Unstable Siberian Arctic Shelf Leaking Greenhouse Gas Methane

Submitted by ecofactory on Tue, 2010-03-09 11:50
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Unstable Siberian Arctic Shelf Leaking Greenhouse Gas Methane

FAIRBANKS, Alaska, March 9, 2010 (ENS) - A Siberian section of the Arctic Ocean seafloor that stores vast amounts of frozen methane is showing signs of instability and is venting the potent greenhouse gas, an international research team reported Friday.

The permafrost under the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, long thought to be an impermeable barrier sealing in the methane, is perforated and is starting to leak seven to eight million tonnes of methane each year into the atmosphere.

Supreme Court Will Not Reopen Case That Closed Air Pollution Loophole

Submitted by ecofactory on Tue, 2010-03-09 11:49
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Supreme Court Will Not Reopen Case That Closed Air Pollution Loophole

WASHINGTON, DC, March 9, 2010 (ENS) - The Supreme Court today sided with environmental advocates by declining to review a lower court ruling that forbid the U.S. EPA to exempt industrial polluters from regular emissions standards during "startup, shutdown and malfunction" events.

Taiji Dolphin Slaughter Film Wins Best Documentary Oscar

Submitted by ecofactory on Mon, 2010-03-08 06:22
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Taiji Dolphin Slaughter Film Wins Best Documentary Oscar

LOS ANGELES, California, March 8, 2010 (ENS) - "The Cove," an American film documenting the annual killing of dolphins in a cove near the Japanese village of Taiji, was awarded an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Sunday night by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Directed by former National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos, parts of the documentary were filmed secretly during 2007 using underwater microphones and high-definition cameras disguised as rocks.

Congress Proposes to Suspend EPA's Greenhouse Gas Regulatory Power

Submitted by ecofactory on Mon, 2010-03-08 06:20
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Congress Proposes to Suspend EPA's Greenhouse Gas Regulatory Power

WASHINGTON, DC, March 8, 2010 (ENS) - Senator Jay Rockefeller has introduced legislation to impose a two-year moratorium on the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate greenhouse gases from power plants and other stationary emitters.

The bill is the latest salvo in the battle over which branch of government will control greenhouse gases - the legislative branch through a clean energy and climate bill, or the executive branch by EPA regulation.

Endangered Listing for Greater Sage-Grouse Warrented But Withheld

Submitted by ecofactory on Mon, 2010-03-08 06:18
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Endangered Listing for Greater Sage-Grouse Warrented But Withheld

WASHINGTON, DC, March 8, 2010 (ENS) - The greater sage-grouse "warrants" the protection of the Endangered Species Act but listing the species at this time is "precluded by the need to address higher priority species first," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Friday.

Nanotech Yields New Way of Producing Electricity at MIT

Submitted by ecofactory on Mon, 2010-03-08 06:15
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Nanotech Yields New Way of Producing Electricity at MIT

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, March 8, 2010 (ENS) - A moving pulse of heat traveling along a nano-sized wire of carbon atoms can drive electrons along, creating a powerful electrical current, a team of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced on Sunday. They say the discovery that carbon nanotubes can produce powerful electron waves demonstrates an entirely new way of producing electricity.

Luxury Hawaiian Resort in Legal Trouble Over Seabird Deaths

Submitted by ecofactory on Thu, 2010-03-04 14:00
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Luxury Hawaiian Resort in Legal Trouble Over Seabird Deaths

LIHUE, Kauai, March 4, 2010 (ENS) - Four conservation groups today advised the St. Regis Princeville Resort on Kauai's North Shore of their intent to sue over the resort's failure to prevent the deaths of rare native seabirds, in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act.

The St. Regis is owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which also owns the Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, W Hotels, and Le Meridien brands.

EPA Takes Charge of Ten More Toxic Superfund Sites

Submitted by ecofactory on Thu, 2010-03-04 13:54
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EPA Takes Charge of Ten More Toxic Superfund Sites

WASHINGTON, DC, March 4, 2010 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding 10 new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. The listings make these sites eligible to receive federal funds for long-term cleanup while the EPA seeks to recover costs from the responsible parties.

U.S. Congress Presses Marshall Islanders to Resettle Radioactive Home

Submitted by ecofactory on Thu, 2010-03-04 13:51
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U.S. Congress Presses Marshall Islanders to Resettle Radioactive Home

MAJURO, Marshall Islands, March 4, 2010 (ENS) - Fifty-six years after the first American hydrogen bomb blast in the Pacific exposed hundreds of people to radioactive fallout, U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman is pressing Marshall Islanders to return to their contaminated home island by next year.

The U.S. official position is that radiation is no longer a threat on the Marshalls atoll. But many islanders doubt that their radiation-exposed island of Rongelap is safe enough to live on.

New York City Will Halve Nitrogen Pollution to Jamaica Bay

Submitted by ecofactory on Wed, 2010-03-03 13:39
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New York City Will Halve Nitrogen Pollution to Jamaica Bay

NEW YORK, New York, March 3, 2010 (ENS) - An agreement to improve the overall water quality and restore marshlands in New York's Jamaica Bay through new investments worth $115 million was reached Thursday after months of intensive negotiations among the city, state, and environmental groups.

The city will dedicate $100 million to installing new nitrogen control technologies at four wastewater treatment plants located on Jamaica Bay. The upgrades will help cut nitrogen discharges in half over the next 10 years.