A look at today’s science and health policy news:
EPA Won’t Act on Emissions This Year
Washington Post–The Bush administration has decided not to take any new steps to regulate greenhouse gas emissions before the president leaves office.
White House vows veto of Medicare bill
L.A. Times–The legislation, passed this week in the Senate, would avert fee cuts to doctors who treat patients under the federal program.
Democrats Dig In as G.O.P. Presses for Oil Exploration in Protected Areas
N.Y. Times–House Democratic leaders took a hard line Thursday against opening up restricted areas to oil production as Republicans threatened to try to keep Congress in session this summer unless they got a vote on new drilling opportunities.
An American life is worth $1 million less than it was 5 years ago, government says
A.P.–The “value of a statistical life” is $6.9 million, the Environmental Protection Agency reckoned in May - a drop of almost $1 million from just five years ago.
Healthy Americans Act Reintroduced In The House
Oregon Public Broadcasting–The Healthy Americans Act would mandate health coverage for all Americans and put an end to employer-based health insurance. Instead, employees would get extra pay to spend on a health plan.
E-records preservation bill passes House
FCW–The House has voted 286-137 to expand the National Archives and Records Administration’s powers on the oversight of federal and presidential record-keeping practices.
EPA proposes stricter rules on soil fumigant pesticides
L.A. Times–The changes, which involve buffer zones, monitoring and emergency training, come after nearly four years of study on a group of highly toxic pesticides.
EPA: Smog May Worsen With Global Warming
CBS News–Global warming could worsen smog and stretch what typically is a summer pollution problem into the spring and fall, government scientists predicted Thursday.
Small Business Is Latest Focus in Health Fight
N.Y. Times–As the number of people without health insurance continues to rise, many states and Congress have begun to focus on one of the biggest causes: the growing number of small business owners and their workers who are unable to afford coverage.
Kyoto’s Long Goodbye
Wall Street Journal–An opinion piece on the ending of the Kyoto Protocol.
About 33% of coral species threatened with extinction, study says
L.A. Times–One culprit is higher ocean temperatures brought on by global warming, scientists say, but destructive fishing practices and polluted runoff also are to blame.
Melanoma Rates Increase Among Younger Women
Washington Post–Increasing numbers of younger women continue to receive diagnoses of the most dangerous form of skin cancer even as the rate of new cases has leveled off in younger men, federal health officials reported yesterday.
Toyota to start building Prius hybrid in U.S.
MSNBC–Toyota Motor Corp. will start producing the hybrid Prius in the U.S. for the first time.
An Imminent Victory for ‘Net Neutrality’ Advocates
N.Y. Times–The Associated Press reported late Thursday that the F.C.C.’s chairman, Kevin J. Martin, has concluded that Comcast improperly blocked some file transfers.
Fish Affect California Water Supply
N.Y. Times–The federal Fish and Wildlife Service this week underscored the imminent threat of extinction facing the delta smelt when it announced it was considering whether to declare the fish endangered.
Yellowstone Geysers May Stop Erupting, Study Suggests
National Geographic– A long-term study of Yellowstone National Park’s iconic geysers suggests that dry spells caused by climate change are slowing—and may even stop—the geysers’ clockwork-regular eruptions.
Global Warming Talks Leave Few Concrete Goals
L.A. Times–Nearly everyone had something to cheer about on Wednesday after the major industrial powers and a big group of emerging nations pledged to pursue “deep cuts” in emissions of heat-trapping gases in coming decades.
MIT develops window coating that collects energy
USA Today–Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a system that turns windows into a solar collector, letting people see clearly while collecting energy.
Developing nations reject G8 climate agreement
Nature–Developing nations led by China and India have rejected a proposal by G8 (Group of Eight) leaders to tackle climate change.
Antarctic Ice Shelf All But Lost
Live Science–A vast shelf of ice in Antarctica is hanging on to the continent by a thread and is not expected to survive, scientists announced today.
