Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, the powerful prescription painkiller that experts say helped touch off an opioid epidemic, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion, Justice Department officials told The Associated ...
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In The News
Energy Dept confirms electric vehicles are better for the environment
[FROM CLEANTECHNICA] The US Department of Energy has put to rest the myth that EVs are worse for the environment than vehicles that use diesel or gas engines. This is something like the 107th time that a reputable organization has concluded this.
Sure, regular CleanTechnica readers know that EVs ...
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Island Of Death
[FROM FORBES]
The true scale of the devastating Wakashio oil spill is only just becoming apparent to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.
Thousands of sea creatures have turned up dead around a small coral atoll five miles South West of the Wakashio wreck, called Ilot Brocus. Local ...
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The Supreme Court will hear a climate change case next year
[from WASHINGTON POST]
The Supreme Court will review a key aspect of a big case in which Baltimore is suing Big Oil over damages from climate change.
The question the high court plans to consider next year is a narrow procedural one. But its answer could have broad implications for a suite of ...
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Exxon’s Plan for Surging Carbon Emissions Revealed in Leaked Documents
[from BLOOMBERG GREEN]
Exxon Mobil Corp. has been planning to increase annual carbon-dioxide emissions by as much as the output of the entire nation of Greece, an analysis of internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg shows, setting one of the largest corporate emitters against international ...
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$215M in BP oil spill money to restore Louisiana marshes
“The Mississippi River created our parish and the many historic ridges of our landscape,” said Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine. “These features protect against storm surge, reduce saltwater intrusion, provide key habitats and also help retain sediment. The marsh west of Venice has been in ...
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SCOTUS’ October term could be somewhat “mooted”
[STEVE VLADECK for SCOTUSBLOG] Recent discussions of the Supreme Court’s upcoming term have understandably focused on the implications of the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — and the seemingly inevitable confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to succeed her. At least some of that commentary, ...
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5 of the 6 largest California wildfires in history started in the past 6 weeks
[SACRAMENTO BEE] The staggering statistics keep piling up for California’s wildfire season: August and September account for five of the six biggest fires in nearly 90 years of recorded history for the state.
The destructive Creek Fire that continues to burn in Fresno County grew about 3,000 ...
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Oil Companies Are Profiting From Illegal Spills
[PRO PUBLICA] In May 2019, workers in California’s Central Valley struggled to seal a broken oil well. It was one of thousands of aging wells that crowd the dusty foothills three hours from the coast, where Chevron and other companies inject steam at high pressure to loosen up heavy crude. Suddenly, ...
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‘Nurdle Patrol’ survey finds plastic pellets on almost every Louisiana and Texas beach
At Grand Isle State Park, on a sandy beach popular with sunbathers and anglers, Jace Tunnell pointed to the tide line and its usual scattering of litter: milk jugs, water bottles, candy wrappers, plastic bags.
But there’s a lot more trash not easily seen, said Tunnell, a marine biologist with the ...
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