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Study: Drinking Water Polluted By Coal-Ash Dump Sites
August 27, 2010 - USA TODAY
A new study by environmental groups identifies 39 additional coal-ash dump sites in 21 states that are contaminating water with arsenic, lead and other heavy metals. The analysis comes as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency begins regional hearings on whether to regulate toxic coal ash waste from coal-fired power plants. It will hold the first of seven hearings nationwide Monday in Arlington, Va. A public comment period ends Nov. 19. Full Article
© 2010 USA TODAY
 
MIT Researchers Develop Autonomous Oil-Absorbing Robot to Clean Up Oil Spills
August 26, 2010 - gizmag
Over skimmers were deployed in the Gulf of Mexico during the summer of 2010 to help clean up the Deepwater Horizon leak; however, it is estimated that these skimmers collected only three percent of the surface oil. Researchers at MIT have devised a system, called Seaswarm, consisting of a fleet of vehicles that may make cleaning up future oil spills both less expensive and more efficient than current skimming methods. A robotic prototype created by the researchers could autonomously navigate the ocean surface using cutting edge nanotechnology to collect surface oil and process it on site. The Seaswarm robot uses a conveyor belt covered with a thin nanowire mesh to absorb oil. The fabric, developed by MIT Visiting Associate Professor Francesco Stellacci, can absorb up to twenty times its own weight in oil while repelling water. By heating up the material, the oil can be removed and burnt locally and the nanofabric can be reused. Full Article
By Darren Quick © 2003 - 2010 gizmag
 
Fires Cost Russia '300 Billion Dollars' In Deforestation
August 26, 2010 - Yahoo! News
Moscow -- Wildfires have cost Russia 300 billion dollars in forest loss, environmentalists said on Thursday, explaining the scale of the disaster by Vladimir Putin's "absurd" changes to forestry law. The economic damage amounts to 25,000 dollars per hectare (2.4 acres), or at least 300 billion dollars, according to estimates based on the market value of timber and the cost of reforestation, said Alexei Zimenko, general director of the Biodiversity Conservation Centre. According to Russian environmentalists, citing data from the Global Fire Monitoring Centre, the fires have covered an area of 10 million to 12 million hectares in Russia since the start of the year. Full Article
By Anna Smolchenko © 2010 Agence France Presse © 2010 Yahoo! Inc.
 
New Microbe Discovered Eating Gulf Oil Spill
August 24, 2010 - MSNBC
A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe suddenly is flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico and gobbling up the BP spill at a much faster rate than expected. Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled since the explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. Also, the microbe works without significantly depleting oxygen in the water, researchers reported in the online journal Sciencexpress. Full Article
© 2010 MSNBC.com
 
New Garbage Patch Discovered in Indian Ocean
August 3, 2010 - Yahoo! Green
Scientists previously mapped huge floating trash patches in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, but now a husband-wife team researching plastic garbage in the Indian Ocean suggest a new and dire view. "The world's oceans are covered with a thin plastic soup," says Anna Cummins, cofounder of 5 Gyres Institute. Cummins and her husband, Marcus Eriksen, established the 5 Gyres Institute to research plastic pollution in the world's oceans. The team works in collaboration with Algalita Marine Research Foundation and Pangaea Explorations, two nonprofit scientific organizations devoted to marine preservation. They report that all of the 12 water samples collected in the 3,000 miles between Perth, Australia, and Port Louis, Mauritius (an island due East of Madagascar), contain plastic. Full Article
By Lori Bongiorno © 2010 Yahoo! Inc.
 
Congressman: Too Much Dispersant Used In Oil Spill
August 1, 2010 - CBS News
New Orleans -- As BP inched closer to permanently sealing the blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, congressional investigators railed against the company and Coast Guard for part of the cleanup effort, saying too much toxic chemical dispersant was used. Full Article
© 2010 The Associated Press © 2010 CBS Interactive Inc.
 
Synthetic Estrogen BPA Coats Cash Register Receipts
July 28, 2010 - Environmental Working Group
The plastic component bisphenol A (BPA) has been in the headlines nonstop as scientists, health experts and consumers press for a federal ban on food packaging made with this synthetic estrogen, shown to leach readily into infant formula, beverages and canned food. But most Americans are probably unaware that they are regularly exposed to the same endocrine-disrupting chemical in cash register receipts. Full Article
© 2010 Environmental Working Group
 
City Hopes Bottle Ban Holds Water
July 11, 2010 - The San Francisco Examiner
Events in city streets and parks could become BYOB — as in bring your own bottle. A ban on the sale of single-use water bottles at events on city property — including parks, streets and festivals — is being pitched. And considering San Francisco’s trend-setting policies on plastic bags and soda, it’s likely to pass. Full Article
By Katie Worth © 2010 SF Newspaper Company LLC
 
Methane's Hidden Impact in Gulf Oil Spill
June 30, 2010 - The Christian Science Monitor
The BP oil blowout, now into its 11th week, is releasing large quantities of methane into the ocean, most of which is remaining dissolved in the waters deep beneath the surface. Full Article
By Pete Spotts © 2010 The Christian Science Monitor
 
Recyclable Plastic Boat Sets Sail
March 26, 2010 - EcoGeek
A boat aptly called the Plastiki, made out of 12,500 recyclable plastic bottles filled with carbon dioxide, has set sail for a great voyage through the Pacific. While it seems like an extreme stunt, the journey has more of a purpose than just seeing if a plastic boat can make the trip. By now, many of us have heard about the giant collection of floating plastic known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The large aquatic dump is located in the North Pacific Gyre, one of the five major vortices of currents in the world's oceans. It is twice the size of Texas and contains billions of tiny pieces of plastic. Full Article
By Megan Treacy © 2010 EcoGeek
 
Feds Outline Plan To Nurse Great Lakes To Health
February 21, 2010 - CBS News
Traverse City, Mich. -- The Obama administration has developed a five-year blueprint for rescuing the Great Lakes, a sprawling ecosystem plagued by toxic contamination, shrinking wildlife habitat and invasive species. The plan envisions spending more than $2.2 billion for long-awaited repairs after a century of damage to the lakes, which hold 20 percent of the world's fresh water. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the document, which Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, was releasing at a news conference Sunday in Washington. Full Article
© 2010 The Associated Press © 2010 CBS Interactive Inc.
 
Asia-Produced Ozone Making Its Way to U.S.
February 21, 2010 - The Kansas City Star
A new study further bolsters concerns that pollution blowing across the Pacific Ocean from China and other rapidly developing Asian nations may swamp efforts to clean up the air in the Western United States and make it difficult for states and cities to meet federal standards. The study, based on 100,000 measurements over 25 years and a computer model tracking air-flow patterns, found that during the spring, ozone from Asia reaches Washington, Oregon, California and other states west of the Rocky Mountains. Full Article
By Les Blumenthal © 2010 The Kansas City Star
 
 

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