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Northern Star

Northern Illinois University’s student media since 1899

 

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Scientists gather to study risk from microplastic pollution

By GILLIAN FLACCUS | February 24, 2020

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Tiny bits of broken-down plastic smaller than a fraction of a grain of rice are turning up everywhere in oceans, from the water to the guts of fish and the poop of sea otters and giant killer whales.Yet little is known about the...

California sues Trump administration to block water rules

By ADAM BEAM | February 20, 2020

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California sued the Trump administration on Thursday to block new rules that would let farmers take more water from the state's largest river systems, arguing it would push endangered populations of delta smelt, chinook salmon...

EPA will regulate two toxic chemicals in drinking water

By MICHAEL CASEY | February 20, 2020

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it plans to regulate two nonstick and stain-resistant compounds in the drinking water amid growing concerns the chemicals found in everything from pizza boxes to carpet...

Toxic Superfund cleanups decline to more than 30-year low

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER | February 19, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration completed the fewest cleanups of toxic Superfund sites last year than any administration since the program’s first years in the 1980s, figures released by the Environmental Protection Agency indicated Wednesday.The...

North Dakota regulators OK expanded Dakota Access pipeline

By JAMES MacPHERSON | February 19, 2020

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators on Wednesday unanimously approved expanded capacity for the Dakota Access pipeline, saying they believed the project had met exhaustive state and federal requirements.The 3-0 vote by the all-Republican Public...

Students push universities to stop investing in fossil fuels

By MICHAEL MELIA | February 19, 2020

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Students alarmed by climate change are stepping up pressure on universities to pull investments from fossil fuel industries, an effort that is gaining traction at prestigious schools like Georgetown, Harvard and Yale.The push...

Dutch farmers protest in The Hague against emissions policy

By MIKE CORDER | February 19, 2020

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Thousands of angry Dutch farmers converged on The Hague on Wednesday in the latest protest against the government's plans to rein in emissions of nitrogen oxide.As tractors poured into the city, the Dutch military parked...

San Diego aquarium breeds rare weedy sea dragon in captivity

February 13, 2020

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Southern California aquarium has successfully bred the rare weedy sea dragon, the lesser known cousin of the sea horse that resembles seaweed when floating.San Diego's Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography said in...

BP lays out long-term ambition to achieve net-zero emissions

By DANICA KIRKA | February 12, 2020

LONDON (AP) — Energy producer BP said Wednesday it wants to eliminate or offset all carbon emissions from its operations and the oil and gas it sells to customers by 2050, an ambitious target born out of pressure to help combat climate change and keep...

Macron to get hybrid car as France steps up climate fight

February 12, 2020

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron's government announced a raft of plans Wednesday to curb its carbon emissions, including getting a new hybrid-engine armored car for the French leader.Other new steps include an annual bonus of 200 euros...

Push to scale back US environmental law draws ire at hearing

By JAMES ANDERSON | February 11, 2020

DENVER (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday hosted the first of two hearings on its proposal to speed energy and other projects by rolling back a landmark environmental law. Opponents from Western states argued the long-term benefits of keeping...

Global energy-related carbon emissions flat in 2019

February 11, 2020

BERLIN (AP) — Global energy-related emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide remained steady last year, with declines in rich countries balancing out a rise in poor nations, according to data published Tuesday.The International Energy Agency said emissions...