Environment

The natural environment, including water, is of long-range concern to all Nebraska citizens.  The Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce supports realistic efforts to preserve and improve Nebraska’s environment.

 

News

Sep 4, 2010 Spotlight Shifts to Shallow-Water Wells (New York Times) Bromwich has been carefully reviewing shallow-water drilling as he draws up new regulations governing the industry. There were no injuries, no spill, and the fire was extinguished.”Early reports of Thursday’s accident suggested another spill had occurred. But Coast Guard officials said on...    more...  
Sep 3, 2010 Bjorn Lomborg's climate change sparks environment debate (USA Today) Changed climate views by "skeptical environmentalist" Bjørn Lomborg should be celebrated by environment advocates, says one public opinion expert, instead of being met with derision. A follow-up letter from Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment scientists said folks...    more...  
Sep 3, 2010 Another Item for Climate Panel's To-Do List (New York Times) Earlier this week, Alex Abutu, a science and health writer in Nigeria, posted a query about African participants in the forthcoming science assessment by the climate panel on the Earth Journalism Network Google Groups listserv. They are African scientists on the IPCC 5th Assessment Report team....    more...  
Sep 2, 2010 China Sustains Blunt 'You First' Message on CO2 (New York Times) China’s national circumstances cannot be ignored. China’s accumulated emissions account for only 7% of the global total. Traditional development aid has been repackaged as aid for climate change.    more...  
Sep 2, 2010 Wonkbook: Romer wants more stimulus; five reasons for economic optimism; illegal immigration down (Washington Post) The only surefire ways for policymakers to substantially increase aggregate demand in the short run are for the government to spend more and tax less. This part of the yield is counted as part of national income by the Commerce Department. Goldstein argues that the United States could reduce its...    more...  
Sep 2, 2010 Bill Gates on R&D, a Carbon Tax and China's Climate Role (New York Times) Pricing carbon emissions would help in many ways. As described in the AEIC report the 1-2% would be enough to fund a lot of energy research and deployment. China has taken some steps to participate in new forms of energy, including some tariffs that encourage deployment.    more...  
Sep 2, 2010 Businesses see advantage in green buildings (Chicago Tribune) In the bathroom, sensors control water flow, timers manage lights, and the toilet has a low-flow option. Subway franchisee Murad Fazal said his State Street store cost about 45 percent more than a traditional Subway restaurant, yet he expects energy savings will offset the additional costs in...    more...  
Sep 1, 2010 Special Report: Energy: Doing More While Using Less Power (New York Times) Zoi, who works on appliance standards for the energy department, agrees.So do the manufacturers. One strategy is an energy efficiency resource standard, setting targets for annual efficiency improvements, accompanied by performance-based cash rewards or penalties. Zoi said.The cost of energy...    more...  
Sep 1, 2010 Wonkbook: Jobs bill details sketched; unions target boardrooms; new oil reg rules (Washington Post) Meanwhile, an SEC decision expanding shareholder power over corporate boards has led unions to consider installing their supporters on target companies' boards. It's not clear what those tax breaks would target or how much they might cost in lost revenue to the government. That the Reagan and...    more...  
Sep 1, 2010 Australian Leader Wins Support From Greens (New York Times) The Greens twice rejected Labor’s cap-and-trade energy bill in the Senate last year, saying the plan gave too many concessions to polluters and set insufficient targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The once-obscure environmental party also has been critical of Labor’s opposition to...    more...  
Aug 31, 2010 A Warming Contrarian Calls for a Global Tax (New York Times) Lomborg said in a 2002 interview.Yet Mr. Lomborg wrote in the book, according to an excerpt in The Guardian newspaper.In an interview with The Guardian, Mr. Lomborg told the paper in 2002, referring to climate change and other environmental concerns.Now Mr.    more...  
Aug 30, 2010 Lenders Back Off of Environmental Risks (New York Times) Litvack, of F&C Investments, pointed to large protests last week by many climate activists outside the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley helped initiate the Carbon Principles, which aim to standardize the assessment of “carbon risks in the...    more...  
Aug 30, 2010 India Passes Nuclear Deal (New York Times) For decades after its 1974 nuclear test, India had refused to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and was subjected to a three-decade American moratorium on nuclear trade. Existing international conventions place liability solely with the operator of a nuclear reactor while immunizing...    more...  
Aug 29, 2010 Goodwill, better business grow from going green (Chicago Tribune) Fazal's landlord is taking the building green and absorbed some of his costs. "I think customers will appreciate it," Fazal said of being green. The timer is now set for 12 minutes. "We felt like this was the right time," Fazal said of opening a green location. The restaurant is in a more...    more...  
Aug 27, 2010 First Pentagon Combat Energy Manager Looks to Mission (New York Times) By DINA FINE MARON ofIn the heat of battle, troops may not have time to think about making the most energy-efficient moves. Such activities amount to some 70 percent of all energy used by the Department of Defense. All Rights Reserved.For more news on energy and the environment, visit...    more...  
Aug 26, 2010 In Alaska, Doubts About Climate Change Rise With a New Politician (New York Times) She edged away from the manmade climate issue, saying this summer that she's unsure to what extent humans are responsible for warming. She's the top Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and co-sponsored a cap-and-trade bill in 2007. All Rights Reserved.For more news on energy...    more...  
Aug 26, 2010 Appalachian Dems Seek Distance From Obama on Coal, Climate (New York Times) The administration wants to use the leftover money to cut the deficit.Much of the coal industry is supporting Rahall in 2010. Two of Rahall's top three campaign contributors are coal mining companies Patriot Coal Corp. and Peabody Energy Corp. Zack Space, a two-term Democratic incumbent from...    more...  
Aug 26, 2010 With Hill Hopes for Climate Bill Dashed, Advocates Circle Wagons at EPA (New York Times) Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), who plans to seek a vote this year on a bill that would prohibit the agency from regulating stationary sources' emissions for two years. But the final rule set a significantly higher threshold with plans to phase in smaller sources over time. All Rights Reserved.For...    more...  
Aug 26, 2010 If a Country Sinks Beneath the Sea, Is It Still a Country? (New York Times) Deciding where to relocate citizens is just the beginning for a disappearing nation. Still unanswered: What will the political status of those displaced people be? But, Paskal noted, the laws assume the coastlines won't change or disappear.    more...  
Aug 26, 2010 How to Get Prompt Payback From an Aging Icon That Guzzles Energy (New York Times) Malkin's company owns a collection of buildings across the bustling business sector of midtown Manhattan. Russell was looking for one for the foundation's new energy efficiency building retrofit program. Schuur said building owners on the opposite side of the planet have approached the...    more...