"A UC Davis professor runs an academic center that was conceived by a trade group, according to records, and gets most of its funding from farming interests."
The lesser prairie-chicken is in dire need of protection, but a decision on listing it under the Endangered Species Act is months overdue. Environmental reporter Mike Smith looks at the causes and potential consequences of the bureaucratic delay and muses on whether this unique bird will go the way of its even more imperiled relative, the Attwater’s prairie-chicken.
"The EPA outlined new tools and technology it plans to use to review the risks of new chemicals, part of an effort to address criticism about slow assessments, lack of transparency, and deficient consideration of potential hazards."
"Chromium-6, known as the “Erin Brockovich” chemical, is “likely to be carcinogenic” if consumed in drinking water, an EPA draft review of the metal’s toxicity concludes."
"New Jersey has joined the ranks of Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Vermont as the latest state to sue some of the world’s largest oil companies for their role in delaying climate policy and increasing the climate impacts, risks and costs borne by state governments."
"In the misty forests of the Congolese rainforest, a small band of apes fed in a tree. Adult chimpanzees dined on fruit in the canopy, while a pair of young apes played nearby. But one of the playing apes was not a chimpanzee: It was a gorilla."
"An EPA analysis of formaldehyde, which is used to make hundreds of industrial and consumer products, will begin to get a long-delayed critique by independent scientists on Wednesday."
A gripping new documentary on raging megafires weaves together stunning cinematography with deeply researched revelations that reveal the futility of current policy around managing wildfires, writes veteran wildfire reporter Robert McClure in a new EJ InSight column. His review, with three big takeaways.
"Hibernating bears stay healthy despite being very fat and sedentary. New research is focusing on what humans can learn from them."
"Fat bear week starts today, that glorious autumn tradition when anyone with an internet connection can vote for the plumpest brown bear in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. Last year, more than 800,000 people weighed in during Fat Bear Week, crowning Otis, an enormous, dimpled ursine, Fat Bear champion for the fourth time.
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