B.C. to probe claims that RCMP didn't properly investigate abuse of Indigenous girls

By Matt Bernardini

Feb. 25 (UPI) -- British Columbia has ordered a probe into allegations that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police failed to properly investigate complaints of abuse and harassment of Indigenous girls.

B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Friday the investigation will be undertaken following the disclosure of a report prepared by the watchdog Civilian Review and Complaints Commission claiming Mounties dropped the ball in handling the decades-old allegations.

"The RCMP has confirmed they will fully co-operate with the investigation, including providing all their records to the external agency, which will be announced in the coming weeks," Farnworth said in a statement to CBC News.

"Our government is absolutely committed to ending systemic violence against Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQ+ people, and vulnerable persons, particularly in the cases which involve the police, and there still remains work to be done," he said.

The case stems from accusations of police wrongdoing in the early 2000's, and also includes allegations of a coverup by high-ranking police officers.

The civilian agency report found that video tapes showing officers harassing an Indigenous teenager on the streets of Prince George, B.C., were discovered at one point but have since been lost.

The agency ultimately determined that the tapes' disappearance could amount to criminal charges related to obstruction of justice and criminal conspiracy or misconduct, according to a copy of the CRCC report shared with the Canadian broadcaster.

The report claims that between 2000 and 2004, "the local RCMP received reports that a number of RCMP members at the Prince George Detachment in British Columbia had engaged the services of and, in some cases, assaulted underaged female sex-trade workers.

"This information coincided with the receipt of similar information that Prince George Provincial Court Judge David Ramsay was abusing underaged female prostitutes and procuring their services. The RCMP investigated Judge Ramsay, who was ultimately charged and convicted after confessing to several of the charges. He received a seven-year sentence in 2004."

The RCMP, however, said it found no evidence to support the accusations against its officers, the report added.

Private company targets May launch for spaceship carrying Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols ashes

By Andrew Wulfeck, FOX Weather
February 25, 2023 

Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols' remains will be shot up into space.

Courtesy Everett Collection

Nichelle Nichols to grace one final voyage into the cosmos

The United Launch Alliance recently announced it’s targeting May for the inaugural launch of its highly anticipated Vulcan Centaur rocket, which is expected to carry everything from satellites to human ashes into space.

The Vulcan Centaur rocket has faced years of delays following the slower-than-anticipated development of powerful engines and requirements for when the moon lander can be launched.

Under an updated timetable released by ULA CEO Tory Bruno, the more than 200-foot-tall rocket will take off on May 4, 2023, from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

If the launch is successful, the company plans to eventually replace the Atlas V and Delta IV rockets with the Vulcan Centaur.

The rocket is said to be capable of launching 60,000 pounds of payload into low-Earth orbit and could one day be certified to carry highly sensitive satellites for U.S. intelligence agencies.

Here’s a look at the payload that will be aboard the uncrewed launch.
Astrobotic Technology’s lunar lander

The Peregrine Lunar Lander will carry scientific and other payloads to the surface of the moon.

Astrobotic Technology said it will be the first commercial mission to land on another planetary body.

The rocket has faced a massive amount of delays due to powerful engines.

Amazon

NASA said the Peregrine Mission 1 will study the moon’s exosphere, thermal properties, magnetic fields and radiation.

Mementos and payloads from six countries are expected to be aboard the craft when it departs the Vulcan Centaur rocket after reaching its designated orbit.
Prototype broadband satellites for Amazon

Project Kuiper, Amazon’s proposed broadband program, will have two prototype satellites aboard the Vulcan Centaur rocket.

Amazon said the goal of the constellation will be to deliver fast, affordable internet to underserved communities around the world.

Nichols’ cremated remains will be one of more than 150 capsules aboard the flight.

Courtesy Everett Collection

Once complete, the constellation is expected to have more than 3,200 satellites orbiting Earth and be similar to SpaceX’s Starlink program.

The world’s largest online retailer has already inked a deal with ULA for an additional 47 launches for Project Kuiper.

Dates for future launches of the Vulcan Centaur rocket have not been set.

“We couldn’t be more excited to join the first launch of ULA’s Vulcan Centaur. We’ve already secured 38 Kuiper launches on Vulcan, and using the same launch vehicle for our prototype mission gives us a chance to practice payload integration, processing, and mission management procedures ahead of those full-scale commercial launches,” Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper, said in statement.
Human ashes for Celestis

The cremated remains of Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols will be one of more than 150 capsules aboard the inaugural Vulcan Centaur flight, which will launch the personal effects on an endless journey into space.

Celestis, Inc., a Texas-based company, offers memorial flights that start at $2,995 and can cost customers $12,995 or more.

Launching cremated remains into space is not a new mission, but sending them beyond the orbit of Earth and the moon has not been completed by a commercial company.

The rocket is reportedly capable of sending 60,000 pounds of payload into Earth’s orbit.

Also aboard the rocket will be ashes from Star Trek’s creator and several other cast members.

The launch date of May 4 is also synonymous with the celebration of the Star Wars series – a fitting day for the remains of Nichols and Star Trek members to start their maiden voyage.

California faces historic blizzard conditions

The last time Los Angeles County mountains dealt with a blizzard warning was 1989.

By Angela Barbuti
February 25, 2023 

Nationwide temperature divide putting more than 100 records in jeopardy through weekend

Rare blizzard warning issued for Los Angeles-area mountains

Parts of California remain under blizzard warnings, a rarity for the Golden State.

In the next 24 to 36 hours, the area faces historic amounts of snow, rain and winds.

“Right now, California’s getting basically drenched with a firehose of moisture,” said Kyle David, associate producer and weather forecaster at Fox Weather. “This is a very rare storm for California.”

The Santa Barbara County mountains, which are under their first-ever blizzard warning, and the Los Angeles County mountains, whose last blizzard warning came in 1989, can face a few feet of snow.

Californians had to trudge through snow as some parts of the West Coast state were hit with snow.

REUTERS/Laure Andrillon

“Basically anywhere above 4,500 feet in the mountains, you’re looking at a couple feet of snow,” David explained.

“Anywhere higher, you could get some isolated amounts that are even higher than that. But the general consensus is a couple of feet of snow for the upper elevations of the California mountains and Sierra Nevada.”

The snow will add to the already larger-than-usual snowpack there. The majority of the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which supplies about a third of California’s water, was amassed in December and January when atmospheric rivers hit the area.

The blizzard is a very rare occurrence for California.

