I managed to survive the first election. (Full disclosure...I'm working a temp job in an Elections Office) The phlem in the lungs is still not gone after 5 weeks. Still hacking. Our office now has a special election on April 22, the Statewide Primary on June 3 and the Presidential General on November 4. Anyway...onto the topic that the two Donkey candidates aren't talking about. ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS (to use.)
District connects lead with special ed. Galveston Independent School District has too many African-American students in its special education program. And school administrators think it may be due to lead. Galveston County Daily News
Environment not among top campaign topics. The environment has not been a hot topic in the presidential races up to this point. Salt Lake Tribune
Climate scientist they could not silence. Jim Hansen has long been a thorn in the side of the White House. Now he has a stark warning for Britain. London Times
Six degrees could change the world: stopping the mercury's rise. The most straightforward way to stop the frighteningly rapid rate of climate change is to reduce humans’ output of carbon dioxide by 60 to 80 percent. Are there other options? National Geographic.
The alarming redefinition of 'glacial'. Long considered a national symbol, Canada's iconic Athabasca Glacier is not just retreating, but doing so at an accelerating pace Toronto Star
Nuclear power back in the spotlight. Federal regulators received four license applications for seven new nuclear power units in 2007 and expect to receive another 15 applications for 22 units this year. Denver Post
Renewable energy within reach for many. A rapidly expanding market in renewable energy has put "green power" within reach of most U.S. homeowners interested in paying for environmentally friendly power. Baltimore Sun
Small businesses going green. Small-business owners are starting to embrace the kind of "green" values that typically are associated with far larger companies and a far greater investment of time and money, taking small-but-earnest steps for the cause of conservation. Wilmington News Journal
Screen savers? Technology has drastically shortened the life span of nearly everything electronic making e-waste the fastest-growing portion of our waste stream. Oklahoma City Oklahoman
Drought-stricken Georgia eyes Tennessee's border -- and river water. With an extreme water shortage in the north, legislators believe Georgians should no longer forfeit their right to the Tennessee River. Los Angeles Times
Buzzing with activity. Northern Colorado beekeepers are honing their sleuthing and entrepreneurial skills as they try to combat colony collapse disorder. Fort Collins Now
CDC being investigated over Katrina cancer risk. A congressional committee is investigating whether the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suppressed information about cancer dangers in trailers housing Hurricane Katrina victims and if the agency retaliated against the scientist who sought to make those risks public. Associated Press.
Boxer ready for round 2 in global warming fight. A fierce environmentalist, Barbara Boxer has the passion to push a global warming bill into law. But it takes more than one person's passion and hard work to make laws in Washington. Palm Springs Desert Sun
BofA backs out of environmental joint venture. Bank of America Corp. has backed out of a proposed joint venture to purchase carbon offsets with Chicago holding company Climate Exchange, Reuters reported Thursday. Charlotte Business Journal
GM chief urges dealers to oppose states' greenhouse gas limits. General Motors Corp. CEO Rick Wagoner urged a group of auto dealers Saturday to lobby against individual states trying to set their own limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Associated Press.
