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Cheap materials, lax government standards at fault in toxic FEMA trailers
The toxic trailers used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to house thousands of homeless Gulf Coast residents after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were found to be troublesome to occupants' health due to cheap building materials and lax government standards for RVs, scientists said Wednesday. "Manufacturers of travel trailers and the government agencies that influence their design should consider using construction materials that emit lower levels of formaldehyde, as well as designs that increase outside air ventilation," said Michael McGeehin of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. But while that's under consideration, you don't have to wait for a hurricane to hit your neighborhood to get your own toxic trailer -- apparently they're on the market now. (Thanks, lax government standards!) FEMA received some 11,000 complaints about trailer occupants' health; some 19,000 FEMA trailers are still being used by Katrina victims.

source: The Washington Post

30,000 farmed salmon escape off B.C. coast, endangering wild stocks
Some 30,000 farmed Atlantic salmon have escaped from their pen off the coast of British Columbia into the Pacific Ocean. Farmed salmon can harm wild salmon stocks -- which are already declining on the west coast -- by competing with them for food as well as spreading disease. In this case, the escaped salmon are also a different species which is not native to the area. A spokesperson for the company that owns the fish farm explains what happened. "One of the anchor lines ... apparently slipped to a low spot on the ocean floor and in so doing pulled down the corner of the cage so much the fish were able to swim out." However, in the fish-farm equivalent of making lemons into lemonade, the farm's spokesdude emphasized the tastiness of the escaped fish if anglers are lucky enough to catch one. "[Anglers] should keep the fish, clean it, and bake in a 400-degree oven with a ginger and green-onion garnish. Then serve with fresh lemon slices," he said. Mmm, tastes like freedom.

source: The Globe and Mail

BLM reverses stance on solar-project moratorium
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has reversed its recent moratorium on new applications for solar-energy projects on public land, allowing companies to keep submitting proposals for new solar projects. The solar-project freeze had been instituted in late May while the BLM began conducting a two-year study on the potential environmental impacts of solar projects on public lands; the agency said the study would eventually help to speed projects along. However, due to pressure from the solar industry, Congress, and the public, the agency decided Wednesday that it could continue to process new applications after all, even as it studied solar's environmental impacts. The victory is only partial, however, as the BLM hasn't actually approved any of the 130 solar-project applications it already has. So, really, not approving a few more isn't that big of a deal for the agency. "We're encouraged that the BLM lifted their moratorium, but we're only halfway there," said Rhone Resch of the Solar Energy Industries Association. "We now need to get them to expedite the permitting of the solar projects."

sources: Las Vegas Sun, Associated Press, The New York Times