Written by Michael Forlini

Edited by Silvia Milanova

Environmental Safety in Communities

Are you concerned about what toxic chemicals are being released in your community? Do you live near businesses that use toxic chemicals? Would you like to know about toxic chemicals being released near your child's school or near your local reservoir?

EPA's New Mandatory Reporting Requirements For Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Starting on January 1, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require large emitters of heat-trapping emissions to collect greenhouse gas (GHG) emission data under a new reporting system. These large emitters include fossil fuel suppliers and industrial gas suppliers, direct greenhouse gas emitters and manufacturers of heavy duty and off road vehicles and engines. It is expected that this mandatory reporting requirement will cover approximately 85 percent of the nation's GHG emissions and apply to approximately 10,000 facilities.

EPA's Pesticide Requirements

Estuaries

What is an Estuary and why is it so important to our ecosystem?

Formaldehyde in the Home

Formaldehyde is an important chemical used widely by industry to manufacture building materials and numerous household products. It is also a by-product of combustion and certain other natural processes. Thus, it may be present in substantial concentrations both indoors and outdoors.

Geothermal

Geothermal is using the Earth as a heat source. Geothermal energy resources can include underground hot water and rock several miles below the Earth's surface, and even further down to the extremely hot molten rock called magma. Wells over a mile deep can be drilled into underground reservoirs to tap steam and very hot water.

Glacier and Landscape Change

Many of us are concerned with climate change and its effects on natural resources. Understanding nature and the impacts of climate change, poses a significant challenge because of the complexity of the processes that influence global environmental change. The United States Geological Survey has recently introduced a Web site that examines one aspect of the global climate issue — the inter-relationship between glaciers and climate.

GreenChill: A Cooperative Alliance of the Supermarket Sector

The GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership is an EPA cooperative alliance with the supermarket industry and other stakeholders. The partnership was established to promote advanced technologies, strategies, and practices that reduce refrigerant charges and emissions of ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse Gases

For over the past 200 years, the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, and deforestation have caused the concentrations of heat-trapping "greenhouse gases" to increase significantly in our atmosphere. These gases prevent heat from escaping to space, somewhat like the glass panels of a greenhouse. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), a number of fluorinated gases, and water vapor (H2O).

Ground Water

Ground water is a resource found under the earth’s surface. Most ground water comes from rain and melting snow soaking into the ground. Water fills the spaces between rocks and soils, making an “aquifer.”