The California EPA has issued the first U.S. public health goal for minimizing the cancer-causing metal hexavalent chromium (or, chromium 6) in drinking water, according to the L.A. Times. more ›

Just when you thought it was safe to drink the water...comes an Associated Press report making the rounds today about the vulnerability of the nation's uncovered reservoirs and the ease with which they could be come contaminated. Among the U.S. cities pinpointed for having such gaping holes suitable for infiltrating with all manner of icky parasites and toxins is Los Angeles, where our Silver Lake reservoir is among those not in line with rules put out by the EPA in 2006. more ›

One of seven cities selected, Los Angeles will be participating in the Urban Waters Federal Partnership Program with a focus on the LA River Watershed. The project, "intended to reconnect urban communities with their waterways," will run in alignment with President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative "which calls on agencies to support innovative community efforts to provide safe, healthy and accessible outdoor spaces," according to Friends of the LA River (FOLAR). more ›

It is a scientific fact: The plume of radiation generated from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Japan is moving towards the U.S. West Coast. That plume is expected to reach California by Friday, however, "experts said they were confident that the amount of radiation would be well within safe limits," reports the LA Times. more ›

Thanks to its massive air pollution problem, California currently enforces the strictest car emission standards in the country. These stringent practices may be in jeopardy, however, due to the Energy Tax Prevention Act, newly proposed legislation at the federal level, according to SFGate. more ›

The Ventura County Fire Department has said a camper reported seeing hundreds of gallons of oil seeping onto the beach around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, reports KTLA. Authorities believe the spill is coming from a nearby oil field and were working to identify the exact source. more ›

For a while here in LA they were as ubiquitous among the crunchy granola set as Uggs on bare-legged teens in short skirts at The Grove, and now Crocs have been caught in a dirty lie, reports TreeHugger. They said their shoes, made of PCCR, were "antimicrobial." And, oops, they aren't. "After discovering the false claim, the EPA has told the company pay $230,000 'to resolve cases involving unsubstantiated antimicrobial claims for several types of its shoes,' as well as remove the language from its packaging." Suddenly the uncool got even less cool. Sorry, Crocs. more ›

Millions of U.S. homes are still drinking tap water highly contaminated with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium, according to an environmental group study released Monday, reports FOX LA. more ›

Federal regulators reached a $7-million agreement with companies to clean up a toxic site in Whittier, reports CBS Local. The EPA and Justice Department announced on Friday that an agreement was reached with the 169 parties who used the Omega Chemical Corp between 1976 and 1991 as a recycling and treatment center for hazardous chemicals. Soil and groundwater at the site are, "tainted with Freon, trichloroethylene and other solvents and refrigerants." more ›

River activist George Wolfe and his L.A. River Expeditions team have won the American Canoe Association's Green Paddle award for their "outstanding contribution to paddlesport by protecting America's waterways." more ›

It's been done before, but not since the federal government officially declared the L.A. River as navigable, thus under the Clean Water Act. So last week river activists George Wolfe, Joe Linton and others took to a eight-mile portion of the river down the Glendale Narrows between Griffith Park and towards downtown for an inaugural trip. more ›

Sometimes a little civil disobedience goes a long way. When it was announced by the Environmental Protection Agency last week that the Los Angeles River was considered "traditional navigable waters," it meant that it and the streams and channels that flow into it are protected under the Clean Water Act. more ›

Lisa Jackson of the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday announced that the Los Angeles River -- the entire 51 miles of it plus some tributaries like the Compton Creek -- is navigable. more ›

Be proud, California -- we're the stinkiest. Mother Jones last week pointed out that we rank #1 for dairy cow emissions (ah, no wonder happy cows come from California). more ›

An Environmental Protection Agency division overseeing the cleanup of a 190-acre Monterey Park landfill shuttered in 1984 has received more funding, the federal agency announced today. A settlement of $3.87 million from 12 companies that dumped hazardous materials and wastes at the site between 1948 and its closing has been completed. more ›

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency yesterday announced that Los Angeles has the "greatest number of energy efficient buildings that merited the EPA’s Energy Star in 2009." But this is the "Los Angeles" as in the L.A. region, which apparently includes San Diego. more ›

Did you ever have that sinking feeling that factory around the corner was a dirty polluter? Maybe they were caught and fined by the Environmental Protection Agency, which today released its annual map of violations across the country. It's a bit hard to understand case files, but it's easy to find locations of violations with the Google Map tool. more ›

