Monthly Archives: December 2010

Year in Review… last depressing post of 2011

December 31, 2010

Readers -  Thanks for a great year of contributions to environmental, health and safety concerns. Believe it or not, I am a solid optimist that whole heartily believes “There is nothing wrong in America that can not be fixed by what is right in America” yet this post could be a little depressing for...
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Much love TOD charts of the year

December 31, 2010

From TheOilDrum (TOD)  A picture says a thousand words. In this post you will find only charts and graphs conveying important points from the world of energy 2010. Readers are invited to post their favorite charts from 2010 in the comments. Instructions are given at the end of this post. This is a charts...
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About those global sea level predictions: Never mind

December 31, 2010
sea-level-rise

The American Thinker takes a closer look at predictions vs reality: Gore, Schwarzenegger, and the IPCC made their mark through their dramatic predictions of catastrophic sea level rise due to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causing global warming. Gore once predicted that sea levels would rise by twenty feet over the century. Last...
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Predictions for 2011 from Peak Oil Community

December 31, 2010

Everyone in the Peak Oil Community knows the danger of making predictions. As the poet Burns framed it, “The best-laid schemes o’Mice an’ Men / Gang aft agley.” What gang aft agley more often than our energy and environmental situation these days? Trying to call the future is a challenging project. But ASPO-USA and...
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Can we compete in this market? Russia drops Windows…

December 31, 2010

Russia embraces free software, a huge blow to Microsoft while a  trade deal between China and Microsoft that allows students in the Asian giant to legally buy Windows+Office bundles for just $3.  International Business Times
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Food Emergency: Millions of Americans Are Heading to Foodbanks for the First Time in Their Lives

December 31, 2010

Food Line for the Holidays – Alternet:  Joan tells me over and over that hers is a good story that people need to hear. Unfortunately, for her and her family she is right. Before moving to Shamong, NJ, Joan, her husband andAl four children, lived a well above average middle class life in a...
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CoalFires – Free energy or environmental nightmare?

December 30, 2010

How much energy could we harvest from this worldwide problem???The fire burning deep below Centralia, Pa., is just one of numerous coal fires burning in at least 20 states today, with thousands more worldwide. They gobble up resources, spew dangerous emissions, and scar the land. Yet little is known about their impact on climate...
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Build a fusion reactor in your home

December 30, 2010
Build a fusion reactor in your home

Yup – It’s a Farnsworth-Hisrch Fusor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusor  and www.fusor.net At first we were pretty skeptical of this home made fusion reactor instructable. However, we’ve seen home made fusion reactors before, so it is technically possible, we guess. The construction alone is interesting enough to warrant a few moments of looking. We’re not experts, so...
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China Slashes Rare Earth Exports AGAIN By 35%

December 30, 2010

“It’s nice to see this concern over pollution, but cynically, I cannot help wondering if the real goal of this crackdown is to raise prices or secure favorable trade agreements.” Rare earth elements are used in iPhones, iPads, hybrid-electric cars, wind turbines, flat-panel monitors, tiny magnets in the fins of bombs, missiles, laser-guided smart...
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Nuclear Energy Suffers Another Big Blow

December 30, 2010

Will the Dying Industry Continue to Beg for More Government Subsidies?AlterNet 2010 again left the “nuclear renaissance” in the Dark Age that defines the technology. But an Armageddon-style battle looms when Congress returns next year. The atomic energy industry has suffered another astonishing defeat. Because of it, 2010 again left the “nuclear renaissance” in...
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Ashton Kutcher Preparing For Armageddon…

December 30, 2010

Ashton Kutcher is in hard training for the apocalypse, but this no big screen role: he’s afraid that armageddon is coming. Speaking to Men’s Fitness, Kutcher predicts that the “end of days” is on its way, and he wants to be prepared for the inevitable madness. He told the magazine (quotes via JustJared): “It...
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Peak oil has arrived… long live oil dependency!

