Published on June 06, 2012
- Issue Briefs:
New drilling and fracking techniques have made it possible to extract oil and natural gas from shale and other dense rock formations that were previously inaccessible. While such drilling and fracking has been a boon for the oil and gas industry in the United States, it has been a nightmare for Americans exposed to the pollution that accompanies shale development. The expansion of modern drilling and fracking across the country has caused widespread environmental and public health problems and created serious, long- term risks to underground water resources, all of which affect farming and our food.
Published on June 06, 2012
- Fact Sheets:
To protect Maine’s groundwater and the general public’s best interest, Maine should hold its groundwater in the public trust.
Published on May 30, 2012
- Fact Sheets:
Genetically engineered (GE) crops are created by transferring genetic material from one organism into another to create specific traits, such as resistance to treatment with herbicides or to make a plant produce its own pesticide to repel insects. Unlike traditional plant and animal breeding, which tries to develop better varieties by selecting traits from the same species, genetic engineering techniques can insert specific genes from any plant, animal or microorganism into the DNA of a different species.
Published on May 24, 2012
- Fact Sheets:
The poultry industry continues to influence lawmakers to prioritize corporate interests over public health, sound food policy and environmental concerns. Citizens in Maryland and in other states are being asked to bail the industry out of its massive waste problem by financing poultry litter incinerators.
Published on May 15, 2012
- Issue Briefs:
From the Sacramento Valley to Los Angeles County, the oil and gas industry has been fracking in California without clear regulatory oversight for many years. Now, the next generation of drilling and fracking involving much more fluid and chemicals injected at much higher pressure, and creating much more waste, pollution and risk — has arrived on the West Coast.
Published on May 09, 2012
- Reports:
The United Nations General Assembly declared in July 2010 that access to clean water and sanitation is an essential human right, calling on countries and organizations to help provide access for the 884 million people currently without safe drinking water and the more than 2.6 billion people without basic sanitation.
Published on April 26, 2012
- Reports:
Since their creation in 1862, land-grant universities have revolutionized American agriculture. These public institutions delivered better seeds, new plant varieties and advanced tools to farmers who deployed scientific breakthroughs to increase agricultural productivity. They pioneered vitally important research on environmental stewardship, such as soil conservation. Land-grant universities partnered with farmers in research efforts, advancing rural livelihoods and improving the safety and abundance of food for consumers.
Published on April 18, 2012
- Fact Sheets:
The oil and gas industry argues that the potential economic benefits of fracking justify the risks and costs to public health and the environment. But the industry has grossly overestimated the number of jobs that fracking would create, and has either ignored or dismissed the public costs of the practice.
Published on April 17, 2012
- Fact Sheets:
Since launching its sustainability program in 2005, Walmart has tried to position itself as a leader on corporate environmental responsibility. In frequent press announcements and annual "Global Responsibility" reports, Walmart touts its activities on renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, waste reduction, and product improvements.
While Walmart's sustainability campaign has done wonders for its public image, it has done little for the environment. In fact, Walmart's environmental impact has only grown over the last seven years. Its business practices remain highly polluting, while its relentless expansion and consolidation of the market have come at the expense of more sustainable enterprises and systems of production and distribution.
Published on April 16, 2012
- Fact Sheets:
Drilling and fracking a single shale well can produce millions of gallons of toxic wastewater and hundreds of tons of potentially radioactive solid waste. Disposal of these wastes poses serious environmental and public health risks.
Published on April 11, 2012
- Reports:
For the past 25 years, emissions trading, known more recently as "cap-and-trade," has been promoted as the best strategy for solving pollution problems. Based on an obscure economic theory that gained prominence in the 1960s at the University of Chicago, it was embraced by the Reagan administration as a replacement for regulating air emissions. Since that time, it has gained acceptance among environmental organizations and the largest environmental funders.
Published on March 07, 2012
- Fact Sheets:
Europe: New drilling and fracking techniques have been a boon for the oil and gas industry in the United States, making it possible for companies to extract large quantities of oil and gas from shales and other "tight" rock formations. However, shale development has been a nightmare for those exposed to the resulting pollution.
Published on March 07, 2012
- Reports:
Europe Report: Within the past decade, technological advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," have enabled the oil and gas industry to extract large quantities of oil and natural gas from shale formations in the United States. However, the practice has proven controversial. Pollution from modern drilling and fracking has caused widespread environmental and public health problems and created serious, long-term risks to underground water resources.
In this report, Food & Water Europe reviews the risks and costs of shale development that have been demonstrated in the United States, including economic costs that run counter to industry-backed claims about the economic benefits of the practice.
Published on March 07, 2012
- Reports:
Within the past decade, technological advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” have enabled the oil and gas industry to extract large quantities of oil and natural gas from shale formations in the United States. However, the practice has proven controversial. Pollution from modern drilling and fracking has caused widespread environ- mental and public health problems and created serious, long-term risks to underground water resources.
In this report, Food & Water Watch reviews the risks and costs of shale development that have been demonstrated in the United States, including economic costs that run counter to industry-backed claims about the economic benefits of the practice.
Food & Water Watch then summarizes the state of shale development in six selected countries: France, Bulgaria, Poland, South Africa, China and Argentina.
Published on March 03, 2012
- Fact Sheets:
United Water — owned by Paris-based Suez Environnement (Suez) — wants to build a desalination plant on the Hudson River to serve Rockland County, New York. The company says that the treatment plant is not only "necessary" but also the "most cost-effective" and "sustainable" way to meet the area’s long-term water needs. Suez’s performance history, however, calls these claims into question.
Published on February 29, 2012
- Fact Sheets:
Universal access to safe and affordable water and sanitation service is crucial for public health, but achieving it will require significant investments in infrastructure and expertise. Worldwide, an estimated 884 million people lack access to safe water, and 2.6 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. In the United States, water and sewer systems have a $55 billion annual funding shortfall. Public-public partnerships (PUPs) are an innovative model uniquely suited to help address these needs.
Published on February 28, 2012
- Reports:
Europe Report: Clean drinking water and wastewater treatment are basic services that societies and governments provide. Water is a necessity for life, and safe water and sanitation are crucial for public health. In July 2010, the United Nations declared access to clean water and sanitation to be a human right. But recognizing the human right to water does not explain how to deliver this right to households. Even with this commitment to enhance water delivery and safety, an estimated 884 million people worldwide lack access to safe water, and 2.6 billion lack access to improved sanitation.
Published on February 28, 2012
- Reports:
Clean drinking water and wastewater treatment are basic services that societies and governments provide. Water is a necessity for life, and safe water and sanitation are crucial for public health. In July 2010, the United Nations declared access to clean water and sanitation to be a human right. But recognizing the human right to water does not explain how to deliver this right to households. Even with this commitment to enhance water delivery and safety, an estimated 884 million people worldwide lack access to safe water, and 2.6 billion lack access to improved sanitation.
Published on February 23, 2012
- Fact Sheets:
Aqua Utilities Florida,a a subsidiary of Pennsylvania-based Aqua America, is the largest private water utility in Florida, serving drinking water to about 60,000 people statewide. Many customers are deeply dissatisfied with the company and report chronic water quality and customer service problems, yet these customers pay some of the highest water rates in the state. State legislators need to take action to stop this consumer rip-off. No Floridian should have to pay excessive prices for poor service from Aqua Utilities or any other water company.
Published on February 21, 2012
- Reports:
Walmart is so big that it has an unprecedented amount of power in all sectors of the economy. Food is no exception. When there is one player this large connecting food producers and food consumers, consumers are no longer the food industry’s customers — Walmart is. And the saying “the customer is always right” has never been more appropriate.