AP Photo/John Locher

The area is facing an historic amount of snow, rain and wind

ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images

Other parts of the state, where over 121,000 residents are currently without power, are being saturated by heavy amounts of rainfall.

Downtown Los Angeles is expected to get up to 5 inches of rain. The National Weather Service even issued a flash flood warning for the city, the second highest level of flood warning, only trumped by a flood emergency.
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On Friday afternoon, the rain and flooding in forced the closure of numerous thoroughfares in LA.

Interstate 5, the West Coast’s major north-south highway, was closed on Thursday through Friday night because of heavy snow in the Sacramento River Canyon.

Over 120,00 residents are currently without power because of the storm.AP Photo/John Locher

Besides the moisture, residents may experience up to 75 mph wind gusts. The National Weather Service said wind gusts of up to 100 mph are also possible in isolated areas.

The West Coast isn’t the only part of the US experiencing wild winter weather.

In Michigan, over 460,000 are without power after freezing temperatures following one of the worst ice storms the area has seen in decades.

The western part of the state saw rain, sleet and snow, which causes downed power lines.

California, along with other states, are getting hit with a massive amount of snow and sleet.REUTERS/Laure Andrillon

Late Saturday morning, snowbirds in New York City did experience some excitement at the sight of snow, even if mild.

“If there were any accumulations, in my opinion, it wouldn’t be terribly a lot,” David said.

“You’re maybe looking at a coating on the ground. And that could change, depending on how much warm air sneaks in with the system, but it’s a possibility.”

Southern California delights in rare snowfall as winter blast lingers

February 24, 2023
By Rich McKay

(Reuters) -A slow-moving winter storm intensified over California on Friday, triggering the first blizzard warning in parts of the Los Angeles area since 1989 and creating the extraordinary sight of snowflakes swirling around the iconic Hollywood sign.

Snow and freezing rain pushed into the Pacific Coast state from the north, where it dumped about 10 inches (25 cm) of powder on Portland, Oregon, earlier in the week.

The storm was expected to strengthen on Friday and linger over California through Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

A massive low-pressure system driven from the Arctic was responsible for the unusual conditions, said Bryan Jackson, a forecaster at the weather service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

In Southern California, "this is a rare case of a cold, significant storm event," Jackson said.

In a sight that must have delighted many Angelenos, snowflakes even fell around the iconic Hollywood sign atop Mount Lee in the hills above the city, known for its sunny days and palm trees.

At an elevation of 1,500 feet (457 meters), the sign - with its giant, white-block lettering visible for miles around the city - was close to the threshold for the formation of snow during the storm, Jackson said.

Craig Robert Young, an actor who starred in the CW Network's fantasy show "Charmed" and TNT's "The Last Ship," lives in Hollywood Hills within eyeshot of the famed sign. He said he was amazed to see snow swirling there.

"I moved here from the UK 20 years ago, and haven't seen snow since," said Young, 46. "I actually had a snowball fight - it brought me back to my childhood."

In nearby San Bernardino County, the sheriff's office posted a video clip on Twitter showing deputies lying in the snow, flapping arms and legs to make "snow angels," while also urging residents to stay off roads.

A separate storm that clobbered the Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes regions earlier this week blew out to sea on Friday after passing over New England, the weather service said. But more than 750,000 homes and businesses, mostly in Michigan, remained without electricity.

Powerful winter storms, interspersed with extreme heat and dry spells, are symptoms of climate change, experts say, and growing more frequent and intense. The East Coast has enjoyed a mild winter, but heavy snowfalls and extremely low temperatures have hit the Northern Plains.

SEVEN FEET OF SNOW IN SOME SPOTS

Even before the latest storm in California, much of the state has experienced an unusually rainy, chilly winter.

In Los Angeles County on Friday, a blizzard warning was issued for the San Gabriel Mountains north of the city, where 2 to 5 feet (60 to 152 cm) of snow could fall above an elevation of 4,500 feet (1,370 meters), the weather service said. Seven feet (2.1 meters) of snow could accumulate in some spots with winds gusting up to 60 miles (96 km) per hour.

Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County already has 28 inches (71 cm) of snow on the ground, Jackson said - and more was coming.

Heavy rain will inundate many parts of California through Saturday, the weather service said. Two to 3 inches (5 to 7.6 cm) are forecast for Los Angeles and San Bernardino, raising the risk of flash flooding. Temperatures could drop into the low 40s Fahrenheit.

More than 120,000 California homes and businesses, mostly in the northern part of the state, were without power on Friday, according to Poweroutage.us.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

U.S Economy: Washington Joins Wall Street Fighting The Fed With Fiscal Easing

By Panos Mourdoukoutas Ph.D.
02/25/23 

These days, Wall Street headlines on the U.S. economy are all inflation numbers, substantial job gains, robust retail sales, and persistent income and consumer spending growth. They all tell a story of an economy defiant of the Fed's interest rate hikes, disappointing traders and investors who bet on the nation's central bank would have managed to cool the economy by now and bring inflation under control.

For instance, the Fed's most favored inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price Index rose 0.6% m/m in January, pushing the annual rate to 5.4%, up from December's 5.3%. In addition, the core PCE rate, which excludes the volatile food and energy prices from the calculations, rose at an annual rate of 4.7%, ahead of Wall Street's expectations of 4.4%.

The high PCE inflation number follows two other numbers, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Producer Price Index (PPI). They, too, confirmed that inflation remains elevated.

Meanwhile, other data on the labor market, retail sales, and personal income and spending confirm that the U.S. economy continues to grow, supporting and re-enforcing one of the critical drivers of inflation: demand for goods and services beyond the economy's capacity to accommodate it.

The headlines of a strong economy helping keep inflation numbers stubbornly high dashed Wall Street's expectations of a quick end to the Fed's interest rates hikes.

"With inflation running much higher than the Federal Open Market Committee would like, PNC expects the committee will raise the fed funds rate by 25 basis points at each of its next two meetings, in mid-March and early May," Gus Faucher, Chief Economist at PNC Financial Services told International Business Times. "With further monetary tightening coming, PNC expects a mild U.S. recession in the second half of this year."

Thus, the wild ride seen on both the debt and equity markets during the week.

"It was another difficult week for the market," Paul Kutasovic, Professor of Finance, told IBT. "The PCE shows little progress the Fed has made in fighting inflation over the last few months.

Nonetheless, Professor Kutasovic points to a couple of numbers Wall Street headlines missed, suggesting that the recent strength of the U.S. economy may be an aberration due to one-time factors rather than an undergoing trend.

