Note to Readers: The Newsfeed is being published intermittently this week due to staff presence at a conference for environmental journalists in Mali.

Click the highlighted headlines for links to these stories.

Sierra Club Threatens to Sue Coal Plants. By Bernard Woodall, Reuters, May 7, 2008. "The Sierra Club sent letters on Tuesday threatening to file suit to stop construction of eight coal-fired power plants in six states... 'This is the first major ramification on the ground from the... D.C. circuit kicking out the Bush administration's rules in February,' said Bruce Nilles... of the Sierra Club... In February, a federal appeals court in Washington ruled that the EPA violated the Clean Air Act in not setting mandatory cuts for mercury emissions... The suits would seek to require the plants to [be newly permitted to] meet the tougher emission standards... Owners of three plants under construction have already been notified of the intent to sue by the Sierra Club -- Entergy... Peabody... and Louisiana Generating, a unit of NRG Energy... Another eight letters were sent on Tuesday... Among the plants involved are Duke Energy's... Cliffside plant in North Carolina and Energy Future Holdings, formerly TXU Corp, for its proposed Oak Grove plant in Texas. The Sierra Club said it is considering whether to send intent to sue letters to owners of a dozen more plants."

Groups Urge Senate to Uphold Ban on Tar Sands. By Martin Mittelstaedt, Toronto Globe and Mail, May 8, 2008. "A who's who of major U.S. and Canadian environmental organizations is urging the U.S. Senate to keep in place a rule banning the U.S. government from buying fuel from Alberta's tar sands on the grounds that it is too environmentally tainted. Yesterday, the groups released a letter sent to all members of the U.S. Congress, urging them to reject efforts to revoke the fuel measure through amendments to other legislation, arguing that taxpayer dollars shouldn't be spent 'to develop alternative fuel sources that make global warming worse'... The letter was written by the Natural Resources Defense Council... and endorsed by 26 other organizations, including Greenpeace Canada, Friends of the Earth and the Sierra Club."

Senate Democrats Look at Political Influence in EPA Decisionmaking. By Renee Schoof, McClatchy Newspapers, May 8, 2008. "George Gray, the EPA's... [top] science adviser, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee [Wednesday] that the EPA's 7,000 scientists conduct research free of political influence and speak openly about their work, [insisting] the EPA's work is transparent even though it holds closed meetings with the White House Office of Management and Budget and other government agencies when it considers the risks from toxic chemicals... The EPA administrator, Stephen Johnson, declined to testify [at the hearing]. 'The last few times Mr. Johnson has appeared before us, he has been less than forthcoming, as evasive and unresponsive as (former Attorney General) Alberto Gonzales,' [Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, (D-RI)] said. He added that the forced resignation of EPA regional administrator Mary Gade, who had been investigating dioxin contamination in Michigan by Dow Chemical, 'smacks of the U.S. Attorney scandal at the Justice Department last summer.' Like the nine U.S. attorneys the White House fired, Gade was well-regarded and had received strong performance evaluations, he said, adding, 'her forced resignation reeks of political interference.' Gray declined to discuss Gade's ouster."

Democratic Presidential Candidates and Nuclear 'Nuance'. By Jeff Mason, Reuters, May 7, 2008. "Interviews with top policy advisers to the three White House hopefuls reveal a varied approach [to nuclear power]... McCain... is by far the most enthusiastic... 'Sen. McCain would eliminate the political obstacles that hinder nuclear power, allow it to compete more effectively, and likely increase its share of the U.S. energy portfolio,' [McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin] said... Obama... shares McCain's belief that nuclear energy is part of the solution to climate change. But he opposes new federal subsidies and would work to address concerns about safety and waste storage, senior adviser Jason Grumet said... Clinton... prefers using renewable fuels to fight climate change because of nuclear energy's risks. 'Hillary has real concerns about nuclear power because of the issues around safety, waste disposal and proliferation,' policy director Neera Tandem said. 'She opposes new subsidies for nuclear power, but would continue research focused on lowering costs and improving safety'... Jim Riccio [of Greenpeace]... described the Democrats' positions as nuanced. Clinton's energy platform was 'better than the others' because of its focus on non-nuclear sources, though she appeared to change her stances in different states... Both Democrats had received money from nuclear energy companies: Exelon... to Obama and Entergy to Clinton."

