Federal officials announced Wednesday that the outbreak of West Nile virus is likely to worsen in the coming weeks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that, despite having already hit peak mosquito season, new cases are likely to be reported as the disease develops. The CDC has received reports of as many as 1,100 new human cases and 41 deaths. Scientists say that hot, dry conditions have contributed to the severity of the outbreak: small pools of brackish water are the p... Read More
Arctic ice is set to hit a record low next week, according to U.S. climate scientists. Researchers from the National Snow and Ice Data Center used satellite data to determine that sea ice around the North Pole is on track to beat the previous record set in 2007. "A new daily record ... would be likely by the end of August," the NSIDC's lead scientist, Ted Scambos, told Reuters. Arctic ice acts as a kind of planetary air conditioner, reflecting about 80 percent of sunlight back into the atmosph... Read More
A search party headed into the Bob Marshall Wilderness on Wednesday to look for Noah Pippin, a 30-year-old Marine who disappeared in September 2010 while hiking in Montana. Pippin was a veteran of three tours of duty in Iraq and was slated to redeploy with the National Guard when he went missing. He was last seen along the remote Chinese Wall. The newly-organized search effort will include the Lewis and Clark Country sheriff, three deputies, a behavioral specialist, and an outdoorsman, and is ... Read More
Americans throw away nearly 40 percent of their food for a total of $165 billion in waste every year, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council. “We’re essentially tossing every other piece of food that crosses our path,” Dana Gunders, the study’s author, said in a statement. “That’s money and precious resources down the drain.” While the majority of waste occurs in homes and at supermarkets, there are weak spot... Read More
On Tuesday, a federal appeals court struck down the Environmental Protection Agency's 2011 regulation requiring coal-fired power plants to reduce certain harmful emissions. The "good neighbor rule" was designed to protect Eastern residents from polluters in neighboring states. In a 2-1 decision, the District of Columbia’s U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the agency’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) exceeded the EPA’s mandate and violated state's rights. The regulation... Read More