"On the income and spending, we saw a big surge in Consumption but driven by a 5.2% increase in durables (main autos) which is not likely to be repeated," he explained. "Income growth was weaker than expected, but the big news was the upward revisions to income. BEA revised income by $85 billion and $108 billion in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, while the saving rate in January was 4.7%. So the bottom line is consumers still have more gas in the tank."

He sees the economy slowing in the months ahead, with a downward revision of the 4th quarter GDP in the cards. "Most of the growth was in inventory building, government spending, and net exports," he explained. "Growth in core GDP was around zero. Net exports improved since imports declined sharply, not a positive development. Also, look at the weekly indicators from N.Y. Fed, which confirm that economic growth has already stalled."

Dan North, Senior Economist at Allianz Trade, provides further insight on the strength of personal income and consumer spending and savings data.

"A more meaningful measure of what consumers can spend is Real Disposable Personal Income (DPI) which strips out inflation and taxes," he told IBT. "In January, real DPI rose by 1.4% m/m to 2.8% y/y, again boosted by that 9% increase in Social Security payments. The m/m and the y/y rates were the highest since the cash injection from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) in March of 2021."

But there's another unusual factor boosting household financials, personal taxes. It dropped by a record amount of -$256 B; the previous record was -$178.

"That contributed to the 2.8% increase in real DPI. But it's unclear where that tax cut came from – there's not a whisper in the BEA's report," North added.

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"Real consumer spending (PCE) rose 1.1% m/m, which was the highest since.. you guessed it… the ARP," North continued. "The y/y rate rose to 2.4%, but that's still less than the long-term average of 3.2%, and the trend over the past year is still down. Perhaps the 9% Social Security boost increased income and consumption numbers."

Simply put, it may not be just Wall Street fighting the Fed. It's Washington, too, with fiscal easing.

"So just looking at the inflation numbers, the Fed surely has the green light. But it is better to look carefully at those income and spending numbers. With the Social Security boost and the record drop in taxes (does Janet Yellen know about this?), the economy's strength is a little less clear," concludes North.

Faros Trading basically agrees with Fitch Ratings, which said in late January that the US will have the “worst” fiscal metrics of any ‘AAA’-rated countries. A major reason was President Obama’s tax compromise. Moreover, the US has no "credible medium-term fiscal consolidation strategy.” On the monetary side, the Federal Reserve’s program of quantitative easing may undermine confidence in the US dollar and raise inflation expectations, according to Fitch. 

REUTERS

 IBTimes 2023. All rights reserved.

African Union condemns Tunisia’s ‘hate speech’ against migrants

President Kais Saied claimed migration from sub-Saharan Africa was aimed at changing his country’s demographic makeup.

People gather outside the Ivory Coast embassy in Tunis for their repatriation to Abidjan, on February 24, 2023 [Fethi Belaid/AFP]

Published On 25 Feb 2023

The African Union (AU) has criticised Tunisia and urged it to avoid “racialised hate speech” following President Kais Saied’s comments directed at migrants from elsewhere on the continent.

Saied ordered the expulsion of undocumented migrants from Tunisia on Tuesday, saying immigration was a plot aimed at changing his country’s demographic composition. Local rights activists condemned his comments, calling them “racist”. 

In a statement issued late on Friday, the AU Commission said it had called Tunisia’s representative for an urgent meeting to register “deep shock and concern at the form and substance” of the remarks on behalf of the continent-wide bloc.

“The Chairperson of the African Union Commission H. E. Moussa Faki Mahamat strongly condemns the shocking statement issued by Tunisian authorities targeting fellow Africans which go against the letter and the spirit of our Organization and founding principles,” read the statement.

The AU reminded Tunisia of its obligation within the 55-member bloc. Faki said AU member states were obligated “to treat all migrants with dignity, wherever they come from, refrain from racialised hate speech that could bring people to harm, and prioritise their safety and human rights”.

Tunisia’s foreign ministry said on Saturday it was surprised by the AU statement and rejected what it called “baseless accusations” that it said misunderstood the government’s position.

Saied, who has seized almost total power since a dramatic July 2021 move against parliament, urged his national security council on Tuesday to take “urgent measures” to tackle irregular migration.

“The undeclared goal of the successive waves of illegal immigration is to consider Tunisia a purely African country that has no affiliation to the Arab and Islamic nations,” he said.

Saied’s comments were praised by the French far-right politician Eric Zemmour. This comes as his campaign of arrests has caused widespread fear among sub-Saharan Africans as well as Black Tunisians.

Tunisian rights groups have accused Saied of hate speech.

“It is a racist approach just like the campaigns in Europe,” Romdhane Ben Amor, spokesperson for the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), told Reuters news agency on Tuesday. “The presidential campaign aims to create an imaginary enemy for Tunisians to distract them from their basic problems.”

The president said those accusing him of racism “want division and discord and seek to damage our relations with our brothers”.

Saied said he was not racist and that migrants living in Tunisia legally had nothing to fear.

On Saturday, rights groups planned to hold a demonstration to protest against Saied’s comments and the clampdown on migrants and refugees.

According to official figures quoted by the FTDES, Tunisia, which has a population of some 12 million, is home to more than 21,000 citizens from sub-Saharan African countries.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Israelis in new mass rally against judicial reforms


Issued on: 25/02/2023 -

Tel Aviv (AFP) – Flag-waving Israelis gathered in a massive protest for the eighth straight week on Saturday to press their opposition to government legal reforms critics see as a threat to democracy.

Israeli media reported the crowds were again in the tens of thousands, after lawmakers this week took a step towards approving the reforms which are a cornerstone of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's latest administration, which took office in December.

Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, made coalition deals to form the most right-wing government in the history of Israel.

Critics, including Supreme Court president Esther Hayut, have condemned the reforms as an assault on the independence of the judiciary.

Some Netanyahu detractors have also tied the proposals to his trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies those charges and any link between the reforms and his own court case.

"We are very afraid we will become a fascist country. We are fighting for our country, for democracy, for equal rights for everyone," one protester in Tel Aviv, Ronit Peled, a 68-year-old retiree, told AFP.

"Democracy! Democracy!" others shouted, vowing not to give up.

Netanyahu has presented the judicial reforms as key to restoring balance between the branches of government, arguing judges currently have too much power over elected officials.

The legislation would give more weight to the government in the committee that selects judges, and deny the Supreme Court the right to strike down any amendments to so-called Basic Laws, Israel's quasi-constitution.

Another element of the reforms would give the 120-member parliament the power to overrule Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority of 61 votes.

