An investigation into a fracking fluid leak near Calgary, in Canada, has confirmed groundwater contamination.]]> If passed by the House, SB 252 would require rural cooperatives with more than 100,000 meters to obtain 25 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. To help compensate for extra costs, the bill would also allow co-ops to tack on an extra 2 percent to customer bills, rather than the 1 percent that gets added now.]]> The City of Boulder is holding two events on May 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the East Boulder Community Center, 5660 Sioux Drive, to cover some summer concerns: water restrictions and a noxious weed eradication program.]]> The National Geographic Society funded a research project at the University of Colorado that was designed to further understanding of the correlation between biodiversity and disease.]]> A network of sensors used to track nuclear weapons since the Cold War could be used for environmental monitoring instead, according to a study published in Science last week.]]> The U.S. Green Building Council has announced the top 10 states for new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications in 2012, and Colorado landed third on the per-capita list.]]> NASA has announced that a recent rock sample taken from Mars indicates the planet could have once supported living micro-organisms — just as the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado announced it has crossed another milestone in building NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN).]]> The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, is joining forces with more than 20 craft breweries to campaign for clean water.]]> A study released by a team of international scientists indicates that Greenland’s ice core layers, which date back 100,000 years, may shed light on the future of global warming.]]> A field study conducted by researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) shows that dust and microorganisms help spur precipitation, which California counts on for its water supply.]]> Boulder-based photographer James Balog will discuss his work, which captures the effects of climate change on glaciers around the world, at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 1, at the University of Colorado’s Macky Auditorium.]]> Following in the footsteps of Longmont, the Fort Collins City Council voted to approve an initial ban on hydraulic fracturing within city limits.]]> The Republican-led House of Representatives passed the ‘No More Solyndras’ Act in a 245-161 vote Sept. 14.]]> Energy bills are no small matter for families with low income. ]]> Opponents of the proposed Pebble copper mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, have come out in full force, flooding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during a public comment period on the proposal with about 200,000 comments in opposition to the project, and the EPA is still counting.]]> This week’s “endangered bird becomes more endangered” news story is brought to you by the California condor, which researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of Colorado have found are continuing to be poisoned by lead from bullets, despite restrictions on the use of lead-based bullets in condor areas.]]> CATCH A FREE RIDE THIS SUMMER GOING BETWEEN LYONS AND BOULDER The great dilemma for reconciling your sweet summer plans with your interest in preserving the planet home to your favorite bluegrass bands often comes down to transportation. Which is why this summer, from May 25 until Aug. 31, a free shuttle will run between Boulder and Lyons on weekends. The Lyons-to-Boulder Shuttle runs from the Boulder Transit Center at 14th and Walnut to the Lyons Park-n- Ride at Fourth Avenue and Broadway, stopping along the way in multiple locations. Catch a free ride Friday evenings and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.]]> Amid mounting criticism against a proposed copper mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, a group of independent environmental scientists are crying foul at an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assessment of the prospective project.]]>