Pipe problems: The Clean Water Act is arguably one of the most effective pieces of environmental legislation ever passed. Communities have received billions in federal grants to stop sewage and industrial waste from polluting the nation’s waterways. But on its 40th anniversary, those grants have largely run out, municipal wastewater systems are aging, and local governments can’t keep up with the required maintenance and need for increased capacity. In the Pacific Northwest, as elsewhere, that means lots of pollution getting into drinking water and no money to stop it. Investigate West
Fanning the flames: Think this year’s drought is bad? You ain’t seen nothing yet, says a study of Southwestern forests. A megadrought like the region hasn’t seen in centuries is coming in our lifetimes, and the result would be massive wildfires, more beetles devouring forests, and a dramatic shift in the entire ecosystem. Sante Fe New Mexican
Don’t feed the bears: Seriously, don’t do it. You’ll get them killed. Seven black bears, including two cubs, were euthanized by Montana wildlife officials this week because a local resident was feeding them. Officials were concerned the bears, conditioned to expect food from humans, could attack others in search of a meal. NBC News
What will it take?: More bad news about BPA (the hormone-disrupting chemical used in some plastic bottles and food can liners): a new study shows pregnant women exposed to high levels of it gave birth to baby boys with lower thyroid hormones. Can we please just ban the stuff already? Scientific American
Booze cruise: Now that the melting Arctic has opened channels that were once ice-filled and unpassable, the once-fabled Northwest Passage is starting to attract the wrong kind of crowd: Canadian authorities fined an Australian tycoon $10,000 last month for shooting off fireworks, harassing muskox, and generally boozing it up on his luxury yacht without proper permits. They also seized 200 bottles of liquor. AFP
Making a splash: The protesters trying to stop the Keystone XL pipeline in Texas are finally getting some attention -- because a celebrity was arrested as part of their blockade. (We won’t make you click to find out who: it’s Darryl Hannah.) Associated Press
Melts in your mouth, not in your … stinger?: Bees in the Alsace region of France are producing blue and green honey. Seems they may be snacking on waste from a plant that produce M&Ms. Something similar happened in Brooklyn a couple of years ago, when bees were getting buzzed on corn syrup from a maraschino cherry factory and producing red honey. (NRDC, which publishes OnEarth, helped the Brooklyn factory and local beekeepers find a solution to keep the bees out.) We love their honey, so maybe it’s only fair that bees have developed a taste for our manmade sweet stuff. If only it were good for them -- or us. TreeHugger
Tips: @OnEarthMag (tag it #greenreads)
Photo: Timothy K Hamilton/Flickr
