Sarah Palin has said many times that the polar bear habitat is safe, and there’s no need to classify them as a “threatened” species. Yet today comes word that as the Arctic sea ice melts, polar bears are finding less and less food sources and are beginning to cannibalize one another.
Solar Energy Comes to the DOE Headquarters One of the largest solar power systems in Washington, D.C. was inaugurated atop the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Forrestal Building today (9-9-08). Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman, shown here, energized the system for the first time, saying: “The significance of this solar array is both practical and symbolic–it
Milestone Move by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission It’s taken two decades and billions of dollars, but the proposed Yucca Mountain Nuclear Repository project has finally reached a new plateau. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, (NRC) has accepted an application for licensing, and will begin a lengthy process of safety studies, hearings and public meetings. The application
It may sound simplistic, but Israeli President Shimon Peres makes a good point; “The problem itself (terror and Iran), is like a swamp with mosquitos. It’s preferable to dry out the swamp than try to kill every single mosquito.” While meeting with representatives of the students’ village in the town of Dimona, Peres said; “When
Yucca Mountain, “Yes”; transport waste through my state?, “No”; what Grand Canyon? It’s hard to tell if Senator McCain’s age is catching up with his memory, or if he’s just trying to ride a lot of fences when it comes to nuclear power. The Sierra Club sent out a release today, pointing out the Senator’s
The folks in Idaho, according to a release by the Environment News Service, are apparently tickled pink that the French Company, AREVA, is planning construction of a $2 billion uranium enrichment plant near Idaho Falls, Idaho. It’s AREVA’s first such facility in the U.S. and it plans to serve the nuclear power industry. There are
Gag Order Imposed Your tax dollars at work. The Environmental Protection Agency is protecting itself from everyone, including it’s own Inspector General’s Office. (IG) In a report released by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility website workers in the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance were forbidden to speak with anyone in an effort
My Issues and Support of Nuclear Power In the past year or so I’ve been writing articles in opposition to the proliferation of nuclear power stations, not only in the United States, but in the world. The responses have been enlightening, intelligent, pedestrian and downright rude. In each case, the respondents seem to have either
Putting an Old Dog to Rest…Hopefully For years, there have been rumors, and concerns, about playground areas at the Grand Canyon School District, located inside the park, being contaminated with radioactive soil from old uranium mines in the area. I talked with park Public Affairs Officer Maureen Oltrogge, and she said that an investigation is
In what was reported earlier as a minor situation, comes news that a uranium leak from one of France’s nuclear power plants has tainted well water and two rivers 30 miles from the tourist city of Avignon, which is currently hosting an arts festival. No Fishing Allowed and Drinking Well Water is Banned According to
Just another reason why uranium isn’t the way to go, it costs the taxpayer way too much money for what he receives. Take the former Fernald Feed Materials Production Center at Fernald, Ohio, that’s about 20 miles northwest of Cincinnati. The former uranium processing site opened in complete secrecy during the Cold War in 1951.
A Superior Court Judge in Fulton County, Georgia has ruled that construction of Dynegy’s Longleaf plant be halted until it is assured the plant will limit the amount of carbon dioxide it releases. The original permit would have allowed the plant to emit 9 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, something the court said was
It All Depends On Who You Ask Las Vegas Water Offical Warns Radioactive Levels Rising Sunday’s news was a bit disconcerting, when I read a small story at Tri-State Online. Pat Mulroy, head of the Southern Nevada Water Authority was quoted as saying measurable quantities of uranium are showing up in Colorado River water, something
For the 5th time in history, the House Natural Resources committee invoked its authority and ordered the Bush administration to stop mining claims in the Grand Canyon. The measure was urged by Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva of Tucson, chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forest and Public Lands. The withdrawal halts thousands of mining
It’s not only the Gulf of Mexico that’s suffering from “dead zones” caused by excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus used as fertilizers. Marine dead zones are spreading in the Baltic sea, and that could cause the entire ecosystem to collapse for lack of oxygen. Dire warnings from Lasse Gustavsson, Swedish head of the
An Open Letter to Senator John McCain, Presumptive Republican Presidential Candidate This hit me the other day; how does the Republican Presidential Candidate-in-Waiting view the possible mining of uranium just 3 miles from the Grand Canyon? Senator John McCain (R-AZ) knows the canyon well, he’s reportedly hiked it a number of times, knows where the
For a lot of years, I’ve respected and admired Arizona Senator John McCain, and even though he is a Republican, he seemed to be more moderate than his right-wing compatriots. That changed today when I read that he has proposed construction of 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030. Adding insult to injury, he told a
Step Right Up And Be Amazed It struck me today that our fearless leaders, would-be’s, and corporate giants seem to think we’re all a bunch of rubes gathered outside a carnival sideshow, leaning on the barker’s every word. Urging Congress to lift its ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, our fearless leader, you know,
Aw, c’mon, pull my finger! You’ve probably had that one pulled (pardon the pun) on you at least once in your life, and the old guy got a good laugh out of your response. It’s ok, old guys do strange things, I know. Well, this isn’t about old guys, but sheep, cattle, deer and goats,
As promised in a podcast interview on February 11th, Edward Sproat, manager of the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada, filed a license application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to construct a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.
