President Obama marked Earth Day Wednesday by announcing a new initiative to lease federal waters for the purpose of generating electricity from wind and ocean currents. The president announced the initiative, to be administered by the Interior Department, while reiterating his pledge to push for a comprehensive energy plan that encourages the development of alternative fuel sources, cuts dependence on foreign oil, addresses climate change, and creates new jobs
Tag Archives: environment
Driver distracted by phone, children drown, police say
Five children drowned in a Houston, Texas, bayou Saturday after the car they were riding in veered off the road, police said. “She has lost weight and she looks frail and weak,” Reza Saberi said
EPA’s CO2 Finding: Putting a Gun to Congress’s Head
Back in 1973, National Lampoon magazine ran a satirical cover image of a very cute, very worried-looking puppy with a gun pointed at its head. The headline read: “If You Don’t Buy This Magazine, We’ll Kill This Dog”: motivation by emotional blackmail, taken to its absurdist extreme
Maya nut changes lives while aiding the rain forest
In the rain forests of Central America grows the nutrient-rich Maya nut. The marble-sized seed can be prepared to taste like mashed potatoes, chocolate or coffee
Obama unveils high-speed passenger rail plan
President Obama unveiled his administration’s blueprint for a new national network of high-speed passenger rail lines Thursday, saying such an investment is necessary to reduce traffic congestion, cut dependence on foreign oil and improve the environment. The president’s plan identifies 10 potential high-speed intercity corridors for federal funding, including California, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Southeast, the Gulf Coast, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and New England. It also highlights potential improvements in the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor running from Washington to Boston, Massachusetts
Oil to be moved from huge tanks near volcano
Officials will remove oil from two massive storage tanks near the base of erupting Mount Redoubt in Alaska, a spokesman said Friday.
Feds’ plan to poison banks of Rio Grande stalled
Federal officials postponed poisoning a mile-long stretch of the Rio Grande’s banks this week after residents complained that doing so posed health and environmental risks on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it wants to eradicate the invasive Carrizo cane infesting many portions of the Rio Grande’s banks between Texas and Mexico.
Prehistoric ‘monster snake’ remains discovered
Scientists in Colombia have unearthed the remains of a true prehistoric monster believed to be the biggest snake ever to have lived on Earth. Named Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the snake would have weighed 1,140 kilograms (2,500 pounds) and measured 13 meters (42.7 feet) nose to tail tip — dwarfing the largest modern pythons and anacondas which can grow to 6 meters (19.5 feet).
The polar explorer searching for green warriors
Robert Swan’s life reads like a boy’s own adventure tale with a modern eco-twist. Inspired by the daring age of Antarctic exploration, Swan followed in the footsteps of his heroes; the men who risked, and lost, their lives to reach the South Pole.
Six dead in Afghan car bomb attack
Five Afghan civilians and one police officer died Saturday in a car bomb attack targeting a police checkpoint in the country’s northeastern region, the NATO command reported. A billion gallons of ash sludge, laced with toxic materials, spilled from a holding pond and fouled 300 acres and two rivers near the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant on December 22. Forty homes were affected, roads were ruined, and residents were left wondering whether their water would ever be safe to drink.