Here you will find links to the latest news on the environment and environmental issues from U.S. government agencies including the EPA, Department of Energy, Department of Interior, National Forest Service and more.

EPA, Environment Canada: Persistent Pollutants in Great Lakes are Down
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada announced today that levels of the most critical, persistent pollutants around the Great Lakes continued to go down in 2002.

Whitman Says Small Businesses Working for Better Environment
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today outlined a newly revised small business strategy, new initiatives, and the creation of the National Center for Environmental Innovation at the first "National Summit on Small Business and the Environment."

Toyota to Pay $34 Million to Settle Air Quality Charges
The Department of Justice and the Environment Protection Agency finalized yesterday a settlement of the government's lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corporation for Clean Air Act violations involving 2.2 million vehicles manufactured between 1996 and 1998.

EPA Provides Tools for Improved Septic System Management
Stressing the environmental importance of proper septic tank management to prevent pollution from entering the nation's rivers, lakes, coasts, and groundwater, EPA is providing approximately 4,000 city and county public health officials with materials to continue efforts to educate citizens about proper septic system management.

EPA Website Supports National Agenda on Environment and the Aging
As part of EPA's ongoing efforts to address the health effects of environmental hazards to older Americans, Administrator Christie Whitman today unveiled a new EPA website on the issue and invited public participation in the development of a National Agenda on the Environment and the Aging.

EPA Issues Second Report on Protecting Children's Health
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christie Whitman today announced the release of "America's Children and the Environment: Measures of Contaminants, Body Burdens, and Illnesses," the Agency's second report on trends in environmental factors related to the health and well-being of children in the United States.

USDA Moves to Boost Renewable Fuels and Biomass
Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman’s Remarks at the launching of Climate VISION (Voluntary Innovative Sector Initiatives: Opportunities Now).

EPA Issues First Certification of Fuel Cell Vehicle
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the first certification for fuel economy and emissions of a U.S. hydrogen fuel cell zero emission vehicle.

Bush Budget Includes $70 to Address Environmental Threats to Children's Health
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman, during a visit today to Pittsburgh, Pa., outlined the President's proposed FY2004 budget of $69.7 million to address environmental threats to children's health.

Bush to Increase Superfund Cleanup Funding for 2004
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today announced that the Bush Administration is seeking a $150 million increase in Superfund hazardous waste site cleanup funding in the Agency's FY 2004 budget.

EPA Finds Enforcement Efforts Resulted in Cleaner Air, Water and Land
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released data on its compliance assurance and enforcement results for Fiscal Year 2002. The results show millions of pounds of harmful pollutants will be reduced, cleaned up, or treated, thousands of acres of wetlands will be restored, and cleaner air, water and soil for the American people.

EPA Report Says Program Successful in Reducing Acid Rain
BOSTON - EPA New England Administrator Robert W. Varney today announced the release of a report that further documents the success of the agency's Acid Rain Program in reducing acid rain in New England and other sensitive ecosystems of the United States.

Drinking Water Violation Issued to New York City
New York, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an administrative order to the City of New York for failing to provide timely public notification of a drinking water violation in the Croton Water System.

EPA Slaps St. Louis Air Quality
CHICAGO (Jan. 23, 2003) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reclassified the St. Louis area to "serious nonattainment" for the one-hour ozone (smog) standard, complying with a recent court order.

USDA: Vitamin C Protects Stressed-Out Plants
People aren't the only ones using antioxidants to protect their cells. Plants also use the antioxidant vitamin C--which they produce themselves--to reduce oxidative cell damage.

U.S. EPA Authorizes Air Permit Program for Guam
SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week granted interim approval of an air permit program to the Guam Environmental Protection Agency effective March 10, 2003.

Clean Water Act Celebrates 30th Anniversary
PHILADELPHIA – In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and the Year of Clean Water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated January 2003 as Coastal and Oceans Month.

USGS Updates New Madrid (Mid-America) Earthquake Forecasts
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University of Memphis have updated their expectations for earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

Interior Secretary Outlines Everglades Restoration Plans
Delray Beach, Fla. -- The restoration of the Everglades depends on continued cooperation among the many stakeholders in South Florida, Secretary of the Interior Gale A. Norton said today at the annual meeting of the Everglades Coalition.

DOE/NNSA Cites Los Alamos National Laboratory for Nuclear Waste Violations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has issued a Preliminary Notice of Violation to the University of California, the contractor for the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), for violations of nuclear safety rules and procedures involving the storage of nuclear waste materials.

Lewis and Clark Traveling Exhibit Debuts at Monticello
Washington, D.C.-- The nation's Bicentennial commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition debuts in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Tuesday, January 14 with the opening of "Corps of Discovery II: 200 Years to the Future." This touring federal interagency exhibition launches a four-year odyssey for the 2003-2006 national Lewis and Clark Bicentennial extending from Virginia to the Oregon coast.