"Standard Bulbs Phased Out; Alternatives Can Be Turnoff for Shoppers"
"It's lights out for the standard 100-watt incandescent light bulb after new national energy-efficiency laws took effect Monday."
Source: Island Packet, 10/04/2012
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"Secret Cold War Tests in St. Louis Raise Concerns"
"ST. LOUIS -- Doris Spates was a baby when her father died inexplicably in 1955. She has watched four siblings die of cancer, and she survived cervical cancer. After learning that the Army conducted secret chemical testing in her impoverished St. Louis neighborhood at the height of the Cold War, she wonders if her own government is to blame."
Source: AP, 10/04/2012
"TransCanada Working Around Environmentalists"
"A standoff between environmentalists in trees and workers clearing the way for a Texas portion of the Keystone XL pipeline has led crews to move around the protesters."
Source: FuelFix, 10/04/2012
GOP Climate Sceptics Face Reelection Battle as Green Groups Hit Back
"It is the issue most notable by its absence in the 2012 presidential race. But the environment may yet have an impact this election as campaign groups target the vulnerable congressional seats of Republicans who dismiss the dangers of climate change."
Source: Guardian, 10/04/2012
"Debate: Obama Backs Green Energy, Romney Backs Black"
"DENVER -- The deep division between President Barack Obama’s green energy policies and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s preference for coal and tar sands oil were apparent in their first presidential debate tonight in Denver."
"Challenged by Obama to explain his plan for the country if he is elected on November 6, Romney replied, 'My plan has five basic parts. One, get us energy independent, North American energy independent. That creates about four million jobs.'
Source: ENS, 10/04/2012
SPJ Publishes Useful Resource List for Access to Information
The list, recently published by the Society of Professional Journalists, includes items ranging from the FOIA letter generator from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to Charles Davis' "The Art of Access" blog.
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EPA To Propose Downgrading Access to Annual Drinking Water Quality Reports?
Some utilities want to get rid of the requirement — substituting online notification, even for water customers who lack Internet connections. A legislative effort to ease the notification requirement failed in the Senate in summer 2012. Now EPA is starting procedures which might lead to doing the same thing by rulemaking. Deadline for comments is October 11, 2012.
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Polar Bear Scientist Cleared; Interior Dept. Still Under Openness Cloud
Five years after wildlife biologist Charles Monnett's 2006 observations of dead polar bears, believed to have drowned because of disappearing Arctic ice, Interior started an investigation of Monnett's science. The findings — partially published September 28, 2012 — were confused and contained no findings of scientific misconduct.
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Federal FOIA System Begins Evolving Via New Online Portal
While it still has a long way to go to reach its potential, the new "FOIAonline" web portal benefits environmental reporters now. Submit and track FOIA requests online to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and more.
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"In Mexico, The Ajolote's Fate Lies in Troubled Waters"
"The salamander, long a metaphor for the Mexican soul, risks extinction unless its sole habitat, the canal system of Xochimilco, can be restored."
Source: LA Times, 10/03/2012
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