New Hampshire Senate Considers Emissions Bill. By Denis Paiste, Manchester Union Leader, May 7, 2008. "The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative bill up for a [New Hampshire] Senate vote [today]... will force electricity producers to buy allowances... to cover their CO2 emissions. The money raised will be directed to energy efficiency projects... The RGGI legislation, which has the backing of Gov. John Lynch, could cost New Hampshire electric ratepayers an additional $17.2 million to $103.4 million in its first year... New Hampshire is one of 10 mid-Atlantic and Northeast states... that have committed to participate in the first cap-and-trade program to control CO2 emissions in the U.S. Under the plan, electric power generators would have to buy one allowance for each... ton of CO2 they emit. Early estimates range from $2 to $12 for each allowance, with a $1.86 minimum bid... To ease the potential pain in New Hampshire, the original RGGI bill proposed a $12 per allowance threshold... The Senate Energy, Environment, and Economic Development Committee cut the threshold to $6 per allowance."

Start-Ups Race to Produce Green Cars. By Edward Taylor, WSJ, May 6, 2008, subscription. "Spurred by the belief that the market for fuel-efficient vehicles is about to take off, a slew of tiny car companies is springing up in Europe and the U.S... racing to produce the next 'green' car [and] betting that soaring demand will allow them to survive alongside the giants of Detroit, Stuttgart and Tokyo. Most... were founded in the last 12 months and have financial backing from venture-capital firms. They are headed by former top engineers and designers from the likes of Germany's Volkswagen and storied U.K. racecar builder McLaren. Responding to soaring gasoline prices and a tightening noose of emissions regulations in Europe and the U.S., the companies are working on a new generation of hybrid and electric vehicles. Many of the green start-ups are hoping to ride the coattails of California-based Tesla Motors. Founded in 2003, Tesla unveiled an electrically powered sports car in 2006. The Tesla roadster went into production last month and has pre-sold the first year's output. One problem: Competition from the industry giants is real. Daimler, Toyota, G.M., Renault SA and Mitsubishi are all developing new-generation electric vehicles."

Driving Our Hybrid SUVs Down the Highway to Collapse. By Alex Steffan, Worldchanging.com, April 21, 2008. "With every passing day, we are discovering that things are worse than we thought. Our climate is ripping apart at the seams at a rate that's surprising even the so-called alarmists. Natural systems are collapsing. The ocean seems headed towards a series of catastrophic tipping points. Economic inequity is producing a planet of billionaires and a billion desperate people. Our political systems are suffering a massive crisis of legitimacy, while insane fundamentalists, violent criminals and two-bit dictators (wearing both uniforms and Armani suits) are stealing or destroying everything they can get their hands on... In the face of this reality, recycling a bottle is an act so insignificant as to be merely totemic. Paper or plastic? Who the hell cares? In the developed world, few of us, essentially none of us, currently live a 'one-planet life.' The vast majority of us, even of those of us who have committed ourselves to change, consume more resources and energy than our sustainable share: indeed, it is very, very difficult to live an individually sustainable life, because the very systems in which we are enmeshed -- which enfold and make possible our lifestyles -- are themselves insanely unsustainable. We're driving our hybrid SUVs down the highway to the Collapse."

Looking into the Future, Cheerfully. By Harriet Green, Guardian, May 2, 2008. "For three years, my husband has talked about taking to the hills. About buying a small holding... where, with our four-year-old daughter, we can safely survive the coming storm - famine, pestilence and a total breakdown of society. I would wait for his lectures to finish, then return to my own interests. I had no time for the end of civilization... But recently, I've wavered... This week, the details got scarier. The UN warned of a global food crisis, like a 'silent tsunami', while OPEC predicts that oil, which broke through $100 a barrel for the first time a few weeks ago, may soon top $200. In the course of an idle conversation at work last week, a colleague casually revealed that he keeps a supply of tinned food in his bedroom 'just in case'... [But 'Transition town' movement founder Rob] Hopkins recently published a manual, The Transition Handbook, a startlingly cheerful book that gives some idea as to how transition initiatives work - from the very early stages, in which groups raise awareness through film screenings and talks, to the later development of local food networks and even the launch of local currencies. The movement uses 12 steps, rather like Alcoholics Anonymous, to wean us off our dangerous addiction to oil."

For the Green Bookworm on Your Mother's Day List. Posted by Raz Godelnik, Ecolibris, May 5, 2008. "We went over all the books reviewed and covered so far on our blog and chose ten... We hope you find the right green book for your mom!"

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