Parts Per Billion

How well did the EPA handle last year’s hurricanes and wildfires? Bloomberg Environment reporter Sylvia Carignan found a copy of the agency’s “warts and all” self-assessment of its disaster response, and she said it contains a lot of warts. Host: David Schultz. Editors: Jessica Coomes and Marissa Horn.

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The UN's 24th annual climate change conference begins in Poland this week amid increasing signs that a global environmental catastrophe is afoot. Bloomberg Environment's Bobby Magill is there and he spoke with the head of the UN's General Assembly about what needs to happen to fix this problem, or at least prevent it from getting significantly worse. Host: David Schultz. Producer: Jessica Coomes. Editor: Marissa Horn.

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Just in time for Thanksgiving, we have Bloomberg Environment’s Tiffany Stecker on to talk about the pesticides that might be in your food. Specifically, she talks about a particularly potent bug-killing chemical that hasn’t gone away in the developing world, even though the U.S., Europe, and other developed areas have largely declared it unsafe. Host: David Schultz. Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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Congress will look very different when it gavels in next year with a new House Democratic Majority and an expanded Republican Senate. On this special post-election episode of "Suspending the Rules," our reporters and legislative analysts break down the implications of a divided Congress for a variety of key issues. In this episode: • Bloomberg Government senior congressional reporter Nancy Ognanovich dives into the election returns and dynamics in the new Congress. • Bloomberg Government health policy reporter Shira Stein discusses what's in store for the Affordable Care Act, "Medicare-for-All," and drug pricing. • Bloomberg Government homeland security reporter Michaela Ross reviews potential moves on immigration. • Bloomberg Environment editor Rob Tricchinelli talks about what the election could mean for climate policy and environmental regulations. • Bloomberg Tax reporter Stu Basu discusses Democrats' tax priorities and plans to seek President Donald Trump's tax returns. Hosts: Adam M. Taylor, Danielle Parnass, Sarah Babbage Engineer: Nico Anzalotta

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On this week's episode of our weekly podcast, Parts Per Billion, we get small: small power plants, small amounts of chemicals in your breakfast, and an update on a lawsuit from some small people. Bloomberg Environment's Adam Allington and Bobby Magill join us to discuss the future of coal and the future of litigation that could change the way the government addresses climate change. Host: David Schultz Producers: Jessica Coomes & Marissa Horn

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This week, we introduce a new segment on our weekly environmental policy podcast, Parts Per Billion: a news quiz where you can test your knowledge of current events against Bloomberg Environment’s finest journalists. We also hear from one of those journalists, climate reporter Abby Smith, about an on-again-off-again lawsuit from a group of young people who are arguing that the government has a constitutional duty to combat climate change. Host: David Schultz. Producer: Jessica Coomes.

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The conditions may finally be right for deep sea mining. Demand for rare minerals is peaking thanks to consumer electronics, and technology has developed enough that drilling three miles underwater can be done safely. Or can it? This week on Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Environment's Adam Allington tells us about why some environmentalists and scientists think mining isn't actually better down where it's wetter. Host: David Schultz Editors: Marissa Horn & Nicholas Anzalotta-Kynoch Producers: Rachael Daigle & Jessica Coomes

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There's a new contamination problem that people are calling "the new asbestos." It's per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS. PFAS has been linked to numerous health problems, and cities and towns across the country have been finding them in their water supplies—especially towns or around military bases. Why? Because PFAS was commonly used in firefighting foam that was sprayed liberally on tarmacs and airstrips. Maureen Sullivan is the Pentagon's point person for addressing this mushrooming problem. She said the cost of cleaning up PFAS contamination could exceed $2 billion and take a generation to complete. We spoke to her at the annual conference of the Environmental Council of the States in Stowe, Vt.

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Fracking involves shooting water deep underground to break open oil and gas formations. Most of that water comes back up to the surface eventually. What are we supposed to do with it? Nichole Saunders, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund, says we need to do A LOT more research before we start using this wastewater instead of just storing it back underground. We spoke to Saunders at the annual conference of the Environmental Council of the States in Stowe, Vt. Check back in later this week for more podcasts from Vermont.

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Some scientists out there are working on a plan to suck greenhouse gasses out of the air. Is this a potentially revolutionary solution to the problem of climate change? Bloomberg Environment's Bobby Magill says don't go popping the champagne corks just yet. In the latest episode of Parts Per Billion, Magill talks about the struggle to make carbon removal viable—not just technologically, but also economically and even morally viable.

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