"Conservation groups warn of hole in ballast water bill"

Environmental groups are urging Wisconsin Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl to oppose the Coast Guard Authorization Act. At issue is whether the law would force the ships to comply with the Clean Water Act. The proposed law that is currently in the U.S. Senate does not require compliance with the Clean Water Act. Also at issue is the lax time frame that may not require some ships to upgrade to better ballast water treatment systems until as late as 2021.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Conservation groups warn of hole in ballast water bill

Inaction on Climate Change Could Cost Michigan Billions

A study by the University of Maryland finds that climate change will cost a number of states billions of dollars. According to the study Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois should expect to lose billions if the issue is not dealt with. The report summarizes in these terms:

"Michigan: Billions of dollars in losses from damage to the state's shipping and water resources. Warmer temperatures and lower water levels predicted for much of the state."

"Ohio: Billions of dollars in losses from warmer temperatures and lower water levels and the resulting impact on shipping and water supplies."

"Illinois: "Billions of dollars in losses from impact on shipping, trade and water resources. Warmer temperatures and lower water levels predicted for much of the state.:

The above quotes are from a Sciencedaily Story

Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Michigan

Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Ohio

Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Illinois

Deadly Denial: Nuclear Weapons Workers Left to Die

In a special series the Rocky Mountain news reveals how cold war nuclear weapons workers who risked their safety must fight for compensation.

Deadly Denial

Feingold won't rule out overseas shipping ban to protect Great Lakes

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Feingold won't rule out overseas shipping ban to protect Great Lakes

Naomi Klein on Democracy Now!

Naomi Klein, the author of the Shock Doctrine explains how the Bush Administration is exploiting the current oil crises as a way to open offshore drilling. The current "shock" of high gas prices are being used to falsely sell Americans the idea that by opening up offshore drilling the price of gas will go down. Offshore drilling has historically been unpopular with the American public but with consumers being squeezed with high gas prices, people are willing to believe anything.

Also discussed is the next largest oil empire: Canada.











The Guardian: Canadians ponder cost of rush for dirty oil

Rolling Stone story: China's All-Seeing Eye

Democracy Now!

"Cosmic Markdown: EPA Says Life Is Worth Less"

The EPA recently lowered the value of an American life from $8.04 million to $7.22 million. This was the first time the agency has ever lowered the value of a generic human life. This decision compromises everybody's safety since it lowers the stakes when the agency does a cost-benefit analysis. A cost-benefit analysis factors in how much the cleanup will cost and compares those costs to how many people would be saved or helped by the cleanup. The lower value of an American life lets industry off the hook for endangering people and puts everyone's health at greater risk.

Washington Post article: EPA Says Life is Worth Less

New Report: Great Lakes Shipping, Trade, and Aquatic Invasive Species

A new report by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies ponders uniform ballast rules to help keep invasive species out of the Great Lakes. The report comes out on the coattails of a recent study by Notre Dame that found that invasive species cause $200 million in damage annually to the Great Lakes.

The new report by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) urges the U.S. to come to an agreement with Canada in setting uniform rules on regulating ballast water for ships entering the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway. One of the suggestions includes the U.S. adopting the International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules that require ships to flush their ballast tanks with either saltwater or chemicals to kill freshwater species. This would at the very least bring both of the countries a step closer to actually doing something about the rapid influx of invasive species.

The House of Representatives recently passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act which would require ships entering U.S. ports to install technology to kill invasive species in the ballast water. The Senate still needs to pass these standards, though they would only be for the U.S. The recent TRB report focuses on uniform rules so that the U.S and Canada can work together to monitor the problem.

There are currently at least 180 invasive species in the Great Lakes, with a new species being discovered every six months. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently ran a series on the effects of invasive species on Lake Huron and in the wake of the story the Sentinel ran an editorial that recommended closing the St. Lawrence Seaway since the economic benefits are only $55 million, according to a report by the Joyce Foundation. The St. Lawrence Seaway will probably not be closed down anytime soon, but everyone does agree that something must be done soon to stop the damage.


TRB Report: Great Lakes Shipping, Trade, and Aquatic Invasive Species


Sciencedaily Story: Keeping Invasive Species Out Of The Great Lakes

"Hazardous flame retardant found in household objects"

An investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reveals a dangerous flame retardant that is being used in many household products. Though the chemical in question is widely known to cause cancer, the EPA has been dragging its feet on issuing a final assessment and has relied largely on industry funded studies.

Journal Sentinel Watchdog Report: Hazardous flame retardant found in household objects

Des Moines Register Climate Change Series

There is a fantastic new series in Iowa's Des Moines register on climate change. While the report focuses on Iowa, there is enough analysis of Iowa in relation to the rest of the U.S for the report to be relevant to anyone already interested in the topic of climate change. There are also a lot of great interactive graphs and graphics. This series is a fine example of online investigative reporting.

Des Moines Register Climate Change Series