December 29, 2010

While Krugman’s exact words are that peak oil has arrived… not only are we no better off now than in the first peak oil warnings of the 70′s, we are in a far worse situation. Our worlds energy use forecast is built and projected based on in increased use of fossil fuels and the...
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80% of all antibiotics were for livestock & poultry

December 29, 2010
80% of all antibiotics were for livestock & poultry

Center for a Livable Future Antibiotics, one of the world’s greatest medical discoveries, are slowly losing their effectiveness in fighting bacterial infections and the massive use of the drugs in food animals may be the biggest culprit. The growing threat of antibiotic resistance is largely due to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in...
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The Man Who Stopped The Desert

December 29, 2010

Wangaari Maathai’s Billion Tree campaign to lush permaculture landscapes in Jordan, we’ve seen how individuals and communities can reverse desertification and bring life back to arid soils. Now a new dramatized documentary brings us the story of Yacouba Sawadogo, an illiterate African farmer whose pioneering techniques have, according to one expert, done more for...
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African Villages Glow With Renewable Energy

December 29, 2010
African Villages Glow With Renewable Energy

“The NY Times reports that as small-scale renewable energy becomes cheaper, more reliable and more efficient, it is providing the first drops of modern power to people who live far from slow-growing electricity grids and fuel pipelines in developing countries playing an epic, transformative role. With the advent of cheap solar panels and high-efficiency...
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Solar starts 2011 in deep decline

December 27, 2010

NBF – Berkeley Lab Report Shows that the Installed Cost of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in the U.S. Began a Steep Decline in 2010 The decline in solar photovoltaic (PV) installed costs seen by customer-owners of such systems in 2010 follows a significant drop in the wholesale cost for PV modules in 2009. As report...
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China Syndrome for the world … inflation

December 27, 2010

2011 Asia outlook is clouded by China’s growing clout, the volatile situation on the Korean peninsula and corruption  scandals in India 1. Currency tension between China and the United States. 2. How China uses its regional influence and the maritime territorial disputes with several countries3. China’s inflation looks like it will significantly exceed the...
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Battery salvation in 2011?

December 27, 2010

Planar Energy claims its solid-state lithium-ion battery design can deliver three times the energy density of today’s lithium-ion batteries at less than half the cost per kilowatt-hour. The solid-state inorganic nature of the battery is the key to its high performance, says M. Scott Faris, the firm’s chief executi ve officer. Performance targets for...
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GE to pay 500 mln dollars for New York river cleanup

December 27, 2010

General Electric said Thursday it will soon complete a 500-million-dollar toxic waste cleanup project in New York’s Hudson river to settle a decades-old battle with US environmental authorities. The giant industrial conglomerate said it had informed the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it will complete the second and final phase of the Hudson...
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Crude Is Rising, But Not Because Of Demand

December 27, 2010

On Wednesday, Dec. 22, U.S. gasoline prices hit an average $3 a gallon for the first time in more than two years, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Meanwhile, U.S. stocks and oil also climbed to the highest levels since 2008. Crude = 71% of Gasoline Price Crude oil is the biggest component,...
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Ethanol Losing Friends In High Places

December 27, 2010

“It’s now conceivable, says BusinessWeek’s Ed Wallace, that the myth of ethanol as the salvation for America’s energy problem is coming to an end. Curiously, the alternative fuel may be done in by an unlikely collection of foes. Fervidly pro-ethanol in the last decade of his political career, former VP Al Gore reversed course...
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The Great Lakes are a commons?

