EPER: The European Pollutant Emission Register

EPER provides information on the industrial emissions of 10,000 facilities in the European Union, Norway, and Hungary (mostly from 2001). It lets you "group information easily, by pollutant, activity (sector), air and water (direct or via a sewerage system) or by country." You can also perform a map search.

National Healthy Beaches Campaign

The National Healthy Beaches Campaign applies 60 criteria (including environmental) to U.S. beaches. Beaches which pass the test are rated "Recognized Healthy Beaches." This is a great resource for parents or vacationers concerned about water quality and swimming in the upcoming months.

[Indirect link from ResourceShelf]

Two new open access e-journals

Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy, with an opening editorial by E.O. Wilson, is a new open access, peer-reviewed e-journal. The first issue contains a series of articles from the symposium on sustainable consumption. Ecological and Environmental Anthropology is an open access e-journal from the University of Georgia.

[Links from Environmental Health News - Georgia State University Library]

Canada's "smart regulation"

In a move toward what some call "deep integration" (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) with the U.S., the External Advisory Committee on Smart Regulation is proposing a move toward a new "regulatory strategy", a move that would place us more in line with U.S. policies. Here's a sample excerpt from their press release: "A key irritant for industry is the proliferation of minor differences between Canadian and American regulations, given an increasingly integrated North American market." As far as I'm aware, we're still two separate countries... or did I miss something?

Environmentalists, consumer advocates and many other groups would be well advised to keep on top of developments here.

Bush revokes the roadless area conservation rule

An Op-Ed piece in the New York Times describes how the Bush Administration has repealed a Clinton era rule banning new road development on 60 million acres (or about 1/3 of the total) of national forest land. This move contrasts well with the Bush Administration's other decision to put $10 million into enlarging the ivory-billed woodpecker's habitat, a species that has made recent appearances in Arkansas and that had not been seen since 1944.

2003 Toxics Release Inventory Shows Continued Decline in Chemical Releases

Saw this on ResourceShelf's DocuTicker: EPA National News: 2003 Toxics Release Inventory Shows Continued Decline in Chemical Releases. That's great, but what about the fact that the TRI "dramatically underestimates the amount of toxic pollution from the petrochemical industry"?