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Up to a million gallons of oil spill in North Sea
Perhaps jealous of the recent oil spills in San Francisco, Russia, and South Korea, Norway has had a spill of its very own. Oil company StatoilHydro says a mistake transferring crude from an offshore oil platform to a tanker resulted in up to a million gallons of black liquid flowing into the North Sea. The […]
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Umbra on a safe return
Dearest Readers, I am back. My captors released me early this morning, and I have never been happier to walk somewhere in my life. All that driving gets one down, doesn’t it? Big thanks to the more than 2,000 of you who donated to Grist to help secure my release. I am in your debt, […]
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California judge rules against automakers in lawsuit against Calif. tailpipe GHG standards
A federal judge in California has just ruled against automakers in their lawsuit against California’s tailpipe greenhouse-gas emissions standards (AB 1493, known as the Pavley law). This is a huge blow to the Bush administration, and in particular a huge blow to their 11th hour efforts to f*ck with the energy bill to make it […]
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Dear news,
Please stop happening so fast. You’re overwhelming and paralyzing me. Sincerely,DR
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U.S. EPA considers regulating hydrogen sulfide, industry not into the idea
It may be shocking to learn that a gas with the odor of rotten eggs is actually not good for you, but sure enough: the U.S. EPA is considering regulating hydrogen sulfide, a nasty-smelling gas that emanates from oil refineries, paper mills, landfills, CAFOs, and any other place where organic material containing sulfur decomposes. Hydrogen […]
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San Francisco sues over oil spill, South Korea spill cleanup ongoing
The city of San Francisco has sued the owners of the container ship that hit the iconic Bay Bridge last month and blackened the bay with 58,000 gallons of oil. The “wholly avoidable” accident caused “more injury to the San Francisco Bay Area than we can yet begin to fathom,” says the suit, which seeks […]
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Al Gore and IPCC awarded Nobel Peace Prize, climate protests heat up worldwide, and more
Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: One Prize Fits Al Leaders: Follow, or Get Out of the Way Political Science 215 Stall That and More Don’t Say We Didn’t Warner You Loggin’ Went a-Courtin’ Can You Believe That Ship? Read the articles mentioned at the end of the podcast: Sterile Soil, […]
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What the fate of two old turtles says about China’s future
Having spent two summers researching amphibians and reptiles, I have a poster of endangered frogs and salamanders on my wall what one might call a healthy fascination with these endearing ectotherms. Being thus inclined, my eyes lit up when I stumbled on The New York Times’ latest feature, “China’s Turtles, Emblems of a Crisis.” It’s […]
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French government charges fees to new owners of gas-guzzling vehicles
France is supercharging vehicle efficiency -- not by doling out big R&D subsidies for cars that never make it to market, but by instituting a system of efficiency feebates.
In a nutshell: the French ministry of ecology has announced a program that would require purchasers of new gas guzzlers (luxury Mercedes, for example) to pay an extra fee for the privilege. That money is rebated to people who buy super-efficient cars. If it's done right, the system doesn't really involve taxpayers, since the rebates balance out the fees. And it gives huge incentives for sales of the most gas-miserly vehicles.
Voila -- instant fuel efficiency!
