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MTBE Cool
Big Oil will shell out for groundwater cleanup |
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08 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:07 AM on 08 May 2008 Some of the nation's largest oil companies will over the next 30 years have to pay to clean up groundwater befouled with gasoline additive MTBE. In settling a suit brought by 153 public water providers in 17 states, a dozen companies -- including BP, Shell, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron -- will also have to pay a total $423 million cash. If approved, the settlement will be "a step in the direction of ma ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, energy, litigation, news, toxics, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Do as the Bill Says, Not as It Does
Senators both GOP and Dem introduce destined-to-fail legislation |
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07 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:54 PM on 07 May 2008 Senate Democrats are trying once again to yank $17 billion in tax breaks away from oil companies that are enjoying booming profits. The Consumer-First Energy Act, introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, would also put a 25 percent tax on oil companies that don't invest in renewable energy. Bill cosponsor Harry Reid (D-Nev.) sums up, "Big Oil is making money h ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, energy, legislation, news, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Be Like Nike
Big biz ranked on greenness |
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07 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:47 PM on 07 May 2008 Takeaways from a new ranking of eco-friendly practices in big biz: Consumer companies are getting greener, but there's plenty of ground to gain. In its second annual scorecard, nonprofit Climate Counts ranked 56 companies on their measurement, reduction, and disclosure of greenhouse gases. Eighty-four percent of the companies scored higher this year than they did in 2007, but the average score was still only 40 out of a p ... |
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| Topics: business, climate, green living, greenhouse-gas emissions, greening biz operations, greenish companies, news, shopping (all these topics) |
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Alas, Alaska
Alaska legislature looking for polar-bear skeptics |
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07 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:32 AM on 07 May 2008 The Alaska legislature wants to use $2 million in state money to fund an "academic based" conference to highlight the views of scientists who don't think the polar bear should be put on the endangered-species list. The U.S. Interior Department must make a decision by May 15 on whether polar bears are a threatened or endangered species, and "[w]e want to have the money to hire scientis ... |
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| Topics: Alaska, climate, climate change skepticism, dumbassery , endangered species, news, polar bears, politics, state politics (all these topics) |
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This One's for Mom Earth
Sierra Club will sue over new coal plants |
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07 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:11 AM on 07 May 2008 The Sierra Club is planning lawsuits to halt construction of coal plants in seven states, arguing that the mercury-spewing plants violate the Clean Air Act. Noting that a federal appeals court ruled in February that the Bush administration's mercury regulations were too lax, the green group seeks to require the coal plants to get new state permits meeting tougher emissions standards. "We wan ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, litigation, mercury, news, Sierra Club (all these topics) |
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Bad News, Bees
Honeybee hives in U.S. seeing continued decline, survey says |
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07 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:17 AM on 07 May 2008 Honeybee populations in the United States continued their decline last year, according to a survey of bee health by the Apiary Inspectors of America; U.S. commercial beekeepers saw the loss of 36 percent more hives than last year. "For two years in a row, we've sustained a substantial loss," said Dennis van Engelsdorp of AIA. "That's an astonishing number. Imagine if one o ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, news, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Rocket Bottle
EPA not super-interested in keeping rocket fuel out of drinking water |
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06 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:53 PM on 06 May 2008 There is a "distinct possibility" that the U.S. EPA will pass on restricting perchlorate in the nation's water supplies, an agency official said Tuesday. Perchlorate, a rocket fuel ingredient that has been found at some 400 places in 35 states, can muck up normal thyroid function. But Benjamin Grumbles, the EPA assistant administrator for water, told the Senate Environm ... |
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| Topics: food, news, politics, toxics, US EPA, water pollution (all these topics) |
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We Will Connecticut You Now
Connecticut goes big with emissions-reducing goals |
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06 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:50 PM on 06 May 2008 The Connecticut senate has unanimously passed a bill aimed at reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, becoming the fifth state to pass such legislation (after California, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Washington). The bill would require Connecticut to reduce emissions 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050. If, as expected, Gov. Jodi Rell (R) signs it into ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, Connecticut, greenhouse-gas emissions, legislation, news, politics, progress, state politics (all these topics) |
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A Good Mangrove Is Hard to Find
Deforestation may have increased impact of devastating cyclone |