Analysts say such a derogation clause could allow lawmakers to uphold any annulment of the corruption charges Netanyahu is being tried on, should parliament vote to absolve him and the Supreme Court then rule against it.

On Tuesday, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk urged Israel to pause the legislation, saying the proposed changes "would drastically undermine the ability of the judiciary to vindicate individual rights and to uphold the rule of law".

© 2023 AFP

With backing from business lobby, Japan PM calls for workers' pay hikes

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during his news conference in Tokyo, Japan on February 24, 2023. Stanislav Kogiku/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Japan must spread the momentum of wage growth across the country to conquer rising inflation as annual labour negotiations wrap up next month, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Sunday, with backing from a major business lobby.

For years wages have been slow to grow in Japan as cautious firms hoarded a record cash pile, while curbing labour costs, despite government pressure on companies to raise pay.

The government has put a strong focus on wage hikes to stimulate private consumption that makes up more than half of the economy, hoping to stoke a positive cycle of economic growth and wealth distribution under Kishida's new capitalism agenda.

"Above all, wage hikes that beat price hikes are needed," Kishida told an annual gathering of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which lays out its policy agenda for this year.

"The wave of wage hikes must spread to small firms and local areas to enhance competitiveness amid heated competition to attract workers" amid labour shortages, Kishida said.

While achieving "structural wage hikes," Kishida pledged to continue to take steps to curb energy and food prices to ease the pain of inflation on households.

Masakazu Tokura, head of Japan's biggest business lobby Keidanren, expressed support for the wage push.

"Now is the crucial stage to revive a strong economy," he said. "Structural wage hikes and human capital investment are vital..."

At this year's labour talks, large firms are expected to offer the biggest pay hikes in 26 years, or an average of 2.85%, a poll of 33 economists by Japan Economic Research Center (JERC) shows.

Still, that pace would fall short of consumer inflation which is running at 4.2%, and the 5% targeted by Rengo, Japan Trade Union Confederation.

Moreover, the small companies that provide most of Japan's jobs generally can't increase pay, business owners, economists and officials say.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is Refusing to Call the Derailment in East Palestine a Disaster

Ohio governor Mike DeWine is bungling the cleanup after the recent train derailment in East Palestine, which released harmful pollutants. His refusal to announce a disaster declaration is grounds for scrutiny of his connections to the railroad industry.

Mike DeWine, governor of Ohio, speaks during a news conference in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 21, 2023. (Matthew Hatcher / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

BY MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM-COOK
Jacobin

Republican Ohio governor Mike DeWine has pledged that Norfolk Southern will be held accountable for the February 3 train derailment disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, to ensure the community is properly protected from the toxic chemicals released into the air and water.

“They’re the ones who created the problem,” said DeWine on February 7, four days after the accident. “It’s their liability. They’re the ones who ought to pay for it.”

But DeWine has refused to issue a disaster declaration that would send much-needed federal resources to East Palestine and draw attention to the Norfolk Southern accident. He has also failed to ensure that the railroad giant paid the price for two other derailments in his state earlier this year.

The governor’s failure to act raises questions about his management of the crisis — and the influence of his close ties to Norfolk Southern’s Ohio lobbying firm, which just so happens to be at the center of what federal prosecutors have called “likely the largest bribery, money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio.”

DeWine’s office did not answer questions in response to our inquiries.

“Red Flags”

Norfolk Southern and its political action committee (PAC) have donated more than $20,000 directly to DeWine’s gubernatorial campaigns as well as his 2019 inauguration. The company has also delivered $165,000 to political committees supporting DeWine’s political career, including the Republican Governors Association and the Republican Attorneys General Association.

What’s more, DeWine has a very close relationship with Norfolk Southern’s lobbyists in Columbus.

Dan McCarthy, DeWine’s legislative director from January 2019 to September 2021, previously served as president of Norfolk Southern’s Ohio lobbying firm, the Success Group, from 1994 until 2020. The rail company has had the Success Group on retainer since at least 2009, according to Ohio lobbying records.

The Success Group has been exceptionally successful in blocking state legislation under DeWine’s watch that would have increased safety on the railroads, state records show. The firm’s lobbyists reported lobbying last year on a bill to mandate a minimum of two-person train crews on all trains. The legislation died at the end of the year when the previous legislative session came to a close.

The lobbyists have also been successful in greasing the wheels for a proposed $1.6 billion sale of the city of Cincinnati’s publicly owned railroad to Norfolk Southern. So far, DeWine has not raised concerns about the proposed privatization effort, which critics say could lead the city to lose out on perpetual lease payments.

Ohio state senator Bill Blessing, a Republican from Cincinnati, wrote in a recent op-ed, “Long-term, I believe that owning and leasing the railroad will provide better value for the city than the sale and what its proceeds may generate.”

During his time at the Success Group, McCarthy founded a dark money group, Partners for Progress, that ended up at the center of a bribery scandal involving Ohio’s main nuclear power operator, FirstEnergy.

FirstEnergy was criminally charged in 2020 for funneling tens of millions of dollars into dark money groups, including one called Partners for Progress. Some of these funds, federal prosecutors alleged, were bribes to get legislators to bail out FirstEnergy’s struggling nuclear power plants.

Partners for Progress funneled $300,000 to a dark money group backing DeWine’s 2018 campaign, and also put $100,000 into a failed effort to elect DeWine’s daughter Alice to a local prosecutor position in 2019.

When McCarthy stepped down from Partners for Progress to work for DeWine in 2019, his spot on the nonprofit’s board was filled by his Success Group colleague, McKenzie Davis.

The FirstEnergy case illustrates the close ties Norfolk Southern’s lobbyists enjoy with the governor’s office.

The FirstEnergy scandal, said Craig Holman, an ethics lobbyist at Public Citizen, “raises red flags around the entire exchange between the company, the lobbying firm, and DeWine. DeWine should make certain that Norfolk Southern pays for the derailment, make the transaction transparent so the public can understand what is going on — and DeWine should also be held accountable for his lackluster administration of the scandal.”

“Seek the Full Support of the Federal Government”

DeWine recently highlighted the lack of federal aid going to the East Palestine disaster, tweeting last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “continues to advise that Ohio is not eligible for assistance at this time. I will continue working with FEMA to determine what assistance can be provided.”

He did not mention that the reason why East Palestine has so far received only limited support from the federal government is due to his failure to declare a disaster in the area.

