Initial choices about fertilization and grass seeding could have a long-lasting effect on how plants and their associated microbes break down pollution in petroleum-contaminated soils, a research team led by a University of Alaska Fairbanks professor recently reported. Microbiology professor Mary Beth Leigh and the team found that planting grasses or adding fertilizer, or a combination of […]
EPA announces the largest investment ever in brownfields communities made by President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda SEATTLE – Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $11,800,000 from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of seven brownfield sites in Alaska while advancing environmental justice. Alaska’s communities will receive […]
ANCHORAGE, AK — Friday, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Alaska Department of Law responded to a press release by the Biden Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that appears hypocritical. The release indicates that federal agencies are leading the effort to accelerate cleanup of Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) contaminated lands. This […]
SEATTLE — Friday the U.S. EPA announced a $20 million funding program to assist Alaska tribal entities in addressing legacy contamination on lands conveyed through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The contaminants on some of these lands— arsenic, asbestos, lead, mercury, pesticides, PCBs, and petroleum products—pose health concerns to Alaska Native communities, negatively impact […]