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Biden's $6 billion industrial carbon offensive

News Feed
Monday, March 25, 2024

The Energy Department plans to award up to $6 billion across 33 projects to wring carbon dioxide from heavy industries like metals, chemicals, and cement.Why it matters: It's the "single largest industrial decarbonization investment in American history," DOE boss Jennifer Granholm told reporters.Industrial processes create roughly a fourth of U.S. CO2 emissions — and even close to a third — depending on how you slice the national pie.It's also the Biden administration's latest in a multi-pronged effort to tame domestic carbon emissions.State of play: The projects are funded largely through the Democrats' 2022 climate law, with some cash from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, too.They would together provide yearly emissions cuts that match the annual CO2 output of 3 million gasoline-powered cars, the agency estimates.It's a federal cost-share with companies, so officials see over $20 billion in total investment.Monday's announcement also touts efforts to use union labor and tackle environmental justice — both key Democratic policy priorities.Data: Rhodium Group; Chart: Axios VisualsThe big picture: Making heavy industries climate-friendly is a tough nut to crack, as these sectors often need massive energy inputs and extremely high heat. And unlike the electricity system, a similarly large CO2 source, solutions are often lacking at commercial scale.Zoom in: Examples of the 33 projects include...Converting a Constellium aluminum plant in West Virginia to use furnaces that can run on cleaner fuels including hydrogen.Installing a CO2 capture and storage system at a Heidelberg Materials cement plant in Indiana.Slashing process heat emissions from Kraft Heinz facilities in nine states by using various electrification technologies.Yes, but: These are initial decisions subject to more grant negotiations. And if funded, a project faces "go/no-go" decision points at various phases, where the agency weighs progress and community benefits.What's next: Officials hope this spurs use of cleaner tech in these industries more widely — in the U.S. and worldwide."The solutions that we are funding are replicable, and they're scalable," Granholm said.

The Energy Department plans to award up to $6 billion across 33 projects to wring carbon dioxide from heavy industries like metals, chemicals, and cement.Why it matters: It's the "single largest industrial decarbonization investment in American history," DOE boss Jennifer Granholm told reporters.Industrial processes create roughly a fourth of U.S. CO2 emissions — and even close to a third — depending on how you slice the national pie.It's also the Biden administration's latest in a multi-pronged effort to tame domestic carbon emissions.State of play: The projects are funded largely through the Democrats' 2022 climate law, with some cash from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, too.They would together provide yearly emissions cuts that match the annual CO2 output of 3 million gasoline-powered cars, the agency estimates.It's a federal cost-share with companies, so officials see over $20 billion in total investment.Monday's announcement also touts efforts to use union labor and tackle environmental justice — both key Democratic policy priorities.Data: Rhodium Group; Chart: Axios VisualsThe big picture: Making heavy industries climate-friendly is a tough nut to crack, as these sectors often need massive energy inputs and extremely high heat. And unlike the electricity system, a similarly large CO2 source, solutions are often lacking at commercial scale.Zoom in: Examples of the 33 projects include...Converting a Constellium aluminum plant in West Virginia to use furnaces that can run on cleaner fuels including hydrogen.Installing a CO2 capture and storage system at a Heidelberg Materials cement plant in Indiana.Slashing process heat emissions from Kraft Heinz facilities in nine states by using various electrification technologies.Yes, but: These are initial decisions subject to more grant negotiations. And if funded, a project faces "go/no-go" decision points at various phases, where the agency weighs progress and community benefits.What's next: Officials hope this spurs use of cleaner tech in these industries more widely — in the U.S. and worldwide."The solutions that we are funding are replicable, and they're scalable," Granholm said.

The Energy Department plans to award up to $6 billion across 33 projects to wring carbon dioxide from heavy industries like metals, chemicals, and cement.

Why it matters: It's the "single largest industrial decarbonization investment in American history," DOE boss Jennifer Granholm told reporters.

State of play: The projects are funded largely through the Democrats' 2022 climate law, with some cash from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, too.

  • They would together provide yearly emissions cuts that match the annual CO2 output of 3 million gasoline-powered cars, the agency estimates.
  • It's a federal cost-share with companies, so officials see over $20 billion in total investment.
  • Monday's announcement also touts efforts to use union labor and tackle environmental justice — both key Democratic policy priorities.
Data: Rhodium Group; Chart: Axios Visuals

The big picture: Making heavy industries climate-friendly is a tough nut to crack, as these sectors often need massive energy inputs and extremely high heat.

