"Environmental groups launched a complaint against Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement Wednesday, saying the country has failed to enforce anti-pollution rules governing its vast oil sands."
Across the country, aging dams are reaching the end of their lifespan, and must be either removed or rebuilt -- at very significant cost. One dam in Minnesota raises issues of public tax dollars being spent to benefit the rich -- and puts a political problem squarely in the lap of aspiring GOP tea-bagger Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
"China Petrochemical Corporation will buy ConocoPhillips' stake in the Syncrude Canada oil sands project in Alberta for $4.65 billion."
"A huge cloud of ash from a volcano in Iceland turned the skies of northern Europe into a no-fly zone on Thursday, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded."
"A distinguished panel of independent scientists has given a resounding vote of confidence in the credibility and integrity of the key studies into climate change that have emerged over the past 20 years from the embattled Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia."
Scientists have just discovered a new lizard species -- 6 feet long -- in a remote part of the Philippines. Inhabitants there knew about it all along.
"The last ship of Japan's Antarctic whaling fleet sailed home Monday with the lowest catch in years, a shortfall whalers blamed on high-seas clashes with the militant environmental group Sea Shepherd."
"European investors and consumers take note: plans by power companies to cut carbon emissions with a new range of nuclear power stations are a big gamble for companies and joe public will have to foot the bill."
"President Barack Obama will outline a revamped space policy on Thursday that will use $6 billion in new funding over five years to create 2,500 new jobs in Florida with the ultimate goal of going to Mars." "NASA's earth science team would receive an extra $2.4 billion -- a 62 percent increase -- through 2015 to study changing temperatures, ice coverage, ozone depletion, and atmospheric carbon dioxide."
"The Government Accountability Office concluded that the Energy Star program is susceptible to fraud and abuse, after investigators received certification for 15 phony appliances, including a gasoline-powered alarm clock."
