLaughlin, executive director of the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council. 'It's important for our community. It's important for all of the communities up and down the river and for the region.' The event also aimed to highlight decades of environmental recovery along the river. Once heavily polluted, the Kalamazoo River has seen significant improvement in water quality and habitat restoration in recent years, though advocates say there is still a lot more work to be done. 'We're out here trying to clean up the environment, help the ecosystem and we are looking to activate the river for this community,' said Kalamazoo resident Andrew Hopson, who volunteered Saturday morning. Garrett Bruns, another participant, said events like this demonstrate the community's investment in creating a more livable city. 'I love living in a city where people can come together with a common goal and really help something that benefits us all,' Bruns said. Information on how to get involved is available at Last year's cleanup brought out about 300 people and removed more than 8,000 pounds of debris. This year's final total is still being calculated. Organizers say they're already planning next year's event and hope to expand it further. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
12-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Colorado tribe calls out state, petroleum company for pipeline spill
Southern Ute Indian Tribe leadership recently urged the state of Colorado and a Texas energy company to step up the monitoring and cleanup of a five-month-old fuel spill on the southwestern Colorado tribe's land. Tribal leadership called the response by both the state and the company "inadequate." In a May 5 social media post, it criticized the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) for not sending any personnel to the area in the months since the spilled happened. It also blamed the company for what it claimed was the lack of a contingency plan in the event the spill advances through groundwater to the near Animas River. "We will not stand by while our ground and surface water, Tribal resources, and the health of our Tribal Members are put at risk," stated Southern Ute Chairman Melvin J. Baker in the post. "Enterprise must treat this with the seriousness and urgency it deserves—not just from a regulatory standpoint, but from a moral and environmental one. Failure to move now will impact our water rights, wildlife, cultural sites, and properties for years to come. It is our duty as leaders and original stewards to protect the land that has been home to our ancestors since time immemorial and will be home for our future generations to come." A remediation site near Durango where a third-party contractor is monitoring the impacts to groundwater after a pipeline spill in December. Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum The spill occurred on Dec. 5. Beginning on that day, a spill at an Enterprise Products pipeline near the intersection of La Plata County Road 219 and Riverview Ranch Road (about four miles south of Durango) was reported by an unidentified person at 4:50 p.m. The pipeline was clamped and leak stopped at 3:40 p.m. on Dec. 7, according to an early CDPHE report. An estimated 544 barrels, or 23,000 gallons, of fuel was released. A worker at a monitoring and remediation site on Southern Ute Indian Tribe land near Durango. A Texas-based petroleum company is paying a contractor to monitor groundwater contamination following a fuel spill in December 2024. Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum Three days after the first report of the leak, a groundwater measurement taken 275 feet south-southwest of the leak site detected concentrations of benzene, tuloene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes at 13 micrograms per liter. Four days later, the same test well measured 300 micrograms per liter. Pond water at a nearby property also detected those four elements, plus acetone and styrene. But, according to that early CDPHE report about that pond, "None of the concentrations exceed their most protective EPA or CDPHE water standard." A property on Southern Ute tribal land that is affected by contaminants released by a pipeline spill in December 2024. Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum In the months since, however, a dozen residences have had high contamination readings in the their water wells. Water must now be hauled in, according to the tribe, and stored in cisterns installed by Enterprise Products. Filtration systems are also being provided. The contamination has now migrated away from the leak site. The tribe - which is doing its own monitoring beyond the several monitoring wells drilled by a remediation team hired by the energy company - said a spring within .3 mile of the Animas River is now showing increased measurements of benzene. "If the spill were to reach the nearby Animas River in elevated concentrations, the danger to plant, animal, and human life in the local area and potentially downstream along the river could be widespread," the tribe stated on its social post. "Despite this, Enterprise still does not have a site-specific contingency plan in place to protect the Animas River." Southern Ute Indian Tribe/Facebook According to CDPHE documents, Enterprise Products is required to publicly post monthly bulletins about the spill's monitoring data, submit quarterly reports to the CDPHE, and provide a contingency plan to the state for dealing with contamination reaching the Animas River. That deadline for that contingency plan was April 30. Leaders of the Southern Ute Tribe learned of the contingency plan's delay during a meeting the next day. "[T]he response from Enterprise has lacked the urgency and transparency this situation demands to minimize impacts and risk to the Animas River and Tribal resources," the tribe stated. A remediation site where temporary drinking water systems have been installed for residents near the site of a petroleum spill on Southern Ute tribal lands. Jeremy Wade Shockley/The Southern Ute Drum The Southern Ute social media post claimed the recent spill to be Colorado largest ever. But the CDPHE told CBS Colorado the spill is the sixth-largest petroleum-based release it has dealt with. Through a spokesperson, the agency said it is committed to requiring Enterprise Products to fully investigate and clean up the spill. This includes remediation of all contaminated groundwater and soils until state and federal environmental standards are met. CDPHE indicated additional work is starting this week with new wells. Some will be installed downhill from the current lowest sites to fully define the extent of the contamination. Others, called sentinel wells, will form a line between the leak site and the Animas River. Aside from contaminant detection, the sentinel wells will be able to pull up and recover petroleum product and perform other cleanup functions, per CDPHE. In a statement, Patrick Cummins, Director of Environmental Health and Protection, said, "At CDPHE, we are committed to protecting public health, holding polluters accountable, and partnering with impacted communities and governments. We take the Southern Ute Indian Tribe's concerns seriously and are providing ongoing oversight of the cleanup. That oversight will continue until Enterprise Products meets all applicable environmental standards and affected residents are protected." A portion of Enterprise Product's Texas Western pipeline system through Colorado and neighboring states. The pipeline delivers refined petroleum from a Galveston, Texas, refinery to northeastern Utah. Enterprise Products Enterprise Products is based in Houston. The company announced upgrades and retrofits of existing pipelines in its Texas Western system in March 2024. The TW system pushes gasoline from its Galveston refinery to Grand County, Utah. Along the way are four terminals - two in New Mexico, one in Grand Junction, another in Moab, Utah - that allow fuel tanker trucks to draw and haul locally. The second phase of the system, the Grand Junction and Moab terminals, went online in late October - five weeks before the spill near Durango. The spill did not occur within the Southern Ute reservation's boundaries, but on adjacent property called "fee land." Tribal fee land can exist inside and outside of reservation boundaries, is zoned by the tribe, and is often owned by Native Americans and non-natives who depend on the reservation and tribal government for services. Fee land differs from trust land, which is distinctly owned by Native Americans and their families within reservation boundaries. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe was awarded $4.9 million in September 2024 by the EPA for implementation of a program to reduce emissions of methane and other harmful air pollutants from oil and gas sources located on its reservation. In January, it received $4.25 million from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, money which the tribe tagged for improving drinking water quality, water storage, and irrigation infrastructure.