  • And unlike the electricity system, a similarly large CO2 source, solutions are often lacking at commercial scale.

Zoom in: Examples of the 33 projects include...

  • Converting a Constellium aluminum plant in West Virginia to use furnaces that can run on cleaner fuels including hydrogen.
  • Installing a CO2 capture and storage system at a Heidelberg Materials cement plant in Indiana.
  • Slashing process heat emissions from Kraft Heinz facilities in nine states by using various electrification technologies.

Yes, but: These are initial decisions subject to more grant negotiations.

  • And if funded, a project faces "go/no-go" decision points at various phases, where the agency weighs progress and community benefits.

What's next: Officials hope this spurs use of cleaner tech in these industries more widely — in the U.S. and worldwide.

  • "The solutions that we are funding are replicable, and they're scalable," Granholm said.
Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

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Houston’s Fifth Ward residents offered free cancer screenings as water, soil testing continues

The cancer screening initiative comes weeks after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its first round of soil testing results from the area, which found elevated levels of highly toxic chemical compounds at some locations.

Sandra Edwards wears a “Creosote Killed Me” shirt, which were made in response to the creosote contamination allegedly caused by the Union Pacific Railyard. Taken on Jan. 27, 2021.Some residents of Houston's Fifth Ward, where there is ongoing soil and water testing for cancer-causing toxic chemicals, now have the opportunity to receive free cancer screenings as part of a new collaboration between city leaders and a national nonprofit. Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer has coordinated with the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) to bring the free screenings to Fifth Ward. The neighborhood will be the first of 20 sites nationwide to participate in NMQF's Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative. According to the Washington-based nonprofit, the new initiative aims to enroll 100,000 participants across the country over the next five years. Over the next several weeks in Houston, volunteers working alongside Egality Health will be going door-to-door to survey residents and provide the opportunity to be screened, with priority for those who have lived in the neighborhood the longest. Plummer said the program is designed to provide testing to those in Fifth Ward who might otherwise not have access to it. Fifth Ward is a predominantly Black and low-income community. "Not having access to health care or not having any type of early detection opportunities is really even more of a problem in the area," Plummer said. "Having the opportunity to have some type of early detection cancer screening is really, really paramount." The cancer screening initiative comes weeks after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its first round of soil testing results from the area, which found elevated levels of highly toxic chemical compounds at some locations. However, the results did not meet the EPA's threshold for immediate intervention, according to the agency. The soil testing occurred around the now-defunct Houston Wood Preserving Works — a wood treatment facility operated by the former Southern Pacific Railroad from 1911 to 1984. The facility is now owned by Union Pacific Railroad. According to the EPA, creosote, a likely human carcinogen, was the main preserver used at the facility. Plummer said 200 residents per year, for the next two years, will be able to participate in the screening program. "So, it's really important to note here that this is a blood analysis and we're looking for cancer indicators," she said. "So, if [indicators] come up, the next step would be for us to refer them to their primary care physician." If a resident tests positive for cancer indicators but doesn't have insurance, Plummer said the Harris County health department will assist in securing treatment. "If they are uninsured, then we have the commitment from Harris Health to get them eligible for a gold card," she said. "Once they get the card, then they will be able to have their [primary care physician] at Harris Health. ... Obviously, we'll track them along the way, so they'll never be left without information." Beyond screening residents for cancer, research will also be a key aspect of the initiative, Plummer said, especially since Black residents have been under-represented in past clinical research. "Historically, these medications don't work on Black and brown people ... and it's because we don't get in these studies," she said. "So, for medications to work better, we have to educate our communities to say, ‘Listen, I know historically y’all's mindset is the Tuskegee Experiment.' ... We've got to clear that and make sure that we set the record straight on how research works." Plummer said Fifth Ward's Grace Clinic will be administering the screenings and Quest Diagnostics will be conducting the lab testing. The research will also be conducted under an Institutional Review Board (IRB), which will review the ethics of the study. "IRB is a regulation of how research has to be done based on the federal government's Heath and Human Services," she said. "This is an IRB-approved test or screening. It gives validity to the process." NMQF and all of the other partners involved in the initiative will be hosting a community presentation from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the DeLuxe Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave. Plummer said she hopes the screenings can start a chain reaction of future assistance to a community whose concerns have historically been overlooked. "I think it's important for people to understand that we had to start somewhere," she said. "We're not excluding anyone. We just had to get a starting point. And if this is successful, then I do believe that there will be an opportunity to do more tests. We just have to start."

