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Canadians Are So Cute When They're Mad
Canadians fear U.S. energy bill clause could disallow oil-sands exports |
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11 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:17 PM on 11 Mar 2008 A clause in the recently passed U.S. energy bill could be interpreted to prevent the U.S. from sourcing fuel from Canada's oil sands, putting Canadian officials all in a tizzy. Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act prohibits the U.S. government from purchasing alternative fuels with higher lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions than conven ... |
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| Topics: Canada, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, news, oil, oil sands, politics, United States (all these topics) |
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Dances Without Wolverines
Feds decide not to list wolverine as threatened or endangered |
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11 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:26 AM on 11 Mar 2008 Photo: iStockphoto The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided not to list wolverines in the Lower 48 states as threatened or endangered. The agency concluded that wolverines didn't need Endangered Species Act protections in the Lower 48 since viable populations exist in Canada and Alaska. The FWS said the Lower 48 wolverine population "is not separated from wolverine ... |
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| Topics: endangered species, news, United States, US Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Murrelet My Habitat Go
FWS drops plans to cut critical habitat for marbled murrelet |
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06 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:15 PM on 06 Mar 2008 In a significant and unexpected victory for environmentalists, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reversed its plans to significantly cut critical habitat for the marbled murrelet. The tiny seabird is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and the FWS had threatened to cut over 90 percent of its critical habitat as part of the Bush administration's plans to inc ... |
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| Topics: endangered species, news, United States, US Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Everything Old, and Nukes Again
Bush talks up nukes, ethanol, and technology at renewable-energy meeting |
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06 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:58 AM on 06 Mar 2008 President Bush addressed a renewable-energy conference in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, repeating earlier declarations that the United States is dependent on oil and that investment in technology will solve the country's energy problems. "[W]e've got to reduce our dependence on oil and fossil fuels, and replace them with alternative energy sources to powe ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, George Bush, news, nuclear power, renewable energy, United States (all these topics) |
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Leave Us a Loan
Federal loan program for coal-fired power plants suspended amid climate, cost concerns |
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05 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:10 AM on 05 Mar 2008 A federal loan program for coal-fired power plants in rural areas has been suspended due to concerns over climate change and the costs of the program. The Rural Utilities Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, issued $1.3 billion in loans to coal plants since 2001 under the program. However, RUS officials said costs for new coal-fired power plants ... |
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| Topics: business, coal, Department of Agriculture, news, United States (all these topics) |
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Science Unfair!
Climate skeptics hold conference in New York City |
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04 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:34 AM on 04 Mar 2008 A conference of climate-change skeptics gathered in New York City this week to congratulate each other for daring to challenge the accepted science of global warming. A range of high-profile deniers painted themselves as put-upon independent thinkers branded as heretics by the church of climate-change dogma. Films were shown. Speeches were made. Al Gore jokes abounded. But actual climate science w ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change skepticism, news, United States (all these topics) |
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Starting to Tank
Americans using less gasoline |
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03 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:41 PM on 03 Mar 2008 Well, it's finally happened: Americans are starting to use less gasoline. It took a weakened economy and record oil prices -- crude hit an all-time high of $103.95 a barrel Monday -- but in the past six weeks, U.S. gasoline consumption has fallen by an average 1.1 percent from 2007 levels, the most sustained drop in at least 16 years (excepting the dropoff that followed Hurricane Katrina). As Americans move to mitig ... |
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| Topics: energy, green living, news, oil, placemaking, United States (all these topics) |
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Unfortunate Sonar
Appeals court rules against Navy in sonar case |
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03 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:39 AM on 03 Mar 2008 A federal appeals court on Friday upheld many restrictions on the Navy's use of mid-frequency sonar off the coast of Southern California, reinforcing a lower court ruling from last month. President Bush had tried to exempt the Navy from the relevant environmental laws in January, but the appeals court agreed with an earlier ruling that questioned the constitutionality of Bush's attempted exemption, ... |
