A US Geological Survey report offers a perspective on the global situation and an assessment of known US deposits. There may be about 13 million metric tons available in 14 states — with the sites generally posing the usual environmental challenges associated with mining and refining.
NASA researchers have found the 104 selected lakes are warming by an average of 0.81 degrees Fahrenheit each decade (with some lakes increasing by up to 1.8 degrees F), and the temperature increase tends to be larger as you work toward the North Pole.
"At the same time that you're buttering your morning toast, you also may be slathering it with the tiny amounts of the flame retardant PBDE."
"The European Union wants to delay a deal to use carbon markets to reward countries which protect their tropical forests, beyond U.N. climate talks in Cancun, said EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard."
"The overhaul of food safety laws recently passed by the Senate had the support of business interests, consumer groups and lawmakers from both parties, but the bipartisan legislation still generated plenty of work along the K Street corridor."
Many workers in Louisiana's seafood industry have returned to work months after the BP Gulf oil spill -- but oystermen whose families have been in the business for generations are still unable to harvest oysters.
"The world's fishing industry is fast running out of new ocean fishing grounds to exploit as it depletes existing areas through unsustainable harvesting practices, according to a study published Thursday."
"A nascent technology, tidal power is destined to remain a niche player in the United States' energy portfolio. But the low-carbon energy source has one advantage over wind and solar: It's as dependable as the moon's phases. Investors and public utilities are taking notice."
"Regulators are finally considering a proposal to clean up Yellowknife's Giant Mine, long one of Canada's worst contaminated sites and Environment Canada's single largest remediation project."
Jennifer Taggart, a southern California lawyer/engineer who blogs as The Smart Mama, pointed her hand-held X-ray flourescence analyzer at some kids' Shrek glasses from McDonalds coveted by her 7-year old -- and within days sparked a recall of 12 million glasses because they contained cadmium.
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