NOAA has released a summary of five years of post-oil spill research on dolphins in the Gulf and the findings aren't good. The summary says quote, "Evidence suggests that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is a contributor to the largest and longest lasting dolphin die-off on record in the Gulf of Mexico."

 

Dr. Moby Solangi with the Marine Mammal Institute of Gulfport explained what he's seen. He said, "We saw approximately about a 300% increase in dolphin deaths and about a 1500% increase in sea turtle deaths."

 

Dr. Solangi said while those numbers are significant, more people were also looking for the animals in the aftermath of the spill. Dr. Solangi knows the difficulties that dolphins face and he said the oil spill is just one of them.

 

 

In one of the first studies to examine the potential for using municipal wastewater as a feedstock for algae-based biofuels, scientists found they could grow high-value strains of oil-rich algae while simultaneously removing more than 90 percent of nitrates and more than 50 percent of phosphorous from wastewater. Wastewater treatment facilities currently have no cost-effective means of removing large volumes of nitrates or phosphorus from treated water, so algae production with wastewater has the potential of solving two problems at once, said a study co-author.

 

 

 

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Monsanto Co. has agreed to pay $600,000 in fines for not reporting hundreds of uncontrolled releases of toxic chemicals at its eastern Idaho phosphate plant.

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday announced the agreement involving the biotechnology company's Soda Springs facilities.

 

Federal officials say the chemicals released are hazardous and can pose serious health risks. Monsanto in a statement noted there were no allegations that the releases exceeded state of federal standards, or that they contributed to any known health concerns in the Soda Springs area.

 

Federal officials said the releases occurred between 2006 and 2009, with the plant emitting hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury. Companies are required by law to report such releases immediately.