PBS NewsHour: Environment Archive | 2011

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ENVIRONMENT


	2011 DECEMBER Dec. 28, 2011 How 2011 Became a 'Mind-Boggling' Year of Extreme Weather From snowstorms to floods and tornadoes, severe weather wreaked havoc across the United States this year, with 2011 marking far more extreme weather events than a typical year. Hari Sreenivasan discusses the science behind this year of extreme weather with NOAA's Kathryn Sullivan and Weather Underground's Jeff Masters.

	Dec. 28, 2011 Testing Hybrids and Tossing Sandals in the Fight Against 'Wheat Rust' Scientists say they are making promising strides in their race against Ug99, a stem rust disease that, left unchecked, could wipe out 80 percent of the world's wheat crop. But this is a science of watching plants grow. The race is a marathon and the number of farmers forced to be in it will likely drop in the years ahead.

	Dec. 21, 2011 New EPA Rules Target Power Plants' Toxic Mercury Emissions The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled new standards Wednesday to curb mercury emissions from coal- and oil-fueled power plants around the country. Gwen Ifill discusses the announcement with the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council's Scott Segal and the Natural Resources Defense Council's John Walke.

	Dec. 20, 2011 News Wrap: Great Plains Snowstorm Kills at Least 6, Closes Major Highways In other news Tuesday, a snowstorm howled across the Great Plains for a second day, killing at least six people. High winds and heavy snow closed major highways in five states. Also, Egyptian troops and riot police raided Cairo's Tahrir Square in a new bid to evict people protesting military control.

	Dec. 8, 2011 Seattleites Construct Rain Gardens to Curb Pollution From Stormwater Runoff In an effort to curb pollution from stormwater runoff, Seattle residents have begun a campaign to build 12,000 rain gardens around the Puget Sound. Katie Campbell of KCTS 9 reports.

	Dec. 5, 2011 For Wind Energy's Future, Researchers Look High in the Sky The next major innovation in wind power might not involve big, white turbines dotting the countryside. KQED QUEST reports on research being done on "tethered airfoils" that could capture wind energy more efficiently that earthbound turbines. This report is part of the NewsHour's Connect series of quality public media reporting.



	NOVEMBER Nov. 28, 2011 New Climate Change Deal to Succeed Kyoto a Long Shot What's behind the long struggle to reach a new international agreement on reducing greenhouse gases? Margaret Warner and The Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin preview the U.N.'s annual climate conference.

	Nov. 23, 2011 Tiny Mussels Invade Great Lakes, Threaten Fishing Industry Tiny mussels are invading the Great Lakes, threatening the health of the waterways and the livelihoods of fishermen. Ash-har Quraishi of WTTW Chicago reports.

	Nov. 14, 2011 NewsHour Connect: World's Largest Dam Removal Set to Restore Ecosystem The world's biggest dam removal project -- and the second-largest environmental restoration project in U.S. history -- is in progress on the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state.

	Nov. 10, 2011 Obama Administration Delays Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Should President Obama approve a major extension of the Keystone XL pipeline? Ray Suarez discusses that question, which has divided business, environmental groups and labor unions, with The Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin.



	OCTOBER Oct. 10, 2011 Environment, Economy at Heart of Keystone XL Pipeline Debate A Canadian company wants to build a $13 billion, 1,700-mile pipeline to carry crude oil from the so-called tar sands region in Alberta through six states and a major aquifer to Texas for refining. Correspondent Tom Bearden reports from Nebraska on the high-stakes environmental and economic battle over the Keystone XL project.

	Oct. 10, 2011 Keystone Oil Pipeline Project Divides Nebraska Residents Many Nebraskans have little interest in helping TransCanada, the company seeking to build the pipeline, which would stretch 1,700 miles from northern Alberta to Texas.



	SEPTEMBER Sept. 30, 2011 Solar Decathlon Contest Refocuses on Affordability of New Homes WASHINGTON \| In addition to more space for her family, Lakiya Culley's new home in Southeast Washington, D.C., comes with another big benefit: miniscule power bills. Culley will be living in the Empowerhouse, one of 20 houses built for the 2011 Solar Decathlon.

