BOSTON, June 5 -- Massachusetts Institute of Technology issued the following news release: Noting that the current economic crisis is but an opportunity in disguise, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick advised graduates at MIT's 143rd Commencement exercises on Friday, June 5, to take advantage of the skills they have learned at MIT to "write the next chapter of the American story." As thousands of graduates, friends and family members, faculty, staff and others looked on under cloudy skies in  more

ALBANY, N.Y., June 5 -- Gov. David Paterson, D-N.Y., issued the following news release: Governor David A. Paterson today introduced a package of five Governor's program bills to advance New York's emerging clean energy economy, create jobs, protect the environment and save the State money. The five bills will: extend the State's Power for Jobs and Energy Cost Savings Benefit programs; update the State's Energy Conservation Construction Code; expand the authority of the New York Power Autho  more

BONN, Germany, June 5 -- Greenpeace International issued the following news release: A draft Indian government plan, obtained by Greenpeace, outlines plans for a national target of 20 Gigawatts of solar generation capacity by 2020. The massive green plan is a clear example of how developing countries are acting on climate change, while in the industrialised world, the EU and the US are still struggling with their reduction targets, and delaying concrete financial support needed by developing   more

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz., June 5 -- The Navajo Nation, a federally-recognized Native American tribe, issued the following news release: Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr., today became the first Native American leader to join the federal Homeland Security Advisory Council. President Shirley was sworn in along with 15 others by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano in a ceremony held today in Albuquerque at the first meeting of the advisory council. "I congratulate the members   more

WASHINGTON, June 5 -- The American Association for the Advancement of Science issued the following news release: The patient suffered from advanced Lou Gehrig's disease and had been in a vegetative state for two years, never speaking, never showing a sign that she could hear. But Japanese scientist Hideaki Koizumi wanted to know more about her condition, and so he fitted the patient with a brain scanner--a thin cap with electrodes attached. When he asked her to try to speak, the language p  more

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., June 3 -- Purdue University issued the following news release: Purdue's Energy Center at Discovery Park has joined 31 other university programs in forming the Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders. The council is the first multidisciplinary membership organization composed of heads of academic energy research and education centers. Its goal is to advance the role of higher education in the energy field to improve education, decision-making and the well-bein  more

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 5 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued the following news release: U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in 16 members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) today during her first meeting with HSAC in Albuquerque, N.M. "I congratulate the members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council on their appointments," said Secretary Napolitano. "As we work to fulfill the Department's core mission of securing t  more

WASHINGTON, June 5 -- The Reform Institute issued the following news release: A debate last night in Washington, DC hosted by the nonpartisan Reform Institute highlighted the fact that despite key differences, there are also areas of bipartisan agreement that can be built upon through civil discourse. The Future of American Energy and Climate Policy featured former Congressional Budget Office director and policy director for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin an  more

WINONA, Minn., June 5 -- Winona State University, issued the following news release: Winona State University President Judith Ramaley has been appointed to the Executive Committee of American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The new Executive Committee of the ACUPCC's Steering Committee, which includes Ramaley and six others, will ensure that initiatives are on track and frame policy issues for the entire Steering Committee. The executive committee was convened   more

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., June 4 -- The University of Virginia issued the following news release: At the turn of the last century, urban planners and public health officials often worked hand-in-hand to improve public health by building better water and sewer infrastructure, addressing transportation issues and creating parks and open spaces. But the two disciplines later drifted apart. Though the two fields have begun to re-converge over the last decade on the research level, they remain infr  more

ORLANDO, Fla., June 3 -- The University of Central Florida, a component of the Florida state university system, issued the following news release: The University of Central Florida conducted a prescribed burn Tuesday, June 2, on 10 acres of the campus' northeastern corner, just east of the UCF Softball Complex. The burn was conducted only as weather conditions permitted. Prescribed burns, which remove dead, decaying or low-lying plants on the forest floor, are a management technique to mai  more

CORAL GABLES, Fla., June 2 -- University of Miami issued the following news release: Dengue Fever (DF) and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) are the most important vector-borne viral diseases in the World. Around 50-100 million cases appear each year putting 2.5 billion people at risk of suffering this debilitating and sometimes fatal disease. Dengue Fever is prevalent in the Tropics. For that reason, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Miami (UM) and the University o  more

WASHINGTON, June 4 -- The office of Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., issued the following news release: United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today offered a new, commonsense approach to requiring that a greater percentage of the nation's electricity come from renewable sources. The Landrieu amendment would have removed the cap limiting how much energy efficiency gains can be used to meet the renewable electricity mandate. Under the Landrieu proposal, which failed by one vote at today's  more

WINONA, Minn., June 5 -- Winona State University, issued the following news release: Winona State University President Judith Ramaley has been appointed to the Executive Committee of American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The new Executive Committee of the ACUPCC's Steering Committee, which includes Ramaley and six others, will ensure that initiatives are on track and frame policy issues for the entire Steering Committee. The executive committee was convened   more

WASHINGTON, June 5 -- Rep. Timothy V. Johnson, R-Ill. (15th CD), issued the following news release: U.S. Rep. Timothy V. Johnson today urged President Obama to take immediate action on the FutureGen project in Mattoon. The letter is below. Dear President Obama, I write today with an earnest appeal for you to take decisive action on an initiative that is of crucial importance to America's energy future. As you know, FutureGen would be the world's first coal-fueled power plant with near z  more

WASHINGTON, June 5 -- Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has introduced the Renewable Fuel Standard Improvement Act (S. 1148) that would modify a provision involving a renewable fuel program of the Clean Air Act. The bill was introduced on May 21 and has three co-sponsors. Co-sponsors are Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Christopher Bond, R-Mo., and John Thune, R-S.D. Sen. Grassley said in a floor statement, "In the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released by the Environmental Protection Agency ear  more