December 26, 2010

On the Commons and Council of Canadians hosted a landmark gathering of activists from around the Great lakes in mid-November at Council of Canadians in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. Maude Barlow, President of the Council of Canadians, built momentum for the meeting with her rousing keynote address at the Environmental Grantmakers Association...
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Green War… greenwashing… a little scary and weird

December 26, 2010
box

Saw this one to share from the EnergyBulletin … Greenwar aims at using design as a discourse in order to point a critical finger at what is commonly known as “greenwashing” i.e a tendency to literally ab/use ecology, turning it into a mere selling point. It also ponders over the designer’s responsibility. How did...
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Pickens Wind-Power Plan Comes To a Whimpering End

December 26, 2010

“In 2008, billionaire T. Boone Pickens unveiled his ‘Pickens Plan’ on national TV, which calls for America to end its dependence on foreign oil by increasing use of wind power and natural gas. Over the next two years, he spent $80 million on TV commercials and $2 billion on General Electric wind turbines. Unfortunately...
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Internet Explorer zero day attack, just in time for Christmas

December 25, 2010
Internet Explorer zero day attack, just in time for Christmas

SlashDot - “Microsoft has released a notice about a ne zero day attack against Internet Explorer. Guess it’s going to be less of a ‘White Christmas.’ ‘Ok, fess up — who asked for an IE 0 day for Christmas? I’m guessing Santa got his lumps of coal mixed up with a bag of exploits....
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Device uses sunlight to make liquid fuel

December 25, 2010

Scientists from the US and Switzerland have created a prototype machine that harnesses the sun’s energy to make liquid fuels from water. “We have a big energy problem and we have to think big,” Prof Sossina Haile, who led the study, told The Guardian. The solar device uses sunlight and cerium oxide to break...
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CellPhone radiation correlation and causation should never be mistaken

December 23, 2010

Engineer Quote of the week: And, of course, there is the problem of confusing correlation with causation. Families with espresso makers have a lower incident of child mortality than families that do not. – Nice Matt ;- ) In the United Kingdom, the more mobile phone towers a county has, the more babies are...
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Santa’s Naughty List Hits WikiLeaks (Assange’s on it ;-)

December 23, 2010


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DuPont penalty of $3.3 million for Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) violations

December 23, 2010

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that DuPont has agreed to pay a penalty of $3.3 million to resolve 57 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) violations. DuPont failed to immediately notify EPA of research indicating substantial risk found during testing…
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Statement from EPA Administrator Jackson regarding her meeting with 10 U.S. senators on Chromium-6

December 23, 2010

The following is a statement from Administrator Lisa P. Jackson regarding that meeting: “Yesterday, I briefed members of the Senate on chromium-6 in drinking water supplies as it relates to the recent Environmental Working Group report. EPA has already been working to review and incorporate the ground-breaking science referenced in this report. However, as...
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EPA Removes Saccharin from Hazardous Substances Listing

December 23, 2010
EPA Removes Saccharin from Hazardous Substances Listing

EPA Removes Saccharin from Hazardous Substances Listing Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has removed saccharin, a common artificial sweetener, and its salts from the agency’s list of hazardous substances. Saccharin is no longer considered a potential hazard to human health. Saccharin is a white crystalline powder that is...
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U.S. is exceptional, but far from secure…

December 23, 2010

At the same time that Americans believe the U.S. is exceptional, they also are inclined to believe that status is far from secure, according to the Dec. 10-12 USA Today/Gallup poll. Three-quarters of those who believe the U.S. is exceptional (62% of all Americans) also believe the U.S. is currently at risk of losing...
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Scientists Confirm that Dispersants Are Increasing Contamination in the Gulf

December 23, 2010

Journal Nature is also reporting on the increase of PAH contamination due to the use of dispersants in the Gulf: The problem, explains Hodson, is that the dispersed cloud of microscopic oil droplets allows the PAHs to contaminate a volume of water 100–1,000 times greater than if the oil were confined to a floating...
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Two Years After the Largest Toxic Spill in the Nation’s History, Where’s the Regulation on Deadly Coal Ash Dumps?