	Sept. 19, 2011 Cowboys vs. Gray Wolves: Predator Once Again Prey For the first time in years, hunting season for the once-endangered gray wolf is underway in Idaho and Montana to reduce the predator's population. Cattle ranchers say the hunts are necessary to protect their herds, but environmentalists disagree. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports.

	Sept. 19, 2011 The Return of the Gray Wolf Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports on the successful return of a once endangered species now caught in the crosshairs of cattle ranchers.

	Sept. 14, 2011 Deepwater Horizon Oil Report Fingers BP's Safety Lapses A government report out Wednesday finds that British oil giant BP bears the lion's share of blame for the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The blast killed 11 workers and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

	Sept. 2, 2011 Obama Drops Proposed Clean Air Rules President Obama has reversed course on proposed smog standards, a victory for business interests that had decried the smog restrictions on the grounds that they should be postponed -- until at least 2013 -- due to the recession.

	Sept. 1, 2011 Arsonists or Terrorists? Film Details Rise, Fall of Earth Liberation Front Cell In "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front," filmmaker Marshal Curry looks at radical environmentalists who were named a top domestic terrorist threat by the FBI. This excerpt is part of The Economist Film Project series of independently produced films aired in partnership between The Economist and the NewsHour.



	AUGUST Aug. 31, 2011 Film Chronicles Rise and Fall of Eco-Terrorist Cell On Thursday's NewsHour, we will feature an excerpt of the film "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front," which looks at the radical environmental group through the transformation of one of its members, Daniel McGowan.

	Aug. 29, 2011 Tar Sands Pipeline Plan Renews Energy vs. Environment Debate A proposed pipeline would carry oil from Canadian tar sands fields to Texas refineries, but the project has sparked high-profile protests. Jeffrey Brown discusses the controversial Keystone XL pipeline proposal with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research's Robert Bryce and environmentalist Bill McKibben.

	Aug. 29, 2011 Proposed Tar Sands Oil Pipeline Elicits Protests At organized sit-ins in recent weeks, demonstrators gathered at the White House to voice their objections to the controversial pipeline, citing concerns over the environmental impacts of the $7 billion proposal. View a map of its path.

	Aug. 26, 2011 Environment vs. Economy in 2012 In every election there are a few issues that shape the look and feel of the campaign, and even in the earliest stages of the 2012 race, one issue has emerged: economy vs. environment. Many GOP hopefuls have already made a point of talking about the voter concerns as a choice -- the economy and jobs or environmental regulation.

	Aug. 10, 2011 Mobile Slaughterhouse Helps Wash. State Farmers Meet Demand for Local Food With the popularity of local food on the rise, Washington state farmer Cheryl Ouellette raises pigs to meet the demand. However, small farmers often can't process their own meat. A mobile slaughterhouse program brings a USDA-licensed facility to farms to benefit farmers, animals and "locavores." Sabrina Register of KCTS reports.

	Aug. 1, 2011 New Widget Tracks Record-Breaking High Temperatures Using data collected by the NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, the PBS NewsHour has set out to track the number of high temperature records set each day of the year across the U.S.



	JULY July 29, 2011 How Will New Fuel Efficiency Rules Affect Consumers? President Obama, flanked on stage by executives from the country's leading automakers, announced new fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks Friday that would double the current requirement to 54.

	July 28, 2011 5 Years Later, Scientists Still Puzzled by Honeybee Decline Five years ago, honeybees began dying in large numbers and hives were becoming defunct. Spencer Michels reports on the scientists who are still trying to figure out why this is happening and what can be done to help the problem.

	July 28, 2011 NewsHour Connect: Heat Wave Imperils Midwest Agriculture Temperatures have been rising in the Midwest this summer -- and with them, food prices may also be heading upward.

	July 28, 2011 What's Behind the Problem of Disappearing Bees? Five years ago, bees in America and Canada were dying in large numbers and hives were becoming defunct. The problem was called Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD, and it threatened a handful of California's very profitable crops.

	July 25, 2011 Mongolian Herders See Changes as Temperatures Rise Since 1960, Mongolia's average temperature has increased 4.1 degrees -- a change faster than the global average. The uptick has had an impact on herders living close to the land.

	July 25, 2011 Changing the World: One Idea at a Time Meet the top winners in the "Technology 4 a Better World" campaign by Ashoka's Youth Venture, a global organization supporting youth social entrepreneurs, and electronic retailer, Best Buy.

