Sub-Topics 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Earthquakes 2005 Global Warming 2002-4 Global Warming 2005 Global Warming 2006 Hurricanes 2004 Hurricanes 2005 Oceans 2002 -01-07-06 America Exporting Pollution? (ABC News) "Americans bought an estimated $125 billion worth of consumer electronics — computers, monitors, cell phones, televisions — this past year. With hundreds of millions of them becoming obsolete every year in this country, what happens to all the stuff we don't want any more?" 01-06 -02-04-06 Reality Check on President's Oil Reduction Plan (Christian Science Monitor) "With Americans concerned about rising gasoline prices and dependence on imported oil, the president wants to cut 75 percent of US oil imports from the region by 2025 - and he provided a new energy plan to help do it." "A bipartisan proposal in Congress - the 'Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act' - advocates a 7-million-barrel cut over 20 years, nearly double Bush's proposal and eliminating the need for any Middle Eastern oil." 02-06 -02-21-06 Bush Promotes Alternative Energy (MSNBC News) "The president has proposed a 22 percent increase in funding for clean-energy technology research at the Energy Department. He wants to change the way the nation fuels its vehicles and powers homes and businesses by focusing on nuclear, solar and wind power as well as better batteries to power hybrid-electric autos and hydrogen-fueled cars." "Eben Burnham-Snyder, a spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said this year’s energy efficiency and renewable energy portion of the budget is slightly smaller than that in the last year of the previous administration. When inflation is factored in, it amounts to a decrease of more than $130 million, he said." 02-06 -02-24-06 Chromium Risks May Have Been Withheld (MSNBC News) "Worried about stricter regulations, the chromium industry withheld key data from the government involving the health risks of workers exposed to the carcinogenic metal, according to a study released Thursday." "Currently, OSHA regulations cap chromium levels at work to 52 micrograms per cubic meter. It supports restricting levels to 1 microgram per cubic meter, which is slightly lower than 'intermediate' exposure levels of 1.5 to 16.0, according to the paper." 02-06 -02-24-06 Farmers Find Profits from Wind Power (USA Today) "Lisa Daniels, executive director of Windustry, a Minneapolis-based non-profit group, says wind energy is a natural fit in rural areas. Farmers lease their land to commercial wind farms and in many states can sell back excess electricity from their own windmills." 02-06 -03-10-06 Biggest Oil Spill on Alaska's North Slope (MSNBC News) "An estimated 201,000 to 267,000 gallons of crude oil spilled in the North Slope pipeline leak discovered March 2, state officials announced Friday." 03-06 -03-17-06 Court Blocks EPA from Easing Rules (CNN News) "A federal appeals court blocked the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday from easing clean-air rules on aging power plants, refineries and factories, one of the regulatory changes that had been among the White House's environmental priorities." "The rules, strongly supported by industry representatives, would have allowed older plants to modernize without having to install advanced pollution controls." 03-06 -03-30-06 Government Tightens Gas Mileage Rules (ABC News) "The government set tighter gas mileage rules Wednesday for pickups and sport utility vehicles, including bulky SUVs like the Hummer H2 and Chevrolet Suburban, responding to rising concern about the supply and cost of energy from abroad." 03-06 -04-13-06 European Rivers Hit Record Highs (MSNBC News) "The Danube reached record high levels in Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria on Thursday, flooding fertile farmland as authorities in southeastern Europe considered ordering evacuations." 04-06 -04-18-06 Rolling Blackouts in Texas (USA Today) "Power companies throughout the state had to impose rolling blackouts Monday because of unseasonably hot weather and a shortage of electricity. Thousands of people were caught without electricity for short periods of time as highs reached into the low 100s." 04-06 -05-11-06 Conservationist Wins Gold Award (BBC News) "A conservationist who has spent 25 years trying to protect Peru's marine wildlife has won a top UK environment prize, the Whitley Gold Award." "Patricia Majluf researched and then campaigned against the impact of anchovy fishing off the Peruvian coast." "High catches have affected dolphins, sealions and birds such as pelicans." 05-06 -08-03-05 Temperature Differences in the Workplace (CBS News) "A study by an association of building managers found that unhappiness over the temperature in the office is the top complaint of people in the workplace." 