Man...what a week. I'm pooped. Without further adieu, stories on the topic that dare not speak it's name within either Party...ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS to USE! (P.S. No candidates were bashed in the making of this diary...)
Is cabin air making us sick? More and more pilots are reporting that air polluted by engine fumes is making them ill and even incapable of handling their aircraft. So why are passengers not being told? London Daily Telegraph
4 nations, 4 cities take 'climate neutral' pledge. Four nations and a clutch of cities and corporations unveiled a Web-based information hub on Thursday to help meet a pledge to radically cut carbon levels in their economies in coming decade. Agence France-Presse.
Automakers expect presidential fuel fight. No matter the outcome of the presidential election on Nov. 4, one thing is clear: the next president is certain to tangle with the auto industry. Detroit News
State starts effort to rescue villages from hungry sea. In the Norton Sound village of Shaktoolik, berms of driftwood above the beach used to provide protection from the sea. But these days the storm waves travel farther, pounding into the village itself, and the "Yukon logs" are tossed around like battering rams. Anchorage Daily News
As South American rivers dry up, miners tap ocean. Vast mines in Peru and Chile that supply the world with crucial metals have started to pump water from the Pacific Ocean high into the Andes Mountains because of chronic water shortages exacerbated by climate change. Reuters.
Chile government hands out water in major drought. Chile is suffering its worst drought in decades, and the government is handing out emergency drinking water along a quarter of the Andean nation's length as wells dry up. Reuters.
Secrets in the soil. Tests have turned up so many toxins and chemicals in ground beneath the Fort Lauderdale neighborhood, that the State recommends avoiding any contact with dirt or dust there. Miami CBS 4
Idea for permit review stirs objections. Environmental groups are fighting a policy change proposed by Massachusett's Patrick administration that could speed up permitting for some developers by launching the state's environmental review behind closed doors. Boston Globe
Food inspectors say USDA short-handed. A shortage of slaughterhouse inspectors has weakened the federal food safety net, making it easier for sick animals to enter the food supply undetected, according to four current and former government inspectors. Baltimore Sun
Beef industry presses for reduced recall. USDA officials said they are still tracing 15 million of the 143 million pounds of beef involved in the nation's largest-ever meat recall, but the meat industry appears to be pressing the agency to scale back the recall. Wall Street Journal.
Lawmakers claim Great Lakes report was 'suppressed'. House Science Committee Democrats are charging that federal officials have suppressed a report on potential health threats from pollution in the Great Lakes and that officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may have punished a career federal scientist who oversaw it. Science.
Levels of lakes draw concern. Increasing evaporation rates may be responsible for an alarming drop in Great Lakes water levels, an expert says. Sarnia Observer
Lawyer: Dupont should be forced out of existence for its asbestos policies. The plaintiffs maintain that Dupont knew about the dangers of asbestos as early as 1940, but chose to conceal their findings and focus on a defense to protect the company from lawsuits rather than implement policies that would save the lives of its workers. Southeast Texas Record
'We will move you now,' FEMA tells trailer residents. A flier from FEMA over the weekend and the Feb. 14 preliminary report from the CDC that found elevated formaldehyde levels in some trailers confirmed that the illnesses of inhabitants may be related to their living conditions. New Orleans Times-Picayune
DNA pollution may be spawning killer microbes. Over the past 60 years, genes for antibiotic resistance have gone from rare to commonplace in the microbes that routinely infect our bodies. They are implicated in more deaths in the US than those caused by automobiles and homicides combined. Discover.
The spineless menace: Jellyfish overwhelm the sea. Jellyfish are now active in the Mediterranean throughout the winter, building up strength for their annual assault upon the northern shore. And it looks like they are here to stay. London Independent
Scientists fear 'tipping point' in Pacific Ocean. Where scientists previously found a sea bottom abounding with life, two years ago they discovered the rotting carcasses of crabs, starfish and sea worms. Most fish had fled -- and those that didn't or couldn't died. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Lakes Mead and Powell could run dry by 2021. Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which supply water and power to millions in the American Southwest, stand a 50 percent chance of running dry by 2021 unless dramatic changes take place in how the region uses water, according to a new study. Christian Science Monitor.
