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News / Environment

High chemical levels in water near Decatur landfill concern environmental group, ADEM

Recent tests of water flowing under an abandoned landfill in Decatur found levels of the chemicals PFAS and PFOS at 51,000 parts per trillion — substantially higher than the 70 parts per trillion the EPA has determined is safe for drinking water — test results obtained by APR show.  The tests, paid for by the … Continued
June 25, 2020
Sunset on the Tennessee River

ADEM receives EPA grant to “help keep our waters clean”

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management recently received a $500,000 competitive grant from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency as part of ADEM’s efforts to keep trash out of Alabama’s waterways and from entering the Gulf of Mexico. ADEM’s “Help Keep Our Waters Clean” litter abatement project was one of 17 recipients of EPA’s 2020 Trash … Continued
May 15, 2020

Alabama Senate passes state general fund budget

Tuesday the Alabama Senate passed the 2021 state general fund budget (SGF). Despite the economic fallout from the forced economic downturn, the Senate passed a $2,391,206,601 SGF budget, a $168,860,692 increase over the 2020 budget of $2,222,345,909. The Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee is chaired by Senator Greg Albritton (R-Atmore). As Chair, Albritton … Continued
May 6, 2020

House passes landfill bill allowing alternative materials as temporary cover

The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to change the statutory definition so that temporary “cover” in landfills can be a material other than “earth.” House Bill 140 is sponsored by State Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton. The bill allows landfills to use alternative daily covers in place of earth to cover landfills until … Continued
February 21, 2020

How Alabama’s government stays broken

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist — or even any kind of scientist — to figure out that Alabama’s state government is broken.  I mean, really, just look around. At the poverty, the poor education, the racism, the arrested public officials, the in-your-face public corruption and the complete disregard for the welfare of the majority … Continued
February 19, 2020

House considers bill to allow alternative materials as temporary cover at landfills

Tuesday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill to change the statutory definition so that temporary “cover” in landfills can be a material other than “earth.” Earth is also known as soil or just dirt. House Bill 140 is sponsored by State Representative Alan Baker (R-Brewton). Rep. Baker said that all the bill does … Continued
February 19, 2020

Doug Jones urges EPA to enforce civil rights protections

Minority communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards, and the  Environmental Protection Agency isn’t using all the tools it can to end those dangers, according to a letter sent to the EPA by U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala, and signed by 21 other senators.  Jones’s letter, sent to the EPA’s acting inspector general, Charles Sheehan, … Continued
November 27, 2019

The water is poison and there’s no one we trust to fix it

There’s too much lead in the water in Lauderdale County.  The Alabama Department of Environmental Management issued that alert on Thursday, and if ADEM issued an alert, after all of the pollution they’ve kept quiet about, you can bet No. 2 pencils must be falling from the taps.  ADEM has recommended a number of steps … Continued
September 13, 2019

ADEM found E. Coli levels 35 times the danger level after Tyson spill. It didn’t tell anyone.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s website should probably be the first clue that the department doesn’t understand its responsibility to alert the public to dangerous environmental issues.  That website, which appears to be designed around the time people were still messaging in AOL chatrooms, states near the bottom that it is best viewed in … Continued
September 5, 2019

Whose side is ADEM on?

Imagine this scenario: A thief calls the local police and tells them that he’s been stealing from local homes and businesses, and that he plans to steal more. He tells the cops when and where he’s been stealing, and when and where he plans on stealing from in the future. And the cops tell him … Continued
June 20, 2019