Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of August 23, 2010

News from Across the USM Campuses

Seafood After the Gulf Oil Spill (NPR - The Kojo Nnamdi Show, 8/18/10) [Radio show guest Carys Mitchelmore of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Oyster revival hopes rest on expansion: Watermen wary of Maryland's plan to boost population (By Brian Hooks, News 21/DelMarVaNow.com, 8/18/10) [Article quotes Donald Meritt of the UMCES's Horn Point Lab and Doug Lipton of the University of Maryland]

New Oyster Facility at UMCES (By Brian Spyros, WBOC-TV Channel 16, 8/17/10) [Article about new UMCES oyster facility quotes Dave Nemazie of the UMCES's Horn Point Laboratory]

Gulf seafood gets intense safety testing (By Lauran Neergaard, The Associated Press as reported by Google News, 8/16/10) [Article quotes Carys Mitchelmore of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

State of Maryland News

Greening gets down and dirty: Farming technique tried in city schoolyard to control polluted runoff (By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, 8/20/10)

BGE to move ahead with 'smart grid' plan: BGE says it's confident it can deliver on consumer savings (By Hannah Cho, The Baltimore Sun, 8/16/10)

BGE says "yes" to smart electricity meters (By Jay Hancock, The Baltimore Sun - Jay Hancock's Blog, 8/16/10)

BGE wins 'smart meter' approval but must bill customers after it's built: PSC conditionally approves high-tech metering system to be installed in customers' homes (By Hannah Cho, The Baltimore Sun, 8/16/10)

National and International News

Severe Flooding Hits Northeast China (By David Barboza, The New York Times, 8/22/10)

Floodwaters threaten city of half-million in Pakistan (By the CNN Wire Staff, CNN, 8/21/10)

Questions Mount About White House's Overly Rosy Report On Oil Spill (By Dan Froomkin, The Huffington Post Blog, 8/20/10)

Academic scientists say oil from gulf spill is not going away quickly (By David A. Fahrenthold and Kimberly Kindy, The Washington Post, 8/20/10)

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

• Practices
• Programs
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• Presentations
• Climate Change Definitions
• Facilities Master Planning
• Statewide Sustainability Efforts
• ACUPCC National Benchmarking
• Useful Links and References

BP oil spill: US scientist retracts assurances over success of cleanup: NOAA's Bill Lehr says three-quarters of the oil that gushed from the Deepwater Horizon rig is still in the Gulf environment while scientists identify 22-mile plume in ocean depths (By Suzanne Goldenberg, The [UK] Guardian, 8/19/10)

How Will Your Campus Adapt to Wacky Weather in the Climate-Change Era? (By Scott Carlson, The Chronicle of Higher Education - Buildings and Grounds, 8/19/10)

Four groups oppose Cuccinelli's climate demand (By Media Geberal News Service, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, 8/18/10)

Ready or not, climate change, and climate displacement, is happening (By Alice Thomas, The Hill, 8/18/10)

Arctic villages stop seismic tests as Canada mulls oil future (By Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers, 8/18/10)

Can U.S. Take The Heat Of Canada's Oil Practices (By Martin Kaste, NPR - All Things Considered, 8/18/10)

Fix for Civic Hybrids' dying batteries may hurt gas mileage, acceleration

Honda says its software patch, which limits the role of the electric motor while boosting use of the gasoline engine, prolongs battery life but 'is not a financial decision.' (By Ken Bensinger, Tribune Newspapers as reported by The Baltimore Sun, 8/17/10)

Assessment of Gulf Seafood Safety Needs to Protect Vulnerable Population (By Gina Solomon, Natural Resources Defense Council - Switchboard Blog, 8/17/10)

Troubled Waters: Massive Coral Bleaching in Indonesia (Wildlife Conservation Society 8/17/10)

Georgia scientists dispute Obama claim that most oil is gone (By Curtis Morgan, McClatchy Newspapers, 8/17/10)

Gulf oil spill still a threat to seafood, JAMA study indicates (By Fred Tasker, The Miami Herald as reported by McClatchy Newspapers, 8/17/10)

Scientists Say as Much as 79% of Oil Remains in Gulf of Mexico (By Kim Chipman. Bloomberg News, 8/17/10)

Mankind is using up global resources faster than ever: The growing world population and increasing consumption has pushed the world into ‘eco-debt' a month earlier this year, according to the latest statistics on global resources. (By Louise Gray, The [UK] Telegraph, 8/16/10)

Drilling Permits for Deep Waters Face New Review (By John M. Broder, The New York Times, 8/16/10)

'Human-electric' hybrid car goes 30 mph uphill: If four people are cranking, street-legal car can run on human power alone (By Alyssa Danigelis, Discovery News as reported by MSNBC.com, 8/16/10)