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IN TODAY'S AUDIO REPORT: The EPA declares pollution a hazard (duh?)....so Congressional Republicans focus on (wait for it) cow farts!; The 39th celebration of Earth Day; PLUS: tons of toxic drugs pollute the nation's drinking water ... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

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IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (links below): The Obama Administation details plans for high-speed rail; Must-see TV this week --- PBS's Frontline investigates poisoned waterways in the U.S., and The History Channel asks what happens to the world after we're gone; will Germany force farmers to use Genetically Modified corn (GMOs)?; Chicago unveils solar-powered recharging stations for electric cars; PLUS: Mars Candy commits to sustainable chocolate...(mmmm chocolate) ....See below for more!

Info/links on stuff we talked about on today's episode, plus MORE green news, all follows below...

• EPA says greenhouse-gas emissions a threat to public health
  
  Industry groups are wringing their hands about what it will mean to have greenhouse gases regulated under the Clean Air Act, and enviros are chomping at the bit for the agency to get to work. While groups across the spectrum would prefer that Congress pass a new climate bill to address the matter, in the absence of that, the EPA is compelled to start regulating with the laws already on books.

  “There’s no time left to waste,” said David Doniger, policy director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s climate center. “We want the EPA to do what it can under the existing Clean Air Act, because that’s what the law is today ... We have a problem ahead of us that we’re long overdue in dealing with.”

• SNAP ANALYSIS: EPA says CO2 emissions endanger human health
• EPA’s climate finding ticks off industry, energizes enviros and congressional leaders
• HOW TO COMMENT on the EPA’s finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health
• EARTH DAY 2009: The Green Generation
• What The EPA's Ruling Means For Business: The decision on CO2 emissions is likely a boon for cleantech; critics fear huge risk to the U.S. economy
  
  The potential breadth of the EPA's regulatory authority deeply concerns the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is adamant the ruling will put the economy in peril. In November, the Chamber warned the EPA that "a finding of endangerment would trigger a regulatory cascade that would in turn impose an inescapable and unreasonable economic burden on both U.S. citizens and the federal government."

  "No one will benefit from the ruling," says Bill Kovacs, vice president of environmental affairs for the Chamber, adding that the ruling will allow the "EPA to run wild."

• AP: Tons of released drugs taint U.S. water
  
  U.S. manufacturers, including major drugmakers, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways that often provide drinking water, according to an Associated Press investigation.
  ...
  But some researchers say the lack of required testing amounts to a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy about whether drugmakers are contributing to water pollution.
• Boehner: It's 'Almost Comical' To Say Carbon Dioxide And Climate Change Are Dangerous Since Cows Fart A Lot [full transcript here]:
  
  STEPHANOPOULOS: So what is the responsible way? That's my question. What is the Republican plan to deal with carbon emissions, which every major scientific organization has said is contributing to climate change?

  BOEHNER: George, the idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical. Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you've got more carbon dioxide. And so I think it's clear...

• House GOP leader Boehner on ABC: “The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical.”:
  
  Almost comical? How about completely tragic?

  One of the GOP’s senior leaders thinks this debate is about whether carbon dioxide is a carcinogen? And thinks carcinogens harm the environment, rather than people? And thinks that cows are of concern because they produce carbon dioxide, rather than methane?

  It bears repeating: Anti-science conservatives are now the cement shoes on the American people, pulling us down into the ocean hot, acidic dead zone.
  ...
  That’s the beauty of not caring about science or logic. You can spew out all of your disinformation, and different pieces that can stick to different people.

'GREEN NEWS EXTRA': More green news not covered in today's audio report... .... See below!

• Obama Seeks High-Speed Rail System Across U.S.
  
  “What we need, then, is a smart transportation system equal to the needs of the 21st century,” he said, “a system that reduces travel times and increases mobility, a system that reduces congestion and boosts productivity, a system that reduces destructive emissions and creates jobs.”

  And he added, “There’s no reason why we can’t do this.”

• Obama’s High-Speed Rail Plan:
  
  there will be a two-stage competitive grant process. In the first stage “applications will focus on projects that can be completed quickly and yield measurable, near-term job creation and other public benefits” and then there will be a “next round to include proposals for comprehensive high-speed programs covering entire corridors or sections of corridors.”
• U.S. Department of Transportation website (including maps!): Vision of High-Speed Rail in America
• Frontline explores “Poisoned Waters” of Puget Sound, Chesapeake Bay
• It's gonna be a wild scene - after the people disappear
• Monsanto's Uphill GMO Fight in Germany: The U.S. biotech giant enjoys booming sales worldwide for genetically-modified seeds. But in Germany, it's being chased away by a quirky coalition
• Chicago unveils solar-powered recharging stations for electric cars
• Mars Candy Commits to Sustainable Cocoa Sources
• Mars Sets Goal for Sustainable Cocoa Sources: Firm Pressed in Overseas Markets by Cadbury's Standards
  
  That means it will buy cocoa from suppliers who meet certain environmental, labor and production standards. The company said the move is intended to help secure a steady supply of a crop whose production is often threatened by harsh weather in West Africa and whose price is volatile.

                 

Article Categories: Green News