8-05 -08-04-05 Windows Up or Down? (Bankrate.com) "Automotive engineers have all the fun." "Or maybe not. During the test, one engineer shot around the track with the air cranked up. A second had the windows down. An unlucky third test driver was assigned to what turned out to be the most-fuel efficient way to travel: Driving with the windows up and the air conditioner switched off." 8-05 -10-31-08 Bush Pushes to Deregulate Before Leaving Office (CBS News) "The White House is working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before President Bush leaves office in January." "The new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo. Some would ease or lift constraints on private industry, including power plants, mines and farms." "Those and other regulations would help clear obstacles to some commercial ocean-fishing activities, ease controls on emissions of pollutants that contribute to global warming, relax drinking-water standards and lift a key restriction on mountaintop coal mining." 10-08 -11-17-04 Study: Endangered Species List Growing at Alarming Rate (MSNBC News) "Current extinction rates are at least 100 to 1,000 times higher than natural rates found in the fossil record, the report stated. The data were released as 3,500 delegates gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, for a World Conservation Union conference focused on halting what's deemed an extinction crisis." "The report concluded that humans are the main reason for most species' declines." 11-04 05-25-03 Congress Increases Tax Breaks for Polluting (MSNBC News) "Supporters including President Bush said the business equipment tax break, which was quadrupled to $100,000 in the $350 billion tax cut bill that narrowly cleared Congress, is good for the economy." "But critics called it a loophole that unfairly benefits the auto industry and provides an unnecessary perk to business people who do not need, but want to buy the largest, most-polluting and fuel hungry SUVs." 5-03 05-25-03 Congress Increases Tax Breaks for Polluting (MSNBC News) "Supporters including President Bush said the business equipment tax break, which was quadrupled to $100,000 in the $350 billion tax cut bill that narrowly cleared Congress, is good for the economy." "But critics called it a loophole that unfairly benefits the auto industry and provides an unnecessary perk to business people who do not need, but want to buy the largest, most-polluting and fuel hungry SUVs." 5-03 06-28-03 "Lungs of the World" in Trouble (MSNBC) "The deforestation rate in Brazil’s Amazon, the world’s largest jungle, has jumped 40 percent, sparking alarm among environmentalists and a promise by the government to launch emergency measures." "The Amazon, an area of continuous tropical forest that is larger than Western Europe, has been described as the 'lungs of the world' because of its vast capacity to produce oxygen." "Environmentalists fear its destruction because it is home to up to 30 percent of the planet’s animal and plant species and is an important source of medicines." 6-03 07-04-03 Rainforests Set to Disappear (Independent) "The scale of deforestation is so great that some countries, such as Indonesia, could lose entire rainforests in the next 10 years." 7-03 07-20-03 Bush Attacks Treaty to Save Earth's Ozone (Independent - Lean) "President George Bush is targeting the international treaty to save the ozone layer which protects all life on earth from deadly radiation, The Independent on Sunday can reveal." "New US demands - tabled at a little-noticed meeting in Montreal earlier this month - threaten to unravel one of the greatest environmental success stories of the past few decades, causing millions of deaths from cancer." 7-03 08-28-03 Bush Administration Relaxes Pollution Rules for Power Plants (Christian Science Monitor - Knickerbocker) "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues a ruling this week allowing thousands of power plants, refineries, and industrial facilities to upgrade without reducing the pollution they emit." "The debate figures in larger questions about the Bush administration's environmental and energy policies - specifically, the extent to which industries influence such policies."But the GAO was unable to determine the extent of such influence because Mr. Cheney refuses to provide key documents detailing his meetings with energy companies and industry groups - including those that may be directly involved with the polluting aspects of energy production." "Meanwhile, the US Public Interest Research Group reports this week that 2002 was the worst smog season in recent years. (Smog is ground-level ozone caused by pollution from power plants, vehicles, and other sources, and is linked to asthma and other ailments.) Monitors in 41 states and Washington recorded 8,818 instances of unhealthy smog levels last year - nearly twice the violations of the national health standard in 2001." 