A long time ago, 50 years or so, I was invited to a party that promised some unusual and tasty snacks, along with the usual supply of beer and other alcoholic libations. Never one to pass up free food and booze, I showed up at my friends apartment , said hello to everyone, grabbed a
State Joins North Dakota in Seeking Permission from Feds to Grow Hemp The Hemp for Vermont Bill was allowed to become law by Governor Jim Hughes on May 29th, without his signature. The bill overwhelmingly passed both the House and Senate several months ago, setting the stage for Vermont’s entrance into the industrial hemp arena.The
Environmentally Friendly Biofuel? A Swedish bus company is marketing it’s use of environmentally friendly biofuels by depicting humans drinking from petrol pumps. Needless to say the Swedish Poison Information Center is up in arms over the Flygbussarna Airport Coach company’s advertisements.
That fungus among us may be the answer to uranium-polluted soils eventually being brought back into use. Researchers at Dundee Unversity in the UK have determined that fungi can block uranium from finding its way into plants, animals or the water supply. Scientists have found that what they call free-living and plant fungi can, “colonise
If you’ve read any of my submissions about hemp, you know I’m a staunch supporter of legalizing industrial hemp in this country. It has many uses, but I’d never thought of decorative until seeing the story about the “Pastie Lady”. You want to publicize hemp and other natural resources, take a cue from 32 year
It points up the urgency of Congressman Ron Paul’s latest legislation to decriminalize medical marijuana. The latest case in point comes from Seattle, where a man was denied a liver transplant, after a University of Washington Medical Center committee denied him a place on the liver transplant list. His crime? Using medical marijuana, even though
Earlier, I had written a story on Rep. Ron Paul’s new legislation that would make medical marijuana legal in states that wish to offer it to patients who are suffering extreme pain. As it stands, six states have legalized the use of marijuana for that reason, but the feds still believe people are using the
As I stated in an earlier article, the Navajo Nation is challenging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in a Federal appeals court, over proposed in situ leach uranium mining on tribal lands. It’s the first time in history that the NRC will be challenged in court for its approval of a source materials license for
Texas Congressman Ron Paul today released a statement urging public support for a House Bill advocating the government stay out of the medical marijuana business and allow state sanctioned clinics the freedom to dispense pot without fear of being raided. Paul has introduced the “Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act”, H.R. 5842, which would bar the
April 26 marks the 22nd anniversary of the 1986 nuclear accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Slavutych, Ukraine. That one incident resulted in hundreds and possibly thousands of deaths, lingering health issues, radioactive contamination of a wide swath of land, property losses and on-going clean-up costs totaling billions of dollars.The Ukranian-American Environmental Association
Anyone See The Irony Here? You’ve probably read the story about an estimated 10,000 people gathered on the University of Colorado’s Norlin Quadrangle Sunday, puffing joints till the air turned blue. University police stood by to maintain order, but no one was busted for smoking pot. In the meantime, the DEA is staunchly defending its
Alan Doering of AURI says agricultural residues and co-products aren’t waste, they’re potential new revenue streams to power the future. AURI, or Agricultural Utilization Research Institute of Waseca, Minnesota, is a nonprofit organization that develops new uses for agricultural products and ag-processing co-products. Alan Doering, an Associate Scientist with AURI, filled me in on steps
For all the minorities in this country who have raised pluperfect hell about their past or current situations, the American Indian has been the quietist, and I wonder why. Before you write me nasty emails, I’m not minimizing the concerns of minorities in this country: they have their issues and the right to use their
That smiling face belongs to MC Milker, head writer for Ecopreneurist where writers focus on sustainable and social entrepreneurship . MC is well-suited for this project, she spent 20 years in corporate marketing, working for Fortune 500 companies as well as start-ups. She’s taught marketing and public relations at the University of California, Berkeley, and
