http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pollution/ en-us Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:52:31 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413458/posts According to a recent Congressional Budget Office report, the increased use of ethanol is responsible for a rise in food prices of approximately 10 to 15 percent. Why? We're turning corn into fuel — a highly inefficient one, at that — instead of food. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy points out that "mixing food and fuel markets for political reasons has done American consumers no discernable good, while producing measurable harm." However, perhaps summing up the issue most succinctly is Mark J. Perry, professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan-Flint: Anytime you have Paul Krugman agreeing... Mises Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413458/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:52:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2413959/posts Federal regulators under President Barack Obama have sharply shifted course on long-standing policy toward pharmaceutical residues in the nation's drinking water, taking a critical first step toward regulating some of the contaminants while acknowledging they could threaten human health. A burst of significant announcements in recent weeks reflects an expanded government effort to deal with pharmaceuticals as environmental pollutants: My Way AP Enterprise http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2413959/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:43:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406008/posts In the most notorious trial in the history of science, the Inquisition condemned Galileo in 1633. The aged scientist was forced to recant his life’s work. The fact that the earth revolves around the sun threatened the church establishment’s doctrine. Galileo was worse than right — he was inconvenient. Since his trial, scientists have mythologized him as their secular saint. How times have changed: With the Climategate scandal, we now find scientists in the role of inquisitors — suppressing inconvenient facts and persecuting researchers who challenge the doctrine decreed by the Global Warming clergy. NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406008/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:52:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2400036/posts Ask a believer: What's the difference between climate alarmism and child abuse? If he pauses to think for more than one second, then that's too long. Conservatives are American thinkers. Liberals are American feelers. Remember Earth Day, 1970? Here's Dan Rozek, writing in the Daily Herald, Sunday 22, 1990: "On the eve of Earth Day 1970, gloomy scientists and environmentalists questioned whether humanity would be around for this year's 20th anniversary celebration. Some worried mankind could not long survive without fatally fouling the planet and predicted mass deaths from pollution in 15 to 30 years. Even if man managed to... The American Thinker Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2400036/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 10:54:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398251/posts 3 April 2007 In one of the most important decisions in environmental law, the US Supreme Court has ruled that carbon dioxide (CO2) is a pollutant and that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the right to regulate CO2 emissions from new cars. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398251/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 07:05:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391898/posts Last week it was revealed that 54 oil tankers are anchored off the coast of Britain, refusing to unload their fuel until prices have risen. But that is not the only scandal in the shipping world. Today award-winning science writer Fred Pearce – environmental consultant to New Scientist and author of Confessions Of An Eco Sinner – reveals that the super-ships that keep the West in everything from Christmas gifts to computers pump out killer chemicals linked to thousands of deaths because of the filthy fuel they use. We've all noticed it. The filthy black smoke kicked out by funnels... Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391898/posts#comment Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:36:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394011/posts N. Korea: Rational Pollution Advice Causes Devastation By Moon Sung Hwee, from Jagang in 2006 [2009-11-24 18:08 ] The Soil Research Institute at Hamheung Chemical Engineering University has been dissolved and all researchers and cadres associated with it dismissed. The action was apparently taken because they submitted a paper which spoke negatively of the actual condition of polluted soil in the country and measures to deal with it to the Central Committee of the Party. A source from South Hamkyung Province revealed the news to the Daily NK last Saturday in a telephone interview, saying, “The Soil Research Institute sent... Daily NK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394011/posts#comment Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:30:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392048/posts YERINGTON, Nev. (Nov. 21) -- Peggy Pauly lives in a robin-egg blue, two-story house not far from acres of onion fields that make the northern Nevada air smell sweet at harvest time. But she can look through the window from her kitchen table, just past her backyard with its swingset and pet llama, and see an ominous sign on a neighboring fence: "Danger: Uranium Mine." For almost a decade, people who make their homes in this rural community in the Mason Valley 65 miles southeast of Reno have blamed that enormous abandoned mine for the high levels of uranium in... