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The five transport energy solutions and one imperative

This is the second in a series on how we can build an energy future based on our best science and no longer critically dependent upon exhaustible and polluting fossil fuels. The Five Transport Energy Solutions and One Imperative There are five fundamental options to move into a post-oil, post-natural gas energy world and one […]

Crow Tribe strikes $7 billion deal for coal-to-liquids plant on reservation

The Crow Tribe on Thursday agreed to host a massive new $7 billion coal-to-liquids plant on its reservation land in Montana. The plant would produce about 50,000 barrels a day of diesel fuel when it opens, and eventually up to 125,000 barrels a day. Coal for the plant would come from a yet-to-be-developed mine on […]

Olympic Games begin; pollution worries, haze hang over opening ceremonies

The Beijing Olympic Games have officially begun. The opening ceremony kicked off at 8:08 p.m. local time on 08/08/08. So far, pollution readings are said to be moderate, with various Olympic officials and health authorities declaring the Games largely safe for athletes and visitors — as long as they’re just passing through and their sporting […]

Obama loves high-speed rail

“If you think about the Midwest, think about right here, what we’ve got is all kind of towns that we could connect. All of these cities are, they basically take in the air about 45 minutes to an hour to fly. But by the time you get to the airport, take off your shoes, get […]

Athletes forgo masks; Beijing skies gray on Olympics eve

Athletes, journalists, and world dignitaries were greeted with a thick white haze yesterday and today as they descended upon Beijing for the start of the Olympic Games. Much to the Ministry of Environmental Protection’s chagrin, the weather has not delivered the "clear and blue" skies as promised when Beijing was awarded the games. However, as […]

The discredited agency upholds the biofuel mandate

The environmental value of corn ethanol got a ringing endorsement Thursday from EPA chief Stephen Johnson. Johnson declined a request to cut the Renewable Fuel Standard embedded in the 2007 Energy Act. The RFS mandates 9 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol be blended into the fuel supply this year, rising steadily to 15 billion gallons […]

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MoveOn takes on McCain the voteskipper: For more on those votes, see here.

Snippets from the news

• California OKs giant desalination plant. • Monsanto will sell dairy hormone business. • Mainstream media science coverage declining. • Cause of tropical deforestation has shifted from poverty to industry. • Critics say German city has become “green dictatorship.”

The dog days of summer mean bountiful farm stands and spicy salsas

This is the time of year we flatlanders pine for the snows of January, when it’s a full 100 degrees colder than it is right now, and all the humidity is frozen to our windshields. August in Iowa may be unbearable for humans, but vegetables love it — the hot, sticky dog days bring us […]

EPA administrator says he’s not pulling out

On a press call today, a reporter asked EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson if he plans to resign from his post, as four Democratic senators and some enviros have called on him to do. “If you want to talk about that you’re more than happy to talk to … our press officer. But no, I’m not,” […]