TV News LIES

Los Angeles officials have voted unanimously to approve stricter enforcement of the federal Clean Air Act, including a provision that requires coal-fired plants to reduce mercury and other toxic air pollution.

Environmental groups applauded the decision, saying ending the use of coal will improve health and bring clean energy jobs to the region.

Methane seeping up underground pathways caused concentrated plumes of gas in the air in Bradford County where the state and a natural gas drilling company are investigating the cause of stray methane bubbling in streams and water wells, according to a study released Tuesday by the Clean Air Council.

The 3½-hour survey conducted for the environmental organization by Gas Safety Inc. in Leroy Twp. on June 8 found average ground-level methane concentrations in a roughly 2-square-mile area at nearly twice normal background levels for the region's air.

As the world warms and seas rise, some spots are expected to take the brunt of the higher ocean levels, while others may not see such a deluge, new research by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reveals.

The study homed in on one "hotspot," where sea levels are rising more than three times faster than the global average: the 621-mile (1,000-kilometer) stretch along the eastern United States' Atlantic coast.

With more than 300 natural gas wells in the city, Arlington plans to begin sending firefighters for specialized training from a Houston firm in techniques to protect neighborhoods better during well fires, gas releases and other industry-related incidents.

The City Council is set to vote Tuesday on a $96,000 contract with Wild Well Control of Houston to train at least 48 firefighters and six fire inspectors over two years.

Australian research scientists have developed a strategy for fighting Dengue fever, a viral disease spread by mosquitoes that affects more than 50 million people annually and causes fever and crippling joint and muscle pain—and in some cases even death.

Researchers are encouraged that these bacterially infected mosquitoes are safe to humans and, once set loose, are capable of spreading on their own and overtaking the wild mosquito populations that transmit disease to humans.

Three northeastern Pennsylvania families have reached a $1.6 million settlement with a gas drilling company over contaminated water wells. But Jared McMicken of Wyalusing said the agreement reached Thursday provides little comfort since his drinking water was ruined by nearby drilling, and his family must move.

"We've lost our house, and we're not going to get out of it what we got into it," he said. "We have a bunch of people who have to leave their homes."