A look at today’s science and health policy news:
Court Forces Government to Move on Polar Bear Status
NY Times- A federal court has ruled that the Bush Administration must decide whether the polar bear deserves protection by May 15.
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New Policy Prolongs EPA Chemical Reviews
Washington Post–The Bush administration has changed EPA reviews of chemicals in a way that will delay scientific assessments of their health risks.
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White House blocked EPA studies, GAO reports
SF Gate–The GAO reported that the White House’s budget office and other agencies had delayed or blocked efforts by the EPA to list chemicals as carcinogens by requesting more research time.
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Senators Propose Ban on Chemical in Plastics
Washington Post–Senate Democrats introduced a bill yesterday that would ban a controversial chemical found in plastics from all products made for infants and young children.
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Groups sue to get gray wolves back on endangered species list
L.A. Times–At least 35 have been killed in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming since their March 28 delisting.
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Has U.S. Science Lost Its Competitive Edge?
ScienceNOW–A symposium held yesterday by the National Academies attempted to answer questions on U.S. competitiveness.
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Hubble mission: Big on safety, pressed for time
USA Today–The astronauts who will repair the Hubble Space Telescope say safety upgrades at NASA will make their flight safer but their job harder.
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Texans in Congress try to boost NASA budget
Houston Chronicle–The Texas congressional delegation pressed ahead Tuesday with an effort to boost NASA’s $17.3 billion budget.
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Antarctic ice threatened by ozone-hole recovery
Nature–Recovery of the ozone hole above Antarctica could warm the Antarctic and cause more ice to melt in coming decades, researchers say.
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How safe are green cleaning products?
L.A. Times–Plant-based or natural ingredients don’t always mean a cleaning product is safe. The market is largely unregulated.
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Food scientists say stop biofuels to fight world hunger
A.P.–Some food scientists recommend halting the use of food-based biofuels, such as ethanol, saying it would cut corn prices by 20 percent during a world food crisis.
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