We interrupt the 24/7 Wall to Wall Paris News to Bring You...well...ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS TO USE!
California's power play: Is renewable energy enough? Stephen del Cardayre hopes to help solve the Earth's most challenging problem by studying some of its tiniest inhabitants. San Jose Mercury News
Food-origin law is back from oblivion. Amid concerns about the safety of pet food ingredients and catfish from China, consumers and even a few members of Congress are wondering why there isn't a law that requires merchants to label where food comes from. Chicago Tribune
USDA may relax standards for organic foods. The agency is considering a list of 38 nonorganic spices, colorings and other ingredients that would be allowed in products it deems 'organic.' Los Angeles Times
Kerala’s killer factories: Park of pollution. The residents of a Dalit colony in Kerala, India’s Kanjikode industrial park have been dying a silent death.
...But the grime side of the story is that industrial pollution in the region has assumed alarming proportion. According to the tribals and the Dalits who reside in the region, Kanjikode is a hell. As many as 42 iron-smelting factories along with the soft drink giant Pepsi’s bottling unit are violating the pollution control measures and industrial safety norms. Almost all the residents near the park are suffering from bronchitis, asthma, cancer and kidney diseases ever since the establishment of these units.Tehelka
Critics say sick kids will be cost of corridor. Environmental advocates, doctors and families who want to force regional planners to make public transit part of the west-side Mountain View Corridor freeway project in Utah are brandishing a powerful weapon: Children's health. Salt Lake Tribune
Is small beautiful? There are no federal laws regulating nanotechnology products, nor are companies required to put nano-ingredients on their labels. Living On Earth.
Texas Supreme Court throws out asbestos award. Creating a tougher standard for patients who allege asbestos poisoning, the Texas Supreme Court voided a Corpus Christi mechanic's $169,000 damage award Friday, saying he failed to quantify how much asbestos had been inhaled on the job. Austin American-Statesman
Sewage plant fix victory for otters. The aging sewage plant, built in 1954, sits on the beach just north of the little town of Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo County. Every day, it dumps 1.2 million gallons of partially treated sewage - enough to fill 40 backyard swimming pools - into the ocean. San Jose Mercury News
Agricultural chemicals disturb a natural relationship. Several pesticides can disrupt a partnership that enables certain plants to take up nitrogen by enlisting the help of bacteria. As well as stunting the growth of those plants, the newfound effect may be decreasing soil fertility, the researchers suggest. Science News.
Fresh air. Governments that do not want to do anything about global warming often point to China, which will soon become the biggest source of the greenhouse gases that are heating up the planet. Economist
Tahoe rapidly warming. Lake Tahoe's waters are heating up at twice the rate of the world's oceans, according to one of Lake Tahoe's leading scientists who addresed this and other local-level global-warming issues Wednesday at a lecture. Nevada City Union
Monuments threatened by global warming. For centuries, Europe's monuments have withstood earthquakes, fire and plundering, but now cultural treasures from the Colosseum to Westminster Abbey could face new threats from climate change, a study says. Seattle PI
EPA delays decision on allowing California to enforce its own emissions standards. In a sharp exchange with House Democrats, the chief of the EPA Friday said he would not decide whether to issue regulations controlling greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles until late next year. San Jose Mercury News
Getting wind farms off the ground. If people object to wind farms cluttering up the countryside, one answer might be to put them in the air instead. Economist.
China rejects Sun-Maid raisins. Raisins from Sun-Maid Growers in Kingsburg appear to have become ensnared in a trade tiff with China. Fresno Bee
Our big, fat GREEN wedding. Their invitations are made from elephant dung, the wedding dress is from Oxfam and the bride will be walking to the ceremony. Edinburgh Scotsman
Granite State mayors talk about making cities greener. Community leaders throughout the state of New Hampshire came together yesterday to share "green" initiatives they've put in place to save both money and the environment. Manchester Union Leader
GM wants to drive green, but easy on the rules. General Motors Corp. chairman Richard Wagoner made a point of telling shareholders at the company's annual meeting this week that GM is serious about speeding up development of the new technology required to power the electrified Chevrolet Volt.SPX.
New 'green' housing - for less green. A new 80-unit apartment house in West Baltimore represents a new kind of "green" building - one that is environmentally friendlier than a traditional structure and yet still affordable to older residents on fixed or low incomes. Baltimore Sun
REACHing for regs. A new European law called REACH goes into effect requiring chemical companies to submit data for 30,000 chemicals, proving their safety. But will the U.S. follow? Living On Earth.
Environmental disaster fears after freighter runs aground. There were fears of an environmental disaster last night after a coal freighter ran aground in massive seas off a beach north of Sydney and threatened to break up, spilling its fuel. London Independent
Environmentalists know how to take a joke. Contrary to popular belief, environmentalists know how to take a joke. T-shirts now have saucy slogans about global warming such as "I'm hotter than I should be." Toronto Star
Wind farm clears hurdle. The state Court of Appeals cleared a California energy company yesterday to build what would be Maryland's first windmill farm, a 42-turbine facility along Backbone Mountain in Garrett County. Baltimore Sun
Residents in North Carolina feel their water is harmful. Mike McConnaughey’s most recent water quality test shows that his drinking water is tainted with double the amount of arsenic recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency for safe drinking. News 14 Charlotte
Alabama legislature votes to cut one tax, others fail. Tax breaks for Alabama's low-income workers, its retirees and its small business owners went nowhere in the just completed session of the Legislature. But the lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a tax break for hazardous waste going to an Alabama landfill. Associated Press.
Another water deal is sought. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein is trying to broker another ambitious California water deal, this time involving San Joaquin Valley irrigation drainage. Sacramento Bee
Delta pumps to resume, but at low levels. State officials plan to resume pumping from one of California's key water sources this weekend, but at greatly reduced levels, prompting warnings that water rationing may be necessary. Los Angeles Times
California's famed Salton Sea is drying up. The Salton Sea, once known as California’s Riviera, is dying. Increasing salinity, thanks to evaporation, salty agricultural runoff and lack of an outlet, has made the water 25 percent saltier than the Pacific Ocean. Newsweek
State should lead, not follow, on lakes law. Michigan, with all its Great Lakes shoreline, should be deeply embarrassed to let other governments get ahead of us in passing legislation to protect the lakes from out-of-basin water withdrawals. Detroit Free Press
Let's get behind legislation that would protect our lakes. Both the Great Lakes Commission and Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition want national standards and regulations on ballast water to prevent international shipping from introducing further foreign species into the lakes. Oakland Press
Don't let Congress gut emissions standards. A measure before Congress that would strip Vermont of its ability to set auto emission standards tougher than those set by Washington is the kind of legislation that threatens to stifle innovation and that is lacking in federal government resolve in solving environmental problems. Burlington Free Press
Our chemical imbalance. We need to reform the FDA and give it the resources it needs to protect us from the chemicals ---- both dangerous and potentially beneficial ---- that are a ubiquitous part of modern life. San Diego North County Times
The 'toxic effect' of flame retardants. Flame retardants likely contaminate everything with a pulse, but scientists don't fully understand the risk it presents. Oakland Tribune
Landowners gain ground in West's energy turf wars. Many Westerners own the surface of their ranch but not the mineral rights below. They have had little choice but to get out of the way when energy companies go to get buried fuel. But now they're fighting back. Los Angeles Times
Halaco: What went wrong? An Ormond Beach, California smelter spewed corrosive brew for decades as owners beat back efforts by regulators and neighbors to make them stop. Ventura County Star