Here are some of the stories we’ve been following this week.

Lake Erie bluffs. By Nicholas (originally posted to Flickr as Land’s End). CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Duke Energy has been ordered to speed up operations to contain coal ash pond leaks at three of the utility company’s power plants.
  • About 700,000 residents in Pennsylvania could soon see cheaper gas bills. Peoples Gas is seeking lower rates because the supply of natural gas is greater than the current demand.
  • Dangerous algal blooms were found in Lake Erie, but the Great Lake’s open waters have not been declared harmful, a decision a federal judge took issue with in his recent ruling on a lawsuit filed against the Ohio and U.S. Environmental Protection Agencies.
  • Two properties in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, are in the process of being remediated after trichloroethene (TCE) was found in the groundwater. The properties are part of the North Penn Area 6 Superfund Site.
  • The private equity firm PAG is reportedly planning to raise up to $6 billion for a new fund aimed at acquisitions in Asia.
  • A non-profit environmental organization announced its plans to sue a waste water treatment plant, alleging the plant violated water quality laws and claiming there have been 36 sanitary sewer overflows over the course of nearly four years.
  • The Fort Bend Independent School District in Texas expects a $97.7 million loss in property value due to Hurricane Harvey. The drop in property value would mean the school district would lose about one million dollars from its general fund.
  • Crews worked to clean up 4,200 gallons of oil that spilled into the Mississippi River in Louisiana on Thursday.
  • A class action lawsuit has been filed against the makers of a firefighting foam, alleging the chemicals used in the foam contaminated local water sources and resulted in a diminution of property value and other damages.