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06 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:28 PM on 06 May 2008 The devastating impact of Cyclone Nargis, which has killed at least 22,000 people in Myanmar, could have been mitigated if mangrove forests had remained intact, says the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Mangrove forests are densely vegetated and act as natural storm barriers, but many of the forests in Myanmar have been converted into sh ... |
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| Topics: aquaculture, deforestation, Myanmar, news, severe weather (all these topics) |
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Better Ungulate Than Never
Indian camels celebrate high oil prices |
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06 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:22 AM on 06 May 2008 Rising oil prices have many Homo sapiens in a tizzy, but at least one species is celebrating high fuel costs: the camel. Finding it spendy to fuel their tractors, farmers in India are turning to ungulate power. "It's excellent for the camel population if the price of oil continues to go up because demand for camels will also go up," says Ilse Köhler-Rollefson of the League for Pastoral ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, India, news, oil, wildlife (all these topics) |
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House of Cads
Bhopal activists detained after protest at Prime Minister's house |
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06 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:57 AM on 06 May 2008 Activists and victims of the world's worst industrial accident in Bhopal, India, in 1984 were detained by police this week after protesting in front of the Indian Prime Minister's house. The Bhopal protesters, including many children, have been in Delhi for over a month waiting for an audience with the PM after walking there from Bhopal, 500 miles away. "Today, the Bhopal gas vi ... |
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| Topics: India, news, politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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If You Can't Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Tropics
Tropical insects under grave threat from climate change, study says |
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06 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:11 AM on 06 May 2008 Tropical insects and other temperature-dependent critters that make their home in the tropics could be in grave danger from climate change, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As opposed to species at the world's poles that frequently encounter a wide range of temperatures, tropical insects ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, news, scientific research, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Goodbye for Nau
Eco-friendly outdoor-clothing company goes under |
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05 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:20 PM on 05 May 2008 Last year, Eric Brody of outdoor-apparel company Nau excitedly chatted with Grist readers about his new enterprise and its ambitious sustainability plans. This week, the company announced that it's closing its doors: "Just as we could not have predicted the sudden groundswell of environmental consciousness that blossomed at the time we launched our business, we did not foresee the current cri ... |
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| Topics: business, fashion, greenish companies, news (all these topics) |
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The Hair Up There
Pollution may influence baldness, study says |
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05 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:06 PM on 05 May 2008 Pollution may be one factor in the onset of baldness, says a new study from researchers at the University of London. Genetic factors are believed to play the largest role in bringing about baldness, but men who live in heavily polluted areas may experience hair loss sooner or more dramatically than those in less polluted locales. The researchers found that carcinogens and other chemicals in the air a ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, news, scientific research (all these topics) |
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It's Like a Glow-in-the-Dark Gold Rush
Projected nuke-power renaissance spurs U.S. uranium-mining bonanza |
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05 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:15 AM on 05 May 2008 Due to the escalating price of uranium, a flurry of uranium-mining claims has been staked in the United States recently, with one of the greatest concentrations around the Grand Canyon in Arizona. On public lands within five miles of Grand Canyon National Park, there are now 1,100 uranium-mining claims, compared with just 10 in January 2003. One proposed ura ... |
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| Topics: mining, news, nuclear power, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Putting the 'Cute' Back in Execute
Captured sea lions on Columbia River assassinated |
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05 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:00 AM on 05 May 2008 Six salmon-eating sea lions captured on the Columbia River in the U.S. Northwest were shot and killed over the weekend near the Bonneville Dam by an unknown assailant. A few weeks ago, the federal government itself announced it would allow wildlife officials in Oregon and Washington to kill up to 85 sea lions a year in the Bonneville area since they were eating large quantities ... |
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| Topics: news, United States, wildlife (all these topics) |
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A Friend Indeed
Friends of the Earth Action endorses Obama; candidates spar over |
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03 May 2008 |
News |
| "gas tax holiday" Posted at 2:54 PM on 03 May 2008 Green group Friends of the Earth Action endorsed Barack Obama for president on Saturday, citing his principled stand against a temporary suspension of the gasoline tax. "The 'gas tax holiday' debate is a defining moment in the presidential race," said Friends of the Earth Action President Brent Blackwelder. "The two other candidates respon ... |
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| Topics: Barack Obama, elections, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, news, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics) |
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From My Coal-Dead Kans.
