It's well known that using PFAS-laden firefighting foam caused big problems for the military, but it's sometimes overlooked that civilian firefighting agencies are facing many of these same problems.

Bloomberg Law reporters Pat Rizzuto and Andrew Wallender are finding more instances of litigation against fire departments over their use of this foam. And they say the main US firefighters' union is now partnering with law firms after cutting ties with companies that make PFAS-coated protective gear—a sign that lawsuits from individual firefighters may soon follow.

Pat and Andrew join this episode of our environmental policy podcast, Parts Per Billion, to talk about this new frontier of PFAS litigation and why revelations about contaminated protective gear are stirring up strong emotions from the firefighting community.

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As a multidecade megadrought continues in the West, the Colorado River Basin is drying up. Today we’ll talk about what that means for the millions of people who depend on that water. And we’ll look at what states and regulators are doing to ensure that communities get the water they need to survive.

Seven western states are frantically working to reach an agreement on how to divvy up the available water ahead of a Feb. 1 deadline—at which point the federal government has suggested it would impose its own rules to fix the problem.

That's the topic of discussion on today's Parts Per Billion, our weekly environmental podcast. Bloomberg Law’s water and public lands reporter, Bobby Magill, explains what's at stake—and which states might get first dibs at the dwindling water supply.

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Electric vehicles are seen as one of humanity's best hopes at fighting climate change, and that means humanity will need to build a whole lot of lithium ion batteries.

Unsurprisingly, the price of lithium is skyrocketing and the Biden administration is eager to develop domestic sources of the ultra-light metal. One of its best hopes here is a proposal to build a $1 billion open-pit lithium mine in a remote area of northern Nevada called Thacker Pass.

But while producing more lithium may have broad environmental benefits, a new mining operation could cause acute environmental harms to the farmers, ranchers, and tribal communities in and around Thacker Pass. Bloomberg Law reporter Daniel Moore traveled there to find out what's happening on the ground and to speak to the people who could be most affected by this politically popular mine project, and he tells us about it on our environmental policy podcast, Parts Per Billion.

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This week, we're sharing an episode of the newest weekly podcast from Bloomberg Industry Group, Downballot Counts. It's a podcast about the 2020 U.S. House and Senate elections and the fight to control Congress. The series is hosted by Bloomberg Government Senior Elections Reporter Greg Giroux and Elections Team Leader Kyle Trygstad. Subscribe to Downballot Counts wherever you get your podcasts.

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There's a particular chemical gas that the medical device industry uses to sterilize its instruments and, unfortunately, that gas happens to be extremely toxic. On this episode of Parts Per Billion, reporters Amena H. Saiyid and Ayanna Alexander explain how the FDA and the EPA are at a loss for how to deal with this gas and they lay out the stakes of new environmental regulations for the healthcare industry. Host: David Schultz. Editors: Jessica Coomes and Anna Yukhananov.

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There are dozens upon dozens of lawsuits out there over the potentially toxic substances known as “Forever Chemicals.” On this episode of Parts Per Billion, we bring in Bloomberg Environment’s best PFAS reporters and have a roundtable discussion about the suits that could have the biggest impact on the legal landscape in 2020. Host: David Schultz. Editors: Jessica Coomes and Anna Yukhananov.

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An ongoing environmental issue may make it harder to acquire your annual holiday conifer. On this episode of Parts Per Billion, agriculture reporter Adam Allington tells us about how the move to ban a powerful pesticide may make life harder for Christmas Tree farmers. Host: David Schultz. Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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One of the most senior judges in the U.S. says a federal agency's pipeline approval process is a bureaucratic nightmare straight out of a Kafka novel. Bloomberg Environment's Ellen Gilmer joins Parts Per Billion, to talk about this process and about how a lawsuit challenging it could make it much easier for environmental groups to block the construction of these interstate pipelines. Host: David Schultz. Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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There's a fight going on right now over saving the rainforest, but it might not be the rainforest you're thinking of. On this episode of Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Environment's Bobby Magill talks about the Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska and how its future could affect the environment not just locally but literally across the entire planet. Host: David Schultz. Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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Reporter David Schultz sits down with lawyer Rob Bilott, who is portrayed by Mark Ruffalo in the new film, “Dark Waters,” to talk about his crusade to hold DuPont Co. accountable for chemical contamination that a West Virginia farmer believed was killing his cattle.

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On this episode of Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Environment's Pat Rizzuto tells us about what happens when people discover their land has been polluted with PFAS chemicals and why there are strong incentives for them to stay quiet. Host: David Schultz. Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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On this episode of Parts Per Billion, we do a super-deep dive into a case that the Supreme Court will be hearing in its upcoming term. The case questions how far big businesses must go to clean up their pollution, and we hear from residents of the tiny Montana town where the lawsuit originated. 

Host: David Schultz. 

Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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The Inflation Reduction Act contains billions of dollars to help states fight climate change and achieve other environmental goals, but only some state lawmakers have plans to spend this money.

Bloomberg Law reporter Zach Bright spoke with three Democratic state legislators in Democratic-controlled states about how they'd like to allocate the money their states will be getting. But Bright also says states with Republican-controlled statehouses, where fighting climate change isn't as high of a priority, may end up leaving these federal dollars on the table.

