A look at today’s science and health policy news:
A quick, easy way to grill candidates on science policy
Symmetry–Sixteen prominent science and engineering organizations, including SEA, have developed a questionnaire and sent it to every Congressional candidate across the nation.
Citing Need for Assessments, U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects
N.Y. Times–The federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, which is expected to take about two years.
Obama Holds Competitiveness Summit
NBC–Ingenuity, innovation, and alternative energy sources were the buzz words at the competitiveness summit Senator Barack Obama hosted here this morning to wrap up a three-week economic tour.
Obama launches new website focused on energy policy
CNN–Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee, rolled out a new Web site Wednesday that focuses on his energy proposals.
GOP offers energy plan
The Hill–Senate Republicans unveiled an ambitious energy bill Thursday expected to establish a unified message on soaring gas prices leading up to the November elections.
California air board announces plan for carbon-credit trading
L.A. Times–The agency’s proposal would slash greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels. But it has a long way to go.
Judge rejects automakers’ effort to delay California emissions rules
L.A. Times–The ruling by District Judge Anthony W. Ishii of the Eastern District of California in Fresno was the latest in a series of rebukes to the auto industry’s efforts to gut a state mandate on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.
EPA official resigns over climate rules
L.A. Times–A high-ranking political appointee resigned from the Environmental Protection Agency after concluding there was no more progress to be made on greenhouse gases under the Bush administration.
An Inexhaustible Energy Source: Heated Words. But Can It Be Tapped?
N.Y. Times–On both sides of the Capitol, lawmakers were dreading the prospect of a week at home with constituents sure to harangue them about Washington’s inability to lower gas prices.
FDA Boosts Bonuses Despite Ongoing Criticism From Hill
Washington Post– The FDA increased bonuses to its employees by 29 percent in the past year, despite earlier objections from lawmakers.
North Korea Destroys Reactor Tower
Washington Post–North Korea demolished the cooling tower at its deactivated Yongbyon nuclear facility on Friday, an expected step meant to symbolize expanded cooperation with international demands that the country shut down its nuclear program.
Gene-testing firms face legal battle
Nature–The state of California is clamping down on companies that offer direct-to-consumer genetic testing in a move that threatens the burgeoning industry.
Alkaline Soil Sample From Mars Reveals Presence of Nutrients for Plants to Grow
N.Y. Times–Stick an asparagus plant in a pot full of Martian soil, and the asparagus might grow happily, scientists announced Thursday.
HIV Rate Up 12 Percent Among Young Gay Men
Washington Post–The number of young homosexual men being newly diagnosed with HIV infection is rising by 12 percent a year, with the steepest upward trend in young black men, according to a new report.
Government Seeks Dismissal of End-of-World Suit Against Collider
N.Y. Times–Lawyers for the federal government argued this week that a so-called “doomsday suit” intended to prevent the start-up of a the world’s most powerful particle accelerator should be thrown out of court.
Scientist, Claiming Bias, Sues U.S. Over Revoked Clearance
N.Y. Times–An Egyptian-born nuclear physicist filed a lawsuit on Thursday saying the Energy Department had revoked his security clearance because of his ethnicity, his Muslim faith and comments he made criticizing the war in Iraq.
Study: Global warming chases plants uphill
A.P.–Faced with global warming, plants are heading for the hills. A study of 171 forest species in Western Europe shows that most of them are shifting their favored locations to higher, cooler spots.
Lean, green, and not mean
The Economist–The United States may drop a tariff on Brazilian ethanol. But the industry is still the victim of much misplaced criticism.
Wind: The Power. The Promise. The Business
Business Week–A partial answer to America’s energy crisis is springing up. But the struggle to harness the winds of Kansas shows the difficulty in building an industry that threatens the status quo.
Tony Blair urges action on climate change
A.P.–The world already knows that global warming is a serious problem and the time has come for politicians and experts to come together to map out a practical solution, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Friday.