	July 19, 2011 NRC Chief: U.S. Nuclear Plants Safe Despite Age, Needed Upgrades The earthquake and tsunami that devastated the Japanese coast and triggered a nuclear crisis raised major questions surrounding the safety of U.S. nuclear reactors. Gwen Ifill discusses new safety regulations issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with its head, Gregory Jaczko.

	July 19, 2011 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Advises U.S. Nuclear Reactor Safety Upgrade The Nuclear Regulatory Commission presented a new set of industry safety recommendations for the U.S. on Tuesday. Gwen Ifill reports on the safety changes sparked by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the Japanese coast and triggered a nuclear crisis.

	July 8, 2011 Big Sky Country Struggles With Yellowstone Oil Spill Aftermath In Montana, contractors have been working 12 hours a day to soak up what they can of the estimated 42,000 gallons of crude oil that escaped into the Yellowstone River from a broken ExxonMobil pipeline. Correspondent Tom Bearden reports from Laurel, Mont., on the cleanup effort and health concerns for humans and wildlife.

	July 8, 2011 Montanans Worry About Fallout from Yellowstone Spill Many people are worried that the state's reputation as a tourist attraction has been badly damaged by worldwide news coverage of an oil spill. Last Friday, a pipeline called the Silvertip released an estimated 42,000 gallons of crude oil into the storied Yellowstone River.

	July 7, 2011 News Wrap: EPA Unveils New Power Plant Pollutants Rule In other news Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new rule that power plants must install technology to reduce two pollutants -- sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Also, a new report found that Medicaid coverage could mean better health and financial security for millions more poor and uninsured Americans.

	July 5, 2011 Schweitzer Confident of Full Oil Spill Cleanup, Future Pipelines Will Be OK Three days after an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured on the Yellowstone River, spewing 42,000 gallons of crude oil, crews are still scrambling to contain the spill but rising water levels blocked efforts to reach some of the soiled shoreline. Jeffrey Brown discusses the scope of the damage with Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

	July 4, 2011 News Wrap: Cleanup Effort Underway After Oil Spill Hits Yellowstone River In other news Monday, a major cleanup effort is underway in Montana after an oil spill spewed up to 42,000 gallons into the Yellowstone River. The ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured late Friday near the town of Laurel.

	July 4, 2011 Oil Spill Cleanup in Yellowstone River, Shinawatra Named Thai Prime Minister Teams of federal and Exxon Mobile workers in Montana are trying to contain and assess the damage from tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil that gushed from a ruptured pipe beneath the banks of the Yellowstone River over the weekend.



	JUNE June 22, 2011 Al Gore's Critique Sparks Debate Over Obama's Record on Global Warming In a "Rolling Stone" article, former Vice President Al Gore criticized President Obama's record on climate change. Gwen Ifill discusses what Mr. Obama has and hasn't done with The Center for International Policy's Glenn Hurowitz, The Center for American Progress' Daniel Weiss and The American Enterprise Institute's Ken Green.

	June 22, 2011 Oceans Face Mass Extinctions, New Report Warns When 27 marine experts from a half-dozen countries met in England this April for a workshop on the state of the oceans, they knew the news would not be good.

	June 15, 2011 Tracking Energy Booms, Busts and the Rise of the 'Fracking' Debate NewsHour correspondent Tom Bearden reports Wednesday on a community in Colorado that was once the site of large-scale oil drilling operations. Now, it is filled with gas-producing wells in another kind of energy boom.

	June 9, 2011 Go Fish? Not in Pacific Ocean Sanctuaries off California's Coast Correspondent Spencer Michels reports on the controversy over dozens of no-fishing zones off the California coast.

	June 9, 2011 'Up in Smoke' Film Examines Perils of Slash and Burn Agriculture In "Up in Smoke," filmmaker Adam Wakeling follows ecologist Michael Hands as he introduces Honduran farmers to the inga tree, his solution to problems caused by slash and burn agricultural practices. The documentary is part of a series of independently produced films aired in a partnership between The Economist and the NewsHour.

	June 9, 2011 'Up in Smoke' Chronicles Slash and Burn Agriculture in Honduras We're looking at the film "Up in Smoke," a documentary on the use of slash and burn agriculture in Central America, this week as part of our partnership with The Economist magazine that showcases the art of filmmaking.

