ECOLOGY

States File Soot Suit Against EPA
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/121906P.shtml
More than a dozen states have sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday
to lower soot levels from smokestacks and exhaust pipes, a move the state
officials argue would save thousands of lives. The states argue that the Bush
administration is ignoring science and its own experts in refusing to slightly
reduce the allowed threshold for soot.

Environmental Group Offers Road Map to Curb Global Warming
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/121906EA.shtml
A regional environmental group Monday released a comprehensive "climate change
road map" to reduce pollution linked to global warming by 75 percent in the
northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Environment Northeast said the
proposals included in the 275-page plan draw from many of the best practices
already found within the region, including Massachusetts's use of low-emission,
hybrid buses and Maine's requirement that new state buildings exceed energy
codes by 20 percent.

Australian Fires Kill Thousands of Native Animals
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/121906EB.shtml
Hundreds of thousands of native Australian animals such as koalas and kangaroos
have been killed in bushfires that have burnt across southeast Australia in the
past two weeks. The bushfires, which are still burning in three eastern states,
have been so big and intense that wildlife officials fear some species may
become extinct as the fires destroy large swathes of animal habitats.

Female Troubles for Wildlife Raise Human Worries
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/121906HB.shtml
Across the US, female animals exposed to toxic chemicals are suffering from a
flurry of health problems. As scientists examine the impact of environmental
pollution, some are pondering what the results may mean to female humans.