Public

A House Homeland Security subcommittee April 14 approved a bill (HR 901) that effectively extends chemical plant security rules put in place by the Bush administration. Chemical industry groups applauded, while Greenpeace said it puts public safety at risk. Various trade publications reported the action, although most mainstream media did not.

"Most Americans fear that the United States someday could face the kind of nuclear emergency that's plagued Japan in recent weeks, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll."

"When Chesapeake Energy lost control of a Marcellus Shale gas well in Pennsylvania on April 19, an emergency response team from Texas was called in to stop the leak. By the time the team arrived more than 13 hours later, brine water and hydraulic fracturing fluids from the well had spewed across nearby fields and into a creek."

"Conservative leader Stephen Harper has declared that Canada will not ban the export of asbestos -- despite calls from health groups -- because to do so would hurt Canadian industry."

"House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) yesterday walked a fine line on the thorny issue of oil-industry tax benefits targeted for elimination by the White House, stating that 'we oughta be looking at' ending some subsidies even as he ruled out any potential tax increases."

"Some of the nation's richest and most important ecosystems lie where the ocean meets the land. It's these same coastal areas that are going to disappear as sea level continues to rise as a result of climate change."

"From chainsaws to flute solos, the lyrebird can mimic almost any sound it hears. But eavesdrop on this magical bird, and what it is singing can sometimes be troubling."

"Global warming could increase flooding, shrink salmon habitat and invite in more invasive species in the West, scientists conclude in a sobering new report."

"Green energy offers the prospect of an economic boon, but some worry the environmental, cultural cost is too high."