pollution

BP and the Myth of a World 'Beyond Petroleum'

"We can't put all our energy in one barrel," says the BP billboard poster. The slogan is accompanied by fetching images of green plants, wind turbines and the sun. And BP's own logo, with its green tagline: Beyond Petroleum.

But this is confection. Until 2004, BP was called British Petroleum. And in the real world of business, the giant energy company continues to plunder most of its profits from - and sink the great bulk of its investment into - barrels of oil. Who is it kidding?

Posted in coal, oil, pollution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2008
2:55 PM

CONTACT: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Serena Ingre, 202/289-2378 or 703/296-0702 (cell)

New EPA Rule Leaves US Waterways at Risk

Proposed pollution control standards fall short for construction and building sites

WASHINGTON - November 19 - In another blow to our nation's waterways, the Bush Administration proposed a rule that would leave streams, rivers and lakes nationwide vulnerable to contamination by development and construction runoff, including metals and other toxic pollutants.

###

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.2 million members and online activists, served from offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing.

Waterkeeper Alliance is an international network of 182 member programs on six continents dedicated to cleaning up rivers, lakes and coasts through legal advocacy and grassroots action. Waterkeeper programs patrol and protect more than 67,000 miles of rivers, streams and coastlines, and represent the interests of more than 200,000 members. For more information, go to http://www.waterkeeper.org/.

Posted in epa, pollution, water quality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 18, 2008
4:10 PM

CONTACT: Earthjustice
Joshua Osborne-Klein, Earthjustice, (206) 343-7340, ext. 28
Glen Spain, PCFFA, (541) 689-2000
Aimee Code, NW Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, (541) 344-5044, ext. 27

Federal Government Announces Plan to Protect Salmon from Pesticides

SEATTLE - November 18 - Today, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released a biological opinion that sets forth a plan for protecting Pacific salmon and steelhead from three toxic organophosphate pesticides. The decision comes after almost a decade of legal wrangling between salmon advocates and the federal government.

###

Posted in conservation, ecology, pollution, water quality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2008
4:00 PM

CONTACT: Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)

Michael Replogle, 301-529-0351-c, mreplogle@edf.org
Sean Crowley, 202-572-3331, scrowley@edf.org

Group Wins Public Health Benefits in ICC Suit Settlement

Maryland Agrees to Invest in New Pollution Controls, Monitoring

WASHINGTON - November 17 - Maryland has settled a suit filed by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) over the controversial Intercounty Connector (ICC) by agreeing to vital public health benefits to offset the impacts of air pollution generated by the highway.

###

Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.

Posted in Environment, pollution

Water: Buying a Message on a Bottle

I remember when the name of the game at my gym was pump 'n' swig. Weight lifters and treadmill sloggers routinely carried with their sweat towels expensive water in plastic bottles.

Drinking commercial water was the cool thing. In 2006, Americans bought 32.6 billion single-serving bottles of water, and another 34.6 billion larger bottles.

Posted in bottled water, pollution

Brown Clouds Melting Glaciers, Darkening Cities Across Asia

BEIJING, China - A brown cloud of pollution caused by human activities, three kilometers thick and stretching from the Arabian Peninsula across Asia to the western Pacific Ocean, is darkening cities, speeding the melting of Himalayan glaciers and affecting human health, finds a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme.

Atmospheric brown clouds, formed by the burning of fossil fuels, biofuels, wood and plants, absorb sunlight and heat the air, experts write in the study released today in Beijing.

Posted in climate change, global warming, pollution

The Wrecking Crew Leaves

On its way out the door, the Bush administration is rushing to gut some important laws and regulations protecting the environment. Regarding the Endangered Species Act, for instance, the administration wants to impose major exceptions to rules requiring scientific review of federal projects that might harm or threaten endangered species.

The administration wants federal agencies to decide for themselves whether highways, dams, mines and other projects will harm endangered animals or plants. The changes would apply to any project the federal government funds, builds or authorizes.

Posted in conservation, Environment, Politics, pollution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2008
3:47 PM

CONTACT: American Rivers
Andrew Fahlund, American Rivers, 202-347-7550
Amy Kober, American Rivers, 206-213-0330 x23

Clean Water Must be Top Priority for New Administration and Congress

With infrastructure crumbling and communities at risk, clean water must be top priority for new Administration and Congress

American Rivers outlines top actions for water

WASHINGTON - November 6 - With the nation's sewer systems, pipes, and levees outdated and crumbling, and with global warming threatening communities with more intense floods and droughts, water infrastructure must be a top priority for the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress, American Rivers said today.

###

American Rivers is the leading national organization standing up for healthy rivers so communities can thrive. American Rivers protects and restores America's rivers for the benefit of people, wildlife and nature. Founded in 1973, American Rivers has more than 65,000 members and supporters nationwide, with offices in Washington, DC and the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, California and Northwest regions. Visit www.AmericanRivers.org

Posted in conservation, pollution, water

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2008
12:56 PM

CONTACT: The Wilderness Society
Drew Bush, 202/429-7441, drew_bush@tws.org

A Bad Deal for America’s Wild Lands

Regulation Change and Environmental Rollbacks in the Bush Administration’s Waning Days

WASHINGTON - November 6 - Our public lands represent a heritage that belongs to all Americans, one that is critical to safeguarding clean water and air and reducing carbon emissions. The Bush administration has treated these lands as if they belong to industry. And they're not done yet.

###

The mission of The Wilderness Society is to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places.

Posted in climate change, coal, conservation, Environment, oil, Politics, pollution

US Court Reinstates Bhopal Water Pollution Case

NEW YORK - A lawsuit contending that thousands of people in India were exposed to polluted drinking water after the 1984 Union Carbide toxic-gas disaster in Bhopal was reinstated on Monday by a U.S. appeals court, which said a lower court improperly threw out the case.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York sent the lawsuit back to a Manhattan federal court judge for further proceedings.

Posted in bhopal, Corporatism, pollution, India

CommonDreams.org