Posted on June 18, 2008 by Dennis Pfaff
- Environmentalists have won a round in their challenge to the federal government's actions in listing the polar bear as a threatened species because of melting sea ice. A federal judge in Oakland, California, rejected a move by the government to toss out claims by three groups that contend the government is attempting to reduce Endangered Species Act protections for the animal through special provisions that, among other things, ignore consideration of the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on the creatures. Climate Law Update has reported previously on the continuing controversy over the decision.
- New York and New Jersey, which account for nearly half of the carbon emissions in the 10-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, might not be ready for the auction of carbon allowances scheduled for September, possibly jeopardizing its success, says a report from the UK's Carbon Finance.
- President Bush's advocacy of an end to a moratorium on offshore oil drilling puts him squarely in the middle of the presidential campaign, reports The New York Times. Meanwhile, California's Republican govenor takes a dim view of ending the ban, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Ditto both the state's senior senator, Dianne Feinstein and her junior colleague, Barbara Boxer, according to statements the Democrats separately released.
- T. Boone Pickens, the new guru of renewable energy, tells lawmakers looking at ways to improve the transmission grid that America can become more energy independent by making wind power a bigger part of the electricity mix, reports the Wall Street Journal's Environmental Capital blog.
- Developing biofuels from sources such as algae and switchgrass drew a lot of attention this week at a big biotechnology conference in San Diego, according to this story in the Union-Tribune.
- Insurers are coming up with ways to help commercial customers contend with risks from climate change, according to a panel of experts cited in this Reuters report.
- Climate change-induced damage to the food chain could help wipe out entire species of whales, Australian government researchers warn, according to news.com.au.
- French fries help can save the planet, or at least the grease from their cooking is becoming a popular source of biodiesel, an alternative fuel that doesn't threaten the food supply, suggests this story in the Globe and Mail.
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