Veto override fails in Kansas; embattled coal plants remain dead |
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02 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:57 AM on 02 May 2008 Two new coal-fired power plants will not be built in western Kansas due to a failed attempt to override the governor's veto. The coal-plant saga began when a state environment official last year rejected Sunflower Energy's permit to build the new plants -- the first such rejection in the U.S. on the basis of carbon dioxide emissions. State legislators who had backed the plan ... |
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| Topics: climate, coal, Kansas, news, politics, state politics (all these topics) |
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A Compact, With Less of the Devil
Small cars gaining popularity in U.S. amid high fuel costs |
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02 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:48 AM on 02 May 2008 High gasoline prices and other economic woes have driven car-buyers in the U.S. to purchase smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles lately. Last month, sales of compact and subcompact cars made up about 20 percent of total sales; in the mid 1990s, small cars accounted for only about one in eight cars sold in the country. Sales of vehicles with four-cylinder engines also ou ... |
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| Topics: business, cars, news, United States (all these topics) |
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If the Leaders Lead, the Lead Standards Will Follow
U.S. EPA to tighten standard for airborne lead |
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02 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:24 AM on 02 May 2008 Compelled by court order to review its 30-year-old standards for airborne lead, the U.S. EPA proposed a new, tougher standard this week that would cut allowable lead levels by over 90 percent. True to form, though, the agency proposed a range of standards that exceeded the maximum limit of what its scientific advisers recommended as necessary to protect public heal ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Mary, Mary, Too Contrary
Bush admin ousts top EPA official over Dow Chemical pollution case |
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01 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:41 PM on 01 May 2008 The Bush administration forced out the U.S. EPA's top Midwest regulator on Thursday, after months of contention over a pollution case involving Dow Chemical, the Chicago Tribune reports. Mary Gade, who was appointed by President Bush in 2006, had been tussling with Dow over plans to get the company to clean up extensive dioxin pollution that it dumped into Michigan waterw ... |
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| Topics: news, shenanigans, toxics, US EPA, water pollution (all these topics) |
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'Bout the Bullet
DOI takes public comment on allowing loaded guns in national parks |
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01 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:50 PM on 01 May 2008 The Interior Department has officially proposed allowing concealed firearms into some national parks and wildlife refuges. State laws against carrying loaded guns into parks would supersede the new rule: thus, for example, visitors to Death Valley National Park could tote a gun in the Nevada portion of the park, but not on the California side. As expected, opinions vary on the ma ... |
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| Topics: Department of Interior, legislation, national parks, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Greening the Green
Private equity firm and green group partner up |
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01 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:06 PM on 01 May 2008 The Environmental Defense Fund has struck a first-of-its-kind "green portfolio" deal with gigantic private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. The partnership plans to develop tools to measure and improve the environmental performance of KKR'S U.S. companies, with metrics including energy efficiency, greenhouse-gas emissions, water consumption, and toxic waste. KKR has more than $185 bi ... |
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| Topics: business, Environmental Defense Fund, greening biz operations, investing, news (all these topics) |
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It's the Pitts
Pittsburgh beats out L.A. for sootiest U.S. city |
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01 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:14 AM on 01 May 2008 Pittsburgh, Pa., has received the dubious honor of being the U.S. city most well-sooted for short-term particle pollution, topping an annual list put out by the American Lung Association. Los Angeles came in at a surprise second as Pittsburgh became the first non-California city to top an ALA list. "It's not that Pittsburgh has gotten worse," says the association's Janice Nolen. "It's ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, Los Angeles, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Wronging the Rights
White House tries to interfere with right whale protections |
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01 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:27 AM on 01 May 2008 Photo: noaa.gov The White House has attempted to stymie a rule that would help protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, documents show. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists recommended that large ships off the Atlantic coast be required to slow their speed to 10 knots (11.5 miles per hour) during certain times of the year to avoid deadly col ... |
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| Topics: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, news, scientific research, White House, wildlife (all these topics) |
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