Senate Dems Give Up on Spill Bill
"Democrats on Tuesday gave up trying to pass even a scaled-back energy bill this summer that would have removed liability ceilings on oil companies, a reaction to the BP oil spill."
Source: AP, 08/04/2010
National (U.S.)
BP Says Mud from 'Static Kill' Has Stopped Gulf Well
"BP says it has reached the 'desired outcome' in a procedure in which it pumped mud down the throat of the blown-out well that is leaking in the Gulf of Mexico. ... The company said Wednesday that the well pressure was being controlled, 'which is the desired outcome of the static kill procedure carried out yesterday.'"
Source: AP, 08/04/2010
Managing Stormwater: Key in Water Pollution, Beach Closures
Here's a roundup of recent developments and resources that can help you cover how local stormwater management fits into the regional and national picture, including the Natural Resources Defense Council's 20th annual beach report and the proposed Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2010.
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Studies: Lighten Up on Roof and Pavement Color
While not a stand-alone climate change-fighting measure, converting roofs and pavements in tropical and temperate cities of one million or more people to light-colored materials would provide the equivalent one-time benefit of eliminating two years' worth of global CO2 emissions, or eliminating the emissions of 300 million vehicles for 20 years.
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EPA Gets TRI Data Out Quickly This Year
Data for the 2009 Toxics Release Inventory, released July 28, 2010, includes only about 80% of the total expected submissions so it's not possible to look at category totals, trends, and other aspects that require 100% of the data until later this year. However, you can report immediately on many local emitters, including evaluations of their totals and trends.
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2 Reports Call Water Shortages Serious, Widespread Threat
Sandia National Laboratories and the Natural Resources Defense Council independently publish similar conclusions based on a range of scenarios developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report, in conjunction with various economic models.
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"This IS His Grandfather's Bug, But Now It's Electric"
"If the Chevy Volt's $40,000 price tag sounds a bit too steep, you could always go the do-it-yourself route of Oregon teenager Ashton Stark. He just finished a yearlong conversion of his grandfather's 1972 Volkswagen Super Beetle into an electric car."
Source: NPR, 08/03/2010
"House Approves Oil Spill Reform Bill"
"The House of Representatives on Friday approved the toughest reforms ever to offshore energy drilling practices, as Democrats narrowly pushed through an election-year response to BP's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico."
Source: Reuters, 08/03/2010
"Enviro Group Sues EPA Over Greenhouse Gas 'Tailoring' Rule"
"Environmentalists are suing U.S. EPA over a rule that aims to regulate greenhouse gases from only the largest industrial sources, arguing that the agency exempts too many big polluters."
Source: Greenwire, 08/03/2010
"EPA: Oil-Dispersant Mix in Gulf Is 'Moderately Toxic'"
"The EPA says that the brew of oil and dispersants still swirling in the Gulf of Mexico can be highly to moderately toxic to marine organisms at certain concentrations determined in a lab setting. The agency did not say whether those acute toxic levels are present in the open waters of the Gulf."
Source: Summit County Voice, 08/03/2010
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