Under federal law, there are two forms of disaster declarations: an “emergency declaration,” which authorizes up to $5 million in federal aid to the affected community, or a “major disaster declaration,” which “provides a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure, including funds for both emergency and permanent work,” according to FEMA’s website. The president makes the decision to declare an emergency after receiving notice from a state’s governor.

Federal law states, “All requests for a declaration by the President that a major disaster exists shall be made by the governor of the affected state.” DeWine must submit a request to the Biden administration by March 5 for the area to be eligible.

A disaster declaration would allow the federal government to provide additional resources to East Palestine — but it would also draw further attention and federal resources to aid the toxic chemical-stricken community, adding pressure on Norfolk Southern to both pay for the costs of the cleanup and to reimburse the government.

As of now, the railroad, which is worth $50 billion, has committed just $6.5 million in aid to the community, some of which may be tied to dropping legal claims against the railroad.

Last week, Democratic Ohio senator Sherrod Brown sent a letter to DeWine urging him to “officially declare a disaster and seek the full support of the federal government to bolster the state of Ohio’s ongoing clean-up efforts.”

DeWine has also refused to take other actions to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the derailment. For example, he could immediately endorse railroad safety legislation that has been languishing in the GOP-controlled state legislature that would mandate minimum two-person train crews and require better lighting in rail yards.

But DeWine has a history of going easy on Norfolk Southern. His administration has so far done nothing to compel the company to complete cleanups from two smaller Ohio derailments last fall, one in Sandusky in October and another between Steubenville and Toronto in November. The governor has sidestepped questions on the matter.

On February 14, DeWine called on Congress to expand the definition of a “high-hazard flammable train” (HHFT train), after our reporting revealed the derailed train in East Palestine was not covered by the current definition — even though the large amount of vinyl chloride on board necessitated local evacuations and was ultimately released and burned by crews.

“This train was not considered a high-hazardous material train. . . . Therefore the railroad was not required to notify anyone here in Ohio what was in the rail cars coming to our state,” DeWine said in a press conference. “This is absurd.”

Matthew Cunningham-Cook has written for Labor Notes, the Public Employee Press, Al Jazeera America, and the Nation.

Trump-branded water arrived in East Palestine, and lousy media takes followed quickly behind


Laura Clawson
Daily Kos Staff
Friday February 24, 2023 


Media coverage of the train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, has reached the point where the stories are not about the derailment itself but about the circus of political figures stopping by to show that they care and/or make political points. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited, under pressure from the right-wing media, despite the rarity of a transportation secretary visiting the site of a non-fatal train derailment. Donald Trump showed up to distribute Trump-branded bottles of water that we have to hope hadn’t been sitting around since Trump’s water brand folded in 2010.

The New York Times had to be stoked for this moment after its years of coverage of Trump supporters in Ohio diners. Suddenly that obsession is related to real news—what a win for the newspaper! (Donald Trump got 72% of the vote in Columbiana County, Ohio, in 2020.) And sure enough, the Times delivers in true Times-political-coverage fashion. To give you a measure of how bad the Times take on the ways political figures are trying to leverage the derailment to their advantage is, Politico has a better article on the subject. Once upon a time, The New York Times would have been ashamed to be outdone by the likes of Politico.

RELATED STORY: Crew tried to stop train before toxic derailment, NTSB preliminary report says

Then again, it’s entirely possible that the editors and writers of the Times believe that their coverage is good for the exact same reasons it is bad. Politico is up front about covering the circus aspects—the politicians and news producers showing up for long enough to do a little pandering or get a couple quotes, and the ways residents are either rolling their eyes or jumping for their moment in the spotlight. It’s slight but doesn’t actively insult the intelligence of its readers.

The Times reaches for more, following its tried-and-true formula of an opening that skews toward Republicans while engaging in some both-sidesism, followed—far enough into the article that only dedicated readers will have gotten there—by some pretty damning stuff about Republicans.

Oh, and the Jonathan Weissman-written piece is as self-important as the Times could wish. Here’s the opener:

To Democrats, the train derailment and chemical leak in the hamlet of East Palestine, Ohio, is a story of logic, action and consequences: Rail safety regulations put in place by the Obama administration were intended to prevent just such accidents. The Trump administration gutted them.

To Republicans, East Palestine is a symbol of something far larger and more emotional: a forgotten town in a conservative state, like so many others in Middle America, struggling for survival against an uncaring mega-corporation and an unseeing government whose concerns have never included the likes of a town of 4,718 souls.

Where to begin. The gutting of rail safety regulations is not just a logical story. Anytime safety regulations are gutted, people’s lives are on the line—workers, locals who breathe the air and drink the water. “Republicans put corporate profits over life-saving regulations” is an emotional story. (It’s not clear that the specific train braking system regulation that is most often cited as having been gutted by Trump would have made a difference here, but it’s part of a much larger story of Republican opposition to efforts to improve safety because they consistently put corporate profit over regular people’s lives.)

On the other hand, there’s the “forgotten town in a conservative state, like so many others in Middle America, struggling for survival against an uncaring mega-corporation and an unseeing government.” A government that tries to put in rules to make trains safer is not an unseeing government. We have a government that Republicans have done their best to break, but—just a though—maybe reporters for the newspaper of record should not take the outcome of Republican efforts to break the government as a validated part of the Republican narrative.

Also, too, “struggling for survival against an uncaring mega-corporation.” Exactly the kind of uncaring mega-corporation Republicans have given power to over decades, from protecting them from safety rules to slashing their taxes. Not for nothing, the $98,000 Norfolk Southern has given to Ohio politicians over the past six years was “virtually all” to Republicans, local news 6 On Your Side reported, and the company filed more than 200 reports on its lobbying in the state. Much of that lobbying was aimed at defeating bills intended to make freight rail safer.

I get what Jonathan Weissman probably thinks he’s doing: offering up the story being told by each party about what’s going on here, and doing so in a way that conveys the old stereotypes about Democrats appealing to facts and Republicans appealing to emotions. But he does it badly, and self-importantly, and also … that kind of reporting is past its expiration date.

“In some sense, both sides are right, both sides are wrong and, in the bifurcated politics of this American moment, none of the arguments much matter,” he writes, a few paragraphs later. Why is that? It’s a question partly answered by the conspiracy theories about the derailment he details quite a few paragraphs later. Go figure, those conspiracy theories are being pushed by Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump.

It’s a vapid analysis that gestures toward some of what’s really going on without going beyond the surface of this story, let alone being willing to name the broader political forces at play. And it’s completely par for The New York Times course.

