Why is there such strong objection in Congress to President Obama's plan to improve the gas mileage of vehicles on our roads? Better mileage means taking advantage of advanced technology and should significantly reduce the amount of oil we burn. Even if cars cost a bit more, wouldn't reducing carbon pollution be an excellent way to cut chronic respiratory illness (and the associated burdens on our health care system)?
Managing the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear power plant seepage still poses a problem for Japanese scientists. The New York Times reports that boric acid had to be injected into a reactor to keep it from leaking after signs of fission were detected.
According to Guardian blogger Damian Carrington the threat of earthquakes will not dampen the pursuit of fuel via shale fracking in the UK.
A New Jersey community has discovered that cancer causing chromium has been seeping into groundwater from leaking tanks located at a nearby factory site. It appears the pollution was accumulating below homes and business property for decades. Scott Fallon has done extensive reporting on this tragedy.
Many environmental objections have been raised about the Keystone XL Pipeline which was supposed to slice through middle America on its way from the Alberta tar sands to the Gulf of Mexico. Environmentalists and landowners have raised concerns about groundwater contamination if leaks occur along this proposed pipeline which runs at shallow depths below farmland (not a rare occurrence). Jeff Goodell has written a powerful piece for Rolling Stone that strongly opposes the construction halted by President Obama.
Could genetically engineered corn lose its protective qualities over time?
