Brett Walton

About Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club's Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

Entries by Brett Walton

As Iowa Caucuses Approach, Where Do Democratic Candidates Stand on Water?

January 30, 2020/in Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

Water issues are gaining new prominence in the Democratic presidential race as candidates react to rising public concerns about water issues.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, January 27: Trump Administration Completes Clean Water Act Revision

January 27, 2020/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown Administration diminishes the scope of the Clean Water Act. The Supreme Court says that a lawsuit against local and state officials related to lead contamination in Flint can proceed. The EPA requires industrial facilities to report emissions of 160 PFAS chemicals. A Senate bill would place a moratorium on new concentrated animal feeding […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

U.S. Food Trade Increasingly Leans On Unsustainable Groundwater

January 23, 2020/in Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

It takes water to grow crops, and an increasing portion of the US’s irrigation water is unsustainably mined from groundwater sources.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, January 20: Trump Aims at Two Water Rules in Farm Bureau Speech

January 20, 2020/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown At a Farm Bureau meeting, President Trump highlighted his administration’s rollback of Obama-era clean water rules and asked the Army Corp to withdraw a proposed rule governing water supplies in its reservoirs. Legislation introduced in Congress aims to ban mining near a Minnesota wilderness area, prioritize coastal carbon sequestration, guard individual water rights, […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

U.S. Water Data, Refreshed Daily

January 16, 2020/in Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

New U.S. Geological Survey tool displays where water is – and isn’t – in the Lower 48 states.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Water Crises Again Ranked a Top Global Risk in World Economic Forum Report

January 15, 2020/in Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

For the first time in the history of the Global Risks Report, respondents ranked environmental factors as the top five risks that are most likely to occur.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

After Plumbing Code Setback, Georgia Health Officials Refocus Legionella Prevention Effort

January 14, 2020/in Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

New working group mulls regulatory options for dealing with America’s deadliest waterborne disease. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue It’s back to the drawing board for the Georgia Department of Public Health as health officials seek to develop rules to prevent the growth in building plumbing of bacteria that cause a deadly lung infection. A […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, January 13: House Passes PFAS Bill

January 13, 2020/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown House bill includes controversial provisions that did not make it into a Defense spending bill last month. House Democrats outline climate legislation they plan to introduce later in January. The White House moves to change environmental review procedures. Fourteen climate and weather disasters last year caused more than $1 billion in damages in […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, January 6: EPA Science Advisers Criticize Agency’s Clean Water Act Revision

January 6, 2020/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown EPA independent science advisers say WOTUS rewrite ignores science. A bill to regulate PFAS chemicals under the Clean Water Act is introduced in the House. The USGS analyzes shoreline changes on Alaska’s northern coast. And lastly, the House begins the year by debating a bill to regulate PFAS in drinking water. “The [Science […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, December 30: Streamflow Changes Associated with Ecosystem Decline, USGS Finds

December 30, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown The U.S. Geological Survey publishes the first national assessment of man-made changes to river flows. A Pennsylvania senator tries again to require mandatory disclosure of fracking chemicals. The EPA proposes not requiring petroleum and coal manufacturers to demonstrate the financial capacity to clean up hazardous wastes. The Army Corps intends to review flood […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, December 23: Budget, Defense Spending Bills Include Rural Water Increase, PFAS Provisions

December 23, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown President Trump signs a budget agreement and a Defense authorization bill. The Interior Department tells a New Mexico group that, after years of missed deadlines, it will not provide funds for a Gila River diversion. The EPA releases guidance for cleaning up PFAS in groundwater. Water bills introduced in Congress deal with Indian […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Dams, Sand Mining Threaten to Wreck Mekong Delta

December 20, 2019/in Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

More than sea-level rise, unsustainable development on the Mekong Delta is the biggest risk to the delta’s economy and ecology.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

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About Brett Walton

Entries by Brett Walton