Environment | WPN World People News

Opponents of the coal export proposal rally outside of Oakland City Hall on June 27, 2016.

A coalition of conservation and Alaska Native groups on Monday formally invoked Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell’s duties under a federal law to investigate six hard-rock mines in British Columbia, and their expected impacts on transboundary watersheds shared by the United States and Canada. The petition asks Jewell to join with other federal agencies in calling for a referral of the controversy over these mines to the International Joint Commission, the governing body of the Boundary Waters Treaty between the two countries.

The City of Iowa City, Iowa, has reached an administrative civil settlement with EPA over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its sanitary landfill. The settlement includes an $8,225 civil penalty, a Supplemental Environmental Project estimated at $109,000, and other improvements estimated at $2 million to ensure continued compliance.

Greenpeace has called on the European Commission to prepare a glyphosate exit plan, after an EU vote on the controversial weedkiller cleared the way for the Commission to push through a temporary licence extension, on June 24.

Protections for natural areas like the Western Caucasus World Heritage site have been weakened.

The World Bank will help Vietnam strengthen its climate change and green growth agenda with a US$90 million credit for policy reforms aligned with the World Bank Group’s Climate Change Action Plan.

Greenpeace has called on the European Commission to prepare a glyphosate exit plan, after an EU vote on the controversial weedkiller on 24 June cleared the way for the Commission to push through a temporary licence extension.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with Snowden Enterprises, Inc., over the distribution of a misbranded restricted use pesticide. The firm, located in Fresno, Calif., has agreed to pay $34,320 in civil penalties, and has corrected all the identified compliance issues.

With irrigation use becoming more widespread in the Caribbean, countries’ fresh-water supplies will become increasingly important.

The national grocery store chain Trader Joe’s Company has agreed to reduce emissions of potent greenhouse gases from refrigeration equipment at 453 of its stores under a proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. Under the settlement, Trader Joe’s will spend an estimated $2 million over the next three years to reduce coolant leaks from refrigerators and other equipment and improve company-wide compliance. The company will also pay a $500,000 civil penalty.