8-03 08-28-03 Bush Administration Relaxes Pollution Rules for Power Plants (Christian Science Monitor - Knickerbocker) "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues a ruling this week allowing thousands of power plants, refineries, and industrial facilities to upgrade without reducing the pollution they emit." "The debate figures in larger questions about the Bush administration's environmental and energy policies - specifically, the extent to which industries influence such policies."But the GAO was unable to determine the extent of such influence because Mr. Cheney refuses to provide key documents detailing his meetings with energy companies and industry groups - including those that may be directly involved with the polluting aspects of energy production." "Meanwhile, the US Public Interest Research Group reports this week that 2002 was the worst smog season in recent years. (Smog is ground-level ozone caused by pollution from power plants, vehicles, and other sources, and is linked to asthma and other ailments.) Monitors in 41 states and Washington recorded 8,818 instances of unhealthy smog levels last year - nearly twice the violations of the national health standard in 2001." 8-03 09-04-03 Microbe Attacks Water Pollution (CBS News) "An industrial chemical that pollutes groundwater and has resisted cleanup can be neutralized by an obscure microbe that researchers have discovered in the Hudson River bottom mud." "In a study appearing Friday in the journal Science, researchers at Michigan State University report a previously unknown bacteria is able to turn trichloroethane, an industrial chemical that is difficult to clear from ground water, into a more benign compound that other microbes can render harmless." 9-03 09-04-03 Nation's Drinking Water at Risk (CBS News) "Aging pipes and outdated treatment plants threaten the nation's drinking water systems, says an environmental group that reviewed 19 cities." 9-03 09-04-03 Water Pollution Report Card for States (CBS News) "Two environmental groups released a review of government records Tuesday, showing that water pollution enforcement is failing in more than 40 states." "Friends of the Earth and the Environmental Working Group say these states have allowed critically important water pollution permits to expire, effectively issuing industries a license to pollute." "The review also concludes that there is currently little action afoot to correct this serious problem. Nevada, Rhode Island, Oregon and Nebraska all had more than two-thirds of their permits expired. Texas had the largest number of expired permits at 135." 9-03 09-04-03 World's Water at Risk (CBS News) "Many of the world's natural underground reservoirs are diminishing rapidly, threatening the drinking water of millions of people and compounding the ravaging effects of drought and famine, the United Nations warned Wednesday." "The United Nations called on governments to curb the use of groundwater through regulation. Worldwide action was needed to ensure that countries relying on irrigation diversify away from water hungry crops, the report added. " 9-03 09-04-03 World's Water at Risk (CBS News) "Many of the world's natural underground reservoirs are diminishing rapidly, threatening the drinking water of millions of people and compounding the ravaging effects of drought and famine, the United Nations warned Wednesday." "The United Nations called on governments to curb the use of groundwater through regulation. Worldwide action was needed to ensure that countries relying on irrigation diversify away from water hungry crops, the report added. " 9-03 09-17-03 Bush Pick to Lead EPA Grilled by Congress (USA Today - Kenworthy, Watson, and Keen) "Some environmentalists say Leavitt sometimes shuts opponents out of the discussion, cuts secret deals and tilts heavily toward industry and developers." "Even so, Leavitt's work to help clean the air over the Grand Canyon is among the environmental successes that will likely enable him to be confirmed." 9-03 10-01-03 Bush Administration Appeals to Top Court to Prevent Disclosure (Bloomberg News) "The Bush administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to shield the government from giving advocacy groups documents they seek in a suit claiming Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force was influenced by corporations." 9-03 10-02-03 World Running Out of Oil (CNN News) "Global warming will never bring a "doomsday scenario" a team of scientists says -- because oil and gas are running out much faster than thought." 