‘Green News Report’ – April 20, 2010

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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Rescue & recovery in China; More fallout for the coal industry … PLUS: Eruption Disruption: It’s not just travel that’s a pain in the ash, thanks to Eyjafjallajokull … All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’: Another Good Reason to Cut Oil Use; Hard science vindicates climate scientists; EPA, Energy Dept. announce Energy Star revamp; Saudis tighten China energy ties; Tea Partiers far less informed about climate change than general public; Tweeting uses less juice than Googling; Seattle to lead LED street light study … PLUS: Yummy: USDA says meat supply routinely tainted with harmful residues …

Info/links on those stories and all the ones we talked about on today’s episode follow below…

• A Special Ditty In Honor of Iceland’s Unpronounceable Volcano, by Icelandic Musician Eliza Geirsdottir Newman: (Al Jazeera English)

• Rescue & Recovery Continues in Aftermath of China Earthquake:
• 3 rescued, 5 days after China quake killed 2,000 (AP)
• China plans day of mourning for quake victims (CNN)
• Fears for the future in quake-hit Yushu: The powerful earthquake which struck Yushu in China’s Qinghai province has left tens of thousands of people homeless. Arnold King, an American teaching English there, describes the situation for local people. (BBC)
• Spotlight Continues on Coal Mining Industry:
• Obama to eulogize 29 lost miners (CNN)
• Report cites W. Virginia mine safety in call for regulation (CNN)
• Corporate Front Group Funded By Coal Industry Scorns Widow Of Mine Disaster: ‘Everyone Wants Free Money’ (Think Progress)
• W.Va. mine disaster calls attention to revolving door between industry, government (Washington Post):
  More than 200 former congressional staff members, federal regulators and lawmakers are employed by the mining industry as lobbyists, consultants or senior executives, including dozens who work for coal companies with the worst safety records in the nation, a Washington Post analysis shows.

  The revolving door has also brought industry officials into government as policy aides in Congress or officials of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), which enforces safety standards.

  The movement between industry and government allows both to benefit from crucial expertise, but mining safety experts say it often has led to a regulatory system tilted toward coal company interests.

• In Week After Tragedy, 130 More Serious Safety Violations Found in Massey Mines (Treehugger)
• Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship’s pay (Coal Tattoo)
• ERUPTION DISRUPTION in ‘Strand-inavia’: Fallout from the Eruption of Eyjafjallajokull:
• A government bailout for airlines after Iceland volcano?: Citing the government bailout after the Sept. 11 shutdown of US airspace, European airlines are seeking government compensation over groundings caused by the ash cloud released from an Iceland volcano. So are some stranded passengers. (Christian Science Monitor)
• Could be worse: Why the Icelandic eruption is peculiarly troublesome for one so small (The Economist)
• Volcanic ash chaos ‘a lesson for Europe’: Europe’s ash cloud has triggered a flurry of anguished calls for the EU to improve its crisis response and co-ordination. (BBC)
• Half of Europe flights ‘to go ahead’ (BBC)
• How will airlines deal with ash backlog? (CNN)
• Volcano impact: As Dutch orchids wilt, New Zealand business blooms (CNN)
• Volcano casts cloud over European economy (CNN)
• Limbaugh: Volcanic eruption in Iceland is God’s reaction to health care’s passage. (Think Progress)
• African Flower Exports to Europe Halted by Icelandic Volcano (BusinessWeek)
• Long Term Impacts of the Eyjafjallajokull Eruption:
• Planes or Volcano? What’s Emitting the Most CO2 Per Day? (Information Is Beautiful)
• Volcano Emitting 150,000-300,000 Tons of CO2 Daily: Experts (AFP)
• Will Eyjafjallajokull Cool The Planet? (The New Republic)
• Could Iceland’s Volcano Slow Global Warming? (The Atlantic)
• Iceland volcano: not yet a global cooling eruption: A vast cloud from an intensifying volcanic eruption in Iceland is too small so far to slow global warming as happened in 1991 with the explosion of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, experts say. (Reuters)
• How volcanoes can change the world (CNN)
• Flashback: The Global Impact of the 1991 Eruption of Mt. Pinatubo (Wikipedia)
• Climate models accurately predicted global temperatures after Mt. Pinatubo eruption (Skeptical Science)
• Flashback: Current volcanic activity and climate? (Real Climate, May 2006)
• Fun With Iceland’s Nearly-Unpronounceable Language:
• Iceland Volcano Spews Consonants and Vowels (NY Times)
• Iceland volcano jokes: Top 10 gags to help you on your journey home (Daily Mirror UK)

‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’: More green news not covered in today’s audio report…

• Another Good Reason to Cut Oil Use: Not only is our thirst for oil helping fill Iran’s coffers, but the US military this week signaled that it’s growing more concerned that there simply won’t be enough oil available in the near future, which could fuel conflict and instability around the world. (Mother Jones)
• OP-ED: The heat goes on: After a blitz by climate change skeptics, hard science vindicates their targets (Houston Chronicle)
• EPA, Energy Dept. announce Energy Star revamp after negative report (The Hill)
• Saudis Tighten China Energy Ties (Bloomberg)
• Weak Tea Indeed: Tea Party supporters far less informed about climate change than general public (Grist)
• Tweeting Uses Less Juice than Googling, Says Twitter: (CNET News)
• Seattle to Lead LED Street Light Study (AP)
• USDA Inspector General: meat supply routinely tainted with harmful residues (Grist)