Yes. My heart is heavy as today Senator Edwards is leaving the Presidential campaign "reality show." I voted for the Senator via Vote by Mail balloting here in California. My vote was NOT wasted. It went to the only candidate that spoke to me and inspired me via action, not just "talk". Now...wiping the tears...onto Environmental News to USE.
DNREC leaves monitoring to polluters. In Delaware, home of some of the biggest air polluters in the country, the state's air quality management program remains underfunded and understaffed, leaving the reporting of violations up to the companies doing the polluting. Wilmington News Journal
Collapse of water, sewer and public health in Gaza. A stream of dark and putrid sludge snakes through Gaza's streets. It is a noxious mix of human and animal waste. The stench is overwhelming. The occasional passer-by vomits. Inter Press Service.
U.S. study says Iowa among main Gulf polluters. Farms in Iowa and eight other Midwestern and Southern states are causing most of the pollution that creates a "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, a government study says. Des Moines Register
Harmful pesticides found in everyday food products. Government promises to rid the nation's food supply of brain-damaging pesticides aren't doing the job, according to the results of a yearlong study that carefully monitored the diets of a group of local children. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Salmon arriving in record low numbers. The Central Valley fall run of chinook salmon apparently has collapsed, portending sharp fishing restrictions and rising prices for consumers while providing further evidence that the state's water demands are causing widespread ecological damage. San Francisco Chronicle
Wastewater decimates minnows. Birth control pills work wonders in preventing human reproduction. Unfortunately, they're also effective on an unintended target--fish. Discover.
Dutch plan for flooding: higher ground. In the Netherlands, 60% of the population lives below sea level, thanks to dikes and pumps. But global warming is making it harder to keep up. MarketPlace.
Poor Haitians resort to eating dirt. Caribbean nations face hardships as food prices around the world have spiked because of higher oil prices, needed for fertilizer, irrigation and transportation, and the increasing global demand for biofuels. Associated Press.
Virgin Airlines: powered by pond scum? Virgin founder Richard Branson has set out to create a viable biofuel. Will his ecofriendly venture take off? Mother Jones.
Smog can make people sick, even indoors. Smog caused by ground-level ozone isn't just an outdoor air problem. A new study shows that when the irritant's level rises outside, the number of people inside suffering from so-called "sick building syndrome" also increases. Scientific American.
Study says truckers exposed to higher pollution risk. Odds of dying from heart disease are nearly 50 percent higher among truck drivers than the general U.S. population, according to a new Harvard University study that suggests diesel exhaust is mostly likely to blame. Sacramento Bee
Rules broken on waste dump site. The Government is pushing ahead with plans to build houses on a radioactive waste dump in Hunters Hill, even as it emerged yesterday that it had broken its own rules for safe management of the area. Sydney Morning Herald
Video reveals violations of laws, abuse of cows at slaughterhouse. Multiple violations of state and federal laws designed to prevent cruelty and keep mad cow disease from entering the nation's food supply are caught on video tape in a California slaughterhouse. Washington Post.
New Ontario bird survey 'worrisome'. Bald eagles and other large birds are taking to the skies of Ontario in increasing numbers but an extensive review has found an alarming decrease over the past two decades in the number of grassland and flying-insect-eating birds such as swallows. Toronto Sun
Sea rise alert for Bahrain. Bahrain could be amongst the worst casualties of rising sea levels brought on by climate change, experts warned last night. Manama Gulf Daily News
Study: Global warming will lead to crop losses. Global warming will result in "severe crop losses" in Asia and Africa over the next two decades, affecting some of the world's poorest regions, according to a new study by researchers in Stanford University's Program on Food Security and the Environment (FSE). Palo Alto Weekly
Scotland aims to lead world in global warming battle. Ambitious new targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were set out yesterday by Scottish ministers, who urged the world to follow their lead to tackle climate change. Edinburgh Scotsman
Focus on global warming: High school students lead the way. With participation from a team of other students, sixteen-year old Jack Kerby-Miller organized Glen Lake School's participation in Focus the Nation on Wednesday and Thursday. Traverse City Record Eagle
Storing carbon in the Sierra. With climate change confronting the Sierra Nevada, new ideas - including carbon sequestration - are beginning to take hold. Carson City Nevada Appeal
Cut off-roader pollution, Brown urges. Attorney General Jerry Brown asked federal regulators Tuesday to set stricter greenhouse-gas emission standards for off-road recreational vehicles and agricultural and construction equipment. Los Angeles Daily News
Brown urges EPA to curb greenhouse gases. California's Attorney General has petitioned to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from construction, mining, agricultural, industrial equipment - machines which annually emit as much carbon dioxide as approximately 40 million cars. Beverly Hills California Chronicle
Global warming focus of OH political and classroom discussions. The Ohio House will consider a new energy bill, and college students nationwide will participate in Focus the Nation, an environmental awareness campaign that includes a global warming teach-in. Marion Star
Colleges ready to Focus the Nation. Today and Thursday, Wabash Valley colleges will participate in what's being billed as an unprecedented educational initiative on global warming and possible solutions. Terre Haute Tribune Star
Attorneys general seek stop to coal plant permitting process. Attorneys general from across the country have signed a letter asking the S.C. Dept. of Health and Environmental Control to stop the permitting process for the proposed Santee Cooper coal-fired power plant in Kingsburg. South Carolina Now
Honda's net rises 38% on fuel-efficient cars. Honda is benefiting from a new demand in the U.S. for gas-sipping cars like its new Accord sedan and popular Civic as drivers turn away from SUVs in the face of higher fuel prices. Wall Street Journal.
