KEYSTONE XL: TransCanada Acknowledges Oil Sands Crude Could Sink if Spilled

E&E Publishing

In comments released yesterday by the State Department, TransCanada Corp. acknowledged a possibility that opponents of Keystone XL have long used against the project: The heavy oil sands crude that would run through the controversial pipeline, if spilled in water, could sink below the surface. Details here.

Glacier National Park, Melting Before Our Eyes

Seattle Times.

Once home to about 150 glaciers, Glacier National Park now has 25. A trip through the park feels like being witnesses to an execution, writes editorial columnist Jonathan Martin. Details here.

Save British Columbia's Fish Lake From an Open-Pit Mine!

Dear Larry, There is only a week left to have your say on Taseko’s proposed open-pit mine at pristine  Fish Lake, a sacred place of ceremony and gathering for the Tsilqhot’in people and the  heart of a watershed that supports unique rainbow trout, at-risk grizzly bears, and  sustainable  local economies that respect the ecosystem. Take action.

Keep Arsenic out of the Water at Virden, Manitoba, Canada! An Open Letter to Manitoba's Minister of Environment

by John Fefchak

Dear Minister Mackintosh. 

Your department staff says it's OK to get rid of arsenic into a surface water source. However, this only leads to more questions that need answers.

(Photo, l. courtesy of Food & Water Watch)

Why This Year's Gulf Dead Zone Is Twice As Big As Last Year's

Mother Jones

First, the good news: The annual "dead zone" that smothers much of the northern Gulf of Mexico—caused by an oxygen-sucking algae bloom mostly fed by Midwestern farm runoff—is smaller this year than…Now, for the bad news...Details here.

Manitoba's Minister of Conservation Grants License For The Bipole III Transmission Project

Winnipeg Free Press.The government has issued an Environment Act for Manitoba Hydro’s Bipole III transmission line. Full story here.

Government of Manitoba. "Unprecedented Licence Conditions Exceed Clean Environment Commission Report, Address Aboriginal Concerns: Mackintosh" Details here.

We’re Just Beginning to Understand the Wider Impacts of Neonicotinoids.

By George Monbiot, the Guardian

It’s the new DDT:  a class of poisons licensed for widespread use before they had been properly tested, which are now ripping the natural world apart. And it’s another demonstration of the old truth that those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.

Manitoba honeybees. PLT photo

Silence of the Hives

The Pacific Northwest Inlander

America’s honey bees are dying in droves, and colony collapse disorder is the least of our worries. Details here.

Canadian Girl Takes on Media "Heavyweight" Over GMOs (Video)

37 Million Dead Bees Bring Strong Warnings

Alternatives Journal

PLT photo

Which path will we take to protect pollinators from our current agricultural practices? Full story here.

Canadian Technology Could Help Save Civilization!

PEOPLE IN ACTION  Reah Janise Kauffman and Julianne Simpson www.earth-policy.org/action_center/C27	Earth Policy Release August 13, 2013
We love hearing about how our publications inspire others to take action and share their stories  on our website. From the classroom to the political arena, people are spreading the word about  Plan B and EPI’s work to create a roadmap to sustainability.  In 2007, Dr. Bonnie Winslow-Garvin, a school psychologist and  long-time fan of Lester’s work, gave her husband Michael Garvin a  copy of Plan B 2.0. Garvin was so inspired by Lester’s call to action  that he left his national security consulting work to focus on moving  the world to a carbon-free energy economy. In 2009 they founded  RENAIS, a renewable energy technology and financing consultancy  specializing in wind power, in their home state of Iowa. Garvin also wanted to act internationally. He decided to begin with  the Caribbean, a region heavily dependent upon fossil fuel imports,  where highly-polluting diesel generators dominate the electricity  sector. With contacts in Curacao’s utilities and government,  including former Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte, Garvin is encouraging  retrofits of the country’s diesel-fueled vehicles and power stations to  boost efficiency and cut pollution, using “hydrogen hybrid” technology  from Canadian firm dynaCERT. Garvin, focusing his longer-term  efforts on alternative energy production combined with battery  storage, envisions Curacao becoming the first zero-carbon energy  economy. More broadly, he plans to play a consulting role as the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) implements its recently-agreed Regional Energy Policy, which emphasizes conservation,  efficiency, and renewables as key for long-term energy security.