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

  • Contaminated groundwater continues to seep into the Trinity River in Fort Worth, Texas, but it may be some time before city officials are able to address the problem.
  • Monsanto faces a $100 million lawsuit from the state of Oregon over alleged PCB contamination in several areas of the state, including Portland Harbor.
  • There are millions of tons of coal ash in Virginia from four power plants, but there is a demand for it too, from concrete makers in the area.
  • Property values in Calgary, Alberta, Canada are up two percent from last year.
  • Offshore drilling could soon be coming to Virginia and North Carolina. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke plans to hold the largest ever auction of offshore leases.
  • Home values in Maryland are up an average of nearly six percent, and the average for commercial property values jumped more than 12 percent over the last three years.
  • California lawmakers are expected to make the state’s housing crisis a priority during the 2018 session.
  • Redding, Connecticut, could become the 35th town in the state to ban hydraulic fracturing. Residents will vote on a ban at an upcoming town meeting.
  • A county in South Carolina still needs to appraise over 2,000 properties, and officials say a lack of staffing is causing the backlog.