December 23, 2010

EPA identified 431 containment units for coal slurry and has labeled 49 of them “high hazard”—meaning they pose a risk to human health and the environment. It has been two years since an earthen dike holding back 1.1 billion gallons of coal slurry ruptured, unleashing a tsunami of dark gray sludge from the Tennessee...
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EIA’s primary report of recent energy statistics

December 23, 2010

EIA’s primary report of recent energy statistics indicate that in the first 9 months of 2010: U.S. primary energy production totaled 56 quadrillion Btu, a 2% increase compared with the first 9 months of 2009.  Fossil fuels accounted for 78% of primary energy production, nuclear electric power accounted for 11% of primary energy production,...
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Christmas Gas Prices….

December 23, 2010


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California Mine Will Reopen to Meet U.S. Demand for Rare Earth Materials

December 22, 2010

Japan has already taken measures to innovateand make deals around China’s monopoly on the global supply of refined rare earth elements, and the U.S. is now doing the same. Rare earths producer Molycorp has secured the proper permits and clearances needed to reopen the Mountain Pass, Calif., mine that should be able...
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New safeguards for drinking water and water supplies

December 22, 2010
New safeguards for drinking water and water supplies

WDNR -  Measure to kill viruses in drinking water, others on tap Wisconsin residents – and the 8.5 billion gallons of water that Wisconsin businesses, farms and utilities use every day will be safer in 2011 and beyond, state environmental officials say. A trio of new safeguards adopted by the state Natural Resources Board...
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Changes proposed to ballast water rules

December 22, 2010

WDNR – Wisconsin is proposing to change its requirements for oceangoing ships arriving in its Great Lakes waters. The change would set ballast water discharge standards to those required by the International Maritime Organization. The proposed change reflects the latest science about reducing the risk from invasive species carried in the ships’ ballast water,...
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New rules will help Wisconsin’s bats

December 22, 2010
New rules will help Wisconsin’s bats

WDNR - Bats in Wisconsin have received some much needed assistance to help stave off a deadly disease. Earlier this month the Natural Resources Board unanimously approved three new rules to help protect Wisconsin cave bats from white-nose syndrome, a fungus that has killed over a million bats as it spreads rapidly across the...
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Cash 4 Clunkers – Gift that keeps on giving…

December 22, 2010

Forget Reduce, Re-use, Recycle this was a spend and destroy program. Now look at how it is still costing our environment and wallets during this holiday season. “The United States government’s “cash for clunkers” program exemplified … It’s insane to think that destroying perfectly good and valuable assets, cars that people can drive, will...
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Schwarzenegger Seeks Role of ‘Energy Tsar’ in Obama Administration

December 22, 2010

First sign of the apocalypse in 2011: “People are very receptive when I talk about these things because I’m a Hummer driver not a tree-hugger.”  – Schwarzenegger Mr Schwarzenegger suggested he would like to go to Washington and influence national policy on clean energy use, and promote environmentalism. The former Hollywood action star has...
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FCC approves controversial ‘Net Neutrality’ regulations

December 22, 2010
FCC approves controversial ‘Net Neutrality’ regulations

RawStory -  Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), who has championed “Net Neutrality” in the past, said the FCC’s proposed rules would actually “destroy” the principle of “Net Neutrality.” The rules authored by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski would require ISPs to allow their customers to have access all legal online content, applications and services over their...
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Manure Renaissance?

December 18, 2010

Why a Fertilizer Crisis May (Thankfully) Make Farmers Ditch the Chemicals for Old-Fashioned Poop People talk about Peak Oil, but we’re also at Peak Fertilizer. Without plenty of some kind of fertilizer, there will not be enough food to go around. I never thought I’d see the day when shit — the bodily kind...
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How $90 Oil Affects the Global Economy

December 17, 2010
3-Month Performace of Crude  Oil vs. the US Dollar

With 10 shopping days before Christmas, it’s looking more and more likely: The holiday-season price of gasoline will top $3 a gallon for the first time. According to AAA, the national average today for regular unleaded is $2.984 – up nearly a dime over the last month. The price of crude oil is up...
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China passed USA in pollution and energy needs…GDP soon

