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In The News /
Oct 22
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For years, residents of the winding valleys along the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon complained to state agencies about the helicopters spraying weed killers on clearcuts next to their homes.
Portland Oregonian, Oregon
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An asbestos factory in Melbourne's western suburbs may have affected nearby residents and left dust in homes, even 30 years after it closed, in what's been described as Australia's worst asbestos tragedy since Wittenoom.
Australia ABC News, Australia
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With fall elections just two weeks away, Republicans may be on the verge of wresting control of the Senate from Democrats who have blocked efforts to roll back environmental rules on carbon dioxide pollution from power plants, ozone and expanded Clean Water Act jurisdiction over U.S. waterways.
Bloomberg BNA
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The U.S. government will soon begin receiving public suggestions on how federal regulators should update their oversight of toxic chemicals in the workplace.
Inter Press Service
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When San Francisco firefighters rush out the firehouse doors, they put their lives on the line in more ways than one. In responding to roughly 28,000 fire calls a year, firefighters are routinely exposed to flame retardants, diesel exhaust and other toxic chemicals.
San Francisco Chronicle, California
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Increasing consumption of antidepressant drugs may be helping humans but damaging the health of the bird population, according to a new study.
Press Association
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China's inbound tourism market is still struggling to bounce back in the midst of rising concerns about issues such as air pollution, according to a new report from the China Tourism Academy.
China Daily
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Hebei province will idle more than 800 polluting factories for nearly two weeks to stop smog shrouding Beijing as world leaders visit the capital for next month's Apec summit.
South China Morning Post, China
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Ads mentioning energy, climate change and the environment — over 125,000 spots and climbing on the Senate side — have surged to record levels during the 2014 midterm election cycle, reflecting the priorities of some of the nation’s wealthiest donors, with Democrats now pouring millions into campaigns to match Republicans.
New York Times
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A study in a rural Ohio county where oil and gas drilling is booming found air pollution levels near well sites higher than those in downtown Chicago.
Associated Press
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Living with "sour gas" is an old story in West Texas, but it's beginning to happen in more oil-producing regions as the boom in onshore drilling pushes oil production into new places.
EnergyWire
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While many of the effects of ocean acidification remain invisible, by the end of this century, things will have changed drastically. One estimate looking only at lost ecosystem protections, such as that provided by tropical reefs, cited an economic value of $1 trillion annually.
ClimateWire
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A mine plans its death before its birth. The leftover waste from mines is so hazardous that mining companies must figure out what to do with it decades in advance, even before they start digging.
That’s how it works today, at least.
Center for Investigative Reporting
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When miners began digging out a small mountain near Clover, South Carolina, in 1947, few people around here realized the legacy the developing business would leave on their community in rural York County.
Columbia State, South Carolina
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Contrary to what a federal official and environmentalists have said, an old Patagonia Mountains mine overseen by the state environmental agency didn't spew orange sludge pollution into a neighboring stream last month, the agency said Tuesday.
Arizona Daily Star, Arizona
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Lindsey Konkel Environmental Health News
Sam Edwards
Mahogany and marbled, Sam Edwards’ thinly-sliced ham melts in your mouth, with flavor that may rival even the finest European meats.
Once referred to as prosciutto’s “redneck cousin,” the South’s country ham industry is undergoing a transformation. Often served with grits and gravy, country ham has become increasingly popular with chefs seeking a local alternative to European dry-cured meats.
The fate of the Southern delicacy, however, lies not on the fickle tongues of foodies, but with environmental regulators and an international treaty.
For more than 30 years, Edwards – like many country ham producers – has used a single chemical to keep critters from infesting high-value hocks.
The phaseout of methyl bromide and other ozone-depleting chemicals has been hailed as a great success. But a few industries are allowed to keep using the pesticide.
That chemical, methyl bromide, is being phased out under a 1987 United Nations treaty because it is one of the most potent compounds depleting the Earth’s protective ozone layer. The nation’s country ham producers – about 50 companies – are hanging on as they scramble to find a pest-killing alternative.
