Abrahm Lustgarten, Author at Pacific Standard

Home Archives for Abrahm Lustgarten

The Environmental Protection Agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Environment

Did U.S. Government Agencies Intentionally Whitewash the Toxic Footprint of a Widely Used Chemical Compound?

Two new analyses make clear the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Defense have downplayed the public-health threat posed by chemicals used to develop Teflon and Scotchgard.

Abrahm Lustgarten

Environment

Could Leasing Water Rights Provide a Way Out of the Drought for California?

The state’s cities need water. Its farmers have it. Maybe leasing rights to it could solve the crisis responsibly.

Abrahm Lustgarten

Environment

Use It or Lose It: Across the West, Exercising One’s Right to Waste Water

“Use it or lose it” clauses give farmers, ranchers, and governments holding water rights a powerful incentive to use more water than they need.

Abrahm Lustgarten

Environment

Progress and Controversy Arrive With New Rules for Fracking on Public Lands

An initial review of rules issued by the Interior Department shows the federal government has taken important steps to protect drinking water resources, while not adopting the strictest regulations in place in some states.

Abrahm Lustgarten

Environment

Why New York State Just Banned Fracking—and Why Others May Soon Follow

After years of delays and debate, Governor Andrew Cuomo decides that the risks outweigh the rewards.

Abrahm Lustgarten

Environment

Chesapeake Energy Faces Subpoena on Royalty Payment Practices

The Justice Department’s inquiry comes after an investigation and years of complaints from landowners who say they have been underpaid for leasing land to the energy giant for drilling.

Abrahm Lustgarten

Environment

California’s Lax Policing of the Fracking Industry Has Put the Drought-Stricken State in a Terrible Situation

The state’s drought has forced farmers to rely on groundwater, even as aquifers have been intentionally polluted due to exemptions for the oil industry.

Abrahm Lustgarten

Environment

Chesapeake Energy’s $5 Billion Shuffle

The energy giant raised the cash it needed to survive by slashing royalties it paid property owners to drill on their land.

Abrahm Lustgarten

Environment

How Oil and Gas Drillers Avoid Paying Royalties to Landowners

Income from oil and gas production doesn’t always trickle down to landowners, as companies find ways to minimize the share they pay in royalties.

Abrahm Lustgarten

Environment

Has the EPA Given Up on Trying to Monitor Fracking?

When the Environmental Protection Agency abruptly retreated on its investigation into water contamination in a central Wyoming natural gas field recently, it shocked environmentalists and energy industry supporters alike.

Abrahm Lustgarten