Chemicals
Water
Health

Criminal' lack of cash leaves nine in 10 high-risk toxic sites unchecked

BBC investigation finds nine out of ten high-risk contaminated areas have not been tested.

'Criminal' lack of cash leaves nine in 10 high-risk toxic sites uncheckedTomos MorganBBC Wales InvestigatesPaul LynchBBC Shared Data UnitGetty ImagesSites with possible contaminated land could be where old factories, power stations, railway lines or landfill sites once wereThousands of sites potentially contaminated with toxic chemicals have never been checked by councils, a BBC investigation has found. Nine out of 10 "high-risk" areas have not been tested by councils responding to a BBC Freedom of Information request, and scientists fear they could pose a health risk.The sites are thought to contain substances such as lead or arsenic.The BBC Shared Data Unit found of 13,093 potentially toxic sites that councils have identified as high risk, only 1,465 have been inspected.The UK government has said that local unitary authorities have a statutory duty to inspect potentially contaminated sites but councils claim they do not have the money to do it.The research comes after the release of new Netflix drama Toxic Town which tells the story of families fighting for justice following one of the UK's biggest environmental scandals.The BBC's findings raise fresh questions about what exactly has been left beneath our feet from the UK's heavy industrial past."What we don't do in this country is do a full economic evaluation on the cost of things, including health and that feels almost criminal," said Dr Ian Mudway, a leading expert on the effect of pollution on human health."I'm not even certain we've achieved the point of scratching the surface."Contaminated land is a site that might have been polluted from its previous use - it could have been a factory, power station, a railway line, landfill site, petrol station or dry cleaners.If you live in a property constructed after 2000, any contamination issues should be covered by updated planning laws. How much land is contaminated in the UK?But if you live in a property built before 2000, the rules are less clear.The Environmental Protection Act requires councils to list all potential contaminated sites, and inspect the high-risk ones to make sure people and property are not at risk.But after contacting all 122 unitary authorities in Wales, Scotland and England about their contaminated land, 73 responded to the BBC's Shared Data Unit Freedom of Information request which revealed there were 430,000 potential sites identified in the early 2000s.Of those, 13,093 were considered to be potentially high-risk, which experts said should have then been subject to physical testing. Yet, more than 11,000 of them remain unchecked to this day.Half of Wales' 22 councils told the BBC they could not or would not give us figures - but those that did, identified 698 high-risk sites of which 586 have not been inspected.Despite the stunning backdrop, the River Ystwyth that flows through Cwmystwyth in mid Wales is among the most heavily polluted rivers in the UK due to the area's industrial pastWhere Robin Morris lives is home to more than 400 of Wales' 1,300 abandoned metal mines and its three rivers, the Ystwyth, Rheidol and the Clarach, are some of the most heavily-polluted in the UK.The Cwmystwyth mines in north Ceredigion date back to the Bronze Age and were abandoned in 1950, but spoils including a high level of zinc, cadmium and lead scatter the landscape and have polluted the River Ystwyth below.Many Cwmystwyth locals, like Robin, have filtration systems installed if they receive their water from the hills where the old mines were."We installed an advance filtration system and were assured it would take absolutely everything," he said.'Alarm bells'The BBC took a soil sample from Robin's garden on the banks of the Ystwyth and it revealed a very high reading of lead - well above the recommended safe level for gardening."It causes alarm bells to ring," Robin told BBC Wales Investigates."In light of the figures from your soil sample, we should have stopped growing vegetables long ago."It's just one sample, but other things that have happened in the past now seem to make more sense.Robin Morris added a water filtration system to his home's water supply so he can drink clean water"We had ducks and chickens, a couple of the ducks went lame and we did consult the vet, he thought it was because of lead contamination," added Robin.Ceredigion council said it was liaising with Wales' environmental body National Resources Wales to continually assess the health impact from the area's mining legacy.Dr Mudway insists there was "no safe level" of lead and told the BBC it could impact children's development as well as kidney and cardiovascular disease in adults. "Nothing is more of a forever chemical than lead," added the environmental toxicologist at Imperial College London."This is a hazard that has not gone away and is still a clear and present danger to the population.Dr Ian Mudway wants to raise public awareness of lead and other toxic chemicals"It's one of the few chemical entities for which we can calculate a global burden of disease - between half a million to just under a million premature deaths per year because of the release of lead into our environment."When you talk about the cost of ensuring that land is safe... that costs