Utility fees sought for environmental research center
With this year's legislative session in its final days, lawmakers Monday unveiled a bill mandating new fees from electricity ratepayers to fund a University of California-run global warming research center.

Santa Barbara County panel OKs offshore oil drilling
A divided Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday in support of offshore drilling, after an impassioned daylong hearing in which this year's record gas prices trumped the memory of a disastrous oil spill.

The Perfect Storm of a Global Recession
The probability is growing that the global economy—not just the United States—will experience a serious recession. Recent developments suggest that all G7 economies are already in recession or close to tipping into one.

Texas Company Patents Biomass Biofuel Technology
Byogy Renewables Inc., a Texas company, has licensed the production of what it says is the Holy Grail of biofuel and will open a plant in the near future to create 95-octane gasoline from biomass.

Ivory Coast's forgotten acrid waste
A red triangle with a skull and cross bones symbol gives the first indication that this area on the outskirts of Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan is no rural idyll. Women may use their heads to carry wood back home while men snooze in the shade of the trees, but a slight odour hangs in the air.

Energy as an employer
Great to see Al Gore out there last week refreshing his ”˜Inconvenient Truth’ by challenging both Republicans and Democrats to raise their sights in the run-up to the November election. And his “100% renewables”� should certainly achieve that particular goal!

Americans think worst of 2008 oil spike over: poll
Most Americans think that the worst of the fuel price spike that pushed gasoline above $4 per gallon has passed, but they have little hope that the housing market will stage a swift recovery, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday. The economy has jumped to the top of voters' concerns this election year, eclipsing the Iraq War, and that has put the housing bust and rising inflation squarely in the spotlight.

The Realm of Earthworms: NASA Gets Down to the Nitty-Gritty
When you hear the word "NASA," do visions of rocket ships dance in your head? Well think again. From now on, it's "earthworms."

Don’t Paint Yourself Into an Eco-Unfriendly Corner
From just off white to mango orange, most people utilize paint to personalize their home. Based on this, It’s not surprising that paint is the most collected household hazardous waste at events across the country. There’s nothing wrong with jazzing up your living room or giving that old door a fresh coat; just be eco-wise while doing it. The following guide will help you learn the basics of responsible painting:

New Report: Cashing in on Coal
From concerns over air pollution and acid rain, to the recent rising awareness of carbon emissions and climate change, coal has been recognised as the dirtiest and most inefficient fossil fuel option.

Great Planet Debate ends in stalemate
A lively debate over how to define planets failed to forge a common set of criteria on Thursday. Astronomers Neil deGrasse Tyson and Mark Sykes did however agree that the issue is much broader than deciding Pluto's status, with our basic perspective on the solar system in flux.

New Zero-Emissions Commuter Bike: The A2B
A company called Ultra Motor has released a new electric bike called the A2B. This bike looks great - I like the functional, minimalist style. The A2B is designed for urban or suburban commutes. According to Ultra Motors, the A2B offers unassisted power on demand for up to 20 miles at a cruising speed of 20mph. At that speed it’s still categorized as a bicycle as opposed to a scooter, moped or motorcycle. No special license is required.

Big U.S. retailers look to solar energy
Retailers are typically obsessed with what to put under their roofs, not on them. Yet the biggest store chains in the United States are coming to see their immense, flat roofs as an untapped resource.

The Greening of Islamic Politics
As the host of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2007, Indonesia welcomed the world to the idyllic island of Bali as a venue to reach agreement on one of the most challenging environmental issues. Several years prior, the island had been the scene of the worst series of terrorist bombings in the region, killing more than two hundred people. These attacks, which were carried out by Muslim militants, further stigmatized and marginalized Islamic political parties in the international community.

Indigenous training offers hope of cutting poaching in Primorye
An indigenous people famed for helping early Siberian explorers survive in the wild are now passing on their knowledge to the guardians of one of the world’s most porous borders. Leading the training effort in north east Russia is Vasilii Dunkai, leader of the scouting school in Krasnyi Yar in northern Primorye.