	June 7, 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: 'a Failure of Regulation, not Operation' Three months after a massive earthquake and tsunami ravaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power Plant in Japan, a new report puts the amount of radiation released at more than double earlier estimates. Judy Woodruff discusses the report's findings with James Acton of The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

	June 7, 2011 Report: Puts Fukushima's Radiation Release at 1/6th of Chernobyl's It's been three months since a massive earthquake and tsunami ravaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. A new official report says the amount of radiation released was more than double the earlier estimates. Judy Woodruff reports on the findings.

	June 3, 2011 Slide Show: Capturing Indonesia's Many Sides NewsHour deputy foreign affairs and defense editor Dan Sagalyn traveled to Indonesia in May 2011 to learn more about the Southeast Asian country -- the world's fourth most populous nation -- and the issues it faces today.

	June 3, 2011 Could Studying Seawater Saltiness Be Key to Decoding Climate Puzzle? A satellite slated to launch into space next week will study the saltiness of the oceans, and, scientists hope, provide a better grasp of extreme weather events.



	APRIL April 26, 2011 Many Gulf Coast Residents Still Frustrated by Handling of BP Oil Spill A year after the Deepwater Horizon explosion touched off a massive oil leak that polluted the Gulf Coast, many residents remain angry and frustrated at the slow response of BP and the U.S. government. Tom Bearden reports from the Gulf on residents' attitudes a year after the disaster began.

	April 26, 2011 One Year Later, Where Does BP Stand? One year after the Gulf oil spill, BP is still in the crosshairs of many, and anger against the company has not subsided along the Gulf Coast. But BP is doing better than many had expected last spring and summer.

	April 22, 2011 Earth Day: Around the Nation Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, one year after an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif.

	April 21, 2011 AP Photojournalist Documents 'Horror Show,' Aftermath of Gulf Coast Oil Spill Associated Press photographer Gerald Herbert's work captured the environmental and personal toll of the Deepwater Horizen oil spill along the Gulf Coast. Herbert narrates a slide show of his images from the spill's early days and the subsequent struggle to clean up the coast and rebuild the coastal economy.

	April 21, 2011 Technology Failures, Perils of Deepwater Drilling Among Gulf Oil Spill's Lessons In his new book, "A Hole at the Bottom of the Sea," Washington Post reporter Joel Achenbach chronicles the 2010 struggle to stop what would become the nation's worst off-shore oil spill. Hari Sreenivasan speaks with Achenbach about the battle to plug the BP Macondo well, the lessons learned and the future of deepwater drilling.

	April 21, 2011 'Louisiana Water Stories' Documents the Culture and Curses of SOLA Jon Bowermaster's latest documentary, "SOLA: Louisiana Water Stories," looks at the relationship between man and water in the region, from the rich culture of Cajun Country to devastating environmental disasters.

	April 20, 2011 Gulf Oil Spill: 1 Year and 232 Stories Later It was a year ago Wednesday that a massive oil spill began in the Gulf of Mexico with an explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. In a timeline, we look back on the NewsHour's coverage of the disaster.

	April 20, 2011 Along Gulf Coast, Cautious Optimism for Future a Year After Oil Spill Began Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that killed 11 people and began to dump millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Jim Lehrer reports on the day's vigils, and Tom Bearden reports on the clean-up progress and compensation efforts along the Gulf Coast.

	April 19, 2011 On BP Gusher Anniversary, Achenbach Gauges Deepwater Drilling's Future With Wednesday marking the first anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the start of the massive environmental disaster, we spoke with Washington Post reporter Joel Achenbach about this new book, "A Hole at the Bottom of the Sea: The Race to Kill the BP Oil Gusher."

	April 19, 2011 Should Courts or EPA Regulate Greenhouse Gases? The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday stemming from a 2004 lawsuit over whether the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Gwen Ifill speaks with the National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle about the case, the arguments and the justices' reactions.

	April 19, 2011 One Year Later, Louisianans Still Recovering From Gulf Oil Spill Wednesday marks the one year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.

	April 15, 2011 A Year After BP Oil Spill Began, No Easy Answers on Gulf Coast's Future Nearly a year ago, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and triggered a massive oil spill before the leaking well was plugged. Tom Bearden returned to the Gulf to assess the environmental damage and found significant reports of erosion.