On this episode of our environmental policy podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bright lays out what states can do with the climate funding they'll be getting through the IRA. He also talks about how the bill has provisions in place that can partially circumvent conservative statehouses.

Do you have feedback on this episode of Parts Per Billion? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

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Waging war—and keeping the peace—can be a dirty business. On this episode of Parts Per Billion, we speak with Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), the congressman in charge of the Pentagon's environmental cleanup, about how the military is doing on this difficult issue and about negotiations over what could be a landmark bill to address PFAS contamination. 

Host: David Schultz. 

Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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Congress is back in town and, just this month, it will be facing several bills that all carry the unofficial designation of "must pass." Bloomberg Environment's Capitol Hill reporter Dean Scott joins Parts Per Billion to talk about what this "must pass" tag means and whether any environmental bills will hitch a ride on these quick-moving pieces of legislation. 

Host: David Schultz. 

Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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The new acting head of the Bureau of Land Management, Bill Pendley, has some strong views about how federal lands should be managed: he'd like to see them all sold off On this episode of Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Environment's Bobby Magill talks about how Pendley's appointment indicates the Trump administration is taking an uncompromising approach to long-simmering tensions over land use in the West. 

Host: David Schultz. 

Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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Alaska is sweltering through a record heat wave that many are attributing to climate change, but climate scientists at the state's largest university may see their funding cut in the near future. Bloomberg Environment's Maya Goldman talks about why Alaska's governor is cutting this funding and about the tough fiscal choices climate change is forcing lawmakers to make. 

Host: David Schultz. 

Editors: Marissa Horn & Jessica Coomes.

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California doesn't usually find itself in the underdog role, but that's exactly where it is in its ongoing legal battles with the Trump Administration over the rollback of environmental protections. Emily Dooley, Bloomberg Environment's California correspondent, joins Parts Per Billion, to discuss how the Golden State's political leaders are struggling to stay aggressive in the courtroom against their much larger and more powerful foes.

Host: David Schultz

Editors: Marissa Horn & Jessica Coomes

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Big oil and gas companies like Chevron and Exxon Mobil are facing off more frequently with activist shareholders who want to force these companies to address climate change. Kevin Crowley, an energy reporter with Bloomberg News, joins Parts Per Billion to talk about what these activists are trying to do and how they may be losing some battles, but winning the overall war.

Host: David Schultz. 

Producers: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes. 

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The eyes of many in the legal world are glued to a lawsuit from a group of children who are suing the federal government over climate change. But as climate reporter Abby Smith tells us, these kids have a long way to go before they get their day in court.

Host: David Schultz. 

Producers: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes. 

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Bees are a symbol of industriousness, but they've also been the cause of no small amount of panic in recent years amid reports that the flying honey makers may be going extinct. We took a deep dive into these issues with our new special podcast series, Business of Bees, and its producers join Parts Per Billion to talk about what they’ve learned. 

Host: David Schultz. 

Producers: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes. 

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The House passed its first major climate change bill in a decade last week, but few environmentalists are cheering. Bloomberg Environment's Tiffany Stecker joins Parts Per Billion to talk about where Congress is at on climate change and where it may be heading in the months and years to come.

Host: David Schultz.

Editors: Jessica Coomes, Marissa Horn.

Listen and subscribe to Parts Per Billion from your mobile device: Via Apple Podcasts | Via Overcast | Via Stitcher | Via Spotify 

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Scientists have developed ways to suck greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere. So climate change is solved then, right? Bloomberg Environment's Abby Smith tells us why this technology isn't yet ready for widespread use and why the government's policies toward what some call "carbon capture" aren't totally coherent right now.

Host: David Schultz

Editors: Jessica Coomes, Marissa Horn

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Joe Manchin, the West Virginian who represents the crucial 50th Democratic vote in the Senate, surprised Washington last week with a dramatic about-face. Just weeks after rejecting his party's climate legislation, he reversed course and announced he'd reached a deal with Democratic leaders to send a climate bill to the president's desk.

However, it later became clear that, in exchange for his support, Democrats granted Manchin numerous pro-fossil fuel provisions, including a measure that would essentially force the Biden administration to open up more federal lands for oil and gas drilling.

On this week's episode of our environmental policy podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law reporter Bobby Magill joins us to break down the legislative horse trading that led to Manchin's reversal and also about whether environmental activists can stomach the latest additions to the bill.

Do you have feedback on this episode of Parts Per Billion? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

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San Antonio's water utility has discovered a way to help its low-income residents and simultaneously conserve water: it sends a plumber out to their house, for free. On the latest episode of Parts Per Billion, we speak with the official who runs this program in San Antonio to learn about the intersection of water affordability and water conservation.

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Alex Flint believes climate change is real and the best way to deal with it is to raise taxes on carbon emissions. He's also a Republican. On this episode of Parts Per Billion, we speak with Flint about how a carbon tax would work, how it could appeal to conservatives, and why he thinks the carbon tax in the Democrats' Green New Deal won't become a reality.

