Coast Guard Floats Rule on Invasive Species
The U.S. Coast Guard has proposed regulation to prevent invasive species from entering U.S. waters. The rule would require ships to treat ballast water, which is pumped into tanks when leaving port and typically dumped at the incoming port, to kill microorganisms and larvae that come along for the ride. The Coast Guard says it “will work to elevate the priority” of research to figure out how effective the measure will be.
Studies suggest that the economic cost from pest mollusks (zebra mussels, the Asian clam, and others) to U.S. aquatic ecosystems is more than $6 billion per year, not to mention damage from invasive plants, viruses, and bacteria.
Advances in Lifecycle Analysis
In the past few months, [lifecycle analysis, or LCA] has moved to the forefront of corporate environmental efforts, propelled by enabling technology, the prospects of climate change legislation, and the growing demands for radical transparency by consumers, business customers, government regulators, and retailers, notably Walmart. And it’s not just about modeling individual products and processes. LCA is moving from the shadows and into the limelight, a strategic tool for environmental leadership companies.
Illinois Electric Cooperative Scares Ratepayers Into Joining Oil Rallies Against Clean Energy Reform
An electric utility in southern Illinois is frightening thousands of its customers by spreading misinformation about President Obama’s clean energy reform agenda.
Never mind that scientific models project that Illinois is one of the top ten states most at risk of rising temperatures due to global warming in the coming decades.
Is Wind Power on the Great Plains a Catch-22 For Wildlife?
Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are likely to further threaten grassland bird habitats, but if not managed well, so could developing the clean energy required to reduce carbon emissions and potentially save them.
More on the Impact of Wind Power on Nature and Land Use
From the Nature Conservancy: An Ill Wind?
Put a gecko on a level piece of glass and it might slip all over the place. Tilt that glass about 10 degrees and it will stay in place. This is because the gecko’s grip is triggered by gravity…
“They actually don’t respond to how slippery a surface is — they only respond to the angle of the surface,” said Tim Higham, an evolutionary biologist at Clemson.
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