News and Articles


Pew Calls for Obama Administration to Raise MPG Standards (with video)

The Pew Clean Energy Program launched a video this week to raise awareness of the benefits of increasing the fuel efficiency—or miles-per-gallon (MPG)—standards for cars and light trucks to as high as 60 MPG by 2025.

Aviation Fuels Can Now Include Bioderived Constituents

Renewable fuels can now be blended with conventional commercial and military jet (or gas turbine) fuel through requirements in the newly issued edition of Specifications for Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons.

Cleanup Operations Expanding after Crude Oil Released into Yellowstone River

ExxonMobil Pipeline Company continues to expand its clean up operation following a release of crude oil into the Yellowstone River in Montana.

Entergy Helps New York Avoid Nearly 35,000 Tons of Greenhouse Gases

Preventing 35,000 tons CO2 from reaching the atmosphere is equal to taking more than 6,000 vehicles off the road for a year.

Tips Tuesday: How to Save Money and Energy While Staying Cool this Summer

The average American home spends almost 20 percent of its utility bill on cooling. Increased energy production to run cooling systems raises your costs and contributes to pollution that adversely affects the quality of the air we breathe. We've got seven simple ways to help protect your wallet and the environment.

NASA Plans Air Pollution Flight Over Maryland Today

The flight is part of a mission to enhance the capability of satellites to measure ground-level air quality from space.

Researchers Found Plastic Waste in More Than 9 Percent of Fish's Stomachs (With Video)

The first scientific results from an ambitious voyage led by a group of graduate students from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego offer a stark view of human pollution and its infiltration of an area of the ocean that has been labeled as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch."

The Sustainability Case for Online Universities

As traditional brick-and-mortar colleges experience an influx in enrollment, many institutions wonder if they have the capacity to meet future educational demands. Due to substantial increases in applicants, many colleges have had to turn more and more people away.

Developing Corn for Warmer Climate Is Focus of Research

The prospect of rising temperatures in Iowa and the Midwest is predicted to lead to a dramatic decline in corn yield. With a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Iowa State University researchers are looking to develop a corn variety that maintains the region’s high yields even as temperatures rise.

EPA Approves Two Insecticides for Control of Invasive Stink Bug

Under the exemption, producers of stone fruit (such as peaches, plums and cherries) and pome fruit (including apples and pears) are allowed to manage the brown marmorated stink bug with two applications of dinotefuran by ground equipment per season.

University of Texas Professor Hosts Presentation on Fracking Facts and Myths

A professor at The University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering said the risks incurred during hydraulic fracturing are low when compared to the risks of energy production from any other energy source and that some commonly believed notions about the gas extraction process are incorrect.

DNA 'Fingerprinting' of Timber Products Makes Illegal Logging More Difficult

Advances in DNA 'fingerprinting' and other genetic techniques are making it harder for illegal loggers to get away with destroying protected rainforests.

Metal Particle Generates New Hope for H2 Energy

Tiny metallic particles produced by University of Adelaide chemistry researchers are bringing new hope for the production of cheap, efficient and clean hydrogen energy.

Urban Rail Reduces Carbon Monoxide Air Pollution

The opening of a major urban rail system in Taiwan caused a meaningful reduction in air pollution, according to a University of California study.

DoE Offers Conditional Loan to Support Three California Photovoltaic Solar Power Plants

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced offers of conditional commitments for loan guarantees, of approximately $4.5 billion, to support three alternating current Cadmium Telluride thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar generation facilities.

Dust on Office Surfaces Can Expose People to Hazardous Flame Retardants

In a study of 31 Boston offices, polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants now banned internationally by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants were detected in every office tested.

Butte College First in Nation to Generate More Than 100 Percent Renewable Electricity

California's Butte College is the first college in the history of the United States to go 'grid positive,' meaning that it will generate more electricity from its solar arrays than it consumes and will deliver power back to the electric grid.

EPA Fines L.A. Metal-plater $100K for Hazardous Waste Violations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined TMW Corporation $100,000, for violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act discovered at the company’s facility, Crown Chrome Plating, a division of TMW Corporation, during an inspection conducted by EPA in April 2009.

Green Chemical Industry to Soar to $98.5 Billion by 2020

Green chemistry is the expansive discipline that is evolving in response to a wide array of challenges and, according to a new report from Pike Research, represents a market opportunity that will grow from $2.8 billion in 2011 to $98.5 billion by 2020.

How to Reduce Asthma Attacks on Hot Summer Days

Summer is here and the hot weather can cause ozone levels to rise, making the air unhealthy to breathe, especially for people with asthma or other respiratory ailments. On days like today and throughout the hot summer months, it’s important to pay close attention to air quality.