Kalamazoo cleanup continues: We’ve written an awful lot here about the 2010 tar sands pipeline spill into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River and the botched cleanup effort (including our groundbreaking three-part series, “The Whistleblower.”) Guess what? Despite declarations earlier this year that the cleanup was finally finished, there’s still a lot of oil left in the river -- enough that EPA is now ordering the pipeline company to come back and dredge 100 more acres of river bottom to get rid of it. The new dredging could take up to a year and add tens of millions of dollars to a cleanup that has already cost more than $800 million. InsideClimate News
The end is nigh: In the history of life on our planet, there have been five mass extinction events, when 75 percent or more of species have gone extinct within two million years. Scientists say we’re likely in the midst of a sixth (read our interview with E.O. Wilson, “The Human Factor.”) Here are seven signs we’re headed down a very bad road for biodiversity. It’s no surprise that climate change and ocean acidification both make the list, but who knew that Yellowstone was coming for us? Yikes. io9
Flexing some mussel: Some of the many animals nearing extinction: mussels. In Alabama, referred to as the “undisputed king of the freshwater mollusk” (and who are we to argue?), eight more species of mussel have just been added to the endangered species list, which will hopefully help protect them from threats such as pollution, development, and dams. The bad news? More than 100 other species have also been recommended for the list but not yet added, meaning there are a lot more in need of protection. And they’ve got rockin’ names, like wartybacks, heelsplitters, papershells, pimplebacks, fuzzy pigtoes, sugarspoons, and riffleshells. They may not be cute, but how can you not want to save species with awesome names like that? Birmingham News
Living in an amoeba: What does the shape of your city have to do with its fiscal health? Quite a bit, apparently. Endlessly sprawling cities (amoeba-shaped ones, as many in the U.S. are) lead to inefficiencies and infrastructure demands, which place a strain on resources. Cities with better-defined boundaries and little room to grow may do better financially, because they have to focus on serving and improving what they’ve got, rather than annexing and adding more. Planetizen
Off the rails: Last year we told you about efforts to ship more U.S. coal to China via railroad and ports in the Pacific Northwest (see “Coal on a Roll.”) Environmental groups and green pols are already trying to stop the building of new export terminals. Now more Native Americans are joining those efforts, too -- and they’ve got clout. New York Times
Don’t dump on us: New Yorkers ran out of room to dump their garbage years ago, so now they ship it out of state. (See “Putting a Lid on America’s Trash Trail.”) Wouldn’t it be better to turn that trash into energy, as the Bloomberg administration advocates? Sure, but where are you gonna put the facility, and how much pollution could it cause? People in the city’s poorer neighborhoods think they know, and they aren’t happy about it. City Limits
“Pumpkins dig dry weather”: Hence, they’re one of the few crops doing great despite the Midwestern drought. Linus will be so relieved. Associated Press
Tips: @OnEarthMag (tag it #greenreads)
Image: JD Hancock/Flickr