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| Topics: litigation, news, oceans, United States, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Waste Not, Want Waste Not
U.S. may import 20,000 tons of nuclear waste |
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28 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:08 PM on 28 Feb 2008 Know how the U.S. hasn't even figured out a long-term solution for its own nuclear waste? Perhaps importing 20,000 tons of radioactive material from Italy might not be the best idea. Not to mention that we don't want to do the Italians any favors until they decriminalize crotch-grabbing. From the Archives Ducking Donald. U.S. forest official will not be jailed over f ... |
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| Topics: energy, Italy, news, nuclear power, United States, waste (all these topics) |
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Mate? ... Check
Ralph Nader chooses running mate |
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28 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:32 AM on 28 Feb 2008 Ralph Nader has chosen former San Francisco City Supervisor Matt Gonzalez as a running mate for his 2008 presidential bid. Gonzalez was elected as a San Francisco supervisor in 2000 -- the first Green Party candidate to hold the job. In 2003, Gonzalez narrowly lost a bid for San Francisco mayor to Gavin Newsom, the current SF mayor. Gonzalez, at 42-years-old, provides a relatively youthful infusion to the Nader ti ... |
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| Topics: elections, news, politics, United States (all these topics) |
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An Eye for a Buckeye
Dems touch on green issues at debate in crucial primary state of Ohio |
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27 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:32 AM on 27 Feb 2008 Environmental issues popped up during a discussion of trade policy in last night's debate between Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Clinton said she would "renegotiate the core labor and environmental standards" of NAFTA. Obama agreed, saying, "I intend to make certain that every [trade] agreement that we sign has the labor ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, news, politics, presidential race 08, United States (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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No More Required
Why are biofuels losing steam in Europe -- and barreling ahead in the U.S.? |
Tom Philpott |
21 Feb 2008 |
Victual Reality |
| The signs are cropping up -- we just need to heed them. Photo: iStockphoto "Biodiesel: No War Required," reads a bumper sticker I see more often than you might expect in North Carolina. As in other states across the nation, a lot of activist energy here has gone into creating a market for diesel fuel made from vegetable oil. Of course, it's an uphill ride, given that ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, biofuels, cellulosic ethanol, ethanol, European Union, progress, United States (all these topics) |
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Hero or Zero?
McCain gets a zero from League of Conservation Voters; Obama and Clinton score better |
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21 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:47 AM on 21 Feb 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain got a score of zero from the League of Conservation Voters for his voting record on environmental issues in Congress in 2007 -- not because he voted against environmental protections, but because he simply didn't show up to vote. McCain missed all 15 of the Senate votes that LCV counted in compiling its annual congres ... |
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| Topics: John McCain, news, politics, presidential race 08, United States (all these topics) |
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Across the Gray Divide
Gray wolves in northern Rocky Mountains lose endangered-species protections |
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21 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:21 AM on 21 Feb 2008 Gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains will be removed from Endangered Species Act protections next month, the U.S. Fish and Wild Service announced Thursday. Management of the wolf population will be turned over to states on March 27. In states such as Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming where conservatives have shown rancor toward the predators that they see as threa ... |
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| Topics: endangered species, news, United States, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Numb31Mrs
CBS to pay $31 million to clean up Indiana Superfund sites |
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20 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:43 AM on 20 Feb 2008 The media giant CBS has agreed to pay $31 million to clean up six ultra-polluted Superfund sites around Bloomington, Ind. CBS is the corporate successor of Westinghouse, which ran industrial operations in the area that polluted streams and groundwater with high concentrations of PCBs. An agreement to clean up the contamination in the 1990s was abandoned; CBS has been negotiating another deal wi ... |
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| Topics: business, Indiana, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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A Batt Out of Hell
Mattel, Toys |
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19 Feb 2008 |
News |
| "R" Us to phase out cadmium batteries, citing toxicity Posted at 6:49 AM on 19 Feb 2008 Toy giants Mattel and Toys "R" Us have announced they will phase out cadmium batteries due to their toxicity and the associated health problems they can cause at the factories in China that produce them. Scores of factory workers have been sickened by cadmium, which can cause lung cancer, bone disease, and kidney failure, but cadmium batteries are still use ... |
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| Topics: business, China, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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'Hyde and Shriek