This is a serious event that deserves serious action by the government—which is making Norfolk Southern pay for the cleanup process—and a lot of investigation into how it happened, from how the specific wheel bearing came to overheat to the deeper roots of how the freight rail industry has increased profits by keeping its costs down too far. The physical complaints of people in East Palestine deserve more than the government telling them the air and water are safe even if the air smells and fish were only recently dying in local streams and expecting those assurances to put an end to the worries. It’s possible that a lot of what people are experiencing physically is related to the stress and fear they’ve had to deal with, but they deserve to be taken seriously. And it’s true that there are real political aspects to this—undoubtedly so—but “Republicans are blaming Democrats because of the vibe” and “Democrats want to talk about safety regulations” are not two sides of the same coin and shouldn’t be treated as such.

RELATED STORIES:
Biden offered Ohio ‘anything you need’ after train derailment. Why isn’t DeWine asking for anything?

Officials want answers after Ohio train derailment waste sent to Michigan for disposal

Michigan witnessed its own train derailment in Van Buren Township earlier this month.

A view of the scene  Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, as the cleanup continues at the site of of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio.
Photo credit: Matt Freed, AP Photo


February 25, 2023 
Russ McNamara

State and county officials are upset over the decision to ship toxic chemicals from an Ohio train derailment to Michigan.

Cancer-causing vinyl chloride is among the chemicals being shipped to facilities near Belleville, Mich. for disposal. Residents in East Palestine, Ohio have complained about burning eyes and nose bleeds since the train went off the tracks earlier this month.

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans says county and state officials were kept in the dark.

“I’m not here to say anybody was attempting to do anything nefarious, but I can say that the outward effect of it looks like we’re being sandbagged,” says Evans.

Roughly 218,000 gallons of a 1% vinyl chloride solution were set to be put in the ground at the U.S. Ecology site in western Wayne County. It’s one of three sites nationwide that are licensed to handle toxic chemicals like vinyl chloride. Contaminated soil and groundwater have already been transported to the disposal sites.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell says the move doesn’t make sense.

“I…think it’s incredibly stupid to deliver contaminated soil from one degree ailment site to another site that was the site of a derailment only a week ago, and chose a lack of any kind of political sensitivity,” says Dingell. “And it was Norfolk Southern that had the derailment in Van Buren last week.”

Along with the EPA, the Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy are monitoring the disposal of the hazardous water and soil. 

'I Am Disturbed': Locals Alarmed Over Plan to Inject Toxic Ohio Wastewater Underground in Texas


"It's foolish to put it on the roadway," said one Houston-area resident. "We have accidents on a regular basis. Do they really want to have another contamination zone?"

A worker cleans the inside of a derailed train car in East Palestine, Ohio on February 16, 2023.
(Photo: Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

KENNY STANCIL

COMMONDREAMS
Feb 24, 2023

Residents and officials in Harris County, Texas have expressed alarm since learning that contaminated water used to extinguish a fiery train crash in East Palestine, Ohio has been transported more than 1,300 miles to a Houston suburb for disposal.

Houston's Coalition for Environment, Equity, and Resilience tweeted Thursday: "We are disturbed to learn that toxic wastewater from East Palestine, Ohio will be brought to Harris County for 'disposal.' Our county should not be a dumping ground for industry."

The Norfolk Southern-owned train that derailed and ignited near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border on February 3 was carrying vinyl chloride and other carcinogenic chemicals. After ordering evacuations, authorities released and burned hazardous materials from several tanker cars to avert a catastrophic explosion. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water used to put out the flames have been collected and trucked to Texas Molecular, a private company in Deer Park that specializes in injecting hazardous waste underground.

"There has to be a closer deep well injection," Deer Park resident Tammy Baxter toldABC13 on Wednesday night. "It's foolish to put it on the roadway. We have accidents on a regular basis. Do they really want to have another contamination zone? It is silly to move it that far."

ABC13 reported that Baxter "first heard that the waste may be transported to the city she lives in from a video circulating on social media." After calling the mayor's office in Deer Park—one of 34 communities in Harris County—"she expected a return phone call dispelling the rumor. Instead, it was confirmed."

"I am disturbed," said Baxter. "I am shook by the information."

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told ABC13 that Texas Molecular "is authorized to accept and manage a variety of waste streams, including vinyl chloride, as part of their [Resource Conservation and Recovery Act] hazardous waste permit and underground injection control permit."

George Guillen, a biology and environmental science professor at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, told the local news outlet that deep well injection is a typical practice that poses minimal risks to the health of current Deer Park residents.

"This injection, in some cases, is usually 4,000 or 5,000 feet down below any kind of drinking water aquifer," said Guillen, who also serves as the executive director of the Environmental Institute of Houston. "Could it come up someday? Yes, maybe, but hundreds of years from now or thousands of years from now."

But he shared Baxter's concerns about the dangers of transporting toxic wastewater hundreds of miles across the country.

So too did U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee who represents Harris County. She toldKHOU11 that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contracted a company to move contaminated liquid from the East Palestine derailment site to Deer Park, some 1,350 miles away.

"I'm not clear on who has the full picture of what is happening here and that is a problem."

The Ohio EPA said Thursday that more than 1.7 million gallons of toxic wastewater have been removed from the disaster zone, where nearly 44,000 animals, most of them small fish, have died over the past three weeks.

"Of this, 1,133,933 gallons have been hauled off-site, with most going to Texas Molecular," said the agency. "A smaller amount of waste has been directed to Vickery Environmental in Vickery, Ohio."

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at a Thursday night press conference that Texas Molecular had received roughly 500,000 gallons of wastewater since the middle of last week, from up to 30 trucks per day.

According toThe Houston Chronicle, "Texas Molecular president Frank Marine in a statement Thursday said the company is keeping the city of Deer Park and Harris County updated on water management efforts related to the Ohio derailment fire."

Hildago, however, said she first learned that hazardous waste from East Palestine is being disposed of in Deer Park from a journalist on Wednesday, "not from a regulatory agency, not from the company," a fact she called "unacceptable."

She said the amount of toxic wastewater, and the length of time it had been moving through Harris County, was unknown to her and other county officials until Thursday.

As the Chroniclereported: "Hidalgo said there was no law requiring her office to be informed about wastewater but said she was upset local officials were kept out of the loop by a 'fundamentally broken' system. She said her office had been in contact with the company, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the [U.S.] Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and outside industry and environmental experts."