The ham industry is exempted under the U.N.’s Montreal Protocol, but its annual allocations of methyl bromide are shrinking. Next year, its allowable use will decline 9 percent from the amount allowed this year.
“If you were to take methyl bromide away today, we couldn’t produce our long-cured hams,” said Edwards, a third-generation country ham producer in Surry, Va. More...
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By Marianne Lavelle
Daily Climate
16 October 2014
Atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe delivers the message on climate change with a skill that makes it easy to believe that she is the daughter of missionaries.
Her pulpit, though, is at Texas Tech, as professor and director of the university's Climate Science Center.
more…
By Brian Bienkowski
Environmental Health News
14 October 2014
As concerns mount over people’s exposure to the plasticizer bisphenol A in everyday products, it’s also contaminating the air near manufacturing plants: U.S. companies emitted about 26 tons of the hormone-disrupting compound in 2013.
more…
By Doug Struck
Daily Climate
13 October 2014
Once had a cur, a mutt with an attitude. Mutt hated the basset hound next door, and feeling was mutual. No leash laws in the South then, so the dogs mixed it up at will. The two fought for a decade. Ripped ears nearly off. Gashed eyes. Lots of blood. Lots of stitches. Jim Gordon wants to win.
more…
By Douglas Fischer
Daily Climate
13 October 2014
We often hear climate change is something for our kids to deal with. Well, here they are. And so is climate change. We're on Kickstarter this month, funding a pilot program aimed at shifting the public dialogue. Join the discussion.
more…
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Editorials
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By
Nature
A dead vulture in Spain could herald a crisis for raptor populations, because a drug that has killed hundreds of thousands of birds and driven some species to the brink of extinction in Asia now threatens to do the same in Europe.
more…
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By
Los Angeles Times
Last year's half-baked, unsuccessful proposal to ban genetically-engineered crops in Los Angeles has not improved with time. Yet here it is before the City Council again, complete with wild statements about bio-engineered food and chock full of inconsistent logic.
more…
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Opinions
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By Brian Stellard
Nature World News
Remember those dangerous neonicotinoid pesticides that experts are blaming for the tragic mass death of our pollinators? It turns out that they aren't even all that good at their job, leaving coated crops no better off than if they were left untreated. That's according to a new report released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
more…
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By Karuna Jaggar
Washington Post
The hard truth is that we cannot end the breast cancer epidemic by teaming up with corporations whose toxic practices are fueling it.
more…
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Media Notes
Notable media news and reviews
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In The News: (CONTINUED) /
Oct 22
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Wisconsin officials said Tuesday that Asian carp DNA has been found in the Fox River in downtown Green Bay, a discovery that gives scientists the newest genetic evidence of invasive fish in the Lake Michigan basin. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin
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Voters in two Western states are caught in fierce battles over whether consumers will know what is deep inside their food. Oregon and Colorado on Nov. 4 will decide the fate of labeling laws for GMOs – the latest fronts in a battle over packaging. Los Angeles Times
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The hunt for beneficial microbes comes amid regulatory scrutiny of man-made chemical insecticides. Wall Street Journal
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Japanese prosecutors must decide this week whether to charge Tokyo Electric Power Co executives for their handling of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, in a process that could drag the operator of the stricken nuclear plant into criminal court. Reuters
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The chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Tuesday that she would leave the commission and return to academia at the end of the year, a little more than a year after she survived a cliffhanger fight with a California senator to keep her job. New York Times
Many more stories today, including:
- Africa's largest bee laboratory opens in Nairobi
- Climate: Wild ginseng, wood thrushes, and climate change: A survival story; A retreat from weather disasters
- Engineered plants demolish toxic waste
- Stories from: UK, Saudi Arabia, Namibia, Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Bahamas, Canada
- US stories from: ME, VT, MA, NY, NJ, PA, MD, FL, WI, LA, MO, TX, WA, CA, AK, HI
- Editorials: Powering Florida - Reduce reliance on fossil fuels; The upside of lower oil prices
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