Greetings from the Great State of Wildfire Food (formerly known as California) Ash from the Zaca Fire, burning since July 4, is still raining down. But...anyway...onto Environmental News you can USE.
Baucus threatens EPA subpoenas over Libby asbestos information. Montana Sen. Max Baucus threatened Monday to subpoena the Environmental Protection Agency over why asbestos poisoning in Libby was never declared a public health emergency. Associated Press.
Girls entering puberty by the age of six - but are drugs the answer? Some girls now enter puberty as early as six - with toxic chemicals widely held to blame. But are new drugs to hold back the years really the right answer? Daily Mail
Pollution upsets homeowners. This town has become synonymous with the federal government's ongoing efforts to remove PCBs from the Hudson River. But now another pollutant, which hasn't previously received much attention, is starting to roil residents as well. Albany Times Union
Report on chemical's safety called biased. A government report on the safety of a controversial ingredient in plastic is biased toward the chemical industry and downplays potential risks to the public, according to scientists and environmentalists who spoke at a hearing Monday. USA Today.
EPA cites coal plants. After years of declining to act on complaints from elected officials and neighborhood activists, federal regulators are cracking down on six coal-fired power plants that are some of the biggest contributors to dirty air in the Chicago area.Chicago Tribune
As health concerns mount, shoppers are asking: what isn't made in China? Chances are, most of your home's furnishings, electronics, clothing and food are all thanks to China.Jacksonville Times-Union
Bill calls for FDA to end all conflicts of interest. The Food and Drug Administration could face a tough new assignment from Congress: Eliminate all conflicts of interest on outside advisory panels whose votes heavily guide the agency's decision-making. Boston Globe
You too can break into a chemical plant. Lax security at our nation’s chemical plants may endanger the millions of Americans unlucky enough to live near them, but it’s been a boon for investigative journalism. It’s become practically commonplace for intrepid reporters to demonstrate the ease with which one can penetrate a dangerous facility. Washington Monthly
Coal state's GOP senator turns focus to climate. Virginia's veteran Republican Sen. John Warner says he has become newly engaged in the issue of global warming and is working across the aisle to try to fight it. National Public Radio.
Organic farmers face higher insurance costs. Organic farmers pay more for federal crop insurance than farmers who use pesticides. A provision in the massive farm bill that's moving through Congress tells the Agriculture Department to justify the higher price, or stop charging it. National Public Radio.
Organic food. With looking good and being healthy on everyone's minds lately, buying and eating organic foods is becoming more and more popular every year, especially as new information becomes available and the public becomes more educated on the subject. Dover Community News
The tides, they are a-changing. Between global warming, pollution, over-fishing and the introduction of alien species, the Mediterranean Sea is undergoing a far-reaching transformation. Marine biologist Professor Victor Axiak tells Raphael Vassallo why this is an issue which is of concern to us all Malta Today
Erin Brockovich joins Down Under refinery fight. With just a hint of Hollywood, famed U.S. environment warrior Erin Brockovich has joined Australian anti-mine activists in what they believe may be the fight of their lives. Reuters.
U.S. investigates whether Mattel division told agency about lead in toys in a timely manner. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is looking into whether Fisher-Price let the agency know as quickly as it should have about lead paint found in 1.5 million Chinese-made toys that were recalled worldwide last week. Associated Press.
'Dangerously hot' across Tennessee; bad air spurs health warnings. It will be tough to beat the heat in Tennessee this week. Scorching temperatures are forecast from Memphis to the Tri-Cities through Friday. Associated Press.
Pesticide training at Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens. The 46-acre farm's purpose in life is public education and promotion of sustainable horticulture. Savannah Morning News
Fungicide found in river and city water. Test results confirmed an agricultural fungicide was present in the Mills River on July 27, the day neighbors along the Henderson County stream found fish floating belly up. Blue Ridge Times-News
Hospital plates healthier for Earth. It makes no difference to the security manager at Metro Health Hospital that the plates in his workplace cafeteria are made from sugar cane. Grand Rapids Press
Recycle your fridge, save environment. As part of a new program from Puget Sound Energy, Thurston County residents can have refrigerators they no longer want picked up and recycled for free. Olympia Olympian
Toxic dumping's long legacy. The practices of one of Southern California's worst corporate polluters continues haunting local marine life more than 25 years after the company closed shop and left town. Long Beach Press-Telegram
House votes funds for Hawaii ocean chemical weapons clean-up. The U.S. House voted to appropriate $18 million to begin cleaning up tons of chemical munitions dumped offshore of Oahu at the end of World War II. Honolulu Hawaii Reporter
Court delivers great injustice. Republicans like to rail against what they call "activist judges," but we’ve not heard a peep since the Michigan Supreme Court’s Republican-nominated justices bludgeoned the standing section of the Michigan Environmental Protection Act recently. Petoskey News-Review
Pollution cleanups a matter of justice. Environmental justice policies are aimed at ensuring minority and low-income communities aren't voiceless dumping grounds for polluting industries. In many cases, these policies aren't working. Chillicothe Gazette
U.S. EPA declines to stop BP dumping into Lake Michigan. Rebuffing bipartisan pressure from members of Congress, the Bush administration's top environmental regulator on Tuesday declined to stop the BP refinery in northwest Indiana from dumping more pollution into Lake Michigan. Chicago Tribune
Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group has a doozy of a scoop. USDA employees are organize a lobbying campaign to to eliminate a provision in the farm bill that would reopen a landmark civil rights case. If passed, the provision would give up to 73,000 black farmers another chance to make their case that they were denied USDA loans as a result of racial discrimination. The basis for objection by the USDA employees (who are using government computers in their campaign)? Cook quotes from a mass email: "The agency will be required to submit a boatload of information within 60 days of anyone filing which will bury us!
Keeping up with the Joneses takes on a whole new echelon of meaning when you're Ed Begley Jr. and your neighbor happens to be Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Nye, who moved onto the Living with Ed star's street a year ago, is "a very nice fellow who started this competition, I suppose, to see who could have the lowest carbon footprint," Begley tells ABC News.
"Without Ed down the street pushing all of us to live a more environmentally responsible lifestyle, I wouldn't be so motivated to crush him like a bug," says Nye, who has upped the ante in this backyard battle by installing his own state-of-the-art solar-power system. - Treehugger
September 20-23 WEST COAST GREEN at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
While new green events emerge every year, West Coast Green represents the largest milestone yet in the residential green building movement. Never before has a conference and expo provided access to such comprehensive state-of-the-art resources, impactful presentations, and rewarding opportunities for business development in the residential green building field. You’ll find over 250 exhibitors showcasing the latest in resource-efficiency among a stunning array of green and healthy building products. Over 100 experts and visionary leaders will be presenting their latest developments, insights, and inspiration at the expanding frontiers of the field. And over 13,000 attendees including the entire chain of professionals and decision-makers rarely reached by other conferences are expected. West Coast Green is a feast of innovations, ideas and opportunities designed to expand your business, widen your vision, and stimulate your thinking with the latest, best practices and key players in green building