Gas line explosion burns San Bruno neighborhood. With a thunderous roar heard for miles, a natural gas line explosion ripped through a San Bruno neighborhood Thursday evening, sending up a geyser of fire that killed at least one person and injured more than 20 others, and igniting a blaze that destroyed 53 homes, authorities said. San Francisco Chronicle 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Environment groups cite Lansing power plant for coal ash pollution. Near one power plant in New Mexico, ranchers have reported losing hundreds of livestock who drank polluted groundwater. In a Montana town, people have been sickened by drinking water contaminated with high levels of sulfate and boron, the same metals discharged into groundwater by a nearby plant. Gannett News Service 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Cadmium in Chinese jewelry raises alarms. The cupcake-shaped pendants came in shades of blue and pink, studded with rhinestones. Meant for little girls, they cost as little as $8. And they were potentially deadly, according to consumer advocates. Los Angeles Times 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Lawmaker to open new front in case of soldiers exposed to carcinogen in Iraq. National Guardsmen from three states who charge defense contractor KBR Inc. with exposing them to a carcinogenic chemical during the Iraq war scored a win in an Oregon federal court last week -- and more high-profile help for the soldiers' plight could be coming soon on Capitol Hill. Greenwire 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Gulf oil spill dilemma: Accept payout from BP or sue. Thousands of business owners, fishers and others along the Gulf Coast are confronting a conundrum. Those who accept a check for their long-term losses from the victims' compensation fund will have to give up their right to sue BP. New Orleans Times-Picayune 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
12 states ask Supreme Court to review greenhouse gas 'nuisance' case. Challenging the appropriateness of using the courts to address climate change, Indiana and 11 other states are urging the Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court decision that would allow greenhouse gas emitters to be sued for their contribution to global warming. Greenwire 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
The irrigation juggernaut. Scientists have found that widespread irrigation is altering weather patterns and probably masking the effects of global warming in some localities. New York Times 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Peru water wars threaten agricultural export boom. Peru suffers from acute water shortages on its Pacific Ocean coast and they are expected to worsen as its ice fields in the Andes, the world's largest collection of tropical glaciers, melt because of climate change. Reuters 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Hundreds of levees no longer reliable. The government has determined that hundreds of levees nationwide no longer meet its standards that ensure protection during major floods, a decision that forces thousands of property owners to buy federal flood insurance. USA Today 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
NY to seek info on cleanser contents. Consumers curious — or concerned — about the chemicals in household cleaning products will get detailed rundowns under state plans to require manufacturers to detail their products' contents. Associated Press 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Study links sprawl, obesity. Car-loving Charlotte, N.C., home to strip malls and suburban sprawl, did everything right when putting in place its new light-rail transit system called the Lynx in 2007. The result: a ridership that doubled predictions, and an unexpected public health study that may be the first in proving that the built environment causes obesity. Greenwire 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Egg inspectors failed to raise alarms. U.S. Department of Agriculture experts found growing sanitary problems including bugs and overflowing trash earlier this year on the Iowa farm at the center of the national egg recall, but didn't notify health authorities, according to government documents and officials. Wall Street Journal 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Saving coal: Smart action required. For some time, Sen. Jay Rockefeller has appeared to be in step with people who deny that climate change is a threat to anyone. But on Wednesday, Rockefeller took the stage alongside U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and warned that West Virginia must take climate change seriously. Charleston Gazette 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Pelosi prompts a needed debate on oilsands. We shouldn’t have to rely on a U.S. ambassador to organize a debate solely for the benefit of a visiting American VIP. Canadians deserve a serious national debate of their own on how to manage growth in the tar/oil sands while dealing with the environmental fallout. Pelosi’s visit could be a starting point. Toronto Star 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Bring solar power back to the White House. We wasted three decades when we could have been using the sun's power instead of coal to heat our water. As scientists tell us with increasing fervor, we're laying waste to the planet's climate. Now is the moment to go back to the future and we could start with solar panels on the White House. Washington Post 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Childhood immune illnesses presage lifelong disease patterns. The immune system may underlie several, seemingly unrelated health problems, many of which surface in childhood and precede others experienced across a lifetime, according to researchers who liken these early life immune dysfunctions to canaries in a coal mine. Environmental Health News 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
A safer flame retardant protects an everyday plastic. Polypropylene plastic (PP) was less flammable yet remained strong when mixed with two chemicals considered safer than those currently used as flame retardants, report Chinese researchers. Environmental Health News 2010-09-10T09:00-05:00
Carbon trade or carbon con? In the carbon market, a good deal for the environment needs to also be a good deal for the bottom line. Vouching for environmental credibility isn't easy: Who verifies the verifiers? Daily Climate 2010-09-09T09:00-05:00
Mining the truth on coal supplies. A new study seeks to shake up the assumption that use of coal, the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, is bound to continue its inexorable rise. In fact, the authors predict that world coal production may reach its peak as early as next year, and then begin a permanent decline. National Geographic News 2010-09-09T09:00-05:00
China takes lead in clean energy, with aggressive state aid. Until very recently, Hunan Province was known mainly for lip-searing spicy food, smoggy cities and destitute pig farmers. Now, Changsha and two adjacent cities are emerging as a center of clean energy manufacturing. New York Times 2010-09-09T09:00-05:00
Canada helps create an oil sands world. Huge unconventional fuel reserves, like oil sands and oil shale, lie untapped worldwide. These emit much more carbon than regular oil, causing green groups to call them climate killers. Most countries lack the necessary capital, technology and expertise to tap them. But Canada is helping to change that. Vancouver Tyee 2010-09-09T09:00-05:00
Shun oilsands, save 'billions': Greenpeace. Canadians could save billions of dollars while reducing greenhousegas emissions and creating thousands of jobs if the country plots a new energy strategy that turns away from the oilsands industry, says a new report to be released today. Postmedia News 2010-09-09T09:00-05:00