‘Forever chemical’ response may push costs to water utilities
WASHINGTON — Federal efforts to address pollution by so-called forever chemicals may push increased costs onto water and wastewater agencies.
The Biden administration, in response to growing scientific evidence and calls from environmental and public health groups, has promised a series of actions to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These man-made chemicals, used in applications ranging from firefighting foam to non-stick cookware, got their “forever” nickname for their ability to persist in both the human body and the environment.
Included in this push is a national drinking water regulation, which the EPA expects to propose this fall, and a proposal to designate certain PFAS as hazardous substances under the Superfund-governing Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
The scope of PFAS contamination, and the threat to human health, is still being studied as the EPA gathers data. On Wednesday, the agency updated drinking water health advisories for four PFAS chemicals, including determining that for two chemicals negative health effects may occur in concentrations that are near zero and below the EPA’s ability to detect. The advisories will be used to inform the agency’s drinking water regulations.
—CQ-Roll Call
Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker acknowledges 2 more children
ATLANTA — A day after confirming he has a 10-year-old son, U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker on Thursday acknowledged fathering two additional children he hasn't spoken about publicly.
"I have four children. Three sons and a daughter. They're not 'undisclosed' — they're my kids," Walker said in a statement released by his campaign. "I support them all and love them all. I've never denied my children."
The story, first reported by The Daily Beast, has raised questions of hypocrisy because of Walker's past statements decrying absent fathers, particularly in the Black community.
On the campaign trail and in interviews, Walker talks frequently about Christian Walker, the 22-year-old son he shares with his first wife, Cindy Grossman. But The Atlanta Journal-Constitution could find no public references he made to the other children, born to three different women, before this week.
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coins depicting Border Patrol agent grabbing Haitian migrant trigger investigation
The photograph encapsulates the intensity of the clashes between Border Patrol agents and Haitian immigrants desperate to get into the United States. An agent on horseback leans over, grabbing a man by the shirt as a rein dangles.
Now an image mirroring the Sept. 19 photo by Paul Ratje of AFP has appeared on a "challenge coin" typically collected by agents, law enforcement officials and aficionados. "Whipping ass since 1924" is written along the coin's border.
The Los Angeles Times obtained photos of the coin. Its other side says "Haitian Invasion" with crossed swords and the words "U.S. Border Patrol," "Horse Patrol Unit" and "deflecting allegations for years."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which includes the Border Patrol, is investigating whether the coin and a similar one, which have been advertised online, were sold by anyone from the agency. It is unclear who produced the coins or how widely they have been distributed.
—Los Angeles Times
Latvia decides to dismantle all monuments to totalitarian regimes
RIGA, Latvia — Latvia passed a law on Thursday ordering that all monuments and other objects glorifying totalitarian regimes must be dismantled or removed by Nov. 15.
The regulation specified that the Soviet Victory Monument in Riga is among those that must be torn down, a plan already approved by the city council.
The law notes there are 300 monuments, memorial plaques and commemorative objects in Latvia that celebrate the Soviet regime or the Red Army, although none are as controversial as the Victory Monument.
The towering Riga monument consists of a 79-meter obelisk and several huge bronze statues, and dates back to 1985 when it was built to mark the 40th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II.
Latvia was alternately occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II. After the end of the war, it was forcibly annexed into the Soviet Union until 1991. The monument is seen by many as a symbol of the renewed occupation of Latvia rather than as a celebration of victory.
—dpa