"This is a wake-up call," Hidalgo said. "It doesn't look like any regulations necessarily were broken by the fact that nobody told us. But it doesn't quite seem right."

“The government officials have readily provided the information they have, but what we’re learning is that they themselves don't seem to have the full information. I'm still not sure why," Hidalgo continued. "I'm not clear on who has the full picture of what is happening here and that is a problem."

"There are many things we don’t know that we should know," she added. "That doesn't mean that something is wrong, but it's worth noting."

Per the Chronicle: "Hidalgo said she wanted more information about the material being injected into the wells and how it could affect other material already injected in the wells or surface water. She also said she wanted clear information about how the water was being moved from Ohio to Texas and what precautions were being taken to protect it. Finally, she also wanted information on why the water was taken to Texas instead of wells closer to Ohio."

As The Associated Pressreported, Hildago noted that "Harris County has around 10 injection wells capable of receiving hazardous commercial waste, making the area one of the few places where the materials could be disposed. But she said there are similar facilities in Vickery, Ohio, and Romulus, Michigan, that also could handle the wastewater and are located closer to the crash site."

"There may be logistical reasons for all of this. There may be economic reasons. Perhaps Texas Molecular outbid the Michigan facility," said Hidalgo. "It doesn't mean there's something nefarious going on, but we do need to know the answer to this question."

Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton, for his part, told residents on Thursday that they need not worry about the safety of their drinking water.

"It goes through a water treatment plant and there's no possible scenario where there's any contamination to do with industry," said Mouton.

At Least 330 Species Are Contaminated With Cancer-Causing “Forever Chemicals”

PFAS contamination has been documented in polar bears, tigers in China, plankton off the coast of Panama, and more.

By Grace van Deelen ,

  THENEWLEDE

PublishedFebruary 25, 2023

Fred Stone, a dairy farmer whose land and cows are contaminated with the chemicals known as PFAS, on his farm in Arundel, Maine, on January 4, 2020.

BRIANNA SOUKUP / PORTLAND PRESS HERALD VIA GETTY IMAGES

Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with a donation.

This story was originally published by The New Lede.

Aclass of chemicals linked to multiple health hazards in humans have been detected in hundreds of wildlife species across the United States, according to a report issued Wednesday.

The report was released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) along with a map demonstrating that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are contaminating wildlife on every continent except Antarctica.

The data adds to several other reports of PFAS contamination in wildlife, and adds to the mounting concerns many researchers have about the long-term health and sustainability of important ecosystems.

“It’s a shocking wake-up call that much more needs to be done to protect wildlife … from the impacts of industrial chemicals,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist at EWG and an author of the report.

Eating 1 Freshwater Fish Equals a Month of Drinking “Forever Chemicals” in Water
Research finds that fish from all 48 contiguous U.S. states showed PFAS contamination.
By Grace van Deelen , ENVIRONMENTALHEALTHNEWSJanuary 18, 2023

PFAS are a class of chemicals used in a wide array of industries and products. They are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t break down in the environment. The chemicals have been linked to an array of human health problems, including certain cancers, reproductive issues and developmental problems.

The map showing the extent of the contamination in wildlife reflects data from 125 peer-reviewed studies of a wide range of species, including fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. PFAS contamination has been documented in polar bears in the Arctic Circle, tigers in China, plankton off the coast of Panama, crocodiles in South Africa, and many more species.

Andrews emphasized that the map only shows a fraction of the likely global contamination of wildlife, and that PFAS contamination is likely far more common than the map suggests.

“Even species in remote parts of the globe also have contamination,” he said. “It seems unlikely that any species has fully been able to escape the reaches of these chemicals.”

Heidi Pickard, a PhD candidate at Harvard University who studies PFAS in aquatic systems, agreed.

“This is just a glimpse,” she said

.
Building Evidence

The findings build on a study, published last month, showing widespread contamination of freshwater fish in the US. That report showed that the majority of freshwater fish sampled from lakes, rivers, and streams across the country had significant levels of PFAS contamination — enough that eating just one meal of caught fish per year was equivalent to drinking PFAS-contaminated water for a month.

Research suggests that PFAS has hazardous health impacts on some wildlife, though more research is needed, said Cheryl Murphy, the director of the Center for PFAS Research at Michigan State University.

“There are some harmful effects of PFAS on lab species, but also on humans. If we’re seeing impacts on lab rats and on humans, I imagine there’s going to be effects on fish and wildlife as well,” she said.

The ubiquitous contamination of wildlife could have broader ecosystem impacts, too, though more research is needed to determine if that’s the case, according to researchers.

“There’s much more research that needs to be done on how [PFAS] impacts species, especially endangered or threatened species,” said EWG’s Andrews. “But we do know a significant amount about how potent these chemicals are and their ability to interact with a wide range of biological systems, so even the documented contamination itself is cause for concern.”
A Concerning Trend

Another concerning trend shown by the map, according to Pickard, is the contamination of wildlife in remote regions, such as the Canadian Arctic, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland. This contamination in far-flung areas illustrates the ability of PFAS to travel long distances across the globe, reaching wildlife that live mostly removed from common industrial sources of pollution, she said.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA), a law passed in 1973 establishing protections for endangered and threatened species, could be a tool to help enforce PFAS regulation, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit research and advocacy group.

In comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last summer, the Center for Biological Diversity stated that the EPA’s current water quality criteria were “under-protective of listed species.” The group wrote that given the threat that PFAS chemicals pose to wildlife, the EPA should update its 1985 water quality guidelines for PFAS to fully comply with ESA mandates that government agencies ensure their actions are “not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered species or threatened species.”

Halting production of PFAS chemicals is one primary way to prevent future wildlife contamination, said Pickard.

“Stop exposing animals to the production of these chemicals,” she said.


GRACE VAN DEELEN
Grace van Deelen is a fellow at Inside Climate News. She has also written for EHN and MIT Biology. Van Deelen holds a master’s degree in science writing from MIT, and degrees in biology and anthropology from Tufts University. You can find her on Twitter @GVD__ and on her website, gracevandeelen.weebly.com.

Michigan Researchers Find Every River Fish They Test Contains 'Forever Chemicals'

“It just demonstrates how ubiquitous these chemicals are in the environment,” one researcher said.

By Hilary Hanson
Feb 25, 2023

A Michigan environmental nonprofit tested freshwater fish caught around the state and found that all of them contained substances often called “forever chemicals,” according to a press release published Thursday.

“It just demonstrates how ubiquitous these chemicals are in the environment,” Erica Bloom, toxics campaign director at the Ecology Center, told the Guardian.

