Disasters

"Around 100 tonnes of highly radioactive water have leaked from a storage tank at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, operator Tokyo Electric (Tepco) says."

"Bitter cold in the United States might appear to contradict the notion of global warming, but with Britain's wettest winter and Australia's hottest summer, extreme weather events have pushed climate change back on the political agenda."

"The head of nuclear safety for the cleanup of the former nuclear weapons site at Hanford, Wash., was fired Tuesday after allegations she made over several years that the construction project was ignoring serious safety problems."

"WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz is set to announce on Wednesday that he will finish a $6.5 billion loan guarantee this week and another soon for $1.8 billion to help three Georgia electric companies build the first new nuclear reactors in the United States in three decades."

"Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is urging federal health officials immediately to conduct more lab studies on the chemicals that spilled into a public water supply last month. The governor also asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its partners for guidance on long-term health monitoring for the nine counties exposed to the chemicals."

"RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina officials said Tuesday that groundwater containing unsafe levels of arsenic apparently leaching from a Duke Energy coal ash dump is still pouring into the Dan River, which is already contaminated from a massive Feb. 2 spill."

"RICHMOND, Calif. – On Aug. 6, 2012, Courtney Cummings and her family were in their front yard when a massive fire erupted just six blocks away. 'There was a big boom,' she said. 'I got really scared. I saw this big fireball go in the air and we all took off running into the house.'"

"North Carolina's top environmental official says he briefed Gov. Pat McCrory about a negotiated settlement with Duke Energy that would have fined the $50 billion corporation $99,000 to resolve violations for groundwater contamination leaching from two huge coal ash dumps."

"CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Cleanup crews at Freedom Industries are still several weeks away from emptying all of the site's chemical storage tanks, and still don't have a clear idea of how much of which materials could have contaminated soil at the site."