Remember last year when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed taking away “traditional navigable waters" status for the Los Angeles river? That stirred some major controversy including a three-day kayak trip from the Valley to the ocean by a group of activists set out to prove the river's navigability. Heather Wiley, who works for the Army Corp and disagrees with their decision, was caught up in the mess. more ›

The Environmental Protection Agency announced today that they are fining a container company nearly $50,000 for environmental violations. APM Terminals Pacific Limited-- one of the world’s largest container terminal companies--reportedly discharged industrial-activity storm water at its marine shipping container terminal facility, a violation of Clean Water Act and the California National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, according to the agency. more ›

We're number one! But if you're gearing up to start cheering, don't hold your breath. In fact, you might want to reconsider breathing in at all. Why? Because according to the Environmental Protection Agency, we have the most toxic air in the country, reports cbs2. more ›

You've probably seen this happen: it's raining, yet the sprinklers are working hard in a city park. Not such a smart idea in a drought, or anytime actually. This past week, new sprinkler regulations went into affect (.pdf info sheet), only allowing sprinkling use on Mondays and Thursdays and not between the times of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For a few years now, there's been a more advanced sprinkler that knows the weather so if it's raining, it knows not to turn on. The Isla Earth podcast from the Catalina Island Conservancy explained in an older episode: more ›

An estimated 5,400 deaths a year in Southern California are attributed to environmental factors and air pollution, but little alarm over that fact has been raised. Today, that changes. more ›

At first California officials were pushing a proposal that would force ships to use cleaner fuels and emission-control measures when 230 miles from the coast. The shipping industry said such a law would have to be mandated federally, not by a state. Courts sided with the shipping industry. Now the Environmental Protection Agency is on board, reports the Press Telegram: "EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson believes the proposed rule could prevent the premature deaths of at least 8,000 U.S. and Canadian residents - primarily those in urban areas near busy ports. U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, who battled the Bush administration for years on efforts to tighten environmental standards around the nation's seaports, called the proposal 'music to my ears.'" Even if the federal government approves it, the final ruling has to come from the International Maritime Organization. Random Fact: Did you know that our state's coast is basically a national monument? Meet the very unique California Coastal National Monument that is managed by the Bureau of Land Management under the Department of the Interior. more ›

The Environmental Protection Agency announced today that Los Angeles is the US city with "the most Energy Star-certified buildings," according to the Daily News. We have 262 Engery Star buildings, which means they "use one-third less electricity than traditional buildings." The count is current as of the end of '08, and occupants of the buildings "saved $87.2 million over the course of the year and conserved enough energy to power 35,800 households." The list includes buildings all over the city, with many located on major thoroughfares like Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards. Is your building green, or a potential Energy Star? Use the tools offered by the EPA to find out what it takes. more ›

Sewer work on a small section of Cesar E. Chavez Ave. between North Broadway and New High will resume today lasting up to two weeks (.pdf). Crews will reduce traffic lanes on North Broadway and Cesar E. Chavez Ave. to rehabilitate aging pipeline as part of a $2 billion settlement agreement with the EPA and Santa Monica Baykeeper. In 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency sued the city of Los Angeles over frequent sewage spills, which were reported to happen on average two times a day. Between 1994 and 2004--when the settlement was reached--it was estimated that Los Angeles had experienced more than 4,500 spills. more ›

Today President Obama is asking the EPA to reverse a previous Bush-era move that "stopped California and more than a dozen other states from setting their own stricter limits on auto emissions," reports the LA Times. more ›

It's day one for the new administration and it's straight to business for them and for California. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today sent this letter to President Barack Obama requesting that he direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to act promptly and favorably in reconsidering California’s request for a Clean Air Act waiver so we can reduce global warming pollution from passenger vehicles. California has sued the Bush administration over this to no avail. more ›

Hey President Bush, you're not off the hook yet. Jerry Brown is back suing President Bush over green issues, this time over new rules pertaining to the Endangered Species Act. "The Bush Administration is seeking to gut the Endangered Species Act on its way out the door," Attorney General Brown said in a statement today. "This is an audacious attempt to circumvent a time-tested statute that for 35 years has required scientific review of proposed federal agency decisions that affect wildlife." more ›