December 17, 2010

This will bring an unstoppable amount of energy & environmental needs The Economist predicts that China will pass the USA in US dollar GDP at market conversion rates in 2019 The Economist provides an online calculator for people to calculate their own date when China will pass the USA The maximum values are plus...
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Calif. regulators OK major greenhouse gas rules – hoping for change

December 17, 2010

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses the California Air Resources Board urging them to adopt some of the nation’s most sweeping clean air regulations, in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010. The CRB was expected to pass a key piece of the state’s 2006 climate law, called AB32. If it passes, power plants, refineries and other...
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China to step up efforts to control Mother Nature

December 17, 2010

physorg - director of the China Meteorological Administration, said chronic water shortages in parts of the country will worsen in the decades ahead and “thus we need to control the weather,” Xinhua news agency reported. It fired chemical-laden “rain dispersal rockets” over Beijing to wring moisture out of threatening clouds and clear the capital’s...
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California Releases Third Draft of Safer Consumer Product Alternatives Regulations

December 16, 2010

Even though the scope of the regulations has been narrowed for the first five years of the program, ACA submitted comments early in December, urging DTSC to make additional changes to the proposed regulations. Full article: http://www.paint.org/news/12-16-10-issue01.cfm
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US Department of Energy moving beyond Ethanol development

December 16, 2010
US Department of Energy moving beyond Ethanol development

The US Department of Energy today announced $30 million for research projects that would develop advanced biofuels that could replace gasoline or diesel without requiring special upgrades or changes to the vehicle or fueling infrastructure. The $30 million would be spent over the next four years to support as many as five “traditionally high-risk...
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EPA Documents Bayer Pesticide That Kills Honey Bees

December 15, 2010

Hate to say I knew where and why the bee’s were disappearing… but you read it here in 2008. Fast Company: The world honey bee population has plunged in recent years, worrying beekeepers and farmers who know how critical bee pollination is for many crops. A number of theories have popped up as to...
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U.S. has failed every goal set for women’s health

December 14, 2010

HealthDay News  - The United States has failed to reach almost every goal set for women’s health, a new report says. “If you look at the nation overall, the nation hasn’t done that well,” Dr. Michelle Berlin, vice chair of the report and associate director of the OHSU Center for Women’s Health, said during...
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Are We Running Out of Antibiotics?

December 14, 2010

Newsweek: As more bacteria become resistant to the most powerful drugs in our arsenal, new weapons are getting harder and harder to find. Why we need to change the way we think about treating infection. .. infectious-disease specialists like Brad Spellberg of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine have been reading up on those...
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Oil Prices Surge helped by a weaker dollar.

December 14, 2010

While higher oil prices put more money in OPEC pockets, oil-producing countries worry that prices could go too high, fan inflation and slow the global economic recovery. “The ministers generally love existing prices,” energy consultants Cameron Hanover said in a report. “Some insiders have hinted at a quota increase if crude oil prices break...
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First City to fall… Detroit Halting Garbage Pickup & Police Patrols

December 14, 2010

Detroit has been bankrupt for years. It simply refuses to admit it. Detroit’s schools are bankrupt as well. A mere 25% of students graduate from high school. Yet, in spite of hints and threats from mayors and budget commissions, and in spite of common sense talk of bankruptcy, Detroit has not pulled the bankruptcy...
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Wood Stove Safety

December 13, 2010

Steve Spence over at Green-Trust.Org offers some life saving tips: Our recent house fire has put my mind in a safety mode, and I wanted to share some info on safely heating your home with a woodstove. Maintain proper clearances, take care with chimney installation and cleaning, and especially dispose of ashes properly (use...
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Tomorrow’s Women Engineers

December 11, 2010
Tomorrow’s Women Engineers

On February 24, middle school girls in Argonne, Illinois, will meet with women engineers to work together on hands-on projects as part of Argonne National Laboratory’s “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.” The event is part of National Engineering Week and is designed to introduce girls to the inspiring opportunities available to them through...
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Oil demand hit highest level ever…reserves at lowest

