Latest Articles
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When We Said Breach the Dams, We Didn't Mean This One!
A dam break at a mine in northwestern Romania on Friday dumped 20,000 tons of lead, zinc, and other metals, contaminating three rivers, including the Tisza, which was severely polluted by a deadly cyanide spill from another Romanian mine accident six weeks ago. The pollution from the latest spill traveled downstream and hit Hungary on […]
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Turning Over a Nuke Leak
Within three years, dangerous tritium contamination from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state could leach into the Columbia River, Hanford officials say. Last year, surveys found tritium, known to cause birth defects, at concentrations 90 times above the federal drinking water standard in a nearby well that lies 3.5 miles from the Columbia. By […]
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This Idea Should Be Banished to Siberia
Russian enviros are alarmed by a government proposal to import 20,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel from European and Asian countries for storage and eventual reprocessing in Siberia. The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry hopes that the scheme will earn it $21 billion over the next 10 years, as countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and […]
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They Couldn't Car Less
A community of residents Freiburg, Germany, has launched the nation’s biggest experiment in car-free living. The Vauban development — which includes 280 new homes on 94 acres — bans cars within its limits, so people happily get around by bike and on foot. About half of the residents have given up their cars completely, while […]
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Rain Drops Stopped Falling on My Head
Pollution from coal-burning power plants and other sources may prevent snow and rainfall in downwind areas, according to a new study published in the journal Science. Daniel Rosenfeld of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem studied satellite data and found that pollution particles cause water in clouds to spread out thinly, preventing it from forming into […]
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Taking the Lawn Into Their Own Hands
The EPA is cracking down on pollution from lawnmowers, weed-trimmers, and chainsaws with new rules announced yesterday. It may seem like small potatoes, but 20 million small engine-powered devices are purchased by Americans each year, and together these devices are the second-largest contributor to smog after automobiles. The new EPA pollution rules, to be phased […]
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Card-Carrying Enviros
For the second year in a row, the Snake River in Washington state has been declared the most endangered river in the U.S. by American Rivers. The enviro group is pushing the Clinton administration to call this summer for the breaching of four dams on the Snake to help threatened salmon runs recover. The feds […]
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To Kjell in a Handbasket
Norway’s centrist Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik resigned today after losing a vote in parliament yesterday, when the opposition majority ignored his objections and eased pollution laws in order to allow gas-fired power plants to be built in the country. Bondevik of the Christian Democrat Party says gas power plants will raise pollution levels in […]
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No Canyon Do
The Sierra Club filed suit on Wednesday to stop a big development project proposed for a gateway community south of Grand Canyon National Park. “Building Northern Arizona’s largest shopping center at the entrance to the Grand Canyon is simply a bad idea,” said Sharon Galbreath of the Sierra Club. The group contends that the U.S. […]