Calif. farmers struggle with reduced water supply. Severe droughts have combined with an unexpected culprit--a tiny fish--to put the squeeze on Southern California's water supply. All Things Considered
A region's vitality, melting away. The melting of Mount Hood's signature glaciers raises a crucial question for the region: How much do we depend on them and the cool meltwater they pour into rivers and creeks? Portland Oregonian
Perchlorate in food. Food is the primary source of perchlorate for most Americans, and US toddlers on average are being exposed to more than half of the US EPA's safe dose from food alone, according to a new US FDA diet survey. Environmental Science & Technology.
No hurry to relax rules on watering. The county is taking a "wait-and-see approach" to the low water level in Lake Lanier, according to Jim Scarbrough, a technical adviser for the Gwinnett Department of Water Resources. Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Daniels signs bill letting state join area compact on Great Lakes. Gov. Mitch Daniels has signed a measure that allows Indiana to join a regional compact intended to prevent water-hungry states from tapping into the Great Lakes. Indianapolis Star
Colorado Bureau of Reclamation blamed for tunnel fiasco. The flooded tunnel that threatens the city of Leadville, CO backed up because of a failed proposal to transfer ownership of the tunnel and a water treatment plant to the state. Associated Press.
Justices let Montana pursue water suit against Wyoming. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday said Montana can pursue its lawsuit that charges Wyoming with using too much water from a pair of rivers that flow between the states. Associated Press.
Plan to protect Great Lakes water hitting a snag. Two Great Lakes states have balked at an agreement that would keep outsiders from siphoning off the lakes' water, raising fears that the long-sought water plan could be in danger. Chicago Tribune
Big brains payrolled by Big Tobacco. In an attempt to win hearts and minds, tobacco companies bankrolled a network of economists, philosophers and sociologists. New Scientist
Toxic info withheld. A senior scientist at the CDC was demoted when his reports on contaminants in the Great Lakes and formaldehyde in FEMA trailers were publicized. Living On Earth.
136-year-old law opens West to more mining plunder. Abandoned tailings, tailings ponds and seeping chemical pollution are the telltale signs of more than a century of nearly unregulated mining activities that left a legacy of expensive environmental cleanup. Idaho Mountain Express
A recall, reason to worry. The massive beef recall may be a proper retaliatory move, but it still comes after the fact. Neither the USDA nor the public should feel assured that our food is as safe as it should be. Baltimore Sun
Need more inspectors. How many more examples of tainted products will it take for our lawmakers to give agencies the tools to recruit, train and disperse more inspectors to protect our country? Contra Costa Times
Dumping Obsolete TV's. Next year, millions of televisions across the country will become obsolete. That's because the government is phasing out analog television signals. That means Americans will be tossing out one of the most toxic items in their home - their old TVs. Great Lakes Radio Consortium
Schwarzenegger & Feinstein convene closed-door conference to work on a bipartisan water bond packageSaying the "window of opportunity is on us now," Sen. Dianne Feinstein met Thursday with the governor, legislative leaders and water officials to restart a stalled bid to put a multibillion dollar water bond on the November ballot. "I think the resolution of the meeting is that the group is going to sit down together, Republicans and Democrats, and go through what has been done up to date, make the necessary changes and put together a legislative solution," Feinstein, a California Democrat, said. Visalia Times via Aquafornia
Business Week covers water issues; are we nearing the next major natural resource crisis? Water may be the source of the next major natural resource crisis. A rising world population; increased demand for water for agriculture, industry, and energy production; and a growing desire for safer and more plentiful water supplies are pressuring existing resources. At the same time, climate change may be reducing the availability of fresh water. Most citizens of Europe and North America have taken for granted access to cheap, safe water. People in Asia, Africa, and Latin America would like to. Will all of us have to start thinking harder about it? Businessweek via Aquafornia
Las Vegas Mayor to Imperial County farmers..."F*** you!" No one is going to allow us to dry up," Mayor Oscar Goodman said at a news conference Thursday. "The Imperial Valley farmers will have their fields go fallow before our spigots run dry." - Desert Sun