"For the first time in more than 65 years, dengue has returned the continental United States, according to an advisory the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued in late May. While a few cases were reported earlier, they were primarily in Americans who had caught the virus abroad or at the Texas-Mexico border."
"In the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Alex is threatening to build into a full-blown hurricane. It could threaten the coast of Texas or Mexico, but at this point it does not appear to be headed for the blown-out oil well off Louisiana. Even so, it's quite possible that the storm could spawn 10- to 12-foot waves, which could sweep across the Gulf and complicate efforts to control the spewing oil well."
"The Environmental Protection Agency is 10 years behind schedule in setting guidelines for a host of toxic air pollutants, according to a report from the agency’s inspector general."
"Scientists say methyl bromide threatens the ozone layer, and its alternative, methyl iodide, is a threat to workers and their families."
"Legislation could include a carbon cap on utility companies. Many Democrats hope a summer discussion on energy will establish a strong contrast with Republicans before this fall's election."
The warming of the Arctic as a result of climate change is raising many international issues -- and many think nations can only deal with them through a new Arctic treaty.
"When two Alaska state agencies received complaints in 2005 that a BP drilling contractor routinely cheated on tests of blowout preventers and that BP knew it, the agencies let the very companies accused of wrongdoing join the investigation."
Some oil companies have been drilling in the Gulf and elsewhere at depths far greater than the BP's blown-out Macondo well. That drilling raises unique engineering challenges -- and also raises questions about whether the companies have adequately addressed unique environmental risks.
"BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. — Nine weeks into the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, there is more money in this small, hardscrabble fishing town than there has been in decades, residents say. There are more high-paying workdays, more traffic accidents, more reports of domestic violence, more drug and alcohol use, more resentment, more rumors, more hunger, more worry."