December 11, 2010

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Worldwide oil demand hit its highest level ever on the back of explosive growth in the developing world, according to preliminary figures in a recent report. But the world’s thirst for the hot commodity is unlikely to lead to the price spike witnessed in 2008 — largely due to oil...
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FREE: #1 Best Selling Amazon “Energy” Book

December 11, 2010

Author Craig Shields makes available his best-selling energy book as a free download.The book is based on interviews with 25 of the world’s top researchers, authors, analysts and industry leaders. A surprisingly large percentage of these experts point to these “tough realities” that exist in the technology migration, the economic implications, and the political...
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E.P.A. Delays Tougher Rules on Emissions

December 11, 2010

NY Times -The Obama administration is retreating on long-delayed environmental regulations — new rules governing smog and toxic emissions from industrial boilers — as it adjusts to a changed political dynamic in Washington with a more muscular Republican opposition.
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U.S Renewable Energy And Energy Efficiency Export Initiative

December 11, 2010

The U.S. launched its latest salvo in the renewable energy title fight. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today joined seven other U.S. government agencies in launching a coordinated effort to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency exports – read the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Export Initiative.
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Upcoming Wind Powering America webinars

December 11, 2010

VIA Laura Barnes - The WPA team hosts live Webinars on a variety of themes on the third Wednesday of every month. The Webinars will be posted on the Wind Powering America Web site after the events. On December 15 at 1 p.m. Mountain Time, the WPA team will host a webinar featuring reports...
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Doubling of CO2 Not So Tragic After All

December 11, 2010

“The Register reports on a study from NASA and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that claims that new climate models that account for the effects of increased CO2 levels on plant growth result on a 1.64 C increase for a doubling of CO2 concentrations, a far less gloomy scenario than previously considered.”
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Schwarzenegger Picks HighSpeed Rail over Poor & social services

December 10, 2010

CBS - Schwarzenegger on Monday unveiled a plan that relies largely on cuts to health care and social services for the poor. About $7.4 billion of his proposal would come from cuts, include reducing cash assistance to needy families by 15.7 percent in April, then eliminating the entire welfare-to-work program in July. California Approves...
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GE’s new EV charge station to only 4

December 10, 2010

GE’s WattStation Cuts EV Charging Time in Half. A new charging station from GE is forthcoming, the WattStation, projects that it will decrease electric vehicle (EV) charging time from 12-18 hours to only 4 to 8 hours compared to standard EV charging stations.  The WattStation, is designed to integrate into a “smart” electrical distribution...
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More spent on Failure that Future…

December 10, 2010

Socimages  The number of Americans under correctional control has more than tripled since the 1980s, up to 1 in 31 U.S. citizens.  And the U.S. incarcerates six times more of its citizens than many European countries.  As you might imagine, this is very expensive.  Between 1987 and 2007, the amount spent on corrections increased...
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California’s safety codes are now open source!

December 9, 2010

Public.Resource.Org is pleased to announce that the public safety codes of California are now open source. This was accomplished by purchasing (for $1100!!) the fire, electrical, plumbing, building, residential, mechanical and other public safety codes, scanning the paper, re-typing all text twice to ensure accuracy (“double-keying”), converting to HTML during the double-key process, and...
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Delusional Mandates – Cellulosic Ethanol Reality Begins to Set In

December 7, 2010

TOD – It is hard to believe that just a few short years ago, Congress mandated a massive increase in usage of cellulosic ethanol. This was remarkable, because no commercial cellulosic ethanol facilities even existed at the time. But people like Vinod Khosla were busy testifying before Congress that the only thing holding the...
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Time.com Top 20 Green Tech Ideas

December 7, 2010

You may have to look hard, but some very smart companies are doing some very creative things when it comes to the environment Recycling e-Waste , Algae Biofuel , Algae food , Thin-film Solar , Molten Salt Storage , Solar Tower , Custom Biofuels , Electric Cars , Smart Meters , Lithium-ion Batteries ,...
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Comprehensive clean water rules go into effect

