The Iowa Environmental Council has petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to invoke emergency powers to protect sensitive soil and groundwater in northeast Iowa. The council is holding a public webinar today and wants the EPA to address groundwater contamination in northeast Iowa s so-called Driftless region. The groundwater there has a well-documented history of nitrate contamination. .
The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule to close a significant loophole in coal ash disposal regulations. The Coal Combustion Residuals Rule targets millions of tons of toxic coal ash previously exempt from federal oversight, including the 19 legacy coal ash ponds and landfills in Georgia. For decades, utilities have disposed of coal ash by dumping it in unlined ponds and landfills where the toxins leak into groundwater. .
On this May Day, Wisconsin groups are rallying in Green Bay to highlight a key issue facing the working class: the ability to retire. Organizers see fixing systemic issues within Social Security as a key step. The American Federation of Government Employees is co-leading demonstrations around the state, calling on Congress to fully fund Social Security. .
Marijuana legalization groups are celebrating after the Drug Enforcement Agency proposed Tuesday to reclassify cannabis as less dangerous or addictive than Schedule One drugs such as heroin or LSD. Marijuana would be downgraded to the same category as ketamine or some anabolic steroids. Dale Gieringer, director of the nonprofit California NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said his organization first sued the DEA more than fifty years ago to get cannabis reclassified to Schedule Three. .
Alabama is running out of time to tackle Medicaid expansion this legislative session. More than 230 people gathered earlier this month with the group Alabama Arise, urging state lawmakers to prioritize the issue. Their message: Access to health care isn t just a matter of policy, it can be a matter of life and death. .