Huffman Says Uncertainty Shrouds California Coal Tar Sealer Ban Demise
Assemblymember Jared Huffman described today’s backroom termination of California’s first attempt to pass a coal tar sealant ban as “unfortunate” and “frustrating.” The bill would have more than tripled the number of Americans under a ban of this toxic material. The motivations that ended the bill were uncertain to the Assemblymember since it appeared […]
EPA Announces Historic, June 14th, Free Webinar on Coal Tar Sealants
The US Environmental Protection Agency today announced an upcoming, online seminar about coal tar sealant pollution as it relates to stormwater management. While the EPA says that the opinions of the presenters do not necessarily reflect an endorsement by the Agency, merely hosting the webinar is one of the strongest acknowledgements of coal tar sealant […]
Surprising New Info on California Coal Tar Sealant Use
The La Brea Tar Pits aren’t the only place with tar in California. Accompanying the discussions of a ban of coal tar sealants in California, the next question is “how much is really used in the State?” In a previous post, I gave the following data points of what we know: In spite of studies […]
Newport News: 20th Minnesota Sealant Ban Passed!
The City of Newport, Minnesota (population 3,435) became the 20th community in Minnesota to pass a ban of coal tar sealers. Last week’s passage of the ban was confirmed earlier today by Renee Helm, the Executive Analyst for Newport. The community is just a 15 minute drive to Minneapolis and is primarily residential. The City […]
Coal Tar Sealants Are An Environmental Justice Issue For Nation’s Largest Land Owner
The nation’s largest land owner, the US Department of the Interior, has a different, but accurate take on the problem of coal tar sealant pollution: it can be an injustice to the nation’s poor through their cultural or subsistence use of our natural resources. The US Department of the Interior (DOI), the parent department overseeing […]
Waconia Springs 19th Minnesota Ban Into Effect
With a history of recreation and outdoor beauty, the City of Waconia, Minnesota (population 10,697) passed a ban to preserve the rich environment that surrounds it. Situated on the shores of a clear 3,000 acre lake, it has been a recreational destination since the 19th century. At their April 16th meeting, the City Council voted unanimously to pass […]
Wanted: A Few More Sam Sisiskys Please
Yes, that is what we need in this country, some more people with energy, drive and passion for others and not just themselves. Who is Sam Sisisky? I never met Sam, we only corresponded via phone and email, but let me tell you why we need more folks just like him. He and I worked […]
Eden Prairie, One of the Nation’s Best Places, Just Got Better
Eden Prairie, Minnesota tonight voted to ban coal tar pavement sealants. The close-in suburb of the Twin Cities (population over 60,000) has a history of high marks for quality of life. This action marks the 18th community in Minnesota to pass a ban since White Bear Lake became the first. During the discussion of the […]
Interactive Map of US Coal Tar Sealant Bans & Restricted-Use Areas Now Online!
By far the most popular page on this site is the list of coal tar sealant bans and restricted-use jurisdictions around the country. With so much misinformation out there about bans, it seems like a reasonable thing to do. I would recommend caution to the end-user. Austin’s first violation of the ban was by a […]
California Coal Tar Seal Ban Narrowly Passes First Step
Assemblymember Jared Huffman, with support from a host of California environmental organizations, successfully led this week’s committee hearing to a 5 to 4 vote! Huffman compared the exposure to coal tar sealant dust to secondhand smoke and said that it only takes one parking lot with coal tar sealant on it to expose people to […]