Earlier this month (November), the U-S justice department filed the
latest in a string of lawsuits aimed at reducing pollution from coal
fired generating stations. As Great Lakes Radio Consortium
commentator Suzanne Elston points out, instead off wasting all their
time suing each other, the jurisdictions involved should follow the
example set by New York State:
Tag: lawsuit
Lawsuit Targets Lead Paint Makers
The Environmental Protection Agency took aim at lead back in
the 1970’s banning its use in gasoline and house paint. Those actions
significantly reduced lead exposure. But the EPA still ranks lead
poisoning as one of the top environmental health concerns for children.
Now, one state is trying a new approach to deal with the problem… an
approach inspired by the recent tobacco settlements. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:
Commentary – NAFTA Used to Sue Province
Late last month (October) Sun Belt Water of California filed a $10.5
billion suit against the Canadian government under the North American
Free Trade Agreement. The company claims that it has been mistreated
because the province of British Columbia banned the bulk exports of
water. As Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Suzanne Elston points
out, the outcome of the suit will probably cost us all a lot more than
money:
Other States to Join New York Lawsuit
Air pollution has always ignored state boundaries. And now, New York’s
top lawyer is crossing state lines, as well. For the first time, an
attorney general in one state is threatening to sue power plants in
another. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports, now
other states are considering joining the lawsuit:
Regulating Power Plants
For years, Northeastern states have criticized their Midwestern
neighbors for the high levels of nitrous-oxide and sulfur emissions from
that region’s power plants. The pollution is believed to drift
northward,
causing smog and acid rain. This winter, attorneys for the states and
the
Environmental Protection Agency will meet in Federal court, to decide
whether the EPA has authority to regulate the power plants. As the
Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Brian Mann reports, now that a last-minute
compromise has fallen through, all sides are gearing up for a legal
battle
that could take years:
Water Diversion Lawsuit
The Sierra Club and six other environmental groups are suing the Army Corps of Engineers. The environmentalists claim the Corps (core) is violating a federal law that prevents the diversion of Great Lakes waters. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports:
PCB Contamination Through Sewer Overflow
Despite a 1970’s ban, PCBs have remained a problem throughoutthe Great Lakes Region. Now residents in one Detroit neighborhood aresuing the city over PCB exposure. Families on one street say theirhouses have been contaminated with PCB’s from city sewer lines. TheGreat Lakes Radio Consortium’s Jerome Vaughn reports:
FDA Faces Lawsuit
A national coalition of scientists, health experts and religiousleaders is suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The lawsuitfiled today (Wednesday, May 27th) claims that the F-D-A’s policy towardgenetically engineered food doesn’t protect consumers. The Great LakesRadio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports:
Logging Controversy Continues
A 100-acre tract in the Superior National Forest is the latest battleground in the ongoing war over how public lands are managed. It’s been the subject of court rulings, blockades, and protest rallies. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Stephanie Hemphill reports, the conflict is stirring up an emotional debate that so far has taken the usual line of jobs versus the environment: