News


Measuring the 'Other' Greenhouse Gases: New Method for Evaluating Short-Lived Pollutants

New research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has found that levels of methane—a potent greenhouse gas emitted from many man-made sources, such as coal mines, landfills and livestock ranches—are at least one-and-a-half times higher in California than previously estimated.

EPA Issues Framework to Help Local Governments Manage Stormwater Runoff

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a new framework to help local governments meet their Clean Water Act obligations.

EPA and Local Puerto Rico Government Reps Meet to Discuss Environmental Challenges

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck met on Thursday, June 7, 2012 in New York City with representatives of local governments from Puerto Rico to discuss environmental challenges facing municipal governments in Puerto Rico, and explore solutions.

Article: Population Growth Leads to Environmental Stress

In an article published in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers take a critical look at the various factors that have long been prime climate-change suspects. One in particular: The role of population growth.

Great Lakes Initiative Cleanup Helps Restore Grand Calumet River

The recent completion of a $52 million project to rid Roxana Marsh of contaminated sediment will speed the recovery of Indiana’s Grand Calumet River, marking a step forward for one of the Great Lakes’ most complex Area of Concern cleanups.

Nanoparticles in Polluted Air, Smoke Have Serious Impact on Health

New groundbreaking research by scientists at Trinity College Dublin has found that exposure to nanoparticles can have a serious impact on health, linking it to rheumatoid arthritis and the development of other serious autoimmune diseases.

Water Reuse: Restoring Confidence in Our Future

Nearly everyone can recall being told to conserve water at some point in our lives…turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, run the shower only just before entering, don’t wash the car during particularly dry summers. We viewed these directives as minor inconveniences -- the idea of communities experiencing serious water shortages was reserved for developing nations.

Humans are Primary Cause of Global Ocean Warming Over Past 50 Years, Research Shows

The oceans have warmed in the past 50 years, but not by natural events alone. New research shows that the observed ocean warming over the last 50 years is consistent with climate models only if the models include the impacts of observed increases in greenhouse gas during the 20th century.



Global Warming Threat Seen in Fertile Soil of Northeastern U.S. Forests

Vast stores of carbon in U.S. forest soils could be released by rising global temperatures, according to a study by UC Irvine and other researchers in today's online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

New Twist On Old Chemical Process Could Boost Energy Efficiency Significantly

Chemical reactions on the surface of metal oxidesare important for applications such as solar cells that convert the sun's energy to electricity. Now scientists have found that a previously unappreciated aspect of those reactions could be key in developing more efficient energy systems.

EPA Proposes Approval of Texas Clean Air Act Plan

The EPA said it will approve revisions submitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to the state’s permitting program for major air pollution sources under the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review (NSR) program.

Steel Strength Plastics: Durable Plastic May Replace Metals

As landfills overflow with discarded plastics, scientists have been working to produce a biodegradable alternative that will reduce pollution. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher is making environmentally friendly plastics tougher than ever before.

Researchers Take Big Step to Develop Nuclear Fusion Power

University of Tennessee researchers have successfully developed a key technology in developing an experimental reactor that can demonstrate the feasibility of fusion energy for the power grid.

Environmental Benefit of Biofuels is Overestimated, New Study Reveals

A commentary published today in GCB Bioenergy reveals that calculations of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions from bioenergy production are neglecting crucial information that has led to the overestimation of the benefits of biofuels compared to fossil fuels.

Republic Services, Foristar and Duke Energy Dedicate Gas-to-Energy Plant in N.C.

Leading environmental services company Republic Services, Inc., FORTISTAR and Duke Energy dedicated a new, state-of-the-art, landfill gas-to-energy plant in North Carolina with a ribbon-cutting event at the site today.

EPA Amends Heavy Duty Diesel Regulations for Emergency Vehicles

An EPA direct final rule published June 8 amends its heavy-duty diesel regulations so engine manufacturers may deploy emission controls or settings to be used only in emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks.

Today's Climate More Sensitive to Carbon Dioxide Than in Past 12 Million Years

In the journal Nature, paleoclimate researchers reveal that about 12-5 million years ago climate was decoupled from atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. In the last five million years, changes in ocean circulation allowed Earth's climate to become more closely coupled to changes in carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere.

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).