9-03 11-05-03 EPA to Allow Polluters to Pollute (USA Today) "The Environmental Protection Agency is likely to stop taking action against coal-burning power plants that the agency itself had accused of violating air-pollution laws, an EPA source familiar with the decision said Wednesday." "Now, it plans to use the relaxed standards — not those in place when the companies violated the laws — to determine whether the companies should be sued." 11-03 11-23-02 Bush Administration Eases Clean Air Rules (CBS News) "The Bush administration on Friday eased clean air rules to allow utilities, refineries and manufacturers to avoid having to install expensive new anti-pollution equipment when they modernize their plants." 11-27-02 Bush Proposes Less Protection for Forests and Wildlife (CBS News) "The Bush administration is proposing giving managers of the nation's 155 national forests greater leeway to approve logging and commercial activities with less examination of potential environmental damages." "The Bush administration proposal also would eliminate specific standards and procedures for maintaining and monitoring wildlife populations that foresters had to comply with, substituting broad goals in their place." "Democrats accused the administration of attempting to 'undo most of the environmental safeguards that protect our nation's forests.' " 11-28-03 Melting Glaciers May Make Billions Thirsty (CNN News) "The world's glaciers could melt within a century if global warming accelerates, leaving billions of people short of water and some islanders without a home, environmentalists said." " 'Unless governments take urgent action to prevent global warming, billions of people worldwide may face severe water shortages as a result of the alarming melting rate of glaciers,' the WWF group said in a report Thursday." "It said human impact on the climate was melting glaciers from the Andes to the Himalayas, bringing longer-term threats of higher sea levels that could swamp island states." 11-03 12-23-03 Soot Important in Global Warming (Scientific American) "Greenhouse gases have taken much of the blame for rising global surface temperatures over the past century. The results of a new study suggest that soot has done a fair amount of damage as well." "In a paper published online today by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, James E. Hansen of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Larissa Nazarenko of Columbia University report that soot may have caused fully 25 percent of the warming observed since 1880." 12-03 Bush's Record on the Environment (BushGreenWatch.org) Provides news on President Bush's record on protecting our air, land, and water. 1-04 Papers 11-21-03 Energy Bill Killed (MSNBC News) "Opponents of a massive energy bill on Friday blocked the Senate from taking a final vote on the measure and sending it to President Bush." 11-03 12-03-03 Bush Signs Bill for Thinning Forests (CNN News) "Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colorado, who sponsored the House version of the legislation, compared the measure to President Theodore Roosevelt's call for the establishment of the National Forest system 99 years ago this week." "Critics, however, decried it as a payback to the timber industry, which will get greater access to pristine stands of old-growth trees." 12-03 Cars - Fuel Efficient Car Goal Abandoned (Auto.com) Describes the government announcement that the 80 mpg goal for cars by 2004 has been abandoned. Another approach to fuel efficiency, not disclosed, was given for the reason to stop trying to create a concept car that achieves 80 mpg by 2004. 5-01 Computer Companies Are Polluters (CBS News) "U.S. technology companies lag foreign rivals in reducing hazardous materials in electronics and encouraging recycling, while American workers involved in recycling are exposed to too many toxins, an advocacy group says." "Japan, home of the highest-ranking electronics manufacturers, Fujitsu and Canon, passed a law in 2001 requiring manufacturers to recycle certain parts. Japan also requires disclosure of chemical use in production plants."  "In its third annual report card, the Computer TakeBack Campaign assigned poor or failing grades to Hewlett-Packard Co., Micron Technology Inc. and Gateway Inc." "Dell's failing grade mirrors lax environmental standards throughout the country, according to the computer take-back group." 1-03 Department of Energy Releases Documents Showing Access to Energy Companies (CBS News) Summarizes documents released under court order to show which groups influenced the development of national policy on energy. According to the summary, energy executives and lobbyists had a great deal of access to the head of the Energy Department, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. "In all, three dozen energy executives and lobbyists participated in eight meetings with Abraham from mid-February to late April 2001. The Cheney energy report was released in May."  "But the papers released late Monday by DOE document no top-level meetings with advocates of energy efficiency or renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power. 