EJToday is SEJ's selection of new and outstanding stories on environmental topics in print and on the air, updated every weekday. SEJ also offers a free e-mailed digest of the day's EJToday postings, called SEJ-beat. SEJ members are subscribed automatically, but may opt out here. Non-members may subscribe here. EJToday is also available via RSS feed. Please see Editorial Guidelines for EJToday content.
Interior Recommends Removal of Dams on Klamath River To Aid Salmon
Reuters, 04/05/2013"The government on Thursday recommended the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River in Oregon and California to aid native salmon runs and help resolve a decades-long struggle over allocation of scarce water resources."
"New Niagara Tunnel Helps Ontario Replace Coal with Hydro"
ENS, 04/05/2013"TORONTO, Ontario, Canada, April 4, 2013 (ENS) – The province of Ontario is harnessing more renewable electricity from Niagara Falls through the just-completed Niagara Tunnel Project, as part of its plan to phase out its coal-fired power plants by the end of 2014."
"U.S. Proposal To Move Fracking Wastewater By Barge Stirs Debate"
Reuters, 04/04/2013"The Obama administration is inching ahead with a plan that would allow wastewater from fracking to be shipped on barges, fueling a debate whether it is safer than other transportation modes or risks polluting drinking water."
"Sea Lion Pups Dying at High Rate in California: Agency"
Reuters, 04/04/2013"A federal agency has declared that more sick and dying sea lion pups have stranded themselves on southern California beaches so far in 2013 than in the previous five years combined, but scientists are still unsure what is afflicting the mammals."
Drought Season Off to Bad Start; Scientists Predict Another Bleak Year
InsideClimate News, 04/02/2013"Current climate-induced drought is slipping into a trend that scientists say resembles some of the worst droughts in U.S. history, like the Dust Bowl."
"Warming May Mean More Toxic Algae Blooms for Lake Erie"
Climate Central, 04/02/2013"Toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie could come more often and be more intense in coming decades thanks in part to torrential rains intensified by global warming, according to a study published in Monday’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."
"Ameren Coal Ash Used as Mine Fill Near Ste. Genevieve"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 04/01/2013"STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Ameren Missouri has spent the past four years engaged in a bitter fight with Labadie-area residents over a proposal to pile millions of cubic yards of coal ash on a plot of cropland by the Missouri River."
"As Fracking Proliferates, So Do Wastewater Wells"
Texas Tribune, 03/29/2013"GONZALES, Tex. -- In a dusty lot off the main highway in this South Texas town, Vern Sartin pointed to a collection of hose hookups and large storage tanks used for collecting wastewater from hydraulic fracturing jobs."
"Canada Only UN Member To Pull Out of Droughts and Deserts Convention"
CTV News, 03/29/2013"Canada has become the first country to drop out of the UN convention to combat desertification."
EPA Sets New Requirements for Ballast Water Dumped By Ships
AP, 03/29/2013"TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued new requirements Thursday for cleansing ballast water dumped from ships, which scientists believe has provided a pathway to U.S. waters for invasive species that damage ecosystems and cost the economy billions of dollars."
"Americans Oppose Paying for Storm-Ravaged Beaches"
AP, 03/29/2013"WASHINGTON -- More than 4 out of 5 Americans want to prepare now for rising seas and stronger storms from climate change, a new national survey says. But most are unwilling to keep spending money to restore and protect stricken beaches."
"Coal Tar Industry Fights Bans on Sealants"
Chicago Tribune, 03/29/2013"Lobbying group funds research, argues products are safe despite government studies linking them to pollution."
"Chemical Industry Clout Delays EPA Regulation of Hexavalent Chromium"
PR Watch, 03/29/2013The story of hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen, in drinking water is not over, even though Erin Brockovich's legal victory was vaunted in a film 13 years ago. Groundwater near Hinkley, Calif., is still polluted. The story of how industry clout has kept EPA delaying regulation of chromium in drinking water is a tale of the chemical industry's ability to manipulate regulation by sowing doubt. But recent highly dramatized stories on chrome-6 in drinking water may not have helped much, to the extent that they downplayed natural background levels, the importance of dose, and the statistical problems in identifying cancer clusters. The whole saga raises key issues about public relations, lobbying, regulatory politics, the legal system, environmental journalism, and the protection of public health.
"Sierra Snowpack Falls Short"
Fresno Bee, 03/28/2013"Snow-surveying crews across the Sierra are seeing bad news up close this week. California has about half a snowpack."
"Oklahoma Earthquakes Linked To Injection Wells"
LA Times, 03/28/2013"HOUSTON -- Oklahoma's largest-recorded earthquake was triggered by injection wells used by the oil and gas industry, according to a report released this week."

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