Featured Stories

Here are items that are of current, local or special interest. Submissions welcome (send to mailto:pmmckerc@ucsc.edu)

Senate passes one-year extension of renewable-energy tax credit

4/10

The U.S. Senate passed an extension of the renewable-energy production tax credit Thursday as part of a bill intended to address the ailing U.S. housing market. The renewable-energy credit provides a per-kilowatt-hour incentive for the first 10 years a renewable-energy project is in operation -- a credit considered to be a vital driver of clean-energy expansion. The credit is worth an estimated $6 billion and will be extended for another year, through 2009, if the legislation makes it past the House of Representatives and President Bush. Homeowners and businesses will also be able to offset up to 30 percent of the cost of solar and fuel-cell equipment under the bill, and homeowners who install efficient insulation, furnaces, and windows will get additional credits. "It would be difficult for taxpayers to find an investment that offers a better return," said Melinda Pierce of the Sierra Club. "This package of incentives will pay us environmental and economic dividends for years to come." Grist link

Pesticide Spraying in Santa Cruz

4/13

State environmental health authorities said Thursday they are unable to determine whether respiratory problems reported by hundreds of citizens in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties in autumn were linked to an aerial spraying against the light brown apple moth. A 32-page report released by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found that the 487 complaints gathered after the spray campaigns were not detailed or consistent. As a result, the analysis was inconclusive.

link

New Forest Rules Inadequate
4/11	The U.S. Forest Service has released new regulations for forest management that are remarkably similar to regulations that a federal judge struck down last year. Under the new rules, species' sustainability will not be evaluated individually; instead, the focus will be on overall habitat. A coalition of green groups have sued, saying the rules loosen protections for wildlife. Grist link

Salmon Season Canceled in CA

4/11

For the first time ever, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council has voted to cancel the salmon fishing season off the coast of California and much of Oregon due to exceedingly low populations of chinook salmon in the Sacramento River area. The restrictions apply to commercial as well as recreational fishers; only a catch of 9,000 hatchery-raised coho salmon will be allowed this season by sport fishers off central Oregon. Grist link

Sonar will kill some marine life but safeguards are adequate, says Navy

4/04

Navy training exercises could expose 94,370 marine mammals to behavior-altering sonar frequencies each year, potentially injuring or killing as many as 30, according to an environmental impact statement released Friday by the Navy. But in its 1,796-page report, the Navy sticks with current safeguards for protecting marine animals, not adopting stricter standards imposed by a federal judge earlier this year. Green groups are likely to challenge the EIS in court, continuing a seemingly neverending cycle of litigation and appeals. link

Chinese environmental activist jailed
4/3	Chinese activist Hu Jia, a high-profile campaigner for human rights, religious freedom, and environmental protection, has been convicted of "inciting subversion of state power and the socialist system" and will be jailed for three-and-a-half years. link

Three Mile Island: 25th Anniversary of The Worst Nuclear Accident in U.S. History
3/27	Twenty-five years ago this week, the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania malfunctioned, sparking a meltdown that resulted in the release of radioactivity. Democracy Now audio/text link

Four nations rush to be carbon-neutral first

3/27

It's the race for the greenest of the laurels, the contest for the ultimate ecological accolade. Four countries are competing to be the first of the world's 195 nations to go entirely carbon neutral. They make a disparate line-up of runners, comprising the world's most northerly and southernmost independent countries, its third largest oil exporter, and a state that long ago dispensed with its army.

Link

Three Mile Island: 25th Anniversary of The Worst Nuclear Accident in U.S. History
3/27	Twenty-five years ago this week, the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania malfunctioned, sparking a meltdown that resulted in the release of radioactivity. Democracy Now audio/text link

Two proposed solar projects to boost California's solar capacity by half

3/27

Two large solar-power projects were proposed in Southern California this week that together could provide up to 500 megawatts of power, just over half the state's current solar capacity and enough to provide electricity to about 300,000 homes. One of the projects, proposed by utility Southern California Edison, aims to put solar panels on 65 million square feet of commercial buildings across Southern California. It's expected to cost $875 million and could be completed in five years, pending approval by the state's utility regulators. The other project, to be sited in the Mojave Desert, is a solar thermal power plant proposed by utility Florida Power and Light; Grist link

Fewer zero-emission vehicles will be required on California roads by 2014

3/27

California's Air Resources Board has voted to reduce the number of zero-emissions vehicles required to be sold in the state by 2014 from 25,000 to 7,500. It's a hefty reduction, though less dramatic than the recommendation by CARB staff that the requirement be cut to 2,500 vehicles. Not-quite-zero-but-still-relatively-less-emissions vehicles, like plug-in hybrids, will make up the rest of the quotient, the board decided. Grist link