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392048/posts#comment Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:30:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375890/posts A SENIOR CSIRO environmental economist has gone public to accuse the science body of trying to gag his report attacking the Federal Government's climate change policies. The paper, by Clive Spash, criticises the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and argues that direct legislation or a tax on carbon is needed... Dr. Spash also wrote that the economic theory underpinning emissions trading schemes was far removed from the reality ... He said trading schemes were ineffective ... He claims the CSIRO had tried to block the publication of the report, despite it being internationally peer reviewed and accepted by the journal New... aap http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2375890/posts#comment Sun, 1 Nov 2009 16:01:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374789/posts Long-standing 'canary in the coal mine' role questioned.Frogs aren't always the first to suffer from pollution.Digital Vision The health of amphibians is commonly used to give a rough assessment of pollution levels in an area, but an analysis of more than 20,000 toxicity studies now suggests that these creatures are relatively resilient and not well suited to the task.The finding could have a significant effect on the way that the environment is assessed. Conventional wisdom suggests that if an amphibian population is thriving, the area is probably clear of pollutants. But the survey shows that other species, such as shelled... Nature News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374789/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:06:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357609/posts In a striking change of direction, the California Coastal Commission Wednesday voted 8-4 to give San Diego its third exemption from pollution standards set by the federal Clean Water Act. Just two months ago, commissioners overwhelmingly to deny the five-year waiver from “secondary” treatment levels at the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant. The facility processes sewage from more than 2.2 million people in and outside of the city's limits. The commission's reversal saves San Diego from having to retrofit the facility at a price tag of up to $1.5 billion. The last major step is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,... San Diego Union - Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357609/posts#comment Thu, 8 Oct 2009 15:59:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2354791/posts Estrogen – from artificial contraception pills, consumed daily by tens of millions of women – is making its way through sewage treatment plants and severely pollutes our waterways with chilling consequences. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reacted to an August report that emissions from coal-fired power plants have led to widespread mercury pollution in our rivers and streams by saying: "this science sends a clear message that our country must continue to confront pollution, restore our nation's waterways, and protect the public from potential health dangers." Who, after all, wants toxic levels of mercury in our rivers? But mercury is not... CERC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2354791/posts#comment Sun, 4 Oct 2009 21:29:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2350002/posts Pollution regulators sue Neb. ethanol plant owner September 24, 2009 By The Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators say an ethanol plant near Sutherland has violated pollution rules by emitting too much carbon dioxide and failing to obtain proper permits for an expansion project. The Environmental Protection Agency filed a lawsuit against Midwest Renewable Energy LLC seeking civil penalties and fines. Company officials declined to comment because they had not seen the lawsuit. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2350002/posts#comment Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:33:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2348463/posts Enlarge ImageGrowing problem. Increasing reliance on biofuels is expected to further deplete dissolved oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio The push to ramp up biofuel production may reduce oil imports, but it's likely to come at a high environmental cost: It will boost the size of the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone, a huge swath so depleted of oxygen that almost nothing can live there, according to a new analysis. The gulf's dead zone is already a major environmental problem. First spotted in 1971, it now spans 14,600 square kilometers, or... ScienceNOW Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2348463/posts#comment Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:39:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342691/posts HONG KONG (Reuters) - One needs to look no further then the river that runs through Shangba to understand the extent of the heavy metals pollution that experts say has turned the hamlets in this region of southern China into cancer villages. The river's flow ranges from murky white to a bright shade of orange and the waters are so viscous that they barely ripple in the breeze. In Shangba, the river brings death, not sustenance. "All the fish died, even chickens and ducks that drank from the river died. If you put your leg in the water, you'll get... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342691/posts#comment Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:42:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324548/posts Beijing, ChinaA string of serious poisoning incidents caused by industrial pollution have triggered strong public protests across China, but experts say the events could represent an opportunity to improve the nation's environmental protection.A serious case of pollution in Fengxiang County in northwestern Shaanxi Province in early August led to 174 children from three villages being diagnosed with lead poisoning, with 851 of 1,016 children tested found to have abnormally high levels of lead in their blood.The poisoning, very likely caused by pollution from a nearby smelter, has led to violence among outraged parents, who reportedly smashed trucks and tore down fences... Chemistry World http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324548/posts#comment Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:06:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2315633/posts This spring we wanted chicken manure spread on the pastures because it is incredibly rich in nutrients, the best “natural” fertilizer known to man, and quite inexpensive, comparatively speaking. So I asked one of my truck driver friends, who cleans out houses for Sanderson Farms affiliates, to bring me several dump truck loads. “No can do, because they aren’t having it done, this year,” quoth he. How odd. I mulled that over off and on for months, and today I got the answer. The greenies are at it again! THIS time they are claiming that litter (sawdust and, ah, processed... Whiskey and Gunpowder http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2315633/posts#comment Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:52:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2314864/posts <p>SORRY, the new Chevrolet Volt does not promise a "green" revolution -- indeed, the car could trigger a whole new wave of blackouts.