Environmental News Network

Seven Colorado River States Submit Plan for Sharing Water in Drought
Seven states dependent on the Colorado River filed a plan with the Interior Department on Monday aimed at divvying up water resources during times of drought. Officials said the long-debated pact would protect 30 million people who depend on the river for drinking water. >> Read the Full Article
Interior Expands Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling off Alaska, Virginia and in Gulf
The Interior Department announced a major expansion of offshore oil and gas development Monday with proposed lease sales covering 48 million new acres off Alaska, in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and in the central Atlantic off Virginia. >> Read the Full Article
Rainmakers Give Light Relief in Warm, Dry World
Welcome to the work of the Bureau of Royal Rainmaking, a small front line in Thailand's fight against drought -- a struggle likely to become increasingly desperate if scientists and governments meeting in Bangkok this week fail to agree a masterplan to tackle global warming. >> Read the Full Article
FACTBOX: Methane, from Cow Burps to Rice Paddies
Methane is among the most potent greenhouse gases and scientists say controlling emissions from cows and sheep, rice fields and the oil and gas industry is a major step in limiting climate change. >> Read the Full Article
The Heat Is on for Greenhouse Gas Methane
Government policies and a U.N.-backed system of emission credits is proving a money-spinner for investors, farmers and big polluters such as power stations wanting to offset their own emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2). >> Read the Full Article
Indian Project Shows Solar Power Affordable, U.N. Says
A solar power project in India supplying electricity to 100,000 people will be widened to other developing nations after showing that clean energy can be cheaper than fossil fuels, a U.N. report said on Sunday. >> Read the Full Article
U.S. To Unveil Five-Year Offshore Drilling Plan Monday
The U.S. Interior Department will unveil on Monday its official plan for oil and natural gas drilling in federal waters through 2012, the department said Friday. The department must issue a drilling plan that outlines where it expects drilling in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf every five years. >> Read the Full Article
Environment Groups Slam European Commission for Failed Green Policies
Leading European environmental groups criticized the EU's head office on Friday, saying it had failed in its green policies and was not doing enough to promote ecological issues. >> Read the Full Article
China to Force Rain Ahead of Olympics
Chance of showers during the 2008 Beijing Olympics: 50 percent. But Chinese meteorologists have a plan to bring sunshine. The meteorologists say they can force rain in the days before the Olympics, through a process known as cloud-seeding, to clean the air and ensure clear skies. >> Read the Full Article
EPA Accused of Flouting Supreme Court in Proposing New Pollution Standard
The government proposed a pollution standard for power plants Wednesday that critics said flouts the spirit of a Supreme Court ruling on clean air enforcement. The proposal would make it easier for utilities to expand plant operations or make other changes to produce more electricity without installing new pollution controls. >> Read the Full Article