EPA seeks scientific data on ocean acidification
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responding to a petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) last year by requesting information from scientists and policy makers on ocean acidification. The information will help the EPA decide whether to revise their current pH water criterion, a move which might lay the groundwork for […]
Fertilizing ocean to combat climate change
In apparent defiance of international law (and possibly commonsense), scientists are planning to start an experiment with iron fertilization. The Independent is reporting that the proposed location is the Southern Ocean. The plan: to create a plankton bloom big enough to be visible from space. “The researchers – mainly from Germany and India, but including […]
LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT
A friend brought this legislation, HR 146, the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, to our attention today. It’s something all US citizens can take immediate action on, to support funding for research on ocean acidification and more. The bill will most likely be coming back before the House of Representatives this week. It needs only […]
Center for Biological Diversity sues EPA over ocean acidification
Today the Center for Biological Diversity has filed the first-ever US law suit addressing ocean acidification. The Center is suing the EPA and administrator Lisa Jackson over their failure to recognize the effects of ocean acidification in water off the coast of Washington State. The case is a test of whether the Clean Water Act […]
COP-15 for naught?
You may have noticed the drop off in our blogging. We're finding Twitter a super convenient way to convey info quickly. There's a certain ease in the short-form format; we don't feel the need to craft our language quite as carefully. And it's unbeatable for live coverage of an event. If you've been following us, […]
EPA reconsiders ocean pH limits, response to Center for Biological Diversity petition
"U.S. EPA is weighing a revision of standards aimed at preventing the acidification of marine waters. The effort marks the first time EPA has invoked the Clean WaterAct to address ocean acidification, and comes in response to a 2007petition from the Center for Biological Diversity. The center notedthat EPA has failed to update the pH […]
ACT TODAY
The American Clean Energy and Security Act — the Waxman-Markey bill, HR 2454— represents a critical opportunity to deliver on President Obama's vision for a clean energy economy. The bill's coming up for a vote on the House floor by Friday, June 26, the end of this week. Congress needs to hear from you, if […]
Al Gore testifies to House E&C Committee, mentions ocean acidification
In his testimony before the House Energy & Commerce Committee April 24, Al Gore said: “Carbon dioxide pollution is changing the very chemistry of our oceans. Ocean acidification is already underway and is accelerating. A recentpaper published in the journal Science described how the seawater off the coast of Northern California has become so acidic […]