WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: * * * As Bird Flu Spreads, Reed Calls for Hearings & a Comprehensive National Strategy * WASHINGTON, DC - As highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as 'bird flu' or 'avian flu' continues to spread worldwide and decimate American poultry flocks, it has also now infected dairy herds in 18 states. While the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the agency which serves a more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs approved an update to the tribal-state gaming agreement between the Catawba Indian Nation and North Carolina. This decision allows the tribe to select from a wider variety of vendors for the safety and integrity testing of its casino equipment. The change was authorized through an "approval by operation of law." Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the Secretary of the Interior is granted 45 days to  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (TNSLrpt) -- The Environmental Integrity Project issued a report warning that deep funding and staffing cuts at state pollution control agencies, combined with federal rollbacks, are undermining basic protections for air, water and public health across much of the United States. The study, titled "State of Decline: Cuts to State Pollution Control Agencies Compound Damage from the Dismantling of EPA," analyses budget and workforce trends over roughly the past 15 years and conc more ST

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed to remove the chemical 2-Butoxyethyl benzoate (2-BEB) from its list of hazardous air pollutants. The proposal, issued under the Clean Air Act, follows a petition suggesting the substance does not meet the criteria for federal regulation as a toxic air contaminant. Current data indicates that 2-BEB, a liquid used as a solvent in water-based coatings and a replacement for certain plasticizers, may not cause adve more PR