CDC confirms FEMA trailers tainted with formaldehyde; residents urged to move |
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14 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:03 PM on 14 Feb 2008 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has confirmed that the trailers used to house Gulf Coast hurricane victims are tainted with high levels of formaldehyde. The Federal Emergency Management Agency urged residents of over 35,000 of the trailers to move out as soon as possible, especially families with kids, elderly folks, and those with chronic illnesses. Formaldehyde ... |
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| Topics: health, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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You, Pelican, Thank Us Later
Brown pelicans to be removed from endangered species list |
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11 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:42 AM on 11 Feb 2008 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will remove brown pelicans from the endangered species list within a year. Brown pelicans have been listed as endangered since 1970, even before the Endangered Species Act was born, due to the effects of the ultra-toxic pesticide DDT that thinned their eggshells, causing rapid population decline. But since the ban on DDT in the U ... |
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| Topics: endangered species, news, United States, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Cap 'n' Crunched
Bush's controversial mercury rule for power plants struck down by federal court |
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08 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:57 AM on 08 Feb 2008 Bad news for the Bush administration: A federal appeals court on Friday struck down a U.S. EPA rule that would have let coal-fired power plants trade the right to emit mercury, a neurotoxin that contaminates waterways, accumulates in fish, and has been linked to nerve and brain damage, particularly in children. Environmentalists and public health advocates, among oth ... |
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| Topics: litigation, news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Curb Uranium Enthusiasm
Exploratory uranium mine near Grand Canyon given go-ahead |
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07 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:22 AM on 07 Feb 2008 The U.S. Forest Service has granted a permit to a British mining company to drill exploratory uranium mines just miles from Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona and just three miles from a popular lookout. Officials in the county voted unanimously to try to stop the exploration, but their opposition has had little effect since the mine is on national forest land. An antiq ... |
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| Topics: Arizona, mining, news, public lands, United States (all these topics) |
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Threatened Level: Salmon
Oregon coast coho salmon re-listed as threatened |
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06 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:13 AM on 06 Feb 2008 Coho salmon off the Oregon coast have been re-listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Yesterday's move was compelled by a court-ordered deadline mandating that the NOAA Fisheries Service reconsider its 2006 decision to delist the coho because it wasn't based on the best available science. The Oregon coastal coho stock has been the subject of contentious debate and litigation ... |
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| Topics: fishing, news, Oregon, United States, wildlife (all these topics) |
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The Fellowship of the Ping
Judge rules Navy must comply with sonar rules |
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05 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:45 AM on 05 Feb 2008 A federal judge has ruled that the Navy must comply with earlier restrictions imposed on its use of sonar near the California coast despite a recent attempt by President Bush to exempt the agency from relevant environmental laws. The judge said that Bush's Navy exemption last month was "constitutionally suspect," but that she didn't need to rule on its constitutionality to reinsta ... |
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| Topics: litigation, news, oceans, United States, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Mark(et)ed for Death
Three Wall Street banks announce funding restrictions for new coal power plants |
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04 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:24 AM on 04 Feb 2008 Photo: iStockphoto Three major investment banks, Citigroup, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley, will announce new environmental standards today that are expected to make it more difficult for large coal-fired power plants in the United States to get funding. The standards anticipate some form of cap-and-trade program becoming law in the U.S. in coming years an ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, coal, news, politics, United States (all these topics) |
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Snow Woe
Climate change leading to water shortages in U.S. West, says study |
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01 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:58 AM on 01 Feb 2008 Remember water? We're not quite at the point of calling it a thing of the past -- but it sure looks to become scarce in the U.S. West, says a new study in the journal Science. It's not natural weather variability or volcanic activity, say researchers, but quite clearly climate change that is leading to swiftly declining snowpack in Western mountains, which leads to rivers running dry, wh ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, news, scientific research, United States, water crisis (all these topics) |
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