</p> <p>Chevrolet notes that the key to high-mileage performance to the tune of 230 miles per gallon "is for a Volt driver to plug into the electric grid at least once each day" to get "40 miles of electric-only, petroleum-free driving."</p> NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2314864/posts#comment Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:53:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2313954/posts Independent teams of researchers in the UK and the US have shown that nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere can participate in chemical reactions on the surfaces of buildings, indoors and outdoors, producing harmful pollutants including the respiratory irritant nitrous oxide, the toxic gas nitrosyl chloride and hydroxyl radicals. Rod Jones' team at the University of Cambridge in the UK investigated the fate of NO2 when it comes into contact with glass that has been coated with titanium dioxide.1 TiO2-coated glass is available commercially as a self-cleaning product in which the TiO2 photocatalytically degrades organic dirt in the presence of sunlight. In... Chemistry World http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2313954/posts#comment Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:52:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2312980/posts For years, the Bush administration was criticized for not cleaning up enough of the nation's most contaminated waste sites. The Obama administration plans to do even less. Environmental groups and some Democratic lawmakers railed against President George W. Bush's cleanup record. But this time, they're shying away from speaking out against a popular president who's considered an ally in the fight to clean up the environment. Associated PressFewer EPA cleanups are planned under the administration of President Barack Obama, above. In Obama's first two years in office, the Environmental Protection Agency expects to begin the final phase of cleanup at... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2312980/posts#comment Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:50:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2292721/posts The social and economic costs of lost productivity and wasted fuel from traffic-choked streets are estimated to be $87 billion a year, according to the Texas Transportation Institute’s 2009 Urban Mobility Report. So far, federal, state and local efforts — focused mostly on expanding road capacity — have been largely unsuccessful at slowing the growing congestion on U.S. roads. Transportation experts now advocate a different approach, changing the emphasis from increasing supply to reducing demand. To reinforce smart growth policies, plug mounting transportation funding gaps and achieve immediate traffic relief, London, Stockholm, Singapore, Milan and three cities in Norway have... National League of Cities http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2292721/posts#comment Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:11:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2289488/posts The 50th anniversary this year of the shooting of Hitchcock's film Psycho will be employed to demonstrate how a one-minute shower will help conserve water and the environment.The Royal Society of Chemistry is seeking a lookalike of Janet Leigh, who played the part of Norman Bates' shower victim in the celebrated horror movie.The RSC is to make a tasteful video, called Shower Murder, to go on its website to illustrate how a shower can be taken effectively in just 60 seconds, so avoiding the huge wastage of water and the contamination that many in Britain cause currently.   RSC chief... Royal Society of Chemistry http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2289488/posts#comment Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:03:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2288463/posts Alternative Energy: A government report says reliance on electric cars will do little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and may merely shift our dependence on foreign sources from one set of dictators to another..."If you are using coal-fired power plants, and half the country's electricity comes from coal-powered plants, are you just trading one greenhouse gas emitter for another?" asks Mark Gaffigan, co-author of the GAO report. The report itself notes: "Reductions in CO2 emissions depend on generating electricity used to charge the vehicles from lower-emission sources of energy." IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2288463/posts#comment Thu, 9 Jul 2009 00:07:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283710/posts Regulation: Ignoring the first rule of holes, a bankrupt state passing out IOUs welcomes an EPA waiver allowing it to further kill its economy. Too bad the state can't stop the air pollution imported from a growing China. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday granted California its long-standing request — denied by the Bush administration — for a waiver to allow it to impose even more stringent air pollution rules than currently required by the federal government.The way is now clear for implementation of a 2002 state law requiring new cars to increase their fuel economy 40% by 2016.... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283710/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:16:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256795/posts No American city is among the top 50 cities in the world for air pollution according to the World Bank. (1) Another list, ‘The Top Ten of the Dirty Thirty,' compiled by the Blacksmith Institute of New York compared the toxicity of contamination, the likelihood of it getting into humans and the number of people affected. Places were bumped up in rank if children were impacted. No US or European sites made the list. Sites in China, India and Russia occupied six of the top ten spots. Some examples: at Linfen in Shanxi province-the heart of China's coal industry-industrial and... The American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2256795/posts#comment Sat, 23 May 2009 10:39:44 GMT