News and Articles


Fuel Cell Mobile Lighting System Featured at Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch

Fuel cells are used in the space shuttle as one component of the electrical power system, so perhaps it was appropriate that a hydrogen fuel cell-powered mobile lighting system could be seen on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center as the Space Shuttle Atlantis launched into space last week, the 135th and final mission for the NASA Space Shuttle Program.

GM Recyled Transmission Caps

GM Works to Make Landfills Obsolete

Through a combination of developing new technology and strategic use of materials, GM has transitioned 74 of its 140-odd plants into landfill-free facilities.

2011 ‘Dead Zone’ Could Be Biggest Ever

Researchers from Texas A&M University have returned from a trip to examine the scope and size of this year’s “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico and have measured it at about 3,300 square miles, or roughly the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Some researchers anticipate it becoming much larger.

Loss of Top Animal Predators Has Massive Ecological Effects

In the Science journal, a review paper titled, “Trophic Downgrading of Planet Earth,” concludes that the decline of large predators and herbivores in all regions of the world is causing substantial changes to Earth’s terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Wood Products Part of Winning Carbon Emissions Equation

Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to grow, so forests have long been proposed as a way to offset climate change.

EPA Urges Residents of Joplin, Mo., to Keep Tornado Debris Segregated

As the process of recovering from the May 22 tornado in Joplin, Mo., nears the end of its eighth week, EPA Region 7 is urging residents and cleanup crews to keep residential storm debris segregated into six categories to speed curbside collection efforts.

Mass. Foam Maker Agrees to Reduce Air Emissions, Pay Fine for Clean Air Violations

A Northbridge, Mass., company that produces hard foam products has agreed to strictly limit air pollution emissions from its manufacturing facility and pay a $127,500 penalty to settle claims by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice that it violated federal Clean Air laws.

Tsunami Airglow Signature Could Lead to Early Detection System

Researchers at the University of Illinois have recorded an airglow signature in the upper atmosphere produced by a tsunami using a camera system based in Maui, Hawaii.

Energy Star Initiative Recognizes Products with Highest Energy Efficiency

EPA and DoE recently announced, for the first time, products recognized as the most energy-efficient in their categories among those that have earned the Energy Star label.

New Paper Evaluates The Future of Water Recycling

The authors point out in the paper that the biggest problem with DPR is community acceptance, despite the fact that factors such as population growth and climate change mean that existing water supplies must go further in the future.

Thomas Edison Descendants Support Choice in Bulbs: "Technology Changes. Embrace It"

Four direct descendants of Thomas Edison, the man who invented the incandescent light bulb 132 years ago, strongly oppose a House vote seeking to limit consumer choice and block progress on more modern, more energy-efficient bulbs.

Civic Works to Receive $300,000 EPA Brownfields Training Grant

Civic Works in Baltimore will receive a $300,000 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant to help train low-income residents for environmental jobs.

The Future of Cover Crops

Winter cover crops are an important component of nutrient cycling, soil cover and organic matter content. Although its benefits are well documented, cover crop use in farming systems is relatively low.

Protein Complex Found to Regulate Plant Growth

Farmers and other astute observers of nature have long known that crops like corn and sorghum grow taller at night. But the biochemical mechanisms that control this nightly stem elongation, common to most plants, have been something of a mystery to biologists—until now.

Oregon Pesticide Company to Pay $54,000 for Using Outdated Labeling on Products

On at least 52 separate occasions in 2008 to 2009, Orcal sold and distributed pesticide with incorrect labeling.

Justice Department, EPA Focus on Environmental Justice in Newark, N.J.

New Jersey has seen an unjust share of environmental damage, and EPA and DOJ join forces to do something about it.

Birth Defects Study Adds Urgency to Appalachian Mountaintop Removal Health Concerns

Scientists, environmental advocates, and Appalachian residents affected by mountaintop removal called on Congress to heed the warning in new research that suggest a link between mountaintop removal mining and elevated rates of certain birth defects.

Desalinating Seawater with Minimal Energy Use

At a pilot facility in Singapore, Siemens has cut the energy needed to desalinate seawater by more than 50 percent.

EPA Strengthens Key Scientific Database to Protect Public Health

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced plans to improve its Integrated Risk Information System program as part of an ongoing effort initiated in 2009 to strengthen the program.

EPA Clean Air Milestones in Texas

EPA recently announced that all ‘flexible permit’ companies in Texas have agreed to apply for approved air permits, helping to achieve clean air in the state and providing for regulatory certainty.