December 7, 2010

Aim to cut water pollution cost-effectively, cooperatively WDNR – Wisconsin has taken an important step in reining in the phosphorus pollution that fuels toxic algae, excessive weed growth and murky water in many lakes and rivers as comprehensive pollution measures go into effect this month, the state’s top natural resources official says. The phosphorus...
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Regulators Pull a Bait-and-Switch on Green Chemistry Initiative in California

December 6, 2010

In September 2008, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger celebrated the signing of two bills (AB 1879 and SB 509) that, he said, would propel “California to the forefront of the nation and the world with the most comprehensive Green Chemistry program ever established.”  Once they went into effect, he said, “we will stop looking at...
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EPA Launches Website to Increase Transparency of Regulatory Activity

December 6, 2010

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a new website called Reg Stat that will enhance public understanding of its regulatory process and the number, type, and range of regulatory documents developed each year by the agency. This new resource is part of the EPA’s continuing efforts to enhance the accessibility and transparency...
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Wisconsins bisphenol A bill AB405 has $5,000 fine

December 6, 2010

Bill AB405 prohibits manufacturing or selling at wholesale or retail an empty bottle or cup intended for use by a child (child’s container) if the child’s container contains bisphenol A. A manufacturer or wholesaler must ensure that a child’s container sold or offered for sale in this state is clearly labeled as not containing...
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GM Loses Money On Every Volt Built… and always will

December 5, 2010
GM Loses Money On Every Volt Built… and always will

“Doug Parks, vehicle line executive for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, GM’s range-extended electric vehicle, confirmed Tuesday that the company loses money on every Volt it sells. The expensive 16-kilowatt-hour battery pack, which likely costs GM somewhere between $8,000 and $12,000, is clearly too expensive to let the company build hundreds of thousands of Volts...
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IAEA Forms Nuclear Fuel Bank

December 5, 2010

From /.  “The International Atomic Energy Agency voted on Friday to form a nuclear fuel bank to help developing countries acquire nuclear fuel without having to enrich uranium themselves. Warren Buffet contributed 50 million dollars to a pool of 150 million with contributions from many different countries. The goal of the program is to...
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Ugly…US, Japan Begin War Games; China Denounces

December 5, 2010

What does this have to do with EHS news? NOTHING has done more environmental harm or used more fuel and energy as WAR. NPR – In an ongoing show of force following a deadly North Korean attack on a front-line island, the U.S. and Japan began one of their biggest-ever military exercises Friday, mobilizing...
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Submarine Dive Finds Oil, Dead Sea Life at Bottom of Gulf

December 5, 2010

Lots of oil… no life for miles. ABC -  “It looks like everything’s dead,” University of Georgia professor Samantha Joye said. In an exclusive trip aboard the U.S. Navy’s deep-ocean research submersible Alvin, ABC News was given the chance to observe the impact of this summer’s massive oil spill that most will never see....
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Russian company control of U.S uranium mines

December 4, 2010

Thetelegram – Two uranium mines in Wyoming are on their way to control by a Russian company now that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved transferring the mines’ licenses. The transfer raised concern from Wyoming’s congressional delegation, who said the uranium could in theory go overseas and serve against U.S. interests.
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Canada Becomes First Country in the World to Ban BPA.

December 3, 2010

The Canadian government has announced that it will add bisphenol-A (BPA) to its official list of toxic substances.Canada is now believed to be the first country in the world to ban BPA outright. Chemicals on the toxic substances list cannot be used in consumer products sold or manufactured in Canada.  The American Chemistry Council...
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Poo powered laptop

December 3, 2010
Laptop photo by Artnow314

Harvard Engineering Team Working On Biogas-Powered Laptop Biogas is rapidly becoming a popular source of renewable energy, and now a team at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is investigating a method to use methane in laptop fuel cells and batteries. While methane is technically a fossil fuel (as a component of natural...
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Might as well Close the Washington Monument?