	April 12, 2011 China Weighs Environmental Concerns Against Economic Growth Special correspondent Jeffrey Kaye reports from Guangdong province in southern China on the clash between the populous nation's economic ambitions and worsening pollution problem.

	April 7, 2011 Discarded Plastic Bottles Put to New Use in Schools A project to build a school using empty plastic bottles brought together a community in Guatemala. The idea now is spreading to other sites.

	April 7, 2011 Building a Plastic Bottle School When former Peace Corps volunteer Laura Kutner was asked to help find funding to finish constructing two classrooms in the elementary school where she worked in Guatemala, she decided to use -- or rather reuse -- a common piece of trash.



	MARCH March 30, 2011 Miles O'Brien Visits Deserted Town at Chernobyl The nuclear crisis in Japan has churned up memories of the Chernobyl meltdown, the worst nuclear accident in history.

	March 30, 2011 President Obama Presents Energy Plan, Calls for Cut in Imports of Foreign Oil In a speech at Georgetown University, President Obama heavily emphasized new technology and alternative sources, in addition to "safe and responsible" offshore drilling.

	March 22, 2011 Water Woes: Japan, Haiti and Kenya Among World's Trouble Spots In countries around the globe, the quest for clean water is a daily challenge tied to governance, infrastructure and other issues.

	March 16, 2011 News Wrap: Tokyo Stock Market Rebounds Amid Japan's Recovery Efforts In other news Wednesday, the Tokyo stock market rebounded, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new national limits on mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants.

	March 14, 2011 In California, a Rescue Mission for 'Iconic' Franciscan Manzanita Plant The San Francisco Botanical Garden Society's Don Mahoney narrates a report on the rediscovery of the Franciscan Manzanita, a plant long thought extinct that grew exclusively in San Francisco's foggy climate.

	March 9, 2011 NewsHour Connect: Mass. Community Reacts to Living Near Wind Turbines Wind turbines, used around the world to provide energy, are often seen grouped together in wind farms in rural parts of Iowa, Texas and Nebraska.

	March 7, 2011 Stellar Wormholes, Space Data and Supercooling Sodawater A look at some of the most interesting reads in science this week.

	March 2, 2011 Go Fish? Not in Pacific Ocean Sanctuaries off California's Coast Correspondent Spencer Michels reports on the controversy over dozens of no-fishing zones off the California coast.



	FEBRUARY Feb. 23, 2011 Scientists Forecast an Altered Ocean At the National Press Club Wednesday morning, scientists showed a video of an ocean teeming with wildlife: colorful coral, crabs, sea anemone and bright orange starfish. But if trends continue unchecked, a new report says, our ocean may soon be robbed of its coral reefs and many of the 4,000 fish species that depend on them.

	Feb. 22, 2011 Predator Fish in Freefall; Anchovies and Sardines Taking Over Overfishing is robbing the oceans of large predator fish, like tuna, cod and grouper, and leaving the sea packed instead with smaller prey, like anchovies, while drastically altering ocean ecosystems.



	JANUARY Jan. 11, 2011 Oil Spill Probe Reveals Need to Balance Precautions, Profits Ray Suarez talks to the chairmen of the president's oil spill commission about how companies can adopt practices to lower the risk of another massive oil spill like the one that devastated the Gulf of Mexico.

	Jan. 7, 2011 Oil and Oysters: Testing Continues in Louisiana After Gulf Disaster The Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals adopted a sophisticated two-tiered testing system to examine how safe oysters are for human consumption. Bill Rodman from Louisiana Public Broadcasting reports on their findings.

	Jan. 6, 2011 Oil Disaster Report Preview Spreads Blame, Offers Stark Warning President Obama's commission on the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster has released a preview of its final report, warning that a similar disaster to the Deepwater Horizon rig blast could happen again if reforms aren't made. Ray Suarez speaks with Joel Achenbach of The Washington Post for more on the findings.

	Jan. 6, 2011 More Troops Heading to Afghanistan, Gates Eyes Long-term Budget Cuts Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that an additional 1,400 Marines will head to Afghanistan this spring in an effort to solidify security before the expected troop level reductions in July.