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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Spring in a Step
EPA will request public comment on GHG regulation this spring |
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27 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:06 PM on 27 Mar 2008 SCOTUS decreed that the U.S. EPA must decide whether the climate-change effects of carbon dioxide endanger public health, and, at long last, the agency is moving on that decision -- kinda. In a letter to U.S. lawmakers Thursday, chief Stephen Johnson wrote that the EPA is writing proposed rules for regulation of CO2 emissions "from stationary and mobile sources" and will som ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, politics, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Twisted Mettle
Bush admin appeals ruling on mercury cap-and-trade plan |
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27 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:00 AM on 27 Mar 2008 The Bush administration has appealed a court ruling that struck down the U.S. EPA's controversial mercury cap-and-trade plan. The earlier ruling by a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals found the EPA violated the Clean Air Act when it enacted the mercury rule in 2005. The cap-and-trade system allowed dirtier power plants to buy the right to pollute from cleaner ones; 17 sta ... |
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| Topics: litigation, news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Sebelius vetoes coal bill
Governor plays chicken with legislature over coal in Kansas |
David Roberts |
21 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: coal, energy, Kansas, politics, state politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Conflicts of Interest of Interest
House committee to investigate EPA panel members' conflicts of interest |
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18 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:22 AM on 18 Mar 2008 A House committee has opened an investigation into possible conflicts of interest concerning members of U.S. EPA expert panels that advise the agency on matters such as banning or restricting the use of certain toxic chemicals. The EPA stirred up controversy last year when it dismissed a toxicologist from a panel that was reviewing the potential health dange ... |
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| Topics: Congress, news, politics, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Pros and Econs
EPA's economic analysis of climate bill relatively favorable |
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17 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:39 AM on 17 Mar 2008 The U.S. EPA has released its economic analysis of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008, concluding that implementing the bill, which includes a carbon cap-and-trade system, would not significantly harm the U.S. economy over the next 20 years. The agency estimated the bill would likely cut U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions 11 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and about 56 percen ... |
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| Topics: business, carbon trading, climate, economy, news, US EPA (all these topics) |
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They'll Never Learn
EPA closure of research libraries was a stupid idea, says GAO |
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14 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:29 PM on 14 Mar 2008 The U.S. EPA decision to deal with a 2006 funding cut by closing several research libraries was not very well thought out, says a new report from the Government Accountability Office. To take just one example: The EPA promised to compensate for the closures by making information available on the internet, but due to copyright issues, only some 10 percent of the library system's doc ... |
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| Topics: Government Accountability Office, news, scientific research, US EPA (all these topics) |
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L.A. Times linked to lame climate coverage
CO2's connection to global warming is not murky |
Joseph Romm |
14 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Diesel Do
EPA announces tough air-pollution standards for shipping industry |
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14 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:08 PM on 14 Mar 2008 The U.S. EPA Friday announced tough new diesel pollution standards for the shipping industry (perhaps to distract us from Wednesday's announcement of not-so-tough ozone standards.) The new standards for diesel trains and ships will begin to be phased in in 2015; when in full effect, they'll require a 90 percent reduction in soot emissions and an 80 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide emi ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, business, news, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Bush Whacked
President Bush interfered to weaken U.S. ozone standards |
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14 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:39 AM on 14 Mar 2008 President Bush interfered at the last minute to weaken the recently announced U.S. ozone standards, according to EPA documents. On Wednesday, the EPA set both the "public health" standard (how much ozone is in one place at one time) and the "public welfare" standard (consideration of the long-term effect of ozone) at the same level. Before Bush interfered, the agency planne ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, George Bush, health, jackassery, news, ozone, politics, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Gasp!
EPA lowers ozone limit, but ignores scientific advisers' calls to lower it more |
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12 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:34 PM on 12 Mar 2008 Photo: iStockphoto In an effort to clear up smog, the U.S. EPA on Wednesday lowered the permissible amount of ozone in the air, a move that will require 345 counties around the country to clamp down on pollution over the coming years. But the agency ignored the calls of its own scientific advisers for a steeper pollution cut. The EPA will lower the ozone standard to 75 parts ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, news, ozone, politics, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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I Sink, Therefore I Am
On tap water |
Umbra Fisk |
12 Mar 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Umbra, I was wondering where the H2O from the tap comes from, and where it goes to. Beth Swarthmore, Pa. Dearest Beth, It comes from and goes back to the water cycle, which I've been reading a lot about in Richard Scarry's classic work What Do People Do All Day? The book answers the "where it comes from" question, but Scarry doesn't have so much to say about sewage. Lowly Worm does not get to travel through the toilet. Let ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, US EPA, water pollution (all these topics) |
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The Cost of Doltish Business
Company agrees to pay record $250 million in Superfund cleanup costs |
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12 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:26 AM on 12 Mar 2008 W.R. Grace & Co. agreed to pay $250 million to reimburse the U.S. EPA for ongoing cleanup of the asbestos-ridden mining town of Libby, Mont. A mine owned by Grace that operated from 1963 until 1990 contaminated much of the town with asbestos-tainted vermiculite. Over 200 area residents have died from related cancers, and over 1,200 more show signs of lung abnorm ... |
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| Topics: business, litigation, news, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Pointed Defiance
Bill introduced in House to overturn EPA's California decision |
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07 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:43 AM on 07 Mar 2008 A bill introduced Thursday in the House of Representatives would grant California the right to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from vehicles, and pave the way for 12 other states to do the same. The U.S. EPA's decision to keep California from regulating car GHG emissions "defied the science, defied the states, and defied common sense," said bill cosponsor Peter Welch (D-V ... |
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| Topics: California, cars, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, news, politics, regulation, US EPA, US House of Representatives (all these topics) |
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Keep your laws off my germ-resistant hook
EPA versus the antimicrobial keychain |
Tia Ghose |
06 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: US EPA, health, toxics, innovation (all these topics) |
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Hey, EPA, when are you going to develop that national system for regulating CO2?
