eBay, electric cars, ethanol, orcas, mining, geothermal

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Over 190 million acres of public land in twelve western states will be opened to geothermal-energy drilling [which is not pollution-free, according to some Grist bloggers] (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE49L75320081022

Plans for new, wetland-destroying phosphate mines in Florida met strong opposition, and the permits to build them were suspended for now. (St Petersburg Times)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/article848584.ece

Seven orcas are missing from the Puget Sound population, which is considered distinct and endangered (Associated Press)
http://news.aol.com/article/puget-sound-missing-rare-killer-whales/225542

Editorial: A recent hearing yielded proposals for new approaches to aiding Maine's dismally-faring groundfish industry (Bangor News)
http://bangornews.com/detail/91499.html

New York Times
A California company seeks to convert Australia into a haven of renewably-powered electric cars [no local resistance expected?]
http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2008/10/22/22gigaom-better-place-goes-down-under-to-electrify-austral-13129.html

eBay announced that next year it will ban selling of ivory on its website.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/us/21animals.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

Grist
McCain and Obama on "public-lands issues" (i.e. roads, parks, mining and logging)
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/10/20/174352/98

Review of an AP article on the in-viability of cellulosic ethanol, with a long comment-discussion on different kinds of alternative fuels.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/10/17/94536/558