The chemicals detected were perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — a group of manufactured chemicals that break down at an extremely slow rate, meaning they can accumulate over time in the environment and in the human body. PFAS are often used in manufacturing and are also present in a slew of consumer goods, including nonstick cookware, stain repellents and food packaging, among others.

The Environmental Protection Agency warns that “exposure to certain levels of PFAS” may lead to health issues in humans that can include reproductive problems, developmental delay, hormone interference and cancer.

In Michigan, the Ecology Center worked with local anglers to catch 100 fish from 15 sites along the state’s Huron and Rouge rivers. Researchers tested 12 different species of commonly consumed fish, including bluegill, smallmouth bass and river chub.


Two people examining a bluegill, one of the species of fish tested in the new study.

Fourteen different PFAS chemicals were detected, with a range of 11,000 to 133,000 parts per trillion. One chemical in particular, known as PFOS, was found in every fish.

Michigan issues a “do not eat” advisory when PFOS levels reach 300,000 parts per trillion. However, the EPA’s recommended limit for PFOS in drinking water is 0.02 parts per trillion — which, the Guardian notes, indicates that almost no amount is considered safe to consume.

The Ecology Center wants Michigan not only to make its PFOS advisory guidelines stricter, but also to establish guidelines for other PFAS chemicals.

The new results are in line with an unaffiliated study published by the scientific journal Environmental Research in December. That report said freshwater fish consumption is “likely a significant source of exposure” to PFOS. Fish in the Great Lakes and urban areas were found to have especially high levels of contamination.

“You’d have to drink an incredible amount of water — we estimate a month of contaminated water — to get the same exposure as you would from a single serving of freshwater fish,” David Andrews, a senior scientist at Environmental Working Group who co-authored the December study, told CNN.

A slew of state proposals shows the threat of 'forever chemicals'

More than a dozen states have now banned substances known as "forever chemicals."


Alex Brown Stateline.org

In rivers and groundwater, in human bloodstreams and products ranging from cosmetics to food packaging to carpets, researchers are increasingly finding “forever chemicals” that don’t break down naturally and are shown to cause health issues.

Several states passed landmark laws in recent years, and now dozens of legislatures are considering hundreds of bills to crack down on using such compounds. The legislation would strengthen product disclosure laws, increase liability for polluters, bolster testing plans and enact water quality standards.

Thousands of chemicals make up the group known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. They have been found in an increasing number of watersheds and aquifers, as well as in the blood of nearly every American.

Some PFAS compounds, research shows, can increase the risk of cancer, damage immune systems, cause metabolic disorders and decrease fertility.

What are PFAS and why are they dangerous?

PFAS are chemicals that can be found in water, soil and consumer products and have been associated with harmful health effects. Source: "Environmental Toxic Substance Assessment 2022 Update," prepared by the University of Arizona Environmental Health Sciences Center and published by the Pima County Health Department.

“There’s a lot of urgency,” said Sarah Doll, national director of Safer States, an alliance of environmental health groups focused on toxic chemicals. “I’m seeing more states try to take really big bites at managing the PFAS crisis.”

Doll’s group tracked more than 260 proposals in 31 states related to toxic chemicals, many focused on PFAS. Eleven of those states will consider restrictions or bans on PFAS across many economic sectors. Those bills follow a Maine law passed in 2021 that was the first in the country to ban PFAS in all new products, which will take effect in 2030.

“We’ve got a problem in this state, and we’ve got to address it,” said Minnesota state Rep. Jeff Brand, a Democrat who sponsored a bill to ban products with intentionally added PFAS by 2025. “We’ve got to do all of these things at once. Every time somebody goes to the store and buys something of this nature, they're inadvertently putting this stuff into their bodies.”

Brand’s bill covers a wide swath of products and would take effect Jan. 1, 2025. Minnesota settled a lawsuit with the 3M Company in 2018, requiring the company to pay $850 million for the alleged effects of its PFAS pollution on drinking water and natural resources.


3M's Cordova chemical plant Dec. 7, 2022, on the Mississippi River upstream from the Quad Cities. The company dumps highly toxic PFAS chemicals into the river.E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune

According to Safer States, lawmakers in Alaska, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont are expected to offer proposals against PFAS in products across a multitude of industries.

“If it’s not in products, you don’t have to worry about people being exposed to it,” said Mara Herman, environmental health program manager with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, a forum for state lawmakers. “Turning off the tap is an area that a lot of states are focused on.”

Meanwhile, some industry groups are pointing out that PFAS compounds are still essential for products ranging from medical devices to electric vehicles. They argue that only some PFAS compounds have been shown to cause harm, and sweeping laws to ban them could do serious economic damage. Some state laws include exemptions for products with no viable alternative to PFAS.

Some lawmakers are taking a narrower approach. In Washington, state Rep. Sharlett Mena, a Democrat, sponsored a bill that would ban certain chemicals — including PFAS — from cosmetic products.

“We have safer products, so we shouldn’t be putting these harmful things in cosmetics we use every day,” she said. “There's a simple level of trust that when we pick something out at the store, it's vetted and safe to use.”

Washington lawmakers passed a bill last year instructing the state Department of Ecology to issue restrictions on PFAS by 2025. Mena, who works as an employee for the agency, said it was crucial to take on a broad range of harmful chemicals, found disproportionately in cosmetic products marketed to people of color.

Polyfluoroalkyl substances can cause a host of health problems including cancer.

Another 12 states will consider bills related to chemicals in cosmetics, according to Safer States. Lawmakers in 19 states will likely introduce proposals to eliminate harmful chemicals and plastics from packaging, and in 11 states have floated bills related to PFAS in materials that come into contact with food.

Legislators in eight states have proposals to restrict or require disclosure of PFAS in menstrual products, after a class-action lawsuit against period underwear brand Thinx over claims that its products contained the chemicals.

Some other states will consider bans on PFAS in firefighting foam, a notorious cause of contamination that many states have moved to address in recent years. Other bills focus on textiles, hydraulic fracturing fluid, ski wax, recyclables and disclosure requirements.

Lawmakers say product bans are just the start. Some states are working on policies related to testing, cleanup, water quality standards and accountability.

According to Safer States, lawmakers in 11 states are crafting bills related to water quality testing and disclosure, including a proposal in Maine that would require testing of bottled water. At least four state legislatures are expected to look at bills to create PFAS standards for drinking water, groundwater and/or surface water. And 10 states are considering proposals to fund PFAS cleanup efforts.