Protests in Tibet Partially Spurred by Environmental Concerns

3/18

Violent protests that rose this week against Chinese rule in Tibet were spurred in part by anger about environmental destruction in the Himalayas, an area that Tibetans consider sacred. A Beijing-to-Lhasa railway opened by the Chinese in 2006 has provided easy access for Chinese miners to the pristine Tibetan highlands, where they've begun digging up copper, iron, lead, and other minerals. Tibetans are also none too happy about a Chinese plan to divert water from melting Tibetan glaciers and funnel it through canals to feed China's Yellow River. Whether China will be able to quell unrest and put on a happy face in time for the already controversy-riddled Summer Olympics remains to be seen. Grist link

Industry Launches Campaign Against Lieberman-Warner Climate Bill

3/20

Energy industry and business trade groups have launched a concerted campaign against the Lieberman-Warner climate bill. The bill, which would establish a cap-and-trade system to reduce U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions, is much less stringent than some other climate bills in Congress, but Lieberman-Warner is so far the only one to pass out of committee; it's scheduled for a Senate vote in June. Industry and business groups are sponsoring a 17-state anti-climate-bill tour to head off the legislation. The centerpiece of the roadshow is an industry-funded study stressing huge job losses and energy price hikes due to the bill. Also this week, some 70 conservative and religious leaders wrote a letter to senators urging them not to support the Lieberman-Warner bill, describing it as "a vain attempt to change global average temperatures." The letter also characterized the bill as economically catastrophic and questioned the reality of climate change, declaring that even if climate change is real, the warming so far is negligible and "may be beneficial" to humans. Background info Grist link

S.F. Oil Spill Updates

11/30 Update

The Presidio national park has welcomed a group of eco-volunteers to compost a huge pile of human hair mats they used to clean oily San Francisco beaches in the wake of the fuel oil spill earlier this month. Lisa Gautier, along with a group of surfers, neighbors and guerrilla activists, used the hair mats to soak up oil that had washed ashore when the Cosco Busan container ship sideswiped a tower of the Bay Bridge. They plan to harvest oyster mushrooms on the mats to turn the pile into compost - a process that takes about three months. Now Gautier just needs to wade through some red tape. She needs permission from the owner of the wayward ship to take the collected waste from a storage facility in Oakland and compost some of it in one of the nation's most picturesque parks. See original story on 11/9 in News Archive

Lingering consequences 11/11
11/30 composting project Link
11/15 Cleanup update

Ozone case shows Bush meddling in science: watchdogs

3/14

President George W. Bush's decision to intervene in setting air pollution standards is part of a longstanding administration pattern of meddling in environmental science, watchdog groups said on Friday. In cases this week dealing with polar bears, ozone smog and environmental research, groups that monitor these decisions faulted the Bush administration for slighting science in favor of politics. Bush overruled officials of the Environmental Protection Agency to weaken U.S. standards for smog-forming ozone meant to protect parks, crops and wildlife. On Wednesday, the agency tightened a different ozone standard aimed at protecting human health, but not as much as its own scientists unanimously recommended. ENN link

World's first aircraft powered by bio-fuel takes off

3/15

The world's first commercial aircraft powered partly by biofuel took to the skies today. The Virgin Atlantic 747 took off on route from London Heathrow to Amsterdam using a 20 per cent biofuel mix of coconut and babassu oil in one of its four main fuel tanks. Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson said the "historic" flight was the first step towards using biofuels on commercial flights. But he said fully commercial biofuel flights were likely to use feedstocks such as algae rather than the mix used on today's passenger-less test run. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic 747 was the first commerical aircraft to take to the skies using biofuel. The flight was made in partnership with Boeing, engine maker General Electric, and Imperium Renewables, with the aim of reducing carbon emissions. Environmental groups immediately dismissed the test flight as a "publicity stunt". Campaigners said carbon savings from biofuels, often made from organic materials such as wheat, sugarcane and palm oil, are negligible. And there is rising concern biofuel crops could be competing with food production, damaging the environment and displacing local indigenous populations. Sir Richard insisted his fuel was "completely environmentally and socially sustainable" and does not compete with food and fresh water resources.

link

Alaska Senators Introduce Legislation to Open Arctic Refuge to Drilling

3/13

The push to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is back on. Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Ted Stevens have introduced legislation that would allow drilling in the Refuge if oil should hit $125 a barrel for five straight days. (For those keeping track at home, oil prices Thursday hit a record high of $111 a barrel.) "I can't believe that they would do this again; that dog won't mush," says Cindy Shogan of the Alaska Wilderness League, with an admirably Alaskan cliché. A Sierra Club spokesperson postulates that the legislation has neither much support outside Alaska nor enough votes to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. Grist link

