USM National Green Campus
News Archive

Week of April 18, 2011

News from Across the USM Campuses

University System of Maryland campuses are holding a variety of events during April, in celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd, and Earth Month: Bowie, Frostburg, Salisbury, Towson, UMBC, UMCP

New RHA officials focus on sustainability: Stretton, Azar pledge to join forces with other sustainable student groups (By Maria Romas, The Diamondback Online, 4/15/11)

BP Spill's Next Major Phase: Wrangling Over Toll on Gulf (By Jeffrey Ball, The Wall Street Journal, 4/13/11)

Officials unveil draft of campus master plan: Green transportation, beautification issues will be major focus (By Spencer Israel, The Diamondback Online, 4/13/11)

State of Maryland News

O'Malley forms task force to study curbs on septic sprawl (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 4/18/11)

Md. environment chief calls for federal oversight of fracking: Summers says state will tread carefully on hydraulic fracturing (By John Fritze, The Baltimore Sun, 4/12/11)

Fracking bill deep-sixed (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 4/11/11)

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

National and International News

Big Break For Big Oil, Larger Burden For Taxpayers (By The Center for Public Integrity as reported by The Huffington Post Blog, 4/15/11)

1872 Mining Law Lets Companies Take $1 Billion A Year From Public Lands Without Paying Royalties (By Deborah Zabarenko, Reuters as reported by The Huffington Post, 4/15/11)

Radioactive Cows And Methane Tap Water Spark Fracking Debate Amid Pennsylvania Gas Boom (VIDEO) (The Huffington Post Blog, 4/15/11)

Fukushima Reactors Are a "Ticking Time Bomb," Japanese Gov't. in Denial (Investment Watch Blog, 4/15/11)

Study: Gas prices will be 40% higher than last summer: The federal government is cautioning motorists to prepare for sticker shock at the pump. (By Ruth Mantell, MSN Money, 4/14/11)

NASA climate change program on ice: The $1 billion CLARREO satellite is led by NASA Langley (By Cory Nealon, The Daily Press, 4/13/11)

Revealed: Confidential Document Shows Oil Company's Strategy to Con Landowners into Giving up Drilling Rights (By Tara Lohan, Alternet Blog, 4/13/11)

‘Spillionaires' are the new rich after BP oil spill payouts (By Kim Barker, ProPublica as reported by the Washington Post, 4/13/11)

Beyond BPA: Could 'BPA-Free' Products Be Just as Unsafe? (By Elizabeth Grossman, The Atlantic, 4/13/11)

China's green progress leaves US red-faced: China pushes ahead with an emissions trading scheme, while American initiatives remain sunk in Congressional quicksand (By Jonathan Watts, The [UK] Guardian, 4/12/11)

Home Solar Panel Kits Come To Costco (by Caleb Denison, The Earthtechling, 4/11/11)

BritNed power cable boosts hopes for European supergrid: Electricity link between UK and the Netherlands seen as key step in connecting renewable energy to a European power grid (By Damian Carrington, The [UK] Guardian, 4/11/11)

Big Oil in Your Back Yard (Reported by Dick Gordon, NPR - The Story, 4/11/11)

Please send your ideas and comments regarding campus sustainability to green@usmd.edu