Supremes say upgrading coal plants without reducing pollution a no-no
3 Apr 2007 at 12:04pm
We love the Supreme Court this week. In a unanimous decision yesterday, Big Justice overturned a lower court ruling and declared that Duke Energy did indeed violate the Clean Air Act when it modernized coal plants without paying for pollution-reduction equipment. Duke had claimed it wasn’t required to consult the …
U.S. states beginning to invest in plug-in hybrid school buses
3 Apr 2007 at 12:04pm
Once upon a time, someone had an idea: let’s transport U.S. schoolkids in big yellow buses that spew diesel fumes and have no seatbelts. The nation embraced the idea — though oddly, the plan to dangle a knife above each seat was scrapped — but now it’s having second thoughts. …
States worry as Homeland Security issues chemical-plant rules
3 Apr 2007 at 12:04pm
Funny story: Of the 15,000 U.S. chemical plants, as many as 7,000 are in highly populated areas and at high risk for an accident or attack. Ha! Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security released the first comprehensive federal rules for tracking the security of such sites. Which seems good, until …
Long-term radiation risks lower than some daily hazards, study finds
3 Apr 2007 at 12:04pm
Living in fear of a nuclear meltdown? Now you can relax! A new study says the long-term risks faced by survivors of two of the world’s most notorious nuclear episodes — the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the 1945 bombings of Japan — are lower than the risks caused by urban …
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth studying how to green her palaces
3 Apr 2007 at 12:04pm
Word on the street is HRH the Queen of England Her Majesty With the Breath of Baby’s Breath Elizabeth is looking at ways to lessen the impact of her palaces. Proposals being floated include switching Buckingham Palace’s 40,000 lights to efficient bulbs, building a turbine in the Thames to generate …