Sandia's sunshine to petrol project seeks fuel from thin air. Using concentrated solar energy to reverse combustion, a research team from Sandia National Laboratories is building a prototype device intended to chemically "reenergize" carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide using concentrated solar power. Carlsbad Current-Argus
Trump casinos see 'green' advantage. If asked to name a green company in the area, Trump Entertainment Resorts probably wouldn't be among the first to spring from your lips. Atlantic City Press
Builders see demand for homes based on sustainability. The majority of homes and buildings in Wisconsin get energy today from the same sources — mostly nonrenewable natural gas and electricity from coal, considered a major polluter. La Crosse Tribune
Local residents build with the environment in mind. After working on energy issues since 2000, Cape & Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative this week launched its "CiGoGreen" campaign — a name that stands both for Cape and Islands Go Green and the catchy "See, I Go Green" as a public call to action. Cape Cod Times
Poison cake kills Iraqi children. The UK government has flown antidote medicine to the Middle East after some Iraqis became seriously ill from eating cakes laced with the poison thallium. BBC
Tesco’s secret wind farms plan. TESCO has approved secret plans to build wind turbines up to 50ft high at virtually all of its 2,000 stores. Sunday Express
River abuse takes its toll. Australia's greatest waterway, the Murray River, is on the verge of an ecological disaster. Sydney Daily Telegraph
Killer whales loaded with fire retardant. They wow tourists and remind people of the mysteries and majesty of the ocean, but killer whales swimming around the waters of Vancouver Island are the most contaminated animals on Earth. Victoria Times Colonist
Oil crisis ahead? 'Peakniks' build for future. If the day comes that oil grows so scarce that Austinites can't afford fruit hauled in from California and brownouts roll across Texas, Lester Germanio will live high, wide and cool in his West Lake Hills villa. Austin American-Statesman
A 'license to pollute?' Phosphate-mining companies including Monsanto Co. and J.R. Simplot Co. want the Legislature to bar Idaho regulators from forcing them to restore mineral-tainted groundwater beneath their operations to its natural condition once they shutter their mines. Associated Press//Jackson Hole Tribune
Allnutt pursues compromise. Funeral home director Rick Allnutt doesn't want to pull teeth to get Larimer County's approval for a new crematorium. After analyzing air-quality models, county health officials determined that mercury fumes released from tooth fillings during cremation would be too high. Fort Collins Coloradoan
California proposes a global-warming fee on businesses. In the first such program in California, and perhaps the US, Bay Area air pollution regulators are proposing to charge an annual fee to thousands of businesses based on the amount of greenhouse gases they emit. San Jose Mercury News
America is running dry. An impending crisis in America's water supply is signalled by a study that concludes more than half of the recent decline seen in the west can be linked to human activities. London Daily Telegraph
Congress: Science for sale? Congress is investigating a Washington, D.C.-based firm which critics charge "manufactures uncertainty" on behalf of chemical companies to help keep their products free from government bans or other restrictions. ABC World News Tonight.
House panel defends FEMA trailer whistle-blower. The House Committee on Science and Technology is demanding that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cease what appears to be retaliatory actions against the whistle-blower who brought attention to the threat of long-term exposure to formaldehyde in government-supplied trailers for hurricane victims. US News & World Report.
FEMA is recycling materials from trailers. Rather than ending up in a landfill, materials such as cinder blocks, water pipes and steps from deactivated FEMA trailers are being given to disadvantaged families trying to rebuild homes and lives in Katrina-ravaged Plaquemines. New Orleans Times-Picayune
Group says feds are hiding data on Great Lakes health concerns. A nonprofit group says a report that charts human health problems near Great Lakes toxic sites has been hidden by the U.S. government for seven months because the findings might be too controversial. Duluth News Tribune
For more than seven months, the nation’s top public health agency has blocked the publication of an exhaustive federal study of environmental hazards in the eight Great Lakes states. Reportedly, the study's release was blocked because it contains such potentially "alarming information" as evidence of elevated infant mortality and cancer rates. Great Lakes Danger Zones? Published by Center for Public Integrity.
Did GlaxoSmithKline trial data mask Paxil suicide risk? An inappropriate analysis of clinical trial data by researchers at GlaxoSmithKline obscured suicide risks associated with paroxetine, a profitable antidepressant, for 15 years, suggest court documents released last month. New Scientist
Lawsuit claims DEP railroaded senior scientist. Florida environmental officials destroyed records, ignored federal anti-pollution rules and railroaded a senior scientist out of his job, according to a lawsuit filed in Leon County on Monday. Associated Press.
Campaign donations take bipartisan shift. U.S. chemical manufacturers haven't exactly abandoned the Republican Party. But they are giving a much larger share of their political campaign contributions to Democratic candidates. Chemical & Engineering News.
Speak now ... or forever hold Italy's nuclear waste. Opposition is mounting against EnergySolutions Inc.'s proposal to import low-level radioactive waste from Italy's dismantled nuclear power industry. Salt Lake Tribune
The birds and the bees. So what is happening to the bees? A look at our lifestyles gives us the answer: our dependence on chemicals permeates every aspect of our lives. Longview Daily News
Governor shows guts with green initiatives. The governor's State of the State address showed guts when he called for $250 million to stimulate Ohio's involvement in wind and solar, as well as for cleaner uses of coal and other renewable and advanced energy sources. Toledo Blade
Far right asks McCain to change global warming stance. John McCain, despite all odds, has threaded the needle and emerged as the presumptive Republican nominee for president. Now comes the hard part. The Daily Green.