Water


EPA Grants $3 Million for Chemical Toxicity Research

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $3 million to better understand how the liver responds to environmental toxicants. Four academic institutions, including Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, will develop ways to enhance what society knows about environmental contaminants and the liver, the body’s waste treatment organ.

Research Flights Seek to Improve View of Air Pollution from Space

This summer two NASA research airplanes will fly over the Baltimore-Washington region and northeast Maryland as part of a mission to enhance the capability of satellites to measure ground-level air quality from space.

Toxic compounds in groundwater

Groundwater is a major drinking water resource, and it is vital to determine if vinyl chloride can be further degraded into harmless compounds.

Native Bees, Essential to Plant Pollination, Are Picky About Where They Live: Study

The study found that, overall, composition of a plant community is a weak predictor of the composition of a bee community, which may seem counterintuitive at first, said USGS scientist and study lead Ralph Grundel

EPA Finds Evidence of Hazardous Waste in Contained Landfill Fire

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has contained and smothered a landfill fire on the Pine Ridge Reservation in southwest South Dakota. The landfill is located 13 miles south of Red Shirt along BIA Highway 41.

How to Predict Fluctuations in the Solar Grid Caused by Changes in Cloud Cover

How does the power output from solar panels fluctuate when the clouds roll in? And can researchers predict these fluctuations? UC San Diego researchers have found the answer to these questions.

Mega-dam in Peruvian Amazon Cancelled

The Peruvian government announced that the massive Inambari Dam, planned on a major Amazonian tributary, has been canceled after years of strong community opposition.

Let There be Light

As part of the Change the World Challenge competition sponsored by the Office of Entrepreneurship each semester, Rensselaer University students select a topic from a range of challenges with the potential to improve human life, and offer an innovative and sustainable solution to that challenge.



Iowa Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Violate the Clean Air Act

Bobby Joe Knapp, of West Des Moines, Iowa, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge James E. Gritzner to 41 months in prison for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act.

Sprint Releases Command Center for Businesses to Control M2M Devices and Services

The tool offers a comprehensive platform that allows businesses to control provisioning, billing, management, and solution/application development of their own M2M solution.

KLM Flights Will Be Operated on Biofuel Made From Used Cooking Oil

In September KLM will launch more than 200 flights being operated on biokerosene between Amsterdam and Paris.

NASA Sets Sail on Second Leg of Arctic Ocean Research Voyage

Scientists embark this week from Alaska on the second and final campaign of a NASA field campaign to study how changing conditions in the Arctic affect the ocean's chemistry and ecosystems.

Artificial Sweetener Leaves Lingering Effect in the Environment

Researchers found that sucralose is remarkably resistant to breakdown processes common in wastewater treatment plants, ultimately finding its way into ground and surface waters.

Recycling Water in Space

During the last space shuttle flight, scheduled for July 8, 2011, astronauts will test a new method for recycling "used" water. Water is essential for life, and having access to water beyond Earth will be a major obstacle for future space explorers.

Pew Applauds Obama Administration Plan to Limit Mining Near Grand Canyon

Jane Danowitz, U.S. public lands director for the Pew Environment Group, issued a statement in reaction to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's proposal to withdraw nearly 1 million acres of public land surrounding Grand Canyon National Park from new mining claims.

Would You Eat Lab-grown Meat to Cut Emissions, Save Energy?

Meat grown using tissue engineering techniques, so-called "cultured meat," would generate up to 96 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventionally produced meat, according to a new study.

Researcher Argues that Climate Change Disasters Are Predictable

Climate change disasters, such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, dieback of the Amazon rainforest, or collapse of the Atlantic overturning circulation, could be predicted argues a University of Exeter researcher.

Genomatica Wins EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award

The award honors Genomatica's affect on the production of major industrial chemicals – those made and sold in billions of pounds per year – with better economics and a smaller environmental footprint, using biological organisms and renewable feedstocks.

EPA Study: Locally Tailored Air Quality Policies Could Double Health Improvements

A new study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of a locally-tailored air quality management strategy for Detroit found that it would result in significantly improved health benefits for those most at risk.

Supreme Court Case Highlights EPA Role in Carbon Pollution Protection

A Supreme Court decision confirmed the Environmental Protection Agency’s vital role in protecting against dangerous carbon pollution.