Environmental Health and Safety


Toyota Unveils First All Electric SUV

Toyota unveiled Monday what it says is the first all-electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) on the market, a version of its popular RAV4 with a top range of 100 miles and minimum six-hour charge time.

Increasing Speed of Greenland Glaciers Gives New Insight for Rising Sea Level

Changes in the speed that ice travels in more than 200 outlet glaciers indicates that Greenland's contribution to rising sea level in the 21st century might be significantly less than the upper limits some scientists thought possible, a new study shows.

EPA Releases Draft Permitting Guidance for Using Diesel Fuel in Oil and Gas Hydraulic Fracturing

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a draft underground injection control (UIC) program permitting guidance for class II wells that use diesel fuels during hydraulic fracturing activities.

Report Warns of Rapid Decline in U.S. Earth Observation Capabilities

A new National Research Council report says that budget shortfalls, cost-estimate growth, launch failures and changes in mission design and scope have left U.S. earth observation systems in a more precarious position than they were five years ago.

Ecosystem Effects of Biodiversity Loss Could Rival Impacts of Climate Change and Pollution

Biodiversity loss could impact ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution and other major forms of environmental stress, according to a new study by an international research team.

Carrington College Mesquite Recieves LEED Silver Certification

Carrington College's campus in Mesquite, Texas, has won the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Gas Development Linked to Wildlife Habitat Loss

Intense development of the two largest natural gas fields in the continental United States is driving away some wildlife from their traditional wintering grounds, according to a study by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

EPA Takes Action to Stop Sales of Illegal Pesticides

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued legal complaints against two Brooklyn stores for violating federal pesticides law by selling and distributing illegal pesticides. Products used to kill pests must be registered with EPA to ensure that they will not make people sick and contain labels with instructions on their proper use.



Tips Tuesday: Severe Weather Safety

With tornado season and storm season underway, FEMA urges residents to be prepared. Check out FEMA's tips to staying proactive when severe weather threatens your area.

Chevron Shareholders to Vote on Accident Risk Proposal

When the energy company holds its annual meeting May 30, the sixth shareholder proposal would require the corporation’s board to prepare a report on steps taken to reduce the risk of accidents.

SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Parks Say Goodbye to Plastic Bags

Paper or plastic? Soon there will be just one choice at the 10 theme parks of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment -- paper -- as the company eliminates plastic shopping bags within the next year. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will be the largest theme park operator to make this commitment.

EPA Grants Funding for Greening Philadelphia

A $200,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will help fund projects to make South Philadelphia’s George W. Nebinger School and surrounding streets greener and healthier.

New Tools Launched to Determine Solar, Wind Energy Potential on Contaminated Lands

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed and launched new tools designed to test underutilized sites and contaminated land for solar and wind energy potential. The tools give local communities and landowners ways to evaluate sites for renewable energy potential without the need for technical expertise.

Columbia Sportswear Company Properly Labels Pesticide Treated Clothing for Domestic Sale

Columbia Sportswear Company, headquartered in Portland, Ore., sold and distributed mislabeled pesticide-treated clothing in violation of federal pesticide rules, according to a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

First Criminal Charges Filed in BP Oil Spill

Kurt Mix, a former engineer for BP plc, was arrested today on charges of intentionally destroying evidence requested by federal criminal authorities investigating the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon disaster, announced Attorney General Eric Holder, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Kevin Perkins, Acting Executive Assistant Director for the FBI’s Criminal Cyber Response and Services Branch.

Marine Scientists Urge Government to Reassess Oil Spill Response

On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout, a national panel of researchers including University of Georgia marine scientist Samantha Joye is urging the federal government to reassess how it would respond to similar oil spills that might occur in the future.

Lead Dust is Linked to Violence

Childhood exposure to lead dust has been linked to lasting physical and behavioral effects, and now lead dust from vehicles using leaded gasoline has been linked to instances of aggravated assault two decades after exposure, says Tulane toxicologist Howard W. Mielke.

New Poll Finds Americans Want Less Population Growth 40 years After Government Called for Stabilization

Forty years after a multi-year bi-partisan government commission recommended slowing U.S. population growth and eventually stabilizing, Americans still would like to see it happen, according to poll results to be released this weekend at the 2012 Earth Day Dallas festival.

Can Sound Science Guide Dispersant Use During Subsea Oil Spills?

Two years ago this week, oil began streaming from the seafloor into the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon platform. All told, the disaster cost 11 lives, released 4.9 million barrels of crude oil, and caused still unspecified impacts to marine life and the Gulf economy.

New Study Links Air Pollution and Early Death in the U.K.

In a study appearing this month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, MIT researchers report that emissions from cars, trucks, planes and powerplants cause 13,000 premature deaths in the United Kingdom each year.

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