soil pollution
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Appeal could make it easier for companies to spread drilling fluids on Pennsylvania roadways
In recent years, Pennsylvania regulators have tried to clamp down on roadway spreading of tens of millions of gallons of oil and gas “brines,” high-salt liquids that can be laced with toxic metals and radioactive material. The industry is pushing back.
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EPA reorganization sparks fears of ‘political interference’
“Today is day one of the new EPA,” Administrator Lee Zeldin said. Union officials say the revamp is meant to intimidate scientists and undermine scientists and undermine science.
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What is valley fever? Cases of fungal infection on upward trend, CDC data shows
Cases of valley fever, a fungal disease caused by spores found within soil in parts of the U.S., has been rising in recent decades, prompting warnings from local health authorities.
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Elon Musk has criticized environmental regulations. His companies have been accused of sidestepping them.
Musk considers environmental regulation a barrier to innovation. As he eyes a new project in Houston, here’s what to know about some of his companies’ past projects that have faced scrutiny from regulators and environmental advocates.
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Wildfire retardants help stop fires — but also impact ecosystems
In the rush to put out wildfires, hundreds of millions of litres of fire retardant are dropped on forests across North America. New research shows the effects they can have on water and ecosystems — especially when accidents happen
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A Chinese lawyer takes on mining giants abroad
When a Chinese-owned copper mine in Zambia spilled toxic waste into rivers and farms, veteran lawyer Jingjing Zhang stepped in to help communities fight back, part of her global campaign to hold Chinese companies accountable.
In short:
- For half a day, 50 million liters of mine waste surged into Zambia’s Kafue River system, poisoning drinking water and wiping out crops and fish stocks for thousands.
- Zhang, dubbed the “Chinese Erin Brockovich,” has spent decades pioneering legal tactics to challenge polluters, now training lawyers across the Global South on how to confront Chinese state-owned firms.
- Despite official claims that the situation was “under control,” independent tests later found high levels of heavy metals, while affected villagers received only small, uneven compensation payments.
Key quote:
“Even if we lose, we show people that the law can be a tool for them — that they have rights.”
— Jingjing Zhang, lawyer and founder of the Center for Transnational Environmental Accountability
Why this matters:
Jingjing Zhang's latest environmental justice battle is part of a bigger story: the expanding global footprint of Chinese companies and the environmental wreckage that sometimes follows. While Beijing talks about green development, its firms abroad have been linked to toxic spills, deforestation, and contaminated air and water. Who pays the price when rivers turn toxic and farmland dies? In this case, the villagers in Zambia got a pittance, even as their health and livelihoods are left in question.
Read more:
- In push to mine for minerals, clean energy advocates ask what going green really means
- Mokshda Kaul on making the clean energy transition work for all
- ‘Living under this constant threat’: Environmental defenders face a mounting mental health crisis
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Laguna Pueblo continues to suffer with legacy uranium waste, despite expanded federal compensation program
Decades of uranium mining at Laguna Pueblo left lasting contamination and health crises, even as a new law finally promises compensation to post-1971 workers.
In short:
- The Jackpile Mine, once the world’s largest open-pit uranium mine, remains a toxic Superfund site, with contaminated water and soil still affecting local people, animals, and agriculture.
- New Mexico uranium workers exposed after 1971 are now eligible for a one-time $100,000 payment under the expanded Radiation Exposure and Compensation Act (RECA), but the application process is not yet open and is surrounded by confusion.
- Advocacy groups warn that the physical and social fallout — illness, environmental damage, and the risk of renewed mining — continues to affect the Pueblo community, highlighting gaps in accountability and safety measures.
Key quote:
"I get calls every week: Somebody passed away. Cancer. These horrible diseases that are not even qualified diseases for RECA compensation. We’ve had a lot of our young people die of cancer. They’re in their twenties and thirties."
— Lorretta Anderson, co-founder, Southwest Uranium Miners Coalition Post-71
Why this matters:
Children playing near old tailings, farmers tending fields laced with radioactive remnants, and families drinking contaminated water and living with chronic illnesses all carry the invisible cost of an industry that boomed and then went bust. Jackpile left a legacy of contaminated water, soil, and serious health problems that the community continues to wrestle with today. Laguna Pueblo’s struggle is a stark reminder that some environmental and health crises don’t end when the last miner walks away — they linger for generations, quietly shaping lives and landscapes.
Now, with demand for nuclear power accelerating, the uranium industry has come knocking again in many impacted communities, promising that new technologies will guard against the health and environmental devastation of past mining eras. For those still dealing with legacy mining waste, the industry's promises ring hollow.
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