It’s Time for a New Vision -- A Guest Commentary

The calamity in the Gulf Coast will have staggering implications in the US economy for months and possibly years to come. Some climate experts are warning that Hurricane Katrina is a prelude to more aberrant climate disruptions ahead. >> Read the Full Article

Brazil Likely To Build More Nuclear Plants, Minister Says

Brazil's Minister of Science and Technology said Tuesday he believed the country would approve plans to build more nuclear reactors later this year, drawing howls of protest from environmental groups. >> Read the Full Article

Few Choices To Rid New Orleans of Poisoned Water

The potentially toxic brew of chemicals and human waste in the New Orleans floodwaters will have to be pumped into the Mississippi River or Lake Pontchartrain, raising the specter of an environmental disaster on the heels of Hurricane Katrina, experts say. >> Read the Full Article

Indonesian Orangutans Under Siege, Green Groups Say

Hundreds of orangutans are killed or captured every year on the Indonesian part of Borneo island as part of an illegal trade that is driving the primates towards extinction, green groups said on Tuesday. >> Read the Full Article

Grass Hailed as Potential Source of Clean Energy

A tall, decorative plant that can be grown in Europe and the United States could provide a significant amount of energy without contributing to global warming, scientists said on Tuesday. Field trials of the grass called Miscanthus in Illinois showed it could be very effective as an economically and environmentally sustainable energy crop. >> Read the Full Article

Chicago Opens a Rare 'Green' School

Youngsters at Tarkington elementary started their first day of classes Tuesday at a school where flowering plants grow on the roof. It's one of the nation's small but growing number of environmentally friendly schools, a stand-out because it sits in a major city better known for towers of steel and concrete. >> Read the Full Article

Katrina Environmental Issues 'Almost Unimaginable'

In the state's first major assessment of the environmental havoc in southern Louisiana, Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Mike McDaniel said large quantities of hazardous materials in damaged industrial plants, the danger of explosions and fires and water pollution were his main concerns eight days after the storm struck. >> Read the Full Article

Navajos Receive Award for Banning Uranium Mining

The Karl Souder Water Protection Award of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center was awarded to three Navajos, including a youth and a tribal councilman, for their role in banning uranium mining on the Navajo Nation. >> Read the Full Article

Rise in Natural Gas Costs Prompt More Consumers To Look at Geothermal Systems

The five-foot-deep trench zig-zagging across John Aylesworth's yard could help him battle high heating costs this winter. Heating and cooling his treasured but drafty 88-year-old homestead in rural Porter County cost him close to $1,200 last year, Aylesworth said. >> Read the Full Article

Federal, Multi-State Clean Air Act Settlement with Cargill Secures Pollution Reductions

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a multi-state Clean Air Act settlement with Cargill, Inc. which will result in a reduction of approximately 30,000 tons of pollution a year and set new standards for limiting harmful emissions from specialty oilseed plants. >> Read the Full Article