News and Articles


Microbial Communities Changed After Deepwater Horizon Spill

Communities of microbial organisms -- species such as nematodes, protists and fungi -- on beaches along the Gulf of Mexico changed significantly following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010, research from the University of New Hampshire’s Hubbard Center for Genome Studies (HCGS) and partners found.

Environmental Monitoring of Algal Blooms in a River System

CAS DataLoggers recently provided the data-logging solution for an environmental organization monitoring an outbreak of algal blooms in a major river.

EPA and Partners Announce "My Air, My Health" Challenge

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Coordinator for Health Information Technology have announced a nationwide challenge called My Air, My Health (MAMH).

Ecologists Call for Preservation of Planet's Remaining Biological Diversity

Twenty years after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 17 prominent ecologists are calling for renewed international efforts to curb the loss of biological diversity, which is compromising nature's ability to provide goods and services essential for human well-being.

Consumption Driving Environment Damage: UN

A group of scientists from around the world is warning that population growth, widespread destruction of natural ecosystems, and climate change may be driving Earth toward an irreversible change in the biosphere, a planet-wide tipping point that would have destructive consequences absent adequate preparation and mitigation.

Arctic Ice Melt is Setting Stage for Severe Winters

The dramatic meltoff of Arctic sea ice due to climate change is hitting closer to home than millions of Americans might think.

Latin American and Asian Cities Lead Way in Planning for Global Warming

The cities that are most active in preparing for climate change are not necessarily the biggest or wealthiest. Indeed, as an MIT survey released today shows, 95 percent of major cities in Latin America are planning for climate change, compared to only 59 percent of such cities in the United States.

Startup Creates New Type of Electrolyte for Better and Cheaper Lithium Ion Battery

Boulder Ionics, a new startup, has apparently found a way to get more bang for the buck with lithium ion batteries by creating a liquid electrolyte out of ionic salts that performs better than anything else currently being used.

Boeing Reduces Environmental Footprint

The Boeing Company has steadily reduced its environmental footprint while rapidly expanding its business and significantly increasing monthly airplane production rates, the company reported in its fifth annual Environment Report.

NSF International Certifies First Product to Flushable Certification Program

NSF International, an independent global organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the water, food, and consumer goods industries, has certified the first product – SCA’s TENA ® Flushable Washcloths (adult-sized wipes) – under the NSF Flushable Consumer Products Certification Program.

Divided Public: Climate Survey Shows Skepticism and Alarm Rising Over the Past Decade

Researchers have found that between 2002 and 2010 the images and emotions that the American public associates with global warming shifted significantly. Four consecutive nationwide surveys found both increasing skepticism and growing alarm among respondents.

EPA Completes Cleanup of More Than 600 South Minneapolis Homes Ahead of Schedule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finished cleaning up contaminated soil in a south Minneapolis neighborhood a full year ahead of schedlue.

What is RICE MACT Compliance?

The term RICE MACT refers to the National Emission Standards for Stationary Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE), codified at 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart ZZZZ. The RICE MACT rules apply to any piece of equipment driven by a stationary RICE located at a major source or area source of hazardous air pollutants (HAP).

California Construction Company to Pay $170,000 For Illegal Dumping in Protected Wetlands

Humboldt County contractor Dennis Wendt of Wendt Construction has resolved a federal lawsuit with the EPA and U.S. Department of Justice following the construction company’s unpermitted dumping of the equivalent of 200 large dump truck loads of material into federally protected wetlands.

Energy Supplies Vulnerable to Climate Change

Higher water temperatures and reduced river flows in Europe and the United States in recent years have resulted in reduced production, or temporary shutdown, of several thermoelectric power plants, resulting in increased electricity prices and raising concerns about future energy security in a changing climate.

Plastics Producer SABIC Agrees to Reduce Harmful Air Pollution From Leaking Equipment

SABIC Innovative Plastics US LLC, and its subsidiary, SABIC Innovative Plastics Mt. Vernon, LLC, have agreed to pay about a $1 million civil penalty and improve leak detection and repair practices to settle alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at chemical manufacturing facilities.

EPA Provides $1 Million to Clean Up and Revitalize Contaminated Properties in Puerto Rico

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing $1 million to Desarrollo Integral del Sur, Inc., an organization representing a coalition of Puerto Rico municipalities, for the assessment of abandoned and contaminated sites in Guanyilla, Penuelas and Ponce.

Plastic Particles More Prevalent Than Previously Thought

For decades, oceanographers have collected water samples from the surface of the ocean in order to record how much plastic debris currently litters the waters. But a new study asserts that surface collection alone is insufficient because high winds have a tremendous impact on the buoyancy of the plastic debris.

Warming Turns Tundra to Forest

In just a few decades shrubs in the Arctic tundra have turned into trees as a result of the warming Arctic climate, creating patches of forest which, if replicated across the tundra, would significantly accelerate global warming.

Study: Nuclear and Coal-Fired Electrical Plants Vulnerable to Climate Change

A study by European and University of Washington scientists published today in Nature Climate Change projects that in the next 50 years warmer water and lower flows will lead to more such power disruptions.