A look at today’s science and health policy news:

EPA may decide not to limit the amount of a toxin in water supplies

L.A. Times–An agency official tells a Senate committee that it’s possible there will be no standard set for the amount of perchlorate allowed in drinking water.
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Bush hits the gas on clean fuel economies

Politico–The Bush administration is pushing for more aggressive fuel economies, and the clean car advocates are hitting the brakes.
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Democratic and Republican healthcare plans offer clear choices

L.A. Times–John McCain, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton want better and cheaper coverage for more Americans. But their strategies for achieving those goals are fundamentally different.
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Senate wrangling derails air traffic overhaul bill

Reuters–A bill to modernize the U.S. air traffic system, increase safety oversight and improve customer service was derailed on Tuesday by U.S. Senate wrangling.
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Piracy Becomes Focus Of Net Neutrality Debate

Information Week– Much of the debate centered on piracy at a hearing Tuesday on the future of the Internet before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
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Evolution bills buried

Daytona Beach News Journal–In the whirlwind of Friday’s final day of the legislative session, one high-profile proposal went, well, extinct.
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A City Committed to Recycling Is Ready for More

N.Y. Times–The mayor of San Fransisco will soon be sending the city’s Board of Supervisors a proposal that would make the recycling of cans, bottles, paper, yard waste and food scraps mandatory.
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Australia’s Koalas at risk from climate change

A.P.–Koalas are threatened by the rising level of carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere because it saps nutrients from the eucalyptus leaves they feed on.
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Women face tougher impact from climate change

Reuters–Climate change is harder on women in poor countries, a Nobel Peace laureate said on Tuesday.
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Consider the Carterfone rules: Open up spectrum to broaden consumer choice

The Hill–An open letter from Rep. Mike Doyle.
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A Phony ‘War on Science’

Washington Post–Michael Gerson’s op-ed on the accusation that Republicans are conducting a “war on science.”
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Don’t Give Up on Energy Independence

Wall Street Journal–President Reagen’s national security adviser Robert McFarlane’s op-ed on energy independence.
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Survey shows US honey bee deaths increased over last year

A.P.–A survey of bee health released Tuesday revealed a grim picture, with 36.1 percent of the nation’s commercially managed hives lost since last year.
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A Technology Consortium Plans a Wireless Network

N.Y. Times–A consortium of telecommunications companies plans to announce on Wednesday that it intends to build the first of a new generation of nationwide wireless data networks.
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Companies Improve Scores in Climate-Change Ranking

New York Times–According to Climate Counts, the nonprofit group that scores consumer products companies on their green track records, consumer companies are getting greener, but they are still a pretty carbon-intensive lot.
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Pandemic Flu Threat Remains Substantial, Health Experts Say

Washington Post–The world still faces a substantial threat of a flu pandemic and countries need to speed up preparations for a global outbreak, health experts said Tuesday.
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Study: Restaurant Tobacco Bans Influence Teen Smoking

A.P.–A Massachusetts study suggests that restaurant smoking bans may play a big role in persuading teens not to become smokers.
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Quick Benefit to Smoking Halt, With a Caveat, Study Finds

Reuters–Women who stop smoking can enjoy major health benefits within five years, but it can take decades to correct respiratory damage and shed the added risk of lung cancer.
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Breast-feeding raises children’s IQs, study says

L.A. Times–Children whose mothers took part in a program had higher verbal scores than children in a control group.
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First zero-carbon city to rise out of the desert

New Scientist–One of the world’s largest oil producers has begun construction on the first zero-carbon city, powered entirely by renewable energy.
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