State Should Not Be Fracking; But Bill Provides Some Immediate Protections for Illinois Communities SPRINGFIELD, IL–(ENEWSPF)–May 31, 2013 – In the waning hours of the Illinois General Assembly’s 2013 session, legislators passed a bill that would impose new regulations on high volume hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) in the state. [Read More…]
Environmental
Interior Secretary Jewell Announces Designation of 28 National Recreation Trails in 18 States
Adds 650 Miles to National Trail System in Recognition of National Trails Day on Saturday WASHINGTON, D.C.—(ENEWSPF)—June 3, 2013. Under President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors program to promote outdoor recreation and reconnect Americans to nature, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Director of the National Park Service Jonathan B.[Read More…]
New Energy Efficiency Standards for Microwave Ovens to Save Consumers on Energy Bills
WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–June 3, 2013. U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced today that the Energy Department has finalized new energy efficiency standards for microwave ovens that will save consumers nearly $3 billion on their energy bills through 2030. Over the next 30 years, it will dramatically reduce harmful carbon pollution, equivalent to[Read More…]
Study Finds GE Salmon Able to Cross-Breed with Brown Trout
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–June 3, 2013. A new study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, found that genetically engineered (GE) AquaBounty AquaAdvantage salmon can successfully cross-breed with brown trout, a closely related species. GE salmon, created by the biotech company AquaBounty, are designed to reach maturity faster than their wild counterparts[Read More…]
EPA Proposes Rules to Protect Americans from Exposure to Formaldehyde
WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–May 31, 2013. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week proposed two rules to help protect Americans from exposure to the harmful chemical formaldehyde, consistent with a Federal law unanimously passed by Congress in 2010. These rules ensure that composite wood products produced domestically or imported into the United[Read More…]
Maine Project Launches First Grid-Connected Offshore Wind Turbine in the U.S.
WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–May 31, 2013. The Energy Department today recognized the nation’s first grid-connected offshore floating wind turbine prototype off the coast of Castine, Maine. Led by the University of Maine, this project represents the first concrete-composite floating platform wind turbine to be deployed in the world – strengthening American leadership in[Read More…]
Oregon Wheat Found Contaminated with Unapproved GE Wheat
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–May 31, 2013. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that unapproved genetically engineered (GE) wheat was found growing in an Oregon wheat field. The discovery has implications for U.S. trade as Japan has already indicated it would stop purchasing U.S. wheat exports. According to USDA officials, a Oregon farmer[Read More…]
Nano-engineering Boosts Efficiency of Materials That Convert Waste Heat to Electrical Energy
The dark spots show quantum dots within a thermoelectric material. University of Michigan researchers devised a way to increase the heat-to-energy conversion by 200 percent and the electrical conductivity of their material by 43 percent. Thermoelectric materials can convert waste heat to electricity. Photo courtesy of Pierre Ferdinand P. Poudeu.[Read More…]
Feds Fail to Protect Endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Whales in Alaska
Court finds oil and gas exploration permits violated federal laws ANCHORAGE, ALASKA–(ENEWSPF)–May 30, 2013 –The federal government’s decision to allow oil and gas exploration in Alaska’s Cook Inlet violated three federal statutes, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act, according to an opinion issued Tuesday by U.S.[Read More…]
Audubon Holds 10th anniversary Women in Conservation Luncheon presenting 2013 Rachel Carson Awards
Marian S. Heiskell and Lady Bird Johnson awarded prestigious conservation recognition (Photo Credit: Patrick McMullan) New York, NY–(ENEWSPF)–May 30, 2013. The National Audubon Society (@audubonsociety) celebrated the legacy of female leadership in conservation by presenting two lifelong conservation champions with Audubon’s Rachel Carson Award yesterday at the Plaza Hotel[Read More…]