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David Roberts |
05 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: greenhouse-gas emissions, politics, US EPA, climate, air pollution (all these topics) |
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Smog showdown
Public health pitted against polluter pressure |
Frank O'Donnell |
05 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Not Everyone Can Be a Decider
Timing of EPA decision on vehicle greenhouse-gas regulation still a mystery |
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05 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:18 AM on 05 Mar 2008 When will the U.S. EPA decide whether to regulate vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions? EPA head Stephen Johnson testified in the Senate Tuesday that he just couldn't say, even though it's been nearly a year since the agency was directed by the Supreme Court to make that decision. When asked whether any EPA staffers were currently working on the issue, Johnson s ... |
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| Topics: climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, jackassery, news, politics, regulation, US EPA, US Senate (all these topics) |
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California waiver update
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David Roberts |
04 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: air pollution, California, climate, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, health, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Leavin' Stephen
EPA unions withdraw from cooperation agreement |
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04 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:37 PM on 04 Mar 2008 Union local presidents representing the vast majority of U.S. EPA employees have withdrawn from a cooperation agreement with their Bush-appointed supervisors, claiming "abuses of our good nature and trust." In a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, the unionized workers wrote that he retaliates against whistleblowers and ignores principles of scientific integrity "whenever poli ... |
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| Topics: jackassery, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Cutting Carbofuran
EPA attempt to ban bird-killing pesticide runs into opposition |
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03 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:54 PM on 03 Mar 2008 The U.S. EPA has proposed a ban on a pesticide lethal to birds, but is running into resistance from the company that produces the chemical. The pesticide, carbofuran, is typically used on crops such as corn, alfalfa, and potatoes, and has been linked to the dieoff of 558 separate bird flocks since 1972. A manager with pesticide manufacturer FMC Corp. says carbofuran, "when use ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, Big Ag, business, Congress, industrial ag, news, politics, toxics, US EPA, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Like Spite on Rice
Scientist with concerns about chemical removed from EPA panel |
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29 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:52 PM on 29 Feb 2008 An award-winning toxicologist was removed from a U.S. EPA panel reviewing the potential health dangers of deca, a flame retardant widely used in electronics, after the American Chemistry Council claimed she was biased. Deborah Rice had testified for the Maine legislature in support of a state ban on deca; EPA officials cited "the perception of a potential conflict of interest&q ... |
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| Topics: Environmental Working Group, news, politics, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Hot, noxious air from Bush administration
The EPA's phony explanation of its rejection of California |
Frank O'Donnell |
29 Feb 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: air pollution, California, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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The League of Extraordinary Conditions
EPA releases unconvincing justification for denying California waiver |
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29 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:54 AM on 29 Feb 2008 For the long wait that preceded it, the U.S. EPA's just-released justification for disallowing California to regulate vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions is rather anticlimactic. The 48-page document argues that California lacks the "compelling and extraordinary conditions" required for special regulatory permission, because the rest of the nation ... |
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| Topics: California, cars, climate, climate change impacts, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Hackus interruptus
EPA staffers warned Johnson he might have to resign if he denied Cali's waiver |
David Roberts |
26 Feb 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: air pollution, California, climate, greenhouse-gas emissions, shenanigans, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Living Through Chemistry
Toxics report shows slight dip in U.S. releases overall, mercury releases up |
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22 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:56 AM on 22 Feb 2008 The U.S. EPA's 2006 Toxics Release Inventory just came out, showing a slight decline in total toxic chemicals released in the country, as well as a 17 percent increase in releases of mercury. Individual states showed mixed results, with Arizona's total toxic releases shooting up by 52 percent from 2005 to 2006 due almost entirely to pollution from one mine that ... |
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| Topics: news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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