How many people do you know who would leave the suburbs and settle on an unimproved 160 acres of land, build their home with materials from that land, and then set up their own power grid? Jennifer Lance has done just that, and it was a pleasure talking with this school teacher-mother, who walks her
My guest today is Timothy Hurst, lead writer for Red, Green, and Blue, Green Options political blog. In his blog, Tim focuses on applied energy politics, and the global green movement. While continuing his education in graduate school, he’s actively involved in environmental advocacy in his adopted home town in Colorado. Here’s our interview: tim-hurst-2.mp3
My recent interview with David Mills, author of 10,000 Days, got me to thinking about the cultural revolution of the 1960’s and 70’s. Being a product of the depression, my involvement was to sit back and look on in amazement as we seemed to shift into the high gear of a revolt of sorts. Young
What happens when a Baby Boomer realizes he still has at least 10,000 or more days to be productive, and maybe finish some of the things he promised to do more than 10,000 days ago? David Mills wrote a book about it, “10,000 Days, A Call To Arms for the Baby Boom Generation,” a challenge
My guest today is Beth Bader, a very busy mom who juggles raising a family while working full-time, and writing three different blogs. In our interview, she talks about wrangling sharks, not for food, but tagging them, and what she’s discovered about the foods we’re eating. Beth’s blog is The Expatriate’s Kitchen, “Musings on food
Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva has introduced legislation to withdraw approximately one million acres near the Grand Canyon from mineral exploration under the 1872 Mining Act. In a news release, the Congressman was quoted as saying: “I was pleased to introduce this legislation which will forever protect the magnificence of the Grand Canyon and the people
Sarah Lozanova is a native Chicagoan who is passionate about renewable energy. She has an MBA in Sustainable Management from the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco and she is working on developing ways for corporations to solve environmental and social challenges that face society. When she can escape the Internet vortex, she enjoys
As we approach another St. Patrick’s Day celebration, I think it only appropriate to bring everyone’s attention to PETH. Recent news stories indicate there is a shortage of hops, mainly because farmers are turning their attention to growing corn, soybeans and other food crops for the manufacture of ethanol and biodiesel. While recording interviews for
Five Australian senior citizens who are committed to the environment, both in terms of reversing damage already done to our planet’s eco-system, and ensuring it doesn’t continue, are the subjects of today’s podcast. Their stories are featured in an article published by the Sydney Morning Herald. More proof that individual effort, based on one’s skills
Those steel tanks you see are some of the 177 that contain 53 million gallons of heavy metals, acids and solvents. They also contain plutonium, cesium, strontium and uranium. All are buried underground. Of those 177, sixty-seven are confirmed leakers, meaning their contents are leaching into the soil and headed toward the Columbia River. Most
Gavin is lead writer for EcoWorldly, one of the excellent blog sites here in the Green Options Network. Gavin has majors in French, Italian, and Comparative Literature from the University of California, Davis. He currently teaches English language in Gangneung, South Korea. Gavin’s favorite environmentally-minded work has included: co-founding the grassroots Nature Conservation Club at
Last December, EPA administrator Stephen Johnson denied California’s request to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Today, the Senate released documents putting Johnson squarely in opposition with the scientific and legal experts on his staff when he denied the request.The documents were requested by Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who said:
The headlines are out, 1966 was the last time North America and much of Siberia have seen so much snow. An article in Canada’s National Post summarized weather around the northern hemisphere and concluded that arctic ice is back, heavier than ever in some areas, and China is reeling from its worst winter in a
It’s been over a hundred years, but soon a three-masted, 19th century barque will transport 60,000 bottles of French wine from Bordeaux to Dublin. And this is just the beginning for vintners in the Languedoc region. The 170 foot Belem, launched in 1896, spent many years transporting choclate from South America, and gets it’s name
