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"U.S. East Coast Braces as Irene Strengthens"

"Hurricane Irene thrashed the Bahamas early Thursday, with widespread damage reported on at least two southern islands.

It was a powerful Category 3 hurricane with winds at 115 miles an hour. Forecasters said the winds will ramp up quickly over the next day and Irene was expected to become a Category 4 storm with winds at least 131 mph.

Source: Wall St. Journal, 08/25/2011

NASA Takes a Pass on Scientific Integrity Policy Improvement

An Aug. 5, 2011, NASA memo says the agency's existing policies are so good they don't need improving — yet the policies do not offer any clear guarantee that reporters can talk to NASA scientists without permission and supervision from the public affairs office.

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SEJ Comments On NOAA Science Policy; Seeks More Openness

In formal comments, SEJ stated that the section of NOAA guidance policy requiring advance public affairs approval of media interviews — and minders sitting in on those interviews — thwarts open communication between scientists and reporters, which is "unacceptable in a free society."

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"Environmental Law Violations Found at Scores of Tribal Schools"

"Hundreds of Native American children attend schools that haven’t properly disposed of hazardous waste, haven’t contained asbestos in heating systems, and whose water systems exceed the maximum allowable level for arsenic in tap water – conditions barred under federal environmental laws."

Source: iWatch News, 08/24/2011

Official: U.S. in Early Talks About Int'l Nuclear Leasing Arrangements

"Department of Energy officials have spent weeks trying to knock down reports that they have been interested in building a nuclear waste repository in Mongolia.

Now, the Obama administration is going a step further, disclosing that what DOE hopes to do is 'lease' uranium from other countries, then return the spent fuel to the originating country.

Source: Greenwire, 08/24/2011

"Fishing Gear Is Altered to Ease Collateral Costs to Marine Life"

"BOSTON — In the world of environmental regulation, where the hope is to write rules that both industry and science can live with, few areas are as contentious as fishing. Especially on the East Coast, fishermen attack scientists as mired in bottomless ignorance about how fish are actually caught. Scientists sometimes describe fishermen as racing to catch the last fish, regardless of the harm to vanishing species."

Source: NY Times, 08/24/2011

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