money up front."The costs of potential health effects, especially if they contribute to chronic diseases which people live with for 10 or 20 years, or the costs of remediating land, after when you realise that it's a high-level, dwarf the profits made at the other end of that cycle. That feels almost criminal. "The health cost is hardly considered at all."Huw ChiswellHuw Chiswell believes his daughter was most likely poisoned at their homeWhen Manon Chiswell was a toddler she suddenly stopped talking - doctors advised her family she was showing lots of autistic traits."I do have memories of being very closely monitored in Meithrin [nursery]... I always had an adult with me," said Manon, now 20. "I couldn't speak... they had to use a traffic light system, and yes or no cards to redirect me and help me communicate."But a blood test later found high levels of lead in Manon's blood.She was not autistic, she had been poisoned.Her father, Huw Chiswell, believed Manon was most likely poisoned at their home in Cardiff, which was near an old industrial site.A blood test found high levels of lead in Manon's blood"She used to eat earth [as a toddler] in the garden," he said. "There were railway sidings not far from where we lived at the time, so it's difficult to draw any other conclusions really, because once she'd stopped the eating, she got better."But it is not just about lead - a government report suggests that sites posing the greatest health risks were also contaminated by chemicals such as arsenic, nickel, chromium, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in soil or water.PA MediaAn inquest into Zane Gbangbola's death concluded he was killed by carbon monoxide but his parents dispute the coroner's verdictCampaigners want a new law forcing councils to keep a public register of all potential contaminated sites.It is led by the parents of a seven-year-old boy who died from poisonous gas after the River Thames flooded their home in 2014, and they believe the fumes came from a nearby landfill.Zane's law - named after Zane Gbangbola - also calls for measures such as more money for councils to identify and test possible sites."You have to know that it exists before you can protect yourself," said Zane's dad Kye Gbangbola, who was left paralysed after the gas poisoning."Until we have Zane's Law people will remain unprotected."When tighter regulations on dealing with potentially contaminated land became law 25 years ago, the minister that pushed them through wanted just that.Now John Selwyn Gummer feels UK government funding cuts has meant far fewer inspections.John Selwyn Gummer, now Lord Deben, was secretary of state for the environment between 1993 and 1997"There is no way in which local authorities can do this job without having the resources," said Lord Deben."Successive governments have under-provided for the work that we need to do."'There's a possibility some people's health is being threatened'Several councils have told the BBC that funding is the reason they had stopped checking possible contaminated land.Phil Hartley was one of hundreds of officers across the UK that used to check potential sites and Newcastle's former council contamination officer.He said the central government grant removal had led to a "collapse" in checks."Since the money dried up very, very few councils proactively go out looking for contaminated land sites because the council doesn't want to take the risk of finding them," said Mr Hartley."There's a possibility that some people's health is being threatened, which is not great."The UK government said local authorities had a statutory duty to inspect potentially contaminated sites, require remediation and maintain a public register of remediated land. "Any risk to public health from contaminated land is a serious matter," a spokesperson from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said.They also asked the Environment Agency to produce a new state of contaminated land report to provide the "best possible baseline of data to measure future policies related to contaminated land against".The bodies that represent councils in Wales and England both said a lack of cash meant they could not fulfil their duty.The Welsh Local Government Association said while Wales' 22 councils took their responsibility to check sites "seriously", progress was "increasingly constrained by a lack of dedicated funding and specialist resources".England's Local Government Association said: "Without adequate funding, councils will continue to struggle to provide crucial services - with devastating consequences for those who rely on them."You can watch Britain's Toxic Secret on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Thursday 13 March at 20:30 GMT

Chemicals
Food
Government

North Sea collision may have ‘devastating’ impact on marine life, says expert

Fears grow over leaking fuel as investigations begin into cause of crash involving cargo ship and tanker off Yorkshire coastLeaking fuel from the collision between a cargo ship and oil tanker in the North Sea would have a “devastating” impact on marine life, an expert has warned, as investigations began into the cause of the crash.Fires continued to burn onboard both vessels 24 hours after the Stena Immaculate tanker was struck off the coast of Yorkshire on Monday morning. A search for a missing crew member was called off overnight. Continue reading...