3-02 Electric Motocycles Required in Taiwan (Taiwan.com.au - Chang) Reports on Taiwan's new law requiring motorcycle manufacturers to meet a quota of at least two percent electric powered motorcycles. 5-01 Federal Court Agrees With Tough Clean Air Standards (Washington Post - Tucker and Grunwald) Describes a court finding that upheld "the most stringent air pollution control standards in the nation's history." " 'This is a huge victory for breathers,' said Frank O'Donnell, executive director of the nonprofit Clean Air Trust." "EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman said her agency will support the new regulations." "The next step for the EPA is to designate the places that do not meet the new standards. Then it can start requiring states to submit plans detailing how they will get into compliance." 3-02 Forest Protection More than Doubled (CNN) Describes new federal regulations that protect 58.5 million acres, "roughly one-third of the national forest system from road building and commercial logging." This was later suspended by the Bush administration. 1-01 Global Warming Twice As Bad As Formerly Believed (BBC News) Summarizes a report by scientists that the earth is warming by twice as much as the amount expected in 1996. 7-01 Kyoto Protocol Meeting Fails (CNN) Describes the failure of nations to agree on limits on greenhouse gases to reduce global warming, a condition that is likely to result in catastrophic weather changes for the planet. The United States was regarded as a barrier to an agreement because it demanded the right to plant trees to offset its rate of pollution. 11-00 Low Pollution Two-Stroke Engine Announced (EarthVision.net) Describes a two-stroke engine developed by college students. Claims that the engine produces one percent of the pollution generated by a standard two-stroke engine. 3-02 Map of Oceans Unveiled (CNN) Describes a new map of the oceans of the world, designed to monitor the health of the oceans, global warming effects, and effects of overfishing. Mentions a new U.S. government report that "forecast that U.S. total greenhouse gas emissions would increase 43 percent between 2000 and 2020." 6-02 Riverways Create as Much Pollution as Highways (Earth Observatory - Kaufman) Describes results of a study of causes of pollution. 3-02 Snakehead Fish - Invasive Species (Chicago Tribune - Miller) Describes the red snakehead fish, an Asian species that kills all native fish when it enters a waterway. Discusses efforts to ban the fish from states in the USA. 7-02 Superfunds - Bush to Shift Costs to Taxpayers (Time - Reaves) President Bush plans to shift the cost of cleaning up major pollution sites away from the corporations responsible for the pollution. Instead, he wants to reduce the size of the Superfund and to have taxpayers pay a larger share for the cleanup. "A White House victory would likely bring an immediate drop-off in the number of sites approved for Superfund status. But of even greater concern to environmental advocates is that the change will see the disincentive to pollute wither away alongside the Superfund coffers. After all, industrial polluters have been kept in check by the threat of having to fund costly cleanups." 2-02 Superfunds Cleanup Plans Cut - Bush to Shift Costs to Taxpayers (Seattle Times - Seelye) "Faced with dwindling reserves in the huge Superfund waste-cleanup account, the Bush administration has decided to target fewer sites for restoration and to shift the bulk of costs from industry to taxpayers." 2-02 Two-Wheel Transporter - Segway Ginger Description (Time.com) Describes how the electric, two-wheel personal transporter works. "Not only does it have no brakes, it also has no engine, no throttle, no gearshift and no steering wheel. And it can carry the average rider for a full day, nonstop, on only five cents' worth of electricity." The device is expected to be available commercially toward the end of 2002 and is expected to sell for around 3,000 dollars. It is designed to replace an auto for short trips. The device stays upright due to gyros. 11-01 Two-Wheel Transporter - Segway Ginger Picture (HowStuffWorks.com) Provides details of how an electric, two-wheel personal transporter works. The device is expected to be available commercially toward the end of 2002 and is expected to sell for around 3,000 dollars. It is designed to replace an auto for short trips. The device stays upright due to gyros. 11-01 Two-Wheel Transporter - Segway Ginger Picture (Time.com) Provides details of how an electric, two-wheel personal transporter works. The device is expected to be available commercially toward the end of 2002 and is expected to sell for around 3,000 dollars. It is designed to replace an auto for short trips. The device stays upright due to gyros. 11-01

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