IN THE NEWS / JAN 18

• Do businesses pay for pollution?

  Five years after being told to do more, Texas regulators are still seen as lenient toward polluters. Austin American-Statesman, Texas

• Revolving door at Texas environmental agency?

  Some worry that many top officials leave to go to work with companies they once regulated. Austin American-Statesman, Texas

• Industrial pollution chokes people, crops alike.

  Ammonia mixed toxic gas and urea dust emitted from Jamuna Fertiliser Factory in Jamalpur have allegedly been wreaking havoc on the local environment and causing debilitating illnesses among the locals. Dhaka Daily Star, Bangladesh

• Water -- a precious commodity in war-torn Gaza.

  Every day when Israel pauses its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Palestinians launch a ground assault on the territory's public fountains to try to lay their hands on precious supplies of water. At home, for many families, the taps have run dry. Agence France-Presse

• W.R. Grace & Co.: Last hurdle before trial this week.

  The hearing in the case against W.R. Grace & Co will begin Wednesday in Missoula as dozens of lawyers begin hammering out critical evidentiary details in one of the most far-reaching environmental crimes prosecutions ever brought by the federal government. Missoula Missoulian, Montana

• As staggering costs delay sewer upgrades, Ohio River deluged with pollution.

  While clean stream laws over the past 50 years have helped the river immensely, it still harbors a lot of sewer water, environmentalists say. Beaver County Times, Pennsylvania

• Metro water plan: What level of commitment?

  Metro Atlanta’s plan for meeting its water needs through 2035 may be most remarkable for what it doesn’t include. There’s no high-tech proposal to turn sewage water into drinking water, nor a master plan to cut back on the region’s biggest water wasters. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia

• Turf vs. grass.

  Are these new fields really a gift—or a curse? In order to save maintenance money in the short term, Albemarle County is taking a gamble on a new product that may (or may not) have health risks. Charlottesville C-ville Weekly, Virginia

• Debate flares over how to cut greenhouse gases.

  Attacking climate change through a complex greenhouse gas trading system is a centerpiece of the incoming Obama administration’s energy policy. But many are saying a better approach to getting a cleaner atmosphere might involve a political dirty word — tax. Houston Chronicle, Texas

• Helping the prez, greening the rez.

  Armed with big potential for wind and solar generation, Native America says it's ready to help Obama build a green economy. A policy statement--signed by 250 tribes and tribal organizations--outlines ways to tackle global warming, while addressing unemployment and fuel poverty on tribal lands. Living On Earth

• Clearing the air.

  When Sydneysiders flick on the power, there's every chance some of the electricity has come from a couple of coal-guzzling power plants in the Hunter Valley. It's much less clear, however, where our future electricity will come from. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

• Study: electricity usage is down.

  A new Washington Post analysis shows that local homes and businesses used about 2 percent less electricity in the first nine months of 2008 than they did in 2007. Electric power is the region's largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions. Washington Post

• Families told to stop scattering ashes.

  So many people want to scatter the ashes of family and friends in beauty spots that the government has been forced to step in with anti-pollution rules. London Observer, England

• Russian champion of Siberia's Lake Baikal has tough fight.

  Ecologist Marina Rikhvanova is trying to protect Siberia's Lake Baikal. She is up against a Kremlin and business elite intent on exploiting natural resources. Los Angeles Times, California