Two Powerful Blows Against Air Pollution Controls (Slashdot) The NYTimes reports from Washington on two separate actions on Friday that, between them, have halted Bush administration clean-air initiatives in their tracks. The current administration is no favorite of environmental groups, but these groups sided with the administration in a court case brought by the utility companies. On Friday an appeals court threw out the EPA's Clean Air Interstate Rule, ... [News Source]

New conservation road map far from a plan for success. The temptation while wading through the Minnesota Statewide Conservation and Preservation Plan is to suggest that -- if this is indeed what plans are -- then the U.S. military was better off without one to govern its strategy in Iraq. [News Source]

Smoke likely to linger, could get worse. Nothing in the near future will take the smoke and haze out of the valleys of western Nevada and it could get worse, the National Weather Service warned Friday. [News Source]

Tax cuts flow from the revenue neutral carbon tax. Most folks understand climate change is happening, but some continue to dispute if this is the case. [News Source]

Why invest in energy? Energy is an integral input to modern life. [News Source]

Task force analysis important for city. Global changes are requiring reconsideration of many aspects of American life, and transportation is at the top of the list. [News Source]

When bad air is worse. Quirks in reporting can understate extent of pollution. [News Source]

California weighs “Pay As You Drive” insurance. Would you cut back on driving if your insurance company charged by the mile, and maybe by the way you handle your ride? Some state lawmakers and regulators are betting many Californians will. [News Source]

Officials: Carnival needs to go green. The global cruise ship operator may be forced to make its Long Beach berth the greenest harbor parking slot on the West Coast. [News Source]

13 homes lost, 200 people flee as fires grow east of Cascades. The number of homes destroyed by a wildfire in the Spokane Valley rose to 13 on Friday as firefighters gradually moved into a heavily wooded area that was devastated by wind-driven flames a day earlier. [News Source]

St. George works to clean up the air. The St. George City Council has started to take action to help settle the dust, which is believed to be a major contributor to the haze. [News Source]