Articles Index
DOE Ups Yucca Mountain Cost Estimate
Want to see how fast you can run? Thank a Nevadan for "agreeing" to let the government bury the nation's radioactive waste outside of Las Vegas at Yucca Mountain. Then tell them how much it's going to cost, and start running.
The End of Oil?
A series of recent events suggests that our nation's long-held definition of "oil independence" may be changing from independence from foreign oil to independence from all oil. Has the cumulative affect of shrinking oil supplies, rising gasoline prices, and the imminent possibility of a climate we just cannot live with brought us to the beginning of the end of the golden age of oil?
About the Climate Security Act of 2008
If enacted, the proposed Climate Security Act of 2008 would become the federal government's regulatory program to reduce nationwide emissions of greenhouse gases enough between 2008 and 2050 to prevent the potential catastrophic effects of global warming.
Federal Bridge Safety Regulation and Funding
While federal safety regulations apply to all 600,000 bridges in the United States, actually doing the work necessary to keep them safe requires a partnership effort between federal and state government.
The Environmental Protection Agency
Just as the U.S. needs the military to protect its interests in the world, so too it needs an agency to police its natural resources at home. Since 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency has fulfilled that role, setting and enforcing standards to safeguard the land, air and water as well as protect human health.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
They've provided us with some of the most unforgettable moments in the last half century, not to mention some of its memorable catchphrases: "Houston, we have a problem," and, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." But just what is NASA?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
It seems like such an elementary concept, the weather. But it isn’t. A ubiquitous topic of conversation, it dictates everything from how we dress to crop yields to the sustainability of the earth’s ecosystems. Keeping track of the weather is a full-time job, and in the U.S. government, that job is handled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
About the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for ensuring the safety of civil aviation, including all non-military, private and commercial, and aerospace aviation activities.
National Parks Haze Reduction Rule Draws Criticism
New EPA regulations intended to improve visibility in national parks and wilderness areas by reducing haze are too weak to be effective and could actually endanger the long-term health of many of the Nation's national parks, according to the Sierra Club.
T. rex Bone Tissue Reveals Creature's Gender
Soft tissue, amazingly found surviving n a hollow cavity of a 68 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur leg bone fossil has revealed that the ancient creature was a young female, and was producing eggs when she died in what is now Montana.
Earth's Future Greener Than Ever, Says Policy Group
The 1970s brought us many things, including the idea that Earth was going to pot. Gloom and doom predictions by those supposedly in the know have kept “Earth Day” a main focus for the environment movement. But the Competitive Enterprise Institute says Earth Day is nothing more than a propaganda tool used to scare the public.
NSF Finds Soft Tissue in T. rex Dinosaur Fossil
In a story that borders on the incredible, the National Science Foundation has reported finding soft tissue in the fossilized leg bone of a 70-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur specimen.
Global Warming Inevitable This Century, NSF Study Finds
Despite efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, global warming and a greater increase in sea level are inevitable during this century, according to a new study performed by a team of climate modelers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
USGS May Have Falsified Yucca Mountain Research
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has initiated an investigation into allegations by its own employees that data used in suitability studies done six years ago on the proposed Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository located in Nevada may have been falsified.
Senate Committee Rejects Bush's Air Pollution Bill
A bill supported by President Bush that would relax certain regulations of the Clean Air Act has been rejected by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee.
NASA Offers Prizes for Students With Revolutionary Ideas
Students with ideas that can dramatically advance NASA's Vision for Space Exploration program can win one of four $9,000 fellowships. The NIAC (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts) Student Fellows Prize program provides opportunities for creative college students to develop revolutionary advanced concepts in aeronautics, space, and the sciences.
Majority Oppose ANWR Oil Drilling, Survey Says
A bipartisan national survey has found that by a margin of 53 percent to 35 percent, Americans oppose proposals to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
2004 Deadliest Earthquake Year in Five Centuries
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has reported that 2004 was the deadliest year for earthquakes since the Renaissance Age, making it the second most fatal year in recorded history.
Bill to Curb Electronic Waste Introduced
With their average life span dropping from five years to less than two, almost 50 million American computers are abandoned every year. They just sit there in warehouses and closets, chock full of potentially deadly environmental baddies, like lead and chromium. How to deal with this? Two federal lawmakers have introduced the National Computer Recycling Act, a bill that would direct the EPA to develop and implement a national electronic waste (e-waste) recycling program.
NASA's Climate Computer Model Available Free to Classrooms
NASA's Educational Global Climate Model (EdGCM), for both Windows and Mac platforms, is now available free for high school and university desktop computers.
Oak Ridge Database Aiding Asian Tsunami Relief Efforts
Relief agencies working to assist victims of Sunday's tsunamis in the Indian Ocean are using a demographic database developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
New Climate Education Resource Goes Online
Students, teachers, parents and the general public can access information about climate, weather and atmospheric science online through a program offered by Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Department of Energy.
NOAA Holds Contest to Name Ocean Exploration Ship
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced a nationwide contest for teams of students to choose a name for a newly acquired NOAA ocean exploration ship, and develop an education project based on a proposed name.
Bush Snowmobile Policy Ignores Science: NPS Retirees
The Bush Administration is about to release a proposal that would more than double snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park over last winter's levels, ignoring the scientific findings of two recent environmental impact studies and weakening the Administration's own frequently-touted "strict limitations" on snowmobile use, according to the 300-member Coalition of Concerned National Park Service Retirees.
Pilots Blast NTSB on Cockpit Video Cameras
Calling proposals to install video cameras in the cockpits of commercial airliners the "fool’s gold" of accident investigation, representatives of the Air Line Pilots Association have told the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that pilots are universally opposed to the idea.
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