Leaking fuel from the collision between a cargo ship and oil tanker in the North Sea would have a “devastating” impact on marine life, an expert has warned, as investigations began into the cause of the crash.Fires continued to burn onboard both vessels 24 hours after the Stena Immaculate tanker was struck off the coast of Yorkshire on Monday morning. A search for a missing crew member was called off overnight.As investigations were stepped up into the cause of the collision, a White House official reportedly refused to rule out foul play amid questions about why the cargo ship, the Solong – which was carrying cargo for the US military – appeared not to slow down or change course before striking the Stena Immaculate.Smoke billowing from a vessel after a cargo ship collided with a tanker carrying jet fuel off eastern England on Monday. Photograph: Bartek Śmiałek/APEnvironmental experts warned that the jet fuel leaking from the 183-metre-long vessel was toxic for humans and wildlife.Dr Simon Boxall, an academic in oceanography at the University of Southampton, said the Jet A-1 fuel had a “much higher toxicity” than crude oil and that “the impact on that on life in the oceans would be devastating”.Melanie Onn, the MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, said it had been a “shocking 24 hours” since the collision and that people were worried about the potential harm to the ecosystem.She said the government had not confirmed reports that the Solong was carrying the highly toxic chemical sodium cyanide when it ploughed into the Stena Immaculate.Onn told the Guardian on Tuesday: “They don’t know what the cargo is on that vessel. I think if it were sodium cyanide that would be really quite bad because it gets into contact with water and becomes airborne as well. It’s a very, very serious chemical.”Boxall said it was not clear whether any sodium cyanide had leaked into the ocean but that it was “not good news” if it had. “If they do fall into the sea in the middle of that huge fireball then they turn very rapidly to hydrogen cyanide, which is really quite a dangerous gas,” he told Sky News.Dr Seyedvahid Vakili, a maritime expert at the University of Southampton, said it was difficult to determine the main cause of the collision but that in most cases “human factors play a significant role”.“This is particularly relevant for container vessels where high workloads and fatigue can be major contributing factors. At this stage it needs further comprehensive investigation,” he said.A US sailor onboard the Stena Immaculate told CBS News that the Solong “came out of the blue”, giving those onboard “only seconds to react”.The crew member, who was not named, described how flames were lapping at the sailors as they evacuated the burning vessel, leaving some with singed hair.The whole incident from impact to evacuation lasted about 30 minutes, they said, adding that the operation was “textbook”.The crew member said the Stena Immaculate had anchored at that spot and relayed its coordinates on Sunday, meaning all other vessels should have known where it was.Matthew Pennycook, a government minister, said Coastguard aircraft were monitoring the site of the incident off the East Yorkshire coast. He said: “We are working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to assess the impact on water pollution. The fire is obviously still raging.”He added: “The Maritime and Coastguard Agency are well equipped to contain and disperse any oil spills. We don’t think air quality impacts are outside of normal levels, but we will keep the situation obviously under review.”

Chemicals
Government
Pollution

Fires Burn After Ships Collide off UK, Stoking Fears Over Environment

By Phil NobleWITHERNSEA, England (Reuters) - Fires continued to burn on Tuesday after two ships collided off the coast of northeast England a day...

