I grew up walking the boardwalk in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, peering into the froth of the Cape Fear River. The name came from 16th-century mariners who feared its mouth, which was known to churn ships into wrecks. But for the last few decades, there has been something new to fear in the river. The Cape Fear River was tainted with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)…
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A cancer-linked pesticide banned in more than 60 countries around the world contaminates an estimated 25% of river and stream miles in the lower 48 US states, including many waterways used for drinking water, according to a new analysis. The analysis from the Center for Biological Diversity builds on evidence that atrazine — which is commonly used to grow corn, soybeans…
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Anahkwet (Guy Reiter), a member of the Menominee nation and a longtime community organizer, remembers the counsel of his elders about what to do when times get thorny, tangled, and twisted. “If I’m struggling with something in my life, if I’m having a hard time, I was taught to go outside and walk,” Anahkwet told Truthout. “The earth will show me something that I haven’t seen before, or a way of…
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As a child in the 1950s and ’60s, Regina Martin became so used to the oil pumpjacks near her home that she assumed every child lived beside them. Everyone was made “sick to [their] tummy” by the sulfurous, rotten-egg smell that never seemed to leave, she thought. Only until she was grown did she begin to see a possible connection between growing up on top of the nation’s largest urban oil…
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The Endangered Species Act has stood as a pillar of conservation in the United States since 1973, bringing animals like bald eagles, manatees, and humpback whales back from the brink of extinction. But now, the Trump administration has taken its boldest step yet in an effort to strip legal protections for endangered species. Starting this week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that it…
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Americans don’t agree on much, but that’s not the case when it comes to data centers. Seven in 10 Americans oppose building data centers for artificial intelligence in or near their communities. Despite this, the federal government is moving to make it easier for them to be built. And in some places, residents won’t even get the chance to raise concerns publicly or even know if a data center…
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