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Category Archives: Natural Resources and Environment
Climate Change and the Nation’s Most Contaminated Hazardous Waste Sites
Climate change may increase the frequency and intensity of certain natural disasters, which could damage Superfund site—among the nation’s most contaminated hazardous waste sites. For instance, flooding from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 damaged several Superfund sites in the greater Houston … Continue reading
Posted in Natural Resources and Environment
Tagged Alfredo Gomez, climate change, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Administration, floods, Hazardous materials, Hazardous waste sites, Hazardous wastes, Natural disasters, Natural Resources and Environment, wildfires
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Can Irrigation Technology Address Water Scarcity? (Podcast and Infographic)
GAO keeps a close eye on the latest technologies, but today we’re looking at a truly ancient one: irrigated agriculture. Despite dating back at least 5,000 years, irrigation technology continues to improve. Micro irrigation, for example, applies water close to … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture and Food, Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Technology
Tagged Agricultural industry, Agricultural policies, Agricultural practices, Bureau of Reclamation, Crops, Department of the Interior, Droughts, Farming, Farming systems, Federal Communications Commission, freshwater, Global positioning system, Groundwater, Irrigation, Irrigation systems, National Agricultural Statistics Service, satellites, Science and Technology, Science Technology Assessment and Analytics, STAA, Sustainable agriculture, Tim Persons, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey, water conservation, Water resources, Water resources conservation, Water supply, Water supply management, Water use, Watersheds
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A Look at How the Government Acquires Public Lands
This Saturday is National Public Lands Day—the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort aimed at restoring and celebrating national parks, refuges, and forests. Many of these lands have belonged to the public for decades while others have been added recently as … Continue reading
Posted in Natural Resources and Environment
Tagged Anne-Marie Fennell, Bureau of Land Management, Conservation, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest conservation, forest service, Forests, Habitat, national forests, National Park Service, National Parks, National recreation areas, Natural Resources and Environment, NRE, Outdoor recreation, public lands, Recreation, Water resources conservation, Wetlands, Wildlife
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And the Emmy Goes to…
What do primetime television shows have to do with the work we do? More than you might think! We’re gearing up for this Sunday’s Emmys by looking at how some of the nominated shows deal with issues we’ve reported about. … Continue reading
Posted in Health Care, Homeland Security, Justice and Law Enforcement, Natural Resources and Environment
Tagged Andrew Von Ah, Dam safety, Department of Education, Education grants, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Food and Drug Administration, Forensic Audits and Investigative Service, Gretta Goodwin, higher education, Homeland Security and Justice, Nathan Anderson, Perimeter security, Physical Infrastructure, Secret Service, Seto Bagdoyan, Student financial aid, Tim Persons
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Climate Change, Global Migration, and U.S. Government Actions
Today is World Environment Day—a day for learning more about key issues facing the environment, such as climate change, and for thinking about how people interact with the Earth. In today’s WatchBlog, we discuss our recent report on the potential … Continue reading
Posted in International Affairs, Natural Resources and Environment
Tagged climate change, climate change impacts, climate change resiliance, climate change risks, climate migration, climate refugees, crop failure, David Gootnick, DCM, demographic changes, Department of Defense, disasters, DOD, drought, environment, extreme weather events, floods, forced migration, global migration, hurricanes, IAT, international development, International Organization for Migration, migrant, migrate, migration, natural disaster, political stability, refugees, risk assessment, sea level rise, State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, world environment day
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Earth Day 2019 – Protecting At-Risk Fish, Birds, and Animals
It’s Earth Day; and this year’s theme is about broadening protection for at-risk species and their habitats. What is the nation doing on this front? Today’s WatchBlog examines some national and international efforts.
Posted in Natural Resources and Environment
Tagged Alfredo Gomez, Anne-Marie Fennell, Columbia River Basin, endangered species, environmental cleanup, environmental protection, Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service, habitat restoration, NRE, Puget Sound, wildlife trafficking
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30 Years after Exxon Valdez, 9 Years after Deepwater Horizon: What We Found
Thirty years ago this month, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker hit a reef and spilled millions of gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska. In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig exploded and sank, causing a … Continue reading
GAO Reports by the Numbers: Natural Resources and Environment
From environmental issues to agriculture to radioactive substances, our Natural Resources and Environment team reports on topics that impact the natural world around us, the food we eat, and the disposal of nuclear waste, among other things. To get a … Continue reading
Combating Wildlife Trafficking Through Rewards
The United States has become one of the world’s largest wildlife trafficking markets and is increasingly becoming a source for illegal wildlife and wildlife products. A sample of fish, plants, wildlife and wildlife products seized at U.S. ports includes everything … Continue reading