Green design can be profitable. Green design is nothing new at the San Francisco Design Center, but at last week's Winter Market the emphasis was not only on how interior designers can specify earth-friendly products for their clients, but on how green design can actually be profitable. San Francisco Chronicle
O'Malley's goal: 'green' buildings. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has proposed legislation that would require using energy- and resource-efficient building design and materials in all newly constructed or significantly renovated state buildings. Baltimore Sun
HP joins other tech outfits going green(er). Tech is gradually becoming greener, and some of its biggest companies are leading the environmental push. USA Today.
Unsustainable soil use can cause civilizations to collapse. Earth is running out of soil. At least that's the conclusion of a new study supporting the long-held belief that current farming practices are causing soil to erode more quickly than new soil can be produced. Discover.
FDA's health dire. The FDA's ability to protect the public from unsafe drugs, medical devices, foods and other products has radically deteriorated, placing Americans in jeopardy, expert witnesses report. Newark Star-Ledger
Toxic alternatives bill passes Senate. After months of delays and negotiations, the state Senate passed legislation yesterday that would require Massachusetts companies to substitute existing, safer alternatives for some toxic chemicals. Westborough News
State sues 1 firm; 4 others pay fine. Connecticutt's attorney general announced Tuesday that his office is suing one company and that four others have agreed to pay about $600,000 after all five were found to be in violation of laws governing discharge of pollutants into the state's waterways. Hartford Courant
Ware's the beef: Litchfield farm's cows are anything but mad. Besides his cattle being antibiotic and growth-hormone free, Morosani at his Connecticut farm said the meat is healthier because it's packed with the central fatty acids that humans need, but can't produce on their own. Waterbury Republican-American
The bad news: There are contaminants in the Savannah River. The good news: They aren't harming the county's drinking water. While the Savannah River contains radioactive waste, mercury, lead and chemicals, federal officials say the concentration of these contaminants are not harming a major source of drinking water for Beaufort County. Hilton Head Island Packet
Green Island receives certification in environmental planning from global program. Of all the golf courses in the world, only 618, at last count, are involved in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, only 13 in Georgia. Only a couple of those Georgia courses have reached full accreditation. Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
3M chemical found in nine more metro-area lakes. A chemical formerly manufactured by 3M has been found at elevated levels in nine more metro area lakes, according to a study released Tuesday, and is likely entering the waters through stormwater runoff. Minneapolis Star Tribune
Birkholz bill aims to protect water table. Sen. Patty Birkholz sponsored a bill that creates an online assessment tool that would help developers see if their plans would adversely impact the water table, and which allows them to change the location of wells virtually to change the impact. Holland Sentinel
America's most miserable cities. Imagine living in a city where you need more Superfund dollars allocated to your city to clean up contaminated toxic waste sites than just about any other metro. Forbes.
An octopus wants to eat the West. New energy corridors -- averaging two-thirds of a mile wide -- will fracture a landscape that is already a maze of hairline cracks -- the lines made by highways, railroads and the current, comparatively delicate energy rights-of-way. High Country News.
Oh, yeah...the topic that all the Presidential Candidates except for Senator Edwards are failing to address....Katrina
Houston lawmakers blast pace of Katrina, Rita housing. Two Houston lawmakers upbraided federal and Texas officials for their slow response to finding replacement housing for victims of hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Houston Chronicle
FEMA trailer testing blasted. In a wide-ranging hearing Tuesday over post-Hurricane Katrina housing on the Gulf Coast, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., blasted federal officials for delays in testing and warning occupants of formaldehyde-laced "toxic trailers." Biloxi Sun Herald
Dems call FEMA on formaldehyde risk. House Democrats accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday of covering up the long-term health hazards - possibly including cancer - linked to formaldehyde in hurricane trailers. Gannett News Service.
Study: FEMA ignored evidence in determining long-term effects of formaldehyde in trailers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency manipulated scientific research in order to play down the danger posed by formaldehyde in trailers issued to hurricane victims, according to an investigation by congressional Democrats released Monday. Associated Press.
CDC suppressed toxic trailer warnings. CBS News has learned that the Centers for Disease Control suppressed repeated warnings from one of its top scientists, raising questions about whether the CDC bowed to pressure from FEMA to conceal the long-term health risks of formaldehyde in the trailers it distributed to hurricane victims. CBS Evening News.