Missouri Department of Natural Resources

The Wilderness Act, passed 60 years ago, seeks to protect grand natural spaces in the U.S. to the highest level — including eight areas in Missouri. The Sierra Club will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act on Nov. 19 at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center.

The legislation requiring companies to build their meatpacking sludge storage lagoons away from nearby homes passed the Missouri Senate this week.

Critics say the Missouri legislation debated this week could jeopardize the state’s groundwater and 136,000 miles of streams.

State regulators are considering a request from Missouri Prime Beef Packers, which processes more than 3,500 cattle per week near Pleasant Hope, to treat wastewater from its operation using microorganisms and discharge it directly into the Pomme de Terre River.

Missouri is freckled with geologic features like caves and sinkholes. This is because the bedrock — composed of soluble rock like limestone and dolomite — is conducive to karst formation. Missouri has about 7,700 documented caves, the second most in the U.S. behind Tennessee.

Kansas City’s water was last tested for toxic chemicals by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 2013 and found to be safe. But the new EPA rules would set higher standards for what is considered “safe.”

The dead zone encompasses thousands of acres in the Gulf each summer and results in a significant impact to marine life.

Environmentalists have asked the state Administrative Hearing Commission to overturn a water permit for a silica mine in Ste. Genevieve. Residents and environmentalists say the permit would allow the mine to release contaminants in the local water supply.

NexGen has proposed mining silica sand in Ste. Genevieve County on about 250 acres near Hawn State Park. But Missouri didn’t conduct any sort of review of the potential environmental or public health impacts of the mine before issuing a land reclamation permit last year.

The city of Olathe recently launched a pilot program to compost food scraps from residents. While other governments around Kansas City haven't taken that step yet, there are still ways for residents to start composting and help divert food waste away from the landfill.

The Missouri Mining Commission has revoked a mining permit for a silica sand mine in Ste. Genevieve County. The commission ruled that NexGen Silica’s application did not include a full list of property owners with vested interests in the mine.

Residents in Springfield, Missouri, had no idea that their drinking water might be contaminated with toxic chemicals, disposed of improperly by a defense contractor, until 2019. In the years since, the community is still looking for answers to how this happened.