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The owners of Arizona's Navajo Generating Station are having a hard time finding someone who wants to take the power plant off their hands before its lease expires at the end of the year. But while few if any want to buy the plant, there lots of people who don't want to see it close. Bloomberg Environment's Stephen Lee joins us to talk about why the future of the largest coal-fired power plant west of the Mississippi is so uncertain. 

Host: David Schultz. 

Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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Bloomberg Environment's Sylvia Carignan joins Parts Per Billion to talk about the future of PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," a family of man-made substances that have been found in groundwater across the country and have been linked to numerous health problems. 

Host: David Schultz. 

Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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The President wants Andrew Wheeler to be the permanent chief of the EPA, but first he'll have to get through the Senate. Bloomberg Environment's Dean Scott joins us to talk about how Wheeler's nomination will almost certainly succeed, although the vote may be pretty close. 

Host: David Schultz. 

Editors: Jessica Coomes and Marissa Horn.

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Mercury's not just for thermometers anymore—it also comes out of power plants. Bloomberg Environment's Amena Saiyid joins us to talk about what the EPA is doing about mercury pollution from power plants and which special interests are pushing the agency which way on this issue. 

Host: David Schultz. 

Editors: Marissa Horn and Jessica Coomes.

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The United Nations’ recent climate change conference in Poland didn’t yield much in the way of breakthroughs. That raises the question: How long before catastrophic climate impacts become unavoidable? Bloomberg Environment’s Bobby Magill joins us on our podcast to summarize what went down in Poland and what that means for how the world will respond to global climate change. Host: David Schultz. Editors: Jessica Coomes and Marissa Horn.

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Ryan Zinke is gone from President Trump's cabinet, but Bloomberg Environment's Stephen Lee says he won't soon be forgotten. Lee joins us to talk about the long-lasting consequences of Zinke's 22 months atop the Department of the Interior, and who may potentially be his successor. Host: David Schultz. Editors: Jessica Coomes and Marissa Horn.

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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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It's still technically possible for Congress to pass President Joe Biden's climate policy agenda sometime this year. But most people on Capitol Hill, including some Democrats, say Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) just essentially delivered a death blow to this agenda last week.

Though Democratic leadership already scaled down their climate legislation earlier this year to accommodate him, Manchin announced he couldn't support even this more modest package, citing this month's high inflation numbers.

It's still possible Congress could send something to Biden's desk after it returns from its August recess. But Ari Natter, who covers energy on Capitol Hill for Bloomberg News, says Manchin's move likely closes the window on ambitious climate legislation for the rest of this year—and possibly for the rest of Biden's term. Ari joins us to explain why on our environmental policy podcast, Parts Per Billion.

Do you have feedback on this episode of On The Merits? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

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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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It seems you can't go a week anymore without someone announcing they're banning plastic straws in the name of reducing water pollution. As Bloomberg Environment's Sam McQuillan reports, even the sporting world is getting into the act. For the latest episode of Parts Per Billion, we talk with Sam about why sports stadiums are announcing bans on plastic straws and about the star power behind this nascent movement.

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Brett Kavanaugh is the man of the hour. The federal appeals court judge was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Trump, who called him “one of the finest and sharpest legal minds in our time.” Bloomberg Environment reporter Fatima Hussein says Kavanaugh has a lengthy and interesting record on environmental issues. For the latest episode of Parts Per Billion, Fatima breaks down what a possible “Associate Justice Kavanaugh” would mean for air, water, soil, and more.

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A group of 12 Republican senators criticized the Pentagon's Climate Adaptation Plan last year, saying its focus in that area distracts from its mission of fielding a "ready and lethal force."

But the Defense Department, and its commander in chief, counter that the exact opposite is true.

They contend its many climate initiatives—everything from shoring up flood-prone installations to electrifying its fleet of tanks and armored vehicles—actually make the military more capable, not less.

On this episode of Parts Per Billion, our environmental policy podcast, Bloomberg Law reporter Stephen Lee talks with us about what the department is doing to both prepare for climate change and to reduce its own emissions, and about whether the charges that the agency is taking its eye off the ball have any merit.

Do you have feedback on this episode of Parts Per Billion? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

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More money is always better, right? Well, not when it comes to redeveloping polluted real estate. On the latest episode of Parts Per Billion, we hear from Bloomberg Environment reporter Sylvia Carignan on why larger redevelopment grants from the EPA may actually hurt small, rural communities.

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Many Puerto Ricans are fed up with their government-run electric utility, with sporadic outages still occurring more than eight months after Hurricane Maria. Bloomberg Environment reporter Rebecca Kern just returned from the island, and she found that demand there for residential solar power is through the roof. But, as she tells us in the latest episode of Parts Per Billion, even solar panel installers are saying storm-fatigued residents are raising their hopes too high.

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Hotel workers have to go into what is essentially someone's bedroom by themselves multiple times a day. How do we keep them safe? Some California legislators think they have the solution: panic buttons. On this episode of Parts Per Billion, we speak with Bloomberg Environment reporter Fatima Hussein about her recent story on a bill in the Golden State that would require all hotels to provide workers with these personal safety devices.

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