December 3, 2010

Bruce Schneier The empty monument would symbolize our war on the unexpected, — our overreaction to anything different or unusual — our harassment of photographers, and our probing of airline passengers. It would symbolize our “show me your papers” society, rife with ID checks and security cameras. As long as we’re willing to sacrifice...
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$5.2 million Fox River – Green Bay PCB cleanup agreement announced

December 2, 2010
$5.2 million Fox River – Green Bay PCB cleanup agreement announced

WDNR – Today, the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Government and two tribal nations, filed an agreement reached with the City of Green Bay, Brown County and the Army Corps of Engineers totaling $5.2 million covering further clean up of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminants...
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Webinar: Industrial Energy Efficiency Opportunities

December 2, 2010

Industrial energy use comprises 30% of total energy use and presents significant opportunities for energy and cost savings for businesses.  MnTAP has identified electrical and thermal energy savings for six manufacturing sectors and their key subsectors, including chemical manufacturing, fabricated metals, food processing, printing, primary metals, and wood products. MnTAP will present the findings...
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EPA TRI Toxic Chemical List Additions

December 2, 2010

The following is an update from EPA‘s Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP & Oil Information Center: On November 26, 2010, EPA expanded the TRI toxic chemical list by adding 16 chemicals classified as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” by the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) Report on Carcinogens (75 FR 72727).  EPA has determined...
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Isn’t Wiki Leaks Treason… at least terrorism?

December 2, 2010
Isn’t Wiki Leaks Treason… at least terrorism?

Have we let political correctness blind us from point blank threats? Treat everyone like criminals and criminals like everyone else? While we are busy letting TSA pat grope our grandmas… Julian Assange’s group at WikiLeaks is starting world wars. If this is not Treason how is in not at least terrorism? From “5 Reasons...
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A simple life is illegal in Madison County….

December 2, 2010

Man faces eviction from his 38 acres in Madison County. Because he has no water, no sewer and no electricity in lives his recreational trailer that he calls home.
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e-waste exports are deplorable…

December 1, 2010

Exporting e-waste overseas, where it’s dismantled and processed in unimaginably dangerous and harmful ways. In California, few recyclers tout their green credentials more prominently than John Shegerian, chairman of Electronics Recyclers International in Fresno, who has invested millions in environmental improvements over the past five years. Shegerian told The Bee that e-waste exports are...
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Wisconsin landfills ban oil filters and

December 1, 2010

WDNR - Starting January 1, 2011 it will be illegal in Wisconsin for anyone to dispose of automotive engine oil filters or oil absorbent materials, including granular absorbents, cloth absorbents, and paper towels in landfills. Wisconsin Act 86 is intended to keep used oil filters and absorbents out of Wisconsin landfills. Each year, Wisconsinites...
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Free EPA Tier II Report Changes – Webinar

December 1, 2010

Complimentary Webinar: Learn About Upcoming Tier II ChangesTier II reporting can be a time-consuming and extremely frustrating task. The March 1st reporting deadline is coming fast and there have been significant changes to the number of new chemical constituents and the Threshold Planning Quantity of several existing chemicals. Staying ahead of EPA changes is...
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Australians Are the Worst Polluters in the World

December 1, 2010
australia world

Australians have overtaken them to claim the top spot. In a recently released report, British risk consultancy Maplecroft placed Australia’s per capita CO2 output at 20.58 tons a year, which is about four percent higher than the United States. The other three top five biggest losers were Canada, the Netherlands (quite surprisingly) and Saudi...
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EPA in Catch 22 Situation as It Sets Fuel Standards for 2011

December 1, 2010
EPA Sets Fuel  Standards for 2011, Cuts Target for Cellulosic Biofuel

As part of a yearly legal ritual, the EPA just released their fuel standard requirements for 2011 and though the overall green fuel targets have remained, the same amount of cellulosic biofuel (biofuel derived from wood, grasses, or the non-edible parts of plants that produces 85% less emissions than gasoline) required to be mixed...
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