WITHERNSEA, England (Reuters) - Fires continued to burn on Tuesday after two ships collided off the coast of northeast England a day earlier, adding to concerns the jet fuel carried by one and toxic chemicals aboard the other could cause an environmental disaster.Following the crash, both crews abandoned their ships and 36 people were brought ashore, the coastguard said. Rescue teams called off a search for a missing crew member from the Portuguese-flagged container ship Solong on Monday.The tanker Stena Immaculate, which carries jet fuel for the U.S. military, was at anchor when it was struck by the smaller Solong, releasing fuel into the sea.Equipment to minimise pollution at sea, such as spray dispersants for oil spills and containment booms, were on standby, said the British government, as its agencies prepared for action to protect the North Sea environment and wildlife.The potential environmental impact was being assessed, coordinated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and an East of England environmental group, and the situation was being monitored overhead by plane, the government said.Two maritime security sources said there was no indication that malicious activity or actors were involved in the incident.The Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 segregated cargo tanks, but it was unclear how much of it was spilt after at least one tank was hit, Crowley, the U.S. logistics group which operated the vessel, said on Monday.Onboard the Solong were 15 containers of sodium cyanide, a toxic chemical used mainly in gold mining, and an unknown quantity of alcohol, according to a casualty report from maritime data provider Lloyd's List Intelligence.Those cargoes could pollute the sea, harming large colonies of protected seabirds including puffins and gannets which live on the coast in the area, and the fish on which they feed.The crash occurred on Monday morning in a busy waterway, prompting a significant rescue response from British teams who sent aircraft, lifeboats and other vessels.While Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch will gather initial evidence, overall responsibility for investigating the crash lies with the U.S. and Portuguese authorities, the flag states of the vessels.(Writing by Sarah Young; additional reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, editing by Paul Sandle and Bernadette Baum)Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.Photos You Should See - Feb. 2025

Chemicals
Government
Pollution

Major ship collision in UK waters sparks fears of toxic chemical leak

A cargo ship carrying sodium cyanide collided with a tanker transporting jet fuel – scientists are warning of potentially severe environmental impacts

Fire and rescue services douse fires after a collision between an oil tanker a cargo ship carrying sodium cyanideGetty Images Europe Scientists fear a major collision between a cargo ship and a fuel tanker in the UK’s North Sea could cause a huge leak of toxic chemicals into delicate marine habitats, with potentially devastating consequences for local wildlife. A tanker called Stena Immaculate was moored off the coast of Hull, carrying 18,000 tonnes of jet fuel, when it was struck by the container ship Solong on 10 March. The Solong was carrying 15 containers of highly toxic sodium cyanide, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Both ships will also have been carrying tanks of bunker fuel to power their journeys. Ernst Russ, the owner of the Solong cargo ship, said in a statement that both vessels sustained “significant damage”. Huge fires spewing clouds of black smoke immediately broke out on the ships. One crew member from the Solong is still reported missing. “We are extremely concerned about the multiple toxic hazards these chemicals could pose to marine life,” Paul Johnston at Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter in the UK, said in a statement. The crash happened in waters that are home to internationally significant populations of breeding seabirds, such as gannets, kittiwakes and puffins. Harbour porpoises and grey seals breed nearby, and the location is also on migration routes for wading birds and waterfowl. “Chemical pollution resulting from incidents of this kind can directly impact birds, and it can also have long-lasting effects on the marine food webs that support them,” said Tom Webb at the University of Sheffield in the UK in a statement. “We have to hope that any spills can be quickly contained and pollution minimised.” Crowley, the US-based firm managing the Stena Immaculate, told the Financial Times that jet fuel has leaked into the North Sea from a ruptured cargo tank. Jet fuel is made of light hydrocarbons and will therefore evaporate relatively quickly, potentially limiting its environmental impact. But the release of bunker fuel will have longer-lasting effects, said Alex Lukyanov at the University of Reading in the UK, in a statement. “Marine diesel can smother habitats and wildlife, affecting their ability to regulate body temperature, potentially resulting in death,” he said. “The environmental toll could be severe.” The release of sodium cyanide could also pose severe danger to aquatic life, as it inhibits oxygen uptake. It is not yet clear whether any sodium cyanide has entered the water. Johnston called on UK authorities to take urgent action to contain the release of toxic substances from the ships. “We must hope an environmental disaster can be averted,” he said. The UK government said it was working closely with the coastguard service to support the response to the incident. Speaking in the UK’s Parliament on 10 March, Baroness Sue Hayman, a minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said she was “shocked and concerned” at the news of the collision. She said work was underway to assess the scale and impact of any pollution from the collision.

Chemicals
Water
Government

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