 Energy & Environment |
Energy & Environment |
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EPA gives early approval to road project with radioactive material |
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted preliminary approval for the use of a material that contains radioactive radium in a Florida road project that's being described as a "pilot." |
The EPA said this week that it would grant a pending approval to Mosaic Fertilizer LLC to use a material called phosphogypsum in a few sections of road on the company's property. Phosphogypsum contains radium, which decays to form radon gas, both of which are radioactive and can cause cancer, according to the agency. Phosphogypsum is a waste product that comes from the fertilizer production process and is currently kept in "stacks" as part of an attempt to limit public exposure. Mosaic asked the agency to allow it to build three 200-foot sections of road with phosphogypsum mixtures "to demonstrate the range of … road construction designs." The EPA said in its preliminary approval that the potential radiological risks to public health of building the small scale pilot project are no higher than those of keeping phosphogypsum in a stack. However, the agency has raised concerns in the past about using the material in road construction. It said in 1992 the use of phosphogypsum in road construction was always considered unsafe, and it noted risks to both construction workers and anyone who later builds a home where the phosphogypsum road had once been. While the project is being described as a pilot, an EPA spokesperson said the approval of an individual project "does not imply approval of any other or future request." "EPA's full review process, including risk assessment, must take place for each request for other use of phosphogypsum, and approvals are granted on a case-by-case basis," the spokesperson said. Read more at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, we're Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. |
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How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: |
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A chemical leak at a Texas oil refinery killed two workers and caused multiple injuries Thursday afternoon, officials with state-owned Mexican oil firm Pemex confirmed. |
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The Biden administration on Friday designated thousands of miles of California coastline as a national marine sanctuary — for the first time doing so based on a proposal from Indigenous people. |
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The effects of climate change intensified Hurricane Milton, making its rains heavier and its winds stronger, researchers with the World Weather Attribution (WWA) said Friday. |
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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A group of House Democrats representing areas affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton are calling on the leaders of major technology companies to do more to combat the flurry of misinformation online about the extreme weather. |
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News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: |
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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Former President Obama on Thursday night did what many Democrats had been craving. Read more |
| A Michigan newspaper issued a correction after former President Trump cited the paper at a speech in Detroit, claiming he was Michigan's "Man of the Year" in 2023. Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you next week! |
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