World's Tiger Population Unwell, WWF says

3/13

The world's tiger population is doing poorly and may have been halved in the last 25 years, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The group estimates that the global tiger population has plummeted to about 3,500 today from as many as 7,500 in 1982. Habitat destruction and poaching to feed the thriving market in tiger body parts are thought to be the main drivers of the population decline. If China goes ahead with plans to legalize trafficking in tiger parts, the wild tiger population is expected to take an even bigger hit. Conservationists stressed that, while dire, the tigers' situation could improve if governments work to preserve necessary habitat, step up anti-poaching efforts, and work to curb the tiger-parts market. "Tigers are indicators of ecosystem health; they are indicators of forest health," said Sarah Christie, of the Zoological Society of London. "Saving the tiger is a test. If we pass, we get to keep the planet Earth." Grist link

Southern Baptist leaders urge action on climate change

3/12

Over 40 prominent Southern Baptist leaders released a statement Monday urging action against climate change, asserting that "the time for timidity regarding God's creation is no more." The declaration is a notable departure from a statement released after the denomination's 2007 annual meeting that questioned human impacts on climate change. "We believe our current denominational engagement with these issues have often been too timid, failing to produce a unified moral voice," the new declaration says. "Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless, and ill-informed. We can do better." The signatories also urged action on other environmental ills and called on churches to preach about caring for the environment. One of the signatories, Jonathan Merritt, stressed why environmental protection is so important. "[W]hen we destroy God's creation, it's similar to ripping pages from the Bible," he said. Grist link

San Francisco Gets Even Greener

3/7

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom got jiggy with eco-measures this week. He signed into a law a requirement that the city's taxi fleet be converted to low-emission vehicles by 2011; ordered all city departments to purchase 100 percent recycled paper and reduce overall paper use by 20 percent by 2010; and announced his support for a tidal-energy project in the San Francisco Bay, despite a recent study's conclusions that the project would be more expensive than it's worth. Newsom has proposed strict green-building standards for his city and will submit a carbon tax to voters; folks in don't-call-it-Frisco also live happily without plastic bags or toys containing bisphenol A and phthalates. Grist link

Startup Company Makes Thin-Film Solar Cells Via New Process

3/7

Solar company Konarka has announced that it successfully developed a new process to manufacture solar cells that could lead to a range of new solar-powered products and applications. The solar cells are made without silicon and are manufactured into a thin, light film via an inkjet printer, which means they don't need to be born in a clean room like traditional silicon cells. One drawback to the new cells is their efficiency: while regular silicon solar cells achieve efficiencies of up to 20 percent, the new cells are only 5 percent efficient, but Konarka says they're likely to be less expensive and much more dynamic. They can be incorporated into plastics and come in a range of different colors, including transparent. Grist link

FWS Drops Plans to Cut Critical Habitat for Marbled Murrelet

3/6

In a significant and unexpected victory for environmentalists, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reversed its plans to significantly cut critical habitat for the marbled murrelet. The tiny seabird is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and the FWS had threatened to cut over 90 percent of its critical habitat as part of the Bush administration's plans to increase logging of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. But with the reversal, 3.9 million acres of federal old-growth forests will remain protected. Along with the spotted owl, the fight over murrelet habitat has pitted forest and species advocates against timber interests eager to log federal forests. "This reversal, coupled with a recent court decision throwing out a timber industry attempt to delist the murrelet, should end the timber industry's profit-driven and illegal attack on the coastal forests that murrelets need to survive," said Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles. Grist link

New company wants to seed ocean with iron to sequester carbon

3/5

Weeks after ocean-seeding company Planktos bit the iron dust, a startup called Climos is plowing ahead with a similar business plan: seed the ocean with iron dust to stimulate the growth of CO2-gobbling plankton, then sell offsets for the sequestered carbon. Climos has announced $3.5 million in venture capital and is backed by reputable investors: Tesla Chair (née Pay-Pal cofounder) Elon Musk and venture-capital firm Braemar Energy Ventures. Climos CEO Dan Whaley says his company differs from Planktos in that it will have a science-oriented approach, expert managerial team, and "all-star cast" of experienced scientists. Whether it can avoid the wrath of Planktos' dreaded "anti-offset crusaders" remains to be seen. Grist link

Norway says whale consumption is good for the planet

3/4

Eating whale meat is better for the planet than eating beef, pork, or chicken, according to a comparative carbon-emissions calculation by Norwegian lobbying group the High North Alliance. Says the alliance's Rune Froevik, in what may be a bit of an exaggeration, "Basically it turns out that the best thing you can do for the planet is to eat whale meat compared to other types of meat." Points out Greepeace's Truls Gulowsen, "The survival of a species is more important than lower greenhouse-gas emissions from eating it." Meanwhile, Australian activists clashed yet again with Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean. Grist link

