In The News / Oct 22

• Oregon agencies blew off complaints, red flags before helicopter sprayed weed killers on residents.

  For years, residents of the winding valleys along the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon complained to state agencies about the helicopters spraying weed killers on clearcuts next to their homes. Portland Oregonian, Oregon

• 'Biggest asbestos tragedy since Wittenoom' faces Melbourne suburb.

  An asbestos factory in Melbourne's western suburbs may have affected nearby residents and left dust in homes, even 30 years after it closed, in what's been described as Australia's worst asbestos tragedy since Wittenoom. Australia ABC News, Australia

• Republicans would target EPA power plant, ozone, water rules if Senate changes hands.

  With fall elections just two weeks away, Republicans may be on the verge of wresting control of the Senate from Democrats who have blocked efforts to roll back environmental rules on carbon dioxide pollution from power plants, ozone and expanded Clean Water Act jurisdiction over U.S. waterways. Bloomberg BNA

• US revisiting 'broken' workplace chemicals regulation process.

  The U.S. government will soon begin receiving public suggestions on how federal regulators should update their oversight of toxic chemicals in the workplace. Inter Press Service

• San Francisco Fire Department joins study into breast cancer risks.

  When San Francisco firefighters rush out the firehouse doors, they put their lives on the line in more ways than one. In responding to roughly 28,000 fire calls a year, firefighters are routinely exposed to flame retardants, diesel exhaust and other toxic chemicals. San Francisco Chronicle, California

• Prozac may be harming bird populations, study suggests.

  Increasing consumption of antidepressant drugs may be helping humans but damaging the health of the bird population, according to a new study. Press Association

• Pollution choking China's inbound tourism industry.

  China's inbound tourism market is still struggling to bounce back in the midst of rising concerns about issues such as air pollution, according to a new report from the China Tourism Academy. China Daily

• Hebei orders factory shutdowns to stop smog casting pall over Apec.

  Hebei province will idle more than 800 polluting factories for nearly two weeks to stop smog shrouding Beijing as world leaders visit the capital for next month's Apec summit. South China Morning Post, China

• Environment is grabbing big role in ads for campaigns.

  Ads mentioning energy, climate change and the environment — over 125,000 spots and climbing on the Senate side — have surged to record levels during the 2014 midterm election cycle, reflecting the priorities of some of the nation’s wealthiest donors, with Democrats now pouring millions into campaigns to match Republicans. New York Times

• High pollution levels found near Ohio gas wells.

  A study in a rural Ohio county where oil and gas drilling is booming found air pollution levels near well sites higher than those in downtown Chicago. Associated Press

• 'That stuff can get you so fast' - deadly gas on the rise in Texas oil fields.

  Living with "sour gas" is an old story in West Texas, but it's beginning to happen in more oil-producing regions as the boom in onshore drilling pushes oil production into new places. EnergyWire

• A 'very young field' of research tries to measure looming costs of ocean acidification.

  While many of the effects of ocean acidification remain invisible, by the end of this century, things will have changed drastically. One estimate looking only at lost ecosystem protections, such as that provided by tropical reefs, cited an economic value of $1 trillion annually. ClimateWire

• The problem with America’s abandoned mines.

  A mine plans its death before its birth. The leftover waste from mines is so hazardous that mining companies must figure out what to do with it decades in advance, even before they start digging. That’s how it works today, at least. Center for Investigative Reporting

• Residents discuss fears of mine contamination in rural South Carolina.

  When miners began digging out a small mountain near Clover, South Carolina, in 1947, few people around here realized the legacy the developing business would leave on their community in rural York County. Columbia State, South Carolina

• Mine wasn't source of orange sludge, Arizona agency says.

  Contrary to what a federal official and environmentalists have said, an old Patagonia Mountains mine overseen by the state environmental agency didn't spew orange sludge pollution into a neighboring stream last month, the agency said Tuesday. Arizona Daily Star, Arizona