Public

Senate Dems Give Up on Spill Bill [1]

"Democrats on Tuesday gave up trying to pass even a scaled-back energy bill this summer that would have removed liability ceilings on oil companies, a reaction to the BP oil spill."

Disasters [2]

Laws & Regulations [3]

Environmental Politics [4]

Public [5]

National (U.S.) [6]

Source: AP [7], 08/04/2010

Read more about Senate Dems Give Up on Spill Bill [1]

BP Says Mud from 'Static Kill' Has Stopped Gulf Well [8]

"BP says it has reached the 'desired outcome' in a procedure in which it pumped mud down the throat of the blown-out well that is leaking in the Gulf of Mexico. ... The company said Wednesday that the well pressure was being controlled, 'which is the desired outcome of the static kill procedure carried out yesterday.'"

Disasters [2]

Public [5]

National (U.S.) [6]

Source: AP [9], 08/04/2010

Read more about BP Says Mud from 'Static Kill' Has Stopped Gulf Well [8]

Managing Stormwater: Key in Water Pollution, Beach Closures [10]

Here's a roundup of recent developments and resources that can help you cover how local stormwater management fits into the regional and national picture, including the Natural Resources Defense Council's 20th annual beach report and the proposed Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2010.

SEJ Publication Types:

TipSheet [11]

Topics on the Beat:

Planning & Growth [12]

Pollution [13]

Water & Oceans [14]

Region:

National (U.S.) [6]

Visibility:

Public [5]

Read more about Managing Stormwater: Key in Water Pollution, Beach Closures [10]

Studies: Lighten Up on Roof and Pavement Color [15]

While not a stand-alone climate change-fighting measure, converting roofs and pavements in tropical and temperate cities of one million or more people to light-colored materials would provide the equivalent one-time benefit of eliminating two years' worth of global CO2 emissions, or eliminating the emissions of 300 million vehicles for 20 years.

SEJ Publication Types:

TipSheet [11]

Topics on the Beat:

Climate Change [16]

Planning & Growth [12]

Environmental Studies [17]

People & Population [18]

Science [19]

Region:

National (U.S.) [6]

Visibility:

Public [5]

Read more about Studies: Lighten Up on Roof and Pavement Color [15]

EPA Gets TRI Data Out Quickly This Year [20]

Data for the 2009 Toxics Release Inventory, released July 28, 2010, includes only about 80% of the total expected submissions so it's not possible to look at category totals, trends, and other aspects that require 100% of the data until later this year. However, you can report immediately on many local emitters, including evaluations of their totals and trends.

SEJ Publication Types:

TipSheet [11]

Topics on the Beat:

Chemicals [21]

Pollution [13]

Government [22]

Region:

National (U.S.) [6]

Visibility:

Public [5]

Read more about EPA Gets TRI Data Out Quickly This Year [20]

2 Reports Call Water Shortages Serious, Widespread Threat [23]

Sandia National Laboratories and the Natural Resources Defense Council independently publish similar conclusions based on a range of scenarios developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report, in conjunction with various economic models.

SEJ Publication Types:

TipSheet [11]

Topics on the Beat:

Climate Change [16]

Economy & Business [24]

Water & Oceans [14]

Region:

National (U.S.) [6]

Visibility:

Public [5]

Read more about 2 Reports Call Water Shortages Serious, Widespread Threat [23]

"Huge Blasts of Sun's Plasma Hurtling Toward Earth" [25]

"A huge mass of magnetically charged material ejected from the sun is racing across space toward our planet, where it is expected to arrive on Tuesday. When it strikes the Earth's magnetic field, it could produce spectacular auroras."

Science [19]

Other or All [26]

Public [5]

International [27]

Source: Christian Science Monitor [28], 08/03/2010

Read more about "Huge Blasts of Sun's Plasma Hurtling Toward Earth" [25]

"This IS His Grandfather's Bug, But Now It's Electric" [29]

"If the Chevy Volt's $40,000 price tag sounds a bit too steep, you could always go the do-it-yourself route of Oregon teenager Ashton Stark. He just finished a yearlong conversion of his grandfather's 1972 Volkswagen Super Beetle into an electric car."

Energy & Fuel [30]

Transportation [31]

Technology [32]

Public [5]

National (U.S.) [6]

Source: NPR [33], 08/03/2010

Read more about "This IS His Grandfather's Bug, But Now It's Electric" [29]

"House Approves Oil Spill Reform Bill" [34]

"The House of Representatives on Friday approved the toughest reforms ever to offshore energy drilling practices, as Democrats narrowly pushed through an election-year response to BP's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico."

Climate Change [16]

Disasters [2]

Energy & Fuel [30]

Environmental Politics [4]

Public [5]

National (U.S.) [6]

Source: Reuters [35], 08/03/2010

Read more about "House Approves Oil Spill Reform Bill" [34]

Fears of Air Pollution Stir Up Politics in Texas Shale Gas Country [36]

"FORT WORTH, Texas -- For nearly a year Christine and Tim Ruggiero have battled the powerful Texas oil and gas industry and the inertia of regulators responsible for protecting air quality and public health."

Air [37]

Energy & Fuel [30]

Public [5]

Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [38]

Source: ClimateWire [39], 08/03/2010

Read more about Fears of Air Pollution Stir Up Politics in Texas Shale Gas Country [36]

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