Climate skeptics hold conference in New York City

3/4

A conference of climate-change skeptics gathered in New York City this week to congratulate each other for daring to challenge the accepted science of global warming. A range of high-profile deniers painted themselves as put-upon independent thinkers branded as heretics by the church of climate-change dogma. Films were shown. Speeches were made. Al Gore jokes abounded. But actual climate science was largely avoided. Michael Oppenheimer, a Princeton University geosciences professor, said that with the media and most policymakers now largely ignoring the climate skeptics, "they have to get together to talk to each other, because nobody else is talking to them." Grist link

California Sewage Makes for Femme Fish
2/22	Chemicals in southern California wastewater are sneaking past sewage-treatment plants and into the ocean, where they can seriously wack out fishy hormone levels, according to preliminary research. Flame retardants, PCBs, residue from long-banned pesticide DDT, and other chemicals from pills and beauty products have all showed up in the water, via human waste. Grist link

Toxics report shows slight dip in U.S. releases overall, mercury releases up

2/22

The U.S. EPA's 2006 Toxics Release Inventory just came out, showing a slight decline in total toxic chemicals released in the country, as well as a 17 percent increase in releases of mercury. Individual states showed mixed results, with Arizona's total toxic releases shooting up by 52 percent from 2005 to 2006 due almost entirely to pollution from one mine that released 59 million pounds of waste -- over half the state's total in 2006. Nine of the top 10 states in overall toxic emissions in 2006 were also in the top 10 in 2005, with Alaska remaining No. 1 in total toxic releases; the state released over 100 million pounds more than last year. Rounding out the rest of 2006's top 10 are Ohio, Texas, Indiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Utah, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Tennessee. The 2006 figures reflected the EPA's change to reporting requirements that let companies releasing less than 2,000 pounds of toxics use less detailed reporting. link

State Plans Bay Area Pesticide Spraying

2/15

The state agriculture department plans to use airplanes at night this summer to spray a farm pesticide over urban San Francisco, Marin County and the East Bay, intending to eradicate a potentially destructive moth. The little-known proposal to wipe out the light brown apple moth, which if it became established could destroy the region's agricultural industry, has developed increasing opposition among some residents who fear for their health. Hundreds of people whose homes and yards were sprayed in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties from September to December have filed reports that said the pesticide seems to have caused coughing, wheezing, muscle aches and headaches, among other symptoms. One Monterey family reported that a child had a first-time asthma attack. State officials say the amount of pesticide applied shouldn't pose severe health risks, but they've also refused to rule out that the spray can affect humans, particularly sensitive people such as children and the elderly. Spraying of the pesticide, called Checkmate, is expected to begin in the Bay Area in August and could continue for five years over San Francisco, Daly City, Colma, Oakland, Piedmont, Emeryville, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Tiburon and Belvedere. Other chemicals could also be used.

link

Assail the Seven Seas

2/15

Nearly all of world's oceans tainted by human activity, says study Human activity has tainted all but 3.7 percent of the world's oceans, and 41 percent of the world's waters have been heavily impacted, says a new study in Science. A graphic map illustrates in all-too-clear terms that the briny deep has taken a terrible toll from 17 human threats, including climate change, overfishing, fertilizer runoff, coastal development, and shipping pollution. Only a few small areas near both poles remain relatively pristine -- though, according to one coauthor, "they are not untouched." In addition, a separate study in Science found that low-oxygen dead zones off the U.S. West Coast were unprecedented before they began showing up regularly in 2002, that in 2006 some areas lacked oxygen altogether, that dead zones will likely persist and possibly get worse, and that climate change is likely to blame. link

Researchers Develop Energy-Generating Clothing

2/15

We like the idea of harvesting energy from our own movement, but wearing a knee brace just sounds too clunky. But now U.S. researchers publishing in Nature have developed a way to generate electricity from nanofibers woven into fabric. If the technology goes mainstream, we'll be able to generate energy just by getting dressed -- which, of course, we do every day. Except after the first rain of the year at UCSC. link

Panel rejects toll road through San Onofre State Beach

2/7

The California Coastal Commission handed environmentalists a major victory and rejected the pleas of motorists Wednesday, voting down plans to build a six-lane toll road through San Onofre State Beach, a popular preserve in north San Diego County known for its scenery and famous surf spots. Before a boisterous crowd of more than 3,500 people, commissioners decided 8 to 2 that the proposed Foothill South project violates the California Coastal Act, which is designed to regulate development along the state's 1,100-mile shoreline. They reached the conclusion following hours of sometimes heated public testimony that pitted protecting the environment against the